Block Party

It was our block party yesterday. Evidently, the good people of my block have been gathering on the street every Memorial Day for 17 years. It started with a pancake breakfast, and followed with a water fight (kids vs adults), face painting and board games. Of course there was some good drinking and eating all day long.


 

Spring Blooms

Ahhh, spring at its finest, fancy pants flowers. Forget-me-nots and Iris...the flowers are loving the rain. So are the weeds. 

Long Weekend

What an amazing weekend for Memorial Day and everyone to be outside playing...
I got a tip about this Memorial Day Weekend event from an art bike enthusiast...check it out. I would love to make this trek to watch it...

http://kineticsculpturerace.org/

Check out the rules and the photos. These people are hard core.

Jack and Rhubarb

I picked some rhubarb and the cat was quite interested. I made some sauce to have with ice cream later....yummmmm We have had so much rain here, the dirt is so soft and muddy. It's easy to get really dirty in the garden! 

Burning Bike

It turns out that the Art Bike Rally is going to have a bit of Burning Man flavor, as the Pine Pony gets torched this Saturday night out in the country somewhere near Verona.

I feel like I should go and take pictures, but I think we can all imagine a giant wooden bike burning. I bet it will be fun.

Willy Street

This was written by a friend of mine who is in Bolivia in the Peace Corps. She wrote it for an international friend of hers to describe where she lived before Bolivia.

Willy Street
by Mandy E.

Did I ever tell you about a place called Willy Street? Yes, there’s a street dedicated to everything Willy. Aside from its phallocentric name, it’s actually not a very long street—only about 15 blocks. Width-wise, it’s an urban/residential bidirectional, with large oak trees flanking either side. Mr. Willy traces the only urban isthmus in the United States, which forms the land bridge between two lakes: Monona and Mendota. Situated closer to Lake Monona, Willy Street acts as the main through-fare for its namesake neighborhood, replete with early 20th century dwellings boasting attics, basements and wrap-around front porches.
Willy Street is famous in Madison, the capital city where it originates. Connotatively speaking, it advocates a lifestyle where urban-sheik and hippie-progressiveness harmonize. Accordingly, there are a number of enticing establishments along Willy Street that personify its character. First on the tour is the Willy Street Co-op: a cooperative grocery store that sells high-end food products and organic meats, cheeses and produce at prices that will make you appreciate the presentation, but hate the fact that you are a poor graduate student. All foodstuffs are bought locally, when available, and you can buy a copy of Bitch magazine while checking out. I never shopped there because even though I support the cultivation of locally produced organic fruits and veggies, I can’t justify paying more when I can get them at Woodman’s near the beltway for cheaper.
One place I did shop frequently on Willy Street was Saint Vincent De Paul’s thrift shop. If you have any kind of love for creating you own style with white elephants then this is your store. I would get anything from night clubbing gear, to dinner date clothes to Halloween costumes to that amazing jean jacket Madonna wore in 1985. One could spend hours there and often on cold mornings when I had a break before my next class, I would warm up to the over-stuffed racks of gently used merchandise.
No good Willy Street would be complete without its share of eateries and drinking establishments. My favorite for burgers and the according chefs who were not afraid to cook them rare was Willy Street Pub. A blue cheese, bacon and mushroom burger with a pint from the local Capital Brewery never lost its appeal. I would go with my Ukrainian girlfriend, eat a burger and let her beat me at chess while listening to the latest down-tempo or live indie-band.
While the traditional American fare always hits the spot, my palate was often tempted by the foreign eateries on Willy Street. Hands down the best Laotian cuisine in the mid-west and also the best jerk chicken north of Jamaica are all nestled on little Willy Street. Walking into Jamerica you immediately felt like you might be served a blunt along with the mismatched dishes, silverware and glasses. Everything has a bit of a thrown together feel, like you were actually in shack with a corrugated tin roof. A few blocks down, the Laotian place was also competing for authenticity; you could actually see the south-east Asian women slaving over large pots in the makeshift kitchen. It was as if you had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner.
As I said earlier, Willy Street is in Madison, Wisconsin, which is about 2 hours north of Chicago and 1.5 hours west of Milwaukee. This geography lesson serves to foreshadow the fact that median winter temperatures are colder than a well digger’s ass in Idaho. Daytime highs in January barely make positive and can leave you breathless, especially when the wind is blowing off one of the empress lakes. The snow can get deep, sometimes knee-high, sometimes waist high. Days like these are when you head over to Willy Street to spend some time at Jolly Bobs.
The first time my friends and I showed up to get some jolly from Bob, I had my doubts: the exterior of the building looked like an old VFW lodge with some red twinkle lights tacked around the doorframe. “This place has good food?” I asked in disbelief. My friends assured me and we went through the door. As my snow-booted foot crossed the threshold, I could almost see the ice melting—we had officially left the artic and entered the tropics. The place was packed full of people making love to strawberry daiquiris, piña coladas and spiced run runners while mingling at the tiki bar. The bartenders wore Hawaiian shirts and there was a parrot making pirate jokes for the ladies. The walls were painted the most fascinating color of tropical ocean blue and adorned with pictures of palm trees, coconuts and warm sandy beaches taken by a Peace Corps volunteer in the DR. I ate coconut shrimp dipped in mango chutney, drank one too many mojitos and swooned to Bob Marley.
I tell you of Willy Street because played a major role in my happiness while attending graduate school in Madison. Wouldn’t it be nice if every town had a fun little Willy Street to enjoy?

Art Club

I was able to spend my birthday helping with the Art Club. The kids are working on making dolls of themselves....it was such a fun project to see what they come up with.
Check it out here.

http://abbysartclub.blogspot.com

Enjoy.

These kids are great artists and Abby is amazing for making it happen and supporting them all in such a sweet way.

Birthday

So, my birthday sailed right through. Today I went out with a couple girlfriends and we drank a bottle of wine with lunch. We toasted to Birthdays and Brains, after all, we are all stuck with both.

Hmm, on the topic of birthdays. They really aren't the same since I was 9. You always knew what to expect when you were a kid, and since your mom planned your party, all you had to do was show up. This all changes when you become an adult...especially as a woman, I will be planning my own party and spending hours in the kitchen to put it all together, since my husband proved he can't mix together a box cake. Now, don't get me wrong. I love throwing parties and having my favorite people over for a backyard grill-out/outdoor movie on the big screen (Cinema Paradiso--love it). But it's hard to share your birthday with all the stress and work of getting ready for a party. So, here's my idea. Rent-a-mom, or Rent-a-wife. I could have used either that day.

Anyways, I've come to understand that throwing your own birthday party is actually a big expression of the love you have for everyone around you. It's not about you, it's about them. I have a great, happy group of people around me. I think as you grow up, birthdays are about giving thanks for all those who surround you and who you can laugh with.

So yeah. I'm 27. A good odd number. I have decided this year I will learn Japanese. Enough with this German thing. Just kidding. Hopefully I will improve my German. Did I mention my German in-laws are here for a month? An entire month. And did I mention they speak only German? Yeah, I really need to get better at that.

So, Cheers to all of you for all you are. Happy Birthday to me.

Rain not Shine!

The Art Bike Rally 2006 went off without a hitch. Except that it rained the entire time...it didn't pour! The "Pine Pony" took the prize for sure, can you imagine it actually worked? Check out more bikes....click here.

Capitol Beauty

This is the view on an average sunny Saturday morning, strolling around the Farmer's Market. What a regal building! 

' Tis the Season

Why I love May:
All the delicious goods I have bought from the Farmer's Market this week...

Asparagus: grilled, steamed or in soup
Morel Mushrooms: dipped in egg, flour and fried in butter of course
Arugula: spicy green good in anything
Coconut Macaroons: soft, flaky and unbelievable

I am totally enjoying the season so far. Plus, my Birthday is coming (May 22) and I have a 4 day weekend to play. Any suggestions anyone?

This week is very busy work wise for me, so I apologize for the lack of blogging activity. I am taking a class about a cognitive assessment tool to use to guide therapy....it's very interesting and also difficult to digest while sitting for 8 hours X 2 days.

The art bike parade is Saturday. Gear up and pray for sun.

Edible Mushrooms

My neighbor (age 8) found this mushroom growing in her front yard. She called me over to ask what it was, then thought I was crazy when I told her she should dip it in egg and fry it in butter. It's that time of year! I love Morals, they are such a treat. By the way, the going rate at the Farmer's Market is $24/pound. It's worth it to wander around in the woods, or in your front yard.