Foot of the Lake

I've got some family in Wisconsin... some near-and-dear-to-me family. And I'm not sure if you've read in other blog posts of mine, but the Midwest also holds a very near-and-dear to me spot in my heart... I love the friendly people, the green landscapes, the space, the food, overall just the general casual and welcoming atmosphere. I was born in Wisconsin and spent my first few years of life there, and sometimes still like to believe I'm a little bit of a midwesterner.

So whenever work sends me out that way, I'm sure to tack on a day or two to relax with the family. This past October, Binh and I took a quick weekend trip from work in Chicago to drive up to Fond Du Lac, WI at the foot of (translation) Lake Winnebago, an hour or so north of Milwaukee.

Binh and I have now made this Chicago to Fond Du Lac drive a few times, and we have come to know our favorite stops along the way... one of which is family legend the Mars Cheese Castle (no, I'm not joking). My Dad's the one that told us about this spot, and raves about the cheese spreads (don't laugh until you try them). But if you know anything about the goodness of the good ole WI, you know they don't mess around making cheese... and this place won't dissapoint. In fact if you do, let me know what you think of the new "castle" they just moved into... I haven't made it out there since the constuction wrapped up this winter, but it looks like the crowds are excited for the new diggs.

The delicious cheese spreads (at the old store from October 2010):

Construction on the new Cheese Castle...
Arriving at my Aunt and Uncles was awesome after a week of hard work and traveling. We did some all out relaxing... snacking, movie watching, birthday celebrating (this cake was incredible), and lounging...
And then on Saturday morning, we went exploring. We decided to scout out the oh-so-famous Halloween celebrations of Madison. Right near the UW campus, the city of Madison commissions one of the biggest spooky celebrations of the country... Freakfest. So we decided to take a drive in the minivan and make our way a little further west to check out the campus and the celebration.

Just before we reached the town border, we were greeted by this friendly little guy (see welcoming penguin with keg in the back of the subaru):

The Madison campus is awesome, right on the lake, showcasing an incredible amount of spirit. We ended our afternoon at the State Street Brathaus with some awesome German brats and beers... before dropping off my younger cousin so he could enjoy the nightlife with his friends (pictures to come, right Brent?).
The gang at the Brathaus: Aunt Chrissy, family friend Charlie (our esteemed tour guide for the day) Uncle Jeff, Brent, me and Binh.

A picture perfect weekend

October brought an opportunity for a small escape during recruitment season... Binh and I snuck away to Charleston, SC for a few days to be with some good friends as they celebrated their wedding. Instantly we fell in love with Charleston and I could have just stayed forever... I mean, look at this place:
(Above: view from the wedding beach house; Below: the rocky end of Folly Beach as we walked to the lighthouse)

The Morris Island lighthouse in the cove between Folly Beach and the Charleston Harbor... (it's got an incredible history).

Binh from the back as we approached the lighthouse viewing point...

Glorious blue skies:

We had a blast as part of the ceremony and felt welcomed and appreciated the whole time. We rekindled old friendships and made new ones and played some competitive ping-pong late into the night, and learned the southern ways shopping on King Street during the days.

Rehearsal dinner night (at Huck's Lowcountry Table):
The ladies--

One night we all went out for some traditional oyster cracking at Bowen's Island... this place was phenomenal... off the beaten path and some of the most fun food I've ever eaten. (Did I mention Adam and Ellen are both chef's and know good food? This really stepped up the excitement of the weekend.)

I did some good beach walking and shell finding in the sunshine of the mornings...

While the guys played some good football and did some skim boarding...

And then it was time for the wedding. And what a beautiful celebration it was:

(Ellen and her dad through the crowd)

Waiting for the bride

The wedding party came down from the house to the beach:

Ellen and Adam:
Some of the groomsmen gave speeches, and yes, one of them held Adam and Ellen's dog Bebe throughout the ceremony:

Just after the wedding the bride and groom got to take a walk alone on the beach.

Under the house after the ceremony we did some real oyster shucking- yes, the bride in her dress.

And the whole wedding party-
The reception was filled with food scattered all over the beautiful house....

The boys got a little silly.... with the umbrellas:

...and the shots

Underneath the Carolina sunset of a magical weekend.

NYC's San Gennaro

This past September, I happened to be working in NYC during the feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy... if you haven't seen it, it's quite a spectacle... mixed together with some truly delicious food.
My trip to NYC this year not only overlapped with the festival, but also with a one-day bus trip my family was taking... below: myself, cousin Stacey, Dad and Mom on the bridge overlooking 10th Ave at the Highline (see former post).

This June, I'll be celebrating Stacey's marriage as one of her four bridesmaids...

Such a cool spot... and again, if you haven't stopped by the HighLine... grab a coffee from Chelsea Market or a cupcake from Magnolia's (like we did) and go for a stroll.

And if you happen to be in town for the San Gennaro, it's truly a feast you won't want to miss.

More from the Mile High

While exploring Rocky Mountain National Park could have been enough for anyone on a trip to Denver... it certainly wasn't for me and the CO gang... we packed in a lot and had a blast! Every moment we weren't working, Jonathan was my tour guide... and some awesome places we did see.

One night we were there we had dinner at "The Fort" -- based on Jonathan's dinner performance, he was 'crowned' with Buffalo horns...
The Fort is an awesome restaurant a little ways out of the city, but open even on labor day. I encourage you to try some traditional Colorado fare... as the Fort calls itself "the essence of Colorado."
The fort has an adobe style and even a huge teepee in the middle of the structure.

One afternoon we headed out to Boulder for some University of Boulder comparison shopping... a beautiful backdrop for a campus community...

UC Boulder

And some great opportunities for shopping on the promonade with Anthony and Jonathan.

Downtown Boulder... for those familiar with the Commons in Ithaca, it felt very similar... just a little more fresh.

Look at that sunshine!

One afternoon we skipped over to Red Rocks, which provided some fantastic scenery for great photos and an excellent work-out while we explored. Below is the view up from the stage. We felt so cool standing where so many incredible artists have performed. Jonathan had to showcase his "air guitar talent" just so he felt like he fit in.

How tiny the stage looks from the top.... Jonathan and I on the stage...

What we didn't really think about was all the stairs we'd have to climb to get back up...

One night we got some tickets to a Colorado Rockies game. I called my Denver-based cousin and we met up with some SU alumni in the area for a night out on the town...

That's my cousin Sue and I in the middle... we had some good seats!

The very last day, on our way to the airport we headed out to the Wild Animal Sanctuary. Jonathan had been before and felt really compelled to return with gifts for the rescued animals and to show me this incredible place.

The sanctuary has an incredible mission and serves hundreds of lost animals, and it was so neat to see so many happy rescued animals so far from their natural homes.

There were big black bears...
Roaming on acres and acres of land....

All set up to mimic natural habitats...

There were lots of tigers... this group more newly rescued and brought to the sanctuary.

All in all a pretty cool trip and learning experience... the Denver area had lots to offer visitors and one day, I hope to go back for more exploring.