Mama-and-me trip - success!

 
The girls are back in town! As the Pickle said when we got home, “No girls. Just guys.” He was glad to see his little sis.

Thankfully, Sienna is a good little traveler too. She was an angel on both flights just like D was when he was two months old and we flew to Dallas to meet up with Sarah and her girls. I was a little nervous before we left since I thought she might be getting sick, but we lucked out. 

Sienna sleeping like an angel in my arms on the flight home. Thankfully, my seatmate let me use the arm rest!

She definitely had her share of overwhelmed moments (see pic of the back of Sarah’s car below…three car seats of kiddos is a lot for anyone to take).

Sienna did not like being the monkey in the middle. Lots of noisy car rides.

It was lovely to travel with so much less gear than my last solo mama trip as evidenced here. Since Sarah had all the baby gear a gal could ever need, I just brought a diaper bag and a carry on (and baby, of course).

 

We kept this trip low-key and I felt much less exhausted coming home vs. Dallas. We had lots of yummy meals in Minneapolis restaurants and took walks with all three girls in Hudson, Wis., right by the river where Sarah lives. Before the airport on the way home, we visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Sienna’s first museum (we’ll be going to CMA when the Cassatt exhibit – perfect! – opens later this month).

One of my favorite parts of the trip was finding out that Sarah and our fam’s vacations in Hilton Head next year will slightly overlap so we know when we’ll see each other next!

I’m expecting to travel for work in the not-too-distant future, but not sure if we’ll head anywhere with the kiddos before next summer.

First girls' trip!

My babydoll dreaming of her first trip!

So, long travel blogging break, but for good reason. I'm now a mom of two, which means vacations just got a whole lot more expensive! Little Sienna was born in July, and per the photo above (!), she is just aching to go on a mommy-and-me trip. Already, I can't say no to her so I just booked flights to Minneapolis to see visit my dear friend Sarah and her girls in Hudson, Wisconsin, in October.

I was landlocked late in my pregnancy, so I haven't been on a flight since May. I took a trip with The Pickle when he was two months old and he was an angel on both flights, so I'm hopeful that his sissy will follow in his footsteps. Fingers crossed!

Surfing in Sheboygan?

Phil's friends from Ohio State, Brian and Trish, live in Howards Grove, Wisconsin, a small town that rivals the village I grew up in near Youngstown, New Middletown, Ohio. Howards Grove is about double the size of my hometown, but we at least have a stoplight. Ha ha. I've lived in Cleveland now for about 10 years, and it feels like so long ago that I lived in a small town.

We spent this afternoon in Sheboygan, a larger city near Brian and Trish, exploring the riverfront near Lake Michigan. I was surprised to see a number of surfers catching waves...you certainly don't think of Wisconsin when you think of surfing. It was nice and cool near the lake despite today's warm temps.

The riverfront is nicely developed with casual (but not touristy) little shops and restaurants that line the marina. I couldn't help but think what state the Flats might be in now had it been less concentrated with bars with more variety suitable for families and daytime use. There's still hope.

Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery tour rocks!

When researching brewery tours to take while in Milwaukee, Lakefront Brewery got the best reviews, hands down. In addition, I wanted to check out Lakefront since it is the country’s oldest certified organic brewery (the ESB organic beer was tasty).

Phil and I had a great time on the tour! For $6, we were incredibly entertained by the comedic Curtsy (anytime someone snapped a photo, he shouted to tag him on Facebook) and sampled four tasty brews (two at the beginning, one in the middle and one in the end). My favorite was the Wheat Monkey. I think it’s my new favorite beer.

At the end of the tour, Curtsy convinced some volunteers to reenact the famous Laverne and Shirley sitcom opening. Check out the hilarious video below to see how much fun we were having.

Our time in Milwaukee is done, and now we’re heading to Howards Grove, a suburb of Sheboygan, to visit Phil’s grad school buddies.

Charles Allia Art Museum Mansion

Milwaukee seems to have a good mix of public and private art galleries. We got a glimpse of the Milwaukee Art Museum earlier today and then headed to Charles Allis Art Museum, which is the former Tudor mansion of a Milwaukee mover and shaker couple from the turn of the century. The Allis family amassed a large collection of art from around the world with the intent to bequest their home and collection to Milwaukee County so it can be appreciated for centuries to come.

For me, there’s something special about walking through a museum that used to be a private residence. Paintings seem more spectacular when hung above a fireplace where their former owners admired them as opposed to in a formal gallery. (In college, I wrote a paper on the differences in viewing experiences for public and private museums and used the National Gallery and Phillips Collection in D.C. as examples.)

The Allis collection includes a lot of Asian art (check out the 18th Century folding screen photo) and American paintings. The home’s décor is beautiful, and I was tickled to walk through the butler pantry and see the old intercom system with the rooms still labeled.

I wish we were able to spend more time in the Riverwest neighborhood, which has a lot of independent galleries and shops, but we just drove through quickly on the way to our brewery tour.

Wiener schnitzel wonders -- and more pancakes!

I heart Wisconsin pancakes! In Hayward with Sarah a couple weeks ago, I sampled sausage-filled lumberjack hot cakes. Today, I tried German apple pancakes with Hungarian sausage, and they were a cross between a funnel cake, stuffed French toast and pancakes. AMAZING!

During lunch, Phil and I engaged in an enthralling conversation about famous Germans at the historic, kitschy Karl Ratzsch (opened in 1904) in downtown Milwaukee. Our brief list was quite pathetic – Hitler, Heimlich and Hansel and Gretel --- until our Twitter peeps helped us out with a more extensive list (sorry, Bach).

Kicking off a downtown tour w the Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum opens at 10 a.m., so that was the first place we headed from the airport. Downtown is about a 15-minute drive, and as we got closer, we were greeted with a very industrial panorama of the city. Phil and I think Cleveland’s entry points are thankfully a bit more urban.

Since Phil isn’t exactly a man of the arts, I knew I’d have to make my Milwaukee art itinerary on the light side or risk his wrath. So, we agreed to check out the lakefront outside the Milwaukee Art Museum as opposed to spending a couple hours inside viewing the collection, particularly since a lot of folks mentioned the exterior is more impressive than the collection. (This is my third Great Lake in two weeks.)

The Cleveland Art Museum has me completely spoiled. A) it’s free B) we have a comprehensive collection (no Asian art at MAM) c) our building’s exterior is growing more impressive with the expansion efforts.

But, Milwaukee’s art museum was something to see. Overlooking Lake Michigan, it looks like an elegant ship and has a “plank” that connects to a parking garage, which provides nice views of the city.

The lobby was really cool. Plenty of architectural eye candy and one Chihuly installation. If I had more time (and an art enthusiast at my side), I would have spent more time there.

P.S. If you find street parking, be aware that the city is cheap: a nickel gets you two minutes. Seriously?

CLE whole body scanners embarrassing and SLOW

As of Sunday, only two airports in the country, CLE and Houston, have installed whole body a.k.a. "naked" imaging scanners in passenger security lines. At CLE, there appears to be one full-body scanner in each security checkpoint...all other scanners are the normal ones.

This morning, I was directly behind Phil in one of the security lines, and he had to go through the full-body imaging scanner (ha!) while I walked through a normal one. Despite a short line overall in security, he took five minutes longer than me to walk through because of the extended time the new scanners take.

I'm not sure if more of these scanners will be added in the future, but if not, I'll do my best to avoid them so I can get through security quicker (and not think about someone checking out my lady parts).

$32k to fly with Zippy? I think not

I love my pooch a lot...enough to send my retired racing greyhound to doggie daycare once a week. But, I don't think she's worthy of flying business class with me to Milwaukee tomorrow (hell, I only fly biz class when upgraded for free).

Check out this story in USA Today about a lady who booked out the entire biz class section on an international flight. I wonder if her dog stole her airline pretzels like my carb queen would (see empty bread loaf wrapper in photo)...

No love for the lumberjacks

Check out the story in today's New York Times about how the 50th anniversary of the Lumberjack World Championships didn't get much love this year from national media, unlike years past.

The low prize money explains why Sarah and I spotted competitor with tattoos of their sponsors, like Stihl. That better come with a lifelong paycheck!

Guess I'll stick to my day job and not pursue a life as a lumberjill.

More Lumberjack World Champs Pics, Videos

Check out those quads!

Logrolling...

Women's boom run (run across logs in the water)

Hello, baby!!!!

Letter to my future self

Dear 65-year-old Christina,

In honor of my 100th blog post and the reflection that accompanies every good vacation, here are some thoughts to consider about how to spend your retirement.

FYI, you're too old to be a geisha and you don't like camping enough to be a legit lumberjill, but I think you have a real chance to become a stained glass artisan (consider mosaics, too). Maybe focus on amazing stained glass valances, like the one above you saw during the drive back from Hayward, and specialize in themes inspired by your Japan travels, i.e. cherry blossoms and the like.

Also, please fill in the gaps for any states or continents not visited (feel free to skip Antarctica). And, master something more sophisticated than When the Saints Go Marching In on the piano. I'd love, love, love it if you took on violin too.

Love,

Your 30-year-old self

Kayak Klutz U.S.A.

Well, in short, the fishermen of the Kinni River in River Falls, Wis., will not forget me anytime soon. The pic above of me kayaking perpendicular to the river pretty much sums it up: I am a sucky, sucky kayaker. (I will say that I did navigate through the tricky gap in the branch on my first try.)

Here is a summary of our 2-hour kayaking experience:

1. Numerous beachings on the river rock (the water often was as shallow as six inches)

2. One loss of paddle (subsequently recovered by doggy paddling in my kayak)

3. Numerous run-ins with branches on the river bank (scratches on my arms and foliage ALL OVER my kayak to prove it)

4. Semi-capsizing after attempting to navigate first eddy while kayaking backward (not by choice) as kayak filled completely with water (no flip flops or sunglasses were lost, just pride)

5. Help from fisherman who is laughing uncontrollably as he dumps out my kayak. While thanking him and blushing profusely, tangle oar in his fishing line

I did get much better kayaking the second half (I swear), and I still had fun. Thank God! we didn't end up kayaking the sea caves on rough Lake Superior. Disaster!

UPDATE: It could have been worse! Sarah just sent me this article about two guys who needed rescued on the river we kayaked on.

You don't see these in Cleveland...

Lots and lots of woods and log cabins...

It seems like so many people in Wisconsin are endurance athletes (not that snowmobiling is an endurance sport) that thrive in rural isolation.

Just in Hayward, I noticed two combo bar/wildlife museums. WEIRD.

This muskie, more than four stories tall, is home to the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. You know you want to read about it...

Rural dining

My two new favorite meals: fried cheese curds (duh) and lumberjack cakes (sausage-stuffed pancakes).

Based on recommendations, Sarah and I scored great meals at Mooselips Cafe in Seeley near her family's cabins (and our only source of Internet) and Good Thyme, a gourmet restaurant in a Victorian house in the middle of nowhere (see pic of our fried cheese curds and sweet potato fries appetizer). Yum!

Raspberry Island Lighthouse on Lake Superior

Today, we drove an hour to Bayfield for a boat ride on Lake Superior to Raspberry Island where we toured the 1864 lighthouse. I was surprised we were able to climb all the way to the top since the stairs/ladder were a little treacherous. The view from the top was great! The light is now automated and powered by solar.

Sarah, Ella and I hiked the length of the island (about a mile) on the official "road" from way back when, which equated to a narrow trail, sometimes outfitted with a boardwalk. We wanted to get to the beach at the end and dip our toes in the cold water. We had just enough time to make it there and back at a bustling pace. Resilient, seven-months-pregnant Sarah hiked back with two-year-old Ella on her shoulders.

I guess it rained in Hayward all day, but we had a beautiful day in Bayfield. We went to the art festival right by the water (yay). And, the one time it poured, we were inside a deli grabbing our lunch, so we were lucky to get good weather karma.

Tonight, we're staying at Sarah's cousin's cabin, which is right down the street from the one we stayed in last night.

Tomorrow, we head back to Hudson to Sarah's for some fun on the river.

Learning to share

Would you like to hold my toad?

"Roughing" it

On our trips, Sarah and I usually cover quite a bit of ground. This weekend we’re turbo dieseling it in her retro, supercool Mercedes wagon. As soon as I saw it in the airport parking lot, I knew it was Sarah’s because it suits her perfectly.

We’re “roughing” it in her aunt and uncle’s isolated cabin…no street lights, no Internet, no cell service, no curtains, but lots of bears and these weird fisher creatures Sarah’s been creeping me out about. The cabin is new and beautiful, and it’s located at the mid-point of the Birkie, one of the best cross-country skiing race (lots of Sarah’s family participates each year). It’s so nice we can stay here, particularly since it’s a short drive to the Lumberjack Champs.

Today we’re hauling Turbo Diesel to Bayfield where we’re going to take a boat on Lake Superior and explore lighthouses. Then back to Hayward tonight to meet up with some of Sarah’s cousins and explore some of the combo bar/wildlife museums (I can’t even begin to explain this Wisconsin phenomenon.)

When I grow up, I wanna be a lumberjill

So, I know that before I left for Japan, I wrote that I really want to train as an apprentice/old lady geisha. I still do. However, I’ve also decided that I would like to be a logrolling Lumberjill.

Sarah and I went to the 50th anniversary of the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wis., and it was incredible. Tix were $10 for an up-close-and-personal view of lumberjacks and lumberjills from all over the world who competed in a number of events. My favs are logrolling (duh) and the 90-foot climb. I have a video of the latter below, but I can’t figure out how to load it vertically, so turn your head sideways when you watch. (Do not count on me adding videography to my list of aspirational careers.) My camera battery died within the first 15 minutes (#$%*), so I have other videos and pics to load of events from Sarah’s camera once we head back home and snag her cord.

There are 114 professional competitors, and 20 of them are locals from Hayward. There’s even a logrolling school here (!). I started drooling when Sarah told me that her Y offers classes (sadly, just for kids). I even met one of the former champion logrollers who's a friend of Sarah’s family.

At the competition, there was a logrolling tank near the stands, and I gasped when I saw it. However, it was barely in the 70s, so I was not diving in with jeans (and a gaggle of kids who could probably cream me). Maybe someday…