We stopped in a pub yesterday for lunch after doing some record shopping, and Tara ordered a red beer. Her request was met with a blank stare from the bartender, as it always is in Wisconsin. But bless Tara’s heart for always giving Wisco bartenders the benefit of the doubt.
“A red what?!” she asked.
“A red beer,” my wife replied.
And then she had to explain that a red beer is simply beer and tomato juice. This is popular in Oregon and Washington but basically unheard of in the Midwest.
“You’ll have to forgive us,” I quipped to the bartender. “We’re West Coast elites.”
What Tara ended up with was a Bud Light and Bloody Mary mix. Which, it can’t be denied, was red and beer. The bartender tried her best, even if it was closer in nature to a Michelada.
Ordering drinks can be complicated…
A colorful day
Friday was pretty much the perfect day. We’d originally planned to drive through the Driftless Area to visit a bunch of apple orchards, but decided on Baraboo instead, which is basically the Wisconsin Dells minus the waterparks. Mainly because we wanted to check Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park off our bucket list.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the sculpture park because it deserves (and is getting) its own post. Let’s just say it was crazy and funky and perfectly scratched our kitsch itch. We spent well over an hour there and easily could have stayed longer.
Our next stop was Ski-Hi Fruit Farm. We come every year for apples, of course, but the main draw is the apple cider donuts. G-damn they’re good. After stocking up, we grabbed a cocktail (not a red beer) and sipped that outside while admiring the abundant fall colors, which are close to their peak now. It was a too-warm day in the mid-70s, but the breeze was refreshing.
By this point it was mid-afternoon and we were starving, so we headed to downtown Baraboo for lunch at Driftless Glen Distillery, one of our favorite spots.
I had a panko-crusted cod sandwich with cheddar, lemon white balsamic mustard slaw, lemon vodka tartar sauce, lettuce, and tomato on a potato bun with a cup of Cajun corn chowder and Tara had a flatbread with roasted wild mushrooms, garlic herb spread, Gruyère, caramelized onions, arugula, and truffle lemon vinaigrette. All mighty tasty if I do say so myself, as were the cocktails (no red beers).
I stole the food photos from their website, but I’m sure Driftless Glen won’t mind. We tipped them well.
We spent a couple of hours there, and my coworker Randy–who lives in Baraboo–joined us for a bit. Eventually it was time to head back, as back is an hour and fifteen minutes away, but first we stopped at a garden store and bought a birdhouse and a spinny metal sculpture doohickey thingamabob with hummingbirds and flowers. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s art, dammit, and now it’s got a place next to one of our backyard ponds.
It was after dark by the time we got home, but still pleasant enough to sit out on the deck. No deep philosophical soul-searching stargazing this time. One can only have so many cosmic epiphanies in one week, you know?
I should just leaf the yard alone
Saturday was much less fun. Unless you consider raking leaves for three hours in the warm sun fun. I filled six yard bags full and the lawn looked great!
Naturally, before we went to bed, a cold front moved through with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Tell me again why I spent three hours yesterday raking?! I was going to post before and after pics, but this morning, the after looks just like the before.
I really oughta know better.
On the plus side, it’s 20 degrees colder today. In fact, they’ve issued a Frost Advisory for tonight. Knowing that’s the death knell for garden crops, Tara picked the last of the tomatoes, peppers, carrots, etc. this afternoon.
Let’s just say we may still be enjoying “fresh” produce come Christmas.
Mark My Words 
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