We have been blessed with sunshine most of this week! Highlights of our last couple of days in Madison include taking a tour of the Capitol building,
and, meeting friend Cary and a few of his friends to see a Pat McCurdy concert/singalong/show.
We were heading to Sturgeon in Door County, where we would pass by Oshkosh – I am learning that so many of the names and places that I have heard of over my lifetime that I had presumed to be fictional actually do exist! However, when we learned that one of our friend’s father lives in Little Sturgeon, we looked him up instead of going to Oshkosh. He is of full Belgian heritage and raised his family in and around the largest Belgian settlement in the US, making his living as a cheese farmer and welder.
Several friends and acquaintsnces had told us that we had to “do a fish boil” in Door county, so with our friend’s father, we did! He knew to take us to Pelletier’s in Fish Creek where they make quite a show of preparing the locally caught whitefish, served afterwards with pie made from locally grown cherries. Yum!
Another highlight this week was watching Game 2 of the Cavaliers vs. Warriors basketball finals with our friend’s father. The Warriors won. Go Warriors! After saying farewell, we looked around Sturgeon Bay a little before camping at Peninsula State Park, where we enjoyed bicycling, hiking, and, beautiful sunsets.
We then ferried on the SS Badger – the badger we learned is the Wisconsin state animal, like the very prevalent robin is their state bird. We sailed from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan. During the 4 hour ride we had fun playing Bingo, and, watched the moving film, Sully. That evening at 9pm – start time for the game as we are now on the east coast, we headed for a local bar – as we were camping, to see the Warriors again defeat the Cavaliers in Game 3! It was fun to root along with the bar owner for our Warriors among the many Cav’s fans. Loren cheered them on with his 22oz dark amber draft beer…
Also in Michigan we toured the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, which – as with all the others we have visited, was informative and educational, specifically about his years in the White House.
Now we are in Toledo, Ohio, where we watched the Warriors lose Game 4 to who I am now calling the LeBronaliers. It seems his teammates are at a loss if he is not on the court. Being a Friday night, a lot of the younger crowd were vocal in cheering for their own state team. Still, it was a good night out, just sad to see our Warriors lose.
For some reason – perhaps because Loren and I have spent so much time on or near waters or driving over rivers lately? – I have had Moon River running through my head. So, I leave you this week with its especially-meaningful-to-us-right-now lyrics that at one time prompted The Atlantic Monthly to report, “This is a love sung to wanderlust.”
Moon River
Moon River, wider than a mile
I’m crossing you in style some day
You dream maker
You heartbreaker
Wherever you’re going
I’m going your way
Two drifters off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end
Waitin’ round the bend
My Huckleberry friend
Moon River and me.
Journey Toward Wholeness 