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.....

Rosie, Wheels, and Ed Gein

The week in Waushara County ended with minimal fieldwork completed because of snow, then thunderstorms, and I won't be getting back there anytime soon. Shame, because I made some crackin' new pals.

Rosie is this wonderful lady who leads a yoga class at the hotel two nights a week -- free for hotel guests, I've NEVER encountered that before with all my traveling. I've been spoiled, I don't want to go without it! Yoga classes are something I always want to be involved with, but can't because of my constant traveling. What a teaser. And Rosie was great, a real ass-kicker! She made me stretch in ways I haven't tried since high school cheerleading (most people can't picture me as a cheerleader, but yep, it happened and I liked it). The other ladies in the class were great too, it's always fun to banter with people while traveling. They're always so curious about what I do. I definitely liked an idea that one of them came up with: Make people who throw litter out their windows do community service collecting road kill. Wisconsin cut road kill pick-up out of the budget... combine that with small scale road projects requiring us to walk ditches, you've got weeks of summer fun. Ughsome (I'm borrowing that word from Chris).

More crew joined us on Thursday, but only a small posse of us managed to get out and about on Thursday night. We tried out Christiano's Pizza on Hwy 73. Great pizza, but I was pretty blown away that they didn't serve any alcohol. Not even 3.2 beer! I've been in a lot of joints around Wisconsin, but I'm blanking on remembering another pizza place that didn't serve beer. I'm told there are some, and it's definitely true but doesn't seem right. Beer and pizza just go together. But, because there was no beer, we were inspired (well, more so me, but thankfully the others were up for it!) to find another local establishment for a quick drink. A place that had caught my eye earlier in the week was Billy B's on Hwy 73 (everything in Wautoma is on 73 for the most part). Just a small brown building with a fabulous red neon sign and some Harley's parked out in front. I wasn't disappointed. There weren't many patrons at first, but it filled up a bit after while. The bartender's name was Wheels, no doubt a biker nickname. He was a bit kooky and got more than a few smiles out of me. He was sassy and very generous with the high-5's. Bottles of Spotted Cow were only $2.50, which alone makes the place worth a return visit. It reminded me of the taverns I visited while growing up with my dad in the tavern business. The bar stools were upholstered with vintage orange pleather, matching the plastic ashtrays. Wheels decided to test us on the juke box, and after being pleased with the first 7 selections, kept feeding us dollar bills to play more. He'd also crank up the volume and tip his drink up every time time he was particularly pleased with a selection. It was very satisfying to have people coming and going, complimenting our selections: Dylan, Cash, CCR, Zeppelin, Petty, Patsy, etc. I think they were surprised us bunch of youngins' didn't choose from the at least three Nickelback CDs in the box -- we all know how I feel about Nickelback.

Susan fiddling to The Devil Went Down to Georgia

One "downer" of the week was learning more than I ever really cared to know about Ed Gein. Our project area reached into Plainfield, where Gein committed his crimes of murder and grave-robbing. You know Ed Gein, the one who inspired Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs, dressing up in human skin and all that. I don't feel the need to go into anymore detail about his life, there are plenty of other sites about that. Anyways, we figured out where his family's farmhouse was, which was burned down a few months after he was arrested. We chose not to go to the location -- too creepy. Some bad energy just doesn't need to be messed with, and something was telling me to stay away from there. We did, however, go to the Plainfield Cemetery to see where he was buried. Jeff managed to find the spot, running around in the freezing rain. He was buried in between his mother (who's body he dug up) and his brother (who he probably killed), and his mother is buried next to his alcoholic father. There's no marker because it was stolen, but later found and returned to a Waushara County Museum -- not open until after Memorial Day. It looks like people try to mess with his family's markers though. His mother's had been knocked over previously, and his innocent brother's was quite off-center. Creepy. And the rain stains on the markers made them look more creepy. CREEPY.



It's thunder storming like a mo-fo tonight, so I need to take this to a lighter note before I freak myself out. Looking at my photos reminded me that Jeff had a pretty hilarious episode of spilling his coffee. As he correctly pointed out, I helped out Susan and then I went for my camera, leaving Jeff to fend for his coffee mess on his own. But I ended up with this great photo, with Jeff in his "biker fieldwork outfit". The scene of the hilarity was the family restaurant in Plainfield (at CTH BB and 73) during one of the storms. Who could ask for a better second breakfast? Two eggs, three pieces of -quality- bacon, and homemade wheat bread toast for $4. Bottomless coffee if you want it. God, I love small town Wisconsin.



This week's tally:

Hometowns of serial killers: 1

Days when it snowed: 2

Days when it stormed: 2

Days it hit 80 degrees: 1

Artifacts: Pfft.

Evenings of shredding with Jillian Michaels: 3

Nights of recovering in the hot tub after shredding and yoga: 2

Viewings of Cabin Boy: 1

Days of quoting Cabin Boy: Un-ending.

Dollar amount Wheels gave us for the juke box: $6. Or $8?

Number of Apple Pie shots: 1 each

The best profiterole dessert in Wisconsin: Farm Market on Hwys 73 and 22 -- try it!

An April Snow Day in Waushara and Green Lake Counties

Oh, sweet jesus, I can't stop laughing from Cabin Boy.

Ahem. Yeah.

This week, I'm sort of in the vicinity of some of my childhood stomping grounds and one of my favorite regions of Wisconsin for exploring while doing fieldwork -- Waushara and Green Lake counties. Okay, so I haven't been to Waushara County since I was in high school, but its small towns really embody what is classic about Wisconsin: taverns, antique shops, supper clubs, oddities, and lots of rural flair. Since it was snowing sideways yesterday, we ventured to Green Lake County and hung out in Princeton. Princeton has come a long ways since I was about 11-years old, hanging out with my grandma in the local taverns. The golfing hype caught on (Green Lake is home to Wisconsin's first golf course), and the place now caters to Chicago tourists. On the plus side, this has brought some nice little independent businesses to the area. You won't find a Wal-Mart for miles. I've always liked Twister, which has books, cooking supplies, novelties, higher end clothes, and super-delicious coffee. What else do you need? The owners are a riot and were willing to participate in our debate on what color the columns for the la Casbah were (Periwinkle, closer to purple than blue). La Casbah has pretty amazing food, worth the wait for the only falafel you'll find in about 100 square miles. Not many stores were open, because who really goes exploring on a snowy Tuesday in April? We stumbled across a little jewelry store called Baubles that really had just about anything anything a girl could want: jewelry and complimentary coffee, european chocolates, and cookies. There was also a seating area, obviously for the man-in-waiting, with magazines ranging from Men's Health to Sports Illustrated to Field and Stream. The lady who runs that store definitely has something figured out.

One of my most favorite places in Wisconsin is also near there, but a quick phone call to Leonore, the proprietor, and I learned they were not in town to let us in. The place is known as Castle Arkdale aka Happy Tales Books aka The Book Castle. Basically, it's a manure tank/slurry tank that has been reconstructed into a castle and houses a bajillion books -- they estimate there are nearly a million books on the premises. I'm not sure I can even do justice explaining it. I learned about it a few years ago from an avid second-hand book collecting co-worker and decided to stop in when I was doing archaeology in the area and in need of local history sources. I has completely blown away by what I encountered. We nearly missed it from the county highway, it's much better seen driving from the west. That was a week day, but Leonore was home and gave us an hour-long tour of her book organzing system, which is unconventional to say the least. My favorite section was books about people ruining America, including Micheal Moore, Al Franken, and something about Michael Jackson. I don't think Leonore forgets a face. She knows I work in history and that I like nursery rhymes. She often goes off to root around for archaeology books for me, particularly biblical ones so I can "start from the beginning". She remembers what books I'd like but can't afford til the next time, and she puts them aside. This place and the people are a real treasure. There's been some publicity in the last year or two, and I've noticed a serious decrease in her stacks of the "Top 100 Authors Everyone Should Read" before I can decide which author I need to read next. The books are really a steal, it's no wonder people are snatching them up. I hope they're treasuring them for the amazing things that they are and not turning around to sell them immediately online for twice the price. Yeah, I've read your blog, getting your kids in on the action -- feel ashamed!!

Click here for a news reel that might explain the place a little better than I am.

Another place that's a little close to my heart is Reetz Meats in Neshkoro on Highway 73. Why? Because I'm a Reetz, and they name all of their meats after the Reetz family. They say it hasn't been run by the Reetz's in a couple decades, and no, they don't give discounts to Reetz's. But I like stopping there anyways, just to giggle at the mural and the meat counter. I'm not sure which Reetz's owned it, or how they're related, but I have a pretty sweet antique mixing bowl handed down from my parents that has the Reetz Meats name and location stamped on the inside bottom. The photos are pretty self-explanatory. I'm showing off my score, Wisconsin treats from Reetz Meats, i.e., pistachio fluff and Reetz garlic summer sausage sticks. Divine. Who has ring bologna named after themselves, seriously? Wisconsin is great.







Well, yesterday was all about fun and exploration in the April snow, today was about sorta fun digging alongside the road in the sun, and tomorrow will be about Ed Gein -- another Wisconsin oddity.

Shout out to the Little Corporal in Green Lake - holla!! Haven't been there this year, but there are already plans for Katy's post-wedding day breakfast with a skillet and sausage gravy. Go to the Little Corporal, but keep that a secret, too.

Bananas

Bananas is a homonym, signifying both Jeff's OCD and the topic of one of our debates. So, Jeff has these "rules" that dictate etiquette he makes up in his head. For example, you can only eat pumpkin pie beginning on October 1 for a two-month period. I STRONGLY disagree with this. Another -- eating the fortune cookie before you read the fortune. A third, rock-paper-scissors can only be called paper-scissors-rock (or is it paper-rock-scissors) because it "sounds better". Today we debated about bananas. Jeff says bananas should not be eaten as part of a mix of anything. Like:

A chocolate-banana milkshake.

Banana cream pie.

Nanner puddin' (a Southern delicacy).

Bananas with peanut butter on toast.

I will happily eat any of these things. In fact, I'd say that a chocolate-banana milkshake is my favorite (and those of you who know me know I don't typically pick a favorite anything). Jeff would rather drink a chocolate milkshake while eating a banana than have the two mixed together. Thoughts?? Here are a couple of videos demonstrating us picking on Jeff and his rules. FYI, 19 is a "BAD" number, and Jeff is controlling the volume from the steering well.