Up, Up and Away!

The Menomonie Airfest & Autorama was June 25 at the Menomonie (WI) Municipal Airport. This was the fourth year of the event that had something for everyone - vintage airplanes, aerobatics in the sky, classic cars, pancake breakfast, kids' activities, vendors for the ladies, and - because this is Wisconsin - a beer garden!

Our friends, Larry & Vicki, spent mega hours as organizers and volunteers to make sure this was a great event. (Last summer Larry took us up in his plane for an aerial view of Menomonie. A prior blog post has some of the pictures I took.) Other friends from Menomonie, Jim & Kaye, volunteered during the day.

Rick was at Road America in Elkhart Lake watching Indy car races with his son and grand boys. I went to Menomonie with other friends, George & JoEllen.

A couple of my favorites in the car show section. . .

Red trucks always capture my attention.

As do green cars.

One of the most bizarre vehicles at the show was the Slingshot, sold by Sport Rider, a dealer from Altoona WI. If you have an extra $20K to spare and want the experience of the open road when driving, this just may be the vehicle for you. Here's what the dealer writes about it: 

Slingshot™ is an entirely new on-road driving and riding experience. The open air cockpit of Slingshot™ hits you with a 360 degree rush of sight, sound, and smell. With side by side seating, both driver and passenger experience a front row shot of adrenaline. Its wide stance and sport-tuned suspension will make you want to charge every corner and never let off. With a low to the ground vehicle stance, you can feel the rush of pavement under your seat and in your chest. Slingshot™ is lightweight and powerful, making for heart pounding acceleration. Just punch it and you are there.

All that's needed to drive this on the road is a motorcyclist license.

Another unusual vehicle at the show was the Fairey Gannet airplane. Its wings can fold up. Takes up less space in the hangar, I suppose. 

Here's a video of the plane starting up and its wings expanding. Quite the sight.

The aerobatics were amazing - especially those displayed by the "drunk" pilot. It was a joke perpetrated by the show's organizers and I fell for the pilot's antics hook, line, and sinker.

The show ended with the salute to the missing pilot. I'm not sure how close the four planes are to each other when they're flying in formation before one peels off. Nonetheless, a great deal of skill is required and it's a neat feat to witness - especially with vintage planes. 

George was an aircraft mechanic before he retired so he donned the appropriate attire for the Airfest.

George may have had to answer a few questions from Airfest goers due to his t-shirt's logo!

Next year's Airfest & Autorama will be the last Saturday in June. Maybe we'll see you there!

Wisconsin Connections

It was the hat!

Rick found this hat with its LED flashing Green Bay Packer logo during one of the first Market Nights we spent at Spanish Springs Village Square here in The Villages. Market Night is every Monday and Wednesday when a variety of vendors set up their wares during the same hours of the nightly entertainment. 

Given that the Green Bay Packers were still contenders in the post-season playoffs, the hat attracted quite a bit of attention. In fact, one of the first persons who asked if we were from Wisconsin turned out to be a friend of friends of ours from Menomonie. His wife also knew some of the same people I knew because of my last job. Yes, it's a small world!

The second connection we made because of the hat was with a couple from Chippewa Falls. Lisa and Zach had been here since September. She came down to help out her mother. We learned from them that the best place to see the Green Bay-Dallas game was with more Wisconsin fans at Cody's Roadhouse near another one of the village squares.

So we showed up early enough to get a seat at the bar. Lisa had alerted us to the fact that there was a special bar menu that offered $2.50 sliders - a great bargain. Also, it was 2 for 1 Happy Hour from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. We cheered the Packers to victory on January 11 with about 50-60 other fans, many of whom were from Wisconsin. We came back to Cody's the following week with many of the same people from the previous week. Unfortunately, it was a loss for the Packers that day.

Many of these old bottles on display at Cody's are from Wisconsin. But that
would make sense since Wisconsin's German immigrants started many breweries
in the 1800s. In fact, one of the first large-scale breweries was Best Brewing from
Milwaukee. Frederick Pabst bought into the company following his marriage
to Best's daughter and eventually took over control of the company and
changed the name to Pabst Brewing.

During halftime we learned about another gathering of Wisconsinites - one of the Wisconsin Clubs at The Villages. 

About 160 people gathered last week to socialize. This Wisconsin Club is one
of three here in The Villages. We chose this particular one because of meeting
several of its members at the Green Bay Packer games.

It was just by chance that we happened to sit at a table and met a couple whose Wisconsin home is about a mile from Rick's. Again, a small world! The entertainment that evening was a Wisconsin trivia game - a great deal of fun. Even more fun was helping our table win the game. Some of the questions: What is the UFO capital of the world? Where is the biggest brat fest held? What year did brewing begin in Wisconsin? And where was Allen Ludden born? 

Last weekend we attended our first car show of the new year. About 250 cars were positioned around the square and on the adjoining streets. Rick said it was the best shows he's been to and I couldn't agree more. I don't like cars with "flames" and none were to be found on these cars. 

Corvettes from the 1950s are a favorite of mine, especially a convertible.  

Another Wisconsin connection - Gremlins were manufactured in Kenosha.

But the most amazing Wisconsin connection we made that evening was with George, the owner of "Whitey," this cute Volkswagen.

After a few minutes of conversation, Rick realized that he had actually met George, a retired school administrator from Kewaskum, about 20 years ago. Rick was working with the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Council to develop youth prevention programs in Washington County. George was in charge of student services for his district in the county. The world can't get any smaller than this!

We met Lisa's mother last Friday night and took Lisa out to dinner at one of the twelve country clubs here in The Villages. Any resident (or renter like us) can dine at any of these establishments. These aren't exclusive clubs.

When we first arrived in The Villages it seemed like the people we were meeting were mostly from the Northeast. However, we've discovered that many Wisconsinites are here, too, and we'll probably meet a few more before we leave. 

Fun with Friends and Family

Someone told me that I shouldn't blog about places we've been to in the past but since the Iola Old Car Show is one of those events we go to year after year after year, I have to make mention of it again this year. However, there was a twist. Instead of camping at one of the usual places we've been in the past, this year it was "driveway" camping at our friend Jay's house. 

Since I've not posted any pictures of the latest addition to Rick's fleet, I thought now would be a good time to do so. This was the rig we used for the past few days.

The new "old" trailer is a 26' Argosy from 1975. We love the panoramic
view from the front window.

The interior is light and airy with a roomy dining area in the front.

The refrigerator, with separate freezer compartment, is almost as big as what I have in my apartment.
It can operate on either gas or electricity and knows which power source to use all on its own!

New stove and oven in the kitchen opposite from the refrigerator.
I cover the sinks with cutting boards to have more counter space.

One bed behind the kitchen.

Another bed on the other side. Bunk beds swing up from
under the windows and are secured to the ceiling.

We plan to remove the bunk bed on the right once Rick finds the right tool for the job so that the sleeping area isn't so claustrophobic. The bathroom is at the back of the trailer. I especially like the "pocket" door that one can close for privacy behind the bed on the left.

This trailer is the second Argosy that Rick has bought in the past year. The first is "Tater;" this one is "Tater II" because of the color on the outside.

We went to the car show on Thursday afternoon and again on Friday morning. Jay showed his Nash Metropolitan. Rick went along for the ride.

It looks like Jay's convertible is a coupe but it really has a back seat.
Of course, only a small child would be able to fit back there comfortably!

For some reason, I'm drawn to red cars. Maybe because that was the color of first car I ever owned.

A fun convertible.

And another one.

A Triumph.

A Mustang - see the pony on the grill.

A 1960 Sport Prinz (that's what the sign said).

The geezer mobile (a Buick).

The theme of this year's show was "Four for All in '14." A variety of four-door vehicles was featured in the theme tent.

Imagine riding in the back seat of this Kaiser.

Or this Frazer.

Or this Packard town car. It must have been quite the luxury vehicle of its time.

Other four-door cars were displayed on the blacktop outside the tent. 

The owners of this car are ready for a summer outing.

There's even entertainment at the Iola Old Car Show.

We left Iola on Saturday morning and motored to the east side of Lake Winnebago with a stop at the Neighborhood Pub & Grill outside of Chilton for lunch.

Rick had the 1 lb. burger - actually two 1/2 lb. patties on a
hoagie roll.

I had the roast turkey BLT.

We spent the night at the Ledgeview Campground. Not our usual Ledge Park near Horicon but still on top of the Niagara Escarpment.

Here's a view of Lake Winnebago as we approached Highway 55. The scenery on this side is so much nicer than what one sees off Highway 41 on the west side. The east side of the lake is not one continuous strip mall.

Oshkosh is somewhere on the other side of the lake.

Sheboygan and a birthday party for grandson #2 was our last stop on our mini-vacation. It's always a delight to spend time with the boys (now ages 4 and 2). Their mother does a great job of themes for their birthday parties. 

Can you guess whose fruit and veggie faces these are?

Why it's Oscar, the Grouch, Big Bird, and Elmo!

This was the second outing with the new Argosy. Rick says this trailer is a keeper. There are still about two more months of camping. Stay tuned for more of our adventures.

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.