So... You will just have to use your imagination, though I was able to find pictures of some of the places I've been on the Internet.
Depreys often say things that others find a little "odd". (Good friends can probably attest to that.) Over the past couple of weeks, there were some especially "Deprey-like" sayings that we heard. Here are a few of them...
"I'm not ADD! I just have a problem sitting still and concentrating." -MJ
"I'm sexy and I know it." (sung like the original song) - Mom
Mom was telling Anna that when she was little, she and her mom [Shelly] used to come over every day. Anna looked up and said, "Did she need that much advice?" :-)
"I haven't had ham in 15 years." "I haven't had a burger in a restaurant in 20 years." "I haven't had deep dish pizza in 30 years." - Mom
While out to dinner, Mom told me that my teeth looked really nice. Dad responded, "Mine are much better! Look at how colorful they are!"
You get the idea... LOL
My favorite cousin, Angie, and I met up at her place on Saturday. It's an adorable 3 bedroom home just a block away from Little Muskego Lake. The neighborhood is quiet and peaceful. Not a bad place to live!
Angie bought this home less than a year ago. One day she realized her apartment lease would be up in a month or two and so she decided to start looking at houses. Her parents had recently moved to Muskego, and liking the area, that is where she started the house hunt. The first day of looking she found a handful of homes for sale, and the very first house she looked at was love at first sight. The real estate agent who she talked to on the phone said that someone had an offer and they were going to make a decision the next day. Angie talked them into giving her a tour that evening, and without looking at any other houses, she put an offer on it that was accepted a few days later!! Within a month, she was in her new home!!!! :-)
She has a small garage that will soon be turned into a beautiful garage (which of course I offered to help with). :-) There is a place for the boat that she will get from her parents' house, a shed out back, a wooden pentagon table on a concrete slab with a grill for cooking out in the summer, and a fire pit for bonfires and roasting marshmellows on sticks... Her home is beautifully decorated with all things "Angie". She has Elvis downstairs, and Bon Jovi and the Monkeys spread throughout the house. There is a large fish pillow in the living room and peacock feathers on a shelf over the basement steps. A small bar filled the right half of the kitchen counter, and a game room with a bathroom is in the basement.
After taking silly pictures and hearing all about the house, we drove down the road to a lake front "beer" restaurant that has "Milwaukee" written all over it. With a great view of the lakes and fried cheese curds and chive fries on the menu, we sat back and relaxed. There was a bar monopolizing the room, filled with people wearing boots, hunting jackets, and blue jeans. Tables and booths pushed to the back and side of the restaurant, and pool tables and dart boards competed with space. We ordered burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and chive fries, and caught up on the last few years. Angie has recently been promoted to Project Manager (I have to brag for her) and her nephew (little baby Bobbie) is already 20!!!
We said good-bye an hour or so later and I headed out East to Mequon to meet my sister and her friends for volleyball. Susie is still a gimp from her recent knee surgery, so she was in charge of her boyfriend Luke's homemade beer and taking pictures. The team consisted of a great group of people in their 20's and early 30's, who wore "beer side" t-shirts. I asked what that was about and they told me they played best when they were playing on the side closest to the beer. In between each game (of which there were many), we all came back to the beer table and had a drink. After a few games, we became more aggressive, diving for balls, running into people, laughing more... For some reason, there was no pain, no sore muscles, no tiredness! I am starting to believe Luke's beer contains magical powers!!!! (Or it could just be the effect of multiple cups of alcohol...) Those watching would agree that we weren't the most talented group, but sand volleyball + beer + fun people = a GREAT time!!!! (I should also mention that there was a really cute boy on the team only 26 years old. If the pictures had turned out, you would see a great shot of Josh and I. :-)
Shelly and Steve were having a cook out at their place, so after volleyball, I said good-bye to Susie and Luke and headed back to Wauwatosa. There were a few brats left by the time I arrived, and the fire outside was going strong. Anna was playing on the toy house and the boys were clashing plastic swords in the driveway. Zoe was playing with Misty, the dog, and Mom and Dad were there as well relaxing in the lawn chairs and making small talk. When the sun went down, we got out long sticks, put marshmellows on the ends, and roasted them over the fire. Mine caught fire every time, but the kids' marshmellows were all toasty brown. Nothing like watching a fire crackle and pop, and then watch the kids try to eat the melting marshmellows, getting their tiny hands sticky from the gooey white insides. :-)
Anna showed me her children's book, which I have to admit, may be better than the ones I'm writing!!!! I hope she sends it to Jean for illustrations and tries to get it published. I would buy it if I was a mom!
The next day was my last day in WI. The kitchen sink had been clogged for a couple of days, so I attempted to help Dad fix it. We used a long snake that was kinked from prior use, and after several tries about 5 feet in, we gave up. Still clogged. Dad then bought something similar to Draino that claimed to be quite dangerous if it touched skin, eyes, or was inhaled. I stayed away... Using a funnel and part of an old garden hose, we tried to put the liquid directly into the clogged spot from the pipes under the sink, thinking it would bypass getting caught in the bottom curve of the pipe that way. Uh-oh! Black goo started coming out the pipe despite our efforts, so we gave up on that, closed up the pipes, and dumped the rest of the bottle in the sink drain. After waiting several hours and following up with very hot water, the sink remained clogged. Stubborn sink!!! Dad was determined NOT to call a plumber and came up with the idea to use 2 plungers at the same time in each sink drain. Low and behold, this worked!!! Great job Dad! :-)
Before putting everything back into my car, I decided to detail the interior - everything short of washing the carpet and seats. The car looked like a completely different beast and I was sad to have to fill it once again with all my worldly possessions. Dad helped bring the boxes outside to put back in the car, and with his help, it only took 5-10 minutes. We had burritos for dinner and watched a movie with Mom. At about 11 PM, it was time to head to bed and get ready for the trip ahead...
With the car packed and warm coffee in my belly, I left the house at 7 AM and made a few stops along the way the first day. My first stop was in Dixon, IL, where I stopped to see the house that former President Ronald Reagan grew up in.
As exciting as that is, that was not why I stopped in Dixon. Loving tractors of all shapes and sizes, my heart almost stopped when I saw a sign that said "John Deere Historic Site". Who knew??? I actually passed up the exit, drove another 13 miles to the next exit to turn around, and then spent another 20 minutes trying to find the place. Unfortunately, it was closed (another place out of season). Had it been open, I would have gone into the blacksmith shop to see how his famous 1837 plow was created. There was also a house recreated to look like his home in the early 1830's, and an archeological site highlighting where the original blacksmith shop stood many years ago. Along my journey, especially through IL, WI, IA, and NE, there were many John Deere stores with green and yellow tractors lined up for sale, and different types of tractors kicking up dust as they helped the farmers out in the fields or driving slowly along the road.
The next stop was in Des Moines, IA. The capital building is what drew me to the city, it's dome gilded with 23 karat gold leaf. :-)
The capital building is on a hill, and at the front of the capital building you can look out and see an incredible view of the city!!!!
Around the capital and by the court building labeled "Judicial Branch" were numerous statues, monuments, and memorials. There was a little baby who just turned one and his mom looking at the monuments as well. Guess where they were from? WISCONSIN!! :-) Here are a few of the monuments/sculptures/memorials:
Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Monument
Allison Monument with the Supreme Court building in the background
Allison Monument with the capital in the background
World War II Memorial
Scott's grave (which is by the Judicial Branch building)
Lincoln and Tad Monument
This is a sundial, which is said to keep perfect time.
Camp Burnside Marker (from the Civil War)
Shattering Silence sculpture
Japanese Temple Bell of peace and friendship
After visiting the capital grounds, I stopped by Terrace Hill, which was closed (but here is when my camera both broke and started to work again). I wasn't supposed to be on the grounds, but took a quick walk around.
And back on the road... The scenery along the road in Iowa was full of farm land and the occasional wind turbines. Since I left home, it was incredibly windy, and there were a few times I was afraid my little Focus would blow off the road, especially passing trucks! I thought about Lisa, her motorcycle, and the Bay Bridge, and wonder if this is what she experienced. There were clouds in the sky and it was 5 PM - just about time to call it a day.
...And then I saw the signs for the Danish windmill in Elk Horn, IA. :-) I had to stop! The windmill was closed for the season (and would have been closed anyway as it was after 5 pm) but I still took a few pictures. This was a Danish settlement, so there are lots of Danish shops, food, and culture. There was also a statue of Hans Christian Andersen, who was a famous Danish author. I wasn't really in the mood to spend much time here as it was getting cold and looked like the sky was about to open up and spit out freezing rain, but it was nice to walk around and window shop.
As the sun started to set, I stopped for the night just past Omaha, NE.
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