For years, Wisconsin remained a state I hadn't visited. Finally, in 2008, I made it to Door County. Since then I've been back twice and every time I find more and more to like about the state. I love the lovely green landscape, the passionate Cheeseheads -- and their amazing headgear -- the cheese and so much more. And like so many places with impressive attractions, it also has some little, quirky treasures. I'd have to say the National Mustard Museum heads that list.
It's located in Middleton in the metropolitan Madison area. Barry Levenson is the founder and chief cheerleader. An attorney, he's a former assistant state's attorney general and an adjunct professor of food law at the University of Wisconsin. And he has a wild and wicked sense of humor.
The Mustard Museum features over 5000 mustards from every state in the union and more than 60 countries. The museum store carries mustards from many of these places -- and features a mustard tasting bar.
The museum itself is an exploration of mustard history and includes displays of antique mustard pots, advertsing and actual jars of the condiment. Guests can view a video in the Mustardpiece Theatre. It's also a seat of higher learning with school songs like "Roll Out the Mustard" and university fight songs. And I, myself, received a diploma from this institution.
As you can see, I am now a D.D.S. -- Doctor of Diddley Squat. And my alma mater -- Poupon U.
After receiving my credential, I headed for the school store for memorabilia. Here's one of my favorites.
jaegerschnitzel, wienerschnitzel, geschnetzlets, roesti, spaetzli, salad, hot rolls, and, for dessert,
Napoleon topped with fresh strawberries. The meal was wonderful; the atmosphere authentic Swiss (the town was founded by 108 Swiss immigrants); and we ate to the accompaniment of yodeling and an alpenhorn.
Here Buddy is giving us a tutorial in lobster sexing. I promise I will never be trying it out myself -- all those creepy claws and legs will keep the lobster's secrets secret. Female lobsters can carry their eggs up to two years -- the last half of the time they are glued to the underside of her tail. When a lobsterfisherperson (yes, there are lobsterwomen) catches a female with eggs, he cuts a notch in her tail and tosses her back so if she gets caught again, she will be released. That keeps the population going.
In young lobsters, the claws are about the same size but as the animal grows, they differentiate into the larger crusher claw and smaller pincher claw.
The lobster's face is interesting. I could identify the eyes easily enough but I'm not sure I could find the mouth. Buddy did -- and, wh0 knew -- lobsters have teeth!
Here's a sampling of lobster dishes we tried: lobster salad,
the ubiquitous lobster roll,
and the whole lobster. I deliberately chose a small lobster (notice the claws) because I discovered that, with my braces, lobster takes a lot more chewing than without them. I managed to get through both claws and about 1/3 of the tail about the same time everyone else at the table was finishing dessert!
This is part of the group the night we ate at Weathervane in Belfast. Are we having fun yet? You bet! 
The resort sits on almost 400 acres of woods sloping up from a small strip of beach. I walked down the hill from my cabin to check out the water. I think it was about 1/2 to 3/4 mile down to the water.
This great dane was having a super time retrieving sticks from the surf. I must be getting old -- I think this is the first time in my life that I've been on the ocean (okay, technically Penobscot Bay) without actually sticking a toe in the water. I just couldn't stand the thought of walking back up the hill with sand in my sandals. And I swear it was five miles back to the cabin -- uphill the whole way!
We sailed by this picturesque lighthouse on Curtis Island at the mouth of the harbor.
We were out almost two hours but headed in as we watched the rain moving in. We weren't the only ones headed for harbor.
The rain just missed us and the sun was shining when we docked. Camden is such a pretty town and their harbor is beautiful, too, don't you think?
After dinner, Ken took me out night shooting. The iconic image of Wichita is the Keeper of the Plains which stands on a rock promentory above the Arkansas River.
There's a pedestrian bridge which crosses the river there -- the design reminiscent of native bows -- most attractive.
We toured the Hyatt and the adjacent convention facilities -- pretty amazing -- then flew by the River District museums -- Botanica, the art museum, the science museum, the American Indian museum and Old Cowtown -- looking, again, at meeting spaces.
And it was time to eat again. This time we pigged out at Pig In Pig Out. The chef-owner, Derek Cochran knows his 'cue -- the walls are covered with ribbons he's won at BBQ competitions. Again, the braces kept me from attacking everything -- but the chopped brisket and the pulled pork worked fine -- and I wound up bringing home containers of both the hot and mild sauces. I'd have brought meat -- but several hours in the car without a cooler seemed a little risky to me.
Let me know if you're brave enough to try this. 
Kert Hennings took us through the plant and gave us a thorough orientation. His brother, Kerry, is a Master Cheesemaker of Colby, Monterrey Jack and Cheddar.
I could now give you a mini-dissertation on the conditions required for excellent cheese but it would be more fun for you to find some Henning's cheese and taste for yourself.
I'm an early riser so while Jack continued making zzzzs, I got out early with my camera. I think this is the oldest building on the main street. I don't have my notes with me, so if I'm wrong, I'll edit later. I loved all the lacy balconies.
The author who wrote Steel Magnolias is from Natchitoches and a lot of the movie was filmed here. This was M'Lynn's (Sally Field's character) house in the movie. Built in 1830, it's now a B&B.
Foodies who think Natchitoches think meat pies so we had to try some at Laysone's -- the premier pie producer not only in Natchitoches, but, arguably, anywhere. Their pies are all made by hand and Angela Laysone told us that one of the things that makes their pies unique is the crust. I've tried meat pies twice since then and so far she's absolutely right. One of the pies held the traditional beef/pork mix; the other was a crawfish pie. Laysone's has been featured in a number of the Stern's (of Road Food fame) books, the NY Times, Gourmet, Southern Living and now -- ta da -- this blog.
We were on a tight schedule so we didn't have time to explore the town at our leisure -- but we did stop at Ft. St. Jean Baptiste -- a recreation of the colonial fort established here. Costumed interpreters brought the site to life.
On the way out of town, we visited Oakland, a plantation built in 1803. The house has been enlarged over the years and members of the family lived here up into the 1950s. I loved the oak allee in front.
In the blacksmith shop, we were given a demonstration of the smith's craft. Ralph -- I didn't catch his last name -- made several items that would have been used during the Civil War period. He first made a nail and told us that round-nail-making machines weren't invented until the 1890s. Then he fashioned an S-hook, handy for hanging items.
