Yet Another Drought.

Dear Friends, Family, and Interested Observers,

Back to the U.S.A. in time for the Fourth of July! It’s been a whirlwind two weeks, and my blogsite is long overdue for an update. Although my time in Turkey has come to an end, and “jkb” is now “inmadison,” I will continue to keep my blog under the same address, jkbinturkey.blogspot.com. Blog on! (Below, the condo.)

My last days in Istanbul were not as idyllic as I had hoped they would be. I worked hard to finish up my scanning and research work, and I had envisioned rewarding myself by filling my last few days with fun excursions … a soak in a hamam, a ferryboat ride to the Marmara Islands, a few last rounds in the meyhanes with friends… (First below, Mark and Laurie's new pup, Roxy, harrasses harasser-in-chief, Jon and Lisa's Coco. Second below, Mark and Laurie's Llewelyn setter, Mingo. He's the more mannered older brother of Roxy.)It was not to be. I got food poisoning three days before I returned, and I spent the first night of it vomiting every hour and a half. Worse still, I spent an anxious penultimate night waiting to hear the “all clear” from the archives, as several of my document returns had not been recorded properly. If you ever do research in the Prime Ministry Archives, do not return documents on the weekend, because the memurs who fill in may not know how to do things correctly. At least I was well enough to enjoy my last morning, and my flight back to Chicago was pleasant enough. (First below, our Bucky, a.k.a. "Brat-Cat." Second below, Laurie cradles her tick-invested baby, Roxy.) It did not take me long to get back into the summer routine. I went with Jim and my older brother Bob to a Brewer's game one day after coming back. I am working for Bob by helping him mow lawns two or three days a week. It’s a fun summer job. The work is hot and dusty, but it is also outside, and I love that. Now it needs to rain. We got a little of the wet stuff last week, but it has been a hot, dry summer in the upper Midwest. My third consecutive drought local … the curse of jkbinturkey or global warming? (First below, the 100+ year-old stand of red pines on my parent's forty. A marginal species threatened by "climate change?" Second below, Jim helps Mom water her garden with stored rainwater. It has been a dry summer in Hodagland, too.) Jim and I spent my first full weekend back in the Northwoods. We had a nice visit with my folks Friday evening and Saturday morning. The Peking Restaurant in Rhinelander is one of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever been to (see first below). In Rhinelander, WI! We joined Mark and Laurie after the meal for some softserve at the Dairy Queen across the street (see second below). On Saturday, some of the Bragg clan headed deep into the backwoods of the Town of Pine Lake to celebrate the outdoor wedding hootenanny of Ingrid Bodensteiner and Craig Dumar. Ingrid is Laurie’s best friend and has been a regular in Bragg circles for fifteen years or so. She invited everyone in our family to the wedding. I knew most of Craig, Ingrid, and Laurie’s friends there as well, as Laurie and Ingrid were only two grades behind me. (First below, Craig and Ingrid exchange vows. Second below, sunset on the lake.)Laurie and her husband Mark arrived in Rhinelander earlier in the week. Laurie was in the wedding, and she gussied up nice in periwinkle. The ceremony was shortish. That was good, for although it was a dry, mostly sunny afternoon of 78 degrees, the bees were beginning to sting the perfumed guests during the ceremony, such as my brother-in-law Jon (see first below). (Second below, Mom and Emma whisper during the ceremony.) Mom and Dad, and my older sister Lisa and her husband Jon, their kids Mikey and Emma, and Jon’s son and Lisa’s step-son David all joined in the festivities. The Bragg clan joined the post-dinner hoedown and danced up a storm. It was a particular joy to see Mikey (age 8) and Emma (age 6) come out of their “shells” on the dance floor. I say this half-jokingly, as Mikey and Emma have become two very expressive individuals. Earlier in the afternoon, when Emma first saw Jim, someone who she meets only a few times a year, she jumped into his lap, hugged him, and exclaimed “I’m shy.” Yeah right. (First below, Mikey poses. Second below, Emma daintily dips her feet. Third below, Mikey boogies with Aunt Lulu. Fourth below, Ingrid hugs Lulu as Mark looks on.) The setting of the wedding was Northwoods Wisconsin spectacular. The large lawns surrounding the lodge buildings of the 1000 acre resort were in turn surrounded by unbroken forest and a pristine, uninhabited lake on the north edge. After sunset, a bonfire and stars lit the night. Jim said it was one of the best weddings he has ever been to, and I would have to agree. (First below, John and Jim pose. Second below, Mom and Dad sit back. Third below, Mark and Laurie snuggle. Ohhh, so cute.) The next morning I discovered that I had left my digital camera at the reception. I know, I know. I got it back. Jim and I returned to a ravenously hungry Bucky in Madison on Sunday afternoon.

The mid-week Fourth of July was very relaxed. Madison is one of those cities that holds its fireworks on the weekend before the Fourth, so Jim and I missed out. Jim was too tired from work to go out Tuesday night, so we grilled at home. Wednesday morning we went on a bike ride around Lake Monona, and we spent the afternoon with friends at State Street Brats watching the Brewer game. That night we took in a concert on the square. (First below, Lisa, John, and Mikey. Second below, Mikey as the cool dude. Third below, "the brothers-in-law".)

This last weekend was hot and humid, and Jim and I spent most of it outside. On Friday night we went to some friends for a couple of outdoor parties on the eastside. On Saturday, I ventured out to a sweaty, crowded farmer’s market with Bob (see second below) on the Capital Square, only four short blocks from the condo. Saturday afternoon, Jim, several of our friends, and I headed to Milwaukee for a day at the Summerfest music festival. The Summerfest grounds are located along Lake Michigan just south of downtown. Usually, a cool breeze of Lake Michigan lowers the air temperature by ten or fifteen degrees along the lakefront, but that Saturday the wind was blowing from the west, and the temperature soared into the mid-nineties. We ducked into misting tents as we moved from concert stage to concert stage. I don’t know how these Miller Lite beer can guys coped.

Milwaukee has made great strides to reinvigorate and beautify its downtown area. One of the latest efforts has been to build a pedestrian bridge between the Summerfest fairgrounds and new state park built on reclaimed land around a breakwater (see first below).

Yet another drought. Yet another blog entry. I'll try to update in a couple of weeks.

Until later,

jkbinturkey / jkbinmadison