Sorry for my silence this week. I have been very busy
entertaining my aunt and uncle, who were visiting from Denver. Here is a recap
of their visit, and my weekend before that:
Saturday morning Travalon and I went to campus so he could
take pictures of the blooming tulip trees with his good camera, then we got on
the road to Green Bay, stopping for lunch at Gilles Drive In in Fond du Lac. We
were going to take a walk there, but they were having Walleye Weekend and the place
was packed. We went to Mass at St. Willobrod, the church where Lombardi used to
go, and they sang the Pentecost sequence to the tune of “Ode to Joy,” which I
didn’t really enjoy. We got way more than enough steps just from parking blocks
away from Lambeau Field, finding a pizza place for dinner inside Lambeau,
getting to our seats, and of course walking back to the car. We saw Paul
McCartney, who had played in Madison two days earlier, but Travalon found the
ticket prices in Green Bay were so much cheaper that, even with gas and one
night in a hotel, we came out ahead. The show was excellent; I had seen Sir
Paul on TV and still photos many times, of course, but in real life he does
have a cuteness about him even in his 70’s so that I could see why teenage
girls used to scream over him. I was most impressed when he played not only the
bass and piano but the mandolin and ukulele too. A musician after my own heart!
He did a mix of Beatles and Wings stuff with songs from his new album, but he
completely ignored his minor hits from the 80’s, which is the stuff
from my formative years. On the way to our hotel after the concert, we found
ourselves behind a stretch limo that turned off for the exit to the swankiest
hotel in the state. Wonder if that was him?
Sunday morning I slept really late while Travalon checked
out the hotel pool, then we went to a coffee place called Brewed Awakening
right near where Sir Paul may have stayed, but we saw no sign of him. We met my
relatives at Newport Shores, the seafood restaurant on the water in Port
Washington. After lunch we walked over to a nearby brewpub that their friend
had opened in the old American Legion building called Inventors, and we had two
flights of their beers served in little model airplane-shaped trays. The salt
and pepper shakers look like lightbulbs. Then my aunt and uncle followed us to
their hotel in Madison, which they had thought was on the northeast side of
town but which was actually on the southeast side. We took meandering back
roads, and they were tired, so we thought of what was nearby for dinner. Then
it occurred to me – of course! Waypoint with the fantastic patio overlooking
the water! It isn’t a brewpub, but it has a lot of microbrews on tap. They
really enjoyed it there.
Monday Travalon had to work, but I met my aunt and uncle for
brunch at the Union Terrace. Only we had missed breakfast food by four minutes,
so we had to order lunch food… at 10:34 am?? I was all excited to order a giant
pretzel, since we had enough people, but then they were out of them and didn’t
tell me, instead giving us three regular pretzels. It was also a bit cold and
windy, so we sat inside, but they did enjoy the beauty of the Terrace,
overlooking Lake Mendota, and Travalon was able to join us for a couple of
hours. My aunt has some mobility issues, so I was thinking how I could give
them a tour of the campus where she wouldn’t have to walk. I was lamenting that
we couldn’t take the trolley bus tour that the new employees get to take, and
then it occurred to me – of course! The free bus that goes all over campus! So
we rode that in a big loop as I told them all about what we were seeing. Their
favorite part was the graduate student housing back in the nature preserve.
Then we went to Next Door Brewing because they remembered the beer pie so
fondly, and we sat out on the patio (there wasn’t as much wind as on the Union
Terrace) and had a flight of all their beers on tap, some eggplant fries, and
of course the beer pie. It was just as good as they had remembered! Travalon
joined us after work, and we ended up having dinner there too, and just hanging
out on the patio until they had to close it.
Tuesday I brought my mandolin to my aunt and uncle’s hotel,
and I played it a little while my uncle played the flute. Then we went to Crema
Café for breakfast, since they also remembered that fondly, and we sat outside
enjoying the view of Lake Monona. We went to Olbrich Gardens, and my aunt was
delighted to find out they would loan her a motor scooter for free so that she
could get around the whole garden. We explored all the outdoor gardens, then we
went into the conservatory, and Travalon found us there. The four of us went to
the Monona Terrace for lunch, and my relatives loved that too. We couldn’t see
the bad weather brewing from where we were sitting, but once we rounded the
corner to find the tile I had given to Travalon for our anniversary, we could
see the dark clouds rolling in. We got to our cars just in time, and Travalon
headed back to work while the rest of us drove through the rain to see the
optical illusion on O’Sheridan Road of the Capitol seeming to get smaller as
you drive towards it. We drove through the Arboretum (but didn’t get out since
it was so wet out), and then we went to Infusions Chocolate for some bonbons
and iced Mayan hot chocolate and chai. So good! We met Travalon at Funk
Factory, which my relatives really enjoyed, and then we went to Ale Asylum for
dinner and more beer. We saw a lot of weird fighter jets flying
around – I wonder what that is about? Are they prepping for war?
Yesterday Travalon had really thought he would get the day
off, but they told him he had to attend all-day training, so we drove to New
Glarus without him. We sampled beers, got stuff at the gift shop (I got
Travalon a baseball cap as a consolation prize), and bought some beer to take
home. We had lunch at an adorable and very delicious restaurant in Paoli called
the School House, then we went to the Chocolaterian for chocolate treats. We
met Travalon at Bos Meadery and had three flights of mead, so that we got to
try every flavor on tap, and then we went to Banzo for a nice light Mideastern
dinner after all that eating and drinking for the last few days. Now I am back
to the workaday world, and my aunt and uncle are on their way to see my
parents. They love to take back roads, so we suggested Highway 60 as a very
scenic option, and that is the way they went. I would recommend this road to
anyone heading west of Madison. It is so pretty.
Famous Hat
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