What's your favorite farmers market?? AND -- have you entered the bloviersary giveaway!! Stop everything you're doing and do it right now!!!
I'm celebrating the second blogiversary of Finding Joy in All Things this week. I'm hosting a giveaway and you can enter by leaving a comment on this post! Ever the eager travelers, Paul and I went to Seattle and Portland last week to celebrate fourth of July and a family wedding. This was the first time I had been to the Pacific Northwest in the middle of summer, and I think I have found my favorite time to visit. The weather was amazing, the flowers gorgeous, and the farmers market fare mouth watering. Since I can only dream of being able to sample this fare weekly, I'll just drool over these photos .... These berries were unbelievable. And only $3 a bunch!! We were tempted to get one of each, but we limited ourselves to blueberries, marionberries, golden raspberries, and strawberries. That was limiting ourselves. A marionberry is a blackberry created by the USDA and University of Oregon. It's only found in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm pretty fond of it. I'm telling you, these flowers were just amazing. Everywhere I looked out there flowers were growing like crazy, and their colors were soooo vibrant. The weather is just perfect for growing them out there. It wouldn't be Portland without something a little funky. I've been a fan of kombucha for a few years now, and I was very excited to see some homemade kombucha being sold at the market. I had a sample each and bought a bottle of the pomegranate. Tasty, tasty!
What's your favorite farmers market?? AND -- have you entered the bloviersary giveaway!! Stop everything you're doing and do it right now!!!
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I'm celebrating the second blogiversary of Finding Joy in All Things this week. I'm hosting a giveaway and you can enter by leaving a comment on this post! the means and opportunity to travel to visit friends and family
an evening spent walking around downtown Seattle my first day at my new job (eek!!!) sunshine and beautiful weather harvesting and sharing veggies from our community garden plot taking a mental health day to relax and enjoy summertime an afternoon spent lounging in a park overlooking Lake Michigan having a nice, quiet neighbor move in downstairs randomly meeting neighbors at our church picnic being part of a really great Milwaukee community reading such nice comments on this post my health and the health of my family making it to the next stage of roller derby rec league -- and all my friends, family, coaches, and teammates who encouraged and supported me -- bring on the hip checks! Paul and I took a trip to Hartford, Connecticut, a few weeks ago to visit his old stomping grounds. We stayed with some of his old friends and visited a few of his favorite spots. The iris were in bloom while we there, and we got in just before the summer weather really took hold. It was beautiful. We tried visiting the art museum, but it was closed. I still thought the architecture was picture worthy though. We also stopped by Mark Twain's house (that's lego Mark Twain above). I hadn't realized Mark Twain had lived in Hartford because I always associate him with Hannibal, Missouri. This was the house he had built to help establish himself in the upper class, and he lived here with his wife and children. We took one of the guided tours and got to see the room where he wrote some of his most famous books. The tour guides were a little quirky, but what history buff isn't a little out there? Until next time Hartford!
My family came to visit Milwaukee a few weeks ago, and we had the best time. One of our adventures was heading up to Port Washington for lunch and exploring the town. I love Port Washington's pier and lake front. Looking through these pictures again makes me smile :) I wish they could visit every weekend. Aren't my parents the cutest?
A few weeks ago during a work trip to Baltimore, I checked out the National Aquarium in Baltimore's inner harbor. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to touch any sharks or sting rays, but otherwise I loved it. The all windows entrance was pretty stellar. And a few of the exhibits lended themselves to some pretty cool photographs - especially the tanks of jelly fish.. I remember visiting the Florida Aquarium as a teenager and loving the aquarium so much I decided to be a marine biologist. And then I realized I was scared of the deep ocean, didn't really like salt water or getting stung by jelly fish. So the whole marine biologist thing didn't happen. But I sure do love aquariums.
A few weeks ago, I travelled to New York with Paul for the wedding of one of my old Jesuit Volunteer Corps roommates. Her wedding was in Rochester, and since we aren't able to go the East Coast as often as we'd like, we decided to extend our trip to visit New York City and Hartford to visit friends. On our road trip down to NYC, we stopped for lunch in Ithica, one of my favorite upstate New York cities. The day was so perfectly sunny, and my heart was so happy to be amongst rolling New York hills. Ithica is great for hippy restaurants and shops. I had the best veggie avocado wrap and stole some inspiration from a local green living shop. Check out that gorgeous Kinfolk Table book! During our extremely-quick-less-than-24-hour-trip to NYC, we did a LOT of walking and managed to see six friends (five adults + one toddler). We took approximately as many photos with our camera, but I luckily snapped a few more with my iphone. Something clicked between me and NYC this trip. I have to confess that in the past I didn't get what the big deal was with NYC. But during this trip, I just loved all the sites, all the people, all the diversity. If it wasn't so far away and wasn't so expensive, I would definitely consider a move to the Big Apple. One of my favorite parts of our trip was our visit to High Line Park (with Stumptown tea in hand) and our dash through Chelsea Market. I was trying to find People's Pops to get a popsicle. We ended up finding their stand, but they only accepted cash, and we were so short on time with needing to catch our train that I had to skip it! What a travesty! Guess it means I'll just have to make my own from their fantastic book until I can visit NYC again. High Line Park is a new attraction in NYC and is pretty much what it sounds like: a park on old raised train tracks. Walking through the blocks long park you're surrounded by plants and trees and can feel the city quiet. Seeing so much green in the city might have been partly responsible for my new found love of NYC. (One of the only pictures Paul took during our night time walk around the Times Square/Central Park area. Obviously this man has his priorities.)
This weekend, Paul and I travelled to the east coast for a friend's wedding. We extended the trip by a couple of days for quick stops in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut to see old friends. While in Hartford we visited Elizabeth Park, home of the oldest municipal rose garden in the country. We were a little early for roses, but we had such a nice time walking around and enjoying the beauty of the park. Love this guy and love irises. I have a special place in my heart for these flowers. My great grandma, grandma, and mom have all grown them in their gardens - and my mom still has portions of iris plants that grew in my grandma's and great grandma's garden. The great thing about iris: they love to multiply! Are those just some of the most beautiful things you've ever seen? And they smelt just as nice as they looked. I also appreciated this mini edible garden outside the garden cafe. I've got some more inspiration now for my porch garden!
I'll be sharing more of our east coast adventure over the next week. Still to come: Mark Twain's house, NYC, and our 6th JVC reunion! The Brewcity Bruisers are one of Milwaukee's greatest hidden entertainment gems. I discovered them through a friend a few years ago (after watching Whip It), attended a few bouts here and there, and have since progressed to a season ticket holder and a derby rec leaguer. I'm officially hooked!! This weekend I attended the Brewcity Bruisers' championship bout. The championship bout comes at the end of a four month season of monthly "bouts" or games.. I've attended almost every bout this season and as has become our tradition, I got a couple of delicious slices of pizza before this bout with my friends. The championship bout was battled out between the four lteams that make up the Brewcity Bruisers local league. [The Brewcity Bruisers also have two travel teams called the All Stars and the Battlestars that compete regionally.] The first match was between the Shevil Knevils and Rushin Rollettes who competed for third (and fourth) place, and the second between Maiden Milwaukee and the Crazy 8s who fought for first (and second). These games were so intense!! The Rushin Rollettes (the orange team) hadn't won a game yet this season, and they seemed extra inspired to bring it all to the track (that's derby talk for "worked really hard"). Their hard work paid off and they "rushed" to first place. (Too much??) For those of you new to roller derby, here's a quick intro to how the game is played. Each bout is made up of two minute jams with five skaters playing from each team. The two jammers -- the skaters who can score points -- line up behind the eight blockers. The whistle blows and each jammer tries to fight her way through the pack (the eight blockers). The jammer that breaks through first is named lead jammer and has the right to call off the jam whenever it is best strategically for her. The next time she breaks through the pack, she'll score one point for every player of the opposite team she passes. If the second jammer is getting close to scoring points by breaking through the pack a second time too, the lead jammer will call off the jam as quickly as she can by doing a tapping movement on her hips. I've learned over the past few years that roller derby is a highly athletic, competitive sport. I've been working hard to learn all the basic derby skills, but it's been a really big challenge. The skating move you see above is the skill I'm trying to perfect right now - the crossover through the track apex. You have to learn to shift your weight from skate to skate while crossing your right leg over the left and pushing your legs out to gather speed. It's hard work!! The big bout, the championship, the one for all the marbles -- had me sitting on the edge of my seat for about an hour. You could compare the rivalry to the Boston Red Sox (Maidens) playing the New York Yankees (Crazy 8s). The Crazy 8s have won the championship the past four years and seem to be unstoppable. Since my friend was drafted by the Maidens, I had to cheer them on (while wearing my pink!!). This bout was soooo fun to watch because each team had to keep adjusting their strategy and each player was clearly giving it everything she had. The Maidens lost to the 8s by just a few points in the first overtime I had seen. It was super interesting and pretty similar to penalty kicks in how quickly and dramatically the winner is decided. No bout is complete without ice cream!! Clearly roller debry has become my favorite sport. It's the only sport I've ever bought season tickets for, and the only sport I'll go out of my way to watch. It's also the only sport I know of that people can start as adults and have a decent chance of making it on a team that people will pay to watch. I've never felt stronger or more empowered in any sport I've played. So who knows, maybe someday I'll be blogging about how I competed with my roller debry team in the championship!
For more info about the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, click here. I love a good road trip. Especially in winter, when the weeks and months are long, road trips help to break things up and add a bit of spice to life. I schedule road trips every couple of months and will even travel on my own since my hubby's work keeps him busy on some weekends. Last weekend I travelled to St. Louis to see the Missouri Botanical Garden orchid show with my mom, sister, aunt, and cousins. It's become a winter tradition for us; we soak up the beautiful colors and light, and then stop by the giftshop for seeds and orchid plants. And wouldn't you know it: this year I travelled all the way to St. Louis for the show and forgot my camera on my parents' kitchen table. So instead of pictures of orchids, I'm sharing some pictures of my drive from Milwaukee to St. Louis. Before leaving my apartment, I positioned my camera on the passenger seat so it would be handy if I saw a good potential shot. These photos were all taken by me by holding the camera towards the passenger side window and hoping for the best. I love how they turned out. They all have that accidentally-on-purpose rustic look. The Midwest scenery feels so homey and brings me a lot of peace. I can't get enough of those big open sky sunsets. The drive to St. Louis has become one of my go to spirit boosters - along with a couple of good books on tape and my pups in the back seat. I love the time to think and relax and just be.
Remember when I shared our 36 hours in Milwaukee challenge? It was basically forever ago (last month). I'm sharing part two of our adventure here today, so before you begin you might want to check out part one for a little refresher. The 36 Hours in Milwaukee challenge was to follow the New York Time's 36 hour guide and visit some top sights in Milwaukee in a 36 hour period. Part one included the Milwaukee Art Museum, Bryan't Cocktail Lounge, Blue Jacket, Mitchell Domes, Usinger's, and Wisconsin Cheese Mart. And here comes part two! 11:30 Mader's German dining at it's finest, Mader's is one of the most well known restaurants in Milwaukee. Everything on their menu has a "schnitzel" sound to it, and all of their decorations look like they were borrowed directly from old Germany. If you're looking for a place to experience Milwaukee's old German traditions, look no further than Mader's. Because we had already decided we wouldn't be closing a bar Saturday night, we thought we would be really cool and open a restaurant. So yes, we were waiting at Mader's three minutes before it opened. We were those people. This photo gives you an idea of Mader's decor. Check out the gorgeous bar, the beer steins, the stained glass, the ceiling, and the strange old weapons on the wall. This place has style. Milwaukee doesn't have much of a celebrity scene (shocking I know), but if you were to see someone famous, it would probably be at this restaurant. The back hallways are lined with photos of celebrities who have visited Mader's, many with autographs and personal messages. My favorite was the John F. Kennedy photo (followed closing by Justin Bieber). We even sat at the table that Paul Newman had sat at many years before. Like I said, Milwaukee isn't big in the Hollywood scene, so we take what we can get. 1:00 Purple Door and Clock Shadow Creamery We fought off a potential food coma from Mader's by going right back out in the cold and driving to Purple Door ice cream and Clock Shadow Creamery. Both are located in one of Milwaukee's greenest buildings, though Purple Door has plans to expand into its own location soon. Clock Shadow Creamery is the only cheese factory in Milwaukee's city limits, and it supplies delicious, fresh made cheese to Milwaukee's southside. Since we opted out of doing a brewery tour, we each paid $3 for a simple cheese factory tour and learned all about the cheese making process. Did you know that it's the bacteria added to the cheese making process that gives a cheese its flavor? So a cheddar bacteria makes cheddar cheese while a brie bacteria makes a brie cheese. We washed our cheese down with some tasty ice cream from Purple Door. I'm just going to put this out there: Purple Door might be the best ice cream in Milwaukee (please note I said ice cream, not custard. Don't want any custard lovers biting my head off!). I got a single scoop that was half almond half vanilla. And it was like heaven in a cup. I always say that to tell the quality of an ice cream or custard you need to start by tasting their vanilla. If you can get the basics right, your specialties are going to be out of this world. If you can't, the specialities are just trying to hide a mediocre ice cream. Does that sound harsh? I guess I just take my ice cream and custard very seriously :) Eating ice cream while wearing all of our coats inside. Must be Milwaukee! 2:00 Anodyne Coffee Though not an official stop on the NYT's list, we decided Anodyne needed to be included in a best of Milwaukee tour (plus it was right down the block from Purple Door and the Creamery). I loved how bright and open and airy Anodyne's space was. You could pass a lot of time here reading, working, or playing board games with friends. I plan on coming back for some live music this month. Apparently their coffee is the best in Milwaukee, but being a strick tea lover, I know nothing about coffee flavor. At this point in the day, we needed to take a rest from all the festivities because we were all feeling old and tired. Plus our pups needed some attention. In the usual NYT 36 Hours, a brewery tour would have taken place at this point in the afternoon. If you're looking for a good tour in Milwaukee and are following our guide, a Milwaukee Brewing Company tour would fit perfectly here as would a Lakefront Tour. Both are excellent and both will give you a great taste of the Milwaukee beer scene. 7:00 Zaffiro's Pizza One of the best pizza places in Milwaukee, Zaffiro's is a local pizza institution. I especially love it because it reminds me of my favorite pizza places from The Hill in St. Louis. The checkered table cloths, the tiny seating space, and the thin crust pizza make for a very authentic Italian style dining experience. It was a very affordable experience too: all six of us ate for about $10 each and had a huge salad and plenty of pizza to fill us up. 9:30 Wolski's What follows a good pizza better than a cold glass of beer (or giner ale in my case)? After Zaffiro's we walked a few short blocks over to Wolski's, another East Side institution. Wolski's epitomizes the local neighborhood Milwaukee bar. Plenty of beers on tap, lots of interesting things to look at on the walls and ceiling, and a very friendly, low-key atmosphere. One thing especially makes Wolski's stand out among the dozens of bars in Milwaukee: their tradition of passing out bumper stickers saying "I CLOSED WOLSKI'S" to anyone who stays up late enough to close their bar. Unfortunately, we didn't join the club during our challenge, but you can bet that we'll be going back (since it's one of my 29 before 29 goals). On the wall just to the left of us is a sign saying that any person at Wolski's is an honorary resident of Kokomo, Indiana. Don't ask me why. S U N D A Y 11:00 Sobelman's Arguably the best burger joint in Milwaukee, Sobelman's was so busy at 11:00 on a Sunday morning we had to go to their expansion location by Marquette's campus. Jeesh. We thought we would be beating the crowd ordering burgers before noon! Apparently everybody had our same thought. Walking into Sobelman's, you get the feeling you're about to have a great burger experience. It's a no frills joint, where the waitstaff wears Sobelman's t-shirts, the tables have plastic menus that are stored by the napkin containers, the chairs and tables are simple, Greenbay Packers decorations line the walls, the TVs have sports on at all times of day. In addition to good burgers, Sobelman's also offers a great black bean burger (and I've tasted enough to say that this one was excellent) and an out of this world bloody Mary. Do you see that thing Paul ordered? It came with celery, asparagus, green onion, shrimp, cheese, a brussel sprout, a lemon wedge, something red, and a mini burger! They do not mess around!! 1:00 Leon's Frozen Custard What better to finish up a tour of Milwaukee than a cone of custard on a freezing cold day? We rolled our bodies out of Sobelman's to stuff a few more delicious calories in our bodies to finish up our Milwaukee weekend of fun. Each area of Milwaukee tries to lay claim to "best custard shop." Leon's is located on the southside of Milwaukee, and as far as I'm concerned, it wins the best Milwaukee custard award (though Ted Drewes will always hold the ultimate number one spot in my heart). I love the old sign, the white hats the staff wears, the connection to Happy Days - and the flavor. So creamy and delicious. We all got the butter pecan flavor, and it made our tastebuds and bellies so happy. And then we all went home and slept for the next 36 hours - because, dang, what a weekend!! What a fabulous weekend! Having lived in Milwaukee for three and a half years, I loved that this challenge showed me that there is still so much of the city left for me to explore. It was a great time to do this challenge since winter can be such a dreary time here. I feel like I have a new found love for my adopted city.
Here is a summary of all the places we visited during our 36 hours in Milwaukee: FRIDAY 7:00 Milwaukee Art Museum 8:00 Bryant's Cocktail Lounge 9:00 Blue Jacket SATURDAY 10:00 Mitchell Domes 11:00 Usingers 11:15 Wisconsin Cheese Mart 11:30 Mader's 1:00 Purple Door and Clock Shadow Creamery 2:00 Anodyne Coffee NAP or brewery tour at Milwaukee Ale House, Lakefront, or Miller 7:00 Ziffiro's 9:30 Wolski's SUNDAY 11:00 Sobelman's 12:30 Leon's Ready to book your ticket? Come soon before you miss the Polar Vortex of Fun! |