Wow! West Bend totally surprised us. Yes, we know it's only an hour northwest of Milwaukee, but we didn't know that this city has it all - and then some. West Bend is home to some true Wisconsin treasures. Where else are you going to find a fire fighting apparatus collection, a private zoo complete with celebrity bears named Lewis and Clark AND world class trombone musicians and craftsmen that will show you how they make trombones? John made some treasured memories too as he made soap, pickled watermelon rinds (and ate them, too --- truly yummy!), nosed around a fantastic downtown residence that used to be a hardware store and took orders at the local custard and burger shop. The girls at A Conversation Piece really got him talking, and the gigantic painting at the spectacular Museum of Wisconsin Art left him speechless. As John said, we're so glad that West Bend is close to Milwaukee because we love West Bend!