Sunday, August 23, 2026

 Happy Heavenly 79th Birthday to my Mike today.  Dang - I sure do miss him at times, mostly on memorable dates, but there are reminders all over my home and just about anywhere I go can spark a memory. Thanks for those, Mike!

I went and picked up Norah on Thursday afternoon for a couple nights sleepovers. Charlotte is staying with Lois as she has two swim practices each day plus 2 hours of weight lifting and various events with her friends. Ben, Jill, and Camille are in San Diego to celebrate her upcoming 13th birthday. They will be taking Norah to New York City later on in October. 

Norah and I did some shopping so I would have plenty of gluten free options for her to eat - and she mostly wanted junk and snack foods. Imagine that for a 12-year old.  She wasn't interested in doing a whole lot other than being on her iPad but we did walk to the nearby school grounds and she got into some of the playground equipment and we watched a couple of movies. I taught her how to play 21 poker and that was kind of hit, especially when there was money involved.

Lois had to go out of town on Saturday for a funeral and needed some backup help.  She dropped Charlotte at swim practice before heading out and Norah and I picked her up, went to their house and out until it was time to take her and her friend Holly to a pool party later that afternoon and then Holly's parents brought her back home. Norah was hoping to stay at her own house and sleep in her own bed that night and Lois was ok with it, so I came back home without her.  Of course, she forgot a few things at my house, and I returned them today after Tom and I went for breakfast at Ruby's Family Restaurant. Breakfast was good and I would definitely go back there.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

 We haven't done a whole lot this week, although it has been busy. I had Stampin Up on Monday and it was nice to see the gals again. We assembled 120 autumn themed cards to donate to hospice for patients and their families.  Ronnie provided a yummy dessert of a pie with vanilla cookie base, topped with melted caramel, then melted chocolate and a dab of whipped cream - it was yummy and something to keep in mind for the future.

Tom and I went to dinner at Shantytown on Tuesday and we're both happy with our meals - Reuben's - but our server was kind of a serious, gruff person, although she was speedy.

I helped out with food shelf on Wednesday and we got loads of good veggies and other goodies.  It was a busy morning.  

Sunday, August 17, 2026

 Saturday was a relaxing day and we mostly hung around the apartment other than going for walks.  Funny how a 3-day road trip kind of drags you down these days.

Yesterday was a little better and we took care of some chores including watering the plants around the building and going to the grocery store. I made quesadillas for dinner and we watched the movie "Arthur the King" with Mark Wahlburg - a good movie that had us on the edge of the couch a few times.  

Friday, August 14, 2026

 Again, after a nice continental breakfast at the motel, we headed out for a walk.  This time, we went to the Wisconsin Canoe Association Museum and learned about various canoe builders and their differences.  Since Tom MacKenzie built traditional style canoes, several of his were on display, as was a model that showed the various layers of how they were built and assembled.  I'm glad to have known him and glad that I got to revisit this place.

When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and headed to Rice Lake where we had a reservation at the AmericInn for the night. We were way too early and they weren't checking folks in yet, so we headed downtown to check things out. There isn't much in this town but we did stumble on the Agonic Brewery and Tom had a beer and I had a Bloody Beer that was quite tasty.  

Back at the motel, we checked in, got settled and by then it was naptime.

We had a reservation at Lehman's Supper Club for dinner and it was a great place that has been in business since the 1930s. We were seated in the Lounge and each ordered an Old Fashioned and the lighter Walleye dinner that came with salad, fries and white bread toast.  The walleye was excellent and then we ordered a crème brûlée for dessert to share - yummy!  Again, we were both full and felt like a walk when we got back to the hotel. This room is frigid and no matter what setting we put on, it is cold.

Thursday, August 13, 2026

 After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we headed to downtown Spooner to do some window shopping and check out the two blocks of shops. As we drove, we passed the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum and I immediately had a feeling of Déjà vu.  No wonder - as our dear friend Tom MacKenzie was a founding member and after he passed away, his entire shop and several of his canoes were donated to the museum by his wife, Karen.  Tom built two of the canoes that Mike had - the first was a birchbark and then he traded that one for a wood and canvas model, the first that was built in 1988. We attended the dedication of the museum and then I stopped again on my travels back in 2017.

We walked the streets of downtown Spooner, then headed out of town to the Spooner Outlet - a huge store that recently moved from downtown to a new location - they sell lots of outdoor clothing a sporting equipment.  

We had reservations for the dinner train ride on the Great Northern train. We had a reserved table in the dining car, an original that was built in the 1950s.  Our table was made up with white linen tablecloth and the works.  We ordered cocktails from the cash bar and our server, Freedom, gave us some information about how the meal would be served and a little bit about the route we would be taking.  

Each course was served on some of the original dishes and fancy glasses and the dishes were cleared off before the next course came out.  We started with cheesy biscuits, chicken wild rice soup, beef tender chateau with mushrooms, garlic mashed red potatoes, roasted carrots and then a dessert of blueberry cheesecake.  Everything was delicious.  

Once the meal was finished, Freedom told us about the various train cars, the history behind each car (dating back to the 20's and 30's, and then we were free to roam around as we wanted.  There were two additional dining cars and one was a western themed one with cowhide upholstered booths and stools (apparently Teddy Roosevelt rode on that one during one of his whistle stop campaigns). There also were three sleeper cars and we were able to see one of the sleepers - a queen sized bed and full bath, but not much else.  At the rear of the train, a staff member monitored the tracks (we were now headed forward) for animals and obstructions, ready to radio the engineer or to stop the train if necessary. All in all, it was a lovely night, we were stuffed and ready for a walk when we got back to the hotel. 

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

 Tom left Arizona without bringing any shorts, so we took a drive to Target on Monday so he could get a pair. He wore them around the apartment with the tags on to make sure they fit ok and I couldn't resist calling him Minnie Pearl.  

Yesterday, we loaded up Joey's stuff and our stuff, took Joey to Ben's house and Tom and I headed out on a road trip to Spooner, WI. We drove in a northeast direction through many small towns, stopping for a quick potty break and then to gas up in Shell Lake, the last town before getting to Spooner. We had talked with someone at the Best Western earlier in the week and had trouble communicating so we decided to just check it out when we got there.  A conversation with a gal at the Visitor's Center led us drive about 15 miles north to check out another lodging option. Neither of us were impressed as there were no cars around and the place looked really beat up.  The good thing about going out of our way is that the route took us past the Great Northern Railway where we will go on a dinner cruise tonight.

Before heading back to Spooner, I called the Best Western to check on availability and a guy named Blake gave us a really good deal on a room for the next two nights - the place is clean and well cared for and our room is spotless.  He told us about a couple of places within walking distance to get a burger and a beer.  Yea, right.  After unloading the car, we headed down the Wild River Trail that is adjacent to the motel and supposed to get us to Tony's Riverplace Bar, but after at least a mile and not seeing it, we walked back to the motel and got the car and drove there.  The service was great and our burgers were tasty. Tom had a couple of beers and I had an Old Fashioned.  We were stuffed and ready to settle in for the night.  

Sunday, August 9, 2026

 Not knowing the seating situation at  the Turf Club, we wanted to get there by the time the doors opened at 7pm last night, so we could get some decent seats. After attempting to squeeze into a parallel parking spot and not fitting, we ended up with the very last spot in the parking in the lot adjacent to the venue.  Emmy Wood, a local singer/songwriter started the show and neither of us were impressed.  When Ben arrived just before 8pm, he wasn't too impressed either. Dale Watson and The Lone Stars started right on time at 9pm and they put on a really great show, featuring all of the members of the band and Dale's singing and amazing guitar licks.  It was definitely a thumbs up performance.  

I'm certainly not used to being awake at midnight, but I made it and am thankful that I did.  I sure did feel sore and stiff from sitting on a stool for 3 hours but after stretches, a great shoulder massage from Tom and some coffee this morning, I'm not feeling too bad.  Is there really such a thing as aging gracefully?