After rising at about 4:30 in the morning we were off the airport where checking in went smoothly. Don checked his bag, but we intended to carry our bags onto the plane. However, AirTrans knew that they would run out of overhead space so they offered ten people the chance to check their bags and board early for free. We jumped at that and had a great start to our trip.
Driving up from Milwaukee to Algoma, we find the beauty and the impact of the economy. The old weather beaten bars dot the landscape, beckoning a lingering look. Curiously, there are very few cows when you consider that this is America's Dairyland. Milwaukee has lots of interesting looking buildings that we would like to explore.
Just between Manitowoc and Two Rivers we found a humble display of old farming equpment including a shovel (albeit diesel) that reminded up of Ethan's old book, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel MaryAnn. We had to check them out, of course.
Just up the road in Two Rivers we found the ancient Hamilton Factory worth taking a look. It has been mostly closed for nearly twenty years, but still operates in a very scaled back capacity. I was delighted to find the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. If you are a person who enjoys the Letter Arts, this is a place to check out.
They had some really lovely posters that they printed by hand, but the price was too steep to bring one home.
Our place in Algoma is great. We are renting a three bedroom condo from River's Edge Condos. It is right on the lake where many of the boats are docked. Our host, Kevin Naze, is welcoming, gracious and interesting. He gifted us with delicious smoked and spiced Salmon that he caught on the lake.
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Before figuring out dinner we went for a walk along the pier. A sudden storm blew up and drentched the area. We found shelter in the fish cleaning station. Ethan and Larr ran through the rain back to the condo to get the car so that we would not all get soaked. By the time he arrived the rain had stopped.
Kevin cooked us dinner on the grill. It was better than any we would have had in a restaurant. It was grilled Salmon he caught on the lake that had been marinated in citrus, dotted with a small bit of seasoning and decorated with red peppers. That was followed by grilled corn and red potatoes. We sat by the water and traded stories. The meal was capped off with Kevin's amazing and semihealthy cookies. They were so good that Larr asked for the recipe - both unusual and a huge compliment to Kevin.
Kevin has three lovely children and an interesting wife who is a Harpist. She has three CDs out, one of which I will purchase as a momento of the trip. They are based on colors, with Blue having sounds of the waters of Algoma. I also liked the upbeat tempo of the Yellow CD. It will be hard to pick which one to get, though I am leaning towards Blue at the moment. You can check them out at WaterColor Harps.
The night's storm was ruckus and loud, followed by a drizzely, windy morning. Larr and I tried to take in the sunrise but the cloud cover made it a low key experience.
Kevin's Amazing Cookies
1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tea Vanilla Extract
1 tea Salt
3 Eggs
1 tea Baking Soda
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, dark
1/2-3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
1 cup Flax
1-2 cups Oatmeal, instant
1 small tub of Smart Balance
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips, Dark
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips, SemiSweet
1 cup Craisins or Dried Cherries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the wheat, vanilla, salt, and the eggs. Next, add in the baking soda, sugars, wheat germ, flax and oatmeal. Soften the Smart Balance in the microwave then combine with the dough. Finally, gently add in the chocolate chips and the fruit. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
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