Winds of change

As you can tell, we have been keeping busy through the fall with camping and sightseeing.  We knew that this pace would slow down once the weather turned toward winter.  Looks like that turn might be here- cold, below-normal temperatures predicted for the foreseeable future.

 The normal high temperature figure on the weather report is helpful for the newbies.

One of the troubles with blogs is that you get to read about all the fun stuff and adventures, but you don't hear about the rest.  Things like standing in line at a strange DMV, trying to pay at the grocery store with your credit card when they don't accept credit cards (apparently common), and dealing with inconsiderate apartment neighbors.  We have been lucky and have been enjoying our adventures, but 2014 hasn't been a walk in the park to say the least.  It's pretty disorienting to be a new place where everyday tasks from going to the bank to ordering pizza become an ordeal.  We are learning our way around town though, and starting to get those little quirks and nuances of living in a place that is not "home" (e.g., pronunciations, mannerisms in public).  Nonetheless, it's still tough to make new friends.  We had a nice couple living in the building across from us who were kind enough to give us local advice and invite us out for about the first month we lived in Green Bay.  Unfortunately, they ended up moving out because the sale of their house fell through.  Our apartment complex is pretty diverse and there is really high turnover, so all age groups and life stages are coming and going all the time, plus lots of little dogs since they are allowed (which makes us miss our little buddy even more).

Anyway, no major adventures last weekend.  Saturday night we visited a microbrewey in town- Badger State Brewing Company, which was a really nice atmosphere with a great beer selection including some other local microbreweries in addition to their own beers.  They are only open on Thursday-Saturday evenings, and the last time we tried to go, we arrived in the parking lot and found out they were closed for a private event.  I was laughing on the drive there because we had to turn on Lombardi Ave, go past Lambeau Field, make a right on Holmgren Way, and then make a left on Brett Farve Pass (can you tell what's important here?).

Since we are now also adjusting to the concept of darkness by 5 PM with the time change, we did two afternoon walks on the Mountain-Bay Trail totaling about 9 miles over the weekend.  In addition to getting out for sightseeing and taking advantage of decent weather, we have also been working in plenty of outdoor exercise, again preparing to spend a lot of time in a small apartment over the winter.  Plus, one has to burn off all that beer and cheese somehow!

Ken Euers Nature Area (right down the street), from a few weeks ago