Takin' the Blog for a Walk

I knew we were going for a haircut even before my son said "But Dad, I'm finally able to train my hair to not curl."

It was Tuesday, discount day at Cost Cutters, and we three guys had our appointments with Roberta, a friend. The boys didn't want to be there, didn't even want to look in the style books. "I'm only going to let her take off the thickness of a fingernail," one son said.

I had to go last because the boys didn't want to chance me telling Roberta how short I wanted theirs. If they've opposed cuts in the past they'd always get over it and end up liking it. This time was different. Maybe they saw their long hair as winter insulation so all they got this week was a trim.

Anyway, to celebrate their new look, or as a bribe, (or to reward my teens for not crying), I told them we could get a cone afterward. We agreed on Divino Gelato but one of the boys wanted his cone in cash so he could shop at ABC R/C across the street. Sure, why not?

"Can you make it a waffle cone," he wondered? Of course. What are dads for? If you want to make your non-cone a waffle non-cone go right ahead. Need a new set of rubber for your R/C car? Why not ask for a couple non-cookies and a non-quart of gelato to not take home?

As it turned out, he needed a couple more cents for his ABC R/C transaction. Maybe he forgot to factor in the non-tax for his non-gelato waffle cone?

It was the best gelato my son never tasted.

We used to get Waukesha "This Week" delivered with our Sunday paper and I enjoyed it. It was the publication where I first read about hot air balloon volunteering. Now I'm told that "This Week" has been replaced by "Waukesha Marketplace", another weekly advertiser.

Where we used to get "This Week" with our Sunday paper, we now don't get "Waukesha Marketplace" because of our Sunday paper. From what I can tell, "W. M." is mailed only to those who don't subscribe to the Journal Sentinel.

I'm interested in "W. M." because they've been reprinting the "Best of the blogs" from this website. In the first issue I saw, this last Thursday, they even printed the only photo I've submitted to WaukeshaNOW - in color.

I've enjoyed hearing from friends who've seen my blog in their "Waukesha Marketplace". I'd like to let everyone know that the original title of my blog was "Takin' the blog for a Wauk." not the "Sir Fido" that appears in the paper. Even though "Takin' the blog for a Wauk." could be confusing for a blog title, my feeling is "Sir Fido" makes even less sense.

Do you miss "This Week"? Email me if you've seen "Waukesha Marketplace" or would like to receive it, even if you're a Journal Sentinel subscriber. Do you care what my blog title is? Would you suggest something different? Please let me know.

Within two years one of Waukesha's major gateways, Summit Ave. / Hwy. 18, will get an exciting new facelift to greet visitors from the west.

It was a unique opportunity for Waukesha to land the county's first roundabout. A chance to welcome traffic with a flower garden, sculpture or, better yet, a fountain. But, of course, we'll still be burning time and fuel because the roundabout idea was shot down by a couple dozen people using the same tired old reason, "... too new and confusing." (Too hard to train your car to go counterclockwise in a clockwise world, I suppose.)

"DOT representatives really listened to the residents who are affected..." Thirty people who, chances are, never even drove through a roundabout deciding for the thousands who would use the intersection every day. Makes sense.

I work a block away from the Sixth St. roundabout in Milwaukee and have had a few close calls while on my bike. Some people seem to drive with blinders on. They're not expecting a bike so they're not looking for any. Kind of like roundabout opponents. They don't want change so they can't see change taking place.

Roundabouts take getting used to but it's rare to have to wait at one. I believe the slower speeds and configuration avoids the worst hazard of signaled intersections; red light running and speeding through yellows. Drivers going to work and school don't like waiting any more than they have to.

One final note. The first my company heard of Milwaukee's proposed roundabout was when we received notice that one was going to be constructed. The concept was new to everyone in the area, it was Milwaukee's first, but we got used to it. If thirty residents had shot the idea down what kind of intersection would we have? Today, at the south end of the Sixth St. Viaduct, you'll encounter a large circle filled with flowers and artwork welcoming traffic from Downtown to Historic Walker's Point Neighborhood. A huge improvement.

More on this topic is available from jsonline.com or by referring back to my Sept. 17th posting.

Decided to save $20.00 by not going to either of the two "haunted" venues in the Waukesha area last night. Debating what to do with our new-found wealth, and not wanting to get that scared anyway, my son and I took a ride to Field Park in Mukwonago where, for a dollar each, we did the Jack-O-Lantern Jaunt.

The fourth annual Jaunt is, this year, a fund raiser for the Mukwonago Library. For our dollar, not only were we able to take a nice luminary-lit stroll around the park, viewing hundreds of carved and painted pumpkins, but as an added bonus saw the Mukwonago premier of The Monster of Phantom Lake. The new movie, made in the style of 1950s horror flicks, was projected on a huge sheet hung from the baseball diamond backstop. Despite the chill and damp there was quite a crowd who had brought their own lawnchairs to sit around the diamond. The small amount of jeering from the audience gave the non-scary horror movie a 50's feel and, being outdoors, brought back another blast from the past - drive in theaters.

There are scarier places to be, at ten times the cost, but wouldn't benefit a good cause. Even though the last day for the Jack-O-Lantern Jaunt is today, Sat. Oct. 21st from about 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm, it will likely be back next year.

Had to laugh when I saw fellow WaukeshaNow blogger Jay Walt on two of WI on Demand's shows, his daughter on a third and my former English teacher on a fourth... then I had to watch them.

All four shows, found on channel 1111 by scrolling to "Your Community" then to "Waukesha" are produced by Waukesha West's technology dept. and instructed by Chris Beck, the nice teacher I mentioned in my very first blog entry. All programs on WI on Demand are free to digital cable subscribers.

In "Bugles Across America" Jay interviews Jim Doepke, the Waukesha North band director. They talk about the rewarding experience it's been for students to play Taps at military funerals. As there are more funerals and less buglers, the students fill an important need.

In "Waukesha Historical" Jay interviews Sue Baker, the executive director of the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum. They talk about the progress of the museum and the Les Paul exhibit, "The Les Paul Experience: Music, Sound & Innovation." For helping to bring the Les Paul exhibit to life and for all she's done to highlight and protect Waukesha County history, Sue was awarded the John M. Schoenknecht Preservation Award.

John Schoenknecht, another former teacher of mine, has done more to restore Waukesha's springs and preserve their history than anyone I know. Through his book "The Great Waukesha Springs Era" John,always the teacher, takes us back one hundred years to the time when Waukesha was famous for it's water. Quite a different scenario than the water of today.

Watching five hours of John Gurda's "The Making of Milwaukee" last week on Channel 10 made me realize how much John S. and John G. have in common. They both seem to love their towns and it's history and want to share what they've learned with others. I own both their books and, besides seeing how the people lived, especially enjoy learning about the historic buildings and springs still standing which I sometimes pass in my daily travels. I find it all very interesting.

So, try to watch channel 1111 if you can. I think you'll find it very interesting too.

I delivered over a million papers in my 20 years with the Journal and Journal Sentinel. My favorite issue was always the one I was currently delivering because I liked my route. I liked the challenge, the fresh air and running into old friends and making new ones.

I met my future wife on the route and took our boys along since they were babies. My oldest was just starting to drive and I was contemplating a second generation on the route when I learned it was over for me in May of this year. So, I'm not celebrating Newspaper Carrier Day today, but instead, am celebrating the dedication of the Fox Riverwalk. I loved working for the Journal Sentinel, but I'm not sad, because today I experienced some of the best of what I was missing while working, though with bittersweetness.

I rode down to the river, said "hi" to Mayor Nelson, then found a seat for the Waukesha Symphony concert. The front row of chairs were situated so close to the Orchestra that I had to turn my knees to avoid the bow of the principal cellist. Being so close to the symphony was to be a part of it and they could've charged anything they wanted. Instead, it was all free, thanks to the Bryant's.

Wandering around after the dedication was a joy because the weather was great, there was plenty of live music in the air and lots to see. The Fall Art Crawl soon started and, since I hadn't been to one in a while...

For me, the galleries and beautiful works of art are just one part of the crawl experience. Today I enjoyed meeting many people, several of which were the artists themselves. One artist at the Goff House Gallery I met, a cancer survivor named Yvone, told me the whole story behind her "God gifted" work and left me amazed. Another, a young man with his first showing at River's End Gallery, Peter Westermann, was showing the most creative and distinctive digital art. A student at Carroll College, he's got a bright future ahead of him.

While Peter is just starting out, one of the persons I ran into today, a favorite teacher from my Butler Middle School days, is getting ready to retire. It was a privilege to be among his students when he first began to teach in the mid 1970's. My old teacher told this old student that he's got leukemia. His old student prays for him and thanks him for all he's done for him and for the City of Waukesha.

Tim, the young athlete with leukemia I blogged about Aug. 13th, has been attending his high school classes, but it hasn't been easy. Preps Editor Art K. wrote a nice piece about him in Thursday's Sports section.

Traffic on Grandview Blvd. is moving again after a summer long utility upgrade. Life seems back to normal on the street; Water Doctors held their 25th anniversary open house this last weekend, the Eagles Club is hosting a craft fair this weekend in their newly refurbished clubhouse and police are once again watching the speeders. As much as the construction inconvenienced me, I'll miss the walks Sir Fido and I took down the middle of the closed street.

After five days at Brookfield's Civic Plaza, the moving Moving Wall is moving. The half sized Vietnam Veterans Memorial left today. Fifty-eight thousand names of American men and women, it's something everyone should try to visit at least once when it's again in the area.

I picked up a Waukesha County Cultural Passport (not to mention 7 varieties of apples and 3 gallons of cider) from Retzer Nature Center so I guess I'm moving now.

Two weeks ago my mom was moving. She gave me a bed. My in-laws moved so I gave them the bed. They had an extra washer and drier so I took the drier. The washer will be heading down to Kentucky where, along with other appliances, will help the needy of a sister parish in Beattyville. (Still looking for the use of a truck to haul the appliances, by the way.)

A family I met Saturday morning had just moved and had no furniture. I mentioned to them that there was decent furniture at the end of their drive. It was the end of the month and whoever was moving obviously couldn't take everything with them. I also mentioned that, because I was volunteering the last day of the St. William Fall Rummage, I may also be able to find them some household goods. After five hours working the rummage sale I stopped back to the family and found they had a new sectional and entertainment center from the curb. It was an amazing transformation. When I met them in the morning we were sitting on the floor, the only furniture a play pen. When I left in the evening, almost no place left to sit on the floor.

The St. William rummage, and other sales like it, provide a good community service. Low prices benefit people who don't have a lot to spend. Donating to the sale benefits people who have too much by helping clean out their basements. Some of the leftovers went to Clothes for Kids, others to the family I met through St. Vincent De Paul. But the majority of the remaining goods went to Goodwill. I just wish that when Goodwill said they'd take a truckload that they would've taken the truckload and not sent it away half full.