Ma and Pa Hat's Visit

Sorry for my silence these last few days, but I was very busy entertaining Ma and Pa Hat. They arrived on Thursday, and we were going to go to Chez Nanou for dinner, but I didn’t realize they are not open for dinners on Thursdays, so we ended up eating outside at the Essen Haus. I couldn’t complain, since I love eating outside, and you can only do it for about four months around here.

Friday morning I had breakfast at Ma and Pa Hat’s hotel with them, then we went for a walk behind Edgewood College and visited the zoo. Ma Hat and I took Rodney on a walk, and he LOVED her. He was snuggling up against her the way he does to me, but I’ve never seen him do it to another guest. Then we all went to Olbrich Garden for a lovely stroll through the Rose Garden and out to the Thai Pavilion. We were planning to go across the street to the fish fry at the East Side Club, but they had canceled it due to a scheduling snafu, so I called Rich in a panic. He went to Paisan’s and reserved an outside table for us there, overlooking Lake Monona. Travalon joined us after he got done with work. It was a gorgeous evening, and afterwards we went to Rich’s house and talked to Antoshka, who is very interested in renewable energy initiatives in Minnesota. That is a subject I know nothing about.

Saturday morning Travalon, my parents, and I got to the meeting point for the Betty Lou Cruise on Lake Monona way ahead of time, so we went up to the Monona Terrace rooftop garden to enjoy the view up there. The weather forecast had been for storms, but that morning they revised it to say no rain was expected until the evening, and indeed the weather was perfect as we toured Lake Monona. In the evening Travalon went to a rock concert in the Dells (Blue Oyster Cult and April Wine) while my parents and I went to American Players Theater with Rich and the Dairyman’s Daughter and various other people. There was a big potluck beforehand, then we watched A Comedy of Errors, which was hilarious. It did rain on us, so the play was delayed by half an hour, but fortunately the Dairyman’s Daughter always brings enough rain ponchos for everyone, so we stayed dry. It was a late night, but a good one.

Yesterday Travalon and I met Ma and Pa Hat for lunch at the Free House, again eating outside. That’s what I love about summer! Then my parents hit the road, and Travalon and I went for yet another hike on the trails behind the historical marker near Sauk. This time we went up a hill that was (according to my phone) the equivalent of twelve flights of stairs, then we checked out a scenic overlook. There were quite a few horseback riders on the trails that afternoon. We had dinner at a place in Sauk that I believe was called Woodshed Alehouse, where they brew their own beer. I had the nut brown ale and Travalon had the golden ale. The only thing they serve there is pizza, but it is very tasty pizza. Luckily after our vigorous uphill hike, I had the calories to spare for pizza and beer. We even tried these new coffee-flavored M&M’s, which are every bit as good as they sound. So that was my very busy but fun weekend.

Famous Hat