Welcome to Brewtober!

Dear Friends and Family,

After three-and-a-half-month lapse, I've finally found the time and gumption to update my blog. It's been a busy time. I'm now teaching a heavy load of four, fully-enrolled courses at Bradley. I've also been sending book proposals to publishers. I've re-entered the tenure-track job market, too.

My hard work is yielding results. I think I've made a good impression with my colleagues at Bradley, and several publishers are interested in my book. This semester has entailed a lot of extra course preparation. I'll teach the same courses in the spring, so I should have a bit more time to get out articles, book reviews, and conference papers (or at least start them.) I'm at the publish or perish stage of my career. I'm glad I'll have the opportunity to do what I need to do this year!

I have had time to squeeze in some fun, of course. Last weekend Jim and I traveled north to camp with Bob and his girlfriend Nancy at Sylvania Wilderness Area in the U.P. of Michigan. The weather was delightfully warm and sunny, and we got in a nice walk along Clark Lake. I made it the furthest on the hike, and I ended up at Whitefish Lake three and a half miles down the way. I took a chilly dip into the crystal clear waters. I did not encounter anyone else on the trails that day. (First below, Whitefish Lake; second below, Dad and Mom join us at the campfire)


This also has been a crazy time in Wisconsin sports. The Packers are 5-0, and they have the look of a championship team. Hopefully, we can fight off the Lions? The Badgers are ranked #4 in all the major polls, and Jim and I took great delight in their trouncing of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Welcome to the Big Ten. (First below, Lil' Red, the creepy second-half Nebraska mascot; second below, some of our thirty-person tailgate off Regent before the game)

The superstars of the month, though, have been our beloved Milwaukee Brewers. Jim is SOOO excited about their playoff run. They are currently tied 1-1 with the rival St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. Go Brew Crew!

The Houzners have been following one of their own star athletes. Mitch Weiland, the son of Jim's sister Amber and brother-in-law Walt, is the senior quarterback for the 7-1 Tomah Timberwolves. He's had a great year, and he's thrown for many long touchdowns. They have one game left against La Crosse Logan before the WIAA playoffs. (Below, Mitch is #11; he is handing off the ball for a run play in this photo)
I should mention some other big events from the previous summer. Our friends Zach and Jen got married! They had a wonderful wedding and reception. The wedding service was at the Gates of Heaven Synagogue at nearby James Madison Park on Lake Mendota.
Jim and I took a mini-vacation to Minneapolis to see Bill and Scott before they left for South Korea. We took in a thrilling Brewers-Twins game, the best Brewer comeback of the season, in Minnesota's new baseball stadium. We also walked around some of the city from downtown to the western lakes.



Another fun event was our jaunt to Devil's Lake with friends Tony and Mark. I had never been to the park, and I very much enjoyed circling the lake along the park's sometimes sheer trails. The hardscrabble effort was worth it for reasons besides the natural beauty of the surroundings. Governor Scott Walker was there for a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the park. Our crew, alongside 200 like-minded protesters, let the governor know precisely what we thought of his "reform" agenda.



Thanks for reading. It'll be a while before I update again, most likely. Keep in touch.

jkb