This 2-day discovery program is the first of many Sous Les Sapins  (under the pines) events. These affordable, relaxing offerings combine an enjoyable weekend getaway in and around the beautiful environs of Lansing, Iowa, within a structured workshop designed to breathe new life into your soul, replenish your creative reservoir and open up your senses–a world away from your daily distractions.

Just a few short hours from Chicago, Madison, or Minneapolis, the journey to The House at French Creek provides the scenic pathway to creative adventure. Traveling the byways and visiting roadside attractions along the lush banks of The Mighty Mississippi River, the backdrop of the site is its own inspiration. Spend mornings in the workshop, afternoons at site-specific locales and evenings in community, dining, discussing, and renewing your passions for what you are here to give, now. This truly unique, high-quality atmosphere is made for new beginnings!

This Sous les Sapins Creativity Retreat is offered twice yearly, with the next dates being October 12th through the 14th. Believe it or not, that’s right around the corner and space is booking fast! Sign up today.

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As we celebrate the mid point of the summer season with fireworks and raspberry ice cream, Doug and I are reminded of what is important in life; family, dear friends, good food, engaging conversation, and continued learning.

This year has been a year of change at The House at French Creek. Just as the cycles in life are constantly evolving and changing, reflective of the seasons and the times, so too, we change and evolve. Not only did our house number change, but so did our road name. Inspired by the brisk breezes that whistle through the century old pine trees, we named the road Windy Ridge. So new road name, new address, and there’s more.

Over the years we’ve shared our house with people from as far away as Australia, England and Brazil, we’ve accommodated large families and intimate couples for anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and more. And while we appreciate our guests and their continued patronage, we couldn’t help but think there must be even more that we could do to capture the magic of this property and landscape, opening up it’s mysteries and gifts to an even wider audience, and just maybe for an even higher purpose.

The result? The House at French Creek will be transitioning at the end of this year’s rental season from merely an accommodation for visitors to a retreat and learning center for the arts and culture. The House will provide shelter, hospitality, meeting, and studio space for instructors and students seeking to engage in life transforming adventures in the breathtaking landscape of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.

As we say at French Creek: It’s time to make time, so let the adventure begin.

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For my own amusement I like to break The Drive into quarters. We begin the 1st quarter by getting out of the metro area.  The ground we cover here is the Northern corridor of the Kennedy Expressway joining I-90 and the Illinois Tollway. We pass the northwest rim of the city, O’Hare Airport, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Barrington and Hoffman Estates.  This can be a real crapshoot, at times everything comes together and traffic will flow very nicely, unfortunately, this is almost never the case, Chicago traffic generally goes from bad to worse. All one can really hope for is to move along at a decent clip and avoid any major delays, things usually start loosening up just past Elgin. As we push further out of the metro area we find ourselves driving through farmland and passing the towns of Gilberts, Hampshire, Huntley and Marengo. Belvidere is home to a Chrysler Plant and the Belvidere Oasis. The Oasis has some really abysmal fast food, but Kronos is a bright spot, the spinach spanakopita isn’t half bad.

Next is Rockford, land of water parks and the start of the 2nd quarter. This quarter is all about pushing to the Starbuck’s in Middleton, just past Madison. I-90 expands to 4 lanes in Rockford so things become nice and roomy. As we arrive at the Wisconsin border a feeling of accomplishment begins to take hold. The first town we pass over the state line is Beloit, home to a Hormel Chili plant. Janesville’s next, here the T&A Travel Center is a frequent pit stop for cheaper gas and a cheese curd and sausage hit.  This part of I-90 can become clogged up during the summertime with vacationers heading to the Wisconsin Dells. We are about 2 hours in now and starting to feel a bit droopy, though the thought of that espresso bump up ahead keeps us focused on the task at hand. We roll by Milton, Edgerton, and Stoughton before turning off of I-90 onto Hwy. 12/18, otherwise known as The Beltway, which cuts through the Madison metro area. The scenery improves a bit here; Madison has several lakes which surround the city, in the summertime posh lakefront properties are filled with boats and water skiers. After a 15 minute cruise on The Beltway we’re at Starbuck’s. Yes!

Now that the espresso has kicked in, we are ready to attack the 2nd half of the drive. We are now travelling on Hwy. 14 and will be for the next 60 odd miles. Leaving Middleton  we pass a few outer ring suburbs, each one progressively more rustic than the last. Cross-Plains is a cute little village that takes pride in being “Famous for Friendliness”; Black Earth is home to The Shoebox, a footwear emporium that attracts droves of shoppers from far and wide. Mazomanie, a pleasant little train town, also boasts the state’s only legal nude beach on the banks of the Wisconsin River. If you’re curious, nope, haven’t been. Arena is a sleepy little village where if you blink you’ll probably miss it, Co-Jack Cheese Shop is well worth a visit here. Further on up the road some very good produce can be had at either of the Peck’s super stands, complete with petting zoos and picnic areas. There is also a competing stand known as Heck’s in the center of the two. Next is Lone Rock, featuring a Shell station outfitted with a shed where they hawk keg beer and brats. Only in Wisconsin. On the way to Spring Green a previous encounter with one of Sauk County’s finest has trained us to set the cruise control to 59. We’ve often talked about visiting Arthur’s, a supper club in Spring Green featuring live bands, just haven’t found the right moment. At this point, if we are making decent time, we will have been on the road for 3 1/2 hours and should be rolling into Richland Center. With a population of over 5,000 this is a metropolis compared to the ground we’ve just covered. Leaving here we have completed three quarters of our journey and are primed for the home stretch.

This is the point of the drive where you really start to feel that you got away, in other words you’re out in the sticks. Way out in the sticks. Things also begin to change here with the terrain, goodbye flat farmland, and hello winding roads carving through rock formations. We are moving deeper into the Driftless Area and the landscape around here is just stunning. We now pick up  Hwy. 171 at the tiny town of Boaz, and with it begin a 40 mile ride on roller-coaster like roads that make our sheepdog Chelsea cringe. Before long we are cruising through apple country and are treated to some jaw dropping vistas. Sunrise Orchards here is a must stop during the fall picking season. Gays Mills is a picturesque village nestled in a valley where the Kickapoo River flows. Just a few miles up the road is Mt. Sterling where you may purchase some of the finest goat cheeses made anywhere, at the soon to be famous Mt. Sterling Cheese Coop.

No matter how many times we take the turn off of Hwy. 171 to The Great River Road we’re always taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the Mississippi River. We are usually greeted by a bald eagle or two soaring high above and swooping to the river’s surface. In the dead of winter the frozen river is dotted with the huts of ice fishermen, spring and fall brings with it thousands of migratory birds using it as a flyway, and in the summertime it is packed with boaters. We’re truly in the home stretch here. As we snake our way down the river, we cruise through Ferryville a tiny riverside town with a loyal biker contingent and home of the Wooden Nickel Saloon. The Lansing turnoff is next, we cross a small bridge travelling through a couple of miles of wetlands before reaching the Blackhawk Bridge, unique in it’s cantilever truss construction, this carries us over the Mississippi into Iowa. Next we make the turn onto Hwy. 9 heading into Lansing’s business district. Lansing has done a remarkable job in preserving the architectural charm of it’s past. It offers about a half dozen or so restaurants and pubs, they lend a laid back, almost resort like feel to the town. The Safehouse Saloon is a favorite haunt of ours, a decent micro beer selection, great pizza, and friendly service keep us coming back. After passing through downtown Lansing we continue along Hwy. 9 for a few more miles to Four Mile Road. Suddenly our surroundings turn very rural as we wind our way through a succession of bumpy dirt roads set against some of the most pastoral looking farmland this side of Ireland. This is French Creek, Iowa. 5 hours 5 min. and worth every second of it.

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It’s that time of year again when thoughts turn to warmer climates to escape the onset of the winter chill.

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6-8 med tart firm baking apples such as Granny Smith, Gala, or Macintosh, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly into 1/8”slices
Zest and Juice of one lemon
¼ C granulated sugar¼ C firmly packed brown sugar2 T all purpose flour
¼ t cinnamon
1/8 t each allspice and cloves
Pinch of salt
2 T unsalted butter, cut into ¼” dice
1 jar (8oz) of pre-made caramel sauce ( not labeled “caramel flavored ice cream topping”- but usually available in the ice cream topping section labeled as “caramel”- you can also melt caramel candies according to manufacturers direction)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Prepare your rich pastry crust ahead of time and allow time to cool. Once the pastry is cooled you can begin to assemble the tart. Start by zesting the lemon, set zest aside, then, juice the lemon into a glass pie plate or equivalent. Peel, core and slice apples thinly, tossing into the pie plate of lemon juice to prevent browning. Mix the spices, dry ingredients, and zest in a large mixing bowl, gently transfer the apple slices to the bowl and toss to lightly coat with the spices, dry, and zest mixture. Working quickly, arrange the apple slices over the pastry crust in a “fan” pattern starting with the outer most edge of the pastry. Once the first row has been arranged begin the subsequent rows leading to the center allowing a 1/8” overlap with each new ring. Once arranged, sprinkle the top with any remaining sugar, flour, spice mixture and dot with cubes of butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes or until apples are cooked through. Remove from the oven and remove the foil. Allow to cool about 20 minutes to ½ hour. Long enough for the tart to lose most of its heat but remain warm to the touch. Drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the tart making sure to allow it to pool evenly across the top of the tart, don’t over-do it, just enough to form a thin layer, don’t allow to run over the edges of the pastry crust. Return to the oven uncovered and raise the heat to 375 degrees, bake another 20 minutes and remove. Allow to completely cool before removing from tart pan, cut, and serve with remaining caramel sauce and toasted pecans or walnuts if you desire (whipped cream and ice cream work too!).

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