Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, part 2

After the return trip from Wisconsin, and then a bad night of Dartball last night, I finally crashed in the sack about 1:45 this morning.  A couple of Guinness Extra Stouts made the sleep come rather quickly, after I hit the sack, but I still was back up and around by 8 this morning.  On my second cup of coffee as I begin this morning's writing....

Patricia usually goes to Oconomowoc during the early days of June, once school closes for the Summer...then we head up together that way in early November for our "Thanksgiving" visit.  We used to rotate between Christmas and Thanksgiving when the kids were young,  but the uncertain weather and the Chicago traffic, pushed us into only going up on Thanksgiving...but the traffic around the Chicago Tollway was so bad over the Holiday, we said "enough", and started to go up a couple of weeks before Turkey Day, thus avoiding the major mess of driving through Illinois over the holiday season altogether.

In addition to the annual Fish Fry Friday, this year at the Golden Mast on Okauchee Lake, Patricia's step mom, Bev fixes a pre-Thanksgiving  Dinner of  Turkey with all the sides and trimmings on Saturday...this year she added a Baked Ham dinner on Sunday....I figured I would gain 3 or 4 pounds, maybe more, over the weekend, but despite it all(and I did pig out big time), when I weighed in this morning, I was only 4/10th of a pound more than when we left on Friday morning...I ask myself, "How did that happen"?  But I'm not complaining, I'm still down 30 pounds and holding since Labor Day 2009.

As I mentioned, I did a lot of football watching, some beer drinking, eating big time, and sitting on my can...I did get out on Sunday morning, and walked a few miles along the country bike/walk/cross country ski trail, just to get my blood flowing...I also did a couple miles in the early evening darkness on Sunday....that bike path, was plenty active this weekend.  One of the Catholic Church parishes held a 5K/10K run on Saturday, then yesterday as we were packing to leave, I looked out and a huge 8 point Buck Whitetail was standing in the middle of the path.  I grabbed the camera, and took a couple of shots....they are not the best, but I included them anyway...sorry to say, I didn't get a shot of the rack{If you have the right browser, you can double and triple click the photo and get a enlarged view, which does show the rack of sorts, on the top photo}...so you'll just have to take my word for it, he was impressive.

The Condo has bird feeders, which the local Deer population frequent...but seldom do the older Bucks wander out of the marsh and woods that lie between Silver Lake and the Condos.  Even in these days that see the city move out to the lakes and farmlands, the wildlife population still can be found....with Deer Gun season starting this coming weekend, the Whitetails will be on the move and run, even more so than they usually are this time of year.

Even though Bill and Bev have Internet, I always make a pledge to stay the Hell away from computers and cyber space when on vacation...the same goes for News.  I don't read that left wing rag, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and I don't watch the talking heads, be they left wing kooks or the folks from Fox....4 days without hearing about our Kenyan Commander and Thief is like 4 days on a tropical island with a couple cases of good beer and a box of Don Carlos #2 cigars....

It took 7 hours and 15 minutes to make the 360 mile trip back....avoiding 894 around Milwaukee, which is under major construction, then avoiding 94 from south of Chicago to the Indiana Toll Road, added a few miles, and probably a few minutes to the trip, but avoiding the mess of traffic and construction, with lunatics driving near triple digits MPH, is worth the extra miles and time....as far as Dartball last night, like I mentioned in the previous post, I should have stayed home...going 2 for 10 with no RBIs is among one of the worst nights I've had in my 16 years throwing in the league...we are now 0 wins and 6 loses, the only team in the league without a win.  Things don't look good for next week when we play at perennial power Schumm Lutheran.  I was 2nd in League batting average after last week, I will not be found in the top 10 after last night...O' Well, suck it up Patrick, it's only Darts!

Today is catch up day...Anissa back to her place, and Patricia back to her teaching....Reagan the old Airedale, the cat, and me, are left to our own devices....

back later>>>>

Photos-the 8 point buck, had to shoot quick out the south windows of the Condo, but eight points he was counted them myself...lol.  One of the runners in the St. Jerome Parsonage 10K/5K run on Saturday, along the same bike path as the Whitetail was wandering on Monday morning.  A look at a rare bit of sunshine from the same Window on Sunday afternoon....and the ice was thick on the van on Monday morning...a combanation of the Sunday night rain, and the 27 degree temperatures overnight...the Ice Pattern was as unique as I have ever seen....and below, the cold waters of Silver Lake on my Sunday morning walk...