Appreciating Italian Heritage

Just when I thought there was nothing to blog about today, here comes something from the “Totally Random” Department: I got a piece of mail sent to me by name imploring everyone at work to take some time to appreciate Italian heritage. It was a flyer with pictures of famous Italians and Italian-Americans on it, and a list of suggested movies by and/or about Italians. I certainly approve of celebrating all things Italian, but why me? Why not Handy Woman, who is a real Italophile? Why not Richard Bonomo? After all, neither my last name nor Travalon’s (I go by both) is Italian in the least. I suspect I have somehow become the contact at my workplace for sending flyers to be posted in a public space, because one was sent to me previously, but it was something more prosaic about how to submit grievances. I just hang them up in the breakroom. I don’t even know where they are coming from, because they are sent via campus mail and have no return address, so there is no way to stop them. Not that I want to, if they are going to be this random. I can’t wait to see the next one they send me. Any speculations about what topic “they” will cover next? Feel free to leave an idea in the comments section.

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Sailing into the Sunset

Travalon and I had the most wonderful evening. First one of our neighbors is in an all-women barbershop group, and they put on a short free concert for everyone in the neighborhood. We took our lawn chairs out by the tennis court and sat listening to the ten women singing oldies in four-part harmony. Then another neighbor and his wife took us out sailing. There wasn't much wind tonight, so it was a very relaxed sailing session. The guy let me take the rudder, and Travalon manned one of the sheets. We literally sailed into the sunset when the guy told me to steer right toward the setting sun. Meanwhile, the singing ladies went out on a pontoon boat, and we saw them coming out after us and then heading back in before us. We saw one of the Betty Lou Cruise boats and some other boats, but not as many as you would think on such a beautiful evening. The water was calm, and it was so peaceful on the quiet sailboat as opposed to our loud little Megan Jaye, with her outboard motor and something always rattling in her - we haven't figured out what yet. Of course, when the motor conks, then she is quiet too. Sailboats are my very favorite boats, but I love being in anything on the water, even our tippy canoe! The guy who owns this sailboat grew up sailing in Seattle, and he is an excellent sailor. Know who else is an excellent sailor? Richard Bonomo. Too bad he and I didn't buy that little catamaran that was for sale years ago...

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Cedarburg Strawberry Festival and Boating Mishaps

My wonderful vacation is over. Here is how the rest of it went:

Friday morning the Rosary Ladies gathered at Jilly Moose’s place to make lentil soup and three desserts (rhubarb bars, a grapefruit cake, and a chocolate custard cake), then we walked to a nearby tavern for lunch. In the afternoon we took a tour of the Capitol Building because someone we know is now a tour guide there. He was very funny and informative. In the evening there was a potluck at Rich’s house with all the food we had made that morning, plus various salads, Cecil Markovitch's wonderful bread and spread, and plenty of booze. I brought a bottle of Prosecco, and this might be my go-to drink from now on – it only has 68 calories per glass!

Saturday the Rosary Ladies got up early and met at the Coffee Gallerie, then we all piled into Jilly Moose’s car Chartreuse Bruce and drove to Cedarburg for their Strawberry Festival. It was very hot, and we walked a lot. Luxuli is definitely the toughest one of us because she carried a 15-pound kettle bell the whole way! Rich would probably say I should wear my ankle weights… We bought purses and jewelry, and OK Cap bought a plant. Then we headed back to town and met Travalon and Prairie Man at Banzo, a restaurant in our neighborhood that serves Mediterranean food. Everyone enjoyed it. The others were tired after our long day, but Luxuli still had plenty of energy so she and Prairie Man came to the East Side Club with Travalon and me to watch Shake the Lake, the big fireworks festival that replaced Rhythm ‘n’ Booms. There was lightning in the clouds that kept flashing right after some fireworks would go off, so Luxuli said it looked like they were having a conversation. It was pretty funny to watch, but I was glad I wasn’t in a boat watching the fireworks like so many people. What could be a worse location during a lightning storm than in a metal boat in the middle of the lake?

Yesterday Travalon and I overslept and went to our local church, then we met the usual group plus Anna Banana II and Jilly Moose for brunch. Travalon and I went to take a boat ride, and we were puzzled to see that our canoe was missing. The straps holding it down were on the dock, so we thought maybe someone had borrowed it, but then our neighbor spotted it in the marsh not far away. We debated about wading out to rescue it or trying in our boat, then we called Rich to ask his opinion, and he recommended a water rescue. We decided to take a quick boat ride into Cherokee Marsh and pick up the canoe on the way back to the dock, but our motor conked so we had to paddle for almost two hours to get back. We weren’t looking forward to rescuing the canoe at that point… but our wonderful neighbor who had first spotted it had already borrowed another canoe and rescued it for us! We have the best neighbors ever! OK Cap had the Rosary Ladies over to swim in her pool, and Travalon and Rich joined us, then we had dinner at the Nau-Ti-Gal, sitting outside, and Prairie Man joined us too. It was such a wonderful way to end the vacation for me, but the other ladies still had today off so they got to extend it a little longer. Anna Banana II heads home tomorrow – it was so good to see her! I love it when all the Rosary Ladies can get together!

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Unsuccessful Canoe Trip

Yesterday Jilly Moose and I went hiking at Indian Lake County Park, praying the rosary as we walked around the lake. We went to the Thirsty Moose on Lake Wisconsin for lunch and both ended up getting commemorative hoodies. I called the Crystal Lake campground to find out if they rented out paddleboats, and they do, but only to registered campers. A guy at the Thirsty Moose overheard me and said there was a place on Tipperary Road that rented out boats, so we set out to find the place, but it was closed that day. We headed back to my house, where Luxuli met us, and all three of us got into my canoe and set out for the marsh. However, we had only gone a few feet away from the dock when we tried to turn and capsized. Fortunately I had put my iPhone into a plastic sandwich bag, so it was unscathed. We sat on the dock, drying off... and that's when my neighbors started showing up for Thirsty Thursday. They offered us food and drinks and said we should have waited a few minutes for our canoeing attempt so they all could have witnessed us ending up in the water. I had so much mud on me! I went into the shower in my clothes and got most of it off before throwing them in the laundry. They all came out totally clean. In the evening a bunch of us met for dinner at Villa Dolce, sitting outside to enjoy the lovely evening. Afterwards Jilly Moose, Travalon, and I were going to take the free trolley around Middleton, but it appeared that we had missed the last one, so we will just have to ride it some other time.

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First Mallards Game of the Season

Yesterday Travalon and I took Rodney and went for a walk at a park not far from our place, where you can get an excellent view of a small island in Cherokee Marsh. I took pictures which I will post at some point. It was an overcast day, and thunderstorms were in the forecast, so we didn't want to take the boat or the canoe out and be stuck on the lake in a lightning storm. Anna Banana II, Jilly Moose, Travalon and I went to Finding Dory, since it was kind of raining so going to a movie seemed like a perfect activity. It was a cute movie, but I liked the original, Finding Nemo, better. Afterwards Travalon and I went to the beer garden at Capital Brewery; it was drizzling, but we sat under the tent and enjoyed a pear kolsch and a ginger beer. In the evening Anna Banana II, Jilly Moose, OK Cap, Travalon, and I went to a Mallards game. It was a great game with a home run and a bunt that worked - the guy got on base with it. There was also a lot of great defensive playing. The Mallards won 4-2. Yay! It was drizzling just before the game began, so Travalon and I were wearing the rain ponchos the Dairyman's Daughter had lent me for American Players Theater, but it cleared up by game time and was a beautiful evening. Now it really feels like summer, because I've been to a baseball game.

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Mirror Lake and Lake Geneva

Sorry for my silence lately - I have been very busy. Friday evening Tiffy and I joined Rich, the Dairyman's Daughter, and some others at American Players Theater to watch An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. Tiffy and I got there a little early, so we went to the Nature Conservancy land covered by cacti and saw they are about to bloom. Anyone want to go out there this week and see them? The play was very funny.

Saturday Travalon and I met a bunch of people for coffee, including Anna Banana II, who is back in town. We saw a bunch of people riding their bikes in the nude up and down State Street, then Anna Banana II, OK Cap, Travalon, and I went to Pasqual's on East Washington for lunch, and we saw the nude bikers go by again. There's no escaping them! I had a gig at a Norwegian picnic in a beautiful location, with water on two sides. They built a May pole, and we played as they danced around it. Then Tiffy and I went back to American Players Theater to see Death of a Salesman, since it had been rained out the week before. The play was very depressing, and Tiffy and I both wondered why anyone would bother writing something so depressing. What's the point?

Sunday Travalon and I went to Mirror Lake State Park in the Dells, where we went hiking with Rodney. There are a lot of very beautiful trails there, and there is also the Ishnala Supper Club, which for some reason blasts standards in their parking lot so that you can hear Frank Sinatra from half the park. Now I like Ol' Blue Eyes as well as anyone, but it still seems weird to hear him when you are out hiking in nature. Travalon and I went to a place called the Thirsty Moose for dinner, where we sat out by the lake and waited for an hour for our food. They gave us tokens for free beer because we had to wait so long.

Yesterday the Rosary Ladies piled into Chartreuse Bruce, and we drove to Lake Geneva and walked along the lakeshore path, admiring the large houses. We had lunch at a place called Egg Harbor which seems to have no connection to the town in Door County; it simply serves dishes made with eggs. When we got back to town, we went to dinner at the Nau-Ti-Gal, and Travalon and Prairie Man joined us. Then we all watched the sun set from our dock, and so the longest day of the year ended.

Today Travalon and I went for a boat ride before my gig for Make Music Madison. We played to a small but very generous audience and made over $10 apiece in tips. In the evening Anna Banana II had some of us out to her cottage on Lake Ripley, and Rodney was a big hit with the little kids that were out there. It has been a wonderful, relaxing staycation so far - and Spellcheck recognizes the word "staycation," which is kind of blowing my mind. I guess that means it's time to get to bed.

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Reggae Concert on Monona Terrace

Sorry that I did not get around to posting photos from Ma and Pa Hat’s visit yesterday. I was on the town with Travalon. First I should mention our wonderful boat ride on Wednesday evening. We went out into the lake, and the setting sun illuminated the downtown so that it looked like The Promised Land in the distance, or the proverbial City on a Hill, or (as Travalon said) the Emerald City, except that it was golden instead of green. We commented on how beautiful and enticing it looked, although I noted the downtown is not The Promised Land during Rush Hour on weekday mornings. I tried to take a photo of this lovely vision, but it didn’t really turn out. I may post it anyway… we’ll see.

Yesterday evening the golden promise of the evening before did seem fulfilled by downtown Madtown as Travalon and I went to the rooftop of the Monona Terrace to have dinner at their café and listen to a reggae band called Natty Nation. We danced to them after dinner, and when we sat down, as soon as Travalon went to get a drink, the guy next to me said we looked really good out there. Then his wife came back from the restroom, and she seemed annoyed and said they had to leave “right now!” Oops – I didn’t mean to cause marital friction, but maybe this guy has a long history of telling other women how good they look the moment his wife leaves the scene briefly. There were tons of people at this concert, including a guy with a T-shirt in the “Walt Disney” font, only it said, “Malt Whiskey.” Travalon and I thought that was pretty funny. The concert was free, and the band was wonderful – I love that reggae backbeat! Then Travalon and I went to the Cardinal Bar, and I had a “skinny mojito,” which has a lot less sugar in it, so you can really taste the mint and lime. I liked it a lot, but I’m not a big one for overly sweet things. There was a dance class there, learning bachata, which I think is a beautiful dance to watch, but I find the music very boring. It is my least favorite type of Latin music. It was such a wonderful evening, and the second one in a row, that I just glowed with happiness as I lay in bed last night. I love summer!

My blogging may be somewhat sporadic for the next week. Tiffy and I are going to American Players Theater tonight and tomorrow, I have gigs tomorrow and next Tuesday, and Anna Banana II is in town, so I will be hanging out with her and the other Rosary Ladies next week instead of going to work. Paid vacation time is wonderful!

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