A little bit of Ireland in Brew City

Went to lunch yesterday at County Clare - this is a great Irish Pub and Guesthouse on Milwaukee's downtown eastside near the lakefront. I love the neighborhood in which County Clare is located - it is the oldest part of the city with many beautiful churches and homes that were built in the late 1800's. A great place to walk around at anytime of the year.

Milwaukee has a fairly sizeable Irish population with many immigrants moving to the city when it was first incorporated in 1846. Milwaukee's Irish Fest, which takes place in August, is the the largest Irish Fest outside of Dublin. And of course, there is fabulous music, dancing and food. Everyone is Irish during Irish Fest as well as St Patrick's Day when this city explodes with lots of fun and green beer!

There are many Irish Pubs in Milwaukee. They seem to be the most popular new style of bar/restaurant probably because they always have a welcoming and comfortable feel.

Milwaukee has a very active Irish community with three different schools teaching Irish dancing. The Irish Fest Center has an amazing collection of Irish music in the Ward Music Archives as well as an Irish Fest Music School. This is a great city to learn, perform and hear Irish music.

Slainte!

Legendary Les Paul & Tesla at Discovery World

We went to Discovery World on Saturday to check out the Les Paul Exhibit. Discovery World/Pier Wisconsin is a great addition to the Lake Michigan shoreline and a great tourist attraction in Milwaukee.

In the round building is the Great Lakes exhibit as well as a fantastic aquarium. There is a huge tank with fish indigneous to Lake Michigan. There are also tanks dedicated to salt water fish, sea horses and jelly fish. My favorite is a tank one that you can walk through as the fish swim above your head and surrounding you. Another great feature is a tank where you can actually pet a sturgeon. Several large sturgeon swim around the tank and I actually think the biggest one enjoys the attention.

On the upper level of the round building is the Pilot House where special events take place. I was just at the City Birthday Party here. Great views of the lake, harbor area and Art Museum.

In the longer rectangular section of the building is Discovery World, a museum dedicated to science and industry. There are many wonderful exhibits with a lot of support from local Milwaukee industries such as Allen-Bradley, Johnson Controls, Briggs & Stratton, etc.

We enjoyed a show in the Lubar Auditorium focusing on Tesla (the inventor, not the 90's rock band). The presenter was witty and entertaining and I learned (or relearned) a ton.

The Les Paul Exhibit is in Discovery World. They did a phenomenal job of putting it all together. Les Paul grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin so we feel he is "one of us". He is absolutely brilliant as well as extremely talented. It was very interesting to see his inventions and the amazing things he did for the music industry. The Gibson Les Paul has been and continues to be the choice of many musicians.

Great day at one of Milwaukee's gems!

Winter BBQ Guests

I live in a suburb of Milwaukee that has a population of 50,000 people. Surrounding us is another one-million residents of the Greater Milwaukee area. However, due to our incredible amount of parkland in Milwaukee County, we still have plenty of Wisconsin wildlife roaming around. Every year, the young deer tend to wander away from the woods and get a bit curious. We now have six deer who have decided to set-up camp in our backyard.

It has been a very cold winter and I am sure with the snow cover it has been tough finding food. I've thrown out some corn cobs and our neighbor puts out apples once in a while. I realize we shouldn't be doing this, but they are so darn cute!

This guy (or gal, not sure) is getting a bit more curious and is getting really close to the backdoor. Looks like he/she is looking to join us for a BBQ!

Little Dog in a Wintery Cold World

This is pretty much how Bailey spends her winter here. It's a bit too chilly for her outside. Her tiny paws tend to freeze pretty quickly and then she gets a pathetic "pick me up" look on her face. So this is a common sight - Bailey on the couch under the afghan. How cute is that?

Weekend Review

January in the Mil. Although it is chilly and your face freezes every time you walk outside, we still have to get out and enjoy life. This past weekend was alot of fun. Friday night I took the bus downtown (yes, I ride the bus quite often!) to meet Mike. Our first stop was a new bar/restaurant in Milwaukee's Fifth Ward- Fuzion. Very cool place. It is in an old warehouse with great wood beams, high ceiling, wood floors and alot of character. The bar features wine, beer, martinis and high-end cocktails. Jeff, the bartender, is awesome. Really knows his stuff and has a great personality. I had a Huckleberry/Pomegranate Martini followed by a Pomegranate/White Tea Martini - both very tasty (and good for me due to the antioxidants!) We had a couple of appetizers - turkey samosas and lamb sliders. Both were very good with great flavor.

Next we headed to the Todd Wehr Theater within the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts to see First Stage Children's Theater performance of "Witness". The play centered around a small Vermont town in 1924 and the hatred towards non-whites and the involvement of the KKK. Very well done - I truly think the child actors upstaged the adults. First Stage provides children the opportunity to learn the art of theater and performance. It is one of the top five children's theaters in the US. Milwaukee is very lucky to have such a great place not only for children to learn but for residents and visitors to enjoy quality performances. Bravo!

We moved on to Rudy's for a couple of Dos Equis with Chips/Salsa and Guacamole and then to Leff's Lucky Town in our neighborhood. Leff's is a gold mine - I don't think I've ever been in that bar when it hasn't been wall-to-wall people. And everyone is having a good time.

Saturday was a bit mellower in the morning - we had a very nice lunch at City Market in Wauwatosa and then I had to make an appetizer for our neighborhood winter party at the Kneeland-Walker House. We have a fairly active neighborhood association in the Damon-Woods neighborhood with almost half of the residents belonging to it. We tend to see the same faces at the events, however there is always someone new to meet. The Kneeland-Walker house is a Victorian mansion that was purchased by the Wauwatosa Historical Society in 1987 and is used primarily for events, tours and education. It is an amazing house with beautiful woodwork, leaded and stained glass and nice furnishings. And it is huge! The gardens are beautiful in the summer. The Firefly Art Fair takes place here each year in August. Really a neat place to hold a neighborhood get-together. We had fun chatting with neighbors and meeting newcomers.

Sunday was movie day - the AMC Theater in Mayfair Mall has a great early morning matinee price of just $5 and we see alot of movies on Sunday mornings. We saw Slumdog Millionaire which was fabulous! We've been hearing so many accolades and seeing the award nominations and I agree whole heartedly. Such an interesting story, wonderful acting and amazing visuals - especially in India. Wow, the way some people live.

After the movie we had Mike's sister and her boyfriend over for lunch. Mike and I made a Tortellini Spinach Soup and Panini Sandwiches. A very nice lunch and good company. All in all a very nice weekend in the Mil.

Tugboat Wisconsin

I drove along Canal Street and spotted the tugs waiting the winter out in the Menomonee River. You have to love the tugboat. Perhaps it's due to Scruffy the Tugboat book that I read as a kid, but you really have respect for these little boats and the amazing jobs they do. Seeing a little tugboat hauling in a massive Great Lakes freighter is really fascinating. The strength and power is phenomenal. And this tug is really special because of its name - Wisconsin.

Some people claim that this tugboat is haunted. In 1941 it sunk in the Detroit River coming to the assistance of a grounded Great Lakes freighter, The B.F. Jones. Six men lost their lives. The tugboat was brought to the surface and restored. Now there are men who won't sail her. There have been strange noises and incidences where valves are open when thought to be closed. In a story from JS Online - a crew was bringing the boat back from Chicago when one of the men was joking and making remarks about "the ghost". He questioned why the ghost wasn't down running the engines. All of a sudden the engines died. Mechanics later found water in the fuel supply even though the lines were sealed...and the engines had been running just fine for nine hours. Oooh...I don't know.

Winter on the Water

This has been a brutal January in Milwaukee. The temperatures have been so cold that there have been days that are considered too dangerous to be outside. Of course, all the kids (and teachers) who got out of school for a couple of days were ecstatic. But they will be hating life when they have to make up those days in June! Although it has been really cold, I haven't seen the biting wintery winds that I remember as a kid that used to take your breath away. Not that I miss them either!

Well yesterday was a break from the freezing temps and it got all the way up in the 30's - just enough to melt a little bit of the snow piles which is now turning into ice I'm sure. That's because the temperature dropped again today and we're in for another frozen weekend. If anyone is going to do well in this economy and weather, I'd say it's the liquor stores - not much else to do and what better attitude adjustment source is there?

So due to the "balmy" weather I decided to check out the frosty fog on the lakefront. The pictures are from underneath the Hoan Bridge next to the Marcus Amphitheatre. This is where the rivers converge into the lake. Lake Michigan is not frozen, however the river has quite a bit of ice on it. Yesterday the ice chunks were cracking and moving around - actually pretty mesmerizing. Great sounds coming from the ice and water.

Happy New Year...a little late.

Welcome to 2009! I got a little bit of late start on my blog this year but really intend to stick to it this time! Today is January 21 and I am finally starting to feel normal. After a party at our friends' house on December 21 I got some crazy chest conjestion/cold that has haunted me for a month. Sounds gross, but if phlegm had a viable market - I think I could be a millionaire. Anyhow - enough of that. I see the light at the end of the tunnel on this issue.

This is how I started the New Year. Finally did the Polar Plunge! Every time I drive by Lake Michigan with a tour group I tell them about the crazy people that jump into the lake on New Year's Day - now I can say I was one of them! I had no problem convincing myself that this was the year to do it. But I do have to say, I was a little reluctant when I got to the lakefront as the winds were much stronger than they were at home, making it a little bit chillier and the waves looked daunting.

But I went in. Actually the most difficult part wasn't the water - it actually felt refreshing. It was manuevering the huge icebergs on the shoreline that were wet and slippery that made things interesting. Luckily they had volunteers who were helping people in & out of the water. One of the last things I read before leaving home was a blog about last year's plunge and how the girl wished she would have worn shoes - good tip! I can't imagine doing this barefoot. Once I got into the lake, the big chunks of ice near the shoreline really ripped up my shins. Of course you don't know that until you get out and see the cuts and bruises. As I mentioned, the water was actually the easiest part - it was warmer than the outside temperature and I made my way into the oncoming waves. I really wanted to go all the way under, once I got to my shoulders I turned around thinking I would fall in backwards - that's when I realized how far from shore I was and really thought "I better get back before I get too cold". So, I made it back to shore and thank God for the volunteer who pulled me back over the iceberg. The adrenline really keeps you warm because you're so excited to have accomplished this crazy goal - until you get back and start trying to get your wet clothes off and warm clothes on. I am happy I brought my big robe and my boots.

My feet were really cold and my shins were pretty beat up and bloody which made the long walk back up the bluff to our car seem like an eternity. I kind of look like "The Jerk" in this picture with my robe and thermos - just don't have my pants around my ankles like Steve Martin! Well, I did it and that's that - I am now a true Polar Bear and can scratch that off my "100 things to do before I die" list. Next time I think I'd add a little "liquid courage" before going in and hopefully can convince some friends to join me for a dip!

My Blog is messed up.

Hey - I am back at it but have noticed that the format of this thing is all messed up. Hmmm...

Man at Work

The rooftop sculpture garden at the Grohmann Museum at Milwaukee School of Engineering is one of Milwaukee's newest "must-sees". The museum opened in October 2007. It is dedicated to artwork that shows men and women at work, predominantly in industrial situations.
The museum has 700 paintings and sculptures with a dozen of the sculptures replicated and placed on the rooftop overlooking the city. The sculptures are bronze, about 9' tall and weigh about 1000 pounds each.



The view from the rooftop is spectacular. MSOE is located in the center of the oldest part of the city, a neighborhood known as Yankee Hill. From this location you can see many of Milwaukee's most beautiful buildings - Milwaukee City Hall, Blatz Brewery, Old St Mary's and the Cathedral of St John - to name a few.



MSOE took over many of the buildings that were originally part of the Blatz Brewery. They've done a great job in the renovation and reuse of the buildings preserving Milwaukee's brew city.



Milwaukee City Hall is currently under a major renovation as you see by the scaffolding in the background. This is my favorite building in the city and I look forward to seeing it restored to it's original grandeur. The sculptures and the buildings in the background really make you understand all of the work (and the manhours) that it took to build Milwaukee.

Kewaunee

A new addition to the countryside in northeastern Wisconsin is the Parallel 44 Winery in Kewaunee, just outside of Green Bay. Growing up north of Green Bay and spending a lot of time traveling between Milwaukee and Green Bay, I've seen this area but really haven't had a chance to spend much time really checking it out. So, I recently made a trek north to visit some of the lakeside communities. I really enjoyed visiting Parallel 44 and seeing what the new vineyard/winery was all about. I look forward to watching this vineyard grow and prosper.

The lighthouse is in Two Rivers near Point Beach.

Caddies at Whistling Straits

I was at Whistling Straits in Kohler in June and had the opportunity to meet some of the caddies. Here they are walking up the course near the clubhouse making their way to the next hole.



Now on to the 10th tee. Lots of advice to be given? Or are they just looking for some treats?

Bailey's new profession

Bailey was checking out the truck the other day. I wasn't sure why. So I went to check it out.



I guess Bailey was checking the safety of the tires???

Or perhaps a chipmunk made it's way into the wheel well?

Rain Soaked Wisconsin

We went to the AMA Superbike races at Road America in Elkhart Lake on Saturday. Started out as a beautiful day and then the rains came in the late afternoon. This pic, albeit a bit blurry, shows the bikes coming around the Bill Mitchell Bend well over 100+mph. These guys are really good and a bit crazy. It actually was really hot prior to the dark clouds, so we opted to take the motorcycle. It's a beautiful drive through a portion of the Kettle Moraine from Milwaukee to Elkhart Lake. On our way home we hit rain just north of Milwaukee and it was coming down fast and furious. We ended up with close to 4" of rain in a short period of time. The rivers and creeks were rushing, the streets were flooded and some cars even ended up swimming in some of the low levels. Lots of flooding in basements, etc. - luckily for us we are on high ground and only had a little bit of dampness.


This picture shows the "usually calm" Menomonee River running through Wauwatosa. This particular spot is wild to me because it is where a small creek enters the river. Typically we are able to jump across the creek or step across on exposed stones. Even our little Bailey has been brave enough to cross the water here even though she is petrified of getting wet. So this really shows us the amount of water the river has taken in.

Quite a few trees fell along the riverbanks due to the soil eroding underneath or the rushing of the water on the branches that normally hang over the river. This was a big tree!

Weekend in the Dells

It was a great Memorial Day Weekend - temps in the high 70's and sunshine. We spent Saturday in the Wisconsin Dells. Got to love the new bar, Baja, with its slogan "Pour Me a Vacation". This bar is so new that it doesn't even have walls yet...

And you have to really love the people in Wisconsin. This guy bought a deer head in a shop next to the Baja and had to tell us the negotiation story. And then...

Had Mike hang on to it while he lit his cigarette.

We had a great time!

Loving the sunshine aboard the Edelweiss

Took the Edelweiss on a river/lake cruise with a group yesterday. Beautiful sunshine, blue skies and puffy white clouds. A bit chilly on the lake, but the trip down the river was very comfortable. We had a great view of the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Brise Soleil.



Milwaukee's lighthouse at the breakwater.



Gertie the Duck sitting on the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge with the ASQ Building (originally Gimbels) in the background.



Pier Wisconsin & Discovery World Museum with the Milwaukee Art Museum and a couple of the newest changes to the Milwaukee skyline (Kilbourn Towers & University Club Towers) in the background.

Life in the Fast Lane

Spring has sprung!

I wrote recently that my month of March flew by without a posting and then I watched April do the same thing. Here it is May 6 and I have so much to catch up on. The weather was absolutely stellar today - sunshine and temps in the 70's. I had a tour this morning for a couple from Texas - we had a nice time. Really enjoyed watching the Brise Soleil open at the Art Museum. We also enjoyed some Kopp's Custard - flavors of the day were Pomegranate and Macadamia Nut. You can't go wrong with either one. Actually I don't think I have ever had a flavor that I didn't like. Today is Bailey's birthday - she is 10 years old which is hard to believe. Not too much excitement - some quality time outside in the sun sniffing the world and then some comfy naptime wrapped up in the afghan on the couch. I'll do a better job of keeping up with this blog as I have many things to write about.

Welcome Mahal!

We went to the zoo on Saturday. This little is guy is Mahal, a baby boy orangutan, who was born in Colorado and refused by his mother. His first surrogate mother died and now he is being raised by MJ, a female orangutan, in the Milwaukee Zoo. He is absolutely adorable and so fun to watch. He will be fun to watch grow up.

Where have I been?

I took a brief walk away from this blog and next thing I know more than a month has gone by. There was a bit of travel and a little bout of being sick, but otherwise no excuse. I am back! Will need to recap my lost month of March...

This day in history

On this day in 1985 I met Mike at The Tap in Menomonie, WI where we were both attending UW-Stout. We've been together for 23 years - more than half my life! He's in Logan, Utah this week for business and gets back on Saturday afternoon. We'll mark the occasion and our missed Valentine's Day by going out on Saturday night.

It's been a while since I logged anything - not too much happening this past week. It continues to snow and we are bracing for another big hit on Sunday. Mid-state got it yesterday with Sheboygan getting 7" and Fond du Lac getting 11". As of mid-week, Madison has now set the record for most snowfall in the history of the city. We are currently in the Top Ten snowfalls and it is only mid-Feb. I think it is kind of pretty but it certainly puts a damper on things. I was hoping to get out on Tuesday but stayed in due to another 6" or so of fluffly slippery snow.

Wednesday was a nice day, Carrie and Mosley came over for a visit and lunch. We went to City Market near my house and then to the new Alterra and a few shops in the village. Mosley is starting to smile now - such a cute little boy.

I had a meeting at Libiamo on Wednesday night with the people from the Museum of Beer and Brewing. Talking about an upcoming event and thoughts on tours for the Pabst buildings. Libiamo is a restaurant/bar in the old tasting room for the Schlitz Brewery. The building is really incredible - cream city brick, lots of ornamentation, and great woodwork. It used to be The Brown Bottle Pub and was a kicking place to be on Import Night on Thursdays. It just hasn't caught on too well in its current state plus Manpower now has a huge parking structure built in the parking lot that used to be the main entrance to the building. A little difficult to find and certainly not a place that you walk by and think might be interesting. They have a real marketing challenge. I hope they survive as it would be sad if it fell into the wrong hands. I only had a couple of beers so can't report in on the food at this point.


I went out the other day to get a few "snowy Milwaukee" pictures. This is the Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion.

Seeing the snow in Wood Cemetery was interesting. A natural black and white photo. There were some red flowers underneath the tree.