Week #30: I am gonna get Medieval on you!

We might as well try the Renaissance Fair this week. Good idea, right? Maybe not. This was something our family had never planned on doing before. I figured that it seems pretty popular so lets give it a try.

It started getting a little "freaky" when we drove into the parking lot. I said, "Look kids, that girl has horns in her hair!" Sure enough, she was driving in a car with license plate "Wolfster". She had her horns going on. We could not believe the medieval subcultural that is out there. The patrons were dressed as good, if not better, than the employees. Some people take this really seriously.

The fair is actually pretty big. Many acres covering ponds, a jousting arena, medieval towns, street villages, rides, stages, and general freakyness. We saw a very large bearded man in a pink tutu, wings, tiara, wand, eye paint, etc. prancing around. Hide your eyes children!

I had no idea there were so many different sects in this milieu. There are the aristocrats, the street people, the monks, the priests, the ladies of the evening, the warriors, the jesters, the goth people, or if you wrap it all up .. the crazies!!

We survived the afternoon. I was surprised how expensive it was and the fact that once you get in, you have to pay to do anything! I could also see that if one was in to this thing, they would feel like they found their Utopia. We gave it a try and it might be a while before we go back.

I left many photo opportunities behind, for the first time this year I had a hard time asking some of these people for pictures, or even approach them.

Pictures above: Crazy red leather warrior guy, weapons, dancers, me with dude behind me looked ticked off, having my first (and last) turkey leg lunch, and finally the happy "before" picture of the day ... you don't want to see the "after" picture.

Week #29: Cherry Pickin' & Cooking with Gas!

I have been going to Door County, WI for over 25 years now, which is known for its cherry orchards. A common family event there includes cherry picking. I have never done this or even thought of doing this. I was up north with my two boys on Friday and thought I might as well give it a try. For only 5 dollars, the three of us filled up a huge bucket with cherries. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. Yet, it ended up being a really good time. Me and the boys had a really silly time together. Lots of fun and joking around. I honestly would recommend it to anyone - for one time only, though.

Week #29: Part II Cooking with Gas!

Part two of this week was a cooking challenge. I have never had homemade creme brulee and thought it might be fun to try. We found our seldom used ramekins and googled a recipe. I borrowed my parents (never used) blowtorch. They had always planned on using it and making this dish themselves. They passed the torch on to me - literally.

It was much easier and a lot longer than I thought. It is definitely not the healthiest dish. The ingredients are egg yolks, heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar. That's it! You make the custard, heat it, chill it, and torch it! Very tasty and the torching is the best part. I had many family members stop by to try my creation. Maybe I can be the next Food Network Star!!

Week # 28: Clay-motion!

This week was difficult to complete. I ended up with plan D for the first time. I have had to do plan C before, but not the fourth option. Half way through this year it is becoming very challenging to do something "new" each week. My first plan was brought up my dad in February when we found out the Great Circus Parade was coming back to Milwaukee after a multi-year absence. He joking said, "Why don't you sign up to be the guy who walks behind and cleans up the elephant droppings?" I replied, "I am on it!" I uncomfortably emailed this unusual request to the Circus Museum in February. I followed up with phone calls and many emails back and forth throughout the year. Nothing was ever finalized. So our family decided to get Brewer tickets this weekend. Shortly after buying said tickets, I finally got my return email. They apologized that I "fell through the cracks". I was on for elephant duty. But, it was too late we were already booked up with the Brewer game at the same time. Oh well. :( Plan B came up on Tuesday, go to a NBA practice and sit on the bench. This was going to be cool! The Bucks first round draft pick (Brandon Jennings) was going to be there. Small issue the night before, our youngest after a night of tee ball almost lost his two front teeth going down a slide head first in to a little girl's foot. He might end up losing his front two teeth. It would affect his speech. Big time stress! Pediatric dentist appointments always take precedent over NBA practices.

Anyway, plan D was a lot of fun. I have never played or seen a clay court tennis match before. My wife and I played a few games with the kids watching on (I lost). It was fun and a lot faster surface than I thought it would be. Shoes got a little dirty as did my tennis ego. I hope to have better luck next time.

Pictures of the epic match include a close-up of the clay surface. At the end of the short video, you can see my youngest throwing all our tennis balls down the hill. It might be his way of telling us to move on already!

Week #27: These four guys have some really BIG Heads!!

On our way back home from last weeks road trip we stopped at Mount Rushmore. Later we also went to an 1880's town. Mount Rushmore is pretty impressive. We probably would have never come here if we weren't driving home from Colorado. It was "only" a few hours out of our way. They were really big and really Presidential! After a few minutes, you get to thinking "Is this it?" It is. But, I came back at night for the lighting ceremony which was great. It was quite patriotic and I was proud to be there. The work and time that went into creating this is truly amazing. God Bless America!!

Final three photos are of the buffalo in the lobby at our hotel in Hill City, SD.

The family at the state capital of Wyoming: Cheyenne.

My wife feeling a little wacky at a gas stop in Orin, WY.

Week #27: Kickin' it REAL Old School !!

We went real old school this day. Even though we had a long way to drive, we stopped at the 1880's town in Murdo, South Dakota. Our original plan was to rent period style outfits to wear this day, but the temperature changed our plans. We arrived at 1:00 in the afternoon and the sun was shining with no wind to help us out. Did I mention it was 104 degrees out!! My wife and youngest were down for the count practically before they left the car. Our two older children were game for all the fun that could be had. The town was very neat and authentic. One of these pictures is of the extensive Dances with Wolves movie exhibit. In the saloon the McNasty Brothers played some old time music and we got to try our first Sarsaparilla (hint...it is actually Root Beer).

Week #27: Additional Photos ... Part II

Final pictures of our journey (even though we still had a long way to go). The infamous Wall Drug Store and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. After seeing hundreds of signs along the highway, including some that were over ten hours drive away, we stopped in the Wall Drug Store. It was very kitchy and big, just as we expected it to be. We then went to the Corn Palace. If you zoom in on the picture you can see that all the murals are made up entirely of corn. They change the corn and overall design every year. It was " A-Maize-ing"!!