Yesterday was amazing.
The day began with a brisk morning walk. The walk wasn’t brisk, the weather was. I am proud to say that I have passed the 21 day test of walking every day, usually in the early morning. It clears the mind, brings in more oxygen, and helps revitalize a person. You should try it. It’s not a long walk, usually only about 30 minutes. The coffee switch is hit just as I leave the house, so that it’s hot and waiting when I return. Aaaahhhhh the smell of coffee.
The walk was a bit earlier than usual, because it was Sunday and I try to attend the early service at Good Shepherd Lutheran here in Fond du Lac. That’s where the day became amazing. (oh, no! Juan’s going to talk about religion, run…..)
If you were to get some incredible news, incredibly good news, wouldn’t you want to share it? Of course you would. You might even go so far as to text everybody you know on your contact list! (yeah, I recently did that)
A two/tree line summary of the service is : The world doesn’t get it! Believers can’t get enough. Believers will seek to learn what HE has done. The ultimate peace and comfort comes through HIS word. Why not go listen to it? Why not read it? If something is bothering you, seek HIM for comfort, first. Not as a last resort. (OK, that wasn’t too much, was it?)
However, the day wasn’t over. Two good friends of mine showed up on my doorstep with a basket full of goodies. Six Fresh loaves of homemade banana/blueberry bread, AZ oranges and ruby grapefruit, homemade applesauce, stewed tomatoes, and salsa to die for. The first loaf of bread was consumed in a few minutes. Yum! A huge thanks to Lisa and Julia. Very thoughtful.
Oh, the day still wasn’t over. Since I love to b-b-que, I decided that my gas grill, even though it’s done a great job, wasn’t quite enough. On Saturday I had purchased about 60 pounds of charcoal. (of course it was on sale, duh) So I needed a charcoal grill. Now we all know that Weber makes the best grills, so I bought something else. (those that didn’t follow that logic, don’t know me. Those that did, are shaking their heads.) I get the grill home and began unpacking it. About 100 parts. If you’ve never seen a rocket scientist put together a grill, you have missed many laughs. Ok, about 2 hours later, I complete the masterpiece and only had 9 extra parts. Not bad, I thought. (some of you are still shaking your heads)
Tonight, Monday, is the initiation of the grill. Sort of a ceremony to the grill god. Lutherans, please disregard that last comment. Some steak, some pork tenderloin, some corn, some .....
The pics show the incredible complexity of the grill that I purchased. Hey, for $36, what did you expect!
Throw in some really cool phone calls from new and old friends, and what do you get? It was an amazing day, all around.

Extremely Useless Knowledge.
Topping this category is a website that I found called "Useful Latin Phrases" Yeah, you can wonder how I came across this website, but that won't change anything. So the Latin saying is "Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat" This translates to "My hovercraft is full of eels". It gets my vote for extremely useless knowledge. lol

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Last night came the fantastic news from Jamie that she was accepted into Williams College grad skool on a full tuition ride. How cool is that! So of course I had to look up where Massachusetts was located and how to spell it. Then I had to find Williams College. Fast facts about Williams College: Established in 1793 with funds bequeathed by Colonel Ephraim Williams, the college is private, residential, and liberal arts, with graduate programs in the history of art and in development economics. How cool is that. The undergraduate enrollment is approximately 2,000 students.
Williams is committed to a need-blind admission policy by which it admits students without regard to their ability to pay, and commits to meeting 100 percent of each admitted student's demonstrated financial need for four years.
There are three academic divisions (humanities, sciences, social sciences), 24 departments, 33 majors, plus concentrations and special programs. The student:faculty ratio is 7:1. The academic year consists of two four-course semesters plus a one-course January term.
Fraternities were phased out beginning in 1962. Coeducation was adopted in 1970. The school color is purple. The mascot is the Purple Cow. How cool is that! Sports teams are called "Ephs."
Williamstown is located in the Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts, 135 miles from Boston and 165 miles from New York City.
I do believe I can add Williamstown to my ‘must’ visit cities in the USA.
HE provides for us in many ways. HE has a plan. Thank-you!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The latest entry into my pub crawl book is a restaurant called FUSION on Main Street, here in Fond du Lac. Fantastic food and unusual decor! It is my 25th entry and sad to say my first entry in 2008. Their 'happy hour' is M-Fr, from 4:30 to 6:30. All beers are half price, $4 Margarita pints, $4 martini of the day, 25% off of bottles of wine. They are also proudly serve Patron Anejo Tequila, one of the smoothest tequilas North of the border. (without spending over $50 a bottle) Mark is the owner/chef and has some incredible dishes. For Easter and now for Mother's day, he has a fantastic buffet of many of his specialties. i.e. Crab Cake Benedicts with Hollandaise, and Jamaican Roast Pork Loin with Mojito Mango Relish.

Two of my favorites are in the middle photo, Jody on the left, and Lindsey. Angie, Ariyl, Jaime, Sarah, David, and Sean also are great and make you feel welcome. Fusion is a high recomendation with 5 stars. The other photo has Ariyl, Sarah, Jody, and David. April 22 was Jody's last night as she moves on to another career. I will miss her smiling face, but wish her the best.

As for beers, they are one of the few places that serve Dogfish 60 IPA, a real treat for beer lovers. Sierra Nevada is also available, along with Guinness. Only one beer on tap, Killian's Red, but the rest of the ambiance makes up for that.

Monday, April 21, 2008

It was quite the weekend. I organized my socks. Picture to prove it. On the fun side, I attended a confirmation of my friends' daughter, Brooke. It was a really nice service with some powerful words about God's purpose for each of us. It was titled, "Who cares? Who knows? Who delivers?" Afterwards there was a great luncheon in the church basement. Later in the day, I got an invite, to go to Cedar Lodge, the best country restaurant in these parts of Wisconsin. Quite possibly anywhere. Stuffed pork loin was my choice, but the beef tips looked equally good. Yum!! Thanks to Dale & Candy, the owners. That's it for today.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

yeah! tax day. (no comment) Last night was amazing. I was privileged to attend the Oshkosh Youth Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia Spring Concert at the UW-Oshkosh Music Hall. Fantastic! Waltz from the Ballet "Sleeping Beauty", overture to Rienzi, Final, Symphony No. 2 in C, "The Little Russian" and Star Wars were the pieces done by the Philharmonia, the younger group. The Overture to William Tell was incredible. Followed by Introduction to Act 1 of La Traviata, and Toccata & Fugue in D Minor performed by the youth orchestra.

The best part was that I was invited by my friends Ray & Pam and their kids Brooke and Aaron who were performing. Brooke on the violin and Aaron wailing on the cello. I highly recommend attending these events or similar events in your local area. It was a great event.

The photo has nothing to do with the symphony, but I wanted to add a photo of my office. I work. Really. As many of you know, I enjoy roses. Not just giving them. Some may recognize the pic from Ireland as my background. Enjoy. (no comments on the mess on the desk)

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Snowing, again. In April. What have I done? On a different subject, and you might not be able to read this menu, but it's from the Park Terrace restaurant which is part of the Culinary school here in Fond du Lac. The students, a team of 8, have to do all the planning for 8 different lunches as part of the degree. so on Wed and Thursday, they have some really nice lunches. The theme of this past one was Korean, and since I almost speak fluent Korean, I thought it would be appropriate to attend. So I did. Fantastic. Kimchi Pancakes, Jeon, Spicy Noodle soup, marinated lettuce wraps, wow! all good stuff. and inexpensive. In two weeks I will try their German theme lunch.

Back to shoveling......Mexico where are you????

Still Thursday, April 10, 2008

Here's a photo of the back side of the house/property that I am looking to purchase. yes the garage looks old, cause it is. But it's the backup garage. There is a brand new 2.5 car garage on the other side.

The house is a 3 bedroom 2 full bath house. The upstairs is a huge master bedroom suite that has recently and completely renovated, including the full bath. Tons of storage.

Downstairs are two more bedrooms and a full bath. Really cool hardwood floors in the dining and living room with beautiful woodwork and built-ins.

The basement is dry and has a couple rooms that could be finished into another suite. Washer and dryer reside in the basement. A newer furnace with central air. Nice.

The one drawback is the small kitchen and since I love to cook, I have to think about this one. Sure it could be redone and the house extended so as to make a larger kitchen, but ...... maybe future project for Pete & Sharon. The yard is huge and it even has a built in fire pit for those late night marshmallow roasts with friends. (both of them)

The location is nice and is off the main street, called Main Street. It backs up to an access alley next to a 'ditch' or small creek, but not a river. So there would be parking for a 25 ft. RV with access to electrical from the old garage. This is where the picture was taken.

Asking price, and any Californians reading this should sit down: $116,900 I will call the Power company today to find out the annual heating/electrical bill for the house. Stay tuned on this one.

Thursday, April 10, 2008
Some of you got a text last night saying that I had just met the real Rain Man, Kim Peek and that I got to hold a real Oscar award. (you know, the golden statue) Here are two pics of last night. (no jokes about the guy on the left, ok?) It really was a pleasure to meet such an amazing person. Hence my huge smile. And yes I challenged him to see if he knew what day of the week my birthday fell in 2021, when I turn 65. He was correct. If you google Kim Peek, you will get a bunch of info. Below is a portion of that:
In 1984, script writer Barry Morrow met Peek in Arlington, Texas; the result of the meeting was the 1988 movie Rain Man. The character of Raymond Babbit, although inspired by Peek, was portrayed as having autism. Dustin Hoffman, who played Babbit, met Peek and other savants to get an understanding of their nature and to play the role with accuracy (see Method acting). The movie caused a number of requests for appearances, which has increased Peek's self-confidence. Barry Morrow has given Kim his Oscar to carry with him and show at these appearances. They call it the "Most Loved Oscar Statue" since it's been held by more people than any other Oscar Statue. Kim also enjoys approaching strangers and showing them his talent for calendar calculations by telling them on which day of the week they were born and what news items were on the front page of major newspapers. Peek has also appeared on television. He travels with his father, who takes care of him and performs many motor tasks that Peek finds difficult.[

Friday, April 4, 2008
The long awaited debut of my Home Theatre Project (HTP) is finally here. Almost. I’m shopping for the crimson velvet drapes today to cover the two entrances and perhaps the two windows that are currently covered by Mexican blankets. Nice blankets, mind you. My futon was delivered yesterday, very cool. It is a full size bed, also, and has a nice coiled spring mattress. I still have marks from sleeping on friends’ sofa beds, so I decided to try the futon. (not complaining) I also found a deal on a pub table. It's made by Ashley and I like the quality. The pics also show my infamous Salisbury Pub chair. I had purchased the chair while I was working in England. My room for most of my stay was above the New Inn, a 700 year old pub with 4 sleeping rooms. I fell in love with this ‘chair’ whilst wandering through one of many antique shops in town. With permission of the owner, Colin, I brought the chair to the pub where it and I felt right at home. It was my ‘office’ chair from which I made many calls back to the team in California. (8 hour time difference) After almost 2 years, the chair has finally made it into my WI home. Welcome home, chair. I missed you. (certifiably crazy, I am, that I am) lol

Friday, April 4, 2008
Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.” Can anyone tell me who said this? I had stopped at the Main Exchange yesterday early evening just to say hi to Mary, have a pint, and go. That was the intent. Instead, I met two ladies (married) and struck up a conversation. Imagine that. They were hearty in their approbations and lavish in their praise. Ok, maybe they were drunk and couldn't’t really see well. But that’s not the point of the writing. How easy is it to make someone else feel pretty darn good just by giving a small compliment. I thought about what these two said long after I left and during this morning’s walk. Of course the opposite is true, but that’s another writing. So the goal today, and every day thereafter, is to practice the art of complimenting. Not false or forced praise, but honest appreciation. Join me?
Some of you heard this last week, but the sad news was that Johnathan’s Bistro suddenly and overnight closed last Friday. It was my second office. My second home. And it’s sad to see that broken. 15 friends became jobless, overnight. That can be frightening. On Monday, they met at the Holiday Inn and invited me. I had become the most underpaid employee at Johnathan’s. lol The pics are from that night. I wish the best to all of my Johnathan’s family, and hope that the friendships that were made, continue. I clink my coffee mug to Ashley, Nathan, Brett, Kelly, Amy, Gabe, Sabra, Ally (2), Coral, Philip, Chris, Aaron, Lindsey, and the entire crew. Thank-you! I will miss you.

Friday, March 28, 2008
It’s 2am, can’t sleep, which explains why I’m adding to my blog, finally. Some of you have asked about the progress of my Home Theatre Project. (HTP) Some of you really don’t care, but politely ask. Others….really don’t give a rip. Lol Progress report: work in progress. I have purchased the first HD LCD screen and it looks pretty good. A good friend of mine gave me a 5.1 surround sound system to get me started. I have just completed the platform that raises the room 11 inches for rows 2 and 3. The same friend gave me the carpeting for the platform, which will be installed today. I will order the pub height table this weekend along with a really nice futon/couch. Curtains/drapes are next on the list to cover the two entryways. So, there you have it. The first Grand opening might be as soon as December. I mean April 5th. Some of you might have noticed the lack of breakneck speed associated with this project. Rush and retirement are not related. thank you very much. Good Morning.

Thursday, March 27, 2008
I had the pleasure of dining at the Park Terrace which is the restaurant here in Fond du Lac associated with the culinary school of Moraine Park Technical Institute. The students, a team of 8, put on 8 different lunches during each semester. Today’s cuisine was Greek and the food was fantastic. I had the Greek Saganaki, which is Kasseri cheese marinated in ouzo, pan seared and served with pita bread. Along with a tomato, cucumber and feta salad, I had the Spanikopita which is a crisp phyllo dough stuffed with Montrachet goat cheese, pine nuts, rosemary, parsley and garlic. (no, not sage) To finish off the meal, one must try the Baklava with ice cream. No, I didn’t eat all that myself, I shared. Learned that next month they will have a German theme. Can’t wait.

So the picture has nothing to do with the meal I just described. But it is food. Get the connection? Actually it is one of my creations called Parmesan Sun-dried Alfredo Prawns over Bugatini. Very nice with a Pinot Grigio. Or if you insist, a new 5 liter Fransia Box Wine.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Anybody from Wisconsin remember the historic Octagon House located here in Fond du Lac? To refresh your mind, here is a short clip from the website: http://www.octagonhousefdl.com/
This National Registered Historic Home is first and foremost a private residence. Built in 1856 by Isaac Brown, with architectural design of Orson Fowler, it holds both mystery and fascination. Constructed on an established 1814 settlement and trading post, this 12 room grout home became the wedding gift to Edwin Brown (son of Isaac) and his bride Ruth Pier, as residence until his death in the battle of Antietam, in 1862.
The Octagon House features 9 secret passageways including an underground tunnel, found by current owner, Marlene Hansen during restoration in 1975. Used for a safe house in the 'underground railroad' the home would have kept its secrets forever, if not for the foresight of the Hansen's and their efforts to save this landmark from demolition.
Today this Talking House is at the head of Fond du Lac's Historic District, preserving history for generations to come!
So that’s really interesting, John, but….OK, it’s for sale and myself and two friends were given a tour by the owners along with my realtor. What an amazing house. The history that fills and surrounds it, is awesome.
The asking price is $189,000 and included in the sale are the three outbuildings that have great significance. The carriage house, the largest, is a two story rental apartment. The occupant doesn’t want to leave and currently pays 50% of the ‘new’ mortgage. The 2nd building was the old woodshop and could easily be used as a woodshop. (Brilliant, JOHN!) Or rented as an antique shop. The smallest building is currently housing gardening tools.
There are 3-4 bedrooms upstairs along with a full bath. Downstairs has an owner’s suite off one of two kitchens. A summer and main kitchen. Besides giving tours for $10/person, the current owners hosted 6 dinners a year which included a candlelit tour of the house, buildings, and the secret passageways. She also ran a costume rental shop and guests would dress in period costumes for dinner. The house is more of a museum with 1000’s of civil war relics.
I could go on and on, but I won’t. I have started to do some homework on the house and the permits that might be required to make it a B&B. One of my dreams. I shall keep you posted as the plot thickens. Enjoy the pics.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

I was to have landed in Seoul, Korea sometime today......didn't happen. 14 reasons why I should not go to Korea were assembled on the left side of the list, only 10 on the right. The scales were tipped, and at the 11th hour, I pulled the plug. Regrets? None. OK with the decision? Yes. Now to start unpacking.

Yesterday, Saturday morning, I got a reminder of my decision; my passport with an official Korean VISA was delivered.

For those wondering, one of the 14 reasons was I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to attend my daughter's graduation, May 22nd. Actually, I would have attended regardless if I was given permission, and it would have been the end of the assignment. My style is to give it 100%, and not quit, so I sent 'them' my letter of intent to withdraw.

For those not wondering, don't read that last paragraph.

So what about the other 13 reasons? All I will say is that friends, old & new, played a part in the decision. Thanks to all of you that wanted to see me get my 'butt' out of Wisconsin. More thanks to those that didn't. You know who you are! lol

In order to make this blog entry a bit more interesting, I've included a few pics of the crew at Jonathan's who were celebrating my staying. (that's what they told me)

Brett, Nathan, Lyndsey, Coral, and Philip.

The other photo is my 'brother' Ray. A new friend, com-padre, and co-president of the Patron Social Club (Fond du Lac chapter).

The ice photo is trying to capture one of the worst winters in the history of Fond du lac.

Enjoy! And it feels good to be here.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

You know you're in Wisconsin when you see these sorts of things. Note that the fun is on Lake Winnebago. Not near, next to, or in the proximity. No, ON the lake.

Ice Bowling and Outhouse races. Life really doesn't get much better than this. The sturgeon spear fishing contest is the week before. I'm not making fun of the new past-times that I'm seeing. The creativeness of frozen people is amazing. Can't imagine what Alaskans think. Having met a few, I guess i can. They are wonderful and creative. (Salute to Gail, Pablo, Katie, and others)

Got really hit by a big snowstorm yesterday. Actually it snowed for almost 24 hours. Some of you know that my winter driving skills were severely diluted whilst living in California. Always thirsting for knowledge, stop laughing, I endeavor to expand my learning by doing. I rarely let an opportunity go by to drive in some of the most horrendous weather, and yesterday was no exception.

I had been invited to participate in a 3 o'clock manager's meeting at Jonathan's restaurant. (ok, that's another story) Jonathan's is located on the North side of Fond du Lac, about a 10 minute 'normal' ride from my casa. (hint of the strong urge to return to Mexico) Now mind you the wind was blowing, the snow was deepening, and the visibility was......zilch. It would have been simple to just call, and explain the circumstances, and sit at home cuddled up to the Closing Bell on CNBC. But no....... I wanted a challenge. Reviewing my alphabetized to-do list, I realized that I had about 6 errands staring me in the face. (ok, it was exactly six, not about) So here was my challenge: Perform all 6 errands before the meeting, and punctuality counts. Off I slid. Now along the way, I was given hints that this self-imposed challenge might be stupid. Two of the stores/stops were closed. The Mall was getting ready to close. Looking around, all I saw were snowplows and emergency vehicles and a few other idiots. This is really a good way to learn how to drive in snow and ice. Really!

Sliding into intersections and spinning to get started did not deter me from my goal. As you might have guessed I showed up on time for the meeting. The meeting that had been cancelled. Oh, well, I flipped open the laptop, ordered an ice water with lemon, and dug into my homework. About two hours later, and another ice water, they closed the restaurant. Final hint. Go home.

All was well until I approached my driveway and noticed the not so hidden 2 foot barrier of snow blocking my intentions. "Just blast through it!" was what the tiny little image sitting on my shoulder shouted. Before the other image could speak, I hit the gas. BAM! Stuck! Halfway in the driveway, a part in the gutter, and a part on the street. On with the flashers.

Images of a broken AAA card with the last 3 digits missing flashed through my head. The sight of our lonely orange shovel, leaning against the house brought another thought. "Who's going to shovel me out?" lol

About 10 minutes of winter labor, and some creative transmission abuse, I was free. Free to blast forward and wedge myself next to the house. Tomorrow is another day, deal with it later. Sebastions is across the street, another nice restaurant in town, with a roaring fireplace and their infamous 'double bubble'. With 3o minutes to spare, I leaped across the snow banks, now that's a picture, and found an open table near the fire. Actually the place was quite empty...duh! Sipping on a favorite beverage, I reflected on the day's learning experiences. Nothing. Didn't learn a thing. I love this place.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Wisconsin Badger Marching Band!

You know you're in Wisconsin when you go to a Badger Rally, two months after the footbal season ended. You also know you're in Wisconsin when you wear a short sleeve shirt because the temperature climbed up to 25 degrees. (I really did this yesterday)

Awesome! Is but a hint of the degree of excitement when the Wisconsin Badger Marching band strikes up! From the moment they marched into the huge new gym at Fond du Lac High School, to two hours later, when they finally stopped playing, the crowd of almost 1000 were on their feet.

There was a sea of red shirts, except for me who absent mindedly wore blue. What was I thinking! I still have the red W stamp on my hand to prove that I attended. (perhaps it is time for a shower!)

The pictures simply do not do justice to their performance. I spoke to one of the students during the performance, and she said that only 160 of the 360 piece band was participating. I can't imagine the 'noise' if all of them had showed up. As the photos show, I couldn't get much closer. What a show!

Enjoy. I certainly did.

Wisconsin Packer Party!

This could be any of the 16 plus Packer games, but this one was the Seattle/Packer game on January 13, 2008.

Lynn Farr, an awesome Packer fan and friend, hosts these Packer Parties at her house. The lower level of her home is a shrine to the famous and fabulous Green Bay Packers. She is a close and personal friend of Donald Driver and you know it every time Donald catches the ball. It was a sad day on January 20, 2008, when the Giants, in overtime, outscored the Packers. However, the other 14 wins still remain a blur in my mind. ( a happy blur) Thanks Lynn for your hospitality. Can't wait until September.....only 6 months away.... GO PACKERS! Some of you reading this may admit that you recognize the fans in these photos. Others just aren't that brave.

Mangini/Janke Wedding

December 28, 2007

Yes, I know I stepped back a few days from New Year's Eve, but I am trying to update my blog. These pics are from a very special wedding that occurred the last Friday of 2007. Kevin Mangini and Jenny Janke were married. The wedding took place at St. Peter's Lutheran in Modesto, my former church. The reception took place at Chez Sheri in Manteca, my former golf course and hangout.

As the photos show, a good time was had by all. I took over 75 phots, but I only had space to post these 8.

Congratulations Kevin & Jenny and best wishes in the future. As for Mark, the father of the groom, I don't know what to say. (except that you behaved rather well) Can't say that for Pastor and Carol. (a bit on the rowdy side, but then all things are relative.)

Enjoy.