Harley's 110th Anniversary Begins

110th Celebration Begins

We go to bike nights often. Bike nights are always on Thursdays and both the Iron Horse Hotel and the Harley-Davidson Museum host them. A real convenience is that they are basically next door to each other. Each brings a different clientele but both are fun and enjoyable experiences.  However, the food is a bit better (although pricier) at the Iron Horse. So as usual, we made our typical rounds starting at Conejito's (on the other side of the Iron Horse) for some cheap tacos then we went to the Iron Horse to park the bike for the night.  We usually ride over to the museum then back to the Iron Horse but tonight was very different. We usually run into many people we know, the familiar faces are all around us. But not tonight, I think most of them are down at the Summerfest grounds where the big Harley part is. As for where we are (6th & Canal), the road was closed to motorcycles only for the Harley 110th Anniversary Opening Night at the museum. And there were bikes parked everywhere - including the middle of the road.  So we walked over to the museum from the Iron Horse since we probably wouldn't get much closer anyway. These celebrations are amazing events and they bring the most interesting people from all over the world.  I find it incredible that people want to come here for this event, a sign of how I take things around here for granted. It sure is fun to see and talk to all our visitors/tourists.  I hope they enjoy all these things I am surrounded by every day.

New Fence

This is our neighbor's deck. It's a little tough to tell from the photo but the two section on the far right are crooked.  They slope towards each other.  It drives my husband crazy.  My husband is a perfectionist. He loves working on home improvement projects however it takes him a long time to finish things because they have to be perfect.  Whenever I suggest that things are fine if they are a little off he just laughs at me.  So whenever he walks outside he cringes and snickers when the deck next door comes into view. 

So that became one of many reasons to put up some privacy fence. Obviously there are many other better reasons but that one is on the list somewhere.  I really wanted the fence to add some privacy but most importantly is that I wanted to have a place to tack up a movie screen and project outdoor movies in the yard with my granddaughters. I also wanted the fence for a place to hang my quilts for photos.  Plus it makes a nice backdrop for some seriously cute landscaping.  Maybe some tall bushes between the panels or maybe some giant planters of flowers and plants.  Maybe some climbing flowers on the fence and probably some hanging planters attached somewhere. 

So we started installing the fence early in the day and of course after the first panel took a really long time. I was worried about doing this well into the evening but we learned how to be much more efficient after the first one and we were done by mid-afternoon. Yay! It was a 90-degree day and a crazy thing to do in the hot sun.  There are still some things that need to be finished like cutting off the tops of some of the posts and filling in the post holes but we are both very glad to get it done.

Milwaukee County Zoo Visit

We went to the zoo for the day however as soon as we got there it decided to rain.  And it rained from the time we got there until an hour after we got home.

We ran from building to building but since it is summer most of the animals are in their outdoor habitats so we didn't get to see much. 

One funny moment was when Chloe saw the hyenas, she called them big doggies.  She did like the tigers and the giraffes and the leopards.

Our Perfect Day

Every once in a while we have an absolutely perfect day. Today was one of them. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cool, the swimming pool water was just the right temperature, and the grandchildren were both in a wonderful, playful mood.  That really translates into we all wanted to do exactly the same thing at the same time.  So we had dinner on the deck, even Chloe ate.  We swam, we played on the slide, we even hid in the little fort under the slide.  We sat in the grass and giggled and played while the sun stayed behind the clouds so we didn't have to squint or worry about sunburn.  I love days like this.

Happy Birthday, Kelly

Today is my younger sister's 50th birthday.  Her family threw her a party at Wilson Park.  It was a great idea since many of her friends have small children, the pavilion at the park is right next to a large play area with slides and swings and a jungle gym so there was plenty of things to wear out all the little ones while we enjoyed the absolutely perfect day.  Kelly's husband, Greg is a great cook and he didn't disappoint with his pulled pork and grilled sausages today.  We all brought dishes to share so there was plenty of variety of things to eat.

Kelly's neighbors (she is very close to them) are Hispanic so we had piñatas and they were manned by the neighbor who knew just when to raise or lower them to tease whoever was hitting them.  Our granddaughter, Chloe was delighted when the candy fell from the piñata as she dove right in with all the other kids to grab up as much as she could carry.

Air Show 2013

Avery

We've taken Chloe to the air show every year since she was born. So this year was no different except for the addition of her baby sister, Avery who got to attend her first air show.  Grandpa gets free VIP family tickets to the GE Veterans' Network tent right on the lake.  They provide food and drink for everybody as well as nice tables and chairs, benches and sun umbrellas.  It's a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon with the girls.



Chloe

Chloe loves the planes so it's always fun to watch her reaction to the aircraft.  Avery is still too little to understand so for her, it's a sunny afternoon of playing with grandma, grandpa and mom. 

This year Chloe discovered the beach.

Avery and Grandma

Unfortunately, it means climbing over very large and somewhat treacherous rocks to get to it.  Once there, she was delighted with the waves coming in and the sand.  She made sand piles, rock piles, giggled and screeched every time the waves lapped up on little legs and feet. Because of the difficult climb to get to the beach, I did not take the camera. I sure wish I could have. 

As part of the GE Veterans' Network, Jeff does volunteer work to benefit veterans' groups.  He and his co-workers volunteer at Miller Park by working the concession stand during Brewers games and the proceeds go to the Fisher House, a sort of Ronald McDonald House for veterans.

Today the group brought some veteran guests to the GE VIP tent to see the air show. They were all current patients from the VA Hospital. Jeff stopped to chat with them and enjoyed spending time with them. In fact the VA Hospital staff that were along remembered our Legion group visit over the Christmas holiday. Jeff has a way with people so the veteran guests were very comfortable chatting with him and he enjoys their company. 

Grandpa and Chloe


We love this little family tradition and hopefully as long as there is an air show we will continue to attend with the girls. 


Guests from the VA Hospital

Air Show 2013