We arrived in Madison at 9:20 pm on the evening of June 26th. For the thirteen hours before that, Kyle, Bill, Anthony, Maria and I were loading a 27 ft U Haul truck with all of our possessions. The curb in the alley next to the house was suitably decorated with some of our cast offs.
We were a ripe pair when we got to Ryan and Kim's house. But all we wanted, no needed, was a hot shower and clean clothing. Maria actually threw her clothing in the garbage.
Sadly when we arrived, the kids were in bed already. The next morning we did our best to make it up to the them because we missed Brogan's T Ball game and One on One time with Tate. At 10:00am when we were climbing in the van for the trip to Sikeston MO. we had mixed feelings. Did we spend enough time with the grandkids and how much time we had lost by not getting on the road earlier?
Sikeston Mo., just south of St Louis, is the agreed half way point between our departure from Madison and our destination Mandeville, LA. We are moving to Mandeville to allow my wife to resurrect her career as a interior designer and to get away from Wisconsin winters. We did not move to get away from the tyranny of Scott Walker. One would not move to Bobby Jindal's state if that was the objective.
There are two major routes to Mandeville out of Wisconsin. One is through Rockford on I-94 to I-39. The other is through Chicago on I-94, I-294 to I-57. Starting from the Madison, clearly the trip through Rockford was the most efficient. As it turns out more scenic. The I-57 route is, as my late friend Jack Zarek often said, miles of miles with boring flat farmland as far as you can see.
Our trip to Sikeston was marred by only one freeway jam up south of St. Louis. It was one of those frustrating miles long, crawling monster delays that ended, for no apparent reason at the intersection of a town so small the guy it's named for is forgotten.
It was still light, when Maria got back to our hotel with the takeout we ordered from Ruby Tuesday's. We can't actually go into the restaurant and sit down. Lucy, our dog, doesn't have good table manners and it gets embarrassing when she can't pick out what she wants from the menu.
The second day on the road can be summed up with one word, rain. Little did we know this would foreshadow the next few days.
On this trip, you go through seven states. Oh yes, your time in Tennessee and Arkansas is very brief and if you were counting the states you have been in, it wouldn't take much to detour for a short time and pick up Kentucky. The weather got hotter, more humid and, as I hinted, wetter as we jumped from one PBS station to another on our trek South on I-55.
Question? What's the difference from Mcdonald's in the North and in the South? When you ask if they have grits, the guy in the South knows what you're talking about.
When we arrived at 4:00pm at our friends, Danny and Linda's house in Mandeville, we were greeted by good cheer and the beverage of our choice. Later, We got a good meal and a more familiar bed.
Danny is from Houma, LA, which means he speaks with a Acadian accent. Put four or five marbles in your mouth and speak English. If you want a distinctive NawOwln's version of same, gargle daily with molasses.
Our moving truck, captained by the intrepid, Kyle Karr, arrives some time in the middle of the night. Maria got up and picked him up so he could stay with us. Captain Kyle had driven the whole run in one day, leaving Milwaukee at sometime around 7:00am. He made it through the last couple of hours by talking with his friend Julie on the phone. We thank Julie for guiding our Captain into port.
We all moved over to the new abode (163 Woodside Dr., Mandeville, LA. 70448) at noon. Waiting for us are the unload crew.
Lesson: Loading a moving truck is an art. Unloading a moving truck is work.
The last few days has been a blur of looking for certain boxes, going to Lowes, Target, World Market, Rouses, and being exhausted at 4:00 (mandatory quitting time).
We still have 50 - 60 boxes to unload. On the other hand, our Wi-Fi setup is working beautifully. Our entertainment system is up and running. So far I can't get Amazon Prime, but I think it's a password thing. We found my Espresso maker.
Now I'm looking for a major pile of my summer clothing. Strangely some of the stuff coming out of the boxes doesn't seem like it's ours. Also, I'd swear some of the things we are buying, we threw away in Wisconsin a couple of days ago.
The questions that I'm still trying to get answered. Where is a good coffee from a local roaster? No, Cafe du Monde is great for beignets, but the coffee, even the stuff without chicory, is not Colectivo. I'm drinking a breakfast blend from World Market. I perceive the problems with this bean is that it was roasted in the country of origin (Stale) and the emphasis is on roasting (Beyond dark roast, bitter).
We have no shortage of great restaurants and other eating experiences, but where is my go to restaurant? In Milwaukee, for lunch, I had Cafe Dulce, until they closed. Harry Moseley introduced me to the National and that hole was filled.
For dinner, it was Via on Downer, until they closed. If we were still in Milwaukee, my go to dinner place might be, The Filling Station in Riverwest. If I wanted to have the cloth table cover experience The Envoy at the Ambassador Hotel is top rate, as is the Five O'Clock Steakhouse on State.
Pizza? Zaffiro's on Farwell. Subs? Suburpia's on Bluemound and whatever they are calling themselves on Prospect.
We like our new home. We are renting a ranch-style home in a subdivision called Tanglewood. We are close to a lot of necessary retail, such as grocery, gas, and etc..., But make no mistake this community, like a lot of suburbs, was designed for people with cars. Even the very nice bike trail does not intersect easily with retail. I haven't seen any marked off bike trails on major streets. With the exception of cabs, there is no mass transit.
There is the beauty of the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. The wonderful Acadian style homes, built on tall pilings to protect them from occasional flooding, are beautiful to look at and amazingly affordable to own. As my friend Helen Nagler would say, The "Dutzy" little restaurants with views of the lake are scattered among these lakeshore treasures.
I know this is too much for the new social media standards, but I'll try to report more frequently.
Watch my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.jordan1 and who knows, maybe I'l start tweeting?
We were a ripe pair when we got to Ryan and Kim's house. But all we wanted, no needed, was a hot shower and clean clothing. Maria actually threw her clothing in the garbage.
Sadly when we arrived, the kids were in bed already. The next morning we did our best to make it up to the them because we missed Brogan's T Ball game and One on One time with Tate. At 10:00am when we were climbing in the van for the trip to Sikeston MO. we had mixed feelings. Did we spend enough time with the grandkids and how much time we had lost by not getting on the road earlier?
Sikeston Mo., just south of St Louis, is the agreed half way point between our departure from Madison and our destination Mandeville, LA. We are moving to Mandeville to allow my wife to resurrect her career as a interior designer and to get away from Wisconsin winters. We did not move to get away from the tyranny of Scott Walker. One would not move to Bobby Jindal's state if that was the objective.
There are two major routes to Mandeville out of Wisconsin. One is through Rockford on I-94 to I-39. The other is through Chicago on I-94, I-294 to I-57. Starting from the Madison, clearly the trip through Rockford was the most efficient. As it turns out more scenic. The I-57 route is, as my late friend Jack Zarek often said, miles of miles with boring flat farmland as far as you can see.
Our trip to Sikeston was marred by only one freeway jam up south of St. Louis. It was one of those frustrating miles long, crawling monster delays that ended, for no apparent reason at the intersection of a town so small the guy it's named for is forgotten.
It was still light, when Maria got back to our hotel with the takeout we ordered from Ruby Tuesday's. We can't actually go into the restaurant and sit down. Lucy, our dog, doesn't have good table manners and it gets embarrassing when she can't pick out what she wants from the menu.
The second day on the road can be summed up with one word, rain. Little did we know this would foreshadow the next few days.
On this trip, you go through seven states. Oh yes, your time in Tennessee and Arkansas is very brief and if you were counting the states you have been in, it wouldn't take much to detour for a short time and pick up Kentucky. The weather got hotter, more humid and, as I hinted, wetter as we jumped from one PBS station to another on our trek South on I-55.
Question? What's the difference from Mcdonald's in the North and in the South? When you ask if they have grits, the guy in the South knows what you're talking about.
When we arrived at 4:00pm at our friends, Danny and Linda's house in Mandeville, we were greeted by good cheer and the beverage of our choice. Later, We got a good meal and a more familiar bed.
Danny is from Houma, LA, which means he speaks with a Acadian accent. Put four or five marbles in your mouth and speak English. If you want a distinctive NawOwln's version of same, gargle daily with molasses.
Our moving truck, captained by the intrepid, Kyle Karr, arrives some time in the middle of the night. Maria got up and picked him up so he could stay with us. Captain Kyle had driven the whole run in one day, leaving Milwaukee at sometime around 7:00am. He made it through the last couple of hours by talking with his friend Julie on the phone. We thank Julie for guiding our Captain into port.
We all moved over to the new abode (163 Woodside Dr., Mandeville, LA. 70448) at noon. Waiting for us are the unload crew.
Lesson: Loading a moving truck is an art. Unloading a moving truck is work.
The last few days has been a blur of looking for certain boxes, going to Lowes, Target, World Market, Rouses, and being exhausted at 4:00 (mandatory quitting time).
We still have 50 - 60 boxes to unload. On the other hand, our Wi-Fi setup is working beautifully. Our entertainment system is up and running. So far I can't get Amazon Prime, but I think it's a password thing. We found my Espresso maker.
Now I'm looking for a major pile of my summer clothing. Strangely some of the stuff coming out of the boxes doesn't seem like it's ours. Also, I'd swear some of the things we are buying, we threw away in Wisconsin a couple of days ago.
The questions that I'm still trying to get answered. Where is a good coffee from a local roaster? No, Cafe du Monde is great for beignets, but the coffee, even the stuff without chicory, is not Colectivo. I'm drinking a breakfast blend from World Market. I perceive the problems with this bean is that it was roasted in the country of origin (Stale) and the emphasis is on roasting (Beyond dark roast, bitter).
We have no shortage of great restaurants and other eating experiences, but where is my go to restaurant? In Milwaukee, for lunch, I had Cafe Dulce, until they closed. Harry Moseley introduced me to the National and that hole was filled.
For dinner, it was Via on Downer, until they closed. If we were still in Milwaukee, my go to dinner place might be, The Filling Station in Riverwest. If I wanted to have the cloth table cover experience The Envoy at the Ambassador Hotel is top rate, as is the Five O'Clock Steakhouse on State.
Pizza? Zaffiro's on Farwell. Subs? Suburpia's on Bluemound and whatever they are calling themselves on Prospect.
We like our new home. We are renting a ranch-style home in a subdivision called Tanglewood. We are close to a lot of necessary retail, such as grocery, gas, and etc..., But make no mistake this community, like a lot of suburbs, was designed for people with cars. Even the very nice bike trail does not intersect easily with retail. I haven't seen any marked off bike trails on major streets. With the exception of cabs, there is no mass transit.
There is the beauty of the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. The wonderful Acadian style homes, built on tall pilings to protect them from occasional flooding, are beautiful to look at and amazingly affordable to own. As my friend Helen Nagler would say, The "Dutzy" little restaurants with views of the lake are scattered among these lakeshore treasures.
I know this is too much for the new social media standards, but I'll try to report more frequently.
Watch my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.jordan1 and who knows, maybe I'l start tweeting?
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