So long and thanks for all the fish

This month has come and gone so fast! I feel as though we just got here. Ah but such is life when we come to Madison. This town sure knows how to put on the summer events: La Fete de Marquette in the Atwood neighborhood, Concerts on the Square at the Capital and Art Fair Off the Square, just to name a few.

Then there are the great friends and family that we never seem to be able to spend enough time with. Getting to see Kevin and Shawn with Ivy has been precious and they are great parents, as I knew they would be. Kim and I, becoming Ivy's auntie Mimi and Kimi is something I most look forward to for years to come. Hanging out with my extended family has helped me to understand Kim better and given me a sense of belonging to a larger family, which I've always secretly wished for. Thanks for making me a part of that.

So now we venture back to Elizabeth Lake and back to our regular lives. I look forward to meeting up with friends and family there and catching up on summer adventures. I too look forward to getting back to some semblance of a normal working schedule. Let's face it, I kind of like my routine.

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Runaway stove?!

Last night, after an active day, I made Dad and myself a grilled cheese sandwich and we three settled in to watch the movie Kite Runner, which is an excellant film by the by. After the movie, we started heading upstairs to call it a night, when Kim noticed that the kitchen was extremely hot. The oven was performing as if it were getting ready for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was scorchingly hot to the touch and no matter what we tried it just didn't want to turn off! The three of us, aka the safety committee, decided that we should unplug the damn thing and shut off the gas as well.

This morning, Dad informed us that this is called a "runaway stove." Frankly Kim and I had never heard if such a thing. It did, however, evoke some hysterical images of alternative meanings: a stubborn teenager threatening to leave home because we disapprove in the choice of boyfriend, a rogue ship run aground by aliens or pirates and my personal favorite any "B" cult movie classic.

I immediately envisioned a 1950's horror flick, where one must fear their appliances. "After a comet passed dangerously close to our planet, our world has never been the same. The kitchen, once a homemaker's best friend, is now a murderous place. No honey, don't go in there to bake that cake. Watch out for the attacking killer stove!" This announcement is then promptly followed by a, overly dramatic, blood curdling scream.

All kidding aside, I'm just glad we were home when this transpired. Dad said that if it had gone in all night or worse while we were away, it could have caught fire and burnt the house down. Yikes! Normally there are safety features built into the appliance, but they sometimes can fail, apparently. Now we are in search of a new or used stove to replace this misbehaving one. Darn rogue stove!

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Time flies...

As I sit here on our three season porch, in Madison, I realized that our trip is nearly half over. I have been working all over southern Wisconsin and Kim has been busy renovating the kitchen, which looks fabulous by the by. These events have eaten away most of our time. Blogging has been put on the back burner, mainly because I can't figure out how to upload pictures remotely. That just means I'll have to update everyone when we get back to Elizabeth Lake.

We've been enjoying getting to know Shawnie and Kevin's little girl Ivy, who on July 1st officially became their little bundle of joy. In reality that happen the moment they laid eyes on her, but I'm never one to turn down a celebration. She is adorable: all smiles and very inquizative. Shawn, of course, fits perfectly into motherhood. Her ablility to keep an eye on Ivy while carrying on a adult conversation is quite impressive.

We've also been taking advantage of unseasonably cool weather and have walked the dogs every day with Cris and her naughties, Katie & Isabelle. We've now been able to socialize the dogs without much ado and managaed to impress most people when our pack passes by.

Today, Kim and I are off on a little excursion to House on the Rock and possibly Cave on the Mounds near Mt Horeb, followed by, a nice romantic dinner alone back here in Madison. I'm looking forward to this.

Tomorrow my Dad arrives, which I sure will involve further projects in and around the house. I think Dad enjoys being here in Wisconsin. This is the place where his mother's side of his family grew up. Honestly, I think he enjoys traveling more then he ever realized he would. And we love having him here too. One of these days I have to get Chuck and Eileen here as well...hint hint.

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Summerfest :)

We are currently at Milwaukee's annual music festival known as Summerfest. This event boasts of having 11 to 12 stages with nonstop music all day long. Cris, Kim and I will be watching Elvis Costello tonight, but for now we are simply taking in the sites and sounds. Wow this place is crowded!!!!

Mobile Blogging from here.

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Greetings from Madison

After a whirlwind three day drive from Elizabeth Lake, with naughties: Fatboy, Monkey and Little Boy in tow, Kim and I arrived in Madison on the 19th of June. Apparently we brought the weather along with us and have been dealing with thunderstorms and oppressive humidity ever since. Despite that we're having a great time thus far and we're enjoying hanging out with family and good friends.

Since last summer, I've longed for my next bite of Wisconsin ice cream and I really must admit there is no other that can compare: Orange Custard Chocolate Chip from the Union, absolutely refreshing or Zanzabar chocolate from Ella's Deli, delish. Kim and I have also had a chance to frequent one of our favorite restaurants here in Madison, Buraka, East African cuisine. Kim partook in chicken peanut curry and I had the baris, yummy.

We have so much to and very little time in which to do it in. There is cheese tasting to be had at one of the local producers: chocolate cheese has me curious, and photographing run down farm houses and barns: taking my new Cannon out for a spin and taking in local sites and sounds: Art Fair on the Square, Rhthym and Booms, Farmer's Market on the Square and so much more. I want to see the glacier's path from the Wisconsin ice age, go camping along side the Wisconsin river and spend some time with my honey, as we embark on our fourth year together.

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My very best friend

Yesterday I said goodbye to my very best friend and I am heartbroken. We shared 19 and half wonderful years together and I can't imagine my life without her. She stood by me when my mother died and through every relationship's end. There are no words to describe how caring, loving and compassionate she was. I hope she is now running around chasing moths, lying leisurely in the sun and nestling a comfy pillow for all eternity. I will miss you my sweetie and will love you forever and always.

Madison time

Within the next few weeks Kim, myself and our 3 naughties: Spencer, Abby and Linus will be getting ready to journey to Madison, WI for the summer. Our trip starts with the trek across the Mojave Desert in California, a brief jaunt through Nevada and Arizona, then a interesting diagonal voyage through Utah where we'll probably stay the night. In the morning, it is onwards and upwards through beautiful Colorado. I'll be sure to snap lots of photographs of its amazing scenery. We will hit the top of the Rocky Mountains and then we start heading downward towards Tornado Alley. This next portion of our trip is flat and I mean flat. I will save our book on CD: Angels and Daemons, for this mind numbingly repetitive landscape across the fields of Nebraska, where we again will seek shelter for the 5 of us. The following morning we will journey across Iowa plains and in the evening set up camp in some small town yet again. As we approach the great Mississippi River the visual perspective becomes more promising and we begin to see a light at the end of our travel tunnel, so to speak, we begin the final procession into Madison, WI. I will miss everyone I have left behind, but I so look forward to those I have not seen in a while. I cannot wait for the love, laughter and stories that will, inevitably, enrich my life this summer.

See you soon Madison.