*sigh*

 
A week ago today, DH & I went to Milwaukee.  He drove, I cast on my second inner Dimorphous Mitten.

 
First stop:  Zeidler Municipal Building for an official, embossed, signed, sealed, and delivered certificate of my birth.  CHECK!  (And so quick!)

 
Second stop:  Beans & Barley for lunch.  I had a Chicken Pine Nut sandwich and a cup of soup -- I don't remember what kind, but it was good.  Oh so good!  My sister used to frequent Beans & Barly when she lived in Milwaukee a million years ago -- I remember hearing it a lot, "Beans & Barley," "Beans & Barley," "Beans & Barley" -- but I don't think I've ever been before!  I had to call her while we waited for a table and say, "Guess where I am?  You'll never guess where I am!"  And she never would have guessed.

 
I browsed the market and bought some snacks before we headed for Sheridan Park on the lakeshore.

 
We took a walk, looked out over the bluff, watched some planes and geese, said "Hello" to some dogs, and found a place to walk down to the shore.

 
Boy oh boy, it sure was a gorgeous day!

 
DH dropped me off at the airport where I awaited my flight to the Left Coast.  I've been to WA/OR/CA a couple of times since we moved from Oregon to Wisconsin in 1986 -- we all flew for a visit in '88 when Ali was about a year old, and took the Amtrak in '91 when Maddy was only about 8 weeks, and did Big Sur/Monterey/Disneyland in '96, and my sister and I drove Katie in '03 to begin her college education at Humbolt State University.  DH has been to CA many, many times over the years -- often one of the kids would accompany him -- to do art shows, visit galleries, and get a vital saltwater fix!  This is the first time I've headed to the west coast by myself since 1983 when I loaded up my red '82 Firebird and pointed west... and, actually, that's not true because I think my sister drove with me that time, too!

To be continued...