thedude.com

Halloween is upon us. My first party of the season was at work today. Mwa-haa-haa-haaaaa.

How nice to discover that my site is one of the links listed on this site. Also nice to see that some folks are beginning to post large images. I think it’s about time. I mean, we all have broadband now, right?

The title of this entry hints at the fact that I see my first friend in California way too little. Steve and I had an awesome time revisiting our old haunts in the foggy Sunset District. We both concluded - again - that there’s no place like San Francisco - the number one tourist destination in my world.

(Google Earth Placemark alert!) I just noticed that the building above is so green that it’s color is visible from space! Other places shown above include the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers and the newly remodelled Cliff House.

Just to be sure we’d had our fill of MEAT on our trip, Steve prepared a huge slab of bison for dinner with Jim and Wendy Rowe on Friday. He paired the meat with a few rare and delightful reds. Yum!

Another destination never seen by thedude or Kelly is the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The museum is loaded with colorful and often hilarious circus posters from the past. Out back there are two large warehouses filled with meticulously restored circus wagons. Cool! Placemark

As I mentioned earlier, the fall colors probably peaked a week after we left Wisconsin, but since neither of us had ever been to Devil’s Lake, we decided to make the drive anyway. It turned out to be the perfect way to spend a Thursday afternoon. There were just a handful of people at the lake. Peaceful, quite, ahhh… Placemark

We visited Chicago on Wednesday. Steve, Kelly and thedude started the day at the opulent Ritz Carlton. The oysters and sushi were OK, but we give the view and atmosphere five stars. Next, Kelly dragged us to Water Tower Place where we peered through windows at a whole lot of things we will never be able to afford. Shopping began to wear us out, so we regrouped over a bottle of champagne at the Drake Hotel. We strolled through downtown on a gorgeous night in the windy city and settled on the Captital Grille for dinner. Steak is the specialty of the house, but we had all ordered seafood and were not disappointed - far from it!

Tuesday was a busy day with an outstanding lunch at B.J. Wentger’s in Burlington, a short tour of Lake Como aboard the Kimpossible and finally a prime rib dinner with old friends at Eric and Bonnie’s fabulous estate. Kelly had a chance to witness the heart-warming hippotherapy program offered on the property before we warmed the rest of our bodies in front of a campfire.

What a lovely day - and we’re not done yet!

It should come as no surprise that food and wine have played a significant role in our trip so far. We had an excellent Alsacienne meal at the Chef’s Corner in Williams Bay. Dieter provided the fine cuisine, Steve supplied numerous bottles of rare wine, and we finished the evening off with a bottle of a delicious digestif called kummel, made from caraway seeds. Yum!

We’re are having a great time. Steve is the world’s best host, and the weather has been just amazing. It’s 73 degrees and crystal clear today. It there is anything disappointing about the weather is that it’s been a bit too warm. The fall colors will peak after we are back in Wisconsin. Dang.

I never get tired of shooting Kelly.

I’m extremely lucky to have such a patient and beautiful wife. :-)

What trip would be complete without a visit to John’s Main Event?

It is always great to see all of you. A special thanks to Kalvin, Scott, Julie, Lexy and Lynne for going the extra mile to be there. I wish we could see each other much more often!