My Candlewood Cabin

First published 11-19-11 in my blog Postcards From the Heartland.

This is the cabin I rented for five nights in October for an artist's retreat. Just me and Beary. Dad was working the harvest, so he had to stay home.

I'm so glad I got to experience another Wisconsin autumn. The foliage colors were just spectacular.  Here in central Illinois, we don't have the variety of fall colors that they do farther north. Also, the hilly terrain with its dairy farms make for very picturesque sightseeing.

My cabin sat up on a steep hill, so I had to carry everything from the van up all those stairs. Halfway up the hill from where Beary is sitting (above) is the fire pit. The cabin was very secluded and peaceful. I wish I would have taken more pictures than I did, but the lighting was difficult inside. And being by myself with Beary, it was really hard to do any photography anyway.

I did do a little plein aire painting of the meadow that leads back into the valley where my cabin was located.  I also did a lot of reading, and took lots of walks with my dog. One day we made a long road trip around the lower Wisconsin River, and another day we visited a huge orchard for fresh-from-the-tree Golden Delicious apples.

Although there was no TV or internet access, the cabin came complete with a nice collection of DVD movies, music CDs, and a bookshelf of interesting books. The screened porch was nice, and the bathtub had a whirlpool.

I give this vacation hideaway a 5-star rating. It was absolutely beautiful and the hosts, Susan and Norbert were very friendly and helpful. Candlewood Cabins are located in southwestern Wisconsin, south of the town of Richland Center. If you'd like to see the inside of my cabin, as well as the other two beautiful cabins on the property, check out their website:

http://candlewoodcabins.com/