Seen on my Wisconsin tax return

Taxes were extra fun this year... filing part-year returns in VA and WI, home sale, home purchase, 3 jobs plus a 1099 for a side-job. Wee!

So imagine how excited I was to get a laugh out of seeing this on my Wisconsin return:


Look at that! There, among endangered resources and gender-equitable cancer research, is my opportunity to contribute to the Packers' beloved Lambeau Field. (If it were Madison-centric, it would have benefited the beloved Badgers' Camp Randall, which at a capacity of 80,000+, is bigger than any NFL stadium - and fills it easily.)

Ok.... NOW it's REALLY cold (LaCrosse, WI trip)

Susan caught this... possibly malfunctioning... temperature reading during our trip north to LaCrosse, Wisconsin. We had gone up to see Peter Mulvey at the Pump House regional arts center. We had seen the Saturday date on the tour schedule and thought, "hmm, that'll make a nice get-away weekend, and we can see more of our new home state!" Of course, it was the coldest weekend of the year. Still, there was not precipitation, so a few extra layers and we were good to go.

We stayed at a terrific B&B in the historic downtown. The proprietor was very nice and her daughter was adorable ("the guests! the guests!" she said as we came downstairs). The room had lots of light and was comfy -- I picked it specifically because it lacked all of the frilly antiques of most B&Bs.

On Saturday we dropped off our things and wandered around town. We found key resources for a good weekend vacation: good music (Deaf Ear Record Exchange), good food (Hackberry's Bistro over the People's Food Co-op), good coffeeshop (Jules' Coffee), good bookstore (Pearl Street Books, next door to Jules', great used and new book selection).

Saturday night was the concert; Peter had a cold but sounded good and exhibited his typical wit. Fellow Wisconsin singer-songwriter Satchell Paige Welch joined him on the trip and on stage. The audience was, I think, mostly patrons of the arts center unfamiliar with Peter, so it was a pretty low-key affair.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a fabulous breakfast at the B&B, and headed out to enjoy some of the places we'd spotted the day before (coffee, music, coffee, food, coffee, books).

We had a couple of suprise treats on our way out of town. First, we stopped at Grandad Bluff, a LaCrosse landmark that left us grateful that the roads were clear enough for us to drive up and get great shots like this. From the top of the bluff, we could see into neighboring Iowa and Minnesota.

Next, we drove across the Mississippi River and up the Minnesota side from LaCrescent to Winona, as recommended by our neighbor, friend, and pet sitter, Kate. Even though the Mississippi is smaller up here, it is still impressive, and seeing it frozen over is rather amazing. And the bluffs all around, the ice clinging to them, a bald eagle... wonders everywhere.

Finally, on our way home, we accidentally found our way onto the scenic route home, and decided to stick with it - a fortuitous choice, it was a wonderful drive, and we'll likely go that way again next time.

In all, the weekend seemed to last for days -- we crammed a lot into it, but still came away relaxed.

Susan will have all of the pictures on Flickr soon... when she does, I'll post the link here.

Yes, but he could've been a Packer

Heard on the local NPR news this a.m.: in reporting President Gerald Ford's death, the first biographical bit mentioned was not the unprecedented manner in which he took office, nor that he pardoned Nixon. The first thing you learned from NPR this morning about Ford was that he was a star football player that turned down an opportunity to join the Green Bay Packers.

Redbird at Cafe Carpe

We went to see Redbird (which features 3 of our favorite artists: Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault, and Peter Mulvey) at the tiny Cafe Carpe in Ft. Atkinson, WI last weekend. I have been a fan of Peter Mulvey's since his album Deep Blue in 1997, and discovered Kris Delmhorst probably not too long after, as they were both among many fine singer-songwriters in the Boston music scene I was following. Susan and I discovered Jeffrey Foucault when he opened for Peter Mulvey a few years ago. Now Kris is married to Jeffrey. And Peter lives here in Wisconsin (having returned from Boston).

Go figure.

Anyway, the show found them relaxed in comfortable environs and amongst many friends. We sat this close, but you couldn't really be much farther away in this room. There was lots of holiday silliness; their goal was to play only songs they hadn't played before.

Kris covered the Cars' "You Might Think," and the singalong to the bridge ("you kept it goin'/ 'til the sun went down/ you kept it... goin'") was priceless. But my favorite was her cover of Wilco's "Jesus, etc.," which caused me to pull out Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for a listen the very next day.

Listen to a recent story about Kris on NPR's "All Things Considered" here... the vocals on the opening sample cause the breath to catch in my throat...

A happy Thanksgiving

Susan and I spent Thanksgiving with our friends Scottie and Jim and their daughters Casey and Sammy. They live in Wauwatosa (a Milwaukee suburb affectionately known as 'Tosa). Having Scottie and Jim nearby is one of the things that made us feel more comfortable about uprooting ourselves from DC and moving to Wisconsin!

After feasting on a fabulous meal of traditional T'day fare, we went for a very nice walk which included a hike through the woods which our dog Indy particularly enjoyed! Then back home for more food, good coffee, and relaxation... ahhhh.

If you have a Flickr account and I've added you as a friend or family, you can see more pictures here. If you don't have an account, you can create one and invite me to be a contact (I can help, just ask!).

Over dinner, I had so much emotion over everything I have to be thankful for that I couldn't put it into words. A wonderful partner to share (truly share) my life with. Good health, good friends, good job. A nice home in a great community. Susan's dad's successful liver transplant and the family and friends that pulled together to help Terry and Lora through the recovery period. Sister Kate newly starting grad school and continuing to be supermom to Colin. Brother Terry also in school, oh and teaching and coaching high school students and caring for his son Braden. My stepfather reconnecting with me after 15 years of estrangement.

Yeah, I'm lucky. Lucky... or something. But definitely grateful, every day.

Cheese!

Susan and I love cheese. "What," you ask, "does this have to do with Madison, WI?" Why, I'm glad you asked... oh, and you know you want to know: what type of cheese are you?

75 degrees in August.

It's been a nice weekend... on Friday, Susan and I drove to Cafe Carpe in Ft. Atkinson, a small town about 30 miles south east of Madison, to see Jeffrey Foucault, a wonderful singer-songwriter who is from the area (though it sounds like he has moved east to the Boston area to join his new wife, another of our favorite musicians, Kris Delmhorst). We have loved his blues-y style and wonderful vocals for years, but his new album "Ghost Repeater" is, I think, his best so far. And, how lucky are we... Peter Mulvey showed up to lend a guitar!

Kris has a new CD out too, so check that one out!

And one more musical recommendation... we went to see a band called the Ditty Bops because they were playing at the Barrymore Theater down the street, and I liked what I saw and heard on their web site. Oh, and they are touring the country by bicycle. And their 2006 bicycle-bikini calendar was among their sales merchandise. And their t-shirts are hand-painted. And their keyboard player played from behind a hand-painted pagoda. What's not to love? They'll be at Jammin' Java in Vienna, Va. on August 24, and at the Ram's Head in Baltimore on August 25 -- I urge you to go if you are in the area!


Their opener, Scarring Party, was equally unique, sort of old-timey 20's-30's dirge-y jazz. And the lead singer uses a special microphone that makes his vocals sound like an old Victrola recording. And they use a typewriter for percussion. Yeah.

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But, back to the weekend... the trip to Cafe Carpe was just what I needed... there's been a lot of stress at work (sigh) and at home (health issues with family and just general busy-ness) of late, and a quiet show in a small club in a sleepy little town was a great antidote.

On Saturday, we went about 20 miles west of Madison to the home of an old friend of Susan's from Ripon College , to attend a fundraiser for Fair Wisconsin. It was really great to see Tammy and her husband Tom bringing so many people together in opposition to a state constitutional amendment which would make not only gay marriage, but even domestic partnership benefits unconstitutional. Susan and I are hosting a small house party ourselves on behalf of Fair Wisconsin next month, and Susan has been working very hard creating and delivering invitations, and meeting with local merchants about donations.

I spent this morning on the porch catching up on the mail and reading the NY Times (we had to subscribe to get decent national and international news coverage!), and Susan joined me with the laptop. Then, off to the gym to work out like good kids, then home, where it's my turn on the laptop (while watching what is likely to be the Washington Mystics' final playoff game of the season) and Susan is out taking advantage of the rest of this beautiful day to do a little yard work.

So... how are YOU doing? Send me an email and let me know that I'm not talking to myself, okay? :-)