Some More Summer
Dear Friends and Family,
Brewer games have been a recurrent activity of these summer weekends, as many of this week's photos will show. The first cache of Brewers' photos comes from the Sunday of Fourth of July weekend. Jim and I headed to Milwaukee with friends Tim and Ed and Ed's niece Jennifer (who has become quite a good chum of our little circle). Due to this year's increased demand for tickets, we had to sit in the very top row of Miller Park. Despite the altitude, the views from the seat were just fine. After a lackluster start for lackluster Brewers starter Jeff Suppan, the Brew Crew stomped past the hapless Pirates, 11-6. We had a blast tailgating before the game, too. (First below, Jim and Jen in shades; second below, a long line to get into the ballpark)
The second game, the Springs Windows Fashions company game, fell on Saturday, July 26. This is always a fun and affordable trip, as the company contributes to the tailgate supplies and the rental of an air-conditioned coach. Just enough tickets were left from the allotment to have our friend Tom and Jim's nephew Brian come along. It was another enjoyable tailgate, but the Brew Crew lost. :( (Below, Tom, Brian, Jim, and I)
The third game of note was the second Bragg Family game, held on the auspicious date of Friday 8/8/08. Jim and I took off the whole day to prepare for the tailgate. Well, to be honest, Jim spent the whole day fussing, whereas I spent only some of the time prepping for the trip; I also got in a workout in at the student fitness center. Jim got his revenge, though, as he delegated to me the duty of a last-minute, final hour tussle to assemble a new portable gas grill needed for the tailgate. (Below, Jim photographs the rest of the Bragg tailgate crew)
Laurie parked her vehicle on Franklin Street at 2:15 so that she, Jim, and I could drive over together to Milwaukee. We met Don and Hope outside the stadium at McGinn's at 4:00. We had a very spacious tailgate, as most of the vehicle occupants parked next to us chose not to stick around. The exception was a keg-standing, rambuctious crew to one side of us. I don't think Kenny and Beth took much notice of them. (First below, Kenny plays air guitar on my tennis racket; second, little Stephen)
Of course, this summer's entertainment hasn't been all about the sports. I've spent two weekends up in Rhinelander helping Dad paint the house. The first weekend I went up with Bob in his van. We painted the trim under the eves on three sides of the house as well as some windows and window wells. Laurie and her hounds also ventured north in a separate vehicle. (First below, Bob picks up a brush; second below, Laurie giggles in the back seat; Mom and Laurie chat on the front lawn)
On Sunday morning of that weekend we decided to attend mass at the fancy new church built to serve the Minocqua-Woodruff area. The facility, located in the middle of a thinned-out pine plantation, was built auditorium style with solid wood beams that support "cathedral" ceilings. The baptismal font is of the walk-in variety, and the main entry portal is composed of a stunning facade of glacial bolders. After the mass we marveled at the facilities cooking and convention facilities; someone said that the church kitchen was worthy of a restaurant. (First below, the beautiful new church, viewed opposite to the main altar; second below, Bob by the statue of Mary from the old church hung in a side chamber; third below, the impressive kitchen)
However, the non-religious elements of the mass left something to be desired. Apparently, the construction project must have accrued a substantial debt, as the priest and reader asked the congregation to donate money several times during the mass. Out-of-town tourists were special targets, as the church had been built on a grand-scale to accomodate their numbers during the summer months. The worst part, however, was the music. The church had invited a one-man-band, accompanied by a synthesizer and keyboard, to perform a benefit concerned that weekend (later that day -- tickets at 40$ a pop, no less). Dad, as well as the rest of us, were dismayed with the music. It was blaringly loud and had a faux, 80s vintage, Ladyhawke-era feel to it. It was all somehow New Age meets Christian pop meets a karaoke machine. So un-Catholic. I hope the Rhinelander parish learns some lessons about what not to do for its impending building project. (First below, "Sorry, Goldilocks, I am not a fan;" second below, a light shines on the new pine panel ceiling in Dad's garage workshop; third below, Oscar licks for treasure in his snout)
The rest of our jaunt to Mom's hometown was very enjoyable. We paid a visit to the cemetery where Mom's parents, brother Kenny, and extended Bayer relatives are buried. We also dodged the tourists to have a good Greek lunch at the Island Cafe in quaint downtown Minocqua.
I was not the only Bragg child who traveled north that week. Don and Hope were in town for a visit, and Lisa, Mikey, Emma, and Leila had come, in part, to visit them. Bob and Lisa Hulien made it up north on Saturday (almost) in time for Jenny Bayer's wedding in Merrill. It was quite the posse. (First below, Emma gets ready to scorch a marshmallow in a Friday night bonfire; second below, Mikey and Kenny at checkers; third below, Hope and Stephen)
The main reason for the visit north was that Jim's nephew Rusty, who you may remember married Shannon in Bloomer earlier this summer, had arranged for us to take a boat tour of the Dells. What a tour. Let's just say, it wasn't all about the natural beauty of the place -- although there was plenty of that. Rusty would drive the boat to 40 mph and then brake the boat in a dead stop swirl of water, water which would proceed to soak this or that side of the boat. Lots of fun. (First below, Captain Rusty; second below, the Dells; third below, the Houzners (foreground) and Rusty's in-laws, the Mikulas)
What a busy summer this has been. I have continued my usual routine of dissertation studies, part-time mowing, and weekend frivolities. As rainy as our June was, July and August have been sunny and bone dry. Today, though, it's a little sticky. (First below, beans and franks on Ed's Webber; second below, Jim, Ed, and Tim, back on top!)
Brewer games have been a recurrent activity of these summer weekends, as many of this week's photos will show. The first cache of Brewers' photos comes from the Sunday of Fourth of July weekend. Jim and I headed to Milwaukee with friends Tim and Ed and Ed's niece Jennifer (who has become quite a good chum of our little circle). Due to this year's increased demand for tickets, we had to sit in the very top row of Miller Park. Despite the altitude, the views from the seat were just fine. After a lackluster start for lackluster Brewers starter Jeff Suppan, the Brew Crew stomped past the hapless Pirates, 11-6. We had a blast tailgating before the game, too. (First below, Jim and Jen in shades; second below, a long line to get into the ballpark)The second game, the Springs Windows Fashions company game, fell on Saturday, July 26. This is always a fun and affordable trip, as the company contributes to the tailgate supplies and the rental of an air-conditioned coach. Just enough tickets were left from the allotment to have our friend Tom and Jim's nephew Brian come along. It was another enjoyable tailgate, but the Brew Crew lost. :( (Below, Tom, Brian, Jim, and I)The third game of note was the second Bragg Family game, held on the auspicious date of Friday 8/8/08. Jim and I took off the whole day to prepare for the tailgate. Well, to be honest, Jim spent the whole day fussing, whereas I spent only some of the time prepping for the trip; I also got in a workout in at the student fitness center. Jim got his revenge, though, as he delegated to me the duty of a last-minute, final hour tussle to assemble a new portable gas grill needed for the tailgate. (Below, Jim photographs the rest of the Bragg tailgate crew)Laurie parked her vehicle on Franklin Street at 2:15 so that she, Jim, and I could drive over together to Milwaukee. We met Don and Hope outside the stadium at McGinn's at 4:00. We had a very spacious tailgate, as most of the vehicle occupants parked next to us chose not to stick around. The exception was a keg-standing, rambuctious crew to one side of us. I don't think Kenny and Beth took much notice of them. (First below, Kenny plays air guitar on my tennis racket; second, little Stephen) The tailgate was a lot of fun, but Bob and Lisa could not join us because of Lisa's work responsibilities that day. Kenny enjoyed the toss game that Jim brought along, although our subsequent game of catch puttered out after chasing to many errant throws under cars. We had a lot of grilled food and cold picnic sides, but the real hit of the meal was Hope's blueberry bucket from Michigan. (First below, berry-picker Beth; second below, the berry harvest; third below, Kenny tosses against Jim)
The game was awesome, a sound 5-0 Brewer victory under the phenomenal pitcher C.C. Sabathia. We also sat in what were (at least for Jim and I) unusually high quality seats near Cory Hart's defensive outpost along the rightfield line. The reasons for our splurge for these tickets were, let us say, complicated, a consequence of gas-card voucher discounts and the (as of late) high demand for Brewers tickets. (First below, the view toward home from our seats; second below, Bob and Lisa; third below, C.C. gets set)
Enough baseball talk for a while. With all the Favre drama and the Olympics and what not, I'm almost in sports overload. Nonetheless, Jim and I will be going with a some friends to a game on Tuesday night, and we have tickets for games on September 1st and 4th. Oh lordy. (First below, Jim and I with Bragg Family South kids; second below, melty ice cream faces; third below, whose face is that on Ryan Braun's bobblehead?)
Of course, this summer's entertainment hasn't been all about the sports. I've spent two weekends up in Rhinelander helping Dad paint the house. The first weekend I went up with Bob in his van. We painted the trim under the eves on three sides of the house as well as some windows and window wells. Laurie and her hounds also ventured north in a separate vehicle. (First below, Bob picks up a brush; second below, Laurie giggles in the back seat; Mom and Laurie chat on the front lawn) On Sunday morning of that weekend we decided to attend mass at the fancy new church built to serve the Minocqua-Woodruff area. The facility, located in the middle of a thinned-out pine plantation, was built auditorium style with solid wood beams that support "cathedral" ceilings. The baptismal font is of the walk-in variety, and the main entry portal is composed of a stunning facade of glacial bolders. After the mass we marveled at the facilities cooking and convention facilities; someone said that the church kitchen was worthy of a restaurant. (First below, the beautiful new church, viewed opposite to the main altar; second below, Bob by the statue of Mary from the old church hung in a side chamber; third below, the impressive kitchen)However, the non-religious elements of the mass left something to be desired. Apparently, the construction project must have accrued a substantial debt, as the priest and reader asked the congregation to donate money several times during the mass. Out-of-town tourists were special targets, as the church had been built on a grand-scale to accomodate their numbers during the summer months. The worst part, however, was the music. The church had invited a one-man-band, accompanied by a synthesizer and keyboard, to perform a benefit concerned that weekend (later that day -- tickets at 40$ a pop, no less). Dad, as well as the rest of us, were dismayed with the music. It was blaringly loud and had a faux, 80s vintage, Ladyhawke-era feel to it. It was all somehow New Age meets Christian pop meets a karaoke machine. So un-Catholic. I hope the Rhinelander parish learns some lessons about what not to do for its impending building project. (First below, "Sorry, Goldilocks, I am not a fan;" second below, a light shines on the new pine panel ceiling in Dad's garage workshop; third below, Oscar licks for treasure in his snout)The rest of our jaunt to Mom's hometown was very enjoyable. We paid a visit to the cemetery where Mom's parents, brother Kenny, and extended Bayer relatives are buried. We also dodged the tourists to have a good Greek lunch at the Island Cafe in quaint downtown Minocqua.Two weekends later I returned to Rhinelander for some more painting. Dad and I managed to finish two-thirds of the second story of the back side of the house. I have since learned that Dad has completed that side. (First below, Lisa, Mikey, and Lei-Lei; second below, Mom's deer-proof garden; third below, Beth waits for a ride from Emma)
And last but not least, our latest summer adventure was a trip to the Tomah / Wisconsin Dells area for a weekend with Jim's family. On Friday night, we stayed at Jim's sister Amber and brother-in-law Walt's beautiful "house on a hill" Tomah. Jim and I wondered at the spectacular situation of the house, with its hilltop view over verdant hills and valleys and its gargantuan lawn. How the other half lives. We enjoyed a bonfire that night with the Weilands and their good friends the Sheeters. (First below, Jim and Jakey jumping; second below, a view down from the "house on the hi
The main reason for the visit north was that Jim's nephew Rusty, who you may remember married Shannon in Bloomer earlier this summer, had arranged for us to take a boat tour of the Dells. What a tour. Let's just say, it wasn't all about the natural beauty of the place -- although there was plenty of that. Rusty would drive the boat to 40 mph and then brake the boat in a dead stop swirl of water, water which would proceed to soak this or that side of the boat. Lots of fun. (First below, Captain Rusty; second below, the Dells; third below, the Houzners (foreground) and Rusty's in-laws, the Mikulas)
Enough for this entry. Hope you enjoyed, and hope your having a great summer. Bucky did not make the blog this week, because he has been very naughty lately. So, Romeo says, "Bye-bye, MEOW!"
Until next time,
jkb
posted by jkbinturkey at 12:19 PM
2 Comments:
oscar was such a sweet little puppy... now he's a tornado! bill
I love bobble-head Jim! I'd like to see a bobble-head JoJo...
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