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Showing posts with label Lisa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lisa. Show all posts

Thursday, January 18, 2024

A memory of Junie's

Last week when we were at Rocky Rococo's, Junie told me of a memory she has from 5th grade: she won a reading contest, and Mr. Byrne's was handing out free pizza certificates as the reward. Junie listened to instructions and waited until after school to pick it up, but by that time her friend EVIL ONE/Bella had already gone in and claimed Junie's prize. 

Devastated, Junie went home crying and her Momma took her and Smiley for pizza at Rocky's to make up for it. 

Friday, January 5, 2024

My New Threads

For Christmas Lisa got me a gift certificate for a suit from the tailor shop next door to my office building. 2 days after christmas, on the 27th when Lulu and I went down to Kenosha I went in for a fitting. 

A couple days ago I picked it up but today was the first day I wore the new Duds. The suit felt notably higher quality than the ones I own from Men's Wearhouse and DXL. And I thought I looked great in in it.


I did receive several compliments during the day about the suit, a few more specifically about the tie, but the most impactful comment probably came from a homeless woman that saw me walking to the courthouse. 

Quoting the woman "You look great.  Today."

LOL


I'm not sure why I look so glum that last picture I guess she just hit the shutter at the wrong second.

What a great gift Lisa thank you!

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Dinner at OG


Late in the afternoon Lisa and I set out for a funeral in Pleasant Prairie of the mom of one of her coworkers, but we got a flat tire on my Mazda before we even left our neighborhood.

Thankfully Mr P's was open and gave us quick and efficient service patching the tire. Kudos to them. 

After the funeral home Lisa and I visited an Olive Garden nearby. It was one of the nicest Olive Garden we've ever been to, and the food and service was very good. 

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Date Night in Cedarburg

On Saturday Lisa and I went on a date to see "White Christmas" at the Rivoli, a historic theater in Cedarburg. This is the second year in a row we've gone to see WC at a theater, and it's a tradition we hope to maintain. 

To our surprise and delight, Cedarburg's downtown was picturesque, full of  Christmas music and holiday lights. It was a bit like walking through Bedford Falls itself!



We stopped into a historic home that was having an open house and saw a sink that wasn't far removed from what we lived with for a decade. 




Dining options were at a premium as the street was packed. We finally found open seats in the heated tent behind the Lime Cantina. 




The chips and salsa? 10 out of 10. 


Lisa loved the tortilla soup


Their elote sucked, as did their rice and beans, but my word! The mole on the enchiladas was marvelous, and (to me at least) carried more than a hint of cinnamon. 


Then it was time for the movie at the charming theater. We had to get their early to get seats as the owner warned us it was going to be a sellout, so we sat and chatted for about half an hour. 



It was a great date night with my lady! XO
 



Monday, November 20, 2023

Real Chili


I met up with Lisa and Junie  at Real Chili after Lisa scooped her from a driving lesson. While we were there we bought a bowl for a homeless man that was passing time in the restaurant drinking a water. I mention this not to point out our charity, but to laugh about the fact that he turned down my offer of a hot dog and insisted on the chili, which was twice the price LOL

Thursday, October 12, 2023

The 2023 NKOTB Cruise - arrival day

Wednesday, after months of planning and stress, Lisa and her friend JJ departed to Miami to embark on the 2023 NKOTB Cruise. This was to be the second such trip for Lisa and the first for JJ. 

As we learned from our own cruises together, it is always best to travel to the port city the day before embarkation, not only to avoid any travel delays that make you miss the ship, but just to de-stress and unwind. 

(Update: the next day a bomb scare in Baltimore delayed/canceled many flights and yes, some fans missed the ship and lost out on their vacation)

I dropped them off at O'Hare for an 11am flight and they were on the way!


Once I got to Miami they went to a merchandise pop up for the cruise where they were excited to see and take a photo with Danny Wood!



And they met Danny's Dad!

They eventually met up with Carina, Lisa's European friend and her roommate last year on the cruise.

Officially the vacation I hadn't even begun yet so there was a lot more to come . . .

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Titanic: The Musical

Last Thursday Lisa picked me up from work and we headed out to Fort Atkinson, about an hour from work/90 minutes from home,  to see Titanic: The Musical at the Fireside Theater.



Lisa tried both "The Grand Staircase" and "The Wheelhouse." She didn't get past the first sip or two of the former, and I drank most of the latter. 

On Thursday's the dinner is a buffet, but starts with a salad served at your table. 


I clearly overdid it with the protein, but both the selection and the flavors were wonderful. 


Dessert was a disappointment. Chocolate creme brulee that tasted like cake batter and no crunch to the surface. Fail. 





For the show itself a first: balcony seats.


The view was spectacular. 


We knew nothing of the musical before the performance, but both the inventive set design and the stellar voices of the ensemble cast deserve praise here. The music is great, but I'm not a fan of some of the historical myths that it propagated: it demonizes Ismay, paints Smith as a frail man eager to please, and completely emasculates Murdoch. 

Anyway, you don't go to a musical for the history, right? 

As a musical, it was worth every penny. And as a date, it was the bomb. 



Sunday, September 17, 2023

The New Face of Memes

After sending these two pictures in the family group chat: 


Lisa wrote and jokingly said I should be the new face of the "woman trying kombucha" meme:




She was only kidding, as I said. But . . . . why not? Go ahead folks, make me a meme!



 


Saturday, September 16, 2023

Goodbye A&J's Polish Deli

This afternoon Lisa and I met up with YaYa and Alex at A &J Deli on Lincoln, just east of 13th St. Earlier in the week we'd heard the sad news on Facebook that they were going out of business, and we wanted to stop by, not only to stock up, but to say our goodbyes to a fine place. 


From the first glance, it was obvious the news wasn't just correct, but had been met with a similar reaction in the Polish community. 



All we wound up walking out with was a jar of pickles, red cabbage, jam, beet chrzan, and a bag of milk cookies. Oh, and a bottle of Polish alcohol for YaYa. 

The owner was there and said he was retiring, but I don't know, it didn't seem like a planned move. In recent years another Polish store, Wioletta's, has gotten a lot of press attention and foot traffic. I have to imagine - and imagine is all it may be - that Wioletta's greatly impacted their bottom line. If so, it's a shame. A&J's felt real - Wioletta's  . . .man, it's like shopping at a Target. 

RIP A&J's. We'll miss you. 
.

Frank Llyod Wright's Burnham St Homes

This morning Lisa crossed a long time wish off her bucket list. She grew up along Layton Boulevard in Milwaukee, only a few houses away from a group of Frank Lloyd Wright homes along Burnham Street. Two tickets and four decades later she finally got a chance to tour them. 



In 1915 Wisconsin native and self-proclaimed world's greatest architect Frank Lloyd Wright signed a contract to create the American homes. These are homes of his own design, modified for a middle-class budget, and built of pre-cut lumber. While his goal was obviously to make money, philosophical intention was to make even a lower or middle class home a work of art in America, and he envisioned selling tens of thousands of these. In the end largely because of World War i, the plan failed and a very small number of the homes were built.

That's what makes the Burnham Street houses an incredible treasure, right here on Milwaukee's South Side. Not only were these the first he constructed, in order to use these as examples for future sales, but there are not one or two but six American homes on a single block.

All the homes were held by private owners for decades and given that more than a century has passed many modifications were made over time. The charitable organization that now operates five of the six homes endeavors to put them back in the exact condition they were in the moment the sale was completed in the 1910's.

The first few houses are duplexes. All feature a built-in breakfast nook

And open it to the air sleeping porch, as was common in the days before antibiotics when disease was rampant and fresh air was seen as a preventative.


Alas he chose a Innovative stucco for the exterior that failed after 20 years and, even worse, was ridden with asbestos.

There were many rumors about the houses and their history that Lisa heard growing up, and I heard many of them as well not only from her but other people who lived in the neighborhood. Things like only two of the houses were actual Wright houses, while the others were copycats. That is untrue, but logically I think it stems from the extreme modifications a few of the owners did to the exteriors. 

There is also the tail of the east most house having been built for a friend of Wright. The story goes that on the basis of that friendship, Wright consented to include a garage for him despite his known distaste for garages. The docent adamently labeled this false, but they were a few photographs from the original owners on display and it does seem, at least my eyes to show a contemporary garage or shed on one of the properties. Not everything of the era is fully known yet so perhaps that neighborhood story will wind up having a kernel of truth after all.

The second house from the East was completely restored beginning in 2004. It now features a gorgeous front porch leading to a recessed front door under a consciously low pergola, which then opens to a large atrium.


Keep in mind this model is only 805 square feet, and yet it has an atrium big enough to accomodate the entire tour group. 

The house, unusual for the era, had a fireplace in the center of the home, subtly dividing the space. 


I think this is one of the greatest features he put into the homes; he was a big believer in the corner windows to not only let in more light but to tie the room in with the outside world.

The home featured 3 paint colors on the wall, to give the impression of more height. 

Stunning furniture - recreations of the originals. 


Here's the breakfast nook of this house

The kitchen features a builder decision that was grossly unsafe, a stairwell that began within the kitchen itself, with the floor just ending in front of the icebox. I'm sure more than one time the original owner went for something in his icebox and wound up stumbling down the stairs. As this violated the original design plans, it is believed to have been one of the things that led Wright to sue for the right to end the contract with the builder. 


The bathroom didn't really impress me or scream "old" as I've lived in places with similar rooms. 


 The tour was supposed to take between 30 and 45 minutes. We spent ninety minutes on it, and loved every minute. 

If you visit Milwaukee, make sure to make time to see those houses!