Happy Birthday, Dad!

Eighty-three years ago, a 17 year old girl gave birth to the man that was to become my dad. Although he only lived until the age of 71, it is hard not to do something special to commemorate his birthday.

Dad had a love for building model planes, radio-controlled planes and boats, creating things out of nothing, dancing, old movies, lobster tails, rummage sales, collecting stuff, and in his later years, computers.

Dad was born in the upstairs of Kid Moore's Tavern on 27th and Cleveland. He met mom when he was 15 years old. Mom says he charmed her in home room by these words: "Hey girl, you have a hole in your sock."

Mom and Dad married in 1956, after Dad returned from the Korean War. They had five children , of which I am the oldest.



Humbolt Park


Dad was truly amazing in how he handled his diabetes, heart disease, kidney dialysis, and a host of related problems from diabetes. He was determined to live life to the fullest. I don't recall him ever complaining or allowing his disease to reduce his zest for life.

If Dad were here today, we would all be gathering at Mom's for a party. Dad would probably tell some of the thousands of jokes he knew and could repeat from memory. We would explore the latest gadget he picked up at a rummage sale, and just enjoy our time together.

So, Dad, I hope the angels are prepared for a few hours of some funny jokes. Perhaps they have heard them before, but not the way you tell them.

August 4,1956

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Love,

Mary

Jeremy Turns 32 Years Old!

Good Looking Young Man

On August 21st, my nephew Jeremy turned 32 years old. Tonight, we celebrated the event. Jeremy's mom made him a cute cake topped with old-fashioned ice cream cones. And, we played bingo for Dollar Store prizes and then the BIG CASH BONANZA!

Of course, the Packers were playing a pre-season game, so we were all a bit distracted, especially as the game was going badly for the Pack.



What a creation!





I hope I don't blow the ice cream cones down



We enjoyed a few laughs, snacks, cake and just having fun. Jeremy's best friend, Babbs, kept us entertained with her cuteness.

Hope you had a good time Jerermy, especially since you were forced to spend the night playing Bingo with us older folks!!

Babbs

Vinny the Bagger

Last week, my cute nephew, Vince, got his first job as a grocery bagger at Dave's County Market in Merrill.

Vince got his driver's license and a job within a few days of each other, and we are so proud of the fine young man he is becoming.

Of course, we know that all the cute young girls in Merrill will probably be shopping at Dave's alot more than they normally would now that Vince is there.

"Vinny the Bagger" may sound alot like a "hit" man, but we know that he will be a hit with his customers!

Congratulations, Vince!!

Vinny the Bagger



Kenosha County Fair

Tonight we visited the Kenosha County Fair. The evening was beautiful and a little cooler than it has been for most of the fairs we have seen thus far-only 86 degrees!

This fair has a variety of foods that we have not seen at other county fairs: eggplant parmesan, tempura, crab, ravioli, and unique desserts. We sampled the chocolate crepe, which was a huge crepe filled with Nutella, drizzled with multiple chocolate syrups and topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream.

Chocolate Crepe



Blaze



Although smaller in size, the fair still had lots of cows, goats, rabbits, pigs and of course horses. Most of the horses had "designer" covers. Our favorite was "Blaze." We loved the camo cover!



Bear on Beachball



One of the annual attractions is Bear Mountain. Trained, muzzled bears ride bicycles, play basketball, roll on barrels and beach balls and kiss their trainers. This is always fun to watch and marvel at the dexterity of the bears.

We hope to be back next year to try a few more decadent desserts

Bear dunking




Fritz





Camel Rides



Best veggies in Kenosha



Irish Fest 2015



Today was the first time we visited Irish Fest. It was Five Buck Friday and worth every buck!



Middle Gait at the Summerfest Grounds



 This was a wonderful experience which we will make sure to repeat annually.



There were numerous bands and Irish dance groups everywhere. And they were amazing!!

We saw young dancers dance for hours in 91 degree heat and never miss a beat.

The lakefront setting offered no relief from the heat today, but it was a great Milwaukee Summer day!!






Glencastle Irish Dancers



The food was wonderful. Instead of funnel cakes and spiral cut fries like so many fairs and festivals, there were potatoes topped with Irish stew, strudels filled with fruit or vegetables, baked twists of dough with sugar and cinnamon. The best was the Chicken and Waffle Cone. The fried cone was filled with coleslaw, honey coated bacon, and cajun spiced chicken.

The iconic festival character Paddy McFest was there to greet visitors and do a little jigging with the dancers. I was able to snap a quick close-up.Paddy McFest





Chicken and Waffle Cone



Paddy McFest






Omagh County Choir

 

Lou Relaxing



Just like River Dance!

 













Human Statue









Celtic Roots





 





























































The Haircut

Well the day finally came for Roman. He got his first haircut a few weeks ago. The golden curls were cut away as mom and dad and Roman cried.

But, the new style is quite cute and much cooler for summer. Of course, mom saved the ponytail as a memento of Roman's childhood. They do grow up so fast!

Wisconsin State Fair

On Saturday, we visited the Wisconsin State Fair. Normally, we visit the fair on the first Friday night of the fair, but the weather was rainy and cool on Friday, so we opted for Saturday. THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE!!!

Saturday at the fair is a day that everyone else must also consider. The foot traffic was so heavy that it was nearly impossible to see any of the exhibits without being jostled severely.



Bacon Crusted Pulled Pork Pizza



The cream puff line snaked nearly to the end of the building, so Lou's favorite treat of the year was definitely out for this year.

Despite the insanity of the crowds, we did get to enjoy some aspects of the fair.

Fudge Cake

With nearly 100 new foods offered this year, we chose the bacon crusted pulled pork pizza. The pizza crust is made of slices of crisp bacon. The bacon is topped with barbecue sauce, pulled pork, two cheeses, onions and cilantro. The pizza was tasty, but could have used an actual crust.



Although we did not get to enjoy a cream puff, we did get to try a fudge cake. This was essentially a huge "cake" ice cream sandwich bathed in a rich chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Oh so good!



The animal exhibits were the least crowded, so we got to watch some baby chicks and quails hatching. We also saw some of the Clydesdales being groomed. These horses are massive and just a bit scary up close.





Quail Hatching



Hopefully next year our Wisconsin weather will cooperate with our plans!



Duck Hatching





Goat Balancing Act







Clydesdale Grooming



Ozaukee County Fair





Beginning the Event



Today we visited the Ozaukee County Fair. This fair is one of our favorites because it is free admission, easy to navigate, and has horse riding competitions.



This year, we watched the barrel racing competitions. Young girls race their horses around 3 barrels set up along the track. Today, a young lady won the race in her class with a time of 18.5 seconds. The last place young lady's time was 32 seconds.







Barrel Racing



Another interesting event was Nick's Kid Show. Nick, the host, invited children from the audience to join him on stage as a band. Each child was given an instrument and coached on how to play it. Of course, as the child played the instrument, an electronic version was playing in the background. Three of the children were given Shrek character masks, as the whole band rocked to "I'm a Believer."







Horse Shower

The day was great because everything was free. We topped the day off with a free nighttime concert in Greendale. The Jackson Dordel Jazz Quartet was exceptional. The main vocalist sounded just like Louis Armstrong and the Saxophone player had just won an award for his talent.

What a good day! 

An old married couple

Cows getting beautified





Greendale Gazebo