the best place to spend the summer

I don't have a final answer for this one, but here are my thoughts:
1) Madison - clearly, given the joy of the lakes, the Union Terrace, Olbrich Gardens, concerts on the square, etc
2) Milwaukee - I am sure they do more in Milwaukee, but I could spend the entire summer doing festivals and beer gardens. that is reason enough to spend the summer there.
3) Madeleine Island/Apostle Islands - sure, we haven't been there in the summer, but something tells me that the joy of the fall is even more so in the summer.

Appleton, WI

While showcasing in Appleton last weekend, we ended up at Park Central on Saturday night. I feel strongly this bar was created for me and my people.

It's actually a complex, not a bar - there is a Country Western bar with line dancing, a pool hall, a retro bar with a caged dancing area, a karaoke bar, and a dance club (playing current hits).

We did a little hip hop, had a dance off, drank some beer, moved to the retro club, did some cage dancing, whipped out some ballroom, picked up the most lame guy in the state of Wisconsin, got a free pitcher of beer, watched my instructor mount the cage with a running start from across the room, meandered to karaoke where we heard the most awful rendition of "18 and Life" ever performed (possibly ever to be performed - I couldn't be this bad on purpose) and closed the place down with Madonna's Material girl.

This place might be my new Mecca.

Madeline Island Review, cont.

Better late than never, I guess. To echo Loud: in summary, Madeline Island is utterly sublime. We spent another vacation dreaming up ways we could stay. Variations on the bed-and-breakfast theme won, with attached sustainable farm, catering and event services, art lessons and gallery, and, um, a cottage software development shop (?), of course.

Some highlights included:

• The dude who randomly stopped his car directly in front of the camera when we were taking a group picture in front of the chicken shack/diner. Props to Rick for directing us to the best of Wisconsin roadside attractions. We hit this doozy of a giant, possessed loon on the way home.



• As previously featured, we are good cooks. And good eaters.
• The signs at Tom's Burned Down Bar. Another favorite ...

• Joanna and Whitney maintaining a sense of humor in the face of car ridiculousness.
• Running along Lake Superior. So excited for the race in two weeks!
• Ferry rides and other such island prettiness.
  

The sole lowlight:

Frankly Lucia's continuing domination of the beer-shotgunning circuit is getting a little stale. The rest of us don't even have a chance, as evidenced by her clear and nonchalant victory here. Followed by others thinking they may have, in fact one, won. Ah, well, at least the dog enjoyed it.

What's your sign?

Apostle Islands, Fresh Food Strikes Back

Returned to the Madeline Island againg this year, a few more people in tow. Stayed in the same cabin.


The weather was perfect - PURRRRFECT.


What did we do - we ate...


and we ate...


and we ate...