Yesterday Travalon and I took the boat out of the water. It was the end of a very disappointing season; we got enough rain in the last week to finally get the boat off the lift, just in time to bring it in. So that was three times we went out in it: to bring it out, one actual ride, and to bring it in.
In the evening I went to Lutheran Cathedral of the Midwest for their big centennial celebration. My OTHER choir director played an organ prelude for half an hour, and then there was a vespers service that included the cantata "Ein Feste Burg" by JS Bach. Listening to that glorious music made me realize how much I miss the 16th century hymns and fauxbourdon we used to sing there, and that they may still sing, although a lot of that was due to my OTHER choir director. I just loved his musical taste so much, but once he converted to Catholicism, he let us all know he was much further right than I'd ever guessed. Maybe that's part of the reason I've been going to parishes with terrible music. I keep wondering why beautiful music and liturgy is always most appreciated by people who seem not to care about the least, the last, and the lost. After all, that is the point of Christianity, not fauxbourdon, as awesome as it is.
Afterwards there was a party with lots of tasty hors d'oeuvres (but oddly no desserts), and wine, and a beer brewed specially for the church by a former pastor who became a woman and then opened a brewery. I did try the beer, and it was tasty. Supposedly they were selling commemorative beer mugs, but I never saw them, or I probably would have bought one. It was so wonderful to see my old choir peeps, some of whom have long since left town and were back just for the occasion. It has been about a decade since I regularly spent time in the church, but I still remembered where everything was, like the bathrooms and of course good old Darth Luther. Not a lot seems to have changed there.
Today Rich, Tiffy, and I went to the nearby Mexican restaurant (and Travalon joined us briefly), then we went to the local corn maze and found nine of the ten secret punches. Usually we find eight. It was so beautiful out there. Travalon went to Devil's Lake, and he took almost two hundred photos, it was so beautiful. I'm too tired to decide which ones to post tonight, but look for those soon. Meanwhile, here is a photo of a window from the Lutheran Cathedral of the Midwest that they are restoring.
Tiffy treated Rich and me to ice cream after the corn maze (which was a dog this year), and then she, Travalon, and I went to the East Side Club to watch the Badgers play Ohio State. I didn't have high hopes for the game, and while the Badgers forced three turnovers, they didn't capitalize on any of them. The final score was 24-10, which was not nearly as bad as I'd expected (I was thinking 42-0), so Ohio State remains undefeated. There was a birthday party upstairs that V05, the local disco cover band, was playing at, so we could hear the music drifting down the stairs. A guy at the party came down to watch the game, and he sat with us and was really friendly. It wasn't a big crowd watching the game, but enough people to make it lively, and some were wearing costumes since it's so close to Halloween. They used to have Packer viewing parties at the East Side Club, and they are trying to resurrect that tradition. They even had food, and not just frozen pizzas but a whole menu of appetizers, sandwiches, and burgers. I would highly recommend it as a place to watch Packer and Badger games. They had lots of free munchies too, or as the poster said, "munches." I had way too much salt today. They brought free shots around for both the field goal and the touchdown, and when we asked what was in them, they said, "Cherry schnapps and Red Bull." Red Bull late at night??? That's like waaaay more caffeine than coffee! We'll see if I ever get to sleep tonight...
I do have to say that yesterday evening, as I was walking from the Centennial party to my car, a couple of college kids were walking behind me, and then they passed me. The temperature dropped right after we got our boat out of the water (our timing was perfect!), and I was all bundled up, while they were dressed like it was still summer. I had heard them kind of laughing at my hat and gloves, but then they were complaining about how cold it was, and one said, "It was 70 degrees yesterday! What happened?" Wisconsin happened. They must be East Coast kids.
Famous Hat
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