Dennis is having bad knee days and hobbling around like an old guy! Very disconcerting to watch so tonight he's icing them hoping the swelling will go down. I drove today and we still covered about 350 miles from Portland, ME to Caribou, ME. Today's highlight - Eartha. It's a giant globe created by the staff at Delorme the map company that makes road atlases. They are headquartered in Yarmouth, ME. The globe is 40 feet in diameter, made to scale and rotates on a giant arm at a speed of one rotation per minute. This means it's four stories high! As a map lover I found it fascinating in its intricacy. Well worth a visit. The Atlas Obscura website has again guided us to a "weird" thing to see. All you computer savvy people can pull up Eartha on the internet and see pictures better than the ones we took. But those pics don't have us in them!
We've been putting in long miles - about 400 per day- and enjoying the scenery. Fall foliage is beginning here in New England and motel prices reflect the new tourist season. A "no vacancy" sign greeted me when I pulled in to Russel's Motel here in Caribou and a few foul words came out of my mouth. Mrs. Russell was kind enough to find us a room here at the Caribou Inn and Convention Center for way more than she would have charged but we got a little discount probably because I looked so wasted. And I told her I was lost. Again. I have been having trouble reading the road signs - some signs indicate a turn after the sign and some indicate a turn before the sign so I am frequently turning too soon or too late and having to circle around to try it again. I got lost on the way to the guest laundry this evening. Ended up in the front lobby with an armload of dirty clothes and was redirected to the laundry room. I needed change anyway. Sometimes the travel adventures are tiny ones.
The fall colors are pretty but Dennis and I have been here before in full fall bloom so it's not as impressive to our "been there done that" selves. Still pretty, though. It's apparently moose hunting season (this weekend anyway - another reason for full motels) so there isn't a moose to be found. Plenty of highway warning signs for moose. There are deer warning signs but more moose ones. I get nervous worrying that one of those guys will decide to cross the highway. "Brake for moose, it could save your life" is a bumper sticker with a message I can live with. Au revoir for now. Tomorrow Quebec province and French! dw
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Waddington, NY
A.M. -- I discovered that our motel room doesn't have a Gideon Bible. Is Waddington (The Carp Capital of the World) situated at the gates of hell? A final note. After not working while we were in Canada, my cell phone started -- notifying me of a message -- half way across the bridge crossing from Canada to the US --- Locating itself to a few feet. DA
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Waddington, N.Y.
Here we are in the Carp Capital of the World, after spending several days in the wifi/cell phone black hole of Eastern Canada -- now it's catch-up time.
I would have made an entry Fri evening, but I spent nearly an hour trying to download pics from my camera so I could post a few but they kept disappearing into the laptop, never to be seen again (I succeeded in downloading about 10 out of 110 pics) -- I was so frustrated that the potential for laptop breakage was too high to keep using it. Anyway:
Saturday we went to Milwaukie to see the art museum (MAM) -- Milwaukie Art Museum (dw: "I've got two mams) The museum was really nice -- worth going out of your way to see. Some history of Art stuff, and a lot of modern works and outsider art things. I really enjoyed it. But the flat-out spectular part is the building itself. Part of it was designed by that friend of crossword fans: Eero Saarinen. The show-stopper is the Quadracci Pavillion by Calatrava, Kahler and Kiley. It's a jaw-dropper. I'd reccommend Googleing it to look at the pics -- I'm not going to try to describe it.
After the museum we went to the Third Ward --- Milwaukie old town. Sort of like a much larger Pearl District. Looked at some of the art galleries -- again some impressive things. A curious item: A beer bar bicycle cart. It was a wagon powered by 12 or 14 "stationary bicycles" geared to the wheels -- someone (presumably sober) to steer it and a center bar with a couple of taps. 12 or 14 people get to pedal around the city and drink beer. --- an amusing idea. The whole area was nearly people free -- on a nice Sat afternoon. A remarkable lack of people for the time the day and the size of the city.
Sunday we moved on. Took county road "P" to Sheboygan. ("Take Wi67 east, turn left and then it's "P" all the way to Sheboygan") -- A slight variation of dw's childhood joke. Dw hadn't seen the Kohler museum to we stopped there. I liked it even more the second time around.
After we drove further north -- stopping and camping at J. W. Wells State Park near Cedar River MI.
Last night we camped at Chutes Provincial Park, near Massey Ont. Starting about 2 a.m. we had thunder lightening and rain -- a couple of heavy showers. Our $30 tent only leaked a little bit.
A few observations from the road: Dennis S. on the mysterious running cows -- "You need to get out of the city more." --- At the Cedar River MI. Plaza -- (a service station/quicky-mart/restaurant -- with a Fri nite fish-fry) -- there was a 5 ft shelf of books. It was the Menominee County Library branch. On county road "P" -- Lomira -- is a small church with a steeple that has a small roof like a flaired skirt about a quarter way up. ---"Seldom Seem Rd." west of Massey, Ont. --- Along hwy 17 west of Sudbury Ont. the many highway cuts -- low cliffs of 10 to 20 feet -- most of the cliffs are topped with small cairns of one to two feet high. DA
I would have made an entry Fri evening, but I spent nearly an hour trying to download pics from my camera so I could post a few but they kept disappearing into the laptop, never to be seen again (I succeeded in downloading about 10 out of 110 pics) -- I was so frustrated that the potential for laptop breakage was too high to keep using it. Anyway:
Saturday we went to Milwaukie to see the art museum (MAM) -- Milwaukie Art Museum (dw: "I've got two mams) The museum was really nice -- worth going out of your way to see. Some history of Art stuff, and a lot of modern works and outsider art things. I really enjoyed it. But the flat-out spectular part is the building itself. Part of it was designed by that friend of crossword fans: Eero Saarinen. The show-stopper is the Quadracci Pavillion by Calatrava, Kahler and Kiley. It's a jaw-dropper. I'd reccommend Googleing it to look at the pics -- I'm not going to try to describe it.
After the museum we went to the Third Ward --- Milwaukie old town. Sort of like a much larger Pearl District. Looked at some of the art galleries -- again some impressive things. A curious item: A beer bar bicycle cart. It was a wagon powered by 12 or 14 "stationary bicycles" geared to the wheels -- someone (presumably sober) to steer it and a center bar with a couple of taps. 12 or 14 people get to pedal around the city and drink beer. --- an amusing idea. The whole area was nearly people free -- on a nice Sat afternoon. A remarkable lack of people for the time the day and the size of the city.
Sunday we moved on. Took county road "P" to Sheboygan. ("Take Wi67 east, turn left and then it's "P" all the way to Sheboygan") -- A slight variation of dw's childhood joke. Dw hadn't seen the Kohler museum to we stopped there. I liked it even more the second time around.
After we drove further north -- stopping and camping at J. W. Wells State Park near Cedar River MI.
Last night we camped at Chutes Provincial Park, near Massey Ont. Starting about 2 a.m. we had thunder lightening and rain -- a couple of heavy showers. Our $30 tent only leaked a little bit.
A few observations from the road: Dennis S. on the mysterious running cows -- "You need to get out of the city more." --- At the Cedar River MI. Plaza -- (a service station/quicky-mart/restaurant -- with a Fri nite fish-fry) -- there was a 5 ft shelf of books. It was the Menominee County Library branch. On county road "P" -- Lomira -- is a small church with a steeple that has a small roof like a flaired skirt about a quarter way up. ---"Seldom Seem Rd." west of Massey, Ont. --- Along hwy 17 west of Sudbury Ont. the many highway cuts -- low cliffs of 10 to 20 feet -- most of the cliffs are topped with small cairns of one to two feet high. DA
Friday, September 17, 2010
oconomowoc redux and Paulines
Don't think Dennis gave Pauline's its full due as an Okauchee WI institution. The Friday Fish Fry is premium and gets even better when hor d'oevres begin at the bar i.e. Miller Lite and PBR on tap. The actual fish fry meal is a plethora of classic fish fry - fried cod, warmed German potato salad with bacon, piquant mayo-vinaigrette cole slaw, potato pancakes with applesauce, tartar sauce and rye bread lightly covered in sea salt. Served home style it really is the best of middle America cooking. There is a longstanding tradition of enjoying the fish fry out of the town - thus the drive 5 miles down the road from Oconomowoc (Five O's) to Okauchee on the lake. I used to think the fish fry developed because everyone went fishing on Friday and had it for dinner on Friday evening but I've been told otherwise. No one really seems able to answer the question so we are taking comments from readers on the possible origin of Friday Fish Fries in the Heartland - Wisconsin specificially. It's delish, whatever the origin.
This evening my dad suggested we play Polish poker - a card game I'd never heard of and after much coaxing we convened at the dining room table and played the game. I asked where it came from and Dennis said "Poland" - always ready with a quick answer. Of course neither my dad nor my aunt knew where it started, they played it with friends somewhere and were passing on the game to us. I won. Dennis was one point behind me and technically came in second so I shared my winnings with him - won $1 and gave him 50 cents. So I've still got it! Finished reading Harlan Coben "Gone for Good" and recommend it to those who enjoy a mystery. Next - the PD James "Innocent Blood". Good night, dw
This evening my dad suggested we play Polish poker - a card game I'd never heard of and after much coaxing we convened at the dining room table and played the game. I asked where it came from and Dennis said "Poland" - always ready with a quick answer. Of course neither my dad nor my aunt knew where it started, they played it with friends somewhere and were passing on the game to us. I won. Dennis was one point behind me and technically came in second so I shared my winnings with him - won $1 and gave him 50 cents. So I've still got it! Finished reading Harlan Coben "Gone for Good" and recommend it to those who enjoy a mystery. Next - the PD James "Innocent Blood". Good night, dw
Oconomowoc redux
Yesterday we drove back to Madison to socialize with Steve W. and Kay D. A very pleasant afternoon and evening. Among other things we watched Steven Colbert's Christmas special. The evening was interesting and fun for we who were involved but for others, not so much. We spent the night and after a walk (short for dw and I, much longer for Steve .) and a tasty breakfast we returned to Oconomowoc.
Dennis S. came over and we all went to Pauline's for a Friday night fish fry. I did not know this, but it seems that Wisconsin-wide (perhaps even midwest wide -- with, of course, a Wisconsin locus) having a fish dinner on Friday is just what is done. I think it's a Catholic thing, even though there are a lot more Lutherans, Methodists, etc. in this region than Catholics -- probably the fish thing sort of oozed out of the Catholics and into the other religions. If Jews and Moslims also do the Friday Fish Feast it would prove that I'm right.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent socializing -- again of limited interest to others.
I got an email from Bob D. telling me that a college friend of our's had an alarming and perhaps serious medical event. More and more people of my age are having physical problems. I don't like it. DA
Incidently, the mysterious P. D. James was "Innocent Blood"
Dennis S. came over and we all went to Pauline's for a Friday night fish fry. I did not know this, but it seems that Wisconsin-wide (perhaps even midwest wide -- with, of course, a Wisconsin locus) having a fish dinner on Friday is just what is done. I think it's a Catholic thing, even though there are a lot more Lutherans, Methodists, etc. in this region than Catholics -- probably the fish thing sort of oozed out of the Catholics and into the other religions. If Jews and Moslims also do the Friday Fish Feast it would prove that I'm right.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent socializing -- again of limited interest to others.
I got an email from Bob D. telling me that a college friend of our's had an alarming and perhaps serious medical event. More and more people of my age are having physical problems. I don't like it. DA
Incidently, the mysterious P. D. James was "Innocent Blood"
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
More Oconomowoc (2)
re: tgellos comment. Go ahead and make my head spin. That's a people feature I haven't really explored since Sean and Dan were much younger.
We had a bit of confusion this morning. We thought we had lost our blue binder with all of our traveling addresses and telephone numbers. Record of miles driven and gas used. Where we've stayed each night. In short all of the trivia we use to occupy our time when the road gets boring. dw thought we had left it with friends in Friendship (Mary W. and Rita D.) so dw sent three emails in about as many minutes. A few minutes later I found it -- it was in the WRONG PLACE in the car! We don't like challenges like that. Looking back (it's 11 pm) I guess the day was more exciting than I originally thought. DA
Mary wasn't too thrilled either, I'm sure, with the q60second emails as her Blackberry belts out "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin and prominent in the movie "The Sting" with every received email. It's a way to get someone's attention, though - consecutive emails. Our ISP changed at 6;37pm CDST and the email addresses seem to have disappeared and who knows what other malfunctioning may be happening. The last time they tried to "update" it was such a mess, they abandoned it and returned to the old system. Reminds me of work - McKesson, no McKesson.
My dad is doing well. Several more days of family and the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) on Sat. and then we are heading north over Lake Michigan into Canada and east to Vermont. I think we will stop at the Kohler Art Museum again so I can visit the Ladies Restroom with camera in hand. Maybe that should be a travel theme - "Restrooms I Have Seen". The central Wis. bookstore that has a million books, is hard to find and they may not be home - was indeed closed. Spoke with the owner on the phone this morning and she informed me they are only open June, July and August, said "goodbye" and hung up. Sorry I'm missing it.
Later, dw
We had a bit of confusion this morning. We thought we had lost our blue binder with all of our traveling addresses and telephone numbers. Record of miles driven and gas used. Where we've stayed each night. In short all of the trivia we use to occupy our time when the road gets boring. dw thought we had left it with friends in Friendship (Mary W. and Rita D.) so dw sent three emails in about as many minutes. A few minutes later I found it -- it was in the WRONG PLACE in the car! We don't like challenges like that. Looking back (it's 11 pm) I guess the day was more exciting than I originally thought. DA
Mary wasn't too thrilled either, I'm sure, with the q60second emails as her Blackberry belts out "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin and prominent in the movie "The Sting" with every received email. It's a way to get someone's attention, though - consecutive emails. Our ISP changed at 6;37pm CDST and the email addresses seem to have disappeared and who knows what other malfunctioning may be happening. The last time they tried to "update" it was such a mess, they abandoned it and returned to the old system. Reminds me of work - McKesson, no McKesson.
My dad is doing well. Several more days of family and the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) on Sat. and then we are heading north over Lake Michigan into Canada and east to Vermont. I think we will stop at the Kohler Art Museum again so I can visit the Ladies Restroom with camera in hand. Maybe that should be a travel theme - "Restrooms I Have Seen". The central Wis. bookstore that has a million books, is hard to find and they may not be home - was indeed closed. Spoke with the owner on the phone this morning and she informed me they are only open June, July and August, said "goodbye" and hung up. Sorry I'm missing it.
Later, dw
More Oconomowoc
A quiet day. dw went to Milwaukee to pick up her dad while I stayed in Ocon. I walked the main street and then did a circle -- enough to cover a mile+ -- Except for insurance offices, a few bars, a restaurant or two, there's not much happening in downtown Ocon. It's not quite dead but it sure seems to be heading that way.
Later, I took the car and drove to the nearest mall and bought some epoxy to do a repair job on my glasses (the plastic coating on the ear arms started to peel) -- As much as anything it was something to do.
Otherwise I read the paper and some more in my book (a P. D. James) -- I've read the book before, but since I remember very little about it (at the moment, not even the title) it's as good as never having read it.
And that's about it. As I said, a very quiet day. DA
Later, I took the car and drove to the nearest mall and bought some epoxy to do a repair job on my glasses (the plastic coating on the ear arms started to peel) -- As much as anything it was something to do.
Otherwise I read the paper and some more in my book (a P. D. James) -- I've read the book before, but since I remember very little about it (at the moment, not even the title) it's as good as never having read it.
And that's about it. As I said, a very quiet day. DA
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