Those of you that may or may not pay attention to my posts, know that WA Frost & Co is one of my favorite restaurants. That said, I have another favorite too that fits in a busy day of errands: Jake's City Grille. Today I had a wonderful lunch that started out with a Sangria Cocktail, Asian chicken salad, and then rhubarb crisp & ice cream with a delicious cup of coffee. I am so full tonight that I just may skip dinner! ​

I had an interesting drive this afternoon in the Gov. Knowles State Forest. My niece gave me a book on Wisconsin ghost towns/villages and it has been fun finding some of these towns or what remains of them. Last fall, I thought I'd found the remnants of a town called Trade River. However, today in the above mentioned state forest, along the Trade River, I found the remnants of what may really have been the town/village of Trade River. All that is left is a small chapel and a cemetery. When looking at these pics, can you imagine Sunday worship at this small church 150 years ago??? Life in these Northwoods must have been brutal. Can you imagine a winter in the 1800s, living in a log cabin and your only heat would have been a wood stove or a fireplace? The cemetery tells its own story of the harshness of that life. Mable Erickson...born 1901 died 1902...for instance and that was only 120 years ago. I need to find out more about this area, this town, and the people that lived here...especially the real Americans who lived here before the European settlers arrived...the Saint Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin.