The Summer of 2015 - A Bit of History (Part 2)

Now for the rest of the summer story . . .

August: Pig Roast at the Gibbsville Orchard. Our friends, Bill and Anna, joined us as we partied with other friends, Lori and Jeff Dutter at the Orchard. Their son, Dustin, is the proprietor and Mom and Dad help out frequently. Two bands performed. We camped overnight in the orchard.

Cooking the porker. It was delicious!

The MilBillies - one band

This Big Life - the other band

The Apple Lady - one of Lori's creations.

August: Richfield Days. It's the annual firemen's festival where Rick lives. We went to the Friday fish fry, hosted a party on Saturday, and saw the community parade on Sunday.

The Village (formerly Town) of Richfield is showing
 folks how their taxes are spent. Roads are cleared
quickly after snow falls - especially in August.

Richfield Service has fixed most of Rick's
vehicles over the years - and he's probably
contributed plenty of $$ to this truck!

One of several groups of dancers in the parade.

The educational float in the parade.

September: Midwest Vintage Trailer Rally in Montello. This was our fifth year to participate along with 50 or so others. This year Rick brought another new rig - a van camper. Every year we've had a different camper at the rally. Turned out that this one is a bit too small and Rick will probably sell it this summer. Takers anyone?

Nelson & Pade Aquaponics is next door to Buffalo Lake Camping Resort where the rally is held. We toured the place and learned how auquaponics, the raising of fish and vegetables in an integrated soilless system, is an efficient, sustainable, and local means of food production.

Fish are grown in the blue tanks. With a system of filtration, nutrients
are pulled from the water and used to grow the lettuce shown in various
states of maturity. The white styrofoam sheets float on top. 

Fish raised on site are scaled and cleaned by the owner of the facility.

Our rally hostess, Kimberly Steiner, had another contest this year - best decorated flamingo. The rules were that it could only be decorated with material that we had in our trailers.

Our "chicken" flamingo didn't even place but we had a good time fixing her up.

One of the winners.

The rally is always a good time - and a great way to reconnect with friends we've made over the years.

September: Doors Open Milwaukee. Again, another annual tradition. 

Some of the places we toured included Milwaukee Blacksmith (518 E. Erie) where the smithies forge candle holders like this one.

The Basilica of St. Josaphat is magnificent. This beautiful structure was built by Polish immigrants. Even the women helped. They carried away dirt in their aprons that the men shoveled from the site. 

The rotunda.

Exquisite stained glass windows.

Ceiling detail.

The basilica designation came in 1929.

Franciscan monks minister in urban settings
rather than in rural areas. I'm sure this order was
delighted when the current Pope took the name
Francis. 

This was the first year we toured on a Sunday so  must have been a day to check out religious buildings. One more stop of the day was at the School Sisters of St. Francis.

Even though the St. Joseph Chapel looks like a cathedral, it is technically
a chapel because there is no outside entrance to the space.

A mural depicts the history of the Sisters.

If you like to look at great buildings in Milwaukee, be sure to mark your calendar for the 2016 Doors Open Milwaukee - Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

October:  Volo Vintage Camping Trailer Rally

Once again our hostess, BJ Frantz, put on a good party. It was our last rally of the season. And another good time with our vintage friends. (My apologies to all - I don't have any good pictures this time!)

Here's a teaser for my next blog post!

East Meets West - in Milwaukee

On Independence Day, Rick and I attended a Mini Meet-up car show at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee. 

Who knew there would be 18, count 'em, 18 classes of Minis at the car show. I'd seen a few vintage Morris Minis and the current Mini Cooper at the earlier British Car Field Day in Sussex, but didn't realize there were so many other models. The Mini is really a recent car having been manufactured by the British Motor Company from 1959-2000. The Mini was marketed under the Austin and Morris names (like Chevrolet and Buick are brands of General Motors). It was also the first car to be made with front wheel drive. Performance versions of these models used the name Cooper, due to a partnership with racing legend John Cooper. The Mini was even named "European Car of the Century" in 1999 by a panel of 130 international automotive journalists!

Fast forward to 2001 when the Mini was acquired by BMW. The car is now marketed as a "retro" redesign of the original Mini. Cute, but not as cute as the older models in my opinion.

Even though today's Mini is small, yesterday's was even smaller. Not much engine horsepower either. Even less than the VW Cabrio I used to own. Can anyone over four feet tall fit into one of these?

Apparently Rick can sit behind the wheel of a Mini.

All in a row. . .

Who cannot like a Mini?

All kinds, from trucks (even panel trucks) to Jeep-like models called Mooks.

I can't imagine the bed of the truck carrying more than
a large cooler.

The Mook reminded me of a VW "Thing."

Even a few Woodies in the crowd. Put surfboards on the top of these cars and Beach Boys music comes to mind. 

The plain little Minis are just fine.

Well, maybe a little more than plain. The stripes and white top are a nice touch.

Gotta love the sense of humor Mini owners have.

What could be more fun on four wheels? (Unless it's
riding in Rick's Honda del Sol!)

This caption is popular with many Mini owners.

I can't forget the convertibles - always a favorite.

One more . . a bit unusual and the only one exhibited in its class.

When I saw this car, I was reminded of a Saab. But it's a Mini.

Earlier in the day we were at the world's largest Independence Day parade in Knowles, WI. Well, maybe not the largest, but probably the one with the most fire departments and fire queens represented and the least musical units. Ten different fire companies drove their hook & ladder trucks, ambulances, and other vehicles down Main Street. Along with these big rigs, area trucking companies, excavators, and tractor enthusiasts strutted their stuff. Did I mention the candy? Much better than Halloween for all the kids in the crowd.

The one band was from Lomira High School. The music ended just as they marched past our viewing platform, but we did see some fancy marching.

We had been to the parade last year and I wondered what would happen if an actual fire broke out in one of the communities while its fire trucks were in the parade. Wouldn't you know it, this year there must have been a fire in Mayville because two trucks and an ambulance tore down the street with sirens blaring in the midst of the parade. However, the fire must have been a small one because one of the trucks arrived back in Knowles to take its place at the rear of the parade!

Thanks to our friends, Amanda and Troy, for opening their home (and great front porch overlooking Main Street) to us so we could spectate.

Across the street from our friends, someone knows how to transport
lots of cold beverages on a hot summer day.

No fireworks this year - just firecrackers that Rick's neighbors set off well past dark throughout the weekend. 

Sip, Sup, and Stroll

We didn't venture too far the weekend following Easter. Milwaukee was our destination. First stop - the  Westside Art Walk on Vliet Street on Friday night.

Even though Rick grew up in Milwaukee, he said he had never walked down this street. Actually our stroll was only about four or five blocks, so we only saw a small portion of Vliet Street.

The Art Walk is sponsored annually by the Vliet Street Business Association which has worked over the years to reinvent the street, attract destination businesses, and promote art and arts events. Vliet Street, on Milwaukee's west side between 43rd and 62nd Streets, is now the location of commercial clusters, meeting places, and unique shops, restaurants, and services. 

Some of the places we stopped included the Nomad Art Gallery where I took part in the creation of a "communal canvas." I'm not much of an artist, but it was a great deal of fun to try my hand at painting. And here's the result. . .

I call this "Cherry Tree." Anticipation of a future adventure this summer was my inspiration.

At Salvaged Studio & Gallery I learned that the owner, Rachel Winkley,  used to live in Madison. Her studio is also a member of Local First Milwaukee. The cake she served to celebrate her first anniversary was delicious - from Simma's Bakery, one of the places we stopped at during a holiday Milwaukee Food Tour the year before last.

I like to look for the "Local First" logo in Milwaukee-area shops.
It's as good as seeing the Dane Buy Local decal in establishments in Dane County and the seven counties that surround it.

Along with the art came live music at the West End Conservatory. 

We were treated to performances by guitar students of Neil Davis.

We also stopped in at Four Corners of the World, where handmade home decor items from global artisans are available. Four Corners guarantees that all of the merchandise sold there is created by people who are paid a fair wage and have safe working conditions.

Fortunately for us, the weather cooperated and it was a sunny evening - a
perfect time for strolling down the street.

On Saturday is was on to State Fair Park where the Shepherd Express sponsored its annual "Stein & Dine" event - a beer, cheese, and sausage festival.

It took a while to get into the Expo Hall, but once we
were in, there was no waiting to get samples of beer,
cheese, sausage, and other goodies.

3 Sheeps Brewing Company is from Sheboygan. The name is a play on
"three sheets to the wind" (an expression to say that one has indulged just a
bit too much) with a Wisconsin agricultural edge thrown in.

One of my favorites at the festival was a Bloody Mary made with Jimmy Luv's mix from Milwaukee. We appreciate bars that use the mix to make their Bloody Marys. It's flavorful and the Bloody Mary is so much better than one made with just tomato juice and the various seasonings.

Lots of breweries were represented at "Stein & Dine" and we sampled from just about every one of them.

Titletown from Green Bay is a favorite. We like to stop
at the brew pub for burgers and a beer when we're in the Green Bay area.

I liked the fudge cheese that is made by Scott's of Wisconsin right here outside of Madison in Sun Prairie. What's not to like about a combination of chocolate and cheese?

Another favorite is the cheese made by the Weyauwega Cheese Company. We have been known to drive nearly 100 miles to buy their cheese. Rick especially likes the packs with assorted cheese and sausage bites. We learned that the packs are only sold at the store in Weyauwega.

Even close to home Wisconsin wanderers can usually find something fun to do on the weekend and we are glad that Milwaukee has much to offer.