Halloween Trip to Wyalusing State Park

 

Today Travalon and I drove west along the Wisconsin River, so that we could say we have followed the river from end to end in 2020. We drove along Highway 60 some years ago in October on the way to visit my parents, and the views were spectacular in places as we drove between bluffs and the river. That was a little earlier in the month, and by now most of the leaves are gone, but it was still a pretty drive. The day was sunny and gorgeous and warm enough for hiking, so we set off with high hopes.

In Lone Rock I had to use the bathroom, so we stopped at the town park, but the public restrooms were nailed shut. I saw some people come out of a building that looked like a school, so I went over to investigate. They had this intriguing sign in the yard, so I took a picture.

For those of you who remember when I submitted 54 new flavor suggestions to Jelly Belly for a contest they had years ago, I did submit a Cthulhu-flavored jellybean that would taste like calamari. This building also had a smiley-face flag flying on its flagpole, but I forgot to take a picture of that. It was the classic yellow smiley face on a lavender background. A hippie chick saw me taking a picture of the sign, so she came out and started talking to me. It seems to be some sort of hippie commune, and she let me in to use the bathroom. Inside it sure looks like a school, albeit one where a bunch of hippies (and cats) are living.

We stopped at a boat landing near Muscoda, and Travalon took some photos.

Some of the most breathtaking scenery was in places where we couldn't safely stop to take a picture, but now and then we passed a turnoff where we could, like this one.

                               

We stopped at another boat landing near Boscobel and took a walk. The scenery there was so beautiful that Travalon took some photos, and I even took a couple with my cell phone.

                               

When we got to Prairie du Chien, we had a late lunch at this Mexican restaurant:

                               

Then we went to Wyalusing State Park, where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi. We went to the overlook, and Travalon took some photos.

                               

Then we took a hike and saw rock formations, more scenes of the rivers below, golden trees, and pines.

Then we drove down to the boat landing in the park and looked back up at the bluff we had just been on, and across the river at other bluffs. There were lots of islands in the river at that point.

We also saw a beautiful white bird that was definitely not a gull or an egret. I think it might have been an osprey. I got a photo, but it didn't really turn out.

Tonight at Night Prayer I was the only one who dressed up for Halloween.

My big excitement tomorrow (other than watching the Packers beat the Vikings) is that I found a rosary at the antiques store in Minocqua that has medals of a bunch of saints on it, so I've been saving it for All Saints' Day. And tomorrow it will finally be here!

Famous Hat

A Dream of Argyle and Plaid

 

I forgot to mention that yesterday we played Jeopardy at work, and usually I don’t do as well as the two Millennials on our team because I don’t know “white” music after 1991, I don’t know movies, and I don’t know TV. But yesterday our boss came up with the categories herself instead of asking us, and they were all food and beverages. I really cleaned up, particularly in the cocktail category. What this says about me, I’m not sure I want to know!

Last night I had the most random dream. There was this guy who was really into argyle, and he and all his buddies had to wear argyle sweaters all the time, except for a really fat guy who was exempt because he couldn’t find any to fit him, so he just wore T-shirts. Then I said to the guy, “Your name is Malcolm Campbell! Shouldn’t you be into tartan?” and then the dream started over, only they were into plaid instead of argyle. His son had one of those “What does your parent do” days at work, and after a woman who trained pitbulls presented, he came out in full Scottish regalia, playing the bagpipes. So on my morning walk I told my neighbor about this dream, and she said, “Your brain was just trying to come up with a dream nobody could interpret.” But guess what? The Dream Dictionary knew!

Argyle: To see argyle in your dream refers to your methodical thinking and analytical mind. Perhaps you are overly analytical. Alternatively, argyle indicates monotony. Your life is becoming too routine and repetitious.

Plaid: To dream that you are wearing plaid suggests that some of your conservative views are in conflict with your liberal and wild side.

Bagpipe: To see or hear bagpipes in your dream signify strength and virility. You will overcome your struggles.

So, obviously, I am analyzing an issue, there are some conflicts, but ultimately I will prevail. Is this a dream about the election?

Famous Hat

Lobster Boil

 

Tonight Travalon and I went to the lobster boil at Mariner's, and they gave us a little table off by ourselves in a side room, while everyone else was in a large room together. In these days of COVID, I was glad for that, and I like to think that we got a special place because we are such regulars, but then I wondered if we are too gauche to be around the other guests. And then I thought, who has table manners while eating lobster, anyway? We had white wine with our meal, and a dinner roll (but they accidentally gave me two), and a Caesar salad. Then they brought us each a plate with boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, and an enormous lobster. I felt bad for it momentarily because I could see its eyes, but then I thought what the heck, it's already dead so I might as well eat it. And it was delicious! Eating lobster is a lot of work, but happily they provided shell crackers, small forks, and disposable bibs that said: "Enjoy tasty LOBSTER!" My butter was bubbling, so I made a video of that, but it's really not that interesting. Maybe I'll post it at some point. For dessert, we had a choice of cheesecake with cherries or key lime pie, so Travalon and I both went for the pie. Yum! And that's a wrap for Lobster Boils 2020 - they won't have another one until next June, if we all survive that long. (I read today that our state is one of the top five where they expect election-related violence, especially in capital cities. So there's that.) But to end on a more cheerful note, we had a wonderful and very romantic evening.

Famous Hat

Yet More Fall Photos

 

This evening Travalon and I went for a hike at the small bluff near our house, and we saw some beautiful fall colors. He sent me the photos he took, and when I uploaded them to my computer, I found a couple more he had taken of the Olbrich Gardens conservatory:

And here is the last batch of rosaries I got in Minocqua, along with a St. Anne's Chaplet:

Here are some photos from our walk on the Lake Waubesa boardwalk:

And here are some photos from our walk this evening, including the bluff and the pond:

Earlier today, while I was working, Travalon had to do a Door Dash run in McFarland, so he stopped at Babcock Park, where he saw a bird party:

Tomorrow we are going to a lobster boil, so if I get back early enough, I'll blog about that. Otherwise, if I get back too late, there may be no blog post tomorrow.

Famous Hat