After a lovely afternoon strolling around Duluth, Minnesota (cute city!) we crossed the Saint Louis River into Superior, Wisconsin. Mark has landed in the Motherland.
Where the streets are lined with socially-distanced yet neighborly lines for fresh sweet corn, sold from the back of a truck.
And is just down the road from the local "Trump Shop" -- these seem to be a staple in every midwestern town.
Our first stop is Eau Claire, a city Judy wanted to visit cuz she heard they have a great music scene, which they DO. As we strolled through the town, outdoor speakers mounted on street lights played non-stop music from local bands. How cool is that! Click here for a taste of Them Coulee Boys (Cayamo 2020, Egg, woo-hoooo!) and check out the video below.
The highlight of Eau Claire was seeing my Weequahic pickle buddy Mary Jo Hanson, husband Wayne, and DH superstar Meg who had just gotten engaged! Mary Jo is as much a Food Fairy at home as she was at camp, treating us to her homemade bread, Wisconsin cheeses, jams, her pickle recipe, and salted maple caramels. This is a special family.
Next Stop: northern Wisconsin to visit the town of Oconto, where Mark's dad grew up with 8 brothers and sisters. On the way, we stopped in Marinette, a small city his dad had traveled to each Friday night for shabbat. This is also the city where Mark's grandparents and many aunts and uncles are buried in the cemetery, alongside old friends the Hammes's.
Marinette's Jewish community is no longer active, but the cemetery and synagogue have been kept up beautifully.
We then took ourselves out for a good old-fashioned fish fry. Showed up there STARVING, and as you can see I didn't hold back. Standard fish fry fare: fresh perch that our waitress said was "to die for," served with their signature tartar sauce, truly home-made baked beans, cole slaw, rye bread already buttered, baked potato with the works (but I ate all Mark's fries), and Mark had beer cheddar soup to start. No regrets!
Then headed to his dad's hometown, Oconto. POPULATION: 4,513.
This is the home where his dad, aunts, and uncles were all raised (our Sam is named for uncle Sam and uncle Leonard). The yard on the right was the junkyard, which the Aronson's owned along with the clothing store, grocery, butcher, and a dairy farm.
This is the beer they drink in Oconto. We bought two 6-packs for $8.49 total, including tax (one is for Sol).
We stayed in the Oconto RV Park, a slight step up from the Oconto Motel -- which DID boast VACANCIES with a flashing neon sign, BUT too bad it wasn't hotel night.
Heading to Milwaukee the next day. You knew this detour was coming...
It's like we're on auto-pilot; the van just knows where to go...
We then make our way to Mark's hometown of Milwaukee. This is what we saw out our window for the entire day: farms - cows - corn - cows - farms - Trump signs - cows - corn.
On to Brew City to spend the day eating, which is what we always seem to do in Milwaukee. Judy's favorite Milwaukee band: Dead Horses. Try'em!
So we start by eating a very late breakfast of Super Hoppel Poppel at Benji's.
Menu: "Scrambled eggs blended with crisp browned potatoes, fried salami, green peppers, onions, fresh mushrooms, and your choice of cheese."
Followed by a trip to Kopp's for frozen custard. Flavor choices: Banana Cashew Chocolate Chunk and Cookies 'n Cream. Judy went Banana, Mark went half & half. For those of you who've never read the plaque under the cows, take a look!
And after fish fry, Super Hoppel Poppel, and Kopp's, Mark took full advantage of those healthy roadside produce stands in Illinois, our next stop.
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