EARLY FATHER'S DAY

The Hunters (younger daughter & hubby), wanted to celebrate father's day early as the actual date will have me returning from vacation on St. George Island, Florida. :( I took the entire day off as the kids requested we get to Brew City by 5:00pm at the latest and on a typical work day I return home by 5:00.

We began the day with a bike ride. We attempted the north end of the Milwaukee county Oak Leaf Trail. We parked in downtown Wauwatosa and headed north. The trail was detoured several times as reconstruction was being undertaken. We eventually gave up the idea of our goal of the north terminus, Dretzka Park and returned to Tosa. We toured city streets and parkways and admired the homes of character in this village.

The evening began with pizza at yet another quaint place the Hunters have discovered and sampled. The neighborhood is not the best, so al fresco dining was verboten (wow, 3 different languages in one sentence). After dining , it was off the the Bradley Center for Milwaukee Iron football. Arena football is more flash and event than actual football, but, it IS football in June, so it's good, even with only 3,000+ in an 18,000+ arena.

We then continued the night with an Iron win and celebratory imbibement at one of the Hunters' favorite haunts. The night ended with a short walk home to Casa del Hunter, some sweets purchased earlier at the same bakery 'Lissa used for her wedding desserts and bed.

Saturday I stayed in bed until 10:00am, the first time in many years this was allowed. Good-byes were exchanged and then off to Oshkosh to visit the other kids and granddaughter after a brief stop at Sherri's favorite store, the Dollar Tree. If one needs really cheap crap, especially for a single-use, this is your place.

Tizu did not disappoint. We arrived just as her nap was ending and spent the remainder of her day with her. They leave for St. George Island on Tuesday in order to visit two other families on the way down. We meet in our usual first day stop, a Day's Inn in Cullman, Alabama. We take our own beer as we discovered about six years ago, Cullman is in a dry county. Not good for vacationing Wisconsinites. We arrive on st. George Island at around 3:00pm on Saturday. We generally get in the water by 4:30 or so, and cigars are lit by dusk. This will be another unique stay as we rent a house for the second time (Margaritaville) and Tizu will be there with us, though staying in another house with her Mama and Papa. It will be fun to watch Tizu in the pools (we and they each have one) and , especially, in the Gulf of Mexico.

We made these reservations and plans beginning a year ago and since then, I've lost a job, found a new job, married off a daughter (gained a second son-in-law), gained a granddaughter, witnessed the economy tank and a 1/2 black man be elected President. It has been an historic year.

The weekend ended by cleaning gutters and downspouts of maple seed "helicopters", changing out a 60-yer-old light switch (without burning the house down - yet) grilling burgers and a cigar and beer. Simple pleasures are still the best, at least until we're told even these will be taxed to prohibition.