I'm baaaaaaack!

Sunday August 15th, 2010

There are zones in Wisconsin without service, computer and cell phone-wise. We experienced both so that's why there were no entries for a few days. The modem worked the first day then died, according to Paul. All I know is that normally the little light was green but it was red the rest of our trip. We arrived late last night so I was too tired to blog. So let's play catch-up. Be prepared, it's another long blog.

Thursday August 12th, 2010

We had breakfast @ Paul Bunyan's. I guess on vacation, it doesn't matter how old you are, but we had asked for Babe the blue ox ears and horns paper hats. Paul took a little encouraging but eventually he succumbed to wearing them so we have pics with them on our heads. I'm glad this restaurant is still there after all these years, some places aren't there anymore ie. Xanadu. The food was served buffet-style but they bring it to you. Jenny fell in love with their donuts, cake-like and sugar coated. Yum! However they have this ketchup which made a few of us go, "blech", it's called "Chef Mike's" or something like that. It made the hash browns taste bad. Where's the Heinz?

I believe we went back to the hotel room so J, M & P could hang out in the pool for a couple of hours. Again, I rested inside in the air conditioning. It was 105 F with the heat index. After they came in & showered, we headed over to Circus World in Baraboo. We rolled in a little late but were able to catch the one ring circus act. Paul liked Elena, the aerialist from Siberia. He was lucky to get a picture taken with her afterwards. P was also busted for video taping, we missed the announcement earlier. Did they mind me getting two photo shots in while he taped? We laughed @ the lady in the audience who freaked out while watching Elena perform on a rope in the air without a net. She screamed like someone was stabbing her, "AAAAH!" "AAAAH! Three elephants perfomed, one being Isabella, the only elephant who can walk on a ball and she did it. Amazing. We saw the old wooden circus cars restored, just beautiful; we got some funny pics with the warped mirrors; nibbled on cotton candy; and were able to see a magician. I should've asked him to make my cancer disappear.

We had a buffet dinner @ Crabby's, a seafood/pirate themed place. Talking fake parrots wearing crab hats, pirate mannequins hanging from ropes in the dining area and tropical drinks. I had a virgin drink but boy was it sweet. We got to keep our glasses & coconut shaped cups from there. Lucky for me they had non-seafood items. It was there that I realized with my small appetite that maybe we shouldn't hit buffet places, pay a lot of money and I can't take advantage of the portions. I didn't want them wasting money. Paul had accidentally spilled some roast beef juice on his shorts near his zipper, which led to a lot of jokes. My back was really hurting and for some reason I was very cold, even with my jacket on. I had asked for the keys to warm up and to rest my back in the car. Next thing we know, Paul is searching for the car keys and ended up pulling out a steak knife from his burmuda short's pocket. WHAT!?! He had put it in there while in the buffet line since he got roast beef. I missed getting pics with the family in their pirate hats, since I was already in the car, but we did bring some pirate hats home.

We ended up the night @ Tommy Bartlett's waterski show. Not only did we see the water skiers do their awesome stunts, but also a few comedian/jugglers and a lady and a gentlemen climb up these two severely tall poles, which bent and swayed the higher they climbed. No nets mind you. They switched poles mid-air. "AAAAAH!" They ended the show with a laser light tribute to our troops, very touching.

Friday August 13th, 2010

Raining cats and dogs all day. We decided to go see the House on the Rock, in Spring Green, an hour away from Wisc. Dells. We ate @ Perkin's, the Denny's wait was extremely long & crowded. We got seated right away @ Perkin's but our server was forgetful and slow, no creamer for the coffee and she had to be reminded of our needs, barely checking on us. Well it's a good thing she was slow because the downpours kept coming back outside. We finally were able to finish our brunch and were able to load up with gas & hit the road. It would've been nice to have phone reception in some the of high & steep areas we had to travel through. As we passed through this little town called Reedsburg, the radio was up but we were able to hear the tornado sirens go off. We were hoping it was a firetruck or ambulance. We pulled over believe it or not, in front of a place called "Touchdown Tavern". It was called "touchdown" because it was a football themed bar. The sirens did turn off after a while and we continued our journey. We saw a lot of new & old farms. Very scenic.

We did make it to House on the Rock, I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a little musty odor and a LOT of walking. We spent about 3 and a half hours there, a little kid complained to his parents asking if they could go home, they were there for 5 hours. You won't believe what's inside, the largest indoor carousel, musical instruments that played themselves, a 4 story whale, the Infinity Room, outdoor gardens, dolls, doll houses, mini circus displays, knights in shining armor, Asian art, every mode of transportation inside, cobble stone streets designed from times past, everything you could think of and more is inside these three houses up on this hill. We were in awe. My family really got a workout pushing around me in the wheelchair, the ramps were spiral, carpeted and steep. There's 2 places to eat inside, bring extra bills to get tokens to play their little displays and in one of the gift shops they sell fudge and t-shirts that say "I survived the Infinity Room". Paul & Marie made it to the mid-point, Jenny never entered the room and I made it 3/4's of the way in when Marie noticed how the room swayed due to the vicious storm. I froze in my spot as Marie ran past me, Paul had to come & get me moving again. Again, if you're up in the area, check out this 50 year old place.

We headed back to the Dells & dined @ the Famous Dave's which was a block & a half away from our motel. For some reason I really had no appetite. I ordered the Mac-n-cheese from the kids menu & a corn bread muffin. I was only able to eat half of my food. Argh! The corn bread muffin was actually very tasty, and a little sweet and moist. My back was killing me, I guess from the long car ride & sitting in the wheelchair for 3 hours. I waddled back to the motel, stopping frequently to catch my breath. The three of them returned not too soon afterwards, they went shopping on their way back to the motel. Later they went to see "Step Up in 3D". However it was only in 2D, false advertisement.

Saturday August 14th, 2010

We woke and packed up the car. We went to check out and say "bye" to Margaret and Gene, the owners. Margaret is so sweet. She had given us a discount, gave me a hug and told me that I'll be alright, she survived her stomach cancer & so can I. She said, "Everyday is a good day for a smile." She really practices what she preaches. I couldn't help but start crying. It was so nice to finally meet the people who have taken care of my family & friends for all these years and to hear her words of encouragement just really touched me.

Paul took us to this little place called Stuffy's for brunch. I asked if we'd get sick eating here, he said that he's eaten there before & it's a place that the locals eat at. The coffee urn looked like it was wet when a cat rubbed up against it. I warned Jenny that she might get sick. I barely ate half of a scrambled egg with maybe 3/4 of my toast and milk. I had eaten a banana earlier in the motel.

We went to the Deer Park & had fun feeding the goats & deer. The weather got warm again and I had to walk this route. It had gotten down to 70 degrees F yesterday and it was supposed to be in the 70's, it felt like it was back in the 90's. Anyway some deer were so sneaky, they have these gumball dispensers but it dispensed deer feed. Marie went to put coins in to get the feed, when she lifted the door to get it, two deer stuck their mouths & tongues in there before she could get it. We saw bison, turkeys, 3 little pigs, and some other animals I've never heard of, some kind of fowl.

After that, Paul & I dropped off Marie & Jenny so they could go horseback riding. He and I went to the Indian trading post. I picked up a pair of moccasins and dream catcher, Paul was able to get his letter openers. It's like 4 stores in one, so we took our time. We went back to pick them up and he was able to get them on video upon their return on their horses. J&M had a great time.

We ended up going to Monk's were I dined on the appetizers and tried to eat some of Marie's Philly cheese steak. I was getting a bit frustrated that I couldn't eat that much this trip. Before heading home we had one major last stop, the outlet mall. We shopped until past 8pm. It was good, I was able to get more loose shirts and comfy pants that will stay up on my bony butt and not bother my belly. I also got 2 more loose dresses. Jenny & Marie had the bigger bags and Paul got quite a few purchases too.

One last meal, we stopped @ Culver's. I was very happy, I was able to eat half of a Reuben sandwich, it was pretty tasty, some fries (they have good fries) and almost half of a small vanilla shake. That was the most I ate on this trip. We jammed to a Glee soundtrack, Marie's I-pod and Jenny's CD this trip. We didn't get home until after midnight. Dad woke upon our arrival and we shared some stories before heading to bed.

Which bring us to Sunday. You think I'd sleep the whole night? No, I woke @ 3:30 am, David was up, I ate and he showed me the latest "Jersey Shore". That did it & I was able to sleep @ 5am for a few more hours. I wasn't able to make it to mass, too tired. It was like this for most of Sunday. David had bought my clothing rack and had already set it up in the back room. I emptied out my duffel bag and was able to put the shoe & clothes sectionals on for my shirts, undergarments, etc.. Now there's more room in Marie's room & I'm not cluttering her floor. Since I'm having trouble bending, I won't have to since everything is off the floor.

Judy came by for a surprise visit. I was able to shower late in the afternoon. Then after dinner, friends and more family came by for wrestling Sunday. I was still very tired and had napped on the couch even though everyone was screaming around me. I woke around 8:30 pm and Jenny, my friend from grammar school stopped by to visit while her son watched wrestling. We also celebrated our friend, Randy, and his daughter's birthdays with 3 different types of pie. Which pretty much brings us up to par.

As you can see, it's late again. I'll go to the bathroom, snack & hopefully hit the sack & stay asleep. Good night y'all.