Archive for the Wisconsin Category
Posted on November 6, 2009 by jason
Apple picking was up next. Good clean fun. The kids had a blast running from tree to tree and taste-testing the products. Something like 30 different varieties and they were all good. Around here, you can pick apples until Thanksgiving and there were still tons of apples on each tree. We returned with 40 lbs of apples for $10. I’m not sure what the Strubbes will do with that many apples, but we did our best to eat them while we were there.
This might explain why the nearby town was called Appleton. I always take note when places are named after the thing they destroyed in order to be created. At least in this case there are still some orchards.
It’s noteworthy that having the bus parked in the Strubbes driveway for a few days attracted quite a bit of attention. Several neighbors came over to see what was going on and tell their bus stories. One guy even brought over a picture of his old bus. It looked like a Dormobile to me, but he swore it was a Westfalia.
On the way out of town, we stopped in Milwaukee. Nice place.
Happy Days. Laverne and Shirley. Schlitz.
Back in the early 70′s, Nixon was president and Schlitz was the #2 selling beer in America. The beer that made Milwaukee famous, as they say. In a sub-genius move to increase profits, the brewers tinkered with the formula (multiple times) and destroyed the taste and the customer base in the process. It was then relegated to cheap-beer status the rest of its days, but it did get us through college without any major problems.
The brewery has changed hands many times since then and now belongs to Miller. They claim to have ‘re-discovered’ the original formula and have started producing it again. We tried it… it’s fine. Probably not our favorite, but we’ll keep going back… after all, it is the only beer that says its name when you open it.
And, since this is a post about Wisconsin… Cheese. Packers. Favre.
Posted on November 4, 2009 by angela
When we initially mapped out this trip, Wisconsin seemed to be an isolated point on the map. But, once we were on the road it would be impossible for us to miss seeing our good friends Steve and Melissa in their new Wisconsin home. Steve has been a friend of both Jason and I since college. The guys were housemates, and that is how I met Jason my last year at UT. It took another year for him to ask me out, but 4 years later were were married (a pretty good story itself.)
Anyway, we never thought we’d find a woman to put up with Steve* but lucky for us Melissa came with a friend to our Halloween party 11 years ago. Melissa grew up mostly in Hawaii, and has the patience of a saint. A quality well used in the taming of the Steve. They have 2 great kids, Wolfgang (6) and Johann (nickname Yo-yo, 3). Bode was in absolute heaven during our visit. Yo-yo is a real entertainer, tap dancing pant-less outside (it was about 40 degrees) and singing Weezer and Jersey Boys songs. He even does a medley. Wolfie has Melissa’s patience, and taught Bode how to play Wii games and all about Star Wars.
Steve moved here from Austin to follow a major job opportunity. What kind of opportunity? Depends. Like, the disposable undergarment. When he got the job, we made jokes. Lot’s of them. He even wore them for a while to understand the product and empathize with the customer base. Serious business. Working on incontinence products may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but really, this is the big time.
He’s moved on since then. Kotex was next. A logical next step? Now, we just found out he just moved again to an even bigger brand… Pampers. Snicker all you want. It’s a multi-billion dollar business.
When we arrived in Neenah, both Bode and Jason were sick. Jason spent the first day in bed and Bode was hardest hit the next. The weather was cold and windy, so the boys were happy to spend a day lounging while their partner in crime recovered.
The police and fire departments of the neighboring towns gave out Halloween candy at the local mega-mart on Saturday morning, so we hit that. It was cold–way cold. But it warmed up that afternoon. Neenah’s official trick-or-treating hours are from 4-7. The boys were ready to go at 3:59. This area is very idyllic, and most families have 3-4 kids, so it was really fun and a much different Halloween experience than Alameda. Wolfang even told the candy distributors, “no nuts for these two, please”.
We used to have hundreds and hundreds of kids from other towns come to Alameda and trudge up and down the stairs to our front door. At 9 (or whenever we ran out of candy) we’d have to turn off all the lights and hide in the back of the house. If there was any activity in our house, the un-costumed teenagers continued to knock.
After about an hour, Johann and Bode were ready for the ‘party’ which involved eating their loot and giving out candy. Wolfie and his dad took advantage of the entire 3 hours and made a good haul.
Also, it’s pronounced Strew-bee. Say it. It’s fun!
*Kidding, Steve. Really!
Posted on November 3, 2009 by jason
From Vermillion, we cruised all day through Minnesota and Wisconsin on our way to Neenah. Unfortunately, we had to pass up some awesome offers to meet new folks in Minneapolis, get a tour of the local public radio station, and hang out on a disc-golf ranch. All things we’ll make time for on the next come through. This time, we had to make it to our friend’s place for trick-or-treating.
Having a time-line and a putting dates on things really changes the character of the trip. You just can’t schedule the kind of fun we’ve been having, and this adds some level of stress – no matter how minor – that I’d like to avoid. As I type, there are two more I can think of: Angela’s birthday (Nov 5th – NYC) and Thanksgiving (Texas) that will be pushing us forward.
Anyway, more interstate highway today. Long stretches of uneventful driving and 18-wheelers.
A quick stop in Blue Earth, MN to run around the Jolly Green Giant was about all we had time for today. Ho, Ho, Ho, Green Giant. That one.
Blue Earth was the title of the first Jayhawks album (my least favorite), so I assume this is it. The all-time best is Hollywood Town Hall, and it’s not too far away from here either. Also, we drove right past the SPAM museum in Austin, MN. We were actually planning on stopping, but the town just smelled like SPAM, so we kept driving. Not a smell I will allow my nostrils to get used to.
Drive drive drive sputter. We pull over and I pop the engine lid and take a look. The connector on the choke on one of the carbs doesn’t look right. I wiggle the wire to make sure it has a good connection. SNAP! The spade lug breaks right off the carb. It’s not supposed to do that.
There is just no good way to quick-fix this puppy and we’re on the side of the road and it’s cold. Fortunately, Parker sent me away from Whitefish with a soldering iron and I get to put it to use. First, I have to dig up a spare cigarette lighter socket that i just happen to have (future project) and wire it to the battery. Then plug in the mini-inverter, then plug in the soldering iron (add extension cord to the shopping list.) Roadside emergency soldering – a first for me. I solder the wire directly to what’s left of the terminal, fire it up, and we’re on our way again.
We cross the Mississippi and we make it to the Strubbes’ by dark.
Posted on October 31, 2009 by angela
from the Strubbe’s house in Neenah, WI!
