December vacation all wrapped up.  So now it’s time to get back to work.  I have to admit that it’s been a tad difficult getting back into the swing of things.  I did spend some time reflecting on the past year and have decided to work on goals for the upcoming year, Chris Guillebeau style (I think he calls it his annual review).

At first, I felt that I did not accomplish that much in the past year.  But once I started thinking about all that I did, I realized that I wrote 15 books last year.  OK, so they weren’t great novels but rather computer courseware manuals for Office 2010 (I’m a technical writer in my other life).  While it may not seem like a huge amount for work, each manual runs between 250 – 300 pages.  So it is safe to say that I did, in fact, have a productive year.  I also did finish my fiction novel – working on the edits now.

Looking forward to another good year.  I have a lot on my plate for 2012 – which I’ll talk about a little at a time as the months progress.
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• First Post

For those of you who come here regularly – or even once in awhile, you may be wondering:  what happened to all of the posts?  Well, they’re gone.  Yup, deleted, each and every one of them except for a couple.  This blog has been running for several years now and many of the posts contained links to Web sites, Blogs and videos which no longer exist.

So since the new year is just around the corner, I figured that I would do a bit of blog cleanup and start fresh for the new year.  Now if there is an old post that you miss or would like to see again, fire me off an e-mail and I’ll be happy to repost it.  But for the most part, this blog will contain new posts about my work, my life, as well as musings about life in general.

Oh – and if you’re wondering about the picture, I’m just feeling a bit nostalgic for summer and this picture reminded me of a fun weekend in Northern Wisconsin that I enjoyed earlier this summer.

If you’re looking for a fun, gay-themed Christmas read, I highly recommend The Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott.  I just finished it and I loved it.

Now…back to work…

 
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• First Post
• Looking Ahead
• Florentine Opera at the Lake

One of my goals for this summer was to take more advantage of many wonderful free concerts in the Milwaukee area. So last night I hopped on my bicycle and pedaled down to the Alterra on the lake for an evening of music with the Florentine Opera. The Florentine Opera is one of Milwaukee’s oldest and well-known performing arts companies (they are celebrating their 75th anniversary) and I have be fortunate to attend on of their operas a while ago.

But opera…outdoors! This was something I hadn’t done before. The concert featured R. Stuart Mitchell (who was a bit late as he got caught in traffic), Jason Melik, Doug Clemons and James Barany, with Anne Van Deusen at the piano. All I can say is…why haven’t I attended any of these before? The singing and music were awesome. I was more than impressed by the range of the voices and the talent of the performers.

The repertoire of music was also quite varied – we had songs from West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Kiss Me Kate, Carousel, Mexican Hayride, Man of La Mancha and more. They sang several of old favorites that most people would recognize as well. The song “If you’ve only got a mustache” was especially fun.

The concert took place right in front of the coffee shop, with guests spread out on blankets and portable chairs on the lawn (the grassy area is quite large actually). Some folks brought picnic baskets, complete with high-end wine and cheeses. Others enjoyed the array of sandwiches, desserts and coffee offered by Alterra. Alterra had a tent set up outside making it convenient to purchase goodies during the show. I was pleased to see that there were a couple of portable restrooms set up as well.

I’ll close by saying that I was thrilled by the performance and am already looking forward to their next one on July 23rd. It will once again be held at the Alterra, located at 1701 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive across from McKinley Marina.

If you’d like to find out more about the Florentine Opera, visit their Web site for news and information about their upcoming performances.

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• Camping at Nelson Dewey State Park

View from campsite at Nelson Dewey

I went on my first camping trip of the season at Nelson Dewey State Park (named after the first governor of Wisconsin) in Cassville, Wisconsin. Now I have heard about the park several times over the years but this was my first visit – and I was truly impressed! I didn’t realize what an awesome place this was. The sites are on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi. We chose one of the four secluded walk-in sites right on the bluff. Talk about the million dollar view! The first thing you see in the morning when getting out of the tent is the breathtaking panorama of the Mississippi river.

View of the Mississippi River from my tent

Right across the street from the park is historic Stonefield, a recreation of an rural village from the 1800′s. I took the tour which featured Wisconsin’s typical dairy farms and farming equipment of the era, and a typical downtown street in a farming village – complete with barber, grocery store and undertaker. The tour concluded with a tour of the estate of Governor Dewey in all of its slendor.

Stonefield Village

Close to the park was the town of Cassville. I must say that there was not much going on there. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the Rivers Cafe – the servers there were a hoot! Not only were they fun and friendly, but also quite informative about the area. The only other place we ate at was the Town Pump. They had a minimal breakfast menu (eggs only!) but both the server and the cook were a tad on the surly side. Perhaps they were just having a bad morning? Not a place to which I would probably return. Cassville is an extremely quiet town so if you are looking for action, you’d probably want to head across the river to Prairie du Chien.

Now if you are the kind of person who has to be continuously on the go, it is important to note that there is not much to do in the park. There are a couple of short hiking trails but mostly, it’s a place for peace and quiet. There are, however, things to do in the area. At Wyalusing State Park, which is not too far away, you can paddle through the river sloughs as well as fish, bike and picnic. I have both canoed and kayaked the backwaters of the Mississippi there and the wildlife is both varied and abundant (you can’t spit without hitting an eagle!). There is also the city of Prairie du Chien across the river, if you want to get away from nature for a bit.

We did spend an afternoon hiking at the Effigy Mounds National Monument. There, one can find 200 burial mounds, many in the shape of bears and birds. Supposedly, the mounds were creating by American Indian tribes over 1,000 years ago. The mounds are dispersed over a beautiful picturesque landscape. Many are on top of the bluff, which is a bit of a climb initially – but the view from the top is more than worth the effort. The hike along the bluff is quite beautiful. I remember years ago taking a full moon hike there – I wonder if they still do that?

All in all, a very fun trip. I think I may plan another excursion there in the fall once the leaves change color.
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• Florentine Opera at the Lake

This is my first post! As I mentioned in the About page, I have decided to move from a Web page to a blog as I have a tendency to forget about and neglect my Web page. Hopefully, I shall not do the same with the blog.

The purpose of this blog is to provide me a space to write about my current work, as well as add my thoughts/reflections about life and our culture – all the things that provide me food for writing.

I do welcome all correspondence so feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. Of course, comments on blog posts are welcome as well.
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• Looking Ahead
• Camping at Nelson Dewey State Park