We warmly welcome you to Sundance Villa in the Drifltess- an elegantly restored, southwest Wisconsin, five-generation, family farmhouse that was built circa 1890's, by European immigrants. AnaCapri and Jodi are a mother-daughter team, who, along with many other family members and friends, have worked together to preserve this historic farmhouse. This family business is both woman-owned and veteran-owned. AnaCapri is your hostess, and Jodi is her helper. We are passionate about sharing the love of our Scandinavian heritage and the local, southwestern Wisconsin Driftless culture with others! Where “Come for coffee!” means stay and visit for a while, and when you leave, we say “Look out for deer!” (there is a vibrant local wildlife scene here)- That’s our way of saying we love you, so please be careful driving. 
 

AnaCapri is a college student and a new mom. She hopes to balance her work at Sundance Villa in the Driftless with staying home with her son. She grew up playing in this scenic yard and visiting her grandparents and Great-Grandma in this farmhouse. AnaCapri looks forward to watching her children grow up playing at the farmhouse. She enjoys being part of preserving our local culture and a family home; to her this farmhouse means history, love, and family.

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Jodi is a local physician with expertise in wellness and longevity. She grew up in Sundance Villa. Way before medical school, Jodi learned some of life's best secrets in kindness, wellness, and longevity from her large family- including her two grandmas, both of whom were independent and vibrant, well into their 90's, and both grandmas lived to be over 97 and 95 years old! She was also close with 2 great-grandmothers who lived active lives to ages 97 and 91 years old! Jodi grew up in this farmhouse with her family. Her grandparents, Great-Grandma, and Great-Uncle Kermit lived next door on the family farm.  "Grandma and Grandpa's" farmhouse (now Sundance Villa in the Driftless) was the large family gathering spot! Some of the best home and yard parties were held here! Jodi loved the outdoors and helping on the farm, especially with the farm animals. Dad and Grandpa would bring the runt piglets (too weak to survive without help) into the house, and Grandma would make a cozy box of straw under the kitchen heat register to keep them warm. Then, Grandma would help Jodi feed the runt piglets with her dolls' baby bottles until they were big enough to go back with the rest of the piglets. Guests were always welcome at the farmhouse, no advance notice needed. Just knock on the kitchen door, there was always extra farm-to-table food, ready to feed whomever might show up hungry. Mom and Grandma were excellent bake-from-scratch & orchard/garden/farm-to-table style cooks, so a lot of people "showed-up" unexpectedly at meal time over the years! "The more, the merrier!" If company showed up at mealtime, Grandma would send Jodi to the basement canning room to get "the best" fresh canned berries, pears, or homemade applesauce for dessert for company. Grandma's motto was to always share your best with your guests! ​

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Some of Jodi's favorite memories growing up in Sundance Villa on the family farm include: the freedom to enjoy nature and to wander with my brothers around the farm whenever we wanted. We loved to help gather the cows from the pasture and to run and play in the fields and woods. Mom was meticulous and stylish, and she loved holidays! The home was always tidy and decorated beautifully. In the spring and summer, we enjoyed walking through the fragrant flower gardens with Mom and Grandma to see and smell what was blooming or ripe and then picking the most beautiful flowers and the freshest fruits and vegetables to eat. Tasting sweet berries and fresh green peas with Aunt "Nette" straight from the garden was a delight. At the farm, we could watch the migrating birds, see incredible cloud formations roll across the vast skies, and watch gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. Standing in the yard with Dad and Grandpa, listening for the Whippoorwill song at dusk are good memories. I still cherish the aroma of  coffee brewing, as Grandma always had coffee ready and hot to share with company. Grandpa drank hot tea with homemade bread and farm fresh honey, especially on cold days when he came in from the barn. We kids often asked Grandma for "bread and butter and yellow jam"- made from her honey-sweet, yellow raspberry patch. Riding with Dad or Grandpa in the old truck to take fresh cans of milk to the local cheese factory (and getting incredible hands-on lessons on Swiss cheese making) was a fun adventure. Scooping a pitcher of fresh cream off the top of the milk in the bulk tank at the barn, to take to the house to pour over cereal, was the norm. Going with Grandpa into the woods for him to show us where the lady slipper flowers were blooming was a special adventure. More good memories include simply being together with family in the barn during milking time, and petting the cows and cats and dogs. My brothers and I liked to feed the baby calves, and in the summer the barn was filled with the aroma of fresh, sweet new hay. Grooming and riding our Arabian quarter horse, "Sundance" with my brothers was always a thrill- she was fast! Gathering fresh eggs in the chicken coop was a daily adventure- the chickens roamed free in our yard, but "mostly" went back into the coop to lay their eggs.

 

My brothers and I loved to play with Kermit, our great-uncle with Down's Syndrome. Kermit was a valuable part of our family; he was always smiling and happy and ready to play with us. And, he had the important job of helping Great-Grandma and Grandma make coffee and set the table for company. In the summer and fall, helping Mom and Grandma make lunch and fresh pies to take to the guys working in the farm fields meant we would have a picnic! There was excitement in helping prepare for family or guests to visit, or for Grandma's "Ladies-Aid" quilt gatherings to be held at our home. Being the kid in the kitchen, helping and learning to cook Norwegian delicacies like lefse and flatbread over Great-Grandma's wood-fired stove in the summer kitchen was a highlight. Learning to make wholesome, slow-cooked meals in the kitchen with Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma from whatever was growing fresh on the farm was especially memorable. Regardless of our age or abilities, we were always made to feel loved. Everyone was included, needed, and valued in daily tasks.

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This home has now been part of our family for 5 generations. Prior to opening for guests, we spent about 15 years doing loving restoration with careful attention to details. We kept as many of the historic features as possible, including the hardwood floors, the bead-board trim, 2 newel posts, and the original brick chimney with 3 types of brick sections (Hollandale had 3 brick factories at one time). The attic chimney was always tilted, and we love it that way! In the 1800's they didn't have laser beams to ensure straight bricklaying. We are told by a mason, that in the 1800's, as a plumb-line, a brick mason might hang a string with a brick or weight on the ground. But, the house is high on a ridge, and it must have been a windy day when they built the chimney! If the string plumb-line blows a bit off vertical due to the wind, it would be hard for the eye to see, when spread over 4 stories of building height. The brick chimney masons must have gotten to the attic and realized they were off-center. So, they off-set the bricks, bit-by-bit, to get the chimney to line up with the flat part of the attic ceiling, in order to exit the roof. The summer kitchen/office space was a true summer-time kitchen, with a wood-fired stove to keep the heat of cooking away from the main part of the house. It was also the barn entrance to avoid walking through Mom's clean kitchen. The barn clothes went directly from the doorway into the wash machine. Another fun fact, our wonderful neighbor was born in the downstairs bedroom! In the 1800's and early 1900's, especially in rural areas, babies were typically born at home. My Great-Aunt Marie told us the story of being a little girl and remembering being with the women in the kitchen boiling water while her mom was in labor with baby Helen. In an 1800's farmhouse, a downstairs bedroom near the kitchen would have been the perfect birthing room, so the midwife or women helping with the birth could boil water. When I was a child, the downstairs bedroom was a playroom, "so Mom could keep a close eye on us while she worked in the kitchen."

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​This home and the beauty and love that you see is a tribute to all of the people who made it possible for us to share this dream with you! Embrace the "Sweet Life" as you stay with us! We have tried to preserve not only the home, but the original carriage house, the beautiful grounds, Grandma's orchard and berry patches, flowerbeds, the grapevines, the wildflower field (It was once was the hog pasture, so the soil quality is great), and the walking paths. My dad, Russell, is a healthy and active great-grandpa. We couldn't have done this project without him! He also grew up in the home, and he still helps care for the landscaping and takes pride in keeping the 5-acre grounds beautiful. If you see him working outside, don't hesitate to say "Hello." It would make his day to know that you are enjoying your stay! While visiting, we hope you can take the time to slow-down and watch the sun and stars dance across the sky and to really “take-in” the natural beauty that surrounds you... while creating amazing memories that last a lifetime, at Sundance Villa in the Driftless!

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