Then, I made a few calls to find a place open as my spare wouldn't get me back home to WI. The only place still open was Wal-Mart, which was about 7 miles away and closed in 15 minutes. I told them I'd make it, and weaving around slower cars making as many lights as possible, I just made it there in time. They were closed to everyone else, but I went inside and convinced them to change the tire. :)
About 2 minutes later the 2 young guys came back out and said there was a problem. Neither one could drive stick... Huh? I thought it was part of their job considering they had to drive the cars onto the lifts! Apparently not. I offered to drive it on the lift myself, but they wouldn't have that - against the rules. So... In the dark Wal-Mart parking lot they took the new balanced tire and a few tools, lifted one side of the car with a jack, and changed the tire.
Made it home without another incident and slept soundly. The next day I said hi to my other sister Annie (from CO) and her little baby Luke. :) We all went to Shelly's place to see her and my other nieces and nephews. This is their dog Misty.
Zoe played us a song on the piano, and then I gave the kids their presents - the Bear Droppings (to which they all replied "ewwww, gross!") and the Salt Water Taffy from Toronto.
Then, Anna and I played war as we waited for Annie and Luke to come over. I was losing pretty bad, so it's a good thing Annie's arrival interrupted the game. :)
On Saturday, we all went to the zoo. Annie and Luke, Shelly's 4 kids and Grandma Toni, Lisa and her friend, and me.
It was Easter. There was a bubble show and scavenger hunt for the kids, though unlike most Easter egg hunts, the scavenger hunt was nothing more than a stack of paper cards tossed in a pile on the playground that the kids picked up and turned in for 3 pieces of candy.
The penguin greeted us to the exhibits, and we then passed the zoo train and went through the farm and petting zoo, where the kids played on the play ground - the most exciting part of the zoo for some of them!! LOL
Then we passed by the camel rides, which weren't yet open for the season (yes, this has become my favorite saying), and went to see all the other animals like the giraffe, zebra, hippo, bongo, tigers...
Trivia time! Do you know the difference between the Asian and African elephant? As with humans, the Asians are generally small. Only the males have tusks, which is unlike the African elephant. Also, the African elephant has big ears and wrinkly skin.
Most of the animals were eating, so we took that as a sign that it was lunch time! Luke was chasing the peacocks, which were another big hit. :)
After lunch, the kids all went to the aquarium and I went back to the car since my batteries died and I needed a replacement. Coming back through the same way we already went was worth it as the hippo and vulture weren't there the first time around, but since we were all the way on the other side of the park, by the time I made it back to the aquarium, they were ready to go home.
These were the kangaroos, even though they look like a monkey in a tree and deer laying down. I have never seen a tree kangaroo before! They spend most of their time in trees, using their long tail for balance and sharp claws to climb. On the ground they move slowly on all fours (unlike "normal" kangaroos), but in the trees, they can jump 30 feet to go from tree to tree, and they can jump 60 feet down without getting hurt.
Although the bear in this picture is relaxing lazily in a hammock, they are not the type of animal you want to be close to, especially if there are cubs around that a mother is trying to protect. They can run 35 mph despite their size, and the big lump on their back is actually part of their shoulder muscle, which gives them lots of power for swiping at enemies (or cars) and digging holes.
Goeldi is a small monkey that, unlike many humans, is a monogomous species, living with the same monkey its entire life.
The two-toed sloth is the slowest mammal on the planet (on the ground), though I know some humans that could compete for that record...
After seeing the small mammals, I looked at the bats before walking over to the aquarium, not realizing everyone was waiting for me. Guess I got a little caught up. :)
Since I had been in the Atlanta Aquarium, Sea World, and other aquariums on the trip, I skipped that exhibit and met up with the family outside. On the way back to the car, we passed by the Japanese Macaque. Macaques are smart (probably smarter than a lot of people I know) and they have a matrilineal hierarchy, meaning the females inherit their rank from their mom.
Once home, I went with my dad to drop off my car at the shop. It cost $600 for new tires all the way around (which were badly needed), an oil change (thrown in for "free"), and an alignment. I needed a beer, so my dad and I went out for one before picking up the car. Here's my dad in his Geo Metro. Not sure where I get my "car genes" and love of speed from, but probably not my dad. :)
At least little Luke likes cars! He learned how to say Viper, Mustang, and (of course) GT, and I think the GTs were his favorite. Aunt MJ is proud. :)
Saturday night, we all met up to go bowling. Of course, instead of going to the place close to our house, we go down to the south side. They have leagues until 9:30 PM so we all went to another place on the south side. Oops! They also only have league play until 9 PM, so we ended up at Bowlero near our house. As you can see, our family is very graceful. LOL
Bowling is like riding a bike, you are very wobbly at first (especially if it's been many, many years) and then it all comes back (or maybe the drinks helped with that). My first ball was a gutter ball, and I was in last place most of the first game, ending with 106. Dad and Steve were first and second place, getting lots of strikes!!
We had pizza and beer to give us energy. And then there was the entertainment from little Luke! :)
Then we went for round 2. I started off slow, but picked up speed, especially when Shelly and I bowled at the same time and both got spares! Lisa, who used to be on a league, has her own ball and was washing it in between turns. Reminds me of the golf caddies doing that with golf balls.
Somehow, Lisa (aka Clumsy Clara) and I ended up in 1st and 2nd place the second game!!!! :)
A good time was had by all. And then the next morning was Easter!!! We put on our Easter outfits and headed to church. Shelly played the bells and sang in the choir. As Depreys do, we arrived at church 30 minutes early before anyone else, but at least we were able to get front row seats. And then after mass, the kids (in their nice outfits) went out to the playground to see how dirty they could get! :)
After church we went shopping, cooked, played, watched TV, or whatever else people wanted until 4:30 PM. Annie and I tried to walk over to mom's house early, but she was taking a nap. Instead, I went to the store and bought the usual: a couple bottles of nice 2008 red wine, some mac n'cheese for tomorrow, and frosted animal crackers to snack on while updating the blog. LOL
We had a lot of food over at mom's house for Easter dinner, and some great conversation. Luke (Susie's boyfriend) makes his own beer and wine, so we all tried some of that. Not bad! The kids were entertaining themselves both in the house and outside. Little Luke got a chuckle out of chasing the little dogs. There were a few incidences of falling and getting scraped up or throwing the ball into the air and catching it with the face instead of the hand... Let's just say, not all of the kids are meant to be great athletes, but we had a ball and were definitely not short of entertainment!!
They really aren't as bored as they look. LOL
On Monday, Annie and I went to the domes with the 5 kids. Annie's idea, and a good one at that!
We started with the tropical dome, which felt like being back in FL. The others all thought it was like a sauna. LOL
The kids (and MJ) were doing a scavenger hunt and trying to find everything on the sheet of paper. This was harder than it looked!
There was the sausage tree (with fruit that actually looks like sausage), the banana tree, and let's not forget the chocolate pudding tree! The sausage tree was everyone's favorite, which is appropriate coming from WI. :)
There were flowers, birds, waterfalls, metal insects... Everything but the turtle that was supposed to be in the pond.
After the tropical dome, we took a little break and munched on grapes.
We were headed into the desert dome next, so I walked the kids over to the cacti and explained the importance of not touching any! (I didn't want to have to waste time pulling prickers out of them.) Nevertheless, there's always one in the bunch that likes to touch things they aren't supposed to. (To protect the innocent, I'll leave it up to you to determine who the culprit was.) Despite one incident, the kids all behaved much better than expected!!! :)
The desert dome felt like home having spent a couple years in Arizona. Annie also lives in the desert, but in her world, there are also mountains and snow (and not quite as many cacti). :)
My favorite was the old man cactus, which looked like...an old man with white hair.
The saguaro can only survive with the help of a tree to shelter it from the harsh sun. After about 50 years, it blooms for the first time, and the bloom only lasts for one day (which might explain why we didn't see any in bloom). They can grow to be about 50 feet tall after a century (and is the type of cactus I used to decorate with Christmas tree lights over the holidays).
And this bougainvillea has beautiful pinkish purple leaves that look just like flowers. The colorful leaves actually hide the flowers from view. Either way, this was one of my favorite!
Not the pond turtle that was hiding from us in the tropical dome, but still a turtle! I guess we can cross that off our scavenger hunt list. And a scorpion makes our visit to the desert complete! :)
The living stones were pretty interesting as well. These small plants blend in with the rocks and stones. It's a survival mechanism that keeps them from being eaten.
Being Easter, I was not expecting to find a Crown of Thorns. This hurts me just to look at it and imagine putting this on someone's head. :(
The dragon blood tree was one of the last desert plants, and a favorite with the kids. There is a myth where an elephant and dragon were fighting. In the end, both creatures died, staining the earth red where they had fought. The dried sap that built up on the trunk of this tree reminded people of that battle, so it became known as "dragon's blood".
The final dome was the most beautiful! It's called the show dome because they have weddings and other parties there. The setting is all flowers. Who would have known how much I adore flowers? :)
Monday afternoon, on the way to dropping Lisa off at the airport, we stopped downtown at Maders. We had Kassler Ripchen, sauerbraten, bread dumplings, red cabbage, knackwurst, bratwurst, sauerkraut, spatzle, Hungarian goulash, and weiner schnitzel. Of course, what would a German meal be without Pilsner out of a boot. It was DELICIOUS!! I love being German! :)
We then stopped by the cheese store to pick up some cheese curds and other goodies. :) There's always time for cheese!!!
On Tuesday, I slept in and then took a trip to the cemetery to visit Luke and Kyla. I know it seems weird to include a trip to the cemetery, but I wanted them to be part of the blog. :) It is hard to believe that Luke died before he was 30, but I like to think that Dani and John are watching over him and little Kyla.
Kyla is in the section with all the little babies. There are so many, and it's sad to think about all of those little ones who left this world to became angels far too early.
I gave Kyla a butterfly because they are beautiful, colorful, and free to fly wherever they want. Some day I might even plant tulips by her grave site, so real butterflies will come visit her. But for now, I settled for spring flowers from the store and singing her favorite song to her:
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away.
The other night dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cried.
She would be 4 years old already. How time flies.
On Tuesday night, I went with Susie, Annie, Lauren, and Kelly to the Ale House. "Weekend at Louie's" was the popular beer of the evening. Mmmmmmmmm. I haven't seen my cousins in years and can't believe how old they are getting!!! (Or is it me that's getting old?) They both work where I used to work - at Froedtert Hospital - and it brought back lots of memories. They also run marathons, like several of my sisters do. I did not inherit the running gene and am quite satisfied to watch. :)
After reminiscing about the good old days growing up, eating burgers, and drinking good beer, we looked over and noticed there were a bunch of people learning to swing dance. I tried unsuccessfully to get the others to join in, but alone I snuck onto the dance floor, found a partner, and started dancing. It was a lot of fun!!! We kept switching partners and learning new moves. I didn't want to leave, but after about 45 minutes I thought my sisters and cousins would be bored, so I went back over by them. When we were heading out the door, I was stopped by 3 different guys who were apparently sad I was leaving - one who drag races and restores hot rods (there's always one car person in the group). Apparently I'm sociable at events where I am doing something other than just having to talk. Annie got a kick out of that. LOL
On Wednesday, Shelly, Annie, and the 5 kids and I all went to the Betty Brinn museum. We weren't sure how to get there and took the scenic route, but found it without problem. :) The museum is right on the water in one of the best parts of Milwaukee, by the art museum and near Bradford Beach (which Annie informed me is one of the most popular beaches in Milwaukee for high school kids, though I didn't even remember we had a beach).
The Betty Brinn Museum is full of interactive exhibits that captivate the attention of even the youngest children. The kids were all entertained, and even the adults had a nice time (when we weren't trying to track down all the kids). I enjoy being a big kid and had a blast playing on the exhibits with the kids. :)
There was one section that had an exhibit from each of the 50 states. The only thing that would have made it better would be to actually put a name to the state that the exhibit is from!!!
My favorite 2 exhibits were the race car that we got to play pit crew on (changing tires, fueling it up) and the construction site.
Luke was like a magnet to cars. Every time there was a car (or bus or truck), he ran toward it and climbed up to take a ride. I see good things for his future!!!! Hehehe
Zoe enjoyed ballet dancing with mommy and putting on a princess dress and going on stage. Zack put on the coat of armor and shield, but was more interested in the levers and buttons backstage than the stage itself. :)
Anna was the postman (postwoman) and delivered all the mail. She also managed several other businesses in the little town. :) Anthony liked the computers and Zack was into playing with tools by the construction site (my kind of man!!).
After the museum, Annie and I met up with Susie at Culver's for some fried cheese balls, burgers, and WI's famous frozen custard!!! Yummie!!
At night for dinner, mom and dad took us all out to a good Mexican restaurant for enchiladas and other tasty dishes, and fried ice cream. Little Luke found the motorcycle arcade game in the back and calling out "Cycle", spent most of his time over there. Aunt MJ enjoyed taking him on his first "cycle" ride through the city, mountains, and country side. :)
I'm spending just another day or two in WI before continuing on my trip. I'm watching Gilmore Girls (they annoy me, but I'm so hooked), doing my taxes, updating the blog, relaxing (that's a new one for me), and spending time with the family. :)
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