Fun at the Bay

We (Kevin--my son) and I went to the farmers' market in Menominee Michigan on Saturday, me armed with books to sell and him with fresh produce from his garden. Hot temperatures were predicted. We were at least semi-prepared. After getting badly sunburned on two separate farmers' markets in other spots in the area, I broke down and bought one of those canvas canopies. It was a good investment. (You can tell we live in Small Town USA when somebody says during a phone conversation, "I hear you bought a canopy" and you ask them where they heard it, and they reply, "At the hardware store"!) Actually, with the wind blowing in off Lake Michigan, it was quite comfortable.

The good news is that I sold pretty well, and so did Kevin. We are going to do it again this coming Saturday. The following week we will be at a fund-raising event for the American Legion in Porterfield WI. Hopefully, we will hit some different folks.

One of the highlights of the trip to Menominee was meeting new people. One fellow rolled up to us in his wheelchair and we began chatting. His t-shirt was emblazened with "Schloegel's." I asked him if he was connected with the restaurant, which I had visited on one occasion when I was in Menominee with our pastor and his wife, and I loved the place. It is set right on the Bay, and the view was beautiful. The food was good too. He sort of grinned and said, "I own the place."

I had tried to get there with Kevin on one of our earlier trips there. My lack of knowledge of how to find anyplace around here is getting monumental. I can get lost easier than anybody I've ever met. (No, that's not bragging--just stating facts.) The weekend we went to a craft fair at nearby Four Seasons Resort (it's only about 15 miles from Amberg), Kevin followed my directions on how to get back home. He said he knew when I said to turn right, he should have turned left. Anyway, it was a beautiful day for a drive--which is how we ended up in Michigan!

Mr. Schloegel gave Kevin directions on how to find the restaurant. "Turn right and just stay on the road until you see it. No turns, nothing. It's just past Perkins." Well, could I help it that we had followed the road around the Bay before by going left instead of right?

That evening there was a concert right next door to the spot where the farmers' market had been (see photo above). The group that was performing was the "Dang-Its." It was a trio that played a fun mixture of blue grass, country western, and sort of old pop tunes. We got there in plenty of time to park right in front of the venue, so it was perfect. We watched as four police officers came up and pulled into the side street and parked their cars. There were a number of cars already parked there, and Kevin and I joked about how they would get out, since the cops pulled two long sawhorse dividers up so no one else could get in. The cops stood there, hands crossed on their chests, legs slightly spread apart, looking very serious. One of the cops was referred to by both the other officers and passersby as "chief." Well, it didn't take very long to see how they would handle one of the cars that wanted to exit. Two of the officers walked over to the sawhorse and went to pick it up and move it over out of the way. The dividing plank was obviously just resting loosely in the slots on the bases, as one of the officers went to pick it up--by the plank--and move it out of the way. Of course, the base dropped to the street, causing a loud "bang," and the action from there on was reminiscent of viewing an old Keystone Kops movie. Ah, but it was a great bit of entertainment for the end of a very good day!

Another highlight of the day at the market was a group of performers who stopped by to give a flash mob from the upcoming performance of Chicago at the Theatre on the Bay (at the U of WI in Marinette). Kevin and I had already decided that we wanted to see it, so as soon as we left the market we headed to Schloegel's and then off to get our tickets. It will be another fun day on this Sat., first at the market, then someplace for a nice relaxing meal, then to the theater for the evening. Does it get any better than this? I'm betting at least the restaurant and the theater will both be air conditioned. And the farmers' market? Well, there is almost always a nice breeze off the Lake and I do have my canopy!

Just to prove that life never gets boring around the Smith household, it was terribly hot yesterday, so after supper I decided to jump in and take a shower. Actually, my bathroom is so small that I can't really "jump" anyplace. It's more like I slither in. I've gotten my impersonation of Charo and her hoochie-koochie act down pat! I am, admittedly, a creature of habit. (As Patrick says, in my Patrick and Grace Mysteries, "Old habits die hard," which I hear is a wonderfully fun book--lol.) Anyway, I have a metal basket hanging in the shower which holds my shampoo and a bottle of wonderfully scented coconut/vanilla shower gel that was a Christmas gift. Well, not thinking about the fact that Kevin might have exchanged the order of the bottles, I uncapped the one that I thought was the shampoo and poured a bit of it onto my hair. Yup, you guessed it. It was the coconut/vanilla one. I probably have the sexiest smelling hair in all of Wisconsin this morning!

I hope you are all staying cool, wherever you are. Make it a great day.