Blowing the Horn About Siren

Siren, Wisconsin was half wiped out by a bad ass tornado back in 2001. On my birthday, and even more particularly, the first day I began professional work as an Archaeologist. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good or bad coincidence.

I've been working in Siren on and off since 2006. I'm pretty fond of this project, the sites, the roads, the middle-of-nowhere bar-n-grills... However, I'm not getting to "live-up" Siren as fully as I'd like to. Siren's a long drive from Madison, and we've yet to spend a whole week here. On top of that, I got nailed with the flu. Fuck the Swine Flu, what was with that media hype? This flu hit a lot of people hard, and I gotta say, it was NO FUN.

So, this is an entry using a post-flu, partially post-Memorial Day memory.

Any trip to Northwestern Wisconsin warrants a trip to the Norske Nook for PIE, yeah, OLE!! That's "Oh-lee" not "Oh-lay" for you non-Scandinavian heritage folks). We're fond of the Osseo location. Just stop in. I-94, Exit 88, follow the signs. Eat pie. It's award-winning gooooooood. I have to remember to get the Root Beer Float pie next time I see it on the menu, nothing has topped that yet! Here's some White Chocolate Strawberry pie for you to drool over.



There's a place in Siren called Yah Butz that we've had our eyes on for the past few field seasons, but the darn place never seemed to be open. The shop reads 'BBQ and ice cream', has to be good, right? Well, turns out they're open Thursday-Sunday (don't quote me on that). We finally made it in, only there's no cooked food! They sell "take and heat" ribs and their homemade BBQ sauce, amongst some other things including delicious, delicious ice cream. You can sample the sauce. I bought some, only I don't usually grill on my own, so who's up for grilling with some Big Butz?


By the way, what IS that thing?

When in Siren, we usually stay at the Lodge at Crooked Lake. It's very lodgey. Big rooms, lots of taxidermy, some nice common areas to hang out in, a bonfire pit and BBQ, and a great view of the marsh from the north-facing rooms. The rooms have fun names. The first week, I was in "Lumberjack". Last week, it was "Bear Paw". There's also "Dancing Wolf", "Ruffed Grouse"... you get the picture.

Tuesday was Chelsea's first day back for the field season. Our crew may now possibly be at full capacity for the field season. After dinner and having enough of the desserts, we girls took a walk on the Gandy Dancer State Trail that hooks up behind the hotel. We didn't get too far because of mosquitoes, twilight, and the front desk clerk's warning of bears, but it was cool. The beavers love this trail. Check it out, they're trying to impale bikers who fly over the handles...






There was a CD on the beaver lodge. I wonder what album it was?

And finally, this his how we rock it. With a game of LIFE, missing half the pieces.

Herman Rusch Deserves His Own Post, Part 2

Before leaving Buffalo County, we stopped by a Weird Wisconsin destination, the Prairie Moon Sculpture Garden, just off of Hwy 35 near Cochrane. Herman Rusch, in his idle retirement, rented and then bought this property and began to create large sculptures out of concrete and other random materials. I had seen some of his stuff at a folk art exhibit at the Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan a couple of years ago (stop by if you're in the area, it's pretty spectacular!). It was cool to finally get to Prairie Moon.
















Not to be a bore, but I've typed a lot tonight! Tuesday night was spent in Menomonie, WI, after a long and winding drive through the country highways and rolling hills of western Wisconsin. Not a bad place, but nothing exciting. Wednesday brought us to Siren, WI, in Burnett County. There are a few adventures to be had up in this part of the Northwoods, but I'll be back here next week. Until then...

Oh, I just noticed that my weekly tallies have fallen by the wayside. Maybe I'll have more energy and more to tally next week? This week was just one big whirlwind!

Whirlwind tours of Western Wisconsin: 1

The First Two Days of an Incredibly Eventful Week, Part 1

I'm discovering fairly quickly that my ability to detach myself from work, after work hours, decreases the likelihood that I will spend an evening writing about my field adventures and reliving the work day! But I've got a lot to write about this week, so suck it up, Reetzie!!

Monday was eventful, to say the least. I was all mentally set for a sojourn in the Northwoods in Eagle River, Vilas County. I was FINALLY going to explore a bit of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the land of expansive woods and Finnish heritage -- YOOP! Well, that didn't happen, the construction schedule changed, and a last minute scramble sent me hopping around Western Wisconsin to some old stomping grounds.

Buffalo County was first on the agenda. This is one of my favorite places in Wisconsin, so I was happy to head that way. En route, we stopped at Ginny's Cupboard in Sparta for lunch. I'll rarely miss an opportunity to stop at Ginny's when I'm going through the area or at home visiting friends and family. Milkshakes = phenomenal; coffee = supreme; cheddar potatoe soup = the best!! Ginny's has also become a crew favorite over the past three years when we've been in the area. Sparta, represent!

In Buffalo County, we spent the afternoon doing our research and tried to catch some of the shops in the town of Alma before they closed. We weren't too successful, with it being 5pm on a Monday and all, but the weather was gorgeous, and it was great to walk around accompanied by the scents of lilacs, fresh cut grass, and charcoal grills. Alma was definitely a cool place to explore... scenic, historic, Mississippi, bluffs, and streets that are actually stairways. I imagine the residents of Alma get plenty of exercise...










There weren't any rooms at the hotels in Alma, so we ventured back to Fountain City for a stay at the Hawk's View cottages. I'd stayed in one of the lodges in 2006 and have been waiting for an excuse to get back ever since. They didn't disappoint! After checking in and having dinner and a caramelly pint of Fountain City Irish Valley Spring Bock at the Monarch Public House, we headed up the zig zagging Fountain City streets to the cottage parking area. Our cottage was Cooper's Hawk, which required a 117-stair climb up the bluff to the highest cottage. That definitely got the heart pumping, but it was well worth it! Bluff top trees, birds, sun, porches, sky lights, and a bottle of wine from their vineyard. I conquered the stairs twice more, for exploring, and then the sunset and a sauna.












A Finnish-style wood sauna, ahhhhhhh. It made me miss Finland. Why don't all Americans have saunas? It should be a required part of culture in the northern states; it just seems fitting.

I nearly blew this off tonight, but decided that this blog shouldn't fall to the wayside like my Twitter account. It's been a while since I logged onto that, I wonder who Steve Buscemi is pissing off now??

Waushara County is still offering some of the best -- and worst -- aspects of living on the road and doing archaeology. There are still places to discover. Milty Wilty is open! Stay posted for photos (I barely have the energy to nonsensically babble, let alone upload photos). Milty Wilty, "since 1947" is a classic Midwest drive-in diner. YUM. I continue to be floored by how cheap the food is in this area of Wisconsin. Homemade frozen custard shake, a burger and fries for $5. Such good food... I'm drooling thinking about it, and it's been a couple days since we ate there. Go there. Not only do they have good food, they have creepy and fascinating things to look at. And there's a jumping castle!




Susan and I returned to Billy B's tonight for a beer to take the edge off our poison ivy woes. I didn't get it as bad as last year, therefore no steroids, and no 'roid rage! But getting some poison ivy is bad enough. Losing immunity to poison ivy makes archaeology so much less enjoyable. I envy those with immunity. Wish I could steal their idol.

Enough of this tangent, we went to Billy B's. The patrons were quirky again, but that's to be expected. I was telling Wheels about working in this morning's rain and getting soaked, and an ODB across the bar chimes in, "Did you melt? Because sugar melts..." Seriously! How does one respond to something like that, besides smiling and saying, "Yeah, man..." Some severe storms rolled in, and the patrons brainstormed going down to the basement for shelter. For some reason, the ODB declared that there would be ping pong tables down there. So Susan and I should go play ping pong with him... and drink booze. He was still talking about it when we walked out of the bar.

Wheels must have decided that we had enough of his $2.50 bottles of Spotted Cow, so he tapped a Coors Light for Susan and I, on the house. What a nice fella! We sat there, sipping our free brew while Wheels got inspired to tell us some stories about road tripping back in '66-67. He and some friends used to drive cars for people, cross-country, when they needed them delivered for moves, etc. That would never happen today. "Hey, strange college kid, here's my Cadillac and credit card, have this car in California in 2 weeks!" No way. Apparently, it was pretty common and a good 'in-between' job. He and his friends would drive cars from Chicago to the Florida or California beaches... sweet rides, lemons, some of every kind. They would live it up on the beaches before returning home, and he reminisced about inspiring a bunch of straight-edged, hard working kids in Hermosa Beach to see the light and party, wine and beach volleyball style. I really can't do his stories justice. Stop in at Billy B's and have a chat with Wheels sometime.


Oh, and another reason he's cool... because he knows that all the fiberglass statues around Wisconsin and the Midwest are made in Sparta. Damn right, they are. I need to go photograph this place more this summer. This guy has some great photos. This place is a must-see on any Wisconsin adventure. Home sweet home, Sparta!

And the Winner of the "First Unofficial Chicago Dog Eating Contest" is... NORM!

Do you ever have those moments, when your mind is thinking faster than your mouth and everything comes out all funny? That happens to me a lot. It is not uncommon for nonsensical babble to come spewing out of my mouth, frequently at the entertainment of those who know me and the confusion of those who don't. An example from today -- Warning, this may be a "You Shoulda Been There" moment.

Me: Norm, let's name that site Swooping Hawk.

Norm: Hrmmm, noooo. Swooping?

Me: Ok, Soaring Hawk?

Norm: No.

Me: Circling Hawk?

Norm: No.

Me: Stephen J. Swooping Hawk?

Norm: *eyebrows raised*

Susan: *hysterically laughing*

** insert another Susie & Betty giggle fest here**

Norm: I don't think you two should be allowed to eat those Chicago hot dogs anymore...

Finally, Plainfield, Wisconsin has a claim to fame besides Ed Gein! A couple weeks ago, we noticed that the marquee for the Plainfield Bowl and Bar said, "TUES CHI DOG $1" but we never made it that Tuesday. Assuming the sign meant "chili dogs", we schemed up a chili dog eating contest, because you can't go wrong for $1 each. So today, en route to eat our bag lunches at a truck stop picnic table, Susan and I simultaneously noticed the marquee, went "IT'S TUESDAY!" and slammed on the brakes, and turned the caravan around. Luckily, Norm was willing to go along for the ride, even though he claimed to have been looking forward to a truck stop lunch.

We were the only people in the joint. How can this be? More people need to know about this!! The waiter/bartender/cook looked just like a young Chris Farley. Another thumbs up. We soon find out that CHI dog is really a Chicago-style hot dog. $1 for a Vienna hot dog with the works: mustard, relish, onions, sport peppers, tomatoes, and a dill pickle spear on a poppy seed bun. This is not disappointing. Susan, Norm, and I each order two. And whatdayaknow, the fries are only a dollar too!!

Delicious. Everything is on the dog, including the pickle spear. I will definitely be eating this again. The bill for lunch, including 6 Chicago dogs, 2 orders of fries, and 2 cokes came to $11.44. I love Wisconsin.

My dawgs, sans onions

A happy Susie

Nearly lost the dog!

The hot dogs got the best of me, I couldn't finish my two. Susan left a mess of toppings on her plate, but Norm finished everything but the poppy seeds, making him *drum roll* the "First Unofficial Chicago Dog Eating Contest". A t-shirt is in the works.

Oh yeah, we found lots of Woodland pottery today too. Score for right-of-way archaeology!

'They Can't All Be Fun Weeks' or 'Frank Lloyd Wright Was a Vampire'

My brain is mush after this field week. Yep, it's not all fun and excitement. Sometimes it's nothing but brain-numbing confinement.

At least we were confined somewhere decent. In Green Bay again, the lead decided to forgo the Extended Stay for the much nicer, posh Comfort Suites. Can I just say, the beds are DIVINE!! I love my own pillows, but they just seem sub-par now. That combined with the free drink coupons for the hotel bar and made-to-order complimentary omelets in the mornings makes for one hell of a field-stay.

Would it be slander if I said why he chose not make us stay at the Extended Stay? Probably. Email me and I'll tell you.

This really isn't making for an exciting blog, but it's not supposed to be a rant tearing down all the aspects of my job that can be quite shitty.

I'm gonna have to dive into the back of my mind for an exciting story from field seasons past. Let's go back to Richland County **insert Wayne and Garth and their doodly-doo transporting sound effect here**

There's a great little bookstore in downtown Richland Center, which happens to be run by a distant relative of mine (as are many people in Richland County, on my Grandma Reetz's side). When he found out he goes, "Well, I guess we can't get married then." If you ever meet this guy, get him to pull you a fresh sampler of whatever microbrew he's got tapped, or a taste of wine. The book store has a healthy and well-rounded stock of libations. He's a great conversationalist, so get him talking. He knows a lot about the area's prehistory, geography, and geology. He's the one who directed us to Bogus Bluff cave. But, and the clincher is, he's got some very passionate opinions about Frank Lloyd Wright.

Frank Lloyd Wright, according to Dan, was a VAMPIRE.

"He always wore a cap and a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off of his face. WHY? Because he's a vampire."

"You ever seen his designs? Tiny windows, large overhangs. WHY? Because they were crypts. For vampires. If he wasn't a vampire, he was a minion."

"You see his building here in Richland Center? Aztec motif. Aztecs - Quetzoquatl -blood - vampires."

"He and his wife helped Josef Stalin's daughter emigrate to Wisconsin. Stalin (raises his hand to chin level). Hitler (higher on the scale). Frank Lloyd Wright (above his head!). All vampires."

I could've talked to him the whole rainy afternoon, if it weren't for work. Yes, it's true, I like to engage in quirky conversation and will egg people on as much as possible. Maybe too much.

I asked my grandma about FLW and all she said was, "He used to hang out on my Dad's porch... and he never wore shoes."

I think a real vampire would wear shoes.

This week's tally:

Holes dug: 0

Meetings attended: 3

Free drinks: 2 each.

Omelets: Just one for me.

Hours spent browsing other job announcements: About 3.

Hours spent doing quizzes and top 5's on Facebook: More than I care to admit.

Hours in actual sunshine/daylight: I'm guessing 7 for the work week.

Maybe my co-worker is a vampire. Hmm.....