Wednesday, July 30,2008
Third day of the incredible EAA AirVenture. Very cool planes. Today it was Cathy, her sister, Sharon, and her husband, Steve that attended the shows. The coolers were loaded, the sandwiches made, and the chips were crisp...we were ready. The air show lasted almost 3 hours and the return of the Harrier jet was impressive. The day was gorgeous with a slight breeze and a few clouds, as the photos show.
After the show we headed back to the cars and dined sumptuously on sandwiches and cool beverages. About 8pm we packed up our chairs and headed back to the Theatre in the Woods where the ventriloquist, Jeff Dunham was performing. What a crowd! Not sure if the people outnumbered the mosquitoes or what! The guy is pretty funny, and for those of you that haven't' heard of him, he has 3, 4 if you count the Mexican stick, dummies. Walter, Ahhkmed, and Peanut. A great laugh. It was after 11:30 before returning home. Way past this old man's bed time.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Day 2 of the incredible AirVenture show in Oshkosh. Today I had the pleasure of escorting a beautiful young lady named Julia to the show. (again, thanks Cathy for the tickets) We arrived at 2pm or 13:59 for you engineers and geeks reading this. (same difference, just being polite)

The one photo shows Julia by the Dreamlifter. (mentioned in yesterday's entry) When we entered the EAA grounds, I told Julia that she might see one of the largest planes ever. I pointed it out when we were about a 1/4 mile away and she wasn't that impressed. Her eyes got considerably larger as we neared. As did mine.

She got to sit in a real Navy helicopter and go inside the Duggy: Smile in the Sky Plane. Later, during the show, they used that plane to drop 6 parachutists. Really cool stuff for a 52 year old, and a 10 year old.

After a stroll through some of the large hangars where we gathered the 'free' stuff, and a stop at one of the food vendors for some chicken tenders, we positioned ourselves right on the flight line, sat back in our chairs, feet propped up on the deluxe wagon, that I made Julia pull, and prepared ourselves to be dazzled. And dazzled we were. The first hour was nothing but really cool Warbirds. Nearly a hundred of them. A sight to behold, indeed. Then the regular airshow began. After several incredible displays, we decided to call it a day, and make our way back to the vehicle. (car) A really fun day with a really cool young lady. Thanks, Julia.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Tons of excitement in the area this weekend with the opening day of EAA AirVenture 2008 in Oshkosh. The skies were buzzing with the arrival of all sorts of weird looking planes this past weekend. This the is largest airshow of it's kind in the world. HUGE! Over a half million people are expected during this 7-day event.

Thanks to Cathy who works at the EAA Museum, I will have a chance to attend almost every day, beginning with today, opening day. Thanks, Cathy!

Some of the events today included the only aerobatic helicopter show in North America. The Red Bull Helicopter did some things helicopters can't do, like fly upside down. Think about that for a minute, and wonder. (ok,time's up)

The 4 person team called the Collaborator Formation Flying Team were one of my favorites. Incredible stunts, hard to describe, just had to be there thing.

Perhaps my favorite, shown above, was the performance of the the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B "Harrier II" jump jet, the unique fighter aircraft that features vertical takeoff. Very awesome and loud.

We watched the Boeing Dreamlifter, shown above, arrive. This colossal modified 747-400 aircraft is one of only three in the world. It features a significantly enlarge fuselage allowing it to carry more cargo by volume than any airplane. Humongous does not even describe this giant.

For those that are old enough to remember the 70's and for those that are old enough and can't remember the 70's, Foreigner played on opening day. It it weren't so hot and shadeless, it would have been more enjoyable.

As you might be able to tell from this blog entry, it was FUN! More coming on Tuesday and Wednesday. Enjoy.

For more excitement and pics and info, go to: www.airventure.org

Monday, July 21, 2008
Following the visit from Phil Z., my good friend, Brenda, from Harrisburg, PA flew into Milwaukee. Shown above with the infamous Fond du Lac lighthouse. A stop at one of the local golf courses, a few antique stores, and most of the local drinking establishments filled the 3 day trip. In tribute to Phil's just about patented breakfast of 'beans-on-toast' (Wisconsin style when you add bratwurst and horseradish) Brenda 'enjoys' a send-off breakfast. Not so sure here fellow passengers did.

Ah Mire! Un pollo! or in English, Oh Look! A chicken.

July 22, 2008 and still my birthday month. When will it end! My good friend, college roomy, former co-worker, Phil the Zablocki popped into town late on Saturday night. On Sunday I showed him the highlights in/around Fond du Lac, i.e. Lakeside park, the infamous lighthouse, Cedar Lodge, cheese curds, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Rowlands Brewery. Life doesn't really get much better than that. Unless you get involved with a heated dingleball game. Not telling you the score. Enjoy.

REO Speedwagon comes to the Fond du Lac County Fair!

The evening began with a great fajita dinner over at Pete/Sharon/Carolyn's place. After a few quality beers and cheap time, I decided to attend the county fair.

You read that corrrectly. With a little encouragement from my roommate, David, I forced myself to attend a county fair last night only for one reason, to hear REO perform. Not the corn dogs and cotton candy or the lure of free cheap stuffed animanls. Hey, for $10, it was worth it. The pictures tell the story, so I won't. Enjoy. They still sound great.

More Birthday News!
It's like my birthday never ends. First it's birthday month, that starts July 1st. Then it's birthday week and then it's ..... you get the point. Hey, I'm a good receiver! lol
Another favorite establishment in Fond du Lac is the Backyard Grill & Bar, shown above. Not just because they have a dozen brews on tap including Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Not just because they have a mug club where you get a free dinner during your birthday month. Not just because they have double bubble M-Th and mug club members get the large glass for the same price as the pint glass. Not just because they have a dozen HD tvs with sports on most of them. Not just because they know me by first name. (how tough was that one!) Hi NORM! Ok, it's all those reasons. But I digress. Oh Look a Chicken!
I met Cathy at Backyard for my birthday dinner. The rib sampler was fantastic. The meat just melted off. Cathy had the BBQ wrap which was ok, not great, just ok. Later I got a really cool shirt & tee shirt from her that fits perfect into my new wardrobe makeover. Shown above with me latest ensemble. Am I hot or what. (rhetorical, don't answer that) After 10 years, ok maybe 15 years of swim trunks and old tee shirts, it was time for improvements. I feel months younger!
The evening ended with..... hey, I can't say that. TMI (to much information) So I had to search the thesaurus for words. Avaricious! Edacious! Rapacious! or Ravenous! Pick one and make it your word of the day.
Final photo of this posting is Cathy attempting to communicate something about "Don't take that picture or I'll have to kill you." If you don't hear from me again, check under the fire pit for my remains. ok? lol (no really)

More Birthday Gifts!

On Tuesday, July 15th, I got quite a surprize from Julia & Lisa. Besides the birthday banners, and candles on a giant chocolate chip cookie, I received 9 loaves of blueberry/banana bread. Don't ask why there was only 9 and not 10. Then I unwrapped two wonderfully homemade stepping stones shown in these pics. Lisa made the one that says 'home' and Julia made the incredible sparkly stone filled one. They will be treasured for years to come. Completely disregard the photographer's ugly toes and out-dated sandals, that should have been thrown away. A pedicure is now on my bucket list, thanks to Lisa. In addition to these gifts, a wonderful card was made by Julia and I got to see her soccer game that night in which she scored a goal and her team won the game. Thanks for such special gifts from two wonderful friends.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Happy Birthday to me! That was yesterday. The big 52. Past middle age. Yikes! Sitting on my doorstep that morning was a package that contained quite a nice surprize. A five-pack of Dogfish 120IPA, a very rare and hard to find brew. But thanks to my friend, Brenda, in Pennsylvania (PA) the coveted brew arrived safely. The photo shows Dogfish glasses and a Dogfish cap, also compliments of Brenda. Thanks! To those that don't know anything about Dogfish, go to www.dogfish.com The brewery is located in Milton, Delaware. They also brew, besides other things, Dogfish 60 IPA, Dogfish 90 IPA, and yes, Dogfish 120 IPA. It is an extremely hoppy beer and after only one, you will be very hoppy. With an alcohol content close to 20%, be careful. I wrapped up a bottle of it yesterday and headed to Fusion, one of my favorite restaurants in Fond du lac. Of course with permission, I opened the 120 and carefully poured it into one of the Dogfish glasses that I leave at this establishment. AHHH! Nectar of the gods. Just for comparison purposes, I ordered a Dogfish 60 IPA, and poured that in another glass so that ..... not sure why I did that, but it was my birthday and it's all about me. Thanks Brenda!

Sunday, July 6th, 2008 The weekend is winding down and what a great weekend. How was yours? Before I talk about my weekend, those that are reading this were given special access to this blog address. I was beginning to get some strange comments, so I decided to restrict access to my blog. Enjoy!

Saturday was spent at Sharon's (Pete & Sharon) brother's campground. Just the other side of Chilton before Hilbert. A fun time was had by all. I think I counted 9 campers, tents, RVs, etc. Pete and I were the 2nd year volunteer chefs and grilled the brats and burgers. A competitive dingleball tournament filled much of the day.
These pics show Cathy enjoying her first camping trip. I must admit she handled it quite well. She quickly picked up on the dingleball game as evident in the 3 plus 2 plus 1 score shown in this picture.
A picture of House #56 with a very patriotic double flag presentation.
I hope your weekend was enjoyable.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

So where are you if you're south of Cambellsport, north of West Bend, east of Theresa, and in the middle of nowhere? Correct, Kewaskum, Wisconsin.

That was the site of one, if not the best, fireworks shows that I have ever experienced. Sight, sound, and feel made it fantastic. This small local town hosts a great show and the fact that you're so close to the action, makes it even better. The percussion of the fireworks shook your clothing and the ground. Cool!

Cathy and I joined her sister, Dr. Sharon and her husband, Steve for these festivities. My best guestimate was that there were approximately 8263 people enjoying the evening. Blankets, tarps, and ice chests dotted the park grounds in anticipation of a truly increbile pyrotechnics display. Of course you knew you were in Wisconsin when the polka band sounded, the brats were grilling, and tons of beer was flowing. A great time was had by all, but especially us.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

So how many 22" Weber grills does it take to cook for 2 people? My last night in CA was spent with a good friend, Phil. These two photos show the minimum requirements for guy grilling. A great chicken and roasted corn dinner was enjoyed by all. Hey, when two engineers get together for a bbque, things are instrumented and discussed in great details. Pretty exciting, it is.

Did you know that 5 out of 4 people can't do fractions!