St. Catrick's Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, this last month we had to say farewell to Laurie and Mark Valaskey's long-time restaurant venture in Middleton, Morels. The restaurant was full of fond memories such as Laurie and Mark's wedding reception and many excellent meals with family and friends. The Braggs sent it off in fine fashion with a few drinks at the bar and a feast in one of the side banquet chambers in honor of Pa Bragg's 79th birthday. I savored one last cup of Wild Mushroom Bisque. The heavy traffic to Morels during its final two months was a testimony to the high quality of its food, its convivial atmosphere, and Laurie and Mark's hard work. Laurie and Mark are moving on, and the future looks very bright for them.
Of course, from our enclosure, we began to engage in some typical Bragg family shenanigans.

Leila, soon to be age "one," was a ball of energy.

A few weeks later, Jim and I joined friends Tony and Mark on a short getaway to Brew City. Due to the recession, fan support for the mediocre Milwaukee Bucks fell to a low ebb this year, so Jim and I had decided to buy some heavily discounted tickets, catch a Saturday night Bucks game, shopping. and overnight at a hotel. Tony and Mark tagged along for the day as they wanted to do some sight-seeing and shopping(Below, Tony and Mark and I)

One kitch activity we did was to take the Miller Brewery tour. A lot of fun. I would highly recommend it, although not on a Saturday as they don't have the bottling line running. What an operation.

I learned why I prefer Miller Light to Bud Light. In addition to barley and hops, Miller uses a corn-based filler, whereas Bud Light uses a rice-based filler. There is something disturbingly ricey about Bud, a certain overly gurgled carbonation to it. (First below, the vat spinners to which hops are added; second below, a Milwaukee favorite, Real Chili; third below, Da Bucks)

Of course, Jim and I could not resist a few free samples at the end of the tour.

I also recently had the opportunity to head north to see the folks. That weekend Rhinelander was in the midst of a March thaw, and we all enjoyed the sunshine. (First below, Romeo and the Easter Egg Tree; second below, Mom critiques Dad's beard; third below, Mom and Dad and their pride and joy)

Bucky wishes everyone a belated Happy Saint Catrick's Day. Hardy har har.

Until later,

jkbinturkey