Quips from the Peanut Gallery

My husband can really make me laugh.  There are times he comes up with off-the-cuff quips that hit me so funny.  For example, we were running errands last weekend and passed this fella riding his bike.

Without missing a beat, Scott asked:  "Who's that?  Jesus?"

Later that same day, we stopped for lunch at Craftsman Table & Tap and saw this guy.

Scott's question:  "What did someone do-- rub a balloon on that guy's head?"

These might fall in the category of "you had to be there".  I was there....and laughed both times.

Greenbush Bar

Someone recently told Scott and me that the best pizza in Madison is at a place called the Greenbush Bar.  We had never heard of it, nor have we had any particularly noteworthy pizza during the time we've lived here.  Tell the chubby kids about some good pizza? We're off to find it.....

We learned that the Greenbush Bar is located in the Greenbush neighborhood, which apparently is a historically Italian neighborhood.  The Greenbush Bar is actually located in the basement of the Italian Workmen's Club.  This is it from the outside.  Nothing too special to look at.  We had driven by it before but never even made note of it. 

There really isn't anything at all on the outside of the building that would suggest there is a bar and restaurant in the basement.  You have to get right up on the building on foot to see this sign.

There were other signs on the outside of the building about the building itself and the Italian Workmen's Club.  The building was built in 1922, so it's been around for a while.

When you walk in the front door, you face some stairs going up and this sign.

If you want to go to the Greenbush Bar, you have to make a turn and go downstairs.  Lots of knotty pine paneling in the entrance.

The bar/restaurant is a very small place with a laid back, neighborhood vibe.  When we were there, the crowd was older and seemed a little hippy and academic (it's located close to UW campus).  There were groups of smart-looking people sitting around, including one group talking about genetics in sheep farming, for example.  That's a good smart-person-in-Wisconsin topic of conversation.

Colored Christmas lights adorn the low ceiling in the Greenbush Bar.  In most circumstances, I would find that tacky.  But, in this place, it felt charming and comforting. 

We started at the bar (big surprise).

I ordered some funky martini with...I don't even know what in it....something kind of.....hippy....(are "hippy" and "martini" an oxymoron?)...like a hint of geranium and...I don't remember.  It was an eclectic drink, for sure, and an acquired taste but I ended up enjoying it.

Scott started with an Old Fashioned and then moved to a drink with mint leaves, lemon juice and whiskey.  Again, it was an acquired taste, but unique and ultimately enjoyable.  I know this because I had a sip of it.

After drinks we were seated for dinner.  We started with a Caesar salad.  I do love me some Caesar salad....just not this one.  We were disappointed.  It was pretty much beyond bland.  And could someone in the kitchen please cut the lettuce??

After the salad, the pie came out.  Now that's better.  The person who told us about Greenbush Bar said to "get your wallet out" when you order a pizza.  He was right. It's not cheap.  The toppings are quite expensive (up to almost 5 bucks for some single toppings on a large pizza).  We got sausage, fresh mushrooms and fresh garlic on ours.

It was a respectable pie.  We really liked it.  The best we've ever had?  No.  Would we go back again for a pizza?  Yes.  Thin crust pizza is my favorite and this was good thin crust, with a dusting of corn meal.

So, that's that.  Greenbush Bar.  Quaint.  Charming.  And on the lists of "I would recommend to someone else" and "we'll go back again".  It's definitely a unique experience.... and we dig that about places in Madison.

Martha Is Home

We got our old fishing boat, Martha, out of storage yesterday.  She had spent the winter in a barn not far from our house.  I rode along with Scott to pick her up.  It was such a pretty day.  Below is a picture of the farm where Martha spent the past six months.  Isn't it a lovely setting?  Makes me want to live on a farm.  You can see over to the right the barn she was stored in along with a bunch of other boats that were also stored there.  The farmer who rented the storage space charged by the size of the boat.  Since our boat is so small, it only cost us $168.00 to store her all winter.  Not bad.  When Scott dropped her off last October, April seemed almost like an eternity away.  Now, here we are and it's April already.  Time passes so quickly. 

The farmer uses this old tractor to hitch up the boats and bring them out to their owners.  That has to be a vintage model tractor.

While we waited our turn, I took this shot of Martha in the old barn.

We were one of the last to get our boat out of the barn.  After Martha came out, it was pretty much empty.  And it is one old a** barn.  I took a couple pictures of the inside.  The pictures look substantially similar but one is looking one direction and the other is looking another direction.  As you can see, it's not only an old a** barn, it's also a big a** barn.  Perfect for storing a bunch of boats.  The farmer actually has 2 barns that he uses for boat storage in the winter.  I think he had them both filled during the winter.  Not surprising given his fair prices.

There was another guy there to get his boat at the same time we were.  I wish I had taken a picture of his boat.  I had never seen anything quite like it.  It looked super old and had a rather unusual design.  I asked Scott, "what kind of boat is that?"  Scott didn't miss a beat and replied:  "Noah's Ark."  (lol)

While we waited, I made friends with the farmer's dog-- a very sweet boy named Reggie.

Reggie was a big boy and very, very friendly.  A good ol' farm dog.  Scott aptly pointed out that Reggie has probably never been on a leash in his life.

We didn't have to wait too terribly long for Martha to come out of the barn, pulled by the old tractor.

You can somewhat see the farmer in the picture above.  He was a nice guy.  100% farmer.  100% Wisconsinite.  Wisconsinites have a certain look, and the farmer had that look through and through.  Scott said when he shook the farmer's hand, it felt like he (the farmer) had leather gloves on.  I do appreciate a hard working man with rough hands to prove it.

After the farmer brought Martha out, Scott jumped in his truck to pull it around and hitch her up.  Reggie was supervising, as seen in the first picture below.    

Scott's truck looks nice in the picture above.  I dig a man with a nice truck.

Speaking of trucks, Reggie might have been a big old dog but he had no problem jumping up in the back of the farmer's truck when he got tired and wanted to lay down.  Is Reggie cute or what?

And here is our first picture of Martha once we got her back home.  It's nice to see her in the garage again.

We had no plans to actually take Martha out on the water, but it ended up being an absolutely beautiful day, so we couldn't resist.  It was sunny and temps in the low 80's.  That's boating weather.  Scott got Martha all cleaned up, packed a cooler of beer and off we went.

Just a quick side note about beer.  Have you tried Leinenkugel's summer beer:  Summer Shandy?  Damn it's good.  It's like beer lemonade.  That was Scott's first beer on the boat, all tucked in a huggie to keep it cold.

It was a magnificent day. Blue skies.  Fluffy clouds.  Sunshine.  Mild temps.  Perfect.

We weren't the only ones who thought it was a great day to get out on the water.  People were lining up to launch....

...and quite a few people had already launched.

Now that's Wisconsin.  Lots of trucks.  Lots of boats.  Gotta love it.

Our boat is old.  1973.  The outboard is even older.  1969.  (yikes)  (wait, what am I "yikes-ing" about? that outboard and I are the same age.)  Anyhow, Scott was concerned about her running after being in storage all winter.  She fired up like a champion.  Four pulls and we were on our way.

It was an incredible feeling to be out on the water again.  It was pure joy.  Exhilarating even.  The water on Lake Waubesa was really calm, which made the experience that much better.

I thought we would just tool around Lake Waubesa, but we ended up going up the channel to Lake Monona.  This is the channel in early spring.

Even people without boats were out enjoying the beautiful weather.  The patio at Bourbon Street bar/grill on the channel was busy.

One of the things Scott and I enjoy the most when we are out on the boat is putting around looking at all the beautiful houses around the lake(s).  How about this one?  That house is huge and I'm sure the rock retaining wall cost more than the house Scott and I live in.  Stunning.  I'm sure that's a multi-million dollar house. 

If we ever won the lottery, we would buy a house on one of the lakes up here.  That's how much we love it.  Even if we had ample resources to go anywhere we wanted to, I'm pretty sure we would continue to live in Madison on one of the lakes.  Someone I work with recently told me that his spouse has never really taken to Madison.  That blows my mind.  This is truly a fabulous place to live and we consider ourselves lucky to be able to have this experience.  But, to each his or her own.  For Scott and I?  We love it. 

We are happy to have Martha back home and to have a full boating season ahead of us.  We didn't get Martha last year until August, so we just caught the tail end of boating season.  This year, we will be taking full advantage of the entire season.  Yesterday was Day One.

Another Good-Bye

We had Rudy put down this morning; she was almost 16 years old.  It's so hard for me to believe I'll never see her again or pet her big, soft, floppy ears.  She has been a part of my life since I was 26.....and we lived a lot of life together.  So many changes we both experienced over the years.  About the only constant during that time was the love we shared.  She was a great dog.  I'll write more about her later.  This is all I'm capable of tonight.  The sadness I feel is overwhelming.     

 

Political Statement

Madison, Wisconsin is a political town.  There are a lot of people here who don't like the  current governor and are trying to get him recalled.  Scott and I have seen the car below around town twice recently.  Whoever drives the car clearly isn't a fan of the governor, who is pictured on the sign.  I, personally, wouldn't choose to state my political views in this manner, but I have to admit it made me laugh. 

Is This Supposed To Be Enticing?

A couple weeks ago, I traveled from Eau Claire, Wisconsin down to La Crosse.  Both cities are located on the far western side of the state.  The trip from Eau Claire to La Crosse was mostly on country roads.  It was a very pretty drive.  I passed through several small towns, including one called Elk Creek.  As I passed by the Elk Creek Inn Bar & Grill, I asked myself:  what the hell?  Now, you know I had to stop and take a picture of this.

Can you tell what it is?  This is, perhaps, a better angle.

Yup.  That's a big chicken on the roof.  Is that supposed to entice people to want to pull in and eat there?  If so, it didn't really work for me.  I didn't see that chicken and go, "oooh, yum...."  I was happy to just get a picture and keep driving.  It did make me laugh, though. 

For a whole host of reasons, I do enjoy my travels through Wisconsin.

Cats

My last blog post about a cat was a sad one-- the passing of my beloved Simon.  This is a happier post about Cats-- the Broadway musical.

Last Saturday night, Scott and I went to see Cats at the Overture Center downtown.  I had seen Cats many years ago.  Scott was a first timer.

The Overture Center for the Arts in downtown Madison is a really cool place.  It's one block off the Capital square and right at the cusp of the very hip and trendy State Street district.  It was packed down there last Saturday with people celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  Something Scott and I love about Madison is that, even when there are events involving a lot of people, things here just seem so accessible.  Getting to big, crowded events just isn't that difficult.  I guess that's the difference between "big" and "crowded" in a smaller town like this compared to "home".   For perspective, I believe Madison's population is less than a quarter the size of Columbus.

Anyhow, back to last Saturday.  State Street is an area where a lot of University of Wisconsin-Madison college kids hang out so, needless to say, bars and restaurants were swarming with kids drinking green beer and Irish whiskey.  Scott and I were looking for a spot to have a drink before the show.  We decided it best to look for something a little more upscale with the thought it would be less crowded with kids.  We found it.  An ultra cool place called "The Icon", right across the street from the Overture Center.  I borrowed the picture below from their website.




Scott and I had actually had a drink at The Icon before we saw the Blue Man Group at the Overture Center back in January.  Both times we've been there we sat at the bar.  Excellent service.  Excellent drinks.  This time, Scott had an Old Fashioned and I ordered a martini that had ginger vodka, some kind of ginger liqueur and orange juice.  Damn, it was good.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Scott ordered us shots of Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey.

   
Martini on the right?  Loved it.  Had 2 of them.  Shot of Tullamore Dew in the front?  Bleck.  I never want to drink another one of those ever again.  Unless, of course, it brings me the luck of the Irish.  For some good luck, I'd have another.

After cocktails we walked across the street to the Overture Center.  I don't know all the history of the Overture, but the State Street entrance appears to still resemble the original structure of the building.


(picture from citydictionary.com)

At some point they apparently expanded/renovated/updated because this is what the other side of the exterior of the Overture looks like.

 
(photo from flickr.com)

The inside of the Overture is impressive.  It has a huge, vertically open lobby area.  The next two photos were taken looking up from 2 different angles from the ground floor of the lobby.

 

The purple color you see in the picture above is LED lights that change colors.  Groovy.

I love the inside of the theater.  I took these pictures from our seats.  (We had better seats for Blue Man Group, but our seats for Cats weren't horrible.)

The next picture I borrowed.  Obviously.  I couldn't take a picture like that if I tried.  Even though I want to.


  (picture from host.madison.com)

You get one quick opportunity after intermission to snap a shot of the Cats stage with cats actually on it.  I took advantage of the opportunity.

The show was good.  Amazing costumes.  Engaging music.  Incredible singing.  We enjoyed it.

So, back in January I wrote a post about buying tickets to 3 shows to get us through the winter:  one show in January (Blue Man Group at Overture), one in February (Viva Vegas at the Fireside) and one in March (Cats at the Overture).  It's somewhat hard to believe 3 months have passed since we bought those tickets and we have now seen all 3 shows.  That also means we got through another Wisconsin winter, which has to be one of the most mild winters on the books.  I have no complaints about that.