Season Finale

Just like any entertaining show, the race season has a finale, too. Our nephew Colin didn't get to race as much as he hoped this summer so we were glad to catch a few races at the end of the season.

Today we picked up Jim's dad and took him to Marshfield Motor Speedway for the Tundra Series championship. There were two 50-lap races and it was still light for the first one so I could capture some photos. But first, the important photos...

His cute kiddos! And biggest fans, I'm sure. He's beginning to look like a little Colin!

And Mya is definitely geared up for team daddy. So adorable!

OK, fine Colin. You're cute, too. But that's just your biased old aunt talking! What really looked good was seeing him work his way up to the front of the pack by halfway through the race. 

Unfortunately there was a caution and restart with 12 laps to go and he just couldn't keep pace with the guy who recorded fastest time during qualifying. Still a great race and good second-place finish. 

The temps dropped rapidly after sundown. Glad we had jackets and sweatshirts but we still wimped out and headed home early. I wouldn't say we're fair weather fans. Just not cold weather fans. Glad racing is a summer sport around here!

Special Visit-R

Got a special visitor for the weekend. In attempt to escape the Arizona heat, my oldest sister is spending a month or two in the Midwest. Today was my turn on her tour! And it was hot and muggy, sorry.

She rolled into town shortly after noon. Oh not in this truck, thankfully. This was part of our afternoon agenda. A party at our friends' place in rural Rudolph (if that's a thing), where they have a ton of Americana-type memorabilia on display. 

When we saw the milk cans – which always remind us of Dad – we thought, here's an example that some people who hoard, er collect, things actually do something with them! 

Well done, Lars and Ashley! So glad I finally got to see it! And you and the family of course. And Rayna got to meet Carter's FORMER babysitters (not OLD sitters) as well. Turns out they went to high school with Rayna's friends who she was just visiting in upper Michigan. Small world all around!

From the party, we continued up to Marshfield to watch Colin race. Glad I took a few pictures of his car during the early heats because it was after 10 p.m. before his feature race was going. Crazy. He had a hard-fought finish for 6th. Like by a nose (or less)! Pretty exciting.

Made for a long night, though. It's midnight and we need rest IN CASE we want to do something tomorrow. Or we can just sit around and relax. My oldest sister has threatened to sit on my lap to keep me in place if I try to do too much.

NeveR miss with an R sisteR!

There They Go

These geese that crossed the road in front of us and plopped into a pond are pretty much symbolic of today. There they go, swimming off like my days out of the office.

It's been 830 days out and I am about to set my alarm for tomorrow's return. Guess I should've been super symbolic and gone to bed at 8:30. Don't think that that didn't cross my mind! 

It was a busy last day.

After work, Jim and I went up to Halder (that's God's Country for those who don't know) and met up with two cousins at the St. Patrick's cemetery. Sounds odd but not when they're all into genealogy and had some catching up to do – along with a bit of a walking tour. 

Nice to see Nancy and Barb and especially nice we were all above ground for it.

Since we were in the area, Jim and I headed over to Marshfield for dinner. We knew it was Mac Monday at Nutz Deep II. And had been looking forward to it for awhile.

Take one look at my Cajun Mac & Cheese and you'll see why! In the background you can see Jim's Philly Mac. We were both very happy with our meal. Yum!

Also since we were in the area, we went to Festival Foods. I know what you're thinking. No one lives it up like we do! Cemetery, Mac Monday and Festival Foods. All in ONE day?? Don't be jealous.

Seriously, the freshness and bounty that exists at Fest does not exist in our town. Unfortunately, it's a bit out of the way with gas prices as they are. Still, we did some recon and we'll come armed with a list next time.

Got home at 7:30 and I had to find something to wear to the office tomorrow, which will be the hottest day of the year so far. I assume the A/C will be cranked but I'm golfing after work so it'll be a golf outfit that fits our dress code. After 830 days, they'll just have to take me as I am.

Alright, gotta sleep fast! G'night.

Home for Christmas

I'll be home for Christmas

You can plan on me

Please have snow and mistletoe

And presents on the tree

– I'll Be Home for Christmas

When they wrote that Christmas carol in the 1940s, members of the armed forces were begging to be home for the holidays. In 2020, it's kind of a punishment of sorts. But we made the most of it.

Santa visited overnight. We all got goodies in our stockings. Carter and Dad both got Seinfeld calendars. Carter also got this one from Heidelberg, Germany, where he lived for a semester way back in 2019. That didn't arrive until Christmas Eve so I'm glad I had a backup. 

I was thrilled to find a golf punch card in my stocking so I can play several times next summer – vaccine and the good lord willing. Definitely something to look forward to. Thanks, Mr. Claus.

We had a pretty low-key day at HOME. Carter left after presents and breakfast so he could be down in Platteville area in the afternoon to celebrate with his girlfriend's family. Both hubby and I got a walk in this afternoon before watching a bit of the Vikings game. We didn't have to suffer too long before heading up to Marshfield to deliver a gift to his aunt, who's been in a care facility and hasn't been able to receive a hug during this whole stinkin' pandemic! So sad. Glad we could spread a little cheer.

After seeing her (masked and 6 feet away, of course), we headed over to Wildwood Park in Marshfield, where they have a winter wonderland light display each year. It's been a long time since we saw it. This time, instead of driving through, we took the walking path. It was like 9 degrees and felt like zero so it was a brisk walk. But oh so beautiful! A few highlights...

Did I mention Wildwood Park is also a zoo? This mountain lion or bobcat or kitty is probably pretty sick of hearing Christmas music by now!

Cold selfie!

A holiday hole-in-one!

Quite the variety of lights!

When our walk concluded with a purple and gold display, I thought for sure it was a sign our Vikings were gaining ground on the Saints while we weren't watching.

Nope. They managed to put the "ugly" in ugly Christmas sweater. Good thing we left the confines of home and skipped most of that. As an added bonus, we saw the Christmas Star. Well, sort of.

Earlier this week, the solar system decided to grace us with a cosmic Christmas miracle that hasn't been witnessed in nearly 800 years. On Monday/Dec. 21 (aka the December solstice), Jupiter and Saturn aligned so closely in the night sky that from our vantage point, looked like they collided and created a radiant point of light often referred to as the "Star of Bethlehem" or the "Christmas Star." It was rainy/snowy and cloudy that night, so we couldn't see it from central Wisconsin.

Now, since it's been a few days, the planets aren't aligned the same. But one of the two definitely was giving off more light than the other. Looked real to us.

Happy birthday, baby Jesus. Thanks for staying in our home for the holidays!

 

Love Birds

I know this is a cedar waxwing – not a love bird – but today was about love, so let's go with it.

Since Cinderella is about to turn into a Pumpkin Spice Girl at midnight, I'll be quick...

Got my 10,000 steps today be traipsing around the Wildwood Park and Zoo in Marshfield, chasing cross country photos and, while waiting for runners, taking advantage of some nature photography opportunities –– like the berry-pickin' bird by one of the ponds.

It was a successful cross-country meet. Our Royals middle and high school girls teams both took first and several of our guys had top 10 finishes. So it was a great first meet for our kiddos who LOVE running. I couldn't catch much of the third race – varsity girls – because I had to book it home and had about 5 minutes to quick shower and dress so we could head to Plover for a wedding for Cory, a son of one of Jim's high school buddies.

We stopped home in the time between ceremony and reception, so I got a few things done. Then it was up to Wausau for dinner and dancing. Well, one slow, love bird dance. But it got me to my 10,000 steps.

Now bed time for this old bird.

Skatter Day

Our Saturday was quite the Scattered Day Saturday as we were all over the place.

I had signed up for a virtual 5K to benefit our local ODC (Opportunity Development Center) and decided to do it this morning since I had to drop off a book at my friend's house, which is about a mile and a half away.

The best thing about a virtual 5K? It's not timed so you can enjoy a coffee station pit stop versus a water station at the halfway point. 

Great having morning sips and chit-chat. And I'll still get a race t-shirt, of course. #winning

This afternoon we helped our good friend Christine celebrate her upcoming 50th birthday. Headed down to their family saloon in Adams County and got to see family and friends we haven't seen much of (or any of) during the pandemic!

And naturally nice to see the birthday girl, who lives far far away down by the Kenosha-Racine area.

After that it was one more event. Yup, summer's almost over so we gotta squeeze lots in each day.

We went up in Marshfield to watch our nephew Colin race. Kind of exciting he got fast time in qualifying so I got some pictures before it got dark. And cold. Yup. Jeans and sweatshirt weather already. 

They had a 60-lap main feature that literally started around my bedtime – after 9:30 p.m.! After plenty of cautions (thankfully not our boy), the race wrapped up after 11 p.m., with Colin crossing the finish line for a hard-fought 5th place. Nice work, kiddo. 

Home as the clock strikes 12. Guess who's gonna sleep good after this crazy Scatter Day!? That and current temp of 55. Night!

Staying Focused

Heading to bed at almost midnight for the second night in a row. I'll blog, though, so you don't think I was struck by lightning or a virus. I do have some serious back pains messing with my serenity, but all else is good!

Friday evening and today and tonight were focused on being focused. With my camera.

Last night was an unofficial Ramblers Legion baseball game with a few Assumption boys. The first game of the double-header was about 3 hours and ended with a 26-13 loss. Hubby and I went at that point. They did rally and win the second game, though. So night to see LIVE baseball!

Today's focus was a senior portrait session, which featured this cutie and the nice old '65 Chevy truck. Very nice!

Tonight's focus was cheering on our nephew Colin at the races in Marshfield. It was a double-feature night for super late models. He had a top 10 finish in the first 30-lap feature and, yes, took the checkered flag to win the second 30-lap feature! How exciting!

I have much better photos of racing but this was taken through the fence – across the track. I'll share another time as it's bed time now and we are heading out of town in the morning and the day's focus will be on gentle golfing. You know, the kind where I swing slow and easy so it doesn't impact my back. Haha. It's never too old to learn what I've been told for years!

I'll sleep on it. Right now!

Back in Focus

After a spring of no sports, I dusted off the camera last night and found a baseball game. Yup, baseball IS happening – if you know where to look.

Ran into a friend Saturday whose boys are playing for the Marshfield Chaparrals. Or Chaps, as they call themselves. I don't even know what a chaparral is – I thought a bird since the logo is one – so I had to research and share (like I always do).

According to girlfriend Merriam Webster, a charappal is dense impenetrable thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees. The term "chaparral" also refers to an area where plants adapt to droughts, sun exposure, and fire. So..... Go, shrubs!??

Oh well, it's a team of college-aged boys and last night they were hosting the Medford Moondogs. Go Dwarf Trees! Beat those Lunar Halos!

Hey, it was baseball. I was happy. My camera was happy. My friend's son was the winning pitcher and the save went to a former Assumption Royals pitcher. Pretty cool. And the game was exciting. Tied up in the 8th inning. Spoiler alert: Chaps were victorious.

I was pleased my camera cooperated in the dimming light of day. Just a few shots to share...

Caleb up to bat.

His brother Nathan in to relief pitch.

And "E," former Royal, pitching for the save!

The game got over after 9 so it was a dark 45-minute drive home. Needless to say, I almost hypnotized myself because my eyes were constantly darting back and forth from ditch to ditch on the lookout for deer. Do not want my dear Herbie to be a deer Herbie.

Got home safe and sound but had internet issues so didn't blog. Hope you had a nice Sunday, too!

Sound and Light Show

I love that the ferris wheel at the Central Wisconsin State Fair was sporting Vikings colors last night. Sure, I had to wait for it, but the proper combination finally came up! Pretty, isn't it? And it was just one of the highlights of the night.

The fair – more specifically, the grandstand show – has been on our calendar for many weeks. Our friend Kathy (aka Kat, aka Jim's classmate from Assumption) was going to be singing with a very popular Wisconsin band called Vic Ferrari.

Basically, it's her dream come true. And hubby and I have been along for the journey. It's been awesome to see. We're so thrilled for her. And thrilled that we can share her voice with the thousands who hear the band each year.

So we picked up our friends Mark and Lisa and headed up to Marshfield after work yesterday. It was the first day of the fair and not a huge crowd for a Tuesday night so short lines for pulled pork sandwiches and mini versions of Elephant Ears called Mouse Ears. Just as good as I remember them!

My one disappointment was that I was finally tall enough to ride all the rides, but they weren't running yet. Even the ferris wheel just lit up later. No passengers.

Concert was fun. They perform a little bit everything. I got some pictures of the band but mainly was getting pictures of Kathy. They normally don't have a female singer so this is a huge deal that she's on board for the rest of the "season" anyway. Her stage time is limited until they get more practice in with her. But she definitely rocked and commanded the stage when she was on it!

Yes, no matter the temperature, you get goose bumps when she sings! Pretty sweet!

She's so awesome! Try to catch them yet this summer. They are quite literally all over the Wisconsin map during fair and festival season. https://vicferrari.com/

Rock on, Kat!

It's Juxt Us Opposin'

juxtaposition |ˌjəkstəpəˈziSH(ə)n|: noun. The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect: the juxtaposition of these two images.

I remember learning this word in English class back in the day. Never was it so evident as our date night tonight...

A well-rounded date starts with fancy-schmancy dinner at The Muse followed by action at the race track – with a 70 mph wardrobe change on Highway 10 in between. That's how we roll on a Saturday night!

Let's start with dinner. Our delicious dinner at The Muse restaurant that is part of the Sentry campus. It's really a nice place and was a great setting for a surprise 50th birthday gathering for our neighbor. Well now I can't say her name or you'll know her age! Anyway, the new AARP girl was surprised and it was fun. And so very, very delish!

Above, for example, was my rhubarb dessert. Crispy custard topped with rhubarb and white chocolate and pistachios. Do not try this at home. It could never compare. Yum.

From there it was a quick drive west to Marshfield. The guy above is some unknown fan, but I had to capture the image to complete the juxtaposition. Plus, I forgot to take our picture at the restaurant so you wouldn't know the difference with our "outfits" – which were appropriate for each occasion. I basically just changed my shirt while hubby drove and kept my black skort on to save time.

We were anxious to get over there after we heard our nephew Colin qualified with the fastest time. That's always a big deal – and today even more so because they weren't sure the car was going to cooperate for racing tonight. We got to the track in time for the feature but, unfortunately #87 only lasted two laps. Dang. Better luck next time, kiddo!

At least it extended our unique date night – that and the train stopped when we got back to town. Yup. That's exactly how we roll on a Saturday night.

Dream big, my friends. Dream big.

How to Saturday

How do YOU Saturday? Apparently I've been doing it wrong. Because my Saturday looked nothing like Sylvester's. Not that I wouldn't have minded. Just had things to do, places to go, people to see.

My morning multi-tasking involved dusting and vacuuming while treats were baking in the oven. First I made a Hornet's Nest Cake for the church picnic tomorrow. Then I baked those Monster Cookies I mixed up last night. I tried not to taste test. But ohhhhh, soooo good!

Had just enough time to clean up my baking mess since Martha Stewart's TV crew weren't around to do it. Then I was off to senior photo shoot #3 of the season. Today was the son of my friend and former Renaissance co-worker Jodi. Her son Ryan goes to Nekoosa so we did some of my normal settings on my "senor picture route" and a few football ones, too.

On the photo above, I am actually laying on my stomach at the edge of a bridge and hanging over as much as I can to get this shot with some water in the background. I am either dedicated or stupid. Either way, no one was hurt and no one got wet. Oh, and my camera equipment is intact!

I have to give Ryan some credit for sticking it out since it was about 90 degrees at the time. Yikes.

Had just enough time to go home and change into racing gear. Well, fan gear. And head up to Marshfield. We picked up Jim's dad on the way. When we got there and it was 87 degrees – matching Colin's race car number – I thought that was a good omen.

And it was. Colin qualified with fast time! He started around 8th place for the 75-lap feature and worked his way up to finish 3rd. It was a close race and fun to watch.

We didn't stick around for the fireworks after the races. The sky was hazy due to wildfires in Canada or in the West or both. Plus, it was late for us old folks! If I did a better job of Saturday-ing, maybe I wouldn't be so tired!

Kitty, help me out on this one.