Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head . . .

Dear Friends, Family, and Interested Observers,

What a summer. Here in Madison we have gone from one weather extreme to the other. The month of July and the first week two weeks of August were dry and oppressively hot. I think Madison set a record for a total number of 90-degree plus days this summer.

However,the last two weeks have been ridiculously wet. Despite a dry start, this August has already become the wettest month in Madison history. Yesterday we found a happy medium. Sunny and eighty. This morning the relentless rain was back. Now it's clear and sunny again. Oh well, in a week or two fall and football season will be here.

Jim and I tried to make the best of those hot summer days. One Friday night we went out on Lake Mendota with our good friends Tony and Mark. They picked us up by the Memorial Union, and we jetted down to Westport on the north side of the lake for dinner at the Naut-e-gal Restaurant. After the meal, we returned to listen from the lake to an open-air concert at the Union Terrace. (Below, Mark and Tony arrive at the dock)

Tony has worked with Jim at Springs Windows Fashions for years. Mark works for the state in the Department of Education. We frequently exchange pet sitting duties. Jim heads over to their condo on the Westside when they go out of town. Mark and Tony head over to the downtown condo when we are away. (First below, Tony in the captain's chair; second below, First Mate Mark)

Tony and Mark just love Bucky, because he never tones down from play mode. It is a different story if you live with the cat. Bucky's agressive neurosies dictate many of Jim's and my behaviors. We never leave shoes at floor level for fear he will chew off our shoe strings. We lock the bedroom doors at night so he does not climb onto Jim's chest in the middle of the night to give him kisses. When he is hungry, he tries to take out our feet as we walk across the living room. We wear ear plugs when we sleep so we cannot hear him pawing at the doors. Thankfully, we had him declawed.

Bucky's most annoying (and endearing?) trait is that he is an dedicated beer drinker. You cannot leave an open drink on the coffee table or kitchen counters, because he will reach out with his paws and swipe it down in the instant that you are not looking. Then the little furball will lap up as much as he can before you chase him away. Bucky got us again last Friday and created quite a mess. He never bothers our coffee mugs. We still love him, though.

Before the rains came, we got in a lot of other outdoor activities. One weekend we went over to a pig roast at a farm east of Madison. Unfortunately, this year the winds were such that the aroma of the swine barns wafted over the proceedings. (Below, Jim with our friends Tom and Dan)

Jim also played hooky from work one Monday so that we could head with our friend Jeff Keller to Milwaukee to enjoy a sunny day at the State Fair. (First below, Jim and Jeff in front of the Clydesdale wagon; second below, Elvis is alive and well?)

We spent a lot of time at the animal exhibits. Cute piglets, cute moo cows, and cute little lambs. Awwww. Enough said.

A week later, Jim and I happened upon a Shriner parade on the Capitol Square. It was a lot of wholesome fun -- certainly the longest parade we have ever experienced in Madison. What were the fezes and camels and Middle Eastern motifs about? We figured that the Midwest Shriner's were having their annual convention in Madison to coincide with the preseason "Shriner's" charity game in Green Bay.Of course, the big thing this summer in Wisconsin sports has been the rise and fall of the Milwaukee Brewers. We had made it a tradition to meet up with friends at State Street Brats to watch the Sunday afternoon Brewer game. The vexing pattern that has developed this season is that the Brewers build a big early innings lead only to blow it in the late innings. In Brewer fan speak, the expression for this is "to be yosted." Ned Yost, the Brewer manager, has an uncanny nack for screwing up the team's prospects. First below, our friends Greg and Paul; second below, from left, friends Art, Bill, Dan, and Brian)

One Sunday, we were even joined by my friend from Cunda, Yasmine, and her fiance, Nick. Yasmine is an art history graduate student at Harvard and Nick is doing his doctorate in psychology at UW-Madison. Yasmine and Nick will be heading, respectively, to Turkey and Kuwait to do their dissertation research this next academic year. They will have wedding ceremonies in Boston and Kuwait. They were very fun and charming that afternoon. Good luck and congratulations!

Of course, the best way to watch a baseball game is to go to the game itself. Jim and I have gone to five games this year, and the last two were very memorable. The fourth game was probably the Brewers' most dramatic win of the season. Rookie third baseman Ryan Braun golfed out a ninth-inning, two-run walk off home run. We were joined that game by friends Billy-Jean Woodard and Jim Panella. (First below, Jim checks for rain; second below, Jim and Bill cheer on the home team; third below, John, Jim, and baseball disappointment at State Street Brats)
The fifth and last game that we went to was the Bragg-Houzner family game. My family put in a good showing. Mom and Dad came down Friday night from Rhinelander. They stayed at my sister Laurie and brother-in-law Mark's house on Rocky Dell Road. We enjoyed an excellent dinner at Morels that night. (First below, Jim loves those bruschetta; second below, Lulu and Dad)

My sister Lisa, her husband Jon, my nephew Mikey, my niece Emma, my brother Bill, and my step-nephew Jonathon came to Madison late Saturday morning. We met up for appetizers at the Great Dane Brew Pub downtown before heading to the rendezvous point to caravan with the Houzners to Milwaukee.

That Saturday was when the rains began in earnest. Milwaukee got an inch and a half that night; Madison got five. Fortunately, Jim and I were able to gather three large canopies to provide shelter for the tailgate. The food was delicious. Thank you to all of you who contributed to the feast, especially Tom, who ran the grill as it spit rain. We got soaked walking to the game.

The game itself was a good one for the Brewers. Actually, the Brewers have won every game that Jim and I have gone to this year. There were a couple of deep home runs to center.

It was the first major league game for some of my clan, and the first game at Miller Park for the rest. I was surprised to see how involved my nephew Mikey and my mom got. I think a good time was had by all. (First below, my nephew Mikey; second below, Jim and his nephew Lance; third below, Tony, Tom, and Jim)

Well, it's time for me to go to work. We'll do the tailgate next year, too!

Until later,

jkbinturkey