Escape to Wisconsin

Every year for the past 10, or 12, or 15, the memory is the first thing to go, a group of friends who lived, worked, and or went to school at the University of Wisconsin gather for a weekend of recalling the old days, looking forward to the new, and enjoying the present.  This year we gathered in Madison, but first, I flew into my hometown of Milwaukee to visit my Mom.  And my brother, Pete, who picked me up at Mitchell Field. Where the temperature on Thursday, June 9, was in the fifties.  After being in the 90's the day before.  60 mph winds had come through.  So Pete wanted to make sure his sailboat was ok.

Canadian geese at the South Shore Yacht Club.

 "Spray" was fine.  I hoped to catch the spray crashing over the breakwater. Got a little bit of it against the navigational marker, below.

We headed to Mom's house, stopping at a little place on Brady Street called the Dog Haus, or something like that.  I was craving bratwurst.  Should have gone with the dog- When a place is named for something...

North Point Lighthouse, Lake Park.   My Mom's house is nearby.  I was the latest in a parade of visitors since late April.  Sister Clare, then grandchildren Arlo and Elena, and great granddaughter Olivia.  Then off to Boston for granddaughter Becky's graduation from Wellsley.  A few days after that, granddaughter Abby, driving her sister's car from Boston to San Francisco.  All this keeps an 85 year old on her toes.  She claimed there was not much to eat.  I had no problem with the BLT with avocado Mom made.  Then it was off to Jan and Paula D's place, about 10 blocks away.

Closer look at the home above.

Nice neighborhood.

This is Lake Drive, where the rich people live. I grew up in a nice home, but not like these. The homes on Bellview Place are also nice.

Apparently affordable, as State employees can afford them.  Click the photo to expand to see the yard sign.  I assume a UWM professor lives here.

 I've seen many movies at the Downer, on Downer Ave.

The Hollander was new to me. Used to be a laundry mat here.  Funny I took this picture, as that is where we went.  Close to Jan and Paula's.  Paula was away, and Jan could not make it to Madison, so he wanted as many of us to gather at his place Thursday night.  When I arrived, Kevin K was there, from Cambridge, WI, and Tom M., from St. Louis.  With a stop in Kenosha for dinner with his Mom. Mark K. called from D.C., his flight had been canceled.  So the four of us began the weekend's festivities.  I like the Hollander.  It has a wider beer selection than even Jan's refrigerator, which is saying something.  So, of course,  I had a local brew from the Lakefront Brewery.  Later, a Belgian blonde ale, which one of us who works for a large brewery in another state says tastes much better than the knock off version AB makes. I took his word for it. Having never had the Shock Top Ale. The real thing was tasty.

The weekend was off to a good start.