Mum Nellie, and sister Sheila, arrived last Thursday night to take in some of the Wisconsin sunshine and local hospitality.Nellie's escaping the cold and snow of Christchurch's mid winter month with a few weeks in sunny California, and restful Lake Okauchee, and Sheila was just here for the weekend - and we had a great time.
I bunked school on Friday to spend the day with Mum and She, having lunch on the river, a drive by Miller Valley and showing them around some of downtown Milwaukee and our old neighborhood.
We stopped off on the way home to grab Nellie a frozen custard - the best local icecream and something of an institution....much like the place we got it from, our local drive-in diner - the "Kiltie".
Like a scene straight out of the '60s, the Kiltie sells burgers, shakes, malts, sundaes and custard, served straight to your car by a bunch of young waitresses in sneakers and short, short skorts. And they have the BEST pineapple shakes - crushed real pineapple blended with milk and vanilla frozen custard - you need a spoon to scoop out the pineapple, or you spend hours trying to suck it up the straw!
It's as though nothing's changed in 40 years. It's only open in the summer - our local winters being a bit harsh for drive ins, mind you on a hot summer night you spend the evening eating your fries, and swatting mosquitos in the car.
Dinner was a bbq'd butterflied leg of New Zealand lamb...and red wine!
Nellie has a new friend....
"You're so beautiful - I could take you home...."
Saturday we took a drive 45 minutes west to Madison, the State capital and home of the Dane County Farmer's Market - the best in the area, and one of the best in the US.The market surrounds the capital building - right in the center of town, spreading around each of the streets that surround the building.
We bought blood red sweet tomatoes, 12 year old cheddar, fresh spanish garlic, frozen venison loins, fresh homemade raspberry jam, baby fingerling potatoes, dried bouquets of flowers (thanks She!), fresh sourdough, and kettle corn (popcorn cooked in a giant copper kettle with butter and sugar).
Miles was a huge sensation. Technically he wasn't allowed in the market, so Robbie strolled around the lawn beside the capitol building under the trees. We joked that Robbie should have been charging .25c for every person that asked if they could pat him...
The ultimate chick magnet (and it probably helped that he'd been to the groomer the day before!)
Dinner Saturday night was at a local steak restaurant - Joe Armeli's Meat N Place in Nashotah...the next village around the lake. Fine dining by local standards, and one of the oldest restaurants in the neighborhood. Nellie had salmon (!).Sunday we visited an art festival at a local park, and spent the afternoon eating market food. Late in the afternoon we went over to Robbie's boss' house where we took dinner and the boys got to play in Peter's new powerboat toy...
The noise...!
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