Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Here in the beer capital of America and I'm drinking water???? What's wrong with this picture. Today's pictures are all from the magnificent Art Museum. The architecture alone is worth the trip!

1. Approaching the museum along with 15,000 others in a charity walk/run

2. Incredibly beautiful grounds

3. The beatiful Burke Brise Soleil sun screen

4. The sun screen closed

5. Judi and Lee watching the sun screen move

It was hard to get up this morning after a late night out on Door County. But onward and upward we go! Actually I-94 south to Milwaukee is how we go. The freeway heads due south from Green Bay to Milwaukee along Lake Michigan. Actually I can't attest to the veracity of that since Lee drove, Judi navigated, and I sat in the back sleeping. I'm not sure we could even see Lake Michigan from the freeway for when I awoke we were approaching Milwaukee at a crawl and Judi was listening to the radio and trying to take notes on the I-94 closure and detour.

It seemed like a very slow moving parking lot and we yearned for the old days in South Dakota! But we took a chance and got off the freeway and found ourselves headed in the direction of the Milwaukee Art Museum. We were feeling pretty smug until we began to encounter barricades set up at many intersections. We were getting close to the Museum and could see the giant sun screen off in the distance, and finally asked one of Milwaukee's finest how we could get to our destination and what was going on???? Seems we were encountering 15,000 runners, joggers, and walkers in "Al's Run for a Cure", not to be confused with Al Johnson of the roof grazing goats! So now what do we do? The Gotta Go Girls looked pitiful and the police officer asked, "Wanta park here?" We said sure, so he stopped traffic while Lee made a U turn, took down a couple of barricades and directed us to a parking spot at the curb. Even though it was a 2 hour space he said just come back an run the car back and forth a bit and we'd be fine!

And then we walked against the tide of Al's people and made our way to the entrance to the Museum in time to stand on the pedestrian bridge and see the sun screen close and then open. It was beautiful with Lake Michigan in the background and a clear blue sky. Breathtaking might be the word.

Surprise, surprise, we found the restaurant and had a wonderful lunch in very civilized surroundings of linen napkins and a wine list! We don't mess around. After lunch we agreed to meet in a couple of hours and we were off. The exhibits were fabulous and one of my favorites was the chair gallery. We could actually try out replicas of very famous chairs byFrank Lloyd Wright, Eames, etc. It is a first rate museum and we were weary after about 3 hours.

Found our car safe and sound with no parking ticket, thank you, Mr. Policeman. Drove out to the airport area where we checked into another Holiday Inn Express. The plan was to go back into town and have dinnner at an old German restaurant but I crashed, Judi dozed off for a bit and then she an Lee headed out for a quick bite nearby. I chose to stay in, hit our snack bag and just relax a bit. We are all headed for bed with plans to drive around the downtown area of Milwaukee in the morning and then on to Chicago. Windy City, here we come!

Love, the Gotta Go Girls

News from the Flash of Door County

Greetings but you better read fast because I am tired and going to bed!!!

1. White Gull Inn in Fish Creek, Door County, Minnesota

2. The Fire for the Fish Boil

3. Cooked White fish

4. Joanne, our waitress, boning Judi's fish

5. The Gotta Go Girls with Lake Michigan in the background

6. Caves which have been dug out by the water

7. Pigging out at...

8. Al Johnson's in Sister Bay, WI

9. Goats grazing on the grass roof of the restaurant

Judi was up early to take the car into the Toyota dealership for an oil change and check-up. The fellow gasped when he saw the dirty oil filters. Judi explained we had brought part of North and South Dakota, as well as Montana with us! We left for Door County when she returned, the Green Avalon in top notch condition! Door County is a peninsula that is very beautiful with little villages, farms, shops, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and lots and lots of boats. It might be compared to Carmel stretched out in a long line. It is a popular tourist destination both summer and winter. We drove a few minutes out of the city of Green Bay and we were on our way to a delightful day.

The weather was cold! and we used this for an excuse to stop in a bunch of shops and buy some new layers of clothes. The temperature should get down to 33 tonight and today with the wind blowing it was cold! There were white caps on Green Bay and Lake Michigan wasn't far behind!

We had outrageous desserts at Al Johnson's, a Swedish restaurant out near the end of the peninsula. It is pretty kitschy but enjoyable and his idea of planting grass on the roof of the restaurant and bringing in a bunch of goats to graze during the day is a real crowd pleaser.

Another big event in Door County is the Fish Boil. It is quite an elaborate ceremony where they build a huge fire and position boiling water over it. Potatoes and salt are added and that cooks for a bit. Then the chunks of whitefish are added and eventually the whole thing boils over after the boil master puts a little kerosene on the fire and there is a big flame up. Then he and an assistant lift the pots off with poles and dinner is ready to be served. You must have a reservation and we were lucky to get the last table for tonight at 8:00. By the time we ate our fill of fish, potatoes, cole slaw, tartar sauce, an assortment of breads and topped off with cherry pie a la mode, I was wondering how I am going to fit into any of my new clothes!!!

We drove into the motel parking lot at 10:45, Lee and Judi are already in bed and here I go also! Getting up early tomorrow to get to Milwaukee and the new Art Museum so we can see the wings of the modern building flap at high noon. Stay tuned for that one! Nighty night from 3 very tired Gotta Go Girls.

More Pictures from Minnesota (This is a test!)

Inside the Como Conservatory

Debi, Lee and Gerry sitting in a booth at the History Center exhibit of the Prom Ballroom which closed in the 1960's.

Lee is standing in front of the Sinclair Lewis home. He was born in a house across the street.

A sloth in the tree at the conservatory.

A building on Main Street in Sauk Center, home of Sinclair Lewis.

From (near) Vince Lombardi's Stadium, Home of the Packers

For all you non-football fans that title means we are in Green Bay, Wisconsin. But first the pictures from the last few days. From the top down (I think) :

1. Main St. USA--Sauk Center, Minnesota

2. Gerry sitting on Sinclair Lewis's boyhood front porch

3. Plaque in front of house

4. Our first stop in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

5. My "Oldest and Dearest Friend", Debi Rechnagle

6. Gerry thinking she could be a kernel of corn (ouch)

7. Judi showing off her ability to imitate one horsepower. NOT!!

8. Debi and some of her fellow workers at the Minneapolis History Center

9. Tornado display. Note the upside down piano!

10. Some of the many lovely plantings in St. Paul

11. Drinking fountain masquerading as a Japanese Lantern

12. Gerry on the bridge in the Japanese Garden. Note the reflection

13. Floating plants in front of Como Conservatory. Very popular in Victorian times.

14. F. Scott Fitzgerald's apartment

And now down to business! First order!!!! I must have been too tired when I was writing the other night. I know that Fargo is in North Dakota. We made a big deal out of crossing the state line. But my weary fingers wrote the wrong state. My apologies to all those in the state of North Dakota and thanks especially to Azrael Brown for finding my mistake. Good eyes!

The drive from Fargo, North Dakota was straight down Interstate 52. And I do mean straight! Very little traffic and we love it! Speaking of traffic, this morning when we were leaving St. Paul we encountered road construction and quite a bit of congestion. I had the window rolled down and as this guy in a pickup crept by us he said, "Must remind you of Los Angeles," and we all laughed! This is one of the first bits of congestion we have encountered!!!!

On the road we stopped in Alexandria, Minnesota at the Viking museum to see the rune stone that has been shrouded in controvery for 100 years. They are proud of their rune stone and it was a nice little museum. They are very proud of the Vikings in Northern Minnesota. Yep!

Another detour off the highway was into Sauk Center, the birthplace of Sinclair Lewis. We drove down his Main Street, sat on his front porch, and talked to people at the Sinclair Lewis Interprative Center which is across the street from the Gopher Prairie Motel. Lewis has been a boon to the fame of this small prairie town.

We pulled back on to the Interstate and headed for Minneapolis/Saint Paul and a visit with my "Oldest and Dearest Friend". This moniker harkens back 46 years to Debi Rowbotham Rechnagle being one of the first people I met at McGuire Airforce Base in New Jersey when I took a teaching job in Germany. We have seen each other over the years in California and now we were in her neck of the woods. She lives in the suburb of Roseville, Minnesota but is minutes away from the downtown Twin Cities.

She was ready to hit the road and we soon found ourselves headed for the Minnesota History Center in downtown St. Paul where Debi volunteers every week. Wow!!!!! Were we in for a treat. We pulled in to the volunteer parking area of this gorgeous huge facility, breezed by the entrance desk and headed to the cafeteria for dinner. Yummy and then on into the museum. It is the most innovative, interactive, interesting museum I have ever seen! In fact there was so much to see we went back the next day and still didn't get our fill of all the displays. One exhibition is a replica of an existing 110 year old house in St. Paul. The histories of generations of people who have lived there are told in such incredible ways. Some of the voices you hear are the actual people who lived there perhaps as children. There was a bed Debi instructed us to sit on and we listened to a short funny story about the walls being paper thin and hearing everything that went on in the next room including some shenanigans that caused the bed to fall down, AND THEN THE BED ACTUALLY DROPPED WITH US ON IT AND WE ALL SCREAMED! The house started out housing one family in Victorian days, was divided into 3 apartments for Italian immigrants, and today houses recently arrived Mhong immigrants from Laos. The memories are funny, poingnant, sad, tragic, happy. There was a wonderful surprise around every corner.

Another exhibit almost killed me. We could pretend we were a kernel of wheat or corn and go up into a grain elevator and then come down to be stored. It is sort of like the climbing structures at MacDonalds. Judi is a bit more agile than I but we both hung in there and made it through the process. I have winced in pain all day today as I got in and out of the car. Upper thigh muscles you know!!!! The picture of Judi pushing on the bar is to see how much it takes to duplicate 1 horsepower. When all 4 of us pushed as hard as we could we could move the bar. One person? Not a chance! Let's hear it for those hard working horses. And on and on it went! If you are ever in Minnesota this is well worth a stop!!!! The website is www.mnhs.org

It was hard to tear ourselves away on Wednesday but after a short visit to the gift shop it was back in the car for a drive around St. Paul to see among other things, the Cathedral where perhaps Leo's mother took her first communion. This was early in the 1900's before they moved to Wolf Point, Montana. Then we drove down Summit Ave. to see the mansions and an apartment where F.Scott Fitzgerald lived for a time. (This might be called our literary tour!) Next stop was the Como Park Conservatory, Zoo, and Japanese Garden where Deb also volunteers. After a luscious lunch we strolled through the tropical conservatory and then to the

very peaceful Japanese garden. Notice the picture that is lableled "masquerading Japanese lantern". It is really an old public drinking fountain that was in downtown St. Paul. In the picture you can still see the metal hook that the drinking cup hung from. Then back to Debi's house for a little rest while she ran off to do something and then she roared back and we went on a drive through Minneapolis before it got dark. We saw where the bridge had gone down but from a distance with the debris cleaned up it was hard to imagine the magnitude of this horrible tragedy. We were struck by how many bridges there are over the Mississippi! The Twin Cities seem to be striking that urban balance that is so lacking in many areas. The university has a huge impact, employment is high, and if you could stand the winters, it would be a great place to live.

Debi lives in a beautiful neighborhood of lots of trees and a lake just down at the end of the street. Her son, Steven, as a youngster would take his canoe down the block for a little spin on Lake Josephine. We had the pleasure of meeting Steven whom I hadn't seen since he was about 8 years old, and his fiance, Sheri. They are so excited about their upcoming wedding this Saturday and it was great to share a glass of wine, see the wedding rings, and join in their happiness. Max, the black and white border collie joined in all the fun too. We had a wonderful time and how Debi fit us in with all the plans for the wedding we don't know! She was off to the airport this morning at 6:00 to get her daughter, Carol, so we had a chance for a short visit with her also. We were tempted to stay for the wedding which sounded like soooooo much fun!

But we were on the road by 9:00 heading for Green Bay, Wisconsin. The road wound through lovely woods, rivers, lakes, marshes, pastures, and with the ever present feed silos and barns. We commented over and over that it looked just like a postcard!!! We have begun to see some color in the leaves and know this is just the beginning.

We have discovered our new favorite motel. Candlewood Suites in Green Bay just down the road from Lambeau Field. $86.00 two rooms with queen bed and fold out couch. Full kitchen, long eating bar, 2 TV's, 3 phones, luxurious towels, automatic ice maker, and an internet hookup. No reason to ever leave. Tempted to just stop and live here but guess we will head out to the Door Peninsula and look for a fish boil tomorrow night. Stay tuned.

Love, The Gotta Go Girls

From Fargo, South Dakota

And then there was Fargo. The following pictures were taken at a wonderful historical society museum. It was spread over a large tract of land at the West Fargo Fair grounds. The pictures area as follows:

1. A restored 1890's mail wagon

2. The entrance to Bonanzaville

3. The church at the end of the street which is still used today for special events

4. Lee and Judi enjoying a "ride" in an early 1900 rail car

5. All forms of transportation put Gerry to sleep

6. A snow plow that is pushed by the train engine (notice Judi standing beside it!)

7. We were amused by this sign posted in one of the train cars.

8. A North Dakota Homesteader's cabin

9. A volunteer doing the wash. Notice the wind which is relentless

10. Volunteer Naomi Anderson and Gerry.

11. Rosemeade Pottery that was made near Fargo

12. Ladies room display cabinet

After a trip to the post office and UPS this morning we headed to Fargo. We pulled onto I29, set the cruise control at 75 and didn't pause until we reached Fargo143 miles later. Talk about a straight road! We passed the time trying to guess the 25 top stories in the last 25 years according to USAToday. Judi and I were pretty good but Lee did have to give a few hints.

Lee suggested that we go to Bonanzaville which she had read about in the guide books and she had a vague notion of what a Bonanza farm was. I was sure we were headed for some North Dakota version of Wally World! We drove into the parking lot and there were a few cars but we didn't see Chevy Chase. Turns out it is the home of the Cass County Historical Society . If anyone wants more information go to http://www.bonanzaville.com/. We got hungry at one point and ran down the street to a Subway and back to enjoy more of the facility.

There are many buildings located on the site which have been moved from other locations including the very pretty chuch in the pictures. Each structure was open and we wandered in and out of the train shed, depot, general store, tractor barn, school, homesteader's cabin, just to name a few. In the museum we watched a video on Bonanza farms which were common in the area in the late 1890's. These were very large tracts of land which were bought by investors, and large crews of men were hired at planting and harvesting time. There was an almost military like organization with division managers, crew bosses, and laborers. This led to large groups of itinerant workers showing up a couple of times a year. The railroads looked the other way as hoboes riding the rails came the area.

The Red River of the North which floods almost every year created a very fertile valley and this is where bonanza farms were located. They produced bumper crops of wheat for over ten years, causing the price of wheat to drop. After that length of time the land also became tired and an economic depression occured. This spelled the end of the bonanza farms. Small farms came back into fashion and some of the wealthy investors lost their shirts. The comunities had also grown tired of all the itinerant workers who came and then hung around when they were no longer needed on the fams. The age old story!

Another thing that struck us was the ease with which you could get close to all the displays. The bottom picture is a display in the modern ladies room in the museum. Why don't all these things walk out the door? Vandalism? What's wrong with the people in North Dakota? Are they civilized?

We found all this fascinating and the village the historical society has created well worth the stop. They will be closed in another month and the only other group here was a Public History class from the University of South Dakota. There is a degree students can obtain in Public History and find work in museums. We could use some of these people in Watsonville!

Finally got t0 the motel, went to a brew pub for dinner, did laundry, wrote the blog and now headed for bed! Minneapolis and Debi Rechnagles tomorrow night. No wireless connection there, so "talk" to everyone in a couple of days.

Love, The Gotta Go Girls.

P.S. for Jerry C. : Minnesota photo op finally dawned in Fargo. Weather news is our top story. Did the General say anything of import today?

P.P.S.: Hope the photos are in order. They weren't last night! I'm still learning how to use this program!

Little House on the Prairie!!!!

Today the focus was definitely on Laura Ingalls Wilder and her little house on the prairie. Have oodles of pictures but chose these representative ones. Sorry they aren't in better order but I'm tired from hanging out on the prairie and don't want to rearrange them! From the top down they are as follows:

1. The house Pa Ingalls built in town after leaving the homestead.

2. A school building on the homestead property where Laura taught school

3. Gerry and one of the very friendly kittens gamboling around the prairie homestead

4. Lee sitting at the teacher's desk in the school

5. Ma's house. Pa built this with wooden rain gutters

6. The Ingalls family plot in the DeSmet cemetary. Laura's baby son is buried there but Laura and Almonzo are buried in Missouri

7. Windmill on the Homestead property. Pa dug the well.

8. Lindsay roping a stationary calf

9. Judi ringing the school bell

10. Gotta Go Girls in a cornfield

11. The Visitor's Center

12. Welcome to the homestead

13. A claim shack like Pa built to establish their claim to the property. Then he had to get 10 acres under cultivation to secure the claim

14. The Gotta Go Girls are abandoning the Toyota Avalon and taking to the open road in a covered wagon!

It was a rather raw and blustery day today and we changed our plans for the wardrobe! Jacket and sweaters came out and after a fabulous breakfast at a very fancy truck stop along with Lindsay and Sam we headed out across the prairie.

DeSmet is about an hour from Watertown and we drove through cornfields, soybean fields, and more cornfields. The old Ingalls homestead has been bought by a family who have restored buildings, built new ones and done a fine job honoring Laura Ingalls Wilder. You truly get a sense of what it might have been like to be a little girl on the vast prairie. We did comment that we were there at a perfect time when all the star struck little girls and boys have returned to school and peace and quiet descends on the Prairie.

I have been wanting to see a claim shack and a very old example similar to what Pa built is on the property. We walked and walked from building to building and garden to garden and sent Lindsay with her 14 year old exuberance ahead to take pictures. She did a great job and thanks a bunch, Lindsay. We have spent the day promising to read all the books when we get home. Things are so familiar but some of the details escape us. I talked to Barbara Lawrence Emanuel from the claim shack She is the only person I have ever known who had longs tracts from the books committed to memory. She called Lisa and the next thing I know I am walking across the prairie talking to my daughter. She pointed out it was only fitting that Lee should be there too since she gave Lisa the full set of books over 30 years ago and now Lisa is getting her old well worn and loved copies out for Zoe and Mae. The circle continues.

We traipsed over the prairie reeading every plaque, label, and monument marveling all the while about the peace and quiet. When we had petted the kitties, bought some souvenirs, and loved every minute of the visit, we headed for town and a drive around to see where Pa built a house and moved the family to town from the homestead. We also drove up to the cemetary where we found the graves of Ma and Pa, Carrie, Mary, and Laura and Almonzo's infant son.

It was a wonderful day and it was such a pleasure to have Sam drive and show us farms, prairie pot holes, little communities, and places he knows well. We would have never ventured as far off the road as he did. Then we polished everything off with a dinner at a very good Mexican restaurant. It was hard to say good by to Sam and Lindsay but they have school and work tomorrow and we are headed for Fargo. Hope we don't run into any wood chippers!

Love, The Gotta Go Girls