Jack's Blog

New Blog address

2009-01-07T15:49:00.002-06:00

I finally have my own dot com address. From now on you can find all my blogs and info at http://www.stitchesinlife.com/

Dailymile.com

2008-12-23T10:25:00.001-06:00

Kelly and Ben make news in the Austin Newspaper:

If you're looking for some extra motivation to stick to your exercise plan, take a look at a new social training log at www.dailymile.com.

The Austin-based Web site allows you to share workouts with friends, ask questions, log miles and find training partners. Created by two college buddies, the site went live last week. It's free to join.

"Not everybody's in a group where they can share day-to-day training," says co-founder Kelly Korevec, an ultra-marathoner. "When you see people going through the same experience, struggling, it's like they're collectively going through it with you. Instead of having a coach, you have a community of athletes who will help you with your training and help you make decisions. It makes it easier."

Korevec started the site with Ben Weiner, who is training for the Austin Marathon. "We found there's not a really good way to stay in contact with friends you meet working out," Korevec says. "We decided to create this tool to help people collaborate and learn from each other."

Cookie Recipes

2008-12-19T08:58:00.003-06:00

For years the Wisconsin Electric (WE Energies) has put out a holiday cookie recipe book for all of their customers. For many housewives in the 50's and 60's, this was their Christmas cookie bible. Many Wisconsin families grew up with many of these cookies. This year marked the 80th Anniversary of this publication. If you weren't lucky enough to get to the pick up locations you can now check out and print recipes from the cookie book online.

http://www.we-energies.com/recipes/2008cookiebook.pdf

Enjoy!

Even Vegas is seeing snow!

2008-12-17T18:23:00.002-06:00

Tim has been really bummed out that we didn't go to Nevada for the winter. Wisconsin has had an unbelievable amount of snow and cold for November and December. Last week we had over 8 inches, yesterday 3 inches and now we are possibly getting over 12 inches tomorrow and more this weekend.

How nice to see that Vegas is also getting some snow.....the latest news from Vegas: McCarran closed to arriving and departing flights due to snowstorm

The ongoing snowstorm has stopped flights from landing or leaving at McCarran International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. "No planes are departing for Las Vegas from anywhere in the U.S. right now," said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. The airport doesn't have snow removal or deicing equipment, which means there's no way for snow-covered planes to leave safely.

John Adair, a meterologist with the National Weather Service's Las Vegas office, said as of 2:30 p.m. the entire Las Vegas Valley was receiving either snow or sleet.“This is a very rare snow event,” Adair said.

Snow is expected to accumulate on the valley floors across Clark and southern Lincoln counties. Snow will continue to fall through the afternoon and tonight before tapering off Thursday morning.

This storm is expected to bring 3 to 6 inches of snow to the valley floors and up to 10 inches to the foothills above 2500 feet. Icy conditions are resulting in major road closures in Southern Nevada.

Interstate 15 was closed at 1:30 p.m. in each direction at Primm due to snow and icy conditions, the Nevada Department of Transportation announced.
U.S. Highway 95 was closed from Railroad Pass to state Route 163, the Laughlin turnoff. Chains, snow tires, or four wheel drive vehicle restrictions are in place for Mountain Springs and Mount Charleston.

The transportation department announced at 2:30 p.m. that state routes 163, 164 and 165 have been closed in both directions due to the weather.

Because of travel conditions, Henderson employees were sent home from work at 3 p.m., city officials announced. Emergency operations will continue and public safety and public works employees are on call.

Kiva loan

2008-12-10T06:06:00.002-06:00

Hi!

I just made a loan to someone in the developing world using a revolutionary new website called Kiva (www.kiva.org).

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Edith Agho in Nigeria. They still need another $725.00 to complete their loan request of $1,200.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Edith Agho too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=78189

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a
sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Thanks!

---------------------------------------------------------
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

'Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.'
-- BBC

'If you've got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you've now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.'
-- CNN Money

'Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.'
-- The Wall Street Journal

'An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity...All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.'
-- Entrepreneur Magazine

Antiqua Mexican and Latin Restaurant

2008-11-17T07:46:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we bought the 2009 Milwaukee Entertainment book. This book has great money savings coupons on restaurants, and local attraction in and around the Milwaukee area. What I like about this book it forces Tim and I to try different restaurant that we would not normally know about. Last Friday we tried Antiqua. It is a Mexican and Latin restaurant located on 58th and Burnam in West Allis. http://antiguamilwaukee.com

Antiqua is not a typical Mexican restaurant with sombreros and pinatas. It is modern with bright yellow and terra cotta painted walls with large windows. Very trendy.

Once seated we were brought a complementary appetizer that included a mango quesadilla, cheese and potato croqueta, and ?(forgot the other appetizer). All were served with a homemade salsa.

The menu, http://antiguamilwaukee.com/Documents/ALR%2010.2008.pdf , offers a lot more than the usual tacos and burritos. It also includes dishes from Latin America. Some of their specialties are combining two cultures in one dish. Tim tried the Camarones Antigua – Shrimp stuffed with melted cheese and wrapped in bacon, served over a mirror of a spicy sauce served with cilantro rice and a side of house salad. I had a traditional dish from Ecuador - Shrimp cooked in a delicious mixture of coconut milk, peanuts, paprika, served with rice, a side of our house salad, and fried plantains. Both not only looked colorful and appetizing when placed in front of us but also tasted fantastic.

This restaurant will go on our list as a keeper.

Saturday evening meal

2008-11-17T06:34:00.009-06:00

Saturday night Tim and I had a great meal. Since Tim had to make dessert for his sister's dinner on Sunday, he chose to make an appetizer for this meal and I decided to try some Greek dishes.

Our meal started off with little salmon appetizers. Salmon mixed with cream cheese and a couple of other ingredients. Spread on a tortilla and then rolled up tightly and cut into bite size pieces. We felt as though this was good but needed a touch of something......so Tim will rework this appetizer.

The next course was a Greek salad. Tim is not a fan of tomatoes but since they were cut small he didn't complain. The salad was made better by adding crumbled feta cheese. We felt this simple salad was a keeper.

The main meal was Souviaki. A Greek syled grilled entree made with pork tenderloin that has been marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and oregano. Very tender and flavorful.

Naturally our meal would not be complete without dessert. This dessert was a slice of chocolate bundt cake made with pudding, sour cream, coffee liqueur and chocolate chips...... Sooooo good. Thankfully we were able to slice the cake into serving sizes and freeze for another time. I think this cake on the counter would be too tempting to over eat.

Next Saturday we will start a theme night. We'll have to coordinate all parts of the meal with music, wine etc.

All recipes will be on the recipe blog sometime this week.

Mr. B's - A Bartolotta Steakhouse

2008-11-17T05:48:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Tim and I went to Mr B's for our 30th anniversary. Mr. B's is famous for their flavorful steaks that are prepared in a 1100 degree wood burning oven. This restaurant is rated on of the top 30 restaurants in the Milwaukee area by the food critic at the Milwaukee Journal. Mr B's is one of 4 restaurants owned my Joe Bartolotta and all four restaurants are in the top 30 group. Pretty impressive for one owner.

Eight months ago we changed our diet to more plant based for health reasons so we were looking forward to a great steak.

Atmosphere and service were great, unfortunately we were extremely disappointed in the steak. Not only did the plate look unappetizing (a blob of potatoes with a hunk of steak) but the steaks were tasteless. Tim and I ended up eating less than half of our steaks before we left.

I was just going to write it off as a bad experience maybe due to not having red meat in awhile..... After talking to a number of people who have raved about the place I decided to send a note to the owner.

Last week Joe Bartolotta called me personally. He didn't have a manager call, he called. I was impressed. He wanted to know the details of our experience. After talking for around 20 minutes he told me he was sending me a gift. What was impressive was that he must have gone to the records of the restaurant for the day we were there. I didn't give him a telephone number in my email and he called me on Tim's phone. Tim had made the reservations.....

Last week I received a very nice letter from Joe once again apologizing for our bad steaks. He sent me gift certificate for 50.00 so that I would try his restaurant again. I don't think we will try his steak place again but we will try another one.

There is a reason that Bartolotta restaurants are the best in Milwaukee not only is the service and food great but the owner personally handles all inquiries about his restaurant.

Just a note for anyone not familiar with Bartolotta restaurants, the 50.00 gift certificate only covered a third of our bill that night.

Thursday dinner

2008-11-06T18:38:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I brought in the pumpkin from outside and started cutting it up to roast in the oven. Many people probably don't know that it is really easy to make your own pumpkin instead of using canned pumpkin and fresh taste so much better than canned.

I made a couple of recipes with my pumpkin, pumpkin hummus and along with a pumpkin risotto.

Tim was in a baking mood this afternoon and made a Swedish Apple pie for dessert. Between my pumpkin recipes and Tim's apple pie, we had great dinner.

Pumpkin Hummus

Fresh asparagus with onion and pine nuts, Pumpkin risotto and vegetarian ribs.

Tim's Swedish apple pie.

All recipes will be on my recipe blog in a couple of days.

Hope

2008-11-06T17:53:00.003-06:00

A great cartoon bySigne Wilkinson at the Philadelphia Daily.

Great photo of our future president.

November 1st, free day at the Zoo.

2008-11-02T15:41:00.012-06:00

On Saturday, Tim, Kristin and I left the house early to take advantage of free admission to the Milwaukee Zoo. I think that the zoo offers two free days a year so that families who probably can't afford to go to the zoo have an opportunity to see it. Admission prices are 11.95 per adult and 8.95 per child with parking 10.00. That's a lot of money for a family with a couple of children. There were a number of people like us who took advantage of the nice day to get some exercise. I even saw my sister-in-law, Debbie, with her friend walking around the park.

We dressed in our running clothes so that we could run around the park but instead we walked and enjoyed all the new exhibits.

After seeing all the animals I drove the car while Tim and Kristin ran the 4 miles home. It was a great morning to visit the zoo. Here are a couple of pictures that we took.

Surprise ebay sell.

2008-11-02T06:18:00.006-06:00

Around a month ago I purchased some beautiful fabric from a daughter of a quilter who had recently died. I got such a great deal that I bought over 400 yards of beautiful fabric.... To fit all this fabric in my quilt room I needed to sell some of my old stuff. So for the last month I've been selling fabric and misc. stuff on ebay and making a nice little profit.

The other day I found an old feed sack that I must have purchased at an estate sale. The tag was still on for one dollar. I put it on ebay with a starting price of 7.90. There is 8 more hours to the auction and there is a bidding frenzy. It is already up to 50.00.... Geez who knew it was worth anything.

In frenzy bidding the feed sack sold for 52.00. It will be just my luck, I'll see this feed sack on Antique Road Show going for over 600.00 dollars just because it has to do with World War I.

Running with Kristin

2008-11-02T06:01:00.005-06:00

Kristin came home for a visit this weekend. Friday morning was so nice out that we decided to go on our first mother-daughter run. Kristin is such a good runner having ran in a number of marathons including the prestiges Boston marathon. She has also done 5 or 6 Ironman events. This year I started running seriously. TO date I have ran 482 miles since March. I'm still a slow runner but I'm seeing improvement. I was afraid when Krisitn and I went out that I would not be able to keep up with her but she did such an easy pace that I did pretty good. My goal is to hopefully be able to run the entire time with Kristin, Kelly and Tim.

The dailymile.com challenge this week was to count pumpkins along your running route. If you carried a pumpkin around with you on your run, you got extra points. So here are pictures of Kristin and I carrying the pumpkin on our run. We counted 87 pumpkins.......we saw more but kept on forgetting to count because we were distracted by our conversations! Thanks Tim, for taking some great pictures of us.

Television viewing as gotten so much better

2008-10-28T07:02:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago, Tim and I purchased the Roku box (100.00). It allows us to set up instant viewing movies into our netflix account and view them on our TV when ever we want. There are over 14,000 movies and television programs to pick from. What Tim and I like about the box is that on nights when nothing is on tv, we can switch the box on and watch so many great movies. Now that winter is descending upon us and my running will be limited outside, there are a number of exercise programs that I'll be able to view.

Last Sunday the following article was written about the Roku box.

Bypassing Netflix snail mail

Posted: Oct. 25, 2008

Soon many of us will scurry inside to hibernate when winter unleashes its full force upon us.

A simple way to stay sane and entertained is watching DVDs, and the convenience of Netflix makes it even easier to stay in and veg out.

That is, until the flow of delivered-to-your-door DVDs is delayed because your allotment of movies is either in transit to you or on the way back to the online movie rental service.

It's for this situation and others that the Netflix player by Roku is so useful, allowing you to stream movies from Netflix over the Internet directly to your television.

It costs $100 at Roku.com.

This small device connects to a television through composite, s-video, component or HDMI cables and then to your home network, either via Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi.

After it's linked and powered up, the Netflix player shows a short code on the screen that must be entered into your account at Netflix.com" target="_blank">Netflix.com. A minute later, any movies sitting in your "instant queue" are available to watch through the device.

For Netflix subscribers who only do the DVDs, a short explanation of the instant queue is in order. In addition to discs, Netflix lets its subscribers stream some of the movies in its collection over the Internet to a computer.

There are about 14,000 movies and televisions shows in this archive, according to a statement from Netflix released this month that announced a deal with Starz Entertainment adding more videos to the kitty.

Titles under the "watch instantly" tab at Netflix.com" target="_blank">Netflix.com can be viewed via the player, making it easy to see what is available. The Netflix player makes it more convenient to watch these online videos on a big screen instead of a Web browser at work when you're supposed to be writing a column. Oops, just kidding.&ensp.&ensp.&ensp.

Seriously though, setting up the player really is as simple as it sounds - there aren't any convoluted menus or confusing commands to muddle through. If you can play a movie on a DVD player, you can figure out how watch videos on this device.

The system has basic features for moving through video - playing, pausing, fast-forwarding and rewinding. You can stop a movie, go to another, bounce back to the first, and it will remember where you left off. Or you can start watching from the beginning again.

For many movies, rewinding and fast-forwarding unfolds in static frames so you can easily select the scene. There are no agonizing buffering delays when you want to skip a scene; it just jumps to the spot you want to watch.

The video quality can be tweaked to suit your television and the speed of your Internet connection. For example, a user with Road Runner's turbo cable modem access and an HDMI connection to a large television would want the best possible quality, while a smaller set and slower connection would be best served with lower-resolution video.

In my experiments, the player delivered movie after movie with no serious interruptions, although it paused for about three seconds during one viewing session before continuing.

I even tried to challenge the Netflix player's streaming speed by simultaneously downloading songs from iTunes on a laptop and game demos from Xbox Live to the videogame system.

The Netflix player's video continued to flow smoothly and without worry.

Still, even the highest video settings provided only moderate picture quality on a 61-inch television - a bit better than VHS tape. Moving the player to a 27-inch television improved the picture, although it still wasn't as good as a DVD.

A slight drop in quality is a small price to pay for so many movies on demand, especially since using the Netflix player doesn't add extra fees to your existing subscription, and you still get your DVDs in the mail.

Live to be 100

2008-10-27T08:33:00.003-05:00

On the Today Show this morning, Dr. Thomas Perls, discussed how we all could live to be 100. With today's new development of drugs, medical procedures and screenings, a man's life expectancy is 86 years while a woman's is 89.

Dr. Perls has a website http://www.livingto100.com/
where you can answer 40 quick questions that relates to your health and family history. According to the website, most people who take the test score in their late 80's.

When I took the test I scored a 97. Must be the avoidance of red meat and all the running and biking I now do. Take the test and see if you're on the right course to living a long life.

Halloween quilts

2008-10-22T06:18:00.008-05:00

The last four years I've spent October in Nevada. Not being able to take any of my Halloween decorations with me it was a nice to hear that this year we would be staying home. I've had so many quilt projects sitting on the table just waiting to be finished. Here are three Halloween projects that I've been working on. I've included the measurements to you can visualize how big they are.

27x40 inches.

19x16 inches. I still need to put the binding on this one.

69x55 inches This is a fun very colorful quilt. I need to go out and buy some black fabric for the backing and then machine quilt it.

Food and mood connection

2008-10-22T06:17:00.000-05:00

Certain foods, along with physical activity, can boost brain chemicals that may help improve your mood and overall outlook. Being active is one of the best strategies for boosting your physical and mental health. It not only lifts your mood, but can also give you more energy and motivate you to make healthier food choices. When it comes to food, researchers have studied how certain nutrients and food components can affect your moods. While the effects will vary greatly from person to person, there are some general guidelines:

Try to eat a mix of foods and nutrients at each meal. Protein and carbohydrates affect brain chemicals in different ways. For example, when only protein foods are consumed, you may feel alert but not fully satisfied. When you eat a meal of mainly carbohydrates, you may experience feelings of relaxation and contentment, but this generally won’t last very long. Eating a mix of foods and nutrients may help you experience fewer mood swings and maintain your energy level throughout the day.
Choose your carbohydrates wisely. Avoid the highs and lows of mood and energy associated with fluctuating blood sugar levels by choosing foods that are digested slowly. Carbohydrate foods with fiber, such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, release their energy slowly and keep you feeling good for longer.
Examine how caffeine affects you. While it may help increase mental alertness and concentration, too much caffeine (this will be a different amount for each person) may also affect your level of anxiety, cravings, sleeping habits, mood swings, and nervousness.

Some nutrients, including vitamin B12 and vitamin D, may help to prevent and treat mood disorders and depression. Research also supports a link between omega-3 fats and reducing depression. If you’re feeling more than just the “blues” despite your best efforts to eat the right foods and get regular exercise, you may be experiencing depression, a condition that requires medical attention.

We found a brother!

2008-10-15T15:22:00.007-05:00

Up at the cottage we have these two cute gnomes. Through the years we have gone to estate sales trying to find more of the same kind.

Yesterday I went to an estate and hidden in the garage I found a brother for these two.

I can see why he was hidden in the garage, he needs a little updating with some paint. By next spring he will fit in perfect with the other gnomies (what Tim calls them).

36 Hours in Milwaukee

2008-10-06T13:18:00.000-05:00

Kelly sent me this article that appeared in the NYTimes this morning.

By MAURA J. CASEY

THERE’S plenty about modern-day Milwaukee that would be unrecognizable to Laverne and Shirley from the sitcom about the late 50s and 60s. Oh, the area still appreciates its beer and bratwurst: delis carry a mind-boggling variety of sausage, and bars are known to have 50-plus brands of brew. But Milwaukee also has 95 miles of bike lanes, lush parks lacing the shores of Lake Michigan and a revitalized riverfront where sophisticated shops coexist within sight of the city’s industrial past. Modern Milwaukee isn’t so much defined by the Rust Belt anymore, but rather by its lively downtown and a signature museum so architecturally striking that it competes for attention with the art it holds.

Friday

4 p.m.
1) HOG HEAVEN

The city’s newest tourist attraction, opened in July, is the museum that celebrates the 1903 invention of Milwaukee residents William Harley and Arthur Davidson and the American icon it has become. The Harley-Davidson Museum (400 Canal Street; 877-436-8738; www.h-dmuseum.com; admission $10 to $16) has 138 motorcycles on display, including the first two models, from 1903 and 1905, a 1920 Sport model marketed to women and the 1932 Servi-Car used for commercial deliveries and credited with keeping the company solvent during the Great Depression. Harley-Davidson began setting aside at least one motorcycle every year since 1915, and the resulting collection tells the story of a machine, America and the open road in the 20th century — an absorbing tale whether or not you ride.

6 p.m.
2) SNAKE CHASERS

Sure, there’s more to Milwaukee than beer, but the frothy beverage undeniably helped build the city. At one point in the 19th century, 150 breweries flourished there, many established by German immigrants whose names were Pabst, Miller and Schlitz. So to better appreciate all that history and perhaps take a sip yourself, tour the Lakefront Brewery (1872 North Commerce Street; 414-372-8800; www.lakefrontbrewery.com), housed in a century-old former utility building with soaring, 30-foot-high ceilings. You’ll learn about how beer is made and taste a few of Lakefront’s winning brews, including the Snake Chaser, an Irish-style stout made in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The guides are very funny, so for the laughs alone, it’s worth the $6 admission.

8 p.m.
3) SLAVIC FOOD AND STORIES

For authentic Eastern European flavors, you can’t do better than Three Brothers Bar and Restaurant (2414 South St. Clair Street; 414-481-7530; www.3brothersrestaurant.com), a Milwaukee institution that has been serving Serbian cuisine since 1954. Where else could you order roast suckling pig with rice and vegetables, served with home-pickled cabbage ($16.50)? Or a chicken paprikash ($15.50) followed by an incredibly light seven-layer walnut torte ($6)? The dining room has the unpretentious feel of a neighborhood tavern. If you’re lucky, the energetic 85-year-old owner, Branko Radicevic, may come out of the kitchen and regale you with stories of resisting the Nazis.

Saturday

10 a.m.
4) BIBLIOPHILE’S DELIGHT

The first floor of the Renaissance Book Shop (834 North Plankinton Avenue; 414-271-6850) looks like a book collector’s attic, with boxes of used books lining the floor of this century-old former furniture store. But it’s more organized than it looks, with about a half-million books parceled among dozens of categories (“animal husbandry” “theater practices and problems”) spread across three floors and a basement.

Noon
5) SAUSAGE AND CHEESE

Before taking your new books to one of the city’s lovely waterfront parks, pack a picnic on Old World Third Street, the center of German life in 19th-century Milwaukee. The Wisconsin Cheese Mart (215 West Highland Avenue; 888-482-7700; www.wisconsincheesemart.com), which opened in 1938, sells hundreds of varieties of cheese. Favorites include the cave-aged cheddar or any of the Gouda cheeses produced by the Penterman Farm of Thorpe, Wis. A few doors down is Usingers (1030 North Old World Third Street; 800-558-9998; www.usinger.com), sausage makers since 1880. There are 70 varieties, including the lean summer sausage.

2 p.m.
6) SPREADING WINGS

The Milwaukee Art Museum (700 North Art Museum Drive; 414-224-3200; www.mam.org; $8) may have opened in 1888, but the eye-catching Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2001, has become a symbol of modern Milwaukee. With its movable wings expanded to their full, 217-foot span, the building looks either like a large white bird landing on Lake Michigan or the tail of a white whale emerging from the water. There’s art, too: extensive collections of folk, central European and Germanic, and post-1960 contemporary.

4:30 p.m.
7) A WARD UPDATED

Many cities have warehouse districts that have become revitalized; Milwaukee has the Historic Third Ward (www.historicthirdward.org), which constitutes the blocks between the Milwaukee River and Jackson Street. A century ago, this was a manufacturing center. Now it is a magnet for shoppers, with old brick warehouses converted into boutiques and restaurants. For distinctive fashions, search no farther than Lela (321 North Broadway Street; 414-727-4855; www.lelaboutique.com), for designer clothing on consignment, or Three Graces (207 East Buffalo Street, 414-273-3350; www.threegracesonline.com), for women’s clothing and accessories, including hats.

7 p.m.
8) POPOVER DELIGHT

If you need to give your arteries a rest, try some lighter fare at Coast (931 East Wisconsin Avenue; 414-727-5555; www.coastrestaurant.com), an elegant seafood restaurant. Try the baked local walleye served on a cedar plank with roasted red potatoes and haricots verts ($26). The warm popovers are to die for. If you are ready to throw your cholesterol numbers to the wind, have the praline pyramid ($8): layers of pecans, meringue wafers, Grand Marnier butter cream and chocolate ganache glaze.

9:30 p.m.
9) BLUES IN THE NIGHT

East Brady Street, which stretches for about eight blocks from Lake Michigan to the Milwaukee River, was a hippie hangout in the 1960s. Today, its well-preserved buildings and 19th-century Victorian homes are a backdrop to one of the city’s liveliest neighborhoods. During the day, boutiques and small stores are open for lingering shoppers. At night, restaurants and bars keep the street lively. A good spot for music is the Up and Under Pub (1216 East Brady Street; 414-276-2677), which proclaims itself the blues capital of Milwaukee. With high ceilings, an antique bar and 24 beers on tap, it offers live blues, rock and reggae until 2 a.m. There’s usually a $5 cover and, with no city smoking ban, the air can get a little blue late in the evening. If you’d rather avoid alcohol, Rochambo Coffee and Tea House down the street (1317 East Brady Street; 414-291-0095; www.rochambo.com) offers dozens of teas and stays open until midnight.

Sunday

10 a.m.
10) LAKESIDE BRUNCH

The Knick (1030 East Juneau Avenue; 414-272-0011; www.theknickrestaurant.com) is busy and breezy on Sunday mornings, with an outdoor patio near Lake Michigan overlooking Veterans Park. The food is mouth-watering, the service attentive. For a memorable breakfast, try the crab hash, a mixture of crabmeat, onions and hash browns topped with two eggs ($11.99), or the banana pecan pancakes, dripping with whiskey butter and served with maple syrup ($10.99).

1 p.m.
11) WISCONSIN TROPICS

Rain or shine, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (525 South Layton Boulevard; 414-649-9800; www.countyparks.com; $5) offers perennial respite. Affectionately known as the Domes, the conservatory is housed in three 85-foot-high, beehive-shaped buildings with different climates: the Floral Dome has more than 150 floral displays; the Arid Dome mimics the desert, with an oasislike pool surrounded by cactuses; and the Tropical Dome has 1,200 rain-forest plants, tropical birds flying overhead and a 30-foot waterfall. The Domes closed in June for repairs, but is to reopen Oct. 20.

3 p.m.
12) AAAAY!

Milwaukee became “cooler” on Aug. 19 when it dedicated a life-sized statue of the Fonz, the iconic television character from “Happy Days.” The Bronzie Fonzie (www.visitmilwaukee.org/visitors/fonzie), as fans are calling it, stands on the west side of the Wells Street Bridge, in the Riverwalk section. It’s quickly becoming the most photographed spot in the city, so smile and remember: two thumbs up for the camera.

THE BASICS

General Mitchell International Airport, about 10 miles from downtown Milwaukee, is a hub for Midwest Airlines and is also served by Delta, United, US Airways and others. In late October, AirTran flies nonstop from Newark to Milwaukee starting at $207, according to a recent online search.

Downtown is easy to get around by foot or car. In the summer, a free trolley loops around the area’s major attractions.

For pampering, stay at the grand old Pfister Hotel (800-472-4403; 424 East Wisconsin Avenue; www.thepfisterhotel.com), a throwback to Victorian elegance and within walking distance of the waterfront and attractions. In fall, doubles can start as low as $199.

For a less expensive option, try the Hilton City Center (414-271-7250; 509 West Wisconsin Avenue; www.hiltonmilwaukee.com), especially if you have young children. The Paradise Landing Tropical Waterpark is in the hotel. Rooms start at $167.

53rd Birthday

2008-09-22T07:20:00.003-05:00

Today is my 53rd birthday! Yippee. I've never had a problem with getting older in fact I always look at it as another year wiser and smarter.

This past year I've made a couple of changes to my life that hopefully will prolong it for many more birthdays. One big change is that I became a vegetarian. One of the best things I've done for my body. Another change, I started to run. I completed my first run this past weekend and did 5 miles in 54.10 minutes which average to 10.5 minutes per mile. Now I'm looking forward to my next run....

I have so much to be thankful for in my life. I hope this next year brings me continued great health, happiness and some great new adventures.

Thanks to Leslie at Dailymile.com, for her great recipe for a green smoothie made with spinach, kale, fruit, soy powder, flax seed etc. I made one this morning which should get me though until the next birthday.

Al's Run

2008-09-21T06:27:00.002-05:00

It's been years since Tim and I have done this race. When it first started it was an annual run for Tim and his buddies at Falk. Kristin and Kelly were there in their stollers and when they got a little older they participated with me in the walk. When we move to Illinois the tradition stopped.

Almost 20 years later Tim and I decided to try it again. This is a big fundraiser for Children's Hospital and you will see many children participating or being pushed in special wheelchairs or strollers.

The start of the race is incredible to be part of. There are waves of people running down Wisconsin Ave. Tim was near the front of the pack and I was closer to the end for the start.

Once the horn went off the race was on. It took me almost 2 minutes before I crossed the start line. Thankfully I had a running chip in my shoe which would give an accurate time when I finished. After runnng down Wisconsin Ave we turned onto Prospect past the big homes and then down a nice hill to the lakefront. It was a beautiful warm day and Lake Michigan was a great site to see while running.

I just started running in March. SInce this was my first race my goal was to try to do 5 miles in under one hour. Which I wasn't sure would be attainable with all the weaving in an out between strollers and walkers. I crossed the finish line at 56.01. It wasn't until I got home and saw my official finish time was 54.10. That was a great time for me. It meant I averaged 10.50 minutes per mile.

Tim was happy with his time also. He finished in 35 minutes which gave him 7 minute miles.

After the race they ran out of water at the finish line...... It wasn't until I walked to the Summerfest grounds that water and fruit was found. There was great entertainment in Sumemrfest and everyone was able to celebrate their victories. Tim and I bought a beer and chilled and listened to the music and watched all the people.

Can you taste the difference?

2008-09-05T09:06:00.002-05:00

This article was found on about.com. Maybe this might encourage you to try a vegetarian meat substitute one day a week.

Can you taste the difference between real meat and a vegetarian mock meat substitute? Apparently, according to a new study published in the Journal for Consumer Research, most people can't! In the study, performed by social anthropologists from three different universities, participants rated food items, including vegetarian mock meat substitutes, better when they thought they were eating the real thing.

The researchers report that although many people claim that they eat meat rather than a vegetarian substitute because they prefer the taste:

Our results challenge that claim. Participants who ate the vegetarian alternative did not rate the taste and aroma less favorably than those who ate the beef product. Instead, what influenced taste evaluation was what they thought they had eaten.

It seems that when it comes to taste, our perceptions and expectations shape our experience more than the actual food we eat. I'm not quite sure that this is a major scientific breakthrough, but at least the next time someone tells you they eat meat for the taste, you can confidently tell them that it really is all in their head!

Weather in Vegas

2008-08-28T14:08:00.001-05:00

I subscribe to the Las Vegas Review Journal news updates. It keeps me informed what is happening in the area while I'm not there. Just got this email today:
Weather Service issues excessive heat warning

Clark County residents are encouraged to stay out of the sun today as the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning throughout the valley.

Temperatures in Las Vegas are expected to creep up to 108 degrees, the current minimum high required for such a warning to be issued.

Not sure what is worse, the cold snowy temperatures of a Wisconsin winter or the heat of the Las Vegas summer sun.

100 Things To Do Before You Die author dies

2008-08-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

The end of last year I purchased this book on the advice of a friend. Tim and I wanted to go through the book crossing out places we have been and still wanted to visit. The other day the co-author of the book, Dave Freeman, died at the age of 47. Apparently he was at his beach side home where he tripped in a hallway and hit his head and died.

According to family members, Dave visited half the places mentioned in his book. He was looking forward to visiting the remaining destinations before he died. Maybe this is a message to the rest of us to experience life before it's too late.

A quote that Dave started his books with, " "This life is a short journey. How can you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time?"

Runners live longer, stay healthier

2008-08-12T12:46:00.005-05:00

Here is great article to motivate you to run.

From Reuters - Runners live longer, stay healthier

WASHINGTON - People who want to live a long and healthy life might want to take up running. A study published on Monday shows middle-aged members of a runner's club were half as likely to die over a 20-year period as people who did not run.

Running reduced the risk not only of heart disease, but of cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, researchers at Stanford University in California found.

Any type of vigorous exercise will likely do the trick, said Stanford's Dr. James Fries, who worked on the study. "It is the regular physical vigorous activity that is important."

To read the entire study go to URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26143460/

Rainbow Flowage - Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin

2008-08-12T09:07:00.008-05:00

Yesterday we took the kayaks to Rainbow Flowage in Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin. This is a 2000+ acre lake. Not only is it a great fishing area but you can get a great work out kayaking to a fishing spot.
This is a beautiful lake with great views of wildlife.
Since the flowage is so big, you need a motorized boat just to go from one side to the other. Since we were in the kayaks we were limited on fishing areas. It would have been nice to have had a fish locater on the kayaks since this was our first time at this area. Here is one of the fish we caught. I have never seen a bluegill this big. After fishing we found a nice picnic area and had a nice dinner with a bottle of wine. We had a beautiful view of the lake and enjoyed great food and conversation. We'll have to go back here again to scope out other areas of the lake.

Vegetarian diet update

2008-08-12T08:36:00.003-05:00

Tim and I have been on a vegetarian diet for around 4 months. Last week I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. At that time blood work was drawn. The results were great. My increase in exercising and vegetarian life style brought my LDL down 20 points and increased my HDL to 78. According to my doctor I have broken the link of heart disease that runs in my family by my new lifestyle. He said I will probably die from bad luck....now that heart disease has almost been eliminated. This is the proof that I needed that a vegetarian lifestyle is the only way to go.

Lake Michigan Bike Ride

2008-08-03T14:18:00.008-05:00

On Saturday Tim parked our truck along Lake Michigan and took our bikes a long Lakeshore State Park and then into the 3rd Ward which was having a Jazzfest. There were two bands located on opposite ends of the festival and many food and craft vendors. We decided to lock up our bikes and check out the great music and enjoy a couple of cold beers and some Kettle Korn.

After enjoying the Jazzfest we decided to check out Bradford Beach before going back to the truck. The place was packed even at 4:30.

Hank Aaron Bike Trail

2008-07-29T14:30:00.012-05:00

Last Sunday, Tim and I took a bike ride from Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa to the Hank Aaron State Trail.
Leaving Hoyt Park to start our adventure. Headed towards the village of Wauwatosa, through Hart park, Jacobas Park and then on to Hank Aaron State Trail. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/LAND/parks/specific/hank_aaron/pdfs/hankaaronmap06full.pdf

Here are some pictures of our adventures along the trail.

The trail runs partly along the Milwaukee River. Last year when we took this trail we saw a couple of people canoeing on the river.

Biking through the Milwaukee Stadium (home of the Brewers) parking lot.

The trail continues past the Potawatomi Indian Casino. We decided to lock our bikes up and try our luck. With the new addition the casino is now double the size.

After leaving the casino we started the ride back. It was pretty hot out so we decided to stop at Friday's at the Stadium to have a nice cold beer and appetizer.

The Brewer's were playing out of town so we had nice seats over looking the baseball diamond.

Dailymile challenge

2008-07-29T06:52:00.010-05:00

Dailymile.com is trying a unique approach to making exercising fun. This week they ran a challenge: Can you find $1.00 in change on a single ride/run?

The idea for this weeks challenge comes from the following article:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/07/13/20080713run0713.html

So Tim and I took the challenge. Can you tell I'm trying to take this picture of us? We tried to think of spots were we might find some spare change on the ground......
Our first stop was at the playground. Kids drops money all the time..... No luck, but we did find some other objects.

Our next spot was to the high school. I rode up and down the parking lot.
My first quarter.

a dime.

Tim didn't find any money in this location but he did find this cool spy toy.

We decided to start riding along North Ave. We found this Bucky sticker on the side of the road.

Finally Tim was lucky. We were riding past a bus stop and Tim discovered 11 cents!! After riding 12 miles our total money find was 46 cents. We have one week so we'll have to do some more hunting.

Estate sale find

2008-07-16T13:42:00.004-05:00

I found this watercolor at an estate sale a couple of weeks ago. It reminded me of our lake up north. I wish I could read the artist signature so I can find out the age and history of the painting. Click on picture to see more detail of the painting.

Views at the cottage

2008-07-16T13:07:00.011-05:00

We've had a nice time up at the cottage. Our first night here, a storm came through and knocked all the power out until 9 the next morning. We found out that our next door neighbor's tree fell on the power line. The storm also fried up our modem so we had to get a new one so we could monitor Kelly's 100 mile race.

Got a lot of work down which included cutting down two more birch trees near the lake. View of lake without the birch trees.
Tim and I took the kayaks to Tom Doyle Lake and Spider Lake to do some fishing.
Starting to see more deer come out of the woods with their fawns.

We needed to have a campfire just to burn all the sticks and branches that came down from the storm.

Beautiful picture of the loon on the lake after sunset.

Benji's Delicatessen & Restaurant

2008-07-15T19:49:00.003-05:00

Tim loves a good Reuben sandwich. His favorite is from a little restaurant in Rockford Illinois called the Rathskeller. It seems as though that German restaurant has set the bar high on any future Reuben's that Tim has tried. Last week we tried Benji's Delicatessen & Restaurant located at 4156 N Oakland Avenue in Milwaukee. My mom had told me years ago that Benji's was famous for their Reuben. The restaurant is located in a strip mall. First impressions of the outside were not so good..... But we know from past experiences its the food inside that counts. We sat at a table and ordered our meals. Tim ordered the classic Benji, corn beef on Miller rye bread. I ordered the classic Reuben, corn beef, sauerkraut on Miller rye bread with a side of horseradish. When the sandwiches arrived, we cut them in half so that Tim had I both had a half of the other. I have to admit the corn beef was the best I have ever had. It was so tender that it melted in your mouth. Tim agreed. He thought the corn beef was the best he has tasted but Rathskeller still makes the best sandwich.

Benji's Delicatessen & Restaurant
4156 N Oakland Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53211
Phone: (414) 332-7777

Birch trees gone

2008-07-15T09:16:00.006-05:00

Last week we had 8 dead birch trees professionally cut down. We were worried with all the wind that one of them would fall down onto the house or garage.

The first picture to the left is the new look of the walk way without the trees.

The next picture is what the walk way looked like with the birch trees.

Last covered bridge in Wisconsin

2008-07-15T09:15:00.017-05:00

While in Cedarburg we found a brochure that mentioned the last covered bridge in Wisconsin. It was located north of Cedarburg. Since we had only our bikes we hoped it wasn't to far out of town. So we starting pedaling following the directions in the brochure. Around 5 miles later we found the park.

More than 40 covered bridges once dotted the Wisconsin countryside. Today the sole survivor is the Cedarburg bridge, originally known as the "Red Bridge", located north of the City of Cedarburg and 20 miles north of Milwaukee near the junction of Highways 60 and 143 on the Covered Bridge Road.

Many and varied reasons are given why such bridges were covered. Some say it was to shelter travelers in storms and others hint of refuge from the Indians. There are two more reasonable conclusions, to preserve the truss structure and the fact that the teams of oxen used by the area farmers had a fear of crossing the water on an open bridge and frequently balked.

If you ever are in Cedarburg check out the last covered bridge. It is located in a beautiful park. A perfect place to have a picnic.

Ozaukee Interurban trail

2008-07-15T09:04:00.008-05:00

The Ozaukee Interurban trail is a 30 mile paved trail that spans the entire length of Ozaukee county and connects to trails in Milwaukee and Sheboygan. Over the 4th of July weekend we biked the portion from Mequon into downtown Cedarburg. When we got to Cedarburg we walked along the historic downtown and viewed the many shops along the way. We even enjoyed an ice cream cone at the local treat shop. Next time we will drive to Cedarburg and take the trail north into Port Washington. To find out more information about this trail and to print maps go to http://www.interurbantrail.us

Too many flower beds

2008-07-15T07:50:00.014-05:00

When we bought our house 6 years ago we had no idea we had all these flower gardens in the yard. When we inspected the house we didn't bother walking around the house. You can imagine our surprise when we moved in in May and saw the start of all these flowers beds. Personally, I love flowers and would plant more if I could but Tim is the one who weeds the beds. We had so many whirlybirds this year that weeding has become a real chore. I think Tim is seriously thinking of moving...... or even turning the beds into grass..... Now these are just some of the flowers. It does not show the other side of the house and the whole backyard.....

Kelly's last post before Hardrock

2008-07-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

July 10 2008 – Note from Kelly

Tomorrow I start the Hardrock 100. It'll be a long journey, with 48 hours to complete the course.

I'm excited, and prepared, but also scared at what lies ahead. There will be points that I don't want to go any further, and steps that I'll barely manage to take. I'll wade through the extreme lows, and embrace the amazing highs. After climbing the twelves peaks along the course, I'll have to remind myself to enjoy the view. At five tomorrow morning, I have one goal in mind, and it'll be to kiss that rock!

You can monitor my progress live at:
http://www.hardrock100.com/index.asp

Kelly - Silverton Colorado July 5

2008-07-05T20:45:00.003-05:00

This afternoon I got one of my daily calls from Kelly. He sounds a little tired. He said this evening looks like more rain and snow. I hope his little tent can handle all the weather and keep him dry. This is the latest post on his website:

Today I helped mark the cross along the Handies peak section. Handies is the highest point on the course at a little over 14,000 ft. The climb was 3,000 - 4,000 ft, and it felt great. There was a significant amount of snow, and at points I fell through down to my waist. The highlight was sliding a couple hundred feet down the backside of Handies on an ice sheet. I was able to pull off a standing glissade, but ending up taking a big fall at the end. The rest of the descent was an amazing ride along waterfalls, over snow bridges, and through rugged terrain. I wish I could take photos, but the camera is a little too large for the journey.

We finished, and shuttled back through cinnamon pass. It was a little scary - exposure, rain, rocky jeep trails..

4th of July Celebration

2008-07-05T18:32:00.004-05:00

We had a great 4th of July. The holiday started out early. It is my job to head to the parade route before 6 in the morning to secure the same"Dempsey" spot that the family has enjoyed for the last 20 years. Which mean I usually get up around 5 in the morning. This time my mom decided to join me. We got to our spot early, threw out all the chairs, ropes and blankets on the spot and then went and parked the car. We set up the spot and then sat an talked for three hours until everyone started showing up and the parade started....

In years past. after the parade, we would head to my mom's house and have a pool party but since we are selling her house we had to make other arrangements. Mike and Debbie were nice to host an afternoon barbecue for those who wanted to attend. Tim and I decided to instead head down to the lakefront for a nice bike ride. Parked the car along Lake Drive and headed north along the lake shore. We ended in Shorewood at Atwater Park, one of the parks overlooking Lake Michigan. Beautiful. As we headed back we stopped at Bradford Beach. For those of you who have not been down there in a long time. It has been redone. Several people including Miller Brewery have donated a lot of money to clean up the beach and pay for life guards and volleyball equipment etc. When we were there, a live band was playing and many people were on the beach enjoying the holiday.

At night we met my brother Mike and his wife Debbie at Elm Grove Park for some really nice fireworks. Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July.

Hard Rock 100 It's Going to Suck to be you!

2008-07-05T08:05:00.004-05:00

This is an article that was in Outside Magazine July 2001. Kelly wanted us to read it so we got an idea of what he and all the other runners will go through on July 11 and 12. After you read it you'll wonder why would anyone want to put their body through this. The woman mentioned in this article, Carolyn Erdman has been helping Kelly out since arriving in Durango, Colorado. Her husband Eric picked Kelly up from the airport and drove him 49 miles to Silverton. They provided him with a camping spot, gave him a key to their studio so he could clean up, and store his computer and camera while running....... Just found out that Carolyn and Eric were originally from Wisconsin and Eric graduated from UW-Madison.

It's Gonna Suck To Be You
Brave 101 miles of rugged Rocky Mountain trail and scree, brutal cold, and the moist rattle of pulmonary edema. Endure 66,000 vertical feet of elevation change, driving sleet, and a little capillary leakage. Do all this, nonstop, within 48 hours, and you too can claim intimate knowledge of the Hardrock 100—Silverton, Colorado's idea of fun.

By Steve Friedman


	85 MILES DOWN, 15 TO GO: Hardrocker Ken Jensen makes his way over Grant Swamp Pass after surviving the course's hardest climb, in the San Juan Mountains.

THE FIRST TIME HE TRIED IT, the vomiting started after 67 miles, and it didn't stop until six hours later. The last time, his quadriceps cramped at mile 75, so he hobbled the last quarter of the course. But Kirk Apt is a resilient, optimistic, obsessive—some might say weird—man who describes experiences like being trapped on an exposed peak during a lightning storm as "interesting," and that is why he's here, in Silverton, Colorado, cheerfully tucking in to a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon at 4 A.M., discoursing on the nature of fun while he prepares to take on, yet again, the most punishing 100-mile footrace in the world.

It's called the Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run, even though it's actually 101.7 miles long, and is known to the small and strange band of people who have attempted it as the Hardrock 100. Or, simply, the Hardrock. In 1992, the first year of the race, just 18 of 42 entrants finished.Today, nearly half of the 118 men and women who set off into the mountains will quit or be told to stop. Based on medical opinion, history, and statistical probabilities, death for one or two of them is not out of the question.

It's race day, the first Friday after the Fourth of July (the 2001 Hardrock will start on July 13), and Mr. Mellow is working over his pancakes at a worn wooden picnic table inside a café hunkered at the northern end of the only paved road in town. Silverton, population 440, is encircled by peaks, nestled at 9,305 feet in a lush mountain valley in the southern San Juans, at least an hour by way of the most avalanche-prone highway in North America from fresh vegetables, a movie theater, or a working cell phone. If you didn't know about the 15 feet of snow that falls here every winter, or the unemployment rate that's four times the state average, or the knots of bitter, beery ex-miners who gather at The Miner's Tavern toward the southern end of the paved road most every night to slurrily curse the environmentalists they blame for shutting down the mines and trying to ban snowmobiles downtown, you might think that Silverton was quaint.

"The most important thing about the race," Apt says, "is to remember to make sure to enjoy yourself." Yes, there can be crippling cramps and hair-raising lightning bolts—big smile—but there are also remote, deserted vistas, long and lonely treks up mountains and across ridgelines, precious hours spent alone among old-growth forest and fresh wildflowers.

It sounds cleansing. If you didn't know about the dozens of unusually fit people who every midsummer collapse into near-catatonic, weeping blobs of flesh, their faces and hands and feet swollen to grotesque balloons because entire clusters of the racers' capillaries are breaking down and leaking (more on that later), you might think the Hardrock was fun.


	Aggh, That's Cold: A color-coordinated runner wades through the Uncompaghre River.

FIVE MINUTES BEFORE SIX, the sun still not up, the competitors are turning in small circles on the gravel road outside Silverton Public School, taking in the surrounding peaks, scanning the distance for answers to questions most people never even consider. "Will I be hospitalized before sunset?" for example. They will spend the next day and at least one sleepless night in the deepest backcountry, almost constantly above 10,000 feet, climbing, sliding, wading, hiking, staggering, limping, and occasionally running. (Unlike other 100-mile racers, the fastest and most fit of the Hardrockers will jog no more than 60 percent of the course.) They will face five mountain passes of at least 13,000 feet and one 14,000-foot peak. Those who complete the loop will climb and descend 66,000 feet (more than would be involved in climbing and descending Mount Everest from sea level, as the race organizers like to point out). A large number of racers will vomit at least once. One or two might turn white and pass out. The slower runners will almost certainly hallucinate.

One of the most horrifying Hardrock visions is often all too real. It occurs when a race official informs a racer that he or she is moving too slowly to finish within the prescribed 48 hours. Getting "timed out," whether at mile 75 or at the finish line itself, is a bitter experience. Just ask Todd Burgess, a 32-year-old newspaper-page designer from Colorado Springs. Five-foot-ten and 175 pounds, Burgess is cheerfully cognizant of his limitations and aspires only to finish and to enjoy himself along the way. So last year he snapped pictures, meandered in the wildflowers, gamboled through the old growth. But toward the end of the race, he saw that unless he hurried, he wasn't going to make it. He sprinted. He stumbled. He panicked. And when he crossed the line at 48 hours, three minutes, and 35 seconds—which means that, officially, he didn't finish at all—another racer told him, "It's gonna suck to be you for the next year."

It was a cruel thing to say, but, as it turns out, somewhat prophetic. For Burgess, the last year has been one filled with doubts, fears, and horrific training sessions—12-hour runs and 50-mile practice races and Sunday-morning sleep-deprivation workouts. While it has sucked to be him, it would suck more to be timed out again this year.

A few dozen townspeople have awakened early this morning to see the racers off, partly because three Silvertonians are entered, including one of the Hardrock's most popular hard-luck cases, 52-year-old Carolyn Erdman, who has tried and failed three times to finish. Also at the starting line is the only Silvertonian ever to complete a Hardrock, Chris Nute. Nute, 33, will be pacing Erdman the second half of the race.

Dawn. Race director Dale Garland yells, "Go!" and about 50 Hardrock volunteers and spouses and Silvertonians watch as Apt, Burgess, Erdman, and their fellow racers jog and walk down a gravel road, turn southeast, and then head into the mountains—and toward the cold and dark and pain.

SOME 100-MILE RACES ARE more famous. Many are more popular. Most have more corporate sponsors. None approach the Hardrock's brutality.

"This is a dangerous course!" warns the Hardrock manual, a fantastic compendium of arcane statistics, numbingly detailed course descriptions, grave warnings, and chilling understatement. When it comes to the temptation to scale peaks during storms, for instance, the manual advises, "You can hunker down in a valley for 2 to 4 hours and still finish; but if you get fried by lightning your running career may end on the spot."

Though a 44-year-old runner with a history of high blood pressure, Joel Zucker, died of a brain aneurysm on his way to the airport after completing the race in 1998, no one has perished during a Hardrock. But, according to the manual, "It is our general opinion that the first fatality... will be either from hypothermia or lightning!" (A Hardrock-manual exclamation point is rare as a Sasquatch sighting; one suspects typographical error, grim subject matter notwithstanding.)

"There's a reasonable chance somebody could die," says Tyler Curiel, 45, a Dallas-based doctor specializing in infectious disease and oncology who's run eleven 100-milers and "50 or 60" ultras (any race longer than 26.2 miles). "I've fallen into ice-cold water, almost been swept away by a waterfall, walked six hours alone at high elevations in boulder fields," he says of his Hardrock experiences. "Had I sprained an ankle then, I might have been dead. I almost walked off a 2,000-foot cliff in the middle of the night once. Two more steps, and I would have been dead for sure. And I'm fairly competent. So, yeah, there's a reasonable chance."

By late afternoon, after ten hours of climbing and sliding and "EXPOSURE" (the manual lists dehydration, fatigue and vomiting as "minor problems," so racers tend to take capitalized nouns seriously), the fleetest and most fit of participants are a good five hours from being halfway finished. At this juncture—the fifth of 13 aid stations, Grouse Gulch, mile 42.4—one would expect the appropriate emotion to be grim determination. So it comes as something of a shock to onlookers when a slender young man named Jonathan Worswick skips through a light rain, down a narrow, switchbacking trail, and across a stream into Grouse Gulch at 4:27 P.M. He is smiling. The 38-year-old runner from England is on pace for a course record.

It doesn't look dangerous: a wooden yurt 12 feet in diameter, a canvas elk-hunters' shelter with three cots and a propane heater, and a telephone-booth-size communications tent where a radio operator hunches over his sputtering equipment, all hugging the west bank of the fast-flowing Animas River.

But if you've just trekked more than 40 miles, climbed 14,000 feet and descended 10,000, confronted Up-Chuck Ridge ("ACROPHOBIA"), which is nearly three times as steep as the steepest part of the Pike's Peak marathon, tackled the 14,048-foot Handies Peak ("Snow fields, altitude sickness, fantastic views"), where through a freezing rain you looked out upon the world and pondered the sleepless night (or nights) and the long hours that lie ahead, and now you are staggering down rocky switchbacks through pellets of freezing rain...well, then Grouse Gulch is danger itself. And nothing is more menacing than its banana pudding.

The pudding itself is creamy, smooth, not quite white, not quite brown. (The recipe is absurdly prosaic: one large package of Jell-O instant vanilla pudding mixed with four cups whole milk and three fresh bananas; makes eight servings.) But for the weeping runner who has been slogging up and down talus slopes and through marshes for 15 hours or so, the pudding... for that person, the pudding whispers to them.

"Stop," it whispers. "Rest." The rush of the river blends with the hushed static from the radio equipment, but the pudding won't shut up. "Don't go on," it whispers. "Have some more pudding."

Worswick wolfs a vegetarian burrito—he won't even look at the pudding—and leaves ten minutes after he arrives. Fourteen minutes later, Kirk Apt strides across the bridge, looks around the aid station, sits down, changes his socks, and frets. Things are taking too long; he's wasting precious minutes. By the time he is ready to go, Mr. Mellow is thoroughly agitated. When he leaves Grouse Gulch, he starts too fast, realizes he's too "amped up," and has to breathe deeply in order to regain the calm he regards as essential.

Apt spends less than ten minutes at Grouse Gulch.

Todd Burgess had planned to be here by 6P.M., but at 10 he is still struggling down the mountain, thighs burning, tentative, taking baby steps, fearful of falling.

He enters Grouse Gulch at 10:12 and leaves at 10:28.

Carolyn staggers in at 10:30, loses sight in her left eye, then leaves at 10:36, two minutes ahead of her planned 43-hour pace.

Others—swifter, more accomplished, less tortured—are not so strong. Scott Jurek, 27, who two weeks ago won the Western States 100-miler, hits Grouse Gulch at 6:05 P.M. and takes a rest. He will not go on. Eric Clifton, who has won thirteen 100-milers since 1989, walks into the aid station two minutes later, and also stops for good.

Soaked and cold and exhausted, other racers hear the rushing river and the steady drizzle and the devilish gibberings of the Pudding Master, and they feel the propane heat, and then they cast their weary eyes on the cots, soft as dreams.

Twenty-three Hardrockers quit at Grouse Gulch.

VOMITING, CRAMPING, collapsing, whimpering hopelessly before the devil's pudding, and/or surrendering to that despair so profound that it's difficult to name, are all variations, in Hardrock parlance, of bonking. Typically, when a runner bonks, he or she also quits the race, as Apt did when he couldn't stop puking in 1992. Sometimes a runner bonks and keeps going, and even finishes, as Apt did when his quadriceps cramped and he trudged the last 25 miles of the course in 11 hours in 1999. To continue after bonking earns a runner enormous respect among fellow racers, most of whom have bonked at some point in their running careers. These people appreciate speed, but they revere grit.

When male Hardrockers bonk, they tend to quit. This is accepted wisdom among the racers, as is the fact that women bonkers, in general, do their best to finish. A racer can bonk without timing out, and he can time out without bonking. All things being equal, it's better to have bonked before being timed out than the other way around. Non-bonking runners who are timed out—especially late in a Hardrock—suffer the fate of Todd Burgess (it sucks to be them).

THE OURAY AID station, at mile 58 and an elevation of 7,680 feet, would provide an excellent place to quit. Though there is no pudding of any sort here, nor heated tents with cots, next to the aid station is a parking lot, and next to that, a highway. Silverton is less than an hour's drive away, in a heated car.

But there will be no quitting here for Jonathan Worswick, who arrives at 7:42 P.M., still leading, and leaves at 7:56. Not for Kirk Apt, who arrives at 8:20 and leaves at 8:27—"psyched," he says, "but in a relaxed, calm way."

Neither will there be any quitting for Todd Burgess, who trundles toward the aid station the next morning at 5:14. His pacer, Fred Creamer, urges Burgess to run the last mile or so to the aid station, but Burgess wants to conserve his energy until he eats something. He's sure that a meal will give him the boost he needs for the second half of the course. In Ouray he takes a bite of warm roast turkey, a long pull of Gatorade, and vomits.

Creamer asks Burgess if this has ever happened to him during a race, and when Burgess says no, Creamer considers ending their journey. But Burgess says he feels great. He does feel great. Creamer feels grave concern. They continue.

Erdman entered the race for the first time in 1997, when she was 48, eight years after she quit smoking and one year after she and her husband left their cattle farm in Wisconsin and moved to Silverton. Nute paced her that year, and she made it 85 miles before race organizers told her that she was moving too slowly and that she was done.

In 1998 she entered again. Four weeks before the event she ran a 50-mile warm-up race in Orem, Utah. Three miles into it she fell and scraped her left knee. There was blood, and a little pain, but she thought it was no big deal. By the time she finished, she could see her patella; she was shocked at how white it was. The doctor in the emergency room told her she was lucky he didn't have to amputate the limb. She spent a week in the hospital with intravenous antibiotics. Surgeons operated on her twice.

In '99 she was timed out at mile 92.

Erdman has long gray hair that she wears in a braid, the lean body of someone half her age, and brown eyes that sparkle with an intensity peculiar to religious leaders and Hardrockers. She runs ten miles a day, more in the midst of Hardrock training, through rain, snow, and blistering sun. Her dedication has unified Silvertonians—like many residents of small mountain towns, notoriously resistant to unification unless it involves railing against silent black helicopters and the craven jackbooted federal thugs who claim the choppers don't exist. But they're worried about her. Will she endure too much, just to finish? What if she doesn't finish?

Nute knows that Erdman would sooner end up on an operating table than quit, and that's one reason he's agreed to pace her. They're friends. He wants her to finish, but he also wants her to live.

After 13 minutes at the station, they walk along the Uncompaghre River out of Ouray and onto a dirt road, which they climb steadily through thick forest. The air is moist with dew and sweet with pine; birds are starting to sing. Though Erdman is falling further behind her 43-hour pace, and hasn't slept for a full 24 hours and won't for another 24, the approaching dawn invigorates her—for about two hours. Then she wants to take a nap.

Not a good idea, Nute tells her.

Leafy undergrowth and lush, grassy ground beckon. Just a few minutes lying in that pillowy green would be so nourishing, so healing. It would make her go so much faster.

Really not such a smart thing to do, Nute says.

She pleads. She whines. She begs.

Pacers are valuable precisely because they warn their charges not to surrender to their worst temptations—like gobbling fistfuls of ibuprofen and taking ill-advised naps. But Nute is also Erdman's friend, not to mention a fellow Silvertonian. OK, he says, one nap. They settle on seven minutes.

She nearly cries with happiness. She spreads her jacket, makes a pillow of her pack, and lies down in a perfect leafy spot. But it's not perfect enough. She picks everything up, moves to another leafy spot, and lies down again. Nute watches, looks at his watch; eight minutes have passed. She doesn't like the position of the pillow, so she adjusts it. Then she adjusts her jacket. Then her body. Three adjustments later, she sighs. It is a pitiable little sound.

"Go!" she chirps to Nute, who is sitting down, staring at her. "Start timing."

This is when Nute starts to worry.

Hardrockers trudge 10.4 miles and 5,420 feet up to Virginius Pass (elevation 13,100 feet), then 5.3 miles and 4,350 feet down into the aid station at Telluride. They have traveled 73.7 miles and have another 28 to go. Soon they'll have to tackle Oscar's Pass, 6.5 miles away and 4,400 feet higher. "Basically," says Jonathan Thompson, editor of Silverton Mountain Journal, the local biweekly, "straight up a friggin' mountain."

After Oscar's ("Acrophobia, exposure, cornice"), surviving runners will face Grant Swamp Pass, the most difficult climb of the course, a murderously steep scramble over boulders and loose scree ("rock and dirt that will slide back down the hill with each step you take"). It would be daunting on a day hike.

Erdman has been awake, racing, for 31 hours. It's now one in the afternoon, and after she wolfs a slice of pepperoni pizza, she and Nute leave town, climbing, straight into the zone where Hardrockers too proud, too foolish, or too dense to quit often get themselves in danger. In 1998, as two-time Hardrock champion Dave Horton was ascending Grant Swamp Pass, a melon-size rock dislodged by a runner above fell and struck his right hand. "A little later," Horton, 51, wrote in his account of that race, "I noticed that my glove was soaked through with blood." After finishing (of course), he realized that it was a compound fracture.

Many runners ignore puffy faces, hands that have ballooned like boxing gloves, feet like clown shoes, telling themselves it's merely a lack of sodium or some low-level kidney failure. Probably not fatal. They'll try to ignore the moist rattling they hear with every breath. Chances are the swelling and rattling are the result of damage to the body's capillaries. High-altitude races tend to starve capillaries of oxygen, which makes them leak fluid, which pools in the racers' hands and feet. "The danger," says Curiel, the doctor from Dallas, "is that one of the largest capillary networks is in your lungs, and when those capillaries start leaking, you have difficulty breathing. Pulmonary edema. In a really bad case, your lungs can fill up with water and you'll drown."

Digestive problems barely merit consideration. Jonathan Worswick left Ouray still in the lead but vomiting every few miles and suffering stomach cramps and diarrhea. Mr. Mellow stalked him during the climb, enjoying the view, confident in his uphill power, even more confident that Worswick had expended too much energy too early. Just before passing Worswick and crossing Virginius Pass, Apt recalled later, "a mental shift occurred for me. I knew I was in this race, and really had a good shot at winning."

Worswick overtook him on the downhill to Telluride, but Apt was having fun. Just after beginning the brutal assault on Oscar's, Apt told his pacer he wanted to "get after it." Minutes later they blew by Worswick, who was too sick to fight anymore. He bonked. But he continued.

Burgess hasn't puked since Ouray, and though by midafternoon he's suffering fatigue, muscle soreness, chills, and a slight loss of motor coordination, he's still in the race.

Erdman? She regained her sight near Telluride. But three miles later, she begins to gasp.

She turns to Nute. "I'm not going to make it," she says.

Nute knows she might well be speaking the truth. He's been monitoring his watch, worrying as Erdman has slowed to a 40-minute-mile stagger. He's been despairing that she'll never make it out of the next aid station, Chapman, at 83.1 miles, before the cutoff time. But Erdman is the one who inspired Nute to run his first and, depending on Jodi, possibly only Hardrock. Plenty of people have told Erdman to stop. Nute's not going to be one of them.

"Let's sit down for a minute," Nute says. "Let's just process this. Let's do the math."

But what calculus of the spirit can take into account years of training, hours alone, broken bones, and the taunting of the devil's pudding? Has an equation yet been written so elegant that it can encompass impossible dreams?

They sit, and they sit some more. They peer upwards, above tree line, where the skies are black with monstrous storm clouds. Lighting crashes.

Erdman does the math. Instead of a number comes a word.

"All I can think," she says, "is why?"

She doesn't bonk, and she isn't timed out. But after 77 miles, Erdman drops out of her third and—she says—final Hardrock.
TEN MILES FROM the finish, Todd Burgess forgets how to walk a straight line. Counting, he decides, will solve the problem. If he can put eight steps together, one ahead of another, without wavering, and name the number of each step, he won't swerve into the wilderness and be lost forever. He is sure of this. He counts aloud for an hour.

When he steps onto the abandoned rail bed that will take him the last two miles to Silverton, Burgess can see the gentle, aspen-covered hill ahead. Once he climbs that, he'll be able to look down into the town. He'll be able to see the finish line below. He knows he's going to make it. Only one thing can stop him.

He knows it's a silly fear, most likely the result of exhaustion and chills. If he knew about leaking capillaries, he might ascribe his anxiety to that. But Burgess's attempts at rationality won't banish a dreadful notion, born of sleep deprivation, or cellular rioting, or the desperate, fearsome need to finish under 48 hours:

"This would be a terrible time for a nuclear bomb to fall."

BURGESS ISN'T THE only one losing his mind. Gigantic june bugs wriggle from the soil and onto the damp and wobbly legs of Hardrockers unlucky enough to find themselves on the course after dusk on the second day of the race. Ghostly condominiums waver on top of mountain passes. Severed elk heads bob in the arms of grinning aid-station volunteers.

It's probably not capillary leakage. The visions seem to visit the slower runners, the ones who have been awake the longest.

"We know that people who have been sleep deprived have been noted to have visual, auditory, as well as tactile hallucinations," says Dr. Clete Kushida, director of the Stanford Center for Human Sleep Research. "They can also suffer irritability, as well as changes in memory, focus, and concentration. And psychomotor deficits."

That's one way of putting it.

After 40 hours, phantom Texans in ten-gallon hats walk beside the sleepiest Hardrockers at 13,000 feet, drinking beer and laughing. Grass turns to snow, rocks morph into Chevy Suburbans, plants transmute into Gummy Bears and bows. Before he died, Joel Zucker saw Indians.

Burgess finishes at 47 hours, 41 minutes, and three seconds, the 58th of 60 finishers (none of them Silvertonians). Then he sits on the ground.

Race Director Dale Garland walks to Burgess and asks if he would mind turning off the digital clock when it hits 48 hours. "I think this is good therapy," Garland says.

Burgess sits next to the clock and stares at it. At 48 hours he pushes a button, but the clock keeps going. Burgess keeps sitting, staring at the running numbers.

Jonathan Worswick finishes sixth, at 30 hours, 46 minutes, 16 seconds.

Kirk Apt wins in 29 hours and 35 minutes—beating the course record by more than 35 minutes. His legs tremble, and he weeps. Some onlookers get teary, too, even a few of the old hands. They don't like to talk about it, but they know that some of the fastest finishers are the most patently competitive, the loudest, the least liked, and the most likely to quit when outright victory seems impossible. Then there's Apt, who bonked and walked the last 25 miles of the course last year, enjoying the scenic vistas and the lonely ridgelines. Cramped. Limping. Having fun.

Local newspaper reporters gather round the champion. It's almost noon, clear and sunny. Apt tells one note-taker that he consulted a nutritionist before this year's Hardrock and that his "homemade goos" (various combinations of blendered hard-boiled egg, potato, tofu, avocado, rice, yogurt, salt, honey, and chicken liver) helped him stay the course. He tells another, "I'm really not that competitive, but I saw I had the opportunity to win, so I thought, Why not?" He mentions that he ran about 60 of the 100 miles—"the flats and downhills, and I ran a few uphills, too."

The reporter from Durango has one last question.

"What interesting things happened in the race?" she asks.

Interesting things? Mr. Mellow grins.

"The flowers were just amazing."

Kelly - Silverton Colorado

2008-07-05T07:44:00.005-05:00

Kelly left lat Wednesday for Silverton Colorado. This is a small town in Colorado that hosts the Hardrock 100 mile endurance race. This is billed as the hardest course in the country. The race doesn't take place until Friday July 11 but he needs to be there to acclimate to the high altitudes of 13,000+. He brought his camera and laptop so that he can continue working on Ben's and his dailymile site but also to be able to post pictures and short stories of his experience in the area. So here are some of his posts while there:

July 3-

Finally in Silverton!

I arrived yesterday, after a long day of traveling. I found a really great campsite close to downtown Silverton. Thankfully, one of hardrock board members - Caroyln Erdman and her husband Eric, have helped me get situated in Silverton. I woke up this morning to a pretty severe headache, most likely from the altitude. But, after a couple hours, and a coffee, everything got much better. I ventured up Kendall Mountain, and hiked/ran 3,000-4,000 feet to just shy of the summit. There was snow on top, but it looks to be melting fast. I would have liked to reach summit, but there were a couple nasty clouds on the horizon. I was surprised by how well I felt at ~13,000 ft. My legs feel fine, even after a fast decent. Looking forward to more great climbs, and meeting other hardrockers!

I also ran into the guy who is suppose to win the race - Kyle Skaggs. He looked pretty relaxed and was off to work. He has been in Silverton for a couple of months preparing. There also are a bunch of guys here who are way up on the waiting list, hoping that they'll luck into a spot
My camp!

July 4th -

Today was the Silverton 4th of July parade. The hardrock runners take part, and run around the floats messing around. It was fun, and it was a great opportunity to meet some other hardrockers, as well as see some old friends i've made at past races.

After the parade, I decide to once again attempt to summit the peak from yesterday. It is a long tough climb, but I felt in good shape. I came around a bend, and saw a couple of sheriffs. I was curious if I was taken the right route, and asked them. Unfortunately, they were looking at an atv that was driven off the side of a cliff. I just found out, that one of the men driving the atv died.

After chatting for a few with the sheriff, I continued my ascent. Snow piles were everywhere and it became quite a challenge to navigate a path through the loose rock. I kept climbing, and finally got to summit. The last 30 meters or so had a large ice sheet covering the trail. It was sloped, rock hard, and slid down a cliff. I decided to not chance it, and turned around after a brief rest. So, technically no summit, but close enough in my book. The way back was fun and fast. I cruised along, and practiced my descending skills. Now, I'm just sitting outside a coffee shop (they close at 4 !?!?), and getting ready for the fireworks tonight.

Hope everyone is having a great 4th!

Changing your Karma

2008-06-30T06:23:00.003-05:00

They say your karma is responsible for your good and bad luck. If life is good for you then your actions, speech and thoughts are good. If life isn't so good right now, here are some ideas to improve your karma. Ideas from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

1) Love the one you're with. That would be you. Accept yourself as you are. When someone offers a compliment, accept it graciously. Don't follow up with a comment that sloughs off the kind words. You don't have to tell everyone your new dress was a steal. And you don't have to announce that your hair looks good today by accident. A simple "thank you" will suffice.

3) Be a more considerate driver. It isn't necessary to yell at the car that just cut you off or wave an obscene gesture at the driver who took the mall parking spot you were waiting for. You're right; they're wrong. Now let it go. And while you're in the mood, let someone out in front of you - if they have a turn signal on or not.

4) Make good on a mistake. True, it's not your fault if the clerk didn't charge you for an item. You're not the person responsible for teaching them math if they gave you too much change. Haven't you ever been pre-occupied at work? Of course you have. In honor of karma, point out the error - even and especially if it's in your favor.

5) Learn something new. The Shambhala Center of Milwaukee suggests taking up the Dharma Arts which includes a number of disciplines exploring culture using a contemplative approach: such as Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), Kyudo (archery), Dharma art (including dance, movement exercises, feng shui and the like). The center sometimes offers related classes such as Ikebana and Tibetan calligraphy. The Shambhala Center is at 2344 N. Oakland Ave., or check www.shambhalacenter.org.

6) Work with your outer karma. Get a hot stone massage, a waxing or any other sort of spa service at Hotel Metro, 411 E. Mason St. Why there? The hotel's spa is called Karma. Appointments are available by contacting the Karma Spa director at (414) 737-8111.

7) Be happy. Don't wait for a day off or a winning lottery ticket. Start with an hour or try it for 24 hours, but for that period of time just be happy. Be content with what you have and what you are doing. Don't look forward in frustration. Don't look back and burden yourself with past deeds.

"We ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and misery," according to the Web site www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/karma.htm. "We are the architects of our own fate."

8) Donate to a charity. It can be time or money. Or both. There are several bike trips for charities scheduled throughout the summer. It's not the classic example of karma at work, but it's a winning proposition all around since the charity gets a donation and you get in shape.

Check here: www.bikeride.com/calendar/events.asp, then click on Wisconsin in the pull-down menu.

9) Clean up your potty mouth. The Buddhism of Tien Tai includes among its 10 precepts a clean vocabulary. The object is to stay away from talk that is "poisonous and injurious, coarse and rude, hurtful to others, speech that makes others angry and hateful, and speech that is openly or covertly mean, cheap and low, unpleasant to hear, angry and hateful, like a fire burning the mind, tied up in resentment, hot and distressful, impossible to care for or like, and capable of harming themselves and others."

There's more at www.tientai.net/practice/sila2.htm.

10) Know that karma is not an excuse, said O'Connor at the Zen Center. "We always have the ability to alter our karma." The karma scale "can be balanced or wiped out by my current behavior," she said. "You're never just a helpless prisoner of your karma."

Whirly birds

2008-06-29T19:33:00.005-05:00

We have three maple trees in our yard that have those darn whirlybirds or what ever they call those seed pods that are everywhere. I heard the other day that this has been the worst year for them. Not only do they clutter the gutters but they some how fall to the ground and wiggle themselves into the ground and start to grow. We have little maple trees growing everywhere. If we wouldn't mow the lawn and chop them up, we could have a little maple tree forest.

Garden update

2008-06-29T19:23:00.002-05:00

The past week brought ideal weather for the garden. Tim picked the first radishes for us to eat. Tomorrow we will start picking some of the lettuce. We have one causality to report. One of the tomato bushes was damaged and a colony of ants finished the plant off........ The rest of the garden is doing great. More updates later.

Cottage birch trees

2008-06-29T18:54:00.004-05:00

A couple of years ago we had a massive caterpillar infestation up north. Caterpillars were everywhere eating off leaves from all the trees. That year we lost all the leaves on the trees. While the other trees recovered, the birch trees started slowly dying. Last year we hired a man to cut down four trees. This year that same gentleman will be cutting down 8 more. I took a picture of the trees. They are so prominent around the house and garage but if we don't do something they could do some major damage if their tops break off. The birch trees will be missed but thankfully there are some really nice pine trees near the birch that will now be able to take off and grow much bigger.

No longer a fisherman

2008-06-27T12:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we took the kayaks to Lake Dorothy ,a small 102 acre lake outside of the town of Lake Tomahawk. Most of the land around Lake Dorothy is government owned so it is a very quiet lake. A perfect lake to Kayak and fish.

Once we got into the water and started kayaking, I cast my line into the water and immediately something took my bait. I reeled my line in and caught a nice size bass. Once I got the bass into the kayak it came off my hook and was flopping around inside the boat...... my worms and everything else were scattered throughout, but I got the bass and I did not tip the kayak! Tim came over and measured the bass. It met the legal requirements to keep but I looked into its eyes and decided I just couldn't keep it so I released it. I caught 5 more bass. The last one that I caught was a big one because it fought the entire time, it even pulled the kayak towards shore. Naturally, right before I was ready to lift it into the kayak....it broke lose. Good for it. It was fun trying to land it but after that episode I decided I love to fish but I would no longer keep the fish. The best part of fishing to me is the fight. Once you capture the fish it is kind of sad to remove it from it habitat. So from now on I'm a catch and release girl. I told this to Tim today and he just laughed.

Guess what we're eating for supper tonight...the 19 inch bass he caught at Lake Dorothy yesterday.

This morning he is back out fishing our lake. He hopes to catch a couple more bass so we have plenty for supper.

LifeSpring coffee shop

2008-06-27T07:23:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday, while up at the cottage, our internet went out. Tim needs the internet for his job so we headed to Minocqua to find a cafe/internet. Luckily we found LifeSpring coffee shop, located in a vintage geodesic dome south of Minocqua.

As I waited for my special Alterra coffee to be made, I walked around the coffee shop and discovered not only is this a coffee shop but it offered a full supply of health foods, fine art by local artists, antiques and a great vegetarian menu for breakfast and lunch.

Bowl o’ beans
Sprouted mung beans and sweet lentils are mixed with spicy refried beans, home-grown rosemary and basil, red wine vinegar, Bragg’s Amino Acids and grape seed oil and served with a side of delicious organic blue corn chips.

Spicy bean and cheese quesadilla
A veggie wrap filled with spicy refried beans, sprouted mung beans and lentils, tomato and organic pepper jack cheese, served with your choice of Muir Glenn organic mild black bean and corn, medium garlic cilantro or hot salsa. Shhhhh! The secret to the extra tasty, crispy tortilla is a massage of grape seed oil.

Vegetarian pizza
Finnish flat bread topped with spinach, sprouted beans, red onion, tomato, olive oil, Bragg’s Amino Acids, tahini, red wine vinegar, organic Parmesan and plenty o’ garlic and toasted to golden crispy goodness.

Hummus sandwhich
A whole-wheat pita sliced in half and filled with spicy hummus, veggies and bean sprouts and topped with oil and Bragg's Amino Acids. Served with a side of organic lettuce, balsamic vinegar and oil.

Pesto panini
Panini flatbread spread with garden-fresh basil pesto, red onion, tomatoes, olive oil and Parmesan. While basil is in season only.

This is a really nice place to stop in if you're in the Minocqua area. I'm hoping before we leave this weekend to go back home we can stop in once again and try their vegetarian lunches.

Jazz in the Park - Thursday nights

2008-06-24T19:43:00.009-05:00

On Thursday nights we usually head downtown to Cathedral Square Park (entire city block between Jefferson and Jackson on the West and East and Wells and Kilbourn on the South and North) to listen to some great jazz music.

Last Thursday Kristin drove in from Madison to join us for some great food, wine, talk and music.

Great appetizers.

Shrimp and asparagus risotto. This is the first time I made this dish. Delicious! The recipe will be on my recipe blog soon.

Nice pictures of Kristin, Tim and I. Thanks Kristin for letting me borrow these pictures from your blog!!!

Elm Grove Park Tuesday night free concert

2008-06-24T19:22:00.003-05:00

Last Tuesday night we ventured out to "Tunes on Tuesday" at Elm Grove Park. These are free concerts at night provided by the local area. Elm Grove has set up three concerts. One in June, July and August. At the concert we attended, Crossfire played. It is a local Wisconsin group that plays country music. http://www.crossfirecountry.com/index.htm What is funny, if you go to their website, you'll see a picture of us chillin, listening to the music..... If you have an opportunity, go see this band. They were pretty good. The schedule of their performances are on their site.

Cafe Manna - Milwaukee Journal Review

2008-06-13T06:16:00.005-05:00

I thought this was an interesting review of the vegetarian restaurant in Brookfield called, Cafe' Manna by the Milwaukee Journal food critic. This is the restaurant that Ben gave us the gift certificate to. Maybe after reading this review you might consider eating here.

Good to the last crunch
Café Manna revels in fresh vegetables
By CAROL DEPTOLLA
Journal Sentinel dining critic
Posted: June 11, 2008

Brookfield - An acquaintance of mine once flippantly remarked that he liked his dinner at a vegetarian restaurant just fine, but everything would have tasted better with a little bacon sprinkled on top.

That thought never crossed my mind at Café Manna, a vegetarian restaurant that opened Feb. 18 in Sendik's Towne Centre. The dishes were global in flavor and thoughtfully presented, and though I had a few quibbles, I'm counting some of Manna's offerings among my new favorites - meatless or otherwise.

Café Manna is a rarity. Many area restaurants offer at least some vegetarian or vegan dishes, but only a few are entirely vegetarian. Manna is one. What's more, 95% of Café Manna's food is organic, said owner Robin Kasch, and the restaurant will buy some of its produce from local farmers this summer.

It's not just what's on the plates that's green at Café Manna. Products used for carryout are biodegradable: The containers are made of sugar cane, the utensils from potato.

There is a lightness, a freshness, to the 48-seat restaurant, from the striking tiger-stripe floors made of eco-friendly strand bamboo to the warm golden walls, colored with non-toxic paint.

The artwork consists predominantly of large, close-up photographs celebrating produce: freshly dug potatoes, sunshiny lemons. And, echoing the decor, every dish reveled in freshness.

Take the salads. I could imagine what a relief any of them would be on the hottest summer days.

The two entrée-size salads I sampled were built on mixed greens that were cold and crisp, as every salad should be but so often isn't. Asparagus, yellow squash and vivid-red threads of beet adorned the Fresh Country Vegetable Salad ($9.75). Smooth, creamy goat cheese, with a contrasting crust of crunchy chopped pecans, topped it. An herb vinaigrette, fragrant with basil, was a perfect complement.

Lively, peppery flavors marked the celeriac, radish and watercress salad ($9.75), dressed with a toasted mustard-seed vinaigrette. An oversize Asiago crisp, a good 5 inches across, was perched dramatically in the salad. The only off note was that it had been baked a little too long, dulling the cheese flavor.

Each visit was started not with bread and butter, but with complimentary cashew-coconut hummus and flatbread, which also can be ordered as an appetizer. That might have been enough to tide us over until entrées arrived, but my dining companions and I were ready to try more, piqued by the slightly sweet spread.

Walnut and feta paté ($7.50), with the flavor of the ground walnuts bounding through, tasted especially good on slices of aromatic rosemary-olive bread. Baba ghanouj ($5.25), the Middle Eastern eggplant-sesame dip, was nice with large slices of summer squash and other veggies.

Finely chopped mushrooms - duxelles - were savory in the wild mushroom and goat cheese crostini ($8.50), but the goat cheese seemed more garnish than flavor component. Each appetizer was ample for several diners.

The culture hopping on the menu overseen by chef Jason Stevens continued with the entrées, with Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern and Japanese influences. A spectacular-looking dish was the sesame-encrusted tofu with asparagus and sun-dried tomato risotto ($14.75). The tender sautéed tofu slices were arrayed around a mound of the risotto; an aged-balsamic vinegar reduction decorated the plate. The risotto was tender; my preference is al dente.

Cumin and ginger enlivened the spiced tempeh and teriyaki soba noodles ($14.25). It was a dish packed with flavors and textures: substantial buckwheat noodles; pan-seared tempeh, nutty from the soybeans; tender-crisp ribbons of zucchini and other vegetables; a robust tamari-sake sauce.

Ayurvedic dhal ($9.25), ordered by a dining companion, hews to an ancient Indian philosophy linking diet and way of life to wellness. Although that might sound more good-for-you than good, the yellow split peas, cooked until tender and thickened, tasted delightfully of Indian spices.

It was served with a perky pyramid of brown basmati rice. I enjoyed the flavors but thought I'd long for a different, crunchier texture midway through the dish, as inauthentic as that might be. I'd probably do better with Manna's Peace Bowl with Curried Cashew Crunch (rice pyramids with steamed vegetables).

Great flavors and freshness came through in the sandwiches I tried, too. A relish of tomato, Greek olives, red pepper and feta topped the grilled Mediterranean Portobello mushroom sandwich ($10.50). It came on a bun when I first had it, but I saw it served on whole-grain bread on a subsequent visit. Accompanying it was a light couscous dotted with sweet dried currants.

As great sides go, though, the mashed celeriac-Yukon potatoes that came with the hearty grilled herb eggplant and tofu sandwich ($8.75) can't be beat, but the slightly spicy wasabi-scented spinach-red potato salad ($3.75 a la carte) was a strong contender. I'd gladly return for those dishes alone. (A half-dozen sides can be ordered separately.)

Among desserts, a clear winner was a daily special, a chocolate cake ($6.95). The cake itself was vegan - though the cream cheese frosting wasn't -and had good height despite the lack of eggs, and a deep chocolate flavor. A blackberry-pear crisp ($6.25), served warm, was lightly sweet.

A carrot layer cake ($5.75), with spice from crystallized ginger and crunch from macadamia nuts, was so good that we ordered it on a second visit, but the cake seemed dry the next time. I could taste the banana but not the fig in banana fig pudding ($5.25), though there were plenty of fig seeds.

Servers largely were knowledgeable about the menu and diligent about warning us at the outset when dishes were unavailable, with just a couple of missteps: One identified a white tea as a black tea, and said prices on the new wine list - three reds and two whites, all organic, by the glass ($6.95-$9.95) - were the same as the old list, though we learned otherwise when the check arrived.

On a busy weekend night while we waited for our server, I appreciated that she stopped by to say she'd attend to us as soon as she could. A little acknowledgment goes a long way. But because we had waited so long, when she appeared she was poised to take our dinner order. I'd still rather start out with a drink to unwind before I launch into dinner.

In addition to wine, Café Manna's beverages include sparkling juice, about a dozen teas, green limonade (the juice of lime, kale, rainbow Swiss chard, bok choy, ginger, fresh pear and agave), almond milk and something sorely in need of a sexier name, Potassium Broth ($2.75) - made from a variety of root vegetables, including beets and sweet potatoes.

I'd have it again but as a first course rather than a beverage; it had an earthy-sweet flavor that was satisfying, just like so many of Café Manna's flavors.

Jazz in the Park

2008-06-06T06:25:00.004-05:00

Last night was the opening of the 18th season of Jazz in the park. Tim and I monitored the weather and decided to go for it. We packed our little cooler with wine, beer and a few desserts and headed downtown to Cathedral Square. By the time Clamnation got up to play there was no open areas to be seen.

We got comfortable in our chairs and Tim proceeded to open the bottle of wine. I put my glass into the chair's cup holder while I attempted to take a picture with my phone of the people chillin. Tim looked at my glass of wine and told me it looked like it was in a precarious position and could fall and spill. I was too interested in taking pictures that I didn't listen......not too much later I was sitting in my chair with a lap full of red wine. Tim just shook his head. Ha!

This is one of the great summer experiences in Milwaukee, going downtown and listening to some great free music. If your ever in the area on a Thursday night stop down and look for us.

Below is a list of upcoming entertainment for 2008.

June 5 - Clamnation

June 12 - madisalsa

June 19 - blue number nine

June 26 - The Paul Spencer Band

July 3 - Marcin Januszkiewicz Jazz Quintet

July 10 - Bastille Days

July 17 - Pamela Means

July 24 - Paul Silbergleit Quartet

July 31 - Terry Sims Band

August 7 - AhVantSoul

August 14 - Back Alley Band

August 21 - The Mr. Lucky Swing Syndicate

August 28 - Reverend Raven

September 4 - Ladies Must Swing

September 11 - Big O and the Nite Owls Showband

September 18 - Grooveology

September 25 - Nabo

Unusual discovery

2008-06-03T19:05:00.007-05:00

Today I was at my mom's house cleaning out the attic when I discovered this cute scarecrow. I was getting ready to toss it when I thought of a great new job for it........

The protector of the garden.... When I got home from my mom's house I went out to the garden and placed the scarecrow along the trellis. Imagine the look on Tim's face when he went out to the backyard and saw this in his garden.

Hey Kristin, maybe you should get one of these for that pesky chipmunk of yours!

Notice - the garden is now complete. Tim finished the trellis the other day. Now we can stand around and gawk at all the new seeds spouting and monitor all the new growth from the other plants.

Cafe' Manna

2008-06-01T19:08:00.008-05:00

There is a new vegetarian restaurant in Brookfield, named, Cafe'Manna. It is near Sendik's on Capital and Brookfield Road. Before Ben and Kelly left for Austin, Ben bought Tim and I a gift certificate to this restaurant since he knew we were trying to eat more healthy.

On Friday night we ventured out to try our first all vegetarian menu. Cafe' Manna is a very small restaurant and only a few people were in the restaurant ( not too many vegetarians in Brookfield). When we got to our table we ordered a glass of wine. It was served with cashew coconut hummus and flatbread. Very good. We tried tabbouleh wraps for an appetizer which was also very good. But if I would have know that same dish would have been served with my main meal I would have tried the baba ghanouj instead.

Interesting looking salads. Will have to try one of these next time.

For our main meal Tim ordered the baked Falafel and citrus tahini and I ordered the Mediterranean portobello sandwich. Both meals were really good.

To top off our meal we both decided to try dessert. Tim had the carrot cake and I the blackberry and pear crisp. Once again, both were excellent.

Cafe Manna is a welcomed addition to Brookfield. I would definitely go back again. I think next time I would not get an appetizer and skip the dessert. I've enclosed the menus for you to look at. This is a great restaurant for anyone who wants to eat a healthy meal.

Thanks Ben for the gift certificate to this great restaurant!

Cottage cheese roast -----update

2008-05-30T06:06:00.005-05:00

In our quest to eat more meatless meals, I came across this recipe on the internet: Cottage Cheese Roast

Rated: 4 out of 5 by 120 members Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

"Cottage cheese is combined with eggs, oil, onion soup mix, walnuts and cornflakes cereal and baked in a loaf pan. A great substitute for meat loaf, it makes good sandwiches if you have leftovers!"
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package creamed
cottage cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion
soup mix
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, vegetable oil, soup mix, walnuts and cereal. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

It sounded awful but I saw that 120 people liked it so Tim and I tried it. It tasted pretty good.... but not good enough to get onto my recipe blog. It did deserve a spot on this blog for its unusual food combination.

Update:
Since putting this recipe on my blog. Tim decided the next day to make a sandwich with this "meat". For lunch he cut a slice and put it on his bread along with some vegetable cheese and lettuce. He said it was so good the second day that not only would he have this again but he thought it deemed a spot on the recipe blog.

Mosquitoes

2008-05-28T12:23:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we were up at the cottage. As soon as we got out of the car and smelled the great north woods air, we were bombarded with mosquitoes. Thinking this was just our imagination (it is still spring and still a little cool out) we unpacked the car and got everything into the house. Unfortunately as the weekend progressed, the mosquitoes multiplied and were destined to get our blood! We were continuously swatting those little buggers.As soon as we killed one, another one grew in its place. Now I may be wrong but don't mosquitoes usually come out in the summer and only under wet and humid conditions? Maybe these mosquitoes are the cold weather kind and will disappear when it gets warmer out. Yeah right, wishful thinking.

Square foot garden - diagram

2008-05-28T06:21:00.004-05:00

Here is the official diagram of our sqaure foot garden. A great record that Tim put together on excel. You can click on the square foot garden image and get a bigger picture of what we planted and what variety.

What type of frog is this?

2008-05-27T07:35:00.005-05:00

Early Saturday morning Tim went outside to start cleaning up the yard. He saw this "stone" on the deck and wondered how it got there. After closer inspection he realized it was a frog. He called me out and we both got down close starring at it. The frog did not move. I even took all these pictures and he still did not move. He must have thought he was blending into the environment and we couldn't see him???? Or he was just too tired to move. I'll have to do a little research and find out what the name of this frog is.

Up to the cottage

2008-05-26T19:35:00.010-05:00

The first time up to the cottage is always a little stressful. You wonder how it survived the winter. Did the water pipes break or did a tree fall on the roof and do a lot of damage? How about mice getting into the house or the foundation of the cottage shifting.... This year the cottage survived. A birch tree did fall on the garage roof and did some minor damage. Everything else looks great. I always have Tim go into the cottage first and inspect it because you never know what you might find. In the past we have found dead mice, a bat, and even a mummified chipmunk. Yuk!
The lake is still down. Our neighbor said they got half the snow that Milwaukee received. The good thing about the low water line is we now have a nice sandy beach. The area of the beach that has been out of the water for awhile is now growing grass. We'll have to decide if we want that to grow natural or get out the lawn mower and cut it.
First thing Saturday morning was to start spring clean up. Tim raked all the leaves which took a good part of the day. I had the fun job of cleaning the inside of the cottage from months of dust and cobwebs. I also put out all the bird houses, gnomies and hummingbird feeders. As soon as the feeders were put out the hummingbirds were out in full force drinking the special sugar mixture.
THe loons are back. The people who live up here all year long say as soon as there is a hole in the ice in spring, the loons come back. Here is a nice picture of them. On Sunday I saw them on the nest so now it is a waiting game to see if a baby loon will survive this year. I'll get you updated on any baby loons.

These are two of our gnomes. Tim likes to call them gnomies. They stand guard at the gate keeping the cottage safe.
On Monday morning it was time to leave and go back home. Spring cleaning was done. Next time we go up there we'll be able to enjoy ourselves.

Oprah going Vegan for 21 days

2008-05-26T16:04:00.003-05:00

Just got home and read on the internet that Oprah has committed to follow a vegan (no meat,fish,poultry,dairy seafood), gluten-free and sugar-free diet, called "the Cleanse diet" for 21 days. For the next 3 weeks, Oprah will be introduced to some foods that vegetarians already know and love. Her scheduled menu plan includes tofu scramble, tempeh, quinoa salad and even some raw food recipes. Some of the vegan and gluten-free recipes that Oprah will be eating on her cleanse diet have been posted on her website.

This seems like an extreame form of diet. It will be interesting to monitor her blogs each day to read how she is doing. Family and friends thought Tim and I were extreame in our way of eating.... What do they think of the following menu? Maybe now that Oprah is doing the vegetarian way of eating some people might think once again of at least trying one or two meals a week of no meat.

The menu:

Menu Plan 1
Breakfast: Tofu Scramble
Lunch: Tempeh tuna salad over field greens
Dinner: Kale avocado salad and King oyster mushrooms with pistachio purée

Menu Plan 2
Breakfast: Wheat-free pancakes (made with Bob's Red Mill mix) and Gardenburger soy sausage
Lunch: Buddha bowl (made with oven-baked tofu, kale and brown rice)
Dinner: Caesar salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing and Tempeh Scallopini with Madeira Peppercorn Sauce

Menu Plan 3
Breakfast: "Cheesy" corn grits with tomato compote
Lunch: Scampi-style Tofu Wrap
Dinner: Artichoke and Oyster Mushroom Rockefeller with side salad and corn chowder

Menu Plan 4
Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal with cranberries and almonds
Lunch: Zucchini "fettuccini" with Raw Alfredo Sauce
Dinner: Quinoa salad with roasted corn, sweet potatoes, avocado and roasted tomatillo dressing

Menu Plan 5
Breakfast: Strawberry-rhubarb wheat-free crepes
Lunch: Mezze plate (white-bean hummus, millet tabouli, balsamic fig compote, marinated olives and almond-rosemary crackers)
Dinner: Celery root soup and Tempeh Creole over grilled corn cakes

Menu Plan 6
Breakfast: Egg-less quiche, arugula and artichoke hearts
Lunch: Beetroot ravioli with fresh cucumber and fennel salad
Dinner: Spring asparagus soup and Cajun-Seared Portobello Fillets with Avocado Cream

Menu Plan 7
Breakfast: Fruit and Soy Yogurt Parfait
Lunch: Roasted tomato, grilled onion and sweet garlic aioli quesadillas with jicama slaw
Dinner: Vegetable strata with cilantro-lemon pesto and Black Bean Cakes with Lime-Peppered "Mayo"

Menu Plan 8
Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal with raisins, walnuts and agave nectar
Lunch: Assorted vegetable sushi plate
Dinner: Tempeh marsala with a spring salad

Read oprah's blog at http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/blog/blog_2.jhtml

Recipes:http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/recipes/recipes_main.jhtml

Skpe

2008-05-21T06:20:00.006-05:00

Last week Kelly told me I should download Skpe on my computer. Now I'm probably the only person who has not heard of this service. It is a software program that allows users to make telephone calls over the internet to other Skype users, free of charge. Using this software you can also make calls to landlines and cell phone for a small fee. Instant messaging, transfering of files and video conferencing is also available.

So I downloaded the software. Since this is like a phone I had to find a microphone. Luckily Kelly has all his old computer parts stored in the basement so I was able to find an old microphone. I entered Kelly's email address and automatically found Kelly's Skpe account. I tried to call him but he was offline. Later that afternoon I received a google chat message from him so I told him to get onto Skpe. Kelly has a new Macbook so his computer has a built in camera plus microphone. When we connected his image came up on my computer and we started talking. It was cool to be able to talk and hear clearly with just a tiny time lag. It was great to watch him as we talked. I even saw and talked to Ben. Kelly was able to take his computer and walk around the apartment so Tim and I could see the entire apartment and even the outside view! Now I'll have to go run out and buy a small camera for the computer so Kelly can watch Tim and I while we talk. Kind of scarry talking to a little camera....

This is a great service if you have friends or family that live far away. How great to be able to talk and see them at the same time over the computer.

Go to Skype at http://www.skype.com

Square foot garden

2008-05-21T05:59:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we basically finished our garden. We still have to plant the beans, put up the trellis and then a fence. Here are the pictures of our garden in progress. I tried to get a picture of Tim working on the garden but he refused.....

Digging out the grass under the frames.

The dirt is tilled and is now ready for the additives.

Sand, lime, peat moss, ash, etc is added to the soil and mixed together.

String is used to mark off each 1x1 foot sections.

Now the fun part, the planting of all the vegetables. We planted seeds and plants. If you look closely you will see that tomatoes will take up 4 squares while a pepper will take up one square. On the north side of the garden are the vine types of plants. Tim will put up a trellis where the plants will grow up, including some of the tomatoes. We planted 4 types of peppers, eggplants, carrots, radishes, spaghetti squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peas, beans, spinach, 3 different lettuce, basil, rosemary, oregano and cilantro. We have a lot of rabbits and deer around here so before we could put up the fence we put up temporary cages around the plants so they wouldn't be eaten. More pictures will come has our vegetables start to grow.

Attitude

2008-05-19T10:34:00.001-05:00

A couple of years ago I was in Charleston, South Carolina. In the bathroom of a famous Seafood restaurant, there was this saying about Attitude. I have this on my desk to read each day. Hopefully you will be inspired by it as I was.

Attitude

The longer I livem the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successess, than what other people think or say or do. It is more importnat than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable think is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for the day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that peole act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you....

We are in charge of our ATTITUDES
by Chuck Swindol

We're planting a vegetable garden

2008-05-18T10:15:00.001-05:00

It's been years since we've planted a vegetable garden. The last one was at other house in Brookfield and that was in 1988. Since the move back here I have asked Tim each year if we could have a garden....This year he has finally agreed, probably since we have been eating a lot more vegetables. Once again Tim is planning a square foot garden, based on the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.
A square foot garden is a system baed on a grid of 1 foot by 1 foot squares with single seeds or plants placed in the spaces. Climbing and spraling crops like cucumbers, pole beans, squash and tomatoes are grown vertically to save space. This system conserves the amount of space and water needed to grow the maximum amount of food.

Yesterday we went to the store to buy the lumber to make the frames. We have decide to do two 4x8 gardens. So we sat down last night and planned all the vegetables we would plant. Tim has plotted out on paper how the garden will look and what will go in each square. Next post will show the garden.

Austin Texas

2008-05-18T09:29:00.001-05:00

Ben and Kelly got to Austin safely. It is a little more humid than they thought and 90 degrees. A big change from Wisconsin weather. First thing they did was rent a car at the airport and then proceded to check out apartments near the university. List in hand of available subleases they made the rounds and found many to be dumps. Eventually the found the perfect apartment. It was a little more than they wanted to spend but they thought the location and apartment were ideal to be productive in their business.

I asked them how they got the table and chairs for their computer, plus their cooking suppises. They rented another car on Friday and shopped at IKEA for their apartment needs. The car, a 2008 Cadillac...... only cost 20.00 for the day. THey thought that was real cheap to get all their supplies and then to go grocery shopping.

Once all the work was done they went on some really nice runs around town. In future post of Austin I hope to get some more pictures of their adventure.

Kelly and Ben leave for Austin

2008-05-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday Ben and Kelly bought a one way ticket to Austin Texas. Austin is one of the top cities to start up a internet business. I think the best place to go is San Franscisco but rent there is sky high if your just starting out and poor.
Here is Ben and Kelly putting their luggage into the car at 4 in the morning.
At the airport. Since Ben and Kelly work on their site during the night while everyone is sleeping.....they decided not to get any sleep before they left. Here is a picture of both of them at the airport. Kelly looks like he is ready to fall asleep.

Playing catch up

2008-05-18T07:07:00.000-05:00

This is a quick little post to let you know that I have updated my posts. You'll find a couple of new posts if you go back a couple of days.

So much to do and so little time.

2008-05-15T07:33:00.000-05:00

I have a number of blogs to get onto this site. Hopefully soon I will get the time. Just wanted to let you know we went to Tim's doctor yesterday. The plant based diet he has been on the past month has drastically reduced his bad cholesterol down so much that he is now on a very low dose medicine. Ha! He now has to raise the number because it is too low. I guess I didn't know that you could have a too low of bad cholesterol number.... Now I'm anxious to see what my cholesterol numbers are.

A truly special mother's day

2008-05-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

It's been over 7 years since I've had my children home for Mother's day. With busy schedules and living in other states sometimes it was difficult to get together. Tim was a real trooper when the kids couldn't make it and always made sure I had a special day. This year both kids made it home. We were also joined by Karen and Ben. Karen is Kristin's best friend and Ben is Kelly's business partner.

My Mother's day started out on Thursday where Tim took me out to Steins and we picked out three red rose bushes for the front yard. It was early in the evening and he even planted them. On Friday when I got home from my mom's, on the kitchen table there were 12 beautiful long stem roses. Wow, I must have been really special.

On Saturday Karen and Kristin made a wonderful dinner with two appitizers, steak and salmon and a dilicious chocolate dessert. Kristin was in Kentucky the weekend before and her hostess served these delicious meals. Kristin was able to snag the recipes so she could make them for us. Delicious. Hope to get the recipes soon to put on my recipe blog.

On Sunday Kristin and Karen ran downtown where I met them at Alterra's for coffee. I got a beautiful plant from Karen to plant outside. Kelly ended my pefect weekend with a dinner of chicken parmesan.

Thank you all, for the best Mother's Day I have ever had!

Snopes - Urban Legends

2008-05-08T18:37:00.000-05:00

Did you ever get an email forwarded to you from a friend about a health concern or "please help out this science project..." or how about a free 25.00 certificate to Applebee's or free popcorn coupon from Blockbuster....well if you want to check out those emails to see if their credible go to http://www.snopes.com

Political metaphor

2008-05-07T09:51:00.000-05:00

This morning I was out doing my daily walk. To make the walk a little more enjoyable I listen to WKLH 96.5. It is a classic rock station. In the morning they have the funnest morning people and I can't help but laugh at some of their stories. Usually around 9:00am Ted Perry from Fox joins in on the discussions. He said last week , Hillary Clinton was comparing the presidential campaign to a horse race (Kentucky Derby was last week) and she was like Eight Belles, the only filly racing among all the colts. Good comparison. Well as we all know Eight Belles ran an incredible race, which ultimately killed her. She came in second place beating out 18 colts..... but she was second to the horse that won.....Big Brown. I guess Ted Perry was referring that in this political metaphor, if Hillary was Eight Belles then Big Brown must be Obama?

Miller Brewery

2008-05-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

Before Ben and Kelly left for Austin, we took them on a Miller Brewery tour. Kelly had tried to take Ben during the winter but got there to late for the tour. The last tour is at 3:30.

One of our stops on the tour was walking up a couple flight of stairs to the room that brews the beer in these shinny massive copper kettles.

This is the production floor where the cans and bottles are filled with beer.

Here is where the beer is stored after it has been packaged. It takes one day to clear out this entire warehouse and fill it up again.

"The Caves" were used to store barrels of beer before refrigeration, but now are just part of the brewery tour.

Final stop of the tour is the Miller Inn. Inside you are served three pints of perfect temperature Miller beer. In past tours you were able to pick the type of beer you wanted. This time we were served MGD, a Linenkugels Lemon beer and Miller Lite. Personally, I would have preferred other Miller beers. Can't complain too much, the entire tour is free. You're even served a bag of pretzels and free postcards to fill out. Miller will send out the postcards free. I wonder if Kristin ever got her post card from us.

After the tour we headed to Beno's on Greenfield for a great fish fry.

Finally home.

2008-04-29T20:58:00.000-05:00

When we woke up on Saturday morning we decided to do a quick check on the weather conditions for our trip. We found out that Wyoming(in the mountains) had snow storms all day Saturday. We decided instead of trying to fight it we would instead take the southern route home. That route was through Arizonia, New Mexico (high in the 80's), Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and then Wisconsin. The only problem we had was high winds.

Our trip was a little over 2000 miles long and it took 30 hours. We made it home just in time to go to my mom's 76th birthday at my brother Chris's house.

Now I'll have to find things to blog on in the Wisconsin area. Stay tuned.

Leaving Saturday morning.

2008-04-25T08:19:00.000-05:00

We're leaving Nevada early Saturday, April 26,2008. Henderson will be sunny and in the 90's. According to the national weather forecast we could experience some snow in the higher elevations of Wyoming again. Once we get down the mountains it looks like a rainy drive through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and for the best part......snow flurries in Wisconsin. Yippee. What happened to the 70's that were in Wisconsin all week?

1799.04 miles Nevada - Wisconsin

2008-04-25T08:08:00.001-05:00

Henderson, NV 89012
1: Start out going NORTHWEST on S ARROYO GRANDE BLVD toward W HORIZON RIDGE PKWY.

2: Turn RIGHT onto W HORIZON RIDGE PKWY.

3: Turn LEFT onto S STEPHANIE ST.

4: Merge onto I-215 E/NV-146 E/BRUCE WOODBURY BELT.

5: Merge onto I-515 N/US-93 N/US-95 N via EXIT 1 toward LAS VEGAS.

6: Merge onto I-15 N via EXIT 76B toward SALT LAKE CITY (Passing through ARIZONA, then crossing into UTAH).

7: Merge onto I-70 E via EXIT 132 toward RICHFIELD/DENVER (Crossing into COLORADO).

8: Keep LEFT to take I-76 E via EXIT 269B toward FT MORGAN (Crossing into NEBRASKA).

9: I-76 E becomes I-80 E (Crossing into IOWA).

10: Merge onto I-80 E via EXIT 123B toward CHICAGO/MINNEAPOLIS (Crossing into ILLINOIS).

11: Merge onto I-88 E via EXIT 4B toward STERLING/ROCK FALLS (Portions toll).

12: Merge onto I-39 N toward ROCKFORD (Portions toll) (Crossing into WISCONSIN).

13: Merge onto I-43 N via EXIT 185B toward MILWAUKEE.

14: Take the MOORLAND RD exit, EXIT 57.

15: Take the MOORLAND RD NORTH ramp.

16: Turn LEFT onto S MOORLAND RD/CR-O N. Continue to follow S MOORLAND RD.

17: Stay STRAIGHT to go onto PILGRIM PKWY/CR-YY N.

20: End at Brookfield, WI 53005
Estimated Time: 26.0 hours 3 minutes Estimated Distance: 1799.04 miles

Bellagio Flower Conseratory

2008-04-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

The Bellagio has a beautiful Conservatory that is located just beyond the lobby. It is decorated 5 times a year. The current show called springtime and butterflies. The garden's display includes 16-foot-tall poppies in bright red, yellow and orange hues, oversized ladybugs and snail floral presentations, tulips, hyacinths and oversized watering cans. Each flower is replaced every two weeks or when they start to die. Click on each picture to see a larger version.

Shark Reef - Mandalay Bay

2008-04-16T14:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the Mandalay Bay was offering a promotion for April 15 - Tax Day. If you drove into their parking lot and gave your envelope to local postal workers, you received two free complimentary tickets to see the Shark Reef. Usually these ticket sell for 16.95. We had never been there so we took advantage of the promotion. The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay encompasses nearly 2 million gallons of water and reaches depths of 22 feet. It is one of largest exhibits of its kind. It houses more than 1200 species of aquatic life including sharks, exotic fish, sea turtles and much more.
The piranha exhibit. Despite their deceptively serene appearance, piranhas can be very aggressive. They are capable of devouring a 100-pound animal in less than a minute. The piranhas at the Shark Reef are fed a combination of frozen fish, poultry and beef heart three times a day, as they begin to eat one another when they are hungry.
The next exhibit was to the heart of the shark reef disguised as a sunken treasure ship. It is set up so you have the feeling of being on the ocean floor. It was hard to take pictures in this darken area and the glass reflected people watching exactly what I was watching. Notice the lady in the glass.... On the other side of the glass are a number of sharks, sea turtles, manta rays, fish and more.

Tim going through one of the glass tunnels. Note - he is not on a cell phone. The tour included a listening device that you punch in a code that corresponds to the exhibit number and it talks about the exhibit.
This exhibit was just jellyfish. Did you know that jellyfish have no brains or backbones?

Finally crawling out of bed

2008-04-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

On Monday, April 14, Mojave Max finally crawled out from his Red Rock Canyon burrow after a long winter's sleep. The Bureau of Land Management said that this hibernation was longer than usual for the desert tortoise. Max probably didn't want to leave his comfy burrow until he was sure that winter was over......Monday's temperature of 90+ probably convinced him that spring was finally here.

Fremont Street - Downtown Las Vegas

2008-04-12T12:14:00.000-05:00

April is one of the nicest times to be in Nevada. The spring desert flowers are everywhere. Right now the nights are warm and it is nice to venture out and do some final tours of some of our favorite locations before we leave.

On Friday night we headed downtown to Fremont street. We stopped at Main Street Casino which has the best microbrewery in town, The Triple 777. If you ever have a chance to go downtown make sure you stop here. We ordered the beer sampler (5.00). It is 6, 8oz glasses of the following choices:

HIGH ROLLER GOLD

Triple-7's Flagship beer is produced for those who demand the very best. This light-bodied wheat beer, the most popular of our lineup, serves up cold and refreshing. The highest quality ingredients and brewing techniques are used in every batch to produce a beer worthy of our best customers.

ROYAL RED LAGER
Drinking a glass of Royal Red is almost as enjoyable as hitting a royal flush! Our Vienna-style lager has a distinctive toasted character balanced by "noble" hops. Crisp and delicious, this easy drinking lager will have you feeling like royalty.

MARKER PALE ALE
A beer made for the adventurous at heart. The aroma and flavor of fresh, American hops stimulate the taste buds while its clean bitterness cleanses the palate.› Not for the weak hearted, our pale ale has the highest alcohol content of any of our beers.

BLACKCHIP PORTER
Only a porter this good deserves to be named after gaming's $100 black chip. Its smooth, roasted character puts it in a class of its own. Designed for dark beer lovers, the blend of five malts give it a complex flavor with chocolate and toffee undertones.

TRIPLE-7 BREWMASTER SPECIAL
This Brewmaster Special features a monthly rotation of some ot the finest creations ever developed.› Among the favorites are Raspberry Wheat, Triple-7, Hefe-weizen, Indian Pale Ale, and the famous Black Cherry Stout, a silver medalist at the 1997 Great American Beer Festival. Our sampler was the Hefe-weizen.

All the beers tasted great. We both decided to go with the Porter. Tim thought this tasted better than Guinness. I love the full flavor of the Porter. We decided to order an appetizer and I picked the crab artichoke dip served with toasted bread. I think secretly Tim questioned my choice of appetizers but once he tasted it he wanted me to find out how to make it.... Tim's second beer choice was The Higher Roller Gold.

Friday and Saturday nights, Fremont street is full of a lot of activity. The night we were there they had a couple of live bands performing. Great free music entertainment. I think I was having more fun just watching the people......

College field trip....... The Chicken Ranch

2008-04-12T09:46:00.000-05:00

Eleven female students from Randolph College in Lynchburg Virginia traveled to Pahrump Nevada(located around 45 minutes from Vegas) to visit the Chicken Ranch. Now you might be thinking, don't they have chicken ranches closer to home to visit? Well apparently not like this one ...... Pahrump's Chicken Ranch is a famous "legal" brothel.

On Thursday the brothel opened its doors to the group of students and lectured them on the brothel industry by the people who work it. It was a great way for the students to hear about the business from the working girls. After the lecture and tour the students were asked what they thought of the brothel business and many said it was hard to condemn the industry and women after seeing it in person.

A prostitute who goes by the name Alicia, left, shows her room to Johna, a student at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va.

The visit to the Chicken Ranch was one part of a an eight day tour through Nevada. The students also toured Hoover Dam, met with ranchers, and went back stage at a Las Vegas show. The field trip was part of a 12 credit semester long American Culture Program at the school.

The Chicken Ranch was mostly quiet during the Thursday field trip. A lone customer showed up a few minutes before the students were to arrive. He nervously glanced at all the folding chairs and camera tripods set up in the parlor and high tailed it out. He must have thought it was one of those Dateline sex traps.

Homemade bread in five minutes a day

2008-04-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

This is a great article in our food section that I want to share by J.M. Hirsch.

Artisanal quality breads in just five minutes a day? Not quite. But for that little effort, even breads that are merely pretty good would be worth baking. And that’s what Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois deliver in their forthcoming book, “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.”

The concept is inspired. Spend about 20 minutes making a large batch of refrigerator-friendly, no-knead bread dough that, following a standard rise, can keep for up to two weeks.

Each day, the desired amount of dough can be removed from the batch, shaped and baked (the basic recipe produces three to four small loaves). Total active time each day you bake is about five minutes.

Testing of the basic white and basic whole-wheat bread recipes (the book also offers dozens of variations and other breads) produced breads anyone would be happy to come home to.

Bread Boule in Five Minutes a Day

Start to finish: 20 minutes active to prepare the dough, 5 minutes active on day of baking.

3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour (no need to sift)
Cornmeal, for the pizza peel

In a 5-quart bowl, combine the yeast, water and salt.Add all the flour, then use a wooden spoon to mix until all ingredients are uniformly moist. It is not necessary to knead or continue mixing once the ingredients are wet. This will produce a loose and very wet dough.

Cover with a lid (not airtight), or plastic wrap with several holes poked into it. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse, about 2 hours, but no more than 5 hours.

After rising, the dough can be baked immediately, or tightly covered and refrigerated up to 14 days. The dough will be easier to work with after at least 3 hours refrigeration.

To bake, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it with cornmeal. Alternatively, overturn a baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal. This will prevent the bread from sticking when you transfer it to the oven.

Uncover the dough and sprinkle the surface with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough (serrated knives are best). Recover the remaining dough in the bowl and refrigerate for baking at another time.

Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick. Create a smooth ball of dough by gently pulling the sides down around to the bottom, rotating the dough as you go.

While stretching, most of the dusting flour will fall off. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out during resting and baking. This shaping should take no more than 1 minute.

Place the dough on the peel or overturned baking sheet. Allow the loaf to rest for about 40 minutes. It does not need to be covered. The bread may not rise much during this time; this is normal.

Twenty minutes before baking, place a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven. If you don’t have a baking stone, use another baking sheet. Remove any upper racks. Place a broiler pan on a rack below the pizza stone or on the floor of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

When the dough has rested for 40 minutes, dust the top liberally with flour, then use a serrated knife to slash a ¼ -inch-deep cross or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top.

Slide the loaf off the peel or overturned baking sheet and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. Allow the bread to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack.

Makes four 1-pound loaves of bread.

Recipe from Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois’ “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” Thomas Dunne Books, November 2007, $27.95.

Kitchen blunders that impact our diets

2008-04-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

According to Shape magazine there are eight kitchen blunders that impact the quality of our diets:

You’re overloading on produce

Make a couple of trips to the grocery store each week to buy your fruits and vegetables. The vitamins and minerals in these foods begin to diminish as soon as they are picked. The longer you store them the fewer nutrients they will contain when you eat them. If you can't shop every few days pick up frozen produce. These fruits and veggies are harvested at their peak and are flash-frozen immediately. Because the produce isn’t exposed to oxygen, the nutrients stay stable for a year. Just be sure to avoid frozen products packed in sauces or syrups.

You’re too quick to cook your garlic

Science shows that if you cook garlic correctly, they may have the power to fight off cancer. Chop, slice, or crush your cloves, then set them aside for at least 10 minutes before sautéing. Breaking up garlic triggers an enzymatic reaction that releases a healthy compound called allyl sulfur; waiting to cook garlic allows enough time for the full amount of the compound to form.

The only time you eat avocados is in guacamole

Adding this green fruit to salads and sandwiches is an easy way to raise your nutritional bar. Avocados are exceptionally rich in folate, potassium, vitamin E and fiber. It’s true that they’re also high in fat, but it’s the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind. And half an avocado has just 153 calories.
One novel way to work them into your diet is to use them as a fat substitute in baking. Researchers wanted to see if avocado could work in the same way without affecting the taste. They replaced half of the butter in an oatmeal-cookie recipe with puréed avocado. Not only did this swap cut the total fat count by 35 percent (avocados have fewer fat grams per tablespoon than butter or oil), it also made the resulting treats softer, chewier, and less likely to crumble than cookies made according to the original recipe.

Don't skimp on seasonings

Herbs and spices not only enhance the flavor of your cooking without adding fat or sodium, but many of these fragrant ingredients also protect you from food poisoning. After testing 20 common seasonings against five strains of bacteria (including E. coli, staphylococcus and salmonella), researchers found that the higher the antioxidant value of the spice, the greater its ability to inhibit bacterial activity. Cloves, cinnamon sticks and oregano were the most effective at fighting off these food-borne pathogens. A separate study shows that rosemary, thyme, nutmeg and bay leaves are also antioxidant-rich. Adding half a teaspoon of herbs or spices to salads, vegetables and meats can give you extra peace of mind and boost your intake of disease-fighting antioxidants.

Don't peel to much of your produce

Most of the antioxidants and polyphenols in produce are located very close to the surface of the skin or in the skin itself. Most fruit peels exhibited two to 27 times more antioxidant activity than the pulp of the fruit. Many of us remove the skins from eggplant, bell peppers, peaches, apples and nectarines while preparing recipes, but we’re really just tossing away nutrients and fiber. Gently scrub potatoes and carrots rather than removing their skin, and use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to pare away as thin a layer as possible from fruits and veggies that must be peeled.

You’re simmering away vitamins and minerals
Boiling vegetables can cause up to 90 percent of a food’s nutrients to leech out. Minerals like potassium and water-soluble vitamins like B and C end up getting tossed out with the water. Try steaming, microwaving or stir frying to retain the nutrients.

Wash all your produce before eating it

Most of us remember to rinse plums and berries before noshing on them, but when was the last time you doused a banana, orange, cantaloupe or mango with water? Harmful bacteria can linger on the surface and could be transferred to your hands or even to the inside of the fruit when you cut into it. To clean produce, simply run each piece under the tap and gently scrub. Using your hands to rub fruits like oranges, bananas and peaches under water is sufficient. When you’re done, dry the items with a clean cloth or paper towel. It’s important to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after you handle the items to further reduce the spread of bacteria. Also, throw out the outer leaves of greens like cabbage and lettuce before washing, as they’ve been handled the most and can have the highest levels of bacterial contamination.

Combine foods for maximum benefits

Pay attention to iron intake every day. Our bodies absorb about 15 to 35 percent of heme iron (found in meats and seafood), but just 2 to 20 percent of non-heme iron (from beans, whole-grain cereal, tofu and dark, leafy greens). Maximize how much iron you take in by pairing the latter group with vitamin C–rich foods and beverages, such as citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, strawberries and melons. Drinking tea or coffee at meals can inhibit how much iron we absorb by up to 60 percent. That’s because these beverages contain compounds called polyphenols that bind to the iron. Wait until you’ve completely finished your meal before putting the kettle on to boil.

Kansas Jayhawks and Tim win the big dance.

2008-04-09T11:01:00.001-05:00

What a great championship basketball game between Memphis and Kansas. During the entire game you weren't sure who was going to win. Well, two minutes left and Memphis is leading by nine, I thought great, I will win but that was not the case. As in all college basketball games you learn not to celebrate until the final buzzer goes off. After 64 games in the March Madness tournament, Tim and I pick the final two. Congratulation to the Kansas Jayhawks who proved they are the best. Also congratulations to Tim for winning our little bet. Payment time.

March Madness

2008-04-06T12:01:00.000-05:00

Tim and I love watching college basketball on tv. The end of the season is topped off with the March Madness tournament. Sixty-four of the best college teams are put together in brackets to face off for competition. We thought for the first time we would each fill out who we thought would win each game. We would then count the wins at the end of the tournament and the winner gets to pick a special prize...

It is funny how this has turned out. In the beginning Tim was beating me by 4 games but as each round was played I picked up an additional game. Yesterday the final four played. Tim and I are both tied in games won. Believe it or not, Tim picked Kansas to win it all and I picked Memphis. Those are the two teams who are going to the final game on Monday. Only one of us can win. Stay tune to the final results.

Mint 400 - The Great American Desert Race

2008-03-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we went to the Mint 400 off road race. During its heyday from 1968 - 1988 it was considered the most famous desert race in the world. It attracted Indianapolis 500 winners such as Parnelli Jones, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears, off-road racing pioneers Mickey Thompson, Walker Evans and Ivan Stewart, actors James Garner and Steve McQueen and astronaut Gordon Cooper.

Twenty years later, thanks to a local volunteer group of desert racers, the race was revived. Working with the Bureau of Land Management a 96 mile section of desert road was set aside for the race. It ran from Jean to Primm Nevada.

The event started on Thursday and Friday with all 325 cars showing up on Fremont Street downtown for tech inspections. Each car had to pass inspection before it can race on Saturday. Followed by music and drivers signing autographs. We got a few pictures of some of the cars on display.

Nice painted hood of this car. I'm sure this car was just for show and not part of the race.

The race started at 7 on Saturday morning. We heard the best place to view the race was behind Buffalo Bills Casino in Primm. I took a number of pictures but I wasn't able to capture the essences of the race. On the straight aways cars were going over 140 miles an hour. On the turns they were going around 60 miles and hour. We saw one car take a turn sharply and turn over. Race fans, on the side, ran out to the car and flipped it back into position. The car restarted its engine and took off. We were so close to the action that you could feel the power of the engines as they flew past.So instead of showing my pictures of cars frozen in time I'm showing this video I found on utube.

The view from one of the drivers:

We have never watch desert racing before. This was so exciting that I hope we have another opportunity to watch another race.

Parent's sue son's bully.

2008-03-26T14:48:00.000-05:00

I just got done reading the book, Nineteen Minutes. This news story was just on MSNBC. Instead of bulling leading to tragedy, as it did in the book, the parents and son are saying enough, and taking action against the bully. Hopefully this lawsuit will make the schools and police more accountable for taking action against bullies. Especially when the actions are caught on tape!

Parents sue son’s bully
Boy, 16, says his tormentors first targeted him in elementary school
By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 6:49 a.m. PT, Wed., March. 26, 2008

They started picking on Billy Wolfe in elementary school. In middle school, the assault of vicious words was joined by fists. In high school, it's the same.

When bullies in one Arkansas community feel the need to beat somebody up, they look for Billy Wolfe.

“I’m not completely sure,” the 16-year-old boy said on Wednesday on TODAY when asked why his life has been one of black eyes, cuts and bruises.

With his mom, Penney Wolfe, at his side, the Fayetteville, Ark., student watched as videos played. One shows a bully jumping him on the school bus and slamming his head against the window. Another, taken by a bully’s accomplice, shows a kid getting out of a car at Billy’s bus stop, walking purposefully up to him, and slugging him in the face.

“They get away with it, so they think they can just keep doing it,” Billy told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer. “I don’t really know what started it. Maybe ’cause I moved here in elementary school and it followed me all the way to high school.”

His mother echoes his words.

“I honestly don’t know,” she said. “From the first assault when the kids didn’t get in trouble, they thought it was OK. They thought, ‘He’s a good target, he’s an easy target, and it’s OK to hit him because we’re not going to get in trouble.’ ”

In addition to physical assaults, there has been cyber bullying that has ranged from an Internet posting that read “Everyone hates Billy Wolfe” to another accusing him of being gay.

His parents have pursued the normal avenues of redress, from talking to the parents of Billy’s tormentors to appealing to school officials. As the assaults have continued, they’ve finally resorted to hiring an attorney and suing at least one of the bullies. They’ve also gone public, telling Billy’s story to the New York Times, which played it on the front page of the newspaper.

Fair treatment?
Fayetteville school officials, citing privacy laws, say they can’t comment on the Wolfes’ allegations. Officials declined to appear on camera, telling TODAY that they have a no-tolerance policy toward bullying. “Unfortunately, from time to time these incidents will occur,” officials said in a statement, but when they do, the district aims for “fair treatment of all concerned.”

If only that were so, said the family’s attorney, Westbrook Doss Jr., there would be no need for a lawsuit against one bully and the possibility of more suits against other bullies as well as against the school district. The family does not dispute that disciplinary action may have been taken against some of the kids involved in tormenting their son, but, they say, no one has ever been charged with assault despite the video evidence.

“I don’t think that’s happening in Billy’s case,” Doss said. “There may be other cases where they’ve responded appropriately. What we’re asking for is appropriate response.”

In fact, in the New York Times article, the Wolfes said that they were told after one attack that perhaps their son brought it on himself.

“These kids don’t get in trouble,” Penney Wolfe said. “They don’t have to stand accountable to the law for assaulting him.”

The family refuses to move to another school district. They want their son to learn to fight for his rights, and they are helping him to do that. But his grades have suffered and there are many days when he begs to be allowed to stay home and not go to school.

Billy, who likes to play the guitar, is not without friends. “They don’t pick on me when my friends are around, because I hang out with some big people, and they don’t mess with them,” he said. “They get me while I’m alone, like waiting for the bus with my sister.”

Or, his mother added, like the time he was at his desk in shop class and another student blindsided him with an unprovoked punch to the jaw that tore open the inside of his cheek.

Lauer asked Billy if telling his story to the Times and TODAY won’t make him even more of a target.

“I kind of already know, because my friends have told me that people aren’t happy with me at school, but what can you do?” he said with a shrug of resignation. “If they’re going to be unhappy, they’re going to be unhappy.”

It's Official

2008-03-25T17:41:00.001-05:00

It's official, Catie and Kurt are expecting their first child on November 1st. Catie and Kurt will be married 2 years in August. Catie is our godchild/niece. This will be my brother Dave's first grandchild and my mother's first great grandchild. Now if only they find out what the sex will be, it will make our jobs of buying little gifts so much easier!!!! Congratulations Catie and Kurt!

Kristin's visit in pictures

2008-03-25T13:05:00.000-05:00

I would rather show our pictures of Kristin's visit rather than writing a lot of words. I'm sure she will be doing a lot of writing on her blog which you can read.

We did a lot of window shopping while Kristin was here. She did manage to find this beautiful hat to wear at the Kentucky Derby in May.

Taking advantage of the condo pool. Nice way to get rid of the Wisconsin pasty coloring.....

Kristin is training for the Boston Marathon which is in April. On Saturday she had to run 19 miles. Nineteen miles is a lot when you have some rather big hills to go up and down. Gets her ready for "heart break hill" in Boston.

We must have hit his coffee shop at least three times while Kristin was here.

Flowers by the District

Saturday night at El Jeffe's Mexican restaurant.

Dessert from Layers Bakery

Sunday - Calico Basin - Red Springs

Kristin comes for a short visit - too short

2008-03-25T10:04:00.000-05:00

Last October when my cousin came for a visit we saw a number of people dressed in suits (limo drivers) at the airport holding signs with people last names on them. We thought that would be a great idea for the next person we picked up at the airport. Imagine Kristin's surprise when she saw her father standing with the limo drivers holding a sign. According to Kristin's blog, it was a nice surprise.

Jodi Picoult - Nineteen Minutes

2008-03-24T17:19:00.000-05:00

I just got done reading, Nineteen Minutes, and can't stop crying. In this book, Jodi Picoult deals with a boy named Peter, who has been bullied throughout his school life and finally snaps. In 19 minutes he kills 10 people and injures 19 others. Usually books written about school shootings take the side of the innocent shooting victims. In this book you here about the other victim, the shooter. The author goes into great depth telling Peter's side of the tragedy. "He just finished what they started..." Jodi Picoult has such a great writing style that I actually felt Peter's pain starting when he was 5 years old. On his first day on the bus, a bully grabs Peter's brand new superman lunch box and throws it out the window where a car runs over it and smashes it. The same bullies will continue to torment Peter through his junior year in high school. There were a number of times Peter would tell someone of authority what was happening. No one would listen. In high school, Peter fought back. He received a detention, the other boys didn't receive anything because they were on the basketball team and there was a big game that weekend. Peter gave up. People will remember Peter for the 19 minutes he went on a rampage but will forget the over 3 million minutes of good things he did. This was a brilliant inside look into bullying, it’s consequences, the heartache of a tragedy, it’s aftermath, and remembering that even a murderer has a mother who loves him.

From the Book Jacket:

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.

Nineteen Minutes is New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else?

On Jodi Picoult's website she was asked why she wrote this book -

"As a mom of three, I’ve seen my own children struggle with fitting in, and being bullied. It was listening to their experiences, and my own frustrations, that led me to consider the topic. I also kept thinking about how it’s not just in high school where we have this public persona that might be different from what we truly feel inside…everyone wonders if they’re good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, no matter how old they are. It’s an archetypical moral dilemma do you act like yourself, and risk becoming an outcast? Or do you pretend to be someone you’re not, and hope no one finds out you’re faking?"

This book is one of the most memorable books I've read. I think this is a great book for all mom's to read. Our children should not have to tolerate bullies and bullies should be held accountable for their actions.

Save the candy raisins!

2008-03-20T09:41:00.000-05:00

In today's Milwaukee Journal there is an article about the famous candy raisin. The plant that produces these candies is closing in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Laurel Walker from the Journal wrote an article in the paper telling people of a petition that is going around to save this candy.

If your not familiar with the candy raisin, don't worry, it seems to be more of a Wisconsin thing. Candy raisins are translucent, honey-colored candy shaped like Jujubes, textured like Dots and flavored like light ginger. When my kids were in college I use to send them bags of candy raisins in their care boxes from home.

Gary Radke, 38, a candy raisin lover has started a petition at a website he has created www.savethecandyraisins.com. You can go there to sign the petition and learn more about Milwaukee's famous candy.

"Losing Candy Raisins, I'm told, would be like losing Brett Favre, Goldmann's Department Store, the United States Bowling Congress, or - heaven help us - bratwurst."

According to the Milwaukee Journal, the petition is getting a lot of buzz at the corporate headquarters. If this campaign is successful maybe it just won't be a Wisconsin favorite. Wouldn't it be nice if all the stores across the country started carrying bags of candy raisins!

So go to www.savethecandyraisins.com and sign the petition!

Kristin's welcome back

2008-03-18T11:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we sent this note to Kristin before she gets here on Wednesday. List of things to do, places to see and where to eat. One thing we forgot to put on was to spend the weekend watching all the basketball games on tv. This Thursday starts March Madness. Do you think she'll mind spending her time in the condo watching basketball?

Luck of the Irish

2008-03-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went across the street to Green Valley Resort for St. Patty's Day. We had our glass of Guinness and then stood in line and waited for our chance to pick out a lucky green piggy bank and a chance to win 1000.00. I guess there were many other people who had the same thought as us. The line was long. We saw a few people walk by with their green colored banks but the majority were white banks. Once we got up to the table, the boxes that held the banks were scattered all over the tables. Tim was first, he walked up to the table and picked a box. Opened it up and it contained a green piggy bank. So then he walked up to the next table where he picked a coin out of a leprechauns hat. He received a 5.00 coin. Next was my turn. I also picked out a green piggy bank which was surprising since everyone else around me was getting white banks. Like Tim I also received a 5.00 coin. Oh well. We found out latter that the hat contained only one 1000.00 coin, all the rest were 5.00. I wonder if anyone had the extra Irish luck to get the 1000.00.

As were were starting to walk out of the casino I saw all the people who had the white banks and decided I wanted one of those. So I went up to a lady who I saw had two boxes. I asked her what color banks she had received. She said two white. So I then asked her if she wanted to make a trade, one of my green banks for one of her white banks. She quickly agreed. So that is why in the picture above, I have one green and one white piggy banks.

St. Patrick Day

2008-03-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

Today is St. Patrick's Day. All around the city the casinos are serving corn beef and cabbage and plenty of Irish beer.The Irish pubs will have great Irish bands and singers. The Paris casino will have green water in their fountains. Not sure if the lake in front of the Bellagio is dyed green. Every casino has their own little tricks to get you into their building to do some gambling today. The Station casinos which own a number of neighborhood casinos is offering a piggy bank promotion to their loyal boarding pass customers. I'm hoping that Tim has some of his extra Irish luck to win the green piggy bank and up to 1000.00 in cash. For this promotion, the casino across the street, Green Valley Ranch , is participating so we'll walk across the street, get our traditional Irish beer at the Irish pub and then go check out the piggy banks. Wish us good luck!

Does this look like a neighborhood casino?

St. Patrick's day menu

2008-03-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Tim is half Irish, thanks to his mom. For the last 30 years, I have tried to make a nice Irish meal for the family on On St. Patrick's Day. Luckily for Tim, he'll get two Irish meals this year because St. Patty's day will be celebrated on Saturday and on Monday, at least in this house. On Saturday night we started out with a nice salad followed by Maggie Kerrigan's Beef Stew with a slice of Irish soda bread. For dessert we had Dicey Reilly's Apple cake sprinkled with some Irish whiskey. All these recipes were found in the cookbook, Elegant Irish Cooking, a collection of recipes by the world's foremost Irish chefs. Oops, can't forget our beverage was Guinness.

Monday's menu will be a corn beef roast cooked in Guinness, cooked all day in the slow cooker. The last hour we will add the traditional potatoes and cabbage. Dessert this meal with be a Irish Whiskey cake.

All recipes can be found on my recipe blog.

Book review - Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

2008-03-15T14:30:00.000-05:00

Eat to Live – Joel Fuhrman, M.D. The book, Eat to Live, was talked about in, The China Study. The key message from the book - ” For anyone to consider his or her diet healthy, it must be predominantly composed of high fiber, natural foods.”

Most vegetables contain more nutrients per calorie than any other food. Leafy greens such as romain lettuce, kale, collards, swiss chard and spinach are the most nutrient dense of all foods.

What I learned from this book:

1. Chicken has the same amount of cholesterol as beef. Chicken is almost as dangerous as red meat for the heart.

2. On a whole, a vegetarian will live longer than a person who eats animal proteins. But living a vegetarian life style does not guarantee good health unless the diet is filled with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Vegetarians who eat only processed foods such as crackers, bagels, and breads in their diets and forget fruits and vegetables will live no longer than a person who eats fruits, vegetables and chicken in their diet.

3. Many green vegetables have calcium absorption rates of over 50 percent compared with milk with about 32 percent. Researches have found that those who eat the most fruits and vegetables have denser bones.

4. If you chose to consume dairy, use fat-free and minimize to very small amounts. Eat 90% whole plant foods and eat only 10 % dairy.

Milligrams of Calcium in 100 calories:
Bok choy 1055mg
Turnip greens 921
Collard greens 559
Kale 455
Romaine lettuce 257
Tofu 236
Milk 194
Broccoli 182
Sesame seeds 170
Soy beans 134
Cucumbers 108
Cauliflower 88
Carrots 63
Fish 38
Eggs 32

If your goal is to lose weight, instead of going on Adkins or Zone diet try:

6 week – Eat to live plan - here is the basics to the plan

Unlimited
Eat as much as you want

All raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal 1 pound daily)
Cooked green vegetables (1 pound daily)
Beans, legumes, bean sprouts and tofu (1 cup daily)
Fresh fruit (at least 4 daily)
Eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onion, tomatoes

Limited

Not more than one serving (1 cup) per day
Butternut or acorn squash, corn, potatoes, rice, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, breads, cereals
Raw nuts and seeds (1 oz max per day)
Ground flaxseed (1 T)

Off limits
Dairy products
Animal products
Between meal snacks
Fruit juice, dried fruit

Foods to have in the house:
Canned beans – chickpeas, red kidney beans
Canned vegetable and bean soup
Canned Chinese vegetables – water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and others
Tofu
Frozen vegetables – peas, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, mixed chinese vegetables
Lots of low sugar fruits- strawberries, kiwis, oranges, grapefruits, melons, apples, lemons
Vinegars of your choice
Vegetables to be eaten raw, carrots, clery, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce and snow peas
Lots of vegetables for cooking – eggplant, mushrooms,tomatoes,cabbage,broccoli, string beans, swiss chard, kale, spinach, onions, garlic cloves
Whole wheat pita bread
Low calorie salad dressing

Closet Vegetarian now coming out?

2008-03-15T11:39:00.000-05:00

For the past couple of days I have been eating a vegetarian diet after reading "The China Study" and "Eat to Live," two great books about the food we eat. One of the main reasons for the change is I want to get my bad cholesterol number down naturally without any medications. I'm not saying I will stop eating meat in the future or become one of those extreme vegans, but I want to make some changes to the way I eat.

Yesterday Tim and I went to Panera Bread for dinner. I ordered my favorite sandwich which is the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich(Zesty piquant peppers, feta cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cilantro hummus on a tomato basil bread). I have been eating this sandwich for a couple of years. Tim looks at my sandwich and then at me and says he thinks I've been a closet vegetarian for years...... I thought about it for awhile and I think he is right. If I had a choice of a hamburger or a grilled portabella sandwich I would take the portebella. My favorite pizza would be basil, tomato and cheese.

Who knows how far I will take this. I'll let you know in a couple of months if my cholesterol number comes down.

Death Valley, California

2008-03-11T20:38:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we ventured out to Death Valley National Park. It is located around 130 miles from Las Vegas in California. Death Valley is around 3.4 million acres big and offers some of the most dramatic visual landscapes in the United States. Telescope Peak rises 11,049 feet elevation and lies only 15 miles from the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level.

Spring time is the most popular time to visit the park. Besides being warm and sunny you can view beautiful wildflowers if the past winter brought rain. We were lucky to have gone the beginning of March when the flowers were in full bloom. Parts of the desert were literally covered with yellow and purple flowers. Remember - with all the pictures posted on the blog, you can click them to get a more detailed picture.

Badwater - Death Valley

2008-03-11T19:32:00.000-05:00

Badwater is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Badwater Basin is a landscape of vast salt flats. The area got is name by a old miner going through the area. He stopped his donkey by the water to drink and the donkey refused. The miner put his hand into the water to taste it and said....bad water. The water is not actually bad, it is just salty.

This picture is opposite the salt flats. The mountain has a sign on it (look around half way up on the mountain). It says sea level. So you can get a perspective of how below sea level you really are.

Devil's Golf Course - Death Valley

2008-03-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

This is an immense area of rock salt eroded by wind and rain into jagged spires. The saying here is that "only the devil could play golf on such rough links."