New Years and My Birthday

Sorry for the long silence. I have been on vacation and nowhere near a computer. Friday evening Travalon and I just walked next door to Mariner’s for fish fry, which came with a free glass of champagne that night. New Year’s Eve we had a quiet day as well, until we headed up to see Travalon’s old high school buddy in Waupun. Six of us (three couples) went to a supper club and then back to Travalon’s buddy’s house to play a game I have played before, but never with such dirty results. For example, one of the questions was: “What does Batman do when nobody is looking?” I’m sure you can imagine the answers we came up with (my favorite: “Robin”), and then people kept writing answers from previous rounds so we were really laughing through most of this game. We stayed up until well after 2017 began; I got to bed around 3 am myself.

Sunday morning Travalon and I started the new year out by going to Mass in Waupun, then stopping at a coffee place called End of the Trail. In the afternoon my OTHER choir director had an open house at his beautiful apartment overlooking Turville Bay, and I really enjoyed both all the desserts he made and the chance to catch up with some of my former choir buddies. Can you believe it has been two years since I sang with them? Time sure does fly! Travalon and I went through two light shows that evening: the one at Olin Park, and the one at the zoo. Then we watched the Packers beat the Lions to become NFC North Champions! Yeah!

Monday Travalon had to work, but I had the day off as a legal holiday, so after my usual adoration hour I met Jilly Moose for lunch at Crema Café. We didn’t have to go very far after that to get to the pottery place, where we both made fused glass and also painted figurines – she painted a moose, and I painted a rabbit playing a mandolin. It was like they made it just for me! We took a long walk since it was such a nice day for this time of year, and then in the evening I watched the Cotton Bowl with Travalon, since it had been on while he was working. Neither of us knew the outcome, so we were happily surprised to find out the Badgers won.

Yesterday I had the best birthday. First Travalon gave me presents: the Paul Hornung Scrapbook and a little phrasebook of various African languages. Does he know me or what? We went to coffee at M&M Coffeehouse, where they gave me a free scoop of Zanzibar chocolate ice cream for my birthday, and they were also selling cute Christmas ornaments. I fell in love with a lollipop, and Travalon said for that price he could get me another present. We took it home, and I had the little snowman I made at the art museum hold it – it was so cute! I will post a picture soon. Then we drove to Prairie du Sac and saw two eagles sitting on the island in the river and one flying by the dam. We also saw two eagle nests and some birds that looked like small loons – maybe some kind of duck? We went to Spring Green and found out by accident that it is the Birthday Town: they give you a sticker and a passport with different places in town that will give you free stuff, so I got lunch, a cookie, some candy, and beef sticks. Unfortunately, lots of the places were closed yesterday, but I still had fun. If you have a summer birthday, this would be the place to go! In the evening Travalon took me to the Broadway show Jersey Boys, about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and it was so good! Everyone should see this show! Afterwards we had very chocolate cocktails at the Icon, which is where we went on our first date. This may have been my best birthday ever!

Famous Hat