Two Boat Rides, Dane Dance, and Badger Watch Party

 

I am writing this first thing Saturday morning; my blogging the next few days might be sporadic. Yesterday was such a good day! I had a meeting first thing in the morning that was amazingly productive. This is at least the third meeting in a row I have been to that hasn't been anything like a waste of time - can this pattern keep up?? I only worked half a day, then I went down to Alumni place and was a bit puzzled, looking at the white caps on the lake and the lack of other boats out there, and the boat we took last week wasn't at the dock. I met Travalon and apparently walked right past my colleague, who came inside to find me, for another free boat ride on Mendota from the Alumni Association. The boat did arrive, and we went out toward Picnic Point, where the captain (the one who really reminds me of Tiffy's dad) talked about the ancient canoes they found in the lake three years ago. Then we went back to Alumni Place and had lemonade and cookies, and someone said the next boat ride only had two people signed up, so we decided to take a second boat ride. My colleague had to go back to work, but Travalon and I got on the boat, and Travalon asked if we could go the other direction this time, so we went to the Tenney Locks. It was an overcast day, and very breezy, so maybe that's why the boat rides weren't so popular. (There were only two other people on our first boat ride too.) Wow, going from fearing I wouldn't get a boat ride to getting TWO boat rides! What an upgrade! The gulls were sitting on the top of the Pyle Center with such exact spacing that they looked like decorations.

We sat on the Union Terrace for a bit, enjoying an adult beverage (I had a lime beer - so good!), then we went to the East Side Club to renew our membership, and while there we went down to the Tiki Bar for a bit. The Legionnaires were there, and we had (don't read this part Rich, but hey, it's not Lent) the most delicious cheeseburgers that they grill. Then we headed home, and Jilly Moose came over, so that we could go to the last Dane Dance of the season. As usual, this August was so crazy that I missed every one before this (they are every Friday in August, and I think the last Friday in July), but I just love being on the roof of the Monona Terrace. We went to the cafe first, and Jilly Moose got dinner while Travalon and I split an order of fries to go with our burger. We could hear the first band from there, an R&B band from Chicago, and I enjoyed them because I knew almost all the songs they did. When the DJ played between sets, Jilly Moose and I got up and danced, but he didn't play "Cupid Shuffle" like I thought he always did in the past. I love that song! The second band was a Latin band, and I had very high hopes, but they played a lot of bachata, which I find boring. They played some cumbia too, which I like better, but I didn't know any of the songs. They only played maybe three actual salsa songs, and I did know one of them, or maybe two. Anyway, it was a beautiful evening, but I never saw the moon - it must be on the late-night schedule right now. I love watching it rise over Lake Monona. Here is a photo of the sky earlier in the evening.

As if we hadn't done enough yesterday, we went back to the East Side Club to join their watch party for the Badgers, who were playing Western Michigan. That is what Travalon calls a "cupcake team," and I hate when the Badgers play non-conference teams that they defeat with no effort. However, the Broncos put up quite a fight and were even ahead briefly, so while the Badgers won, the hardcore fans are not happy. If they looked that bad against the Broncos, imagine what will happen when Alabama comes to town in a couple of weeks! The Tide will totally roll the Badgers! I have to admit that I am beyond caring because with all this nonsense going on in college football like the transfer portal; Name, Image, and Likeness; and the dissolution of the PAC 12 and those West Coast teams joining the Big 10 so that now we have eighteen members, it's all a bunch of hooey. Travalon only cares about the Premier League now (English soccer), and I mostly only care about the Mallards and the Night Mares, because there's little to no corruption in such low-level sports. But we did have fun watching some of the game last night over popcorn and pizza. Surprisingly, after all that, when I weighed myself this morning, I had only gained a few ounces. Maybe there's a delay and I'll get the bad shock next week...

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