Thanksgiving in Beer City

A quick visit to Milwaukee for Thanksgiving.  I have not been back in the winter since 2005, not back for a winter holiday since 2004 or maybe 2003.  But, I'm not getting  younger and neither is my Mom.  Who is the most cheerful 87 year old blind person with two fake hips and two fake shoulders you will find.  
Came in on Thursday, no travel issues.  Brother Pete picked me up at the airport.

This is a Milwaukee fridg.   2 time MVP, Hall of Famer, Robin Yount.   There was beer.  And Usigner's summer sausage for a sandwich.  Sat down for the Packer game. One of two bad things for the weekend.

 Lions score matched the temp. in Mom's yard.  Packer offense was chillier.
Off to Aunt Carol's for dinner. First time I have been to her "new" place. Where she and my late Uncle Dave have lived for, I don't know, 8 years maybe.

 This is just the appetizer buffet.  My cousin Courtney's friends, Sherry and Bob.  Got the chance to know Courtney's husband, Gus, who I had only met briefly before, and three of their 4 daughters.  Also present were my brother Pete, his wife, Jackie, and in from New Jersey, my sister Clare, brother in law, Larry, and kids, Aidan and Anna.

A fine beverage selection.  You will see the Water Tower on the East Side Dark, again.
Dinner, or at least what I had was turkey, stuffing, mashed potato, candied yams, salad, a corn dish, cranberry sauce--but more than pain old cranberry sauce, had something  else in it, and prime rib.  Spinach was forgotten in the back of the oven.  Old Uncle Dave smiled down from heaven at that.
Prime rib is a tradition at our Thanksgivings, as Aunt Carol's family had a meat distribution company for at least 3 generations.   Had.  I was surprise to hear my Aunt got the meat at Costco.  The meat company was sold over a year ago.  One college summer, I packed and drove a delivery truck for Ferko Meat.   If you have ate out in Milwaukee, chances are you had Ferko products.  They supplied everyone from Kopp's to Karl Ratzch's
I took it easy on desert. Only 2 of the 3 pies, and only one ala mode. With Gille's custard.

Dinner was served on the ping pong table.  Cleared for competition.  The "soft knocks" commentary is a reference to a film Aidan is making as school for the ping pong club/team.  A take off on the HBO "Hard Knocks" series.
The video, which is not working right, should have warned me.  Very few photos were saved.  In fact, I posted all I have from Thanksgiving day.

Friday, I went for a walk through beautiful Lake Park.  Featured in these Tales many times before.  Not a single photo saved.  Should have learned my lesson from last Sunday, when the same thing happened.  Learned my lesson and put in a new memory card before heading to the Lakefront Brewery for a tour. A few test shots before heading out.

 

Breakfast photo, taken with my Mom's IPad. Which is now mine.

Apple sure has people brain washed. A device with no digital camera card slot, or USB port?

 

 Lakefront has grown from the last time I took the tour. When it was housed in a small building on Chambers St., and bottles were capped one at a time.  I got too close, one broke, a piece cut my lip.
Years later, after the invention of the web, I sent an email.  Got a few items in return.

The bridge was not one of them.

 

We had advance tickets.  This is a popular tour, and sells out.  There were no tickets available for the first tour of the day, my friend Mike S. had picked up 5. For himself, Steve R and wife Irene, me, and Rick K.  Rick is featured in the first Tale on this site.  I have not seen him since. He wound up working, but that freed up a ticket for my brother Pete.  You get 4 tokens and a six ounce cup.  You can fill it before the tour begins.  I began with a Black Friday IPA.  Every year on the day after Thanksgivig there is a limited edition brew.

Pete, Hawaiian shirt.

No expense is spared on the tour.  Barley, waving in the wind.  Our tour was conducted by one of the two founding brothers.

 Rick would have liked the "Ding"

For some reason, he began to call me "Dingo" after seeing me in the the Blue and Gold Room at Marquette High, wearing the shirt, wide belt, with big buckle.  Hey, it was the mid '70's

 

Bernie Brewers' keg from Milwaukee County Stadium.

Bernie's mug.

 Bernie Brewer's Chalet.  I did not see the slide.

There is a bar half way through the tour to refill your cup.  Four choices.  I chose Local Acre.  Tip-take a photo and the pourer may forget to take your token.

 During the pause,  I asked our guide if a volunteer at the North Point Lighthouse in Lake Park was his wife, or sister in law.  The latter.  When I passed the Light on my morning walk, a woman out front said it was open for tours today.  $5, which I did not have.  How late is it open, I inquired.  Until 2.  Can't make it, I told her doing the noon Lakefront Brewery tour. Oh, my husband owns it.  That's Milwaukee, big small town.

Pete won a prize for being the person whose birthday was closest to the tour date.  A bung. December 5, so you still have time.

In Bernie's Chalet.  I yelled "Gormaaan!!

 Steve and Irene.  Tour starts and ends in a big dining hall. Long bar with a variety of Lakefront beers on tap.  I had a Fuel Café- caffeine added, and one more.  Riverwest Stein.  Still have one token.  Need to remember it next time I'm in town.  The plastic cup gets traded in for a glass.

The hat was not bought at the Brewery.  At Lake Placid.  My sister and family saw it, and for some reason, thought it would make a good birthday present.  In the early days of  tours at the "new" location, glasses were given out at the start of the tour.  Too many broke.

Brewers Hill

 The 9 cost for a reserved tour not only gets you 4 beers- I was buzzed after the first, the glass, but a coupon for another beer at a list of local establishments.  We went just up Commerce to Stubby's, on Humboldt, at the River.  Nice place.  Huge pulled pork sandwich for me.

 

This is not it.  Lunch was much better than dinner at the North Star Bistro on Oakland and Kensignton , in Shorewood. Or, maybe I just ordered the wrong thing.  The rest of the family had more plate coverage at dinner with their choices.  Now, going back to  Lakefront for the Friday Fish Fry and polka band would have been more my style.

 

On to Saturday.

 

 Steve had emailed me and another friend, Jan Dyke, suggesting we met for a walk in Lake Park.  I missed the final email, saying we would meet at the corner of Kenwood and Lake Drive.  No problem, as that is my Mom's corner.  I looked outside at 9, and there they were.

 National Register of Historic Place marker, above, Indian burial mound, below.

 

 

 

 

Steve and Jan.  Their spouses declined to join us.

 

 

 

Stately Wahl Ave

As promised, here is another look at the Water Tower.  Last seen on a bottle of East Side Dark, on Thanksgiving

 

 

 St. Mary's Hospital.  We headed back.

 

 

 

 

Lannon stone 

 Frozen falls

 

 

 If you ever enjoyed the 4th of July Fireworks from Lake Park, you can thank Steve's dad.  He was in charge of it for about the last 40 years.

 

 

 

 

 

Birch tree. Not seen in Florida.

 Milwaukee County Parks building

UWM Alumni House

 Packer plate. Toe II.  Don Chandler? Chester Marcol?

 

 

Went to High School with a kid named Chris Sorce.  Googled the biz.  Does not list any names.

 

 Back to Mom's.

Teenagers in their natural habitat

 

Mom is doing well.  With the help of aides that come in a couple days a week, local family, friends, and books on tape, her schedule is full.  I read her the weekend's mail before I had to go.

 

I had a summer sausage sandwich after Anna enjoyed yet another plate of prime rib.