Sheboygan

The City of Sheboygan (SHEH boy gan, slogan: Spirit on the Lake) is located about an hour south of Green Bay on Lake Michigan.  We have passed by many times, but had yet had a chance to stop in and check it out. Fun fact: Sheboygan sits at the exact north-south center of the western shore of Lake Michigan, where the Sheboygan River enters the Lake.  The harbor is known for some decent waves under the right conditions- in fact, Sheboygan is actually a hotspot for freshwater surfing and used to host an annual festival called the Dairyland Surf Classic.  Check out this YouTube video for a sample of the action, and yes, the surfing is best in the winter (another video).  Malibu of the Midwest, anyone?

Our first stop was 8th Street Ale Haus in downtown Sheboygan for late lunch.  Luckily we arrived in time to order from the brunch menu (brunch runs pretty late around here).  We both had delicious sandwiches and tried some of the house brews.  Their full menu looked really good including a number of German entrees that were probably excellent.

After lunch we braved the cold and stopped at Deland Park to view the Sheboygan Breakwater lighthouse, which has the interesting distinction of being named one of the ugliest ( the "least attractive") lighthouses on the Great Lakes.  The lantern has been removed from the top, which is now outfitted with a weather station for the National Data Buoy Center in addition to the modern light.  The modifications make the lighthouse look a bit "decapitated," if you will.  We also viewed the wreckage of the Lottie Cooper, a 3-mast schooner that went down in a storm in 1894 waiting to dock in Sheboygan.  The remnants of the frame were raised during construction of the marina in 1992 and reconstructed at the park.  It was neat to actually walk through it and get a sense of its size, but I can't imagine it will hold up too well exposed to all the elements on the lakeshore.  Some of the Great Lakes wrecks that are still underwater are preserved fairly well thanks to the cold waters and lack of salt.

Sheboygan breakwater light

The Remains of the Lottie Cooper (1894 shipwreck, raised in 1992)

Our next stop was 3 Sheeps Brewing Company's taproom.  We sampled the beer there and even had a s'more bar since another customer showed up with a potluck dessert that was leftover from a church function.  

 Beer tasting flight at 3 Sheeps Brewing

One of the other interesting things about Sheboygan is that the Kohler Co. (manufacturer of bathroom and kitchen fixtures) is located right next door in Kohler, WI.  I noticed that the restrooms were pretty fancy there, and had some nuanced ways to turn on the faucets and flush the toilets that took some figuring out.  I later learned about the John Michael Kohler Art Center which seems like a neat museum and art center, including a Kohler bathroom exhibit that might be worth checking out another time, because who doesn't find toilet art intriguing.  Overall, Sheboygan was a lot more eclectic then I thought it would be.    

Then, up the road to Green Bay for the week ahead.  Tonight we added another 5 inches of of snow to the snowpack, and it's supposed to be more seasonal temperature-wise for awhile, so the snow will probably stick around.  We have had above-normal temperatures for a couple of weeks, which has been nice. Temperatures in the teens means light and fluffy snow = easier to shovel.

Prost!

OB's Brew Haus and Old Bavarian Brewing Company is a German brewpub located near Appleton, about 30 minutes away from Green Bay.  We were interested in visiting since arrival, so much so that we did not do a thorough job of checking into their limited hours and showed up twice previously when they were not open (not open for lunch, or on Sundays...in case you were wondering).  But, as they say, the third time is the charm!

Not surprisingly, the German influence in Wisconsin is strong, along with Polish and Nordic cultures.  Based on Census information, over 40% of Wisconsinites reported German ancestry in 2000 (see this interesting article by Midwest Weekends for more heritage detail).  Of course, the brats, cheese, and beer is a dead giveaway.  You can also recognize the German and European influence based on many of the names of Wisconsin towns- we have Luxemburg, Belgium, Brussels, New Franken, Denmark, Berlin, Oostburg, and so many more (all real places).

And of course, the Germans appreciate their beer!  Scott and I visited Germany together on a study abroad trip (sadly, I was not much of a beer drinker at the time, go figure), and Scott even lived in Germany for a summer internship the following year, so we have a special appreciation for the delicious food. Scott is always seeking a "real" hefeweizen as opposed to the American version. OB's did not disappoint!

We ordered our beers, including a liter hefeweizen for Scott (holy cow!), and both had jaeger schnitzel with spaetzle for dinner- fried pork with mushroom gravy and homemade potato pasta.  It was to die for!  We both cleaned our plates and also did a pretty good job on those beers (at least mine was a half liter).  I should mention that we also checked out Lion's Tail Brewing Company in Neenah on the way down, and drank our beers inside an old bank vault!  The pineapple wheat was awesome, and Scott even got a laugh out of the bartender when he told her his name to close out the tab.

Can you tell that winter weekends are pretty slow around here- this was the excitement of the week! We will be back to OB's (and Lion's Tail) again soon.

Prost! (Cheers!)

Flashback to our class trip to Germany (2005)- Schwartzwald (Black Forest)

 Jaeger schnitzel and spaetzle at OB's

Liter of Hefewizen, bitte (please)!

Happy New Year 2017

As it usually does, the holiday season got away from me.  We spent a total of 3 weeks in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for Thanksgiving and Christmas visiting family and celebrating the holidays, which is always nice but it takes a lot out of us.  January is here and we are home for the foreseeable future, so we are working on good ideas for winter activities.  Ice fishing, German food, and some new breweries are on the list, along with some other indoor activities that we miss during the "outside season".

November was very mild here.  We completed our last bike ride of the season on our favorite trail at Point Beach State Forest in mid-November.  December, on the other hand, brought winter in full force. So far, we have had several cold snaps with multiple days of daytime temperatures in the single digits (F) or not even above zero.  The coldest wind chill so far has been about -25 degrees (school is not cancelled for cold unless the wind chill is under -30 degrees for one hour or more...brutal).  In the event you have not experienced such cold or need to re-live it, this is an abbreviated description of what happens:  You layer up as much as humanly possible, covering all exposed skin (including hands and face).  You open the door and step out.  The cold hits you as if you literally slapped in the face.  Sometimes you need an extra second or two to catch your breath (insert muttered swear word).  Then almost immediately, your nose hairs freeze.  An odd feeling.  If you didn't take the time to put gloves on or wrap a scarf over your face, seconds later you will regret that as hands begin to ache as they start to freeze.  On these particularly brutal days, Teddy has about 30 seconds to do his business before he literally cannot take anymore.  Turns out he is lightning fast when he has to be (does not apply to rain).  I now see why people have those indoor potty mats with the fire hydrant that I deemed unnecessary.  Touche.

 Point Beach State Forest and Lake Michigan, November 2016

 Front porch decked out in fall color- grew those pumpkins and gourds ourselves!

We shoveled snow quite a few times so far this year, and even had to solicit some groundskeeping help while we were away for Christmas (Thanks, Steve!). I can't move today because shoveled by myself yesterday...twice.  The driveway is fairly long and continuous with our neighbors, so that really limits where you can pile snow.  In a couple of places, I was lifting or tossing up to neck height (ok, maybe waist height). We still do not have a snowblower...we'll see how much longer that lasts.  Now it is becoming a matter of principle to try and beat the system- take your bets now, can we do Wisconsin Winter #3 without one?



We did find time to revisit the Green Bay Botanical Garden for the Garden of Lights display and lucked out with a quieter (and snowier) experience thanks to the snow storm that came through earlier that day and cold temperatures that chased everyone away.  Later I read in their newsletter that they had 53,000 guests for the season- well worth it!

Top 2016 adventures were swimming with manatees, biking and hiking in Pure Michigan, and kayaking the Apostle Island sea caves of Lake Superior.  Stand by for more adventures in 2017!   

Green Bay Botanical Garden's Garden of Lights Display