Well we've come to the end of July, the summer months just a flyin' by. Seems the nice weather months go so much quicker, or maybe there are just more of the cruddy months. Anyhow, a couple of things on my mind.....
It's been about 10 days or so now since Braun has been suspended by MLB. Seemed like a good guy, turns out he's a pretty good actor. And a liar. And a cheat. Who knows what he admitted to, or how long he did it, but whatever. I guess everybody has their price----wonder what mine (and yours is).
But who cares about the baseball season around here anymore? Packer practice has started!!! Lead stories on the news, front page stories, the newspaper packed full of articles on our Packers. Nothing but feel good stories all around. All is right with the world....I'm sure hopes are high all over the football world, but it is a little different around here with all the owners all over the place. So if "we" can avoid injuries and everyone performs up to their capabilities, "we" could be in for a very good year. Here's hoping....
And here's hoping folks can stop shooting each other. Geez, first thing every morning we get the reports of the over night shootings. And it is worse---much in other parts of the country. It is really sad to see these reports everyday. Somebody needs to get this figured out....
We're going to have the kids around for a little while this summer together! Looking forward to spending a little time together as a family. You never know when these times will come further and further apart. Besides the fact they are over half way done with college, they are both 6 hours away and have their own agendas. The time is fast approaching when they will be making long term decisions about their futures. Who knows what awaits.....
Finally, we are on the eve of the Wisconsin State Fair. I love the state fair. Besides all the wonderful memories with family and friends, I have so many great memories of my time working there. Wonder what happened to all those people I worked with all those years ago. Then again, not real sure I really want to know....Looking forward to seeing old friends again at the fair this year, that is always a treat. Of course the end of the fair pretty much means the end of summer, so although I always look forward to it, I'm not always wild about what follows. Part of the deal I guess....
Til next time.....
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Road Trip 2013---10th (and last) day
Well this is going to do it. Last day of our trip. We took a little 10 mile bike ride around and through the Nicolet Forest. It had its up and downs, but neither the Mrs or myself fell or are too much worse for wear. We'll see how we feel tomorrow. We spent a little time walking around Fish Creek, then decided to head home.
Of course, we are never able to just drive home, so we stopped at Curley's Pub for some lunch. And you can't really pass through Green Bay without stopping at the shrine. Good meal and service, wonderful atmosphere. They must always have people there.
One last stop on the trip for old times sake, so it was off to Oshkosh for root beer and ice cream at Ardy's & Ed's. Place has always been there as far as I know, so it's kind of a touchstone for us.
So that's it. 2871 miles, 9 states, 10 days. Saw a lot of things, met some interesting people, had just a wonderful time. This is the first time that we have really traveled without the kids, and I must say it is different. I' not saying it's better, but we'll be getting used to it. And although our trip is done, our summer certainly isn't. We have concerts to go to, and county fairs. And of course the State Fair will be here in just a couple of weeks. We have a couple of ballgames to get to, and the kids will both be home for a couple of short visits. All this, plus the usual shenanigans with the neighbors will keep us busy for the next couple of months I am sure. It's been fun, and we're fortunate to be able to do it.
Of course, we are never able to just drive home, so we stopped at Curley's Pub for some lunch. And you can't really pass through Green Bay without stopping at the shrine. Good meal and service, wonderful atmosphere. They must always have people there.
One last stop on the trip for old times sake, so it was off to Oshkosh for root beer and ice cream at Ardy's & Ed's. Place has always been there as far as I know, so it's kind of a touchstone for us.
So that's it. 2871 miles, 9 states, 10 days. Saw a lot of things, met some interesting people, had just a wonderful time. This is the first time that we have really traveled without the kids, and I must say it is different. I' not saying it's better, but we'll be getting used to it. And although our trip is done, our summer certainly isn't. We have concerts to go to, and county fairs. And of course the State Fair will be here in just a couple of weeks. We have a couple of ballgames to get to, and the kids will both be home for a couple of short visits. All this, plus the usual shenanigans with the neighbors will keep us busy for the next couple of months I am sure. It's been fun, and we're fortunate to be able to do it.
Monday, July 15, 2013
The Ninth Day of the Road Trip
So we stayed at home last night. Saw a few neighbors, and when we told them we were still on our trip they kind of laughed but they know us so weren't really surprised. We took the car rental back and headed north towards Door County. Took the freeway to Manitowoc, had a little lunch, then kept going along the coast. We hit all the small towns--Two Rivers, Algoma and such. We finally reached the peninsula and hit the towns like Egg Harbor, Ephram, Fish Creek. Quite the difference from the hustle and bustle of Nashville and Indianapolis---especially on a Monday.
We took a room at The Settlement. An old fashion motel lodge kind of a place. Huge room, fridge, sofa, just like the olden days. They said heated pool, but I was suspicious. Figured it was heated by the sun. Wrong---whole outdoor pool just to ourselves. Very relaxing. We went into Egg Harbor and had a nice meal, and then walked down to the waters edge and watched the sunset. Just a real laid back day.
I need to tell a quick story here....The Mrs. was driving, and we were listening to some radio station from Sturgeon Bay. An ad comes on, and the guy says "Hi, this is Graham Harrell, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers". The Mrs. says "What? Who is this guy? He isn't the quarterback of the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is". Laughing like a crazy man......
Well we are just about set to wrap this thing up. Gonna spend some time here in Door County tomorrow, then head for home. We'll see what else we can come up with, then it'll back to reality---well kinda.....
We took a room at The Settlement. An old fashion motel lodge kind of a place. Huge room, fridge, sofa, just like the olden days. They said heated pool, but I was suspicious. Figured it was heated by the sun. Wrong---whole outdoor pool just to ourselves. Very relaxing. We went into Egg Harbor and had a nice meal, and then walked down to the waters edge and watched the sunset. Just a real laid back day.
I need to tell a quick story here....The Mrs. was driving, and we were listening to some radio station from Sturgeon Bay. An ad comes on, and the guy says "Hi, this is Graham Harrell, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers". The Mrs. says "What? Who is this guy? He isn't the quarterback of the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is". Laughing like a crazy man......
Well we are just about set to wrap this thing up. Gonna spend some time here in Door County tomorrow, then head for home. We'll see what else we can come up with, then it'll back to reality---well kinda.....
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Road Trip---Day 8
Beautiful day in Indianapolis today. Just great. We had our breakfast at the hotel and headed over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame and Museum. We took the lap ride around the track in the bus and the museum tour, but passed on the infield, gasoline alley, scorers table etc. part of the tour. The lap was real interesting, saw the movie in the museum, then took some time to lok at the cars they have on display there. I thought it was real interesting. Even the Mrs. liked it.
Next we headed over to President Benjamin Harrison's home. Not difficult to find, but we couldn't decide if we wanted to pop for the tour or not. It's just his home, and how many of these places do you need to see? Well, we finally decided to go, and I sure am glad we did. Many original pieces of furniture and pictures and the like, and our tour guide was excellent. I learned a lot about B. Harrison's presidency, and also some about his personal life. It was very interesting. Made a half hearted attempt to find his grave site, but the signage is kind of lacking so we decided to hit the road.
We had lunch in Danville, Indiana at a place called Mayberry. Yup, you guessed it, an Andy Griffen themed restaurant. The food was real good, the people were awful nice, and they played Ang shows the whole time we were there. A fun stop.
Off to covered bridge land! Kind of headed cross country to see what we could see. Lots of corn. And I thought a lot of motorcycles. The scenery was nice, it was a good day for a ride out in the country. We found one covered bridge (maps were tough to follow). We decided to keep head west into Illinois to see what we could see.
And we couldn't decide where to go. We got our hour back, so it was relatively early. Didn't want to go to Chicago. Couldn't think of anywhere to go in the middle of the state. So what to do? I finally suggested Door County--yup, Door County. So we're heading north. Made it to Menomonee Falls, so we decided to stay at the house. How convenient. But we're not done yet----still have a week of vacation left!!!
Next we headed over to President Benjamin Harrison's home. Not difficult to find, but we couldn't decide if we wanted to pop for the tour or not. It's just his home, and how many of these places do you need to see? Well, we finally decided to go, and I sure am glad we did. Many original pieces of furniture and pictures and the like, and our tour guide was excellent. I learned a lot about B. Harrison's presidency, and also some about his personal life. It was very interesting. Made a half hearted attempt to find his grave site, but the signage is kind of lacking so we decided to hit the road.
We had lunch in Danville, Indiana at a place called Mayberry. Yup, you guessed it, an Andy Griffen themed restaurant. The food was real good, the people were awful nice, and they played Ang shows the whole time we were there. A fun stop.
Off to covered bridge land! Kind of headed cross country to see what we could see. Lots of corn. And I thought a lot of motorcycles. The scenery was nice, it was a good day for a ride out in the country. We found one covered bridge (maps were tough to follow). We decided to keep head west into Illinois to see what we could see.
And we couldn't decide where to go. We got our hour back, so it was relatively early. Didn't want to go to Chicago. Couldn't think of anywhere to go in the middle of the state. So what to do? I finally suggested Door County--yup, Door County. So we're heading north. Made it to Menomonee Falls, so we decided to stay at the house. How convenient. But we're not done yet----still have a week of vacation left!!!
Day 7
Well the day turned pretty much into a travel day. We left Nashville and headed north on 65. We thought about hitting the Mammoth Caves but decided against it. We did stop at Abe's birthplace, but it's kind of a misnomer really. Nobody knows exactly where he was born. They have a reproduction of the cabin, a lot of maybes and probables. But ya gotta' stop.
Next we headed to Louisville. They make it hard to visit. Twice we headed to visitor centers, twice they were close down. Odd. And unfortunate for them. We left. Didn't need the aggravation. Kind of a shame too, as it looks like an interesting town. We'll give it a shot the next time we're in the area. So it came down to Indianapolis or Cincinnati, and we went with......
Indy. Very vibrant city. we went downtown for dinner and there were people all over the place. A ike race going on, all kinds of activity. A cop says it's just an average night in Indy. We ate at a pub called the Ram. Really nice place, good beer and prices. We really had a nice evening....
Couple of things though. We are still finding it somewhat difficult to find lodging. I find this incredible. Seldom have we had these issues traveling all over the country. Maybe it means more folks are on the road, or maybe we are just hitting more popular ares. I don't know. However, when I call and you say you have plenty of rooms, and I get there are you are "all booked", this I have a problem with. My friends at the Drury will be hearing from me.
And when/where is 192 less than 144? When you're buying beer in Indianapolis, that's when. Twelve pack of 16 ouncers 3 bucks cheaper than the 12 pack of 12 ouncers. We are having silos now...... More of Indy today, then we'll see what's up next.
Next we headed to Louisville. They make it hard to visit. Twice we headed to visitor centers, twice they were close down. Odd. And unfortunate for them. We left. Didn't need the aggravation. Kind of a shame too, as it looks like an interesting town. We'll give it a shot the next time we're in the area. So it came down to Indianapolis or Cincinnati, and we went with......
Indy. Very vibrant city. we went downtown for dinner and there were people all over the place. A ike race going on, all kinds of activity. A cop says it's just an average night in Indy. We ate at a pub called the Ram. Really nice place, good beer and prices. We really had a nice evening....
Couple of things though. We are still finding it somewhat difficult to find lodging. I find this incredible. Seldom have we had these issues traveling all over the country. Maybe it means more folks are on the road, or maybe we are just hitting more popular ares. I don't know. However, when I call and you say you have plenty of rooms, and I get there are you are "all booked", this I have a problem with. My friends at the Drury will be hearing from me.
And when/where is 192 less than 144? When you're buying beer in Indianapolis, that's when. Twelve pack of 16 ouncers 3 bucks cheaper than the 12 pack of 12 ouncers. We are having silos now...... More of Indy today, then we'll see what's up next.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Road Trip.....Day 6
We're still in Nashville. Walked over to the State Museum from the hotel in the morning. Very interesting interactive museum. And quite. Pretty empty. We spent our time looking at the Civil War exhibits. It was interesting to get a slightly "southern" view of things. It was a nasty thing, either way you look at it.
Our next stop was Andrew Jackson's place, the Hermitage. This was the home and plantation that Jackson owned and built up during his life, and that his heirs kind of let fall into disrepair (economic changes and problems), and then was brought back before it had to be razed. Excellent docents in the mansion tour, lot of information around the grounds. The introductory video was directly from a PBS documentary I have seen. I guess when you find the best you use it.....
We finished up the day at the Nashville Sounds game. We arrived too late for the free t-shirts (sorry Leah), and it was typical minor league baseball. Lots of activities between innings, local advertisers, post game fireworks. The Sounds are a farm team of the Brewers, so we recognized a number of the players. It was a long game, as many are nowadays. Score was 3-3 at the end of nine, three hours and 15 minutes. Enough for me. Lots of little gets getting anxious for the fireworks, long ride back to the hotel, we hit the bricks. 9200 some odd people at the game, Sounds loose 6-3 in 11. Didn't see any game changers for the Crew either.
I mentioned long ride back to the hotel. There appears to be a ton of youth sport activities around here and of course it is Nashville. It is kind of hard to find a room last second, so if your coming you may want to plan a little in advance. Just a little heads up......
Our next stop was Andrew Jackson's place, the Hermitage. This was the home and plantation that Jackson owned and built up during his life, and that his heirs kind of let fall into disrepair (economic changes and problems), and then was brought back before it had to be razed. Excellent docents in the mansion tour, lot of information around the grounds. The introductory video was directly from a PBS documentary I have seen. I guess when you find the best you use it.....
We finished up the day at the Nashville Sounds game. We arrived too late for the free t-shirts (sorry Leah), and it was typical minor league baseball. Lots of activities between innings, local advertisers, post game fireworks. The Sounds are a farm team of the Brewers, so we recognized a number of the players. It was a long game, as many are nowadays. Score was 3-3 at the end of nine, three hours and 15 minutes. Enough for me. Lots of little gets getting anxious for the fireworks, long ride back to the hotel, we hit the bricks. 9200 some odd people at the game, Sounds loose 6-3 in 11. Didn't see any game changers for the Crew either.
I mentioned long ride back to the hotel. There appears to be a ton of youth sport activities around here and of course it is Nashville. It is kind of hard to find a room last second, so if your coming you may want to plan a little in advance. Just a little heads up......
Friday, July 12, 2013
Road Trip----5th Day
It is 120 miles from Jackson to Nashville, and the state patrol must know people are in a hurry to get there. I can't remember seeing such a high concentration of troopers over such a short area. We arrived at 11 am without any encounters with John Law and immediately headed to Broadway. Having stopped in Nashville this past spring we kind of knew our way around a bit.
Our first stop was the Ryman Auditorium. We took the self guided walking tour and learned quite a bit about the place. I was surprised by it's history--I didn't know that it wasn't just built for the Grand Ole Opry. or that they moved out in the early 70's. or that it was once less than a week from being razed. All in all, time well spent.
Then headed over to the entertainment district. Blocks and blocks of bars and gift shops and the like. The Mrs. says its like the Dells only with more beer. We hit a number of these places and had a wonderful time. There are some newer places, which tend to be bigger, but I liked the older ones, the ones with some history. There is Tootsies and Legends and Roberts amongst many others. They all had good music and cold beer, friendly people and their own little claim to fame. Had no problem getting a seat anywhere and had a real nice afternoon.
We stayed right downtown at the Shereton, so about 5 we checked in and cleaned up for the hike back downtown. We walked pass Printers Alley, then headed back down 2nd Avenue to Broadway. By this time there were a heck of a lot more people on the street, and it was haed to even get into some of the places. We finally work our way back into Roberts and decided to hunker down. The music and food was good, the beer was cold, and we met some new friends from Chicago. Some Harley riders who told us to meet them at the Harlyfest, OK.
By 10 we had pretty much reached our limit. We took another stroll around Broadway to people watch, then made the uphill hike back to the hotel. A real full and fun day.
A few final thoughts......don't bring your school age (and younger!) kids to the bars in Nashville. I traveled with my kids all over the country. There are many better options than this for them. I doubt if they care or will remember the old pictures of Farron Young or Kitty Wells.
The bartenders and the swompers work hard. No doubt about it. But boy is the the waste! Ever see that TV show with John Tapper, Bar Rescue? The man would be having a grabber....
The entertainment plays for tips. They are awful talented. Some are more aggressive is asking for/acquiring those tips. It can be a real pain in the butt, but I suppose if that's how you make your living.....be prepared.
Nashville is one heck of a party town. Next we plan on checking out some of the more historical sites around town....
Our first stop was the Ryman Auditorium. We took the self guided walking tour and learned quite a bit about the place. I was surprised by it's history--I didn't know that it wasn't just built for the Grand Ole Opry. or that they moved out in the early 70's. or that it was once less than a week from being razed. All in all, time well spent.
Then headed over to the entertainment district. Blocks and blocks of bars and gift shops and the like. The Mrs. says its like the Dells only with more beer. We hit a number of these places and had a wonderful time. There are some newer places, which tend to be bigger, but I liked the older ones, the ones with some history. There is Tootsies and Legends and Roberts amongst many others. They all had good music and cold beer, friendly people and their own little claim to fame. Had no problem getting a seat anywhere and had a real nice afternoon.
We stayed right downtown at the Shereton, so about 5 we checked in and cleaned up for the hike back downtown. We walked pass Printers Alley, then headed back down 2nd Avenue to Broadway. By this time there were a heck of a lot more people on the street, and it was haed to even get into some of the places. We finally work our way back into Roberts and decided to hunker down. The music and food was good, the beer was cold, and we met some new friends from Chicago. Some Harley riders who told us to meet them at the Harlyfest, OK.
By 10 we had pretty much reached our limit. We took another stroll around Broadway to people watch, then made the uphill hike back to the hotel. A real full and fun day.
A few final thoughts......don't bring your school age (and younger!) kids to the bars in Nashville. I traveled with my kids all over the country. There are many better options than this for them. I doubt if they care or will remember the old pictures of Farron Young or Kitty Wells.
The bartenders and the swompers work hard. No doubt about it. But boy is the the waste! Ever see that TV show with John Tapper, Bar Rescue? The man would be having a grabber....
The entertainment plays for tips. They are awful talented. Some are more aggressive is asking for/acquiring those tips. It can be a real pain in the butt, but I suppose if that's how you make your living.....be prepared.
Nashville is one heck of a party town. Next we plan on checking out some of the more historical sites around town....
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Road Trip--Day 4
We awoke in St. Louis to a very rainy morning, so we decided to take it easy. Leisurely breakfast, dip in the pool. We were set to head to Nashville when i get the bright idea to head to Memphis. Decided I wanted to tour Stax Records. No big deal, we don't have a schedule, so...
Down I-55 we head. And there is pretty much nothing on I-55 except I-55. Towns are few and far between, no points of interest, just drive drive drive. We did stop for a quick lunch at Lambert's, home of the Throwed Roll. I had seen it one one of those goofy eating shows on TV, and it was a fun stop. The food and service was excellent, they were throwing rolls all over the place, and we had a good time. But if you go, bring cash---that's all they take. You won't leave hungry.
Well we got to Memphis and headed to Stax. I am sure there are some nice areas of Memphis, but this is not one of them. Very sad, devastated area. Soulsville was not some place that I wanted to be. The studio/museum looked fine, it was the rest of the area I was concerned with. I just didn't feel comfortable. I decided to just take a picture and hit the road. If I want the tour I'll watch the PBS documentary again.
After the obligatorily drive by of Graceland--ya' gotta' at least drive by and nod--it was of to Nashville. But we weren't going to make it before nine, so we decided to just take a piece of the trip, and over nighted in Jackson, home of Casey Jones. Yee ha.....Stopped at one of those no name motels that you fine the coupon for at the rest area. It wasn't the Ritz. Heck it wasn't even the Budgetel. It was old, the mattress was shaped like a U, and the morning breakfast was a miss. But it was clean, had a pool, and was half the price of what we usually pay, so sometimes you gotta' take one for the overall good. Now, off to Nashville...
Down I-55 we head. And there is pretty much nothing on I-55 except I-55. Towns are few and far between, no points of interest, just drive drive drive. We did stop for a quick lunch at Lambert's, home of the Throwed Roll. I had seen it one one of those goofy eating shows on TV, and it was a fun stop. The food and service was excellent, they were throwing rolls all over the place, and we had a good time. But if you go, bring cash---that's all they take. You won't leave hungry.
Well we got to Memphis and headed to Stax. I am sure there are some nice areas of Memphis, but this is not one of them. Very sad, devastated area. Soulsville was not some place that I wanted to be. The studio/museum looked fine, it was the rest of the area I was concerned with. I just didn't feel comfortable. I decided to just take a picture and hit the road. If I want the tour I'll watch the PBS documentary again.
After the obligatorily drive by of Graceland--ya' gotta' at least drive by and nod--it was of to Nashville. But we weren't going to make it before nine, so we decided to just take a piece of the trip, and over nighted in Jackson, home of Casey Jones. Yee ha.....Stopped at one of those no name motels that you fine the coupon for at the rest area. It wasn't the Ritz. Heck it wasn't even the Budgetel. It was old, the mattress was shaped like a U, and the morning breakfast was a miss. But it was clean, had a pool, and was half the price of what we usually pay, so sometimes you gotta' take one for the overall good. Now, off to Nashville...
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Road Trip Day 3
The third day of our trip found us heading south into Missouri. The Mrs. was driving when we came upon Hannibal, home of Mark Twain. This was a no brainier, of course we had to stop. Now I can remember making this stop many years ago when I was a kid, and let me tell you Hannibal has seen better days. I know it is old, but it just seemed run down. They have been hit hard by water and wind in recent years. We took the bus our, and the guide was good, we learned and saw quite a few things. The Mrs. and I talked about it and decided that maybe people just don't pay as much attention to Tom and Huck and Becky and the rest of the gang as they used to, hence the lack of tourists in Hannibal. Don't know.....
Next we stopped in St. Charles. Now the Mrs. and I had been here some 28 years ago when we honeymooned in St. Louis. The neighborhood has changed. I remember driving out there on a little two lane road, but found myself on a eight lane superhighway. Once we got ourselves to the river, much seemed the same (as best we can remember). Lots of little shops, clothes and trinkets and Missouri souvenirs. We all been somewhere like this, but it was fun to go back. People were awful nice.
Then it was a short ride to St. Louis and our home away from home, the Drury Inn. This is where we usually stay when we come to St. Lou, and I would recommend it. I would also recommend you get in touch with me so I can share a little secret we've learned on how to get the best rates......
After a quick nap for me and a dip in the pool, it was off to dinner with Stewart at Four Square. I can't believe that he will be starting his fourth and final year at SLU in just a little over a month. The time does fly. Mother says he looks skinny. She always says that, I thought he looked good. He certainly seems to know what he is doing as far as his future and what not. Very confident man. We will always be concerned, but I think the worrying is done. It was great to see Stew, and he'll be home to visit in a few weeks, so we are looking forward to that.
And that was it. We got "confused" per usual on our ride back yo the hotel after dropping off Stewart, but no big deal. Still haven't decided where to next, guess we'll just follow the road....
Next we stopped in St. Charles. Now the Mrs. and I had been here some 28 years ago when we honeymooned in St. Louis. The neighborhood has changed. I remember driving out there on a little two lane road, but found myself on a eight lane superhighway. Once we got ourselves to the river, much seemed the same (as best we can remember). Lots of little shops, clothes and trinkets and Missouri souvenirs. We all been somewhere like this, but it was fun to go back. People were awful nice.
Then it was a short ride to St. Louis and our home away from home, the Drury Inn. This is where we usually stay when we come to St. Lou, and I would recommend it. I would also recommend you get in touch with me so I can share a little secret we've learned on how to get the best rates......
After a quick nap for me and a dip in the pool, it was off to dinner with Stewart at Four Square. I can't believe that he will be starting his fourth and final year at SLU in just a little over a month. The time does fly. Mother says he looks skinny. She always says that, I thought he looked good. He certainly seems to know what he is doing as far as his future and what not. Very confident man. We will always be concerned, but I think the worrying is done. It was great to see Stew, and he'll be home to visit in a few weeks, so we are looking forward to that.
And that was it. We got "confused" per usual on our ride back yo the hotel after dropping off Stewart, but no big deal. Still haven't decided where to next, guess we'll just follow the road....
Monday, July 8, 2013
Road Trip Day 2
Might as well stay at it....
This morning found us heading out of Minnesota back to Wisconsin. But not directly, got to cut through Iowa. We were heading to Potosi to the National Brewery Museum. First stop found us in Burr Oak, Iowa at a Laura Ingalas museum. Nice people, but the Mrs. foot precluded us from taking the 45 minute walking tour. Did enjoy the museum.
Next up was the Effigy Mounds National Monument. You all have heard the story of these things, how they were built and how the were flattened out by progress. The shortest hike was a mile out, and a mile back. The temp was in the 90's. I was wearing black. A guy just back looked like he was going to pass out in the bathroom. The Mrs. said she would just sit and wait for me. I figured she might be waiting forever. I decided to pass.
Finally got to the old historic Potosi Brewery. Had lunch, and it was fantastic. The museum is a couple of floors of advertising on loan from collectors around the country. It was neat to see, and I'm glad we stopped. Am also glad I didn't make a special trip just to see it......
Stared to get late in the day, so we headed south. Thought about the cable car ride in Dubuque, but 98 degrees is hot to ride up a hill. We passed. Through Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, finally decided to stop early in Mt. Pleasent. Nobody from Mayberry here, but we had a couple of beers and played some cribbage and hit the pool.
Which brings me to the strangest sight I may have ever seen in my travels. This old guy (older than me, so old). He gets in the pool, which is cold, quite cold. After this guy gets in a little bit, he starts soaping up! Yup, the guy is taking a bath in the swimming pool. Kinda trying to hide it, but I just gave him the stink eye. No more swimming for us......that'll do it for today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.....
Oh, by the way---anyone know anything about some Buddest Temple or Oriental shrine on highway 50 in Minnesota? Strange sight.....
This morning found us heading out of Minnesota back to Wisconsin. But not directly, got to cut through Iowa. We were heading to Potosi to the National Brewery Museum. First stop found us in Burr Oak, Iowa at a Laura Ingalas museum. Nice people, but the Mrs. foot precluded us from taking the 45 minute walking tour. Did enjoy the museum.
Next up was the Effigy Mounds National Monument. You all have heard the story of these things, how they were built and how the were flattened out by progress. The shortest hike was a mile out, and a mile back. The temp was in the 90's. I was wearing black. A guy just back looked like he was going to pass out in the bathroom. The Mrs. said she would just sit and wait for me. I figured she might be waiting forever. I decided to pass.
Finally got to the old historic Potosi Brewery. Had lunch, and it was fantastic. The museum is a couple of floors of advertising on loan from collectors around the country. It was neat to see, and I'm glad we stopped. Am also glad I didn't make a special trip just to see it......
Stared to get late in the day, so we headed south. Thought about the cable car ride in Dubuque, but 98 degrees is hot to ride up a hill. We passed. Through Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, finally decided to stop early in Mt. Pleasent. Nobody from Mayberry here, but we had a couple of beers and played some cribbage and hit the pool.
Which brings me to the strangest sight I may have ever seen in my travels. This old guy (older than me, so old). He gets in the pool, which is cold, quite cold. After this guy gets in a little bit, he starts soaping up! Yup, the guy is taking a bath in the swimming pool. Kinda trying to hide it, but I just gave him the stink eye. No more swimming for us......that'll do it for today. We'll see what tomorrow brings.....
Oh, by the way---anyone know anything about some Buddest Temple or Oriental shrine on highway 50 in Minnesota? Strange sight.....
Road Trip--2013
Day 1---
So the Mrs. and I are on vacation. We couldn't decide if we wanted to head way out west or head south. With her recovery taking a little longer than anticipated, we decided to head south.
Which led us to Minneapolis. Yeah, we decided to drive daughter and her friend Martha back to the Cities rather than send them back on the bus. They came home for the Fest, and her visit was much too short. We took a quick stop in Eau Clare to see the great nieces----Kate is quite the card!! After an hour or so, off to Minneapolis, quick dinner at BWW, dropped the girls, and headed south. To....
Rochester! Just here for a quick overnight, then we will be heading back to Wisconsin for a quick stop, then continuing to the south. Just kind of meandering around, still looking for the giant ball of twine....enjoy the traveling with no schedule to keep or places to be....
So the Mrs. and I are on vacation. We couldn't decide if we wanted to head way out west or head south. With her recovery taking a little longer than anticipated, we decided to head south.
Which led us to Minneapolis. Yeah, we decided to drive daughter and her friend Martha back to the Cities rather than send them back on the bus. They came home for the Fest, and her visit was much too short. We took a quick stop in Eau Clare to see the great nieces----Kate is quite the card!! After an hour or so, off to Minneapolis, quick dinner at BWW, dropped the girls, and headed south. To....
Rochester! Just here for a quick overnight, then we will be heading back to Wisconsin for a quick stop, then continuing to the south. Just kind of meandering around, still looking for the giant ball of twine....enjoy the traveling with no schedule to keep or places to be....
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Summertime---and the livin' is easy....
I like that song-Billy Stewart version--check it out....
Summertime around here has finally arrived, even though the heat hasn't really come with it ---yet. Things are a little different than in years past, now with the kids staying away at their college towns. In the past everything was so very hectic. There was work of course, and there still is. But we no longer have baseball games and practices and tournaments to go to. Or soccer. Or softball. We don't have to try and figure out how to squeeze in a family vacation, how far we can go so we don't miss some other activity. We won't worry about trying to fit in a trip to Wisconsin Dells, or if everyone can get away for a trip to the zoo. There will be no family days at the Brewer game this year. We won't be worrying about getting a spot for the 4th of July parade either---or wondering who we'd run into....
Now we're doing things a little bit differently around here. I guess you could say we're a little more laid back. Things aren't nearly as scheduled as they used to be. The Mrs. and I are going on a little vacation. Where to? Who knows. We'll figure it out as we go. Yard work to be done? We'll get to it when we get to it. It seems as if we are less organized than we used to be, and I don't mind it. If friends call, or we see something in the paper or on TV that looks interesting, not a problem, we just drop what we're doing and have a go at it. Livin' easy.....
I miss the livin' hard. I guess it's missing the kids being kids. All the running around here with their friends, and their friends parents. The parents at all the different sporting events whining about the officiating. Having everyday of the week (seemingly) scheduled with some activity. The weekend travels. The family vacations. Always something that needed to be done, and never having enough time to do it. It was very hectic at times, but so very enjoyable---especially in hindsight.
So now the Mrs. and I are sliding into what I call the pre retirement mode. Doing things when we want to. Not being so rigid with the plans. Not worrying too much about what we have scheduled. The kids will be home a couple of times to "visit", which will be nice. We'll do some of the things we used to do, but it'll be different. We'll be livin' easy. Which ain't necessarily better.....
Summertime around here has finally arrived, even though the heat hasn't really come with it ---yet. Things are a little different than in years past, now with the kids staying away at their college towns. In the past everything was so very hectic. There was work of course, and there still is. But we no longer have baseball games and practices and tournaments to go to. Or soccer. Or softball. We don't have to try and figure out how to squeeze in a family vacation, how far we can go so we don't miss some other activity. We won't worry about trying to fit in a trip to Wisconsin Dells, or if everyone can get away for a trip to the zoo. There will be no family days at the Brewer game this year. We won't be worrying about getting a spot for the 4th of July parade either---or wondering who we'd run into....
Now we're doing things a little bit differently around here. I guess you could say we're a little more laid back. Things aren't nearly as scheduled as they used to be. The Mrs. and I are going on a little vacation. Where to? Who knows. We'll figure it out as we go. Yard work to be done? We'll get to it when we get to it. It seems as if we are less organized than we used to be, and I don't mind it. If friends call, or we see something in the paper or on TV that looks interesting, not a problem, we just drop what we're doing and have a go at it. Livin' easy.....
I miss the livin' hard. I guess it's missing the kids being kids. All the running around here with their friends, and their friends parents. The parents at all the different sporting events whining about the officiating. Having everyday of the week (seemingly) scheduled with some activity. The weekend travels. The family vacations. Always something that needed to be done, and never having enough time to do it. It was very hectic at times, but so very enjoyable---especially in hindsight.
So now the Mrs. and I are sliding into what I call the pre retirement mode. Doing things when we want to. Not being so rigid with the plans. Not worrying too much about what we have scheduled. The kids will be home a couple of times to "visit", which will be nice. We'll do some of the things we used to do, but it'll be different. We'll be livin' easy. Which ain't necessarily better.....
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