This morning, I slept in until 8:00, it had cooled way down in the 50s during the night and I was snuggled under the warm blanket. I headed to the DMV to see if I could get a temporary title for my trailer. I just happened to grab the wrong envelope and got there without the title. Grrrr! Guess I'll try again tomorrow morning.
I did do some shopping at a few stores near East Towne but didn't buy anything.
It is the 2nd Tuesday of the month and I met with several of my classmates at Culver's this afternoon and we had another nice turnout of about ten. I saw 3 gals that weren't at the last one and one who I haven't seen since high school. The conversation was full of talk of families, travels, Stoughton, other classmates, construction (yes, this is the land of 2 seasons - winter and construction), and toward the end, the loss of husbands (3 of us lost our husbands in the last year and a half). We are all doing about the same - trying to maintain, thankful for our networks of support from family and friends.
Wednesday, August 13. My stop at the DMV was successful this morning and I walked out of there with a temporary plate that is good until 11/11/14. No more worrying about that.
I then headed to Sheboygan, where I will spend the next 3 days with my old friend, Carol. The drive was enjoyable, full of memories (and even a few tears), of the many trips we made through the years to hang out with great friends. Mike and Carol's ex-husband became friends in the Navy - we haven't seen Mike for years but have kept in contact with Carol. The countryside is beautiful, so green, through the rolling hills of the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin, an area where two glaciers collided, creating a moraine (an accumulation of boulders, stones and debris left by the receding glaciers) and kettles where pockets of ice were trapped and are now small lakes or ponds.
I made it to Carol's house and we spent the evening talking nonstop.
Thursday, August 14. We went for a nice walk with Frisco this morning. It turns out that I have to keep him tied up near me because he has chased and tormented Carol's cats, Barney and Clyde relentlessly. They have both been in hiding since we got here and Frisco will not stop trying to find them.
We went for a drive around Sheboygan this morning, worked on a 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night painting and then went for dinner at a landmark restaurant called Gosse's with Carol's Mom, Cynthia this evening. She is one "on the ball" 88-year old woman. We had an enjoyable conversation about Sheboygan history, the recent local elections, women in politics, and she was happy to learn that I was a fellow Democrat.
Friday, August 15. This morning we headed to Bookworm Gardens, a beautiful garden with displays that are based on children's books. The assortment of plants in both sunny and shady areas, beautiful water features, an abundance of books and reading nooks were just delightful. I really enjoyed the place and kept thinking about how much Charlotte would like it too.
One of the cute reading nooks at Bookworm Gardens
The Three Little Pigs
From there, we headed to the John Michael Kohler Art Center where we saw a display of pieces that were related to industry and art, mostly sculptures, many that were made of porcelain and steel.
This retro phone is made of porcelain and was about a yard wide.
We are near Kohler, ya know.
After a nice lunch on the patio of the Mucky Duck with a view of the Sheboygan River, we walked the river walk out to the lighthouse on Lake Michigan. It is a beautiful day and or is so nice to be with such a great friend.
Carol fixed a nice dinner of meatloaf, potatoes, and veggies and after dinner we tackled the puzzle again.
Sunday, August 17. Another front came through during the night, brought light rain with it and lower temps. There was still a mist in the air when I walked Frisco, enough that I had to wear a light raincoat - first time for that in a long, long time. Pat and I went to Madison to Mounds Pet Store this morning and both of us bought treats and toys for our pets. We hung around the rest of the day until this evening when we met Tracey's Aunt Diane and Uncle Al at The Maple Tree in McFarland for dinner. We had a great time with lots of good conversation. My dinner choice was walleye again - just have to get my fill while I'm here. Needless to say, it was delicious!
A beautiful Moonflower in Pat's yard.
