Steve's Blog

Friday, October 3, 2025. We met 54 years ago today. So celebrated at Goodwin Rooftop and Dale Rhode band and dancing.

Wednesday, October 1, 2025. Kathy reading to Leo.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Annual ride to Apple Hut for cider and apple donuts.

Friday, September 26, 2025. Great fish fry at Badger Bob's. We love dancing to "The Horse." Robin joined us.

Thursday, September 25, 2025. Ziggy fed the birds at Mocha Moment today.

Sunday, September 21, 2025. Annual breakfast at Tiffany. Robin joined us for the day. Owners Mike and Shirley. Five arch bridge. Shopiere Tap for mimosas. Great band and lots of fun. Back across Turtle Creek on iconic one lane steel bridge.

Saturday, September 20, 2025. When I first came to Janeville, I stayed with Dee Carpenter. Life long friends with her teen son. 54 years later, Rick had a surprise party for his mom. Wow. Where did those 54 years go?

Thursday, September 18, 2025. Mocha Moment as beautiful as ever.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Always goes too fast. Heading home. Left Monroe about 8:00. Back through cuts showing rock outcroppings. Cuts are deep, cool, and shady. Several vantage points with valleys and hills with a view for miles. Rode through miles of drying corn. Always have to stop at Sugar River for a look. Several fields of mown hay drying in the sun. Back home by 12:45. 45 miles today.

Monday, September 15, 2025. Traditional coffee and breakfast at Fat Cat before leaving New Glarus. So many good memories of New Glarus. Rode our bikes from Brodhead to New Glarus on the Sugar River Trail with our kids many, many times. Always treats at the ice cream shop and swimming at city pool. Billy Joel sang, "Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again." On to Monroe. The rock outcroppings on Badger Trail through which Illinois Central trains chugged for decades are always stunning. And closer to Monroe the valleys of corn, soy, and angus open up. In Monroe, we always head straight to Baumgartner's for their Reuben sandwich. They've been in business almost a century. Disappointing: we always eat outside, but they had taken their tables in already. Gorgeous summer day in the 80s. Well, we didn't go back, but in the evening, on sidewalk tables, ate authentic Mexican at El Mazatlan on the north side of courthouse square. Server in his 30s was awkward and listless. He spoke no English. Spoke to him in Spanish. Complete transformation. Happy and animated. Sitting across the street from it, ate tacos in the shadows of Green County's iconic court house. 22 miles today.

Sunday, September 14, 2025. Left Madison on Capital City Trail and joined Badger Trail going south. Took a side trip to Paoli. Paoli centerpiece is the old mill. Always fun and a lot going on in small, rustic, off-the-path Paoli. Bought drinks at the Hop Garden. Farmer waited on us. They only use about 30% of the hops they grow and sell the rest to local breweries. Live music. Farmers' market. The usual quaint arts and crafts stores. Lots of places to eat. Hopping place. Always enjoy Sugar River from Bellville bridge. Stewart Tunnel has been closed for a few years now. Quite the climb up and over. You can sure see why the railroad tunneled through. Repair is slated for 2026 with tunnel opening supposed to be 2027. We'll see. Bailey's Run Winery is always our New Glarus destination on Sunday afternoons. Overlooks a picturesque valley. Live music by Dawg Bones. Great band. Danced some. Friends Jeff and Robin joined us. Kathy and Robin joined another listener for some line dancing. Always finish the day with pizza at Sugar River Pizza. 37 miles today.

Saturday, September 13, 2025. Weather worked in our favor. Major thunderstorm between 3:00 and 7:00 am. Great breakfast at 8:30 at Fargo Mansion. To think we are just regular Americans served scrambled eggs, bacon, and yogurt-berry parfaits. Over a century ago, very wealthy people were similarly served in that same room. Storm over. Ready to ride. As usual, enjoyed Rock Lake vista on way out. Every year we stop at 1855 Saloon in Cottage Grove at trail's end. Outdoor patio. Bridge out on road into McFarland. Five miles out of the way. Down to Kegonsa State Park. The detour gave us a majestic vista we'd never have seen: rode over a mile on new boardwalk, Lower Yahara Bike Trail, through Door Creek Wildlife Area with a view of Lake Kegonsa. Spectacular. Viewed Lake Wabesa from boardwalk between McFarland and Madison. We rode through McFarland on purpose just to ride this once again. Capitol over Lake Monona. Enjoyed eating at Great Dane courtyard downtown Madison. Invigorating just to see hundreds or thousands biking, running, walking, kayaking, etc. Madison is alive. 44 miles today.

Friday, September 12, 2025. Left home about 8:30 and biked to Jefferson. Fabulous late summer weather. Split a burger at the iconic Wedl's in Jefferson. Always have to stop and look at Craw Fish River on Glacial Drumlin Trail. Wistful to imagine heyday of old Lake Mills depot. Saw Gift of the Lake sculpture in Lake Mills. Rock Lake with its Tyranena legend is major theme in Lake Mills. Stayed at Fargo Mansion B&B. Incredible home. Built in 1881. Fargo was descendant of banking family. When line died out, mansion became apartments. Mansion crumbled. By 1980s mansion was condemned and scheduled for wrecking ball. Barry and Tom bought and restored it. Now it's a stately and elegant bed and breakfast. We were privileged to stay the night. Tyranena Brewery did not disappoint. Thai food truck. Pupy Costello and New Hiram Kings put on quite the show. We danced a lot. 45 miles on Friday.

Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Annual grape harvest. The grapes. 13.5 gallons of juice. By time of photo, some already given away and in pitchers in cooler.

Sunday, September 7, 2025. Our annual ride to Countryside for breakfast and then north 6 miles to Staller Winery. 43 miles round trip. Gorgeous day.

Saturday, September 6, 2025. Another great evening at the Butterfly.

Friday, September 5, 2025. Felix pulled Ziggy to our house for a visit.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025. 1st Day of school for Rocket. She wasn't having it.

Monday, September 1, 2025. Labor Day grill out at our house.

Sunday, August 31, 2025. Mother, Daughter, Granddaughter went to the Little Mermaid at the Fireside. Rode to Shopiere Tap to meet Jeff and Robin. Classic rock duo. Perfect weather. Grass and hillside full of listeners. Kayakers floating down Turtle Cree. Perfect Wisconsin afternoon.

Friday, August 29, 2025. Mocha Moment is as beautiful as ever. Chad and Autumn make it look great.

Sunday August 24, 2025. Annual ride to Timberhill Winery. Gorgeous Day. Robin and Kathy.

Saturday, August 23, 20s5. Felix entered today's triathlon at Rockport Park. Finished 3rd. Robin and Kathy at the Butterfly.

Thursday, August 21, 2025. Hank made scones with Kathy at Mocha Moment today. Kathy was impressed with how well Hank listened and how like her own scones his turned out.

Sunday, August 17, 2025. Traditional ride to DC Estate Winery in Illinois. Met our Cherry cousins. Great time. Burger, fries, and brew at GF on way home. Stop at our rustic bridge over Turtle Creek on Lathers Road. Bridge days are numbered. We enjoy each time. 36 miles round trip.

Friday, August 15, 2025. Badger Bob's for fish fry, band, and dancing. Line dance: Robin, Kathy, Karen. Good friends.

Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Grill out. Bikes, not cars. Sweet corn the kids helped me plant. Fun on the tramp. And the bars. Heading home. Seth and family out. And Ziggy.

Saturday, August 9,2025. Celebrated our 52nd with dinner on the Butterfly Deck. Us. Then danced the night away inside.

Friday, August 8, 2025. Fish fry and dancing at Badger Bob's. Nite Fire at VFW. Great night.

Monday, August 4, 2025. Kathy, Amber, and many Vegters spent the day at River Bend. So many great memories of Mom and Dad Vegter.

Sunday, August 3, 2025. The tribe came to our house for a grill out. Many gone home already, but about 75 or so showed up. Brats and subs. Perfect weather. Wee ones in pool, on tramp, and swings. Tables in front yard, back yard, etc. As always Kathy and her sisters make hosting look easy. Cousins posed.

Saturday, August 2, 2025. Many of Kathy's siblings and spouses ate with us on the deck at the Butterfly. Gorgeous evening. Carol and Jim with us.

Friday, August 1, 2025. Arielle got married today in Fort Atkinson. Over a hundred from the Vegter tribe showed up, of course. Mother-Daughter-Granddaughter. Us.

Sunday, July 27, 2025. Had Amber's kids overnight. Bike ride to Looking Glass for brunch. Ziggy sleepy. Very hot. Pool and games in the afternoon.

Friday-Tuesday, July 18-22. Great time at cabin with Seth and Amber and families. Hard to believe it's been almost 60 years I've been coming here. We honeymooned here 52 years ago. Kids. Now grandkids. Time keeps moving. Mother just passed. Now we're the grandparents. Kids spent a lot of time on the raft, and with Kathy. Canoe. Amber and morning reading. Playing games with Kathy. At the beach. Group at the slackline. Kids on the slackline. Leo and Kathy skipping. Mac and cheese. Felix saved up his money and bought a paddleboat.

Monday, July 14, 2025. Mother's funeral and celebration today. My eulogy. Display of events in Mother's life. My favorite: her Sterling Chicks (baseball) uniform. Graveside. Roses for Ziggy and our grandkids. Three of our children at graveside. Church signage honoring Mother with our home in background. Hey cousins at luncheon. 40 mature Arbor Vitae which the church planted after my Dad's passing, honoring his 40 years as groundskeeper for their church. Flowers sent by the Vegters. Flowers given me by Rocket.

Sunday, July 13, 2025. Annual ride to Double B. Gorgeous wildflowers. Grill out with Dean cousins at Ambers. Water slide.

Tuesday, July 8, 2025. My dearest Mother passed away today. 93 years old. Oh the memories, and oh the debt. The last time I heard my Mother's voice was yesterday, the day before her passing. Mother called me Monday morning early. About 5:30 am. In a voice so weak and halting as to require utmost attention to decipher said only these words. "Goodbye, Steve. I'm going home." She called back about a half later and repeated, "Goodbye, Steve. I'm going home."

Saturday, June 21, 2025. Saw Rocket in her first musical. JPAC.

Saturday, June 14, 2025. Kathy and Felix rode the pie ride. 30 miles. Felix wanted Kathy to ride with him. Said his parents were "too slow."

Thursday, June 12, 2025. Stopped at Galesburg on last day to see our 7th and final site of Lincoln-Douglas debate at Knox College. Also took a nice tour of a Carl Sandburg's boyhood home. Read him a good deal in high school. Who can forget his epic Lincoln biography. Stopped to see Mother in Sterling on the way home.

Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Nice long weekend at Sue & Lynn's 50th anniversary. Drove to Oxford, MS on the way home. Saw civil rights memorial on Ole' Miss campus featuring James Meredith, whose enrollment there in 1962 sparked great riots which required Kennedy to send in federal marshalls and the national guard. Cool and historic downtown square featuring courthouse, civil war monument, and a plaque with Faulkner quote. Whole section of Square Books featuring Faulkner. Stopped at Jonesboro to see site of first Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Ate outdoors last night at St. Nicholas Brewery at Southern Illinois Airport.

Saturday, June 7, 2025. Sue and Lynn's 50th anniversary. A half century makes quite a difference. It was quite a party. Felix bull riding. Amber and Ziggy feeding cows.

Thursday, June 5, 2025. On the way to Texas from Caleb's, stopped at site of Ludlow Masacre and Memorial. Good to reflect on how much better off workers are now than in 1914. Celebrate the American project.

Sunday, June 1, 2025. Visited two wineries with Caleb: Pop's Vineyard and Bugling Elk Vineyard. Great time. Owners themselves serving. Special. Kathy, Caleb, and Sonny. Very nice time with Caleb.

Thursday, May 29, 2025. Visited Cheyenne Depot . Wonderful time downtown. Museum included this wooden hand carved model of Big Boy. Sculpture representing frontier women stands in front of museum and faces Wyoming capitol. Wyoming was first state that gave women the right to vote: 1890, 30 years before the 19th Amendment. It is said that Union Pacific wanted capitol to face the UP depot so that legislators would never forget what the city owed to UP. All 4 corners of each downtown intersection features a similar artistic sculpture. This corner shows UP conductors comparing times on their watches. An inscription explains the importance of accurate times to realroad efficiency and safety.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Visited her sculpture on the capitol mall in Lincoln. Title of her biography, Warrior of the People. State Capitol was cool. Senate was in session. Nebraska, the only state with a unicameral legislature. Several busts of famous Nebraskans, including Father Flanagan, General Pershing, Buffalo Bill, and Willa Cather. I read several of her works in school and remember them vividly. Viewed Union Pacific rail yard from Golden Spike Tower (8 story) in North Platte. We got lucky. Old timer in tower who knew "everything" about the rail yard. Fascinating. 10,000-14,000 train cars pass through yard daily; the yard sorts about 3,000 daily. Very enjoyable dinner and evening at North 40 Chop House. Wonderful music provided by piano player.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Had read a recent biography of Susan LaFlesche Piccotti, the first Native American famile doctor. Incredible story. She built this hospital in Walthill, Nebraska, now a National Historical Place. Closed for renovations, so just walked around it.

Friday, May 16, 2025. Had the grandkids overnight. Prepping to roast hot dogs and marshmallows at Riverside Park. Playground. Rocket on the monkey bars. Felix' tree climbing skills during a walk.

Sunday, May 11, 2025. Mother's Day at Amber's. Our group. The girls.

Saturday, May 3, 2025. We attended a Kentucky Derby Party at Judy and Don's. Great time.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Ziggy blew out his 3 candles. First swing at his pinata.

Thursday, April 24, 2025. Grandparents Day at Van Buren.

Saturday, April 12, 2025. Watched Hank and Leo a few hours. Had fun swinging.

Sunday, April 6, 2025. Kathy's 72 BD. All met at Whiskey Ranch for lunch. Hiked in Peace Park. Gorgeous day. Grandkids put a piece of a tree in the right place. Kathy and the boys.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Annual black-eyed pea shelling party—boys vs. girls. Lots and lots of fun. Boys won. Traditional meal following: black-eyed peas (last year's) cooked all day with ham hock, heaped over cornbread, and fried okra.

Sunday, March 23, 2025. Roasted sausage with Hank and Leo.

Saturday, March 22, 2025. Read to grandkids a while today. Ziggy raided the refrigerator.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Ziggy is riding his bike to our house. Going home. He turns 3 in a few weeks.

Sunday, March 9, 2025. Ziggy riding his bike to our house first time.

Sunday, March 2, 2025. Kathy and Ziggy reading.

Tuesday, February 25, 2025. Leo is receptionist at Johnson Bank while his mother banks.

Friday, February 28, 2025. Went to Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Coincidental but Bloody Sunday was 60 years ago March 7. The march began from Brown Chapel, about 5 blocks away. Columbus Mitchell welcomed us. He's the unofficial bridge caretaker. Gives tours. Great human being. 60 years ago police beat unarmed black. Today we are brothers.

Thursday, February 27, 2025. Rode Courtney Campbell Causeway to Vinto Tinto for breakfast. Gorgeous day. Great ride. Bill, Karen, Carol, and Kathy. Strawberry shortcake at Parkesdale Farms. Strawberry Fest in high gear. Met Jon and Hope at Swan Brewery in Lakeland. Great live music.

Friday, February 21, 2025. On our return trip from Key West, we toured Henry Flagler's mansion at Palm Beach. Rather different feel than so many older homes. The predominance of marble makes it feel Italian and classic. Featuring classical sculptures, the Grand Hall is marble, as is the staircase. From a distrance looked at his ocean front resort, The Breakers.

Thursday, February 20, 2025. Toured the Truman Little White House. Great stories from guide. Truman loved to play poker which was illegal, so they made a round table cover to slip over it. Doctors suggested blood thinner, but Truman preferred Bourbon which he called his "heart kick starter." When Truman played the piano once, Lauren Bacall thought it would be great press to be photographed with the President on top of the piano. Bess told Harry that if that's the way it was going to be, maybe he shouldn't play. He never played in public again. Wall of Truman quotes in the library. Saw this one and thought was could use Truman again. The centerpiece at the Mallory Square Sculpture Garden is "The Wreckers," commemorating the early Key West main industry: wrecking. Flagler's bust. Kathy has a moment with Mr. Flagler at the Flagler Station. Another Flagler sculpture. Zero Mile Marker for US Highway 1 which ends 2,369 miles later in Maine at the Canadian border. Walked by Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, but didn't go in. Vinos Wine Bar across Duval from our room. Great space. Good dinner and music at Schooner Wharf. Danced both nights away across the street from our room at Bourbon Street Pub.

Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Stayed in Key West at Duval House for 2 days. Unpacked and toured Hemingway's house. Behind his house, on the 2nd floor of a "garage/barn" was his studio where he wrote 70% of his work. His 1926 Underwood Standard . Key West lighthouse was built on the shore, but with fill is now several hundred yards from the beach.

Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Toured Crane Point Hammock, an incredible woods and preserve. Cool trails. Beautiful gulf view. We had walked the preserve to see the George Adderley house, the oldest house in the Keys, outside of Key West itself. Cool story. From the Bahamas, George built his house (1903-1905) of tabby, a concrete like material made of lime from conch as well as several other ingredients. A small community developed around George and his family. The entire woods and Adderley house are so well preserved because the Crane family built a house in this woods, knew its value, and preserved it well. Rode once more by the Flagler Railway car.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Stayed in Marathon 2 nights. Started our day with breakfast at Sunset Bar & Grill. Seven mile bridge in the distance. Old Flagler railway on the other side of it. Converted old bridge to bikeway. Rode it to Pigeon Key, the work camp from which the workers built the railway from 1905-1912. Original dining hall on 5 acre island. Watched several stingrays from bikeway. Rode to Bongo's Beer Garden several miles east of Marathon. Pretty space. Rode 32 miles today.

Monday, February 17, 2025. Friends who are seasoned travelers of the Keys told us we must stop at Islamorada Brewery. Cool space. We were not disappointed. Stayed in Marathon 2 days. Walked a bit and saw this restored (to an office) Flagler rail car which was rescued from the water after the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane that destroyed the Keys' segment of his Florida East Coast Railway.

Monday, February 10, 2025. We had both read Last Train to Paradise, the story of Henry Flagler's building the Florida East Coast Railway which eventually extended to Key West. We've been planning the tour for months. Saw Flagler's 3 high end resorts in St. Augustine today: Ponce de Leon (now Flagler College), Alcazar (now the municipal building), and Casa Monica (still an elite resort), all 3 on corners of the same intersection. Flagler College still boasts the central dome. The courtyard of the municipal building hosts a bust of Adam from Frederick Hart's Ex Nihilo. We had seen the original on the National Cathedral facade as well as models in Hart's Nashville studio. Ate at Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille.

Sunday, February 9, 2025. Toured The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's mansion, just east of Nashville. Jackson's grave. Rocket learns to ski.

Saturday, February 8, 2025. Started our Florida road trip today. Stopped in Charleston, Illinois to see our 5th of 7 Lincoln-Douglas debate sites.

Sunday, February 2, 2025. We took Karen and Blair to the Fireside show, Elvis.

Saturday, February 1, 2025. Everybody over for soup with Karen and Blair.

Thursday, January 30, 2025. Ziggy baked at Mocha Moment for the first time,

Friday, January 24, 2025. Amber's kids overnight. Read Lost on a Mountain in Maine to Felix. Then we all watched the movie. Rocket and Ziggy.

Sunday, January 5, 2025. Roasting Sausage with Amber and family.

Saturday, January 4, 2025. Back at the Butterfly.

Thursday, January 2, 2025. Roasting Sausage with Leo and Hank.

Tuesday, December 31, 2024. New Year's Eve. Dancing to the Underground Sound (17 piece jazz band, with vocalists) at the Treasury in Delavan. Kathy.

Wednesday, December 25, 2024. Christmas at our house. Caleb was back. All five of ours at home again. Bask in the moment. Caleb gave Felix and Rocket a bow with a phone app to hone archery skills. Hank and Leo got one, too. Kathy with 4 grandkids.

Tuesday, December 24, 2024. Christmas Eve at Brooke's house. Wonderful time.

Sunday, December 22, 2024. Caleb joined us for the 2024 Rotary light show. Wonderful again. Pleasant weather, too.

Sunday, December 22, 2024. Kathy sewed Leo and Hank flannel shirts. She had made them Christmas stockings already.

Saturday, December 21, 2024. Christmas at the Butterfly. Kathy and Mike. Kathy with bartenders Aeneas and Shane.

Saturday, December 14, 2024. Lauren, Amber, and their kids.

Thursday, December 12, 2024. Kathy and Michele took a holiday baking class at Blackhawk Tech. Hakim, a Mocha Moment regular, was their teacher.

Sunday, December 8, 2024. At our Mocha Moment Christmas party, Chief Ryan Murphy presented us an award for our "generosity and support" of the Janesville Fire Department. We donate coffee, lemonade, and bakery for many of their events.

Saturday, December 7, 2024. Felix rode in the 2024 Jolly Jingle.

Friday, November 29, 2024. Annual Christmas decorating with grandkids, pizza, and a movie. Ziggy. Leo and Ziggy. New Pajamas.

Thursday, November 28, 2024. My 72nd straight Thanksgiving with my mother at her house. Felix and Rocket made table decorations. Kathy and Mother.

Thursday, November 14, 2024. Ziggy leaving Mocha Moment on his balance bike.

Sunday, November 3. Annual Mocha Moment benefit for Bags of Hope. Rocket volunteered by washing dishes and wiping tables.

Thursday, October 31. Kathy's annual "all out spread" for halloween. Grandkids.

Tuesday, October 29. Annual ride to Apple Hut for apple donuts and cider.

Saturday, October 26. Kathy and Robin at the Butterfly.

Tuesday, October 22. Rocket was recognized for responsibility at school today.

Sunday, October 20. Since it was right on the way home from Hannibal, stopped in Quincy, Illinois, site of 6th Lincoln-Douglas debate. Cool monument by Laredo Taft. Taft also designed "Blackhawk," just east of Oregon, Illinois. Like we do every time we travel Highway 2, we looked across the river and enjoyed the grand figure honoring the native Americans who once roamed this area.

Saturday, October 19. Saw the Mark Twain sites in Hannibal. We lucked out and hit "Hannibal Folklife Festival" this weekend. Main Street brimming with life for blocks—bands, happy people, food, drink, Tom & Becky contests. Perfect weather. Couldn't ask for more. Saw all the main attractions—Mark Twain's House, Huck Finn's, Becky Thatcher's, etc. A Mark Twain impression artist regaled us for 25 minutes with childhood recollections. Walked the riverfront for a bit in early evening. Steamboat. Reminded of just how nonstop funny Mark Twain was. This among endless samples: "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." Twain spoke at Janesville's Myers Opera House in January, 1885. The Daily Recorder printed that Twain "never smiles when telling a story that causes his audience to laugh until the tears trickle down their cheeks, but on the contrary, pulls his iron gray mustache and scowls." Twain was probably the world's first celebrity—a "rock star" in his age. Brought back good memories of touring Twain's house in Hartford, Connecticut on an earlier bike trip.

Friday, October 18. Visited Tahlequah, Cherokee capital. We had both read Blood Moon, the tragic story of the Cherokee civil war and removal on the Trail of Tears. In February, we had visited the Cherokee capital, New Echota in Georgia, as well as the plantation mansions of two of their chiefs, Chief Vann and Major Ridge. So we enjoyed a meaningful visit to the Cherokee National Museum in Tahlequah. Wonderful and informative displays on history and culture of the Cherokee. The 1869 building housed the Cherokee government for years: legislature, principal chief, and supreme court. Reflected on Norma Mankiller, first Cherokee female principal chief, who was born in Tahlequah in 1945. Highly regarded for progress for her people, she was featured on the U.S. quarter in 2022.

Thursday, October 17. Walked through Tulsa's historic Greenwood Neighborhood, home of Black Wall Street, and scene of worst race riot in American history, May 31-June 1, 1921. You likely know the story now. Whites burned 36 square blocks of prosperous black businesses, killed as many as 300 blacks, and imprisoned thousands in temporary internment camps. Quite sobering to walk it. Cultural center is especially well done. Many vintage photographs with wonderful and interesting explanations. Our favorite: a photo and text featuring Dr. A. C. Jackson, the famous black surgeon (lauded by Mayo Brothers) who was shot dead as he was trying to surrender. Cool to see AME church, the only church to survive the destruction. Mural. Hundreds of plaques embedded in sidewalk denoting the names of businesses destroyed, and whether or not they reopened after rebuilding. Hard to believe how recent all this was—only 32 years before we were born.

Wednesday, October 16. Spending 3 days with my sister Sue in Burleson. My niece loved toasting everyone at our table with her little cappuccino mug. Went to Fort Worth Stockyards. Just a few show Longhorns now. Reflected on when it was an auction, full of cattle, sellers, and buyers. Beautiful trail along Marine Creek next to stockyards. Turtles sunning on a log. Just outside stockyards, ate at Joe T. Garcia's with it's beautiful fountains and plants.

Sunday, October 13. Hard to exaggerate what a good time we had at the LBJ National Historical Park east of Fredericksburg. Stepped inside one room Junction School which LBJ attended from age 4. And inside his birthplace. Johnson was no Lincoln, coming from nothing, but still—to think he rose from these beginnings to the presidency. LBJ's ranch is a working ranch—descendants of his registered Herefords roam the ranch today. Calves are born regularly. For humane reasons, LBJ branded his cattle on the horns, not the hide. He added thousands of acres to the small farm on which he was born. The picturesque family cemetery is his and Lady Bird's final resting place. Saw his Jetstar in which he came and went from his ranch (74 visits, totaling 490 days, in his 5 year presidency). Sadly, his Western White House was closed for rehabilitation. At this ranch he held cabinet meetings and entertained world leaders, dignitaries, and celebrities. We hadn't realized to what extent LBJ created his own image with this ranch: he didn't want to be some regular senator from somewhere in Texas. No, he was a Texas cattleman—western, rugged, and independent. Literally dozens and dozens of wineries in the 20 miles between the LBJ NHP and Fredericksburg. We stopped, had a glass, and listened to live music at the beautiful Signor Vineyards.

Saturday, October 12. Had listened to a podcast interview of Alan Graham, founder of Community First Village, an innovative tiny home village meant to house the homeless. A January 9, 2024 NYT article had given the project lengthy and exceptionally positive coverage. So we visited. It would be hard to exaggerate how impressive the village is. Clean, tidy, colorful, artistic. None of the monotony of standard "factory model, low income" housing. Just remarkable. And to think these fortunate residents had been living on the streets of Austin. A library, market, community room, sculptures, vegetable gardens, memorial garden, pavilions, etc. At Meanwhile Brewing, cool to see Texans at a huge outdoor screen watching the Longhorns drub the Sooners. Playground and netted mini soccer field for kids. Comfortable enjoying superb burger, fries, and brew under solid shade even on a 93 degree day. Great vibe. Went up to Georgetown to finish the day. Again, great Texas vibe. Rifles for a bar footrail. Only in Texas. Sculpture of "3 Legged Willie," a Texas hero for whom Williamson County is named. Texas honors and lauds its heroes.

Friday, October 11. We are staying with my nephew, niece and their family in Austin. Not only had we read Doris Kearns' great Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, watched a couple documentaries on LBJ, but we were teenagers during his presidency. Yesterday we were finally able to visit LBJ Presidential Library. Humans like to read and remember what's sensational or horrific, so it's no surprise that the American public remembers Johnson as the president who presided over the Viet Nam debacle. True enough. LBJ knew he "couldn't win the war, and couldn't get out."" Reminded us of what Jefferson said of slavery, we have "a wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go." Sadly, LBJ wanted to be remembered for his Great Society and his signature achievement, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964. We viewed the desk on which he signed that landmark legislation. LBJ was in a unique position to achieve this momentous bill: a southern Democrat, a former ultra powerful US senator, an actual believer in civil rights, and a visionary of a future America shed of racial discrimination. He is said to have remarked upon signing the bill, "We (the Democratic party) have lost the South for a generation." LBJ should be remembered for his courage on the race front. Kathy got the LBJ treatment. Walked to the capitol and square. Cool layout. Several notable sculptures and monuments: Civil War States Rights, Volunteer Firefighters, African-American, and Tejanos. Walked along Waller Creek from LBJ library to capitol and back. Beautiful and peaceful. Texas Exes (a TU alumni club) created many beautiful sculptures and spaces.

Wednesday, October 9. Drove down the Trace to Natchez. Reminisced about biking it just 6 months ago. Went just a mile off the Trace to see Springfield Plantation where Andrew and Rachel Jackson were married. Not currently open. Since our April bike trip, we had read The Prince Among Slaves, the story (Terry Alford, author) of Abd al-Rahman Ibrahima, an African prince who was sold in Natchez to Thomas Foster who owned the Foster Plantation, near Saint Catherine Creek, just north of Natchez. The prince was a well known figure in Natchez. An incredible read with an improbable ending. The prince's descendants meet periodically on the old planation. Searched on Foster Mound Road by Saint Catherine Creek, but couldn't find any placard or information. As it was Easter, Grand Village of the Natchez was closed when we were in Natchez in April. Interesting to see the mounds as corroborated by European visitor writings. We had such great memories from April, so we returned to The Camp to sip drinks and once again watch the barges on the Mississippi.

Tuesday, October 8. Toured Rowan Oak, William Faulkner's home, in Oxford, Mississippi yesterday. His short story, "A Rose for Emily," is in the high school literature canon. Steve read it in 11th grade. "Dry September" is Steve's favorite Faulkner to read with his own 11th and 12th grade students. Cool to see the outline of A Fable on Faulkner's study wall written in his own hand. Faulkner had been aggravated that a breeze blew away his outline on a piece of paper. Steve considers Faulkner's 1949 Nobel acceptance speech one of the great American speeches. Faulkner's most often quoted line is from Requiem for a Nun: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." Great line to explain why a rough childhood or racism keeps coming back to haunt us. William Faulkner grave. Drove to Money, Mississippi to see Bryant's Grocery and the Emmett Till historical marker in front of it. Important to remember the 1955 torture and murder, sham trial, acquittal, and braggart's confession for $4,000 in Look Magazine. Seems so long ago, but yet in our lifetime. Bob Dylan's song, "The Death of Emmett Till"—not one of our favorites—is nonetheless memorable. The tragedy was a catalyst for the civil rights movement. Drove many miles in Mississippi's cotton growing delta. Cotton fields everywhere. Fascinating to see cotton harvest in progress—harvester, offloading into a wagon, and then compressed by a bailer. Odd to see white cotton bales, almost identical in size and shape to Wisconsin's hay bales. Loose, stray, windblown, cotton bolls all along roadsides for miles and miles. Stayed last night in Jackson's Drury Inn. Cool to think we rode our bikes to this same hotel just 6 months ago when riding The Natchez Trace. Felt like we were cheating to drive up—but we sure don't mind.

Monday, October 7. On a road trip to see my nephew and niece in Austin, Texas as well as my sister and her family southwest of Dallas. Steve and I had both read Radium Girls. The Radium Dial Company and Luminous Processes was in Ottawa, Illinois. Ottawa is just 10 miles off I-39, so we took a side trip to see the sculpture commemorating the girls on the site of the Ottawa plant. Thoughtful art: in her left hand, the girl holds the fateful brush, but in her right hand is a wilted tulip, symbolizing the workers' tragic fate. The wilted tulip parallels the "canary in the coal mine" which told miners of imminent danger. It was sad but energizing to remember the girls' courage which continued reforms toward more worker power, labor rights, and corporate accountability. Just a block away is the Lincoln Douglas Park, the site of the first of the Lincoln-Douglas debates (August 21, 1858), the most famous debates in American history. The park, sculpture, and a mural are thoughtfully and beautifully executed. Good to recall that it was here that a relatively unknown country lawyer first articulated his stand against the spread of slavery in new territories of the United States. We stayed in Oxford, Mississippi, last night.

Sunday, September 29, 2024. Annual ride to Hawk's Orchard and Timber Hill Winery. New arch to celebrate Peace Trail.

Sunday, September 22, 2024. Annual Vegter beach weekend. Our family. Kathy and Amber. On the beach. Leo and Ziggy.

Monday, September 16, 2024. Hank hanging out in roaster room while Seth is roasting.

Sunday, September 15, 2024. Traditional ride to DC Estate Winery in Illinois with live music. DC stands for Dry Creek. Stopped by G5 Brewery for burger and fries. Unseasonably warm weather. Traditional stop over Turtle Creek. Country roads. Fall and tall corn. 35 miles round trip.

Friday, September 13, 2024. Annual grape and apple harvest. Preparing grapes. Separating juice. Leo. Ziggy and Leo. Felix hauling apples. Lots of grapes and apples. Some of 9 gallons of juice.

Thursday, September 12, 2024. Danced to Ludy and his Lady at Genisa overlooking Rock River. Fabulous evening.

Sunday-Tuesday, September 8-10, 2024. Annual fall ride to New Glarus and Monroe. Left Sunday at 8:00 and arrived at Bailey's Run Winery, west of New Glarus, by 12:15. Fabulous weather and live music overlooking a valley and distant hills. Sugar River Pizza for supper. Headed to Monroe. Baumgartner's in Monroe. Where else? Several million spent restoring iconic court house. It looks it. Always fascinated by railroad cuts through rock. Traditional pause over Sugar River. Fall is wonderful along country roads: cutting silage, mown hay, angus herd. Left Monroe Tuesday at 8:30, back home at 12:30.

Sunday, September 1, 2024. Annual ride to Staller Winery. 40 miels round trip.

Saturday, August 31, 2024. Beautiful day at Grant Beach with Jordan.

Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Felix' last day washing dishes at Mocha Moment. Back to School.

Saturday, August 24, 2024. Felix and his triathlon. Cousins.

Tuesday, August 20, 2024. Felix and Rocket growing up. Headed home.

Saturday-Sunday, August 17-18, 2024. Quite a few bike riders had told us about "Heart of Vilas Bike Trail" in northern Wisconsin. We usually take roads, but decided to ride this trail on a long weekend getaway. The trail is 50 miles long, all paved. We stayed right in the middle, in Boulder Junction, and rode one direction, round trip each day. Mercer and back Saturday. St. Germain and back Sunday. So back to back 50s. Rained on our return Saturday. Got soaked. We stayed in Boulder Bear Motor Lodge. Cool experience. Awesome owner and host. Boulder Junction appears spiffy, rustic, and prosperous. All lodging, bars, grills, and shops feature fishing and hunting themes. The trail itself exceeded expectations. It wends through tall, dense, majestic forest, enchanting woods, and sparkling lakes. Intentionally winding, so never boring. Kudos to whoever envisioned and created this treasure. We ate outstanding BBQ and brisket at Lazy Ace Saloon along the trail. Smoking BBQ while we ate. Ice cream at Corner Store along the trail.

Wednesday, August 14. Grandkids enjoyed sweet corn from our garden.

Sunday, August 11. 100th anniversary of the Butterfly. Hector and Mike are great guys. Quite a party. Appetizers and drinks on the house. Band on the deck as well as inside. The oldest son, Aeneas, told us "We are family. Where we know your name and your drink when you walk in the door. The Butterfly is safe as long as the Salas are around." Proud of our hangout.

Thursday, August 8. Our annual bike ride through Oakhill Cemetery to see Jedediah's grave, and then through Riverside Park. We always finish at Wissota by the river.

Sunday, July 28. The Hutterites made the National Geographic, August, 2024.

Tuesday, July 23. Rocket put together this puzzle. Felix made this blanket.

Saturday, July 20. Hangar Dance with Ladies Must Swing at Rock County Airport.

Thursday, July 18. A walk in our Mocha Moment woods with Rocket. Kathy and Rocket by our massive Bur Oak which a forester tells us is between 240 and 265 years old.

Friday-Monday, July 5-8. Rocket caught a big one. Can't believe how many people showed up for Gordon fireworks. Great show. Races for kids. Campfire. Ziggy enjoyed his s'more. Time to say goodbye. Amber's family. Grandkids.

Thursday, July 4. After Mocha Moment closed, rode to Seth's. Hank and Leo played in the sand. Back yard pretty empty after tornado. Then rode to DeAnna's.

Wednesday, June 19. Hank fed the birds with me today. Mocha Moment Big News this summer: No Road. Total Reconstruction. March to November.

Monday, June 17. Kathy and Rocket. Hot weather. Swim time.

Friday, June 14. Lemonade Stand. $78. Big Bucks.

Wednesday, June 12. Biking home after our weekly grill out.

Sunday, June 9. Devin and Jozie had given us a Milwaukee Grill gift card. Finally used it. Bike ride to Afton and up to the Grill. Pretty and cozy on the patio. Saw a deer on the return. Lots of rain lately, so river was high and beautiful. After all these years, never get used to how beautiful and wonderful our trail is. 30 miles today.

Thursday, June 6. Hank came to bake with Kathy. Zach and Micaela.

Friday, May 31. Grandkids overnight. Felix climbing the swing. One-handed. Scared another mom. It helps to have a gym at your house.

Tuesday, May 28. A moment to remember.

Thursday, May 23. Hank's report cards look good.

Wednesday, May 22. Ziggy fed birds with me for the first time. Rocket helped me plant Coleus.

Tuesday, May 21. Ziggy discovers the squirt gun.

Thursday, May 16. Seth at the cabin: family, beach, Leo, hike.

Monday, May 13. Tara, Amber, and kids at Oakhill playground.

Saturday, May 11. Mike, Jerry, and I took mother to our house and had lunch for Mother's Day. Wonderful time. Went to cemetery.

Friday, May 3. Reading and Singing "One Mississippi."

Monday, April 29. Kathy and Rocket with some stitching time.

Sunday, April 28. Ziggy's 2nd birthday. Kathy's favorite son-in-law.

Thursday, April 25. Annual seeding our bedding plants. Hank and Leo.

Friday, April 19. Picked up our rental car. Read. Hung out. I guess we settled on an evening dinner spot, The Pub, a British styled restaurant. Great Haddock. 7 miles today. Home tomorrow.

Thursday, April 18. For decades, have been intrigued by Frederick Hart, the great sculptor. Steve does composition units with students on many of Hart's sculptures. Hart's studio is recreated in an exhibit at Belmont University. Photography is prohibited in the studio, but saw working models of many of his famous pieces. "The Three Soldiers" at the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. is likely Hart's most recognizable sculpture, followed by "Ex Nihilo," his Magnum Opus on the western facade of the National Cathedral. An iteration of Adam from Ex Nihilo. Another famous work is Daughter's of Odessa, a representation of the brutally murdered daughters of Czar Nicholas. It's a haunting piece which Hart called a memorial to the millions of innocent victims of the "nihilistic ideologies of the 20th century." Summa Health in Akron hosts a well known iteration of Daughters of Odessa. Finally, Hart pioneered with images in acrylic, pieces so beautiful, luminous, and mesmerizing. Saw a model of the acrylic work, "Millennium Cross," which Hart presented personally to John Paul II. Two other full size clay models: President Carter and James Webb, for whom the Webb Telescope is named. When Steve was doing his latest unit on Frederick Hart, who died in 1999, one of Hart's sons sent Steve a video documentary and a beautiful, coffee table edition of his father's work. His son told Steve, "Thanks for presenting my father's legacy to a new generation." Walked by Belmont Mansion on Belmont's beautiful campus. Built with profits from the infamous slave trading corporation, Franklin and Armfield, the mansion is stunning. Steve had read "The Ledger and the Chain," a 2021 book on that corporation whose most major market had been Natchez where, 3 weeks ago, we saw the memorial at their slave market, Forks of the Road. Danced the night away again to the sounds of 2 bands at Alan Jackson's on Broadway. Again, Broadway is a good experience once, but we won't miss those crowds. Walked about 8 miles today.

Wednesday, April 17. Toured historic Ryman Auditorium today. Built as a gospel tabernacle by Tom Ryman, a wealthy Nashville shipping magnate who was converted at a Sam Jones revival, the Ryman eventually became a stage for world class talent and most famously, country music. Viewing dozens of displays of clothing, instruments, and memorabilia, we wondered "Who hasn't performed here?" Roosevelt, Caruso, Armstrong, Presley, Parton, Springsteen, Swift, and on and on. Steve fondly remembers as a young boy listening to the Grand Ole Opry with his dad on Saturday evenings. And the show came live from that Ryman stage. It certainly enriched our tour experience that last year we had watched Ken Burns' wonderful, 8 episode documentary on the history of country music. After the Grand Ole Opry era (1943-74), the Ryman fell into disuse and was almost demolished. In 1994, restoration efforts prevailed, and the Ryman once again hosts America's entertainment. Walked up to the state capitol. Large statue of General Jackson astride his horse. Walked along the Cumberland River. Not exceptional as city waterfronts go. Walked up Broadway. Couldn’t believe our good fortune in picking a good spot to spend the evening: Alan Jackson's Good Times Bar—"It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere." The band was outstanding, but it was the fiddle player who was mesmerizing. She played "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" twice. Sorry, Charlie. Lacy does it better, and faster. She never lost perfect control of her fiddle and strings. When I asked Lacy where she learned to play like that, she just said "Mississippi." Don't remember ever being so riveted by a band—4 straight hours. Listened and danced the night away. Walked about 8 miles today.

Tuesday, April 16. A guy just sat down, got out his guitar, and started singing on a Starbucks patio. I guess we are in Nashville. Visited the Parthenon in Centennial Park today. Vanderbilt was founded because the railroad baron donated $1M to establish a university in the South to help heal sectional antagonism after the Civil War. Nashville declared itself the "Athens of the South,"xw" so it was fitting that the city would build a full-scale replica of the Parthenon, the ultimate symbol of classical culture, as the centerpiece for its 1897 centennial. Meant to be temporary, the Nashville Parthenon was rebuilt in the 1920’s because it was so popular. Like its namesake, the Parthenon houses a full scale sculpture of Athena, goddess of wisdom. The replica is the largest indoor sculpture in America. Walked around beautiful Lake Watauga. Significant exhibit honoring Tennessee's suffragettes. Walked down Broadway. Burger and brew at Jason Aldean's. Listened to Rachel Schumacher band on dining room stage for a couple hours. Good music. Covers of country favorites. Different bands on that stage at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. Then music continues on rooftop at 10:00 pm. Happening all the time. Friends told us Broadway is quieter weeknights, but crowded weekends. If this is "less crowded," we are happy to be here now, and not this weekend. Seemingly endless joints, side by side, all with live bands, all crowded. Fun to experience once. Walked 11-12 miles today. Still getting exercise.

Monday, April 15. Spent some time taking in views of double-arch bridge over Birdsong Hollow, a deep and wooded valley. Opening in 1994 and finally completing the Natchez Trace Parkway, it is the first segmentally constructed concrete arch bridge in America. The bridge won the 1995 Presidential Award for design excellence. Rode off the Trace terminus at 9:30 am. Celebrated with a big breakfast at famous Loveless Cafe. Still 15 miles to our Airbnb near downtown Nashville. Impressive boardwalk through Richland Creek Greenway. Too early to check in, so hung out in outdoor patio of Pancho and Lefty’s. We’ll give our bikes a rest tomorrow and do some walking. 36 miles today. 645 total.

Sunday, April 14. Steep climb out of Fall Hollow to start the day. But worth it to see the waterfall. An exhibit on a tobacco barn explaining industry. Tobacco leaves drying inside. Wonderful valley view at Baker Bluff Overlook. Built in 1818, the Gordon House is one of two stands remaining from original Trace. Gordon also operated the ferry on nearby Duck River. General Jackson rocketed to fame and ultimately the presidency with the Battle of New Orleans. The Natchez Trace was in its heyday then, and thousands of soldiers moved up and down the Trace before and after the battle. Stands served as hospitals. The dead were buried in unmarked graves up and down the Trace. A marble monument memorializes volunteers of the War of 1812 War. Dozens and dozens of cyclists on the Trace today. We are staying in Leiper's Fork, a cute and quaint village. Perfect timing to sip wine and listen to solo acoustic guitar and vocals on the bank of the Harpeth River behind Wines in the Fork winery. Soothing music. Lots of families enjoying perfect weather. Many listeners sitting on chairs in the shallow river while children played in the water. Ate burgers, fries, and fried okra at Fox & Locke which also featured live music. Quite the gathering place. Lots of happy people. Dozens of motorcycles and their riders coming and going. A grand evening. Only 15 miles left to Trace terminus. We'll finish tomorrow. 42 miles today. 609 so far.

Saturday, April 13. Bumped into a couple fellow cyclists at Glenrock Branch picnic area on the Trace. We had met them back in Tupelo. Residents of Quebec, they are biking back home from New Orleans. We've met several cyclists on the Trace. The Trace inspires again today: running streams, singing birds, and woods all along today. Stayed a while at Meriwether Lewis burial and monument site. Steve had read the Journals of Lewis and Clark a couple times. It is hard to exaggerate the significance of their Corps of Discovery Expedition: when the explorers returned from the great western void to St. Louis in 1806, they were "rock stars." Appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory by Jefferson, Lewis was returning to Washington D. C. with his journals. Traveling the Natchez Trace in its heyday, Lewis had stopped at Grinders Stand (typical inn on Trace). Overcome with sickness, depression, and bankruptcy, Lewis killed himself that night, October 10, 1809. The state of Tennessee placed the monument over his gravesite in 1848. The cut off spire is intentional—a life cut short. Lewis was 35. Arrived at our Fall Hollow B&B in good time. 39 miles today. 567 out.

Friday, April 12. Great conversation with Conrad last night and again this morning over dinner and breakfast. Outstanding food. Ute drove us around the farm in her Gator this morning while she did chores with her animals. Again, Farmhouse Sanctuary is an animal rescue farm. Conrad and Ute take care of separate herds of sheep, Longhorn cattle, and horses spread over 300 acres. Saw their woodworking, bakery, and honeybee operations. Ute knows all her animals by name. Conrad specializes in sourdough breads. Walked the Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall. For 33 years using 8.5 million pounds of stone, Tom Hendrix built the largest unmortared wall in America as a memorial to his great grandmother, Te-la-nay, a Yuchi Indian who was forced to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Journeying back to her home in 5 years, Te-la-nay said that "we all pass away, but only the stones remain." This verbal legacy gave her descendant, Tom, the inspiration to memorialize her with a stone for every step of her journey home. This stone wall is beyond incredible—you'd have to experience it to believe. Crossed the state line into Tennessee about noon. Exceptional Airbnb in Collinwood. We are listening to Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman album on vinyl. Who would have thought. Fish fry at only restaurant in Collinwood. Catfish only fish on menu. Had white beans, hush puppies, and sweet tea with fried catfish. Yes, we are still in the South. 22 miles today. 528 out.

Thursday, April 11. Cool lodging. Bear Creek Saloon Guesthouse. Host was exceptional. Offered to have her brother take us to his basement in case of tornado. Lance, owner of Sunflower Food Store in Tishomingo, gave us a ride to buy groceries for dinner and breakfast. Mississippi is the "Hospitality State." Lance epitomizes southern friendliness and hospitality. Drizzle or light rain off and on till mid afternoon. Rode anyway. Crossed into Alabama. Exhibit on Bear Creek Mound. Once again, had been excited to ride across the Tennessee River bridge, take time, and enjoy the moment. But it was raining. Super windy. So windy that it felt uncomfortable on the bridge. Crossed that huge river as quickly as possible. Oh, well. Water standing everywhere. Creeks and streams rushing. Found our lodging, Farmhouse Sanctuary B&B. We were soaked, so hot shower felt great. Delightful hosts. Sanctuary because they are an animal rescue shelter for horses, cows, sheep, dogs, etc. They have a website which tells a great deal about them. Conrad has a commercial kitchen, so we feasted. 36 miles today. 506 out.

Wednesday, April 10. In all these years of biking adventures, we were never unable to ride to our next lodging. Well, it happened today. We are in the middle of a major 3 day storm which has caused major power outages in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Torrential rain. We had to take a Mulligan. Oh, well. Crossed the Tombigbee Waterway, the ambitious federal project enabling barge traffic between the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers, connecting America's midsection with the Gulf, and Chattanooga to Mobile. Completed in 1984 for $2 billion, the channel is 234 miles long with 10 locks. Rather impressive.

Tuesday, April 9. Rained all day. Fortunate we had chosen to stay 2 nights in Tupelo. About a 2 hour window without rain. Went for it. Saw Tupelo National Battlefield celebrating the Union defeat of Confederates in July, 1864. A Black brigade performed superbly, further removing prejudice in federal officers and forces. 2 statues in Fairpark where Elvis performed at age 10 in a talent show and took 5th place. Returning 11 years later as the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis was welcomed by thousands of screaming fans as well as the Mississippi governor, and was given the key to the city. The Elvis Presley Homecoming Statue recreates a scene from 2 sold out shows on these fair grounds. The other statue is of Piomingo, the great Chickasaw chief, and important ally of America in the late 1700's. Piomingo said, "Could I once see the day that whites and reds were all friends, it would be like getting new eyesight." Over 20 Elvis-themed guitars appear throughout Tupelo, one at Johnnie's Drive-In Bar B Q, a favorite restaurant where Elvis ate. Spent a few minutes at Elvis' birthplace and boyhood church where he absorbed so many southern, musical influences. Looked at radar and raced back to our room. Got rained on just last 5 minutes. Considered ourselves lucky—saw what we wanted and still mostly dry. 10 miles around Tupelo. 425 total.

Monday, April 8. Threats of rain later so left Mathiston by 7:00. Rode into Tupelo about noon. Whereas Jackson felt weary and struggling, Tupelo appears modern, bustling, and inviting. Passed MM 222, halfway point of Trace. Rode through Tombigbee National Forest. America is such a big land. Passed fields of yellow blossomed plants. Are they Canola plants? Reminded me of Robert Frost's "A Passing Glimpse," so I must add "not Tulips." Saw exhibit on Chickasaw Council House, where the Chickasaw were forced to sign treaties surrendering their lands. Chickasaw lived in central Mississippi before they were forced to move to Oklahoma by the Indian Removal Act. Migration known as Trail of Tears. Many exhibits echo these sad events. We saw miles and miles of farm land from an overlook. Especially good dinner on patio at Fairpark Grill. 63 miles today. 415 out.

Sunday, April 7. Stayed in Kosciusko Saturday evening. Great Mexican restaurant, El Rodeo, next to our room. Back on the Trace. Exhibit on Bethel Mission, an 1822 endeavor to educate Choctaw and other area children. By 1826 the Trace was in decline as a road and the mission folded. A Frenchman named LeFlore founded French Camp, a stand on the Trace. He married a Choctaw, and their famous son changed his name to Greenwood LeFlore and became a Choctaw Chief and U.S. senator. Took a break at Jeff Busby campground. Busby was the U.S. representative from Mississippi who envisioned the Trace and promoted it until FDR eventually signed it into law as a WPA project. Busby envisioned work for jobless locals who were destitute in the Great Depression. Arrived in Mathiston for the night and ate Mississippi food again: fried catfish, hush puppies, and fried okra. Drank sweet tea. 51 miles today. 352 total so far.

Saturday, April 6. Left Jackson and rode miles and miles along the western shoreline of Ross Barnett Reservoir. Beautiful. Huge. Completed in 1963, it is Mississippi's largest source of drinking water. Fascinated by the boardwalk at Cypress Swamp exhibit. Looked for gators, but saw none. Pearl River exhibit was beautiful, too. Angus cattle grazing. Natchez Trace continues still, beautiful, and wonderful. Trace was quite flat today. We will have plenty of hills soon enough. 63 miles today. 301 out.

Friday, April 5. For decades I've been moved by the power and brilliance of Bob Dylan's lyrics, "Only a Pawn in their Game." It's little wonder he won the Nobel. I am mesmerized by his performance of that song during March on Washington, August 28, 1963. For decades I've wanted to visit Medgar Evers' home where he was assassinated in his own driveway with his family inside. Rode there today. Sobering to reflect on the price he and so many others paid to end the sad Jim Crow era. And it wasn't that long ago. A park ranger pointed us to nearby Myrlie's Garden, a new and impressive garden space to celebrate their lives. We'd have missed it except for the helpful ranger. The home and garden made us proud to be Americans. Then we visited Eudora Welty's home and museum. Had read her 1972 Pulitzer Prize winner, The Optimist's Daughter. Was moved by her powerful piece, "Where is that Voice Coming From," which she wrote for The New Yorker upon the assassination of Medgar Evers. Great staff at her home and museum. Showed us exhibits and were quite helpful. Rode a short distance to see The Oaks, built in 1853 for Jackson's Mayor Boyd. The house was one of only a few to survive the Civil War. Brews and wings on the deck at Fenian's, a quaint Irish pub. 22 miles around Jackson today. 238 total so far.

Thursday, April 4. Left hilly Vicksburg this morning. Won't miss the hills. Beautiful ride back to Trace along Fisher Ferry Road. Fascinated by large herd of Angus cattle. Seemed to be in motion. If I were a cattleman, I would know why. But I don't. Met Frank, owner of Crossroads Country Store. Typical, friendly Mississippian. Frank epitomizes the sign on his porch: "The gathering place. Where friends become family." Says lots of people come from the countryside for his barbecue, fish fries, and shrimp boils. But wrong time of day. Back on the Trace. Exhibit of Deans Stand, an inn long ago on the Trace. Exhibit on Greenwood, a plantation built by Cowles Mead, once acting Mississippi governor, and who had ordered the arrest of Aaron Burr for treason. Now all that's left are the grave markers of Mead and his wife. 70 miles today. So 216 out.

Wednesday, April 3. Visited Vicksburg National Battlefield, of course. Rode most of battlefield except northern extremity. Gorgeous sunny day. Belies the slaughter that took place here. Over 1,200 memorials and markers. Towering and commanding state monuments. The war must have been epic in the hearts and minds of that generation for them to have spent so much time and money to place such impressive memorials. Scores and scores of regiments have their markers. The Illinois monument is remarkable: reminiscent of the Roman pantheon to honor their gods, the Illinois monument similarly features an open dome and contains the names of soldiers who struggled to capture Vicksburg as well as large etchings of officer names. The Wisconsin memorial features Old Abe atop the spire. Old Abe, the legendary mascot of the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteers, served at Vicksburg. Old Abe's stuffed remains perished in the fire that destroyed the Wisconsin capitol in 1904; a replica has presided over the Wisconsin Assembly ever since. Steve's Grandpa Hey was one of six siblings who formed Hey Brothers Ice Cream and Dairy. Three known siblings died in infancy. Logan, who lived 2 weeks in 1887, was named after General John Logan, who is remembered with an impressive monument and sculpture at Vicksburg. Think of General Logan's stature to have babies named after him. One sobering marker memorialized the soldiers who fell at Vicksburg, and implored future generations of Americans to never take up arms against each other again. What would those who placed that message think of the vitriol that appears to creep closer in our current political discourse. Ate dinner seated at a sunny, open air window at Key City Brewery in historic downtown Vicksburg. Great burgers and drinks. 18 miles around Vicksburg today. So 146 miles out.

Tuesday, April 2. Stopped to walk on "The Sunken Trace." Much top soil is loose and spongy. Centuries of walking by animals, Indians, and whites, compressed the Trace a great deal, so the Trace became sunken. Most streams we crossed were dry or trickling. Bayou Pierre has plenty of water. Side trip to Vicksburg on Fisher Ferry Road. Stopped for water at Crossroads Store. Odd to see a Coca-Cola museum. Learned that Coca-Cola was first bottled in Vicksburg. Civil War monuments everywhere. Wisconsin memorial on Wisconsin Avenue. 49 miles today. 128 out so far.

Monday, April 1. Left Natchez and entered the Trace this morning. 449 miles to Nashville. Just as we imagined, the Trace is quiet, forested, beautiful, and full of birds and their songs. Saw the remains (a brick wall) of Elizabeth Female Academy, the first institution (1819) of higher learning for women in Mississippi. After the capital moved to Jackson, it struggled and closed its doors in 1845. It was the counterpart to Jefferson College, about a mile away. Took a side trip to Emerald Mound, a religious and temple site built by ancestors of the Natchez. Temple mounds, not burial mounds. At Mile Marker 12, saw Loess Bluff where layers of soil, blown in from the west, are clearly visible. At MM15, saw Mount Locust, one of two remaining stands (hostel, inn, tavern) on the Trace. There had been dozens. We are staying at Isabella B&B in Port Gibson, a very old city with stately old houses, surrounded by a dilapidated and dying town. Very sad. City welcome sign: "Welcome to Port Gibson. Too beautiful to Burn." Police cars are painted with this saying, too. Apparently, Grant said that after the battle for Port Gibson. Large Confederate monument. Seems strange after seeing Yankee soldier memorials all my life in the north which honor the Union. Ate soul food at Mississippi's Finest. Coleman, the owner, epitomizes southern hospitality. Ate fried chicken, okra, black-eyed peas, corn bread, and drank sweet tea. Sitting on the veranda of Isabella and watching the sun go down makes me reflect on the centuries that have passed this place. 50 miles today. So 79 out.

Sunday, March 31. Saw old Fort Rosalie site, built by the French. Rode out to Natchez City Cemetery. Impressive for old monuments and beauty. Linton Avenue lined with giant old mansions with verandas. Private residences today. Toured Stanton Hall, a typical, great antebellum southern mansion of which Natchez has many. Great Hall. Frederick Stanton was an attorney and planter, eventually owning seven plantations and enslaving 600 people. Incredible architecture and beauty. Easy to visualize the ostentatious wealth of the planter class and simultaneous impoverishment of everyone else, white and black. Owned and preserved by Pilgrimage Garden Club, they operated it as a B&B for many years. General MacArthur and Lady Bird Johnson, to name a few, were guests. Confederate War Memorial at Memorial Park. Inscription eulogizes "Lost Cause" but notes "though lost it be to men, lives with God again." Nothing has changed all these years: politicizing and socializing Christ to justify earthly causes, both good and evil. Shrimp for lunch: only item on menu at Andrew's. Knew King's Tavern was permanently closed, but stopped for a look anyway. Oldest building in Natchez: 1789. Rode out to Grand Village of the Natchez NHP. Open Sundays, but closed for Easter. Quite disappointed, but glad someone else gets the day off. Toured Melrose, an antebellum plantation owned by NPS. Great and informative audio and walking tour of grounds and out buildings. Saw Barlands, first Natchez school for Blacks. Historical markers everywhere. Would take weeks to read and digest all of them. Back to Under-the-Hill for live music at Under-the-Hill Saloon. Great band. Joined lots of happy people, about our age, dancing to "My Girl" and many other classics. Catfish dinner at Magnolia Grill on the Mississippi. Asked if they served fried okra, but had to settle for fried asparagus. 29 miles just riding around Natchez.

Saturday, March 30. Good ride on Amtrak. Arrived in Jackson, Mississippi at 9:00 am. Shuttle to Natchez to begin our ride up the Natchez Trace. (Natchez were an Indian Nation virtually exterminated by the French.) Gorgeous spring day. Couldn't visit historic Jefferson College (chartered 1802, Mississippi’s first college), but saw it from fence. Rode down to historic Under-the-Hill on the Mississippi riverfront. Met a super friendly and informative local at The Camp. Travis noticed our Treks. Used to work in a Trek shop. Talked with Travis, drank a brew, and watched barges on the Mississippi for a couple hours. Met owner of Under-the-Hill Saloon (next door) who showed us a picture of Blue Cat Lounge (former name of his establishment) where Jerry Lee Lewis got his start decades ago. Great calzone at Natchez Brewing Company. Inspiring architecture in St. Mary Basilica. Rode to Old South Winery who for decades have grown their own Muscadine grapes, one of the only grapes which thrive in hot, humid climate. Had read The Ledger and the Chain, a book on America's largest domestic slave trading corporation, Franklin & Armfield, with headquarters in Alexandria, agents in most large, southeastern cities, and shipping their tragic cargo overland and by ship to New Orleans and Natchez, the second largest slave auction in the west. Natchez' market where F & A sold their unhappy victims was called Forks of the Road, outside city limits because "polite people" wanted the auction out of sight. Now a National Historical Park, Forks of the Road is small, with some signage, and detailed description. Quite sobering. Back to The Camps to spend the late evening watching the Mississippi, listening and talking to locals.

Friday, March 29, 2024. Leo helped his dad stock Woodman's coffee.

Monday, March 11, 2024. I told Rocket her hair matches the Crocuses.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Nice dance at the Venue.

Sunday, March 3, 2024. Hank rode his bike to our house. And back. Learning in his driveway in February.

Thursday, February 29, 2024. Stopped to see Savannah on the way home. Famous Savannah Squares, first American city intentionally laid out. Carriage tours are popular. Lots of history about John Wesley and the Methodists in the Reynolds Square. Great fountain in Forsyth Park. Telfair Academy with its iconic sculptures including Raphael, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo. Famous Chippewa Square with sculpture of James Oglethorpe, site of iconic Forrest Gump scene. Sannah native Johnny Mercer.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Met Jon and Hope at Swan Brewery in Lakeland.

Sunday, February 25, 2024. Traditional walk in Circle B Bar Reserve. Alligators as usual. Contrail of a Cape Kennedy launch (100 miles away). Osprey devouring his catch.

Saturday, February 24, 2024. Rode Courtney Campbell Causeway Trail across Tampa Bay with Jim and Carol. Breakfast and coffee at Cafe Vino Tinto in Safety Harbor.

Monday, February 19, 2024. Staying with Jim and Carol and seeing family for 2 weeks. Rode the Van Fleet Trail. Very pretty. Through a deal of swamp. Asphalt in good shape.

Wednesday, February 14. Finally visited Tuskegee. The university appears to be thriving with its grounds well kept. Had read Up from Slavery several times, most recently about 3 months ago. When I was in elementary, I read biographies of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. Saw the movie, Tuskegee Airmen years ago. Knowing we were going to visit, also read Booker T. and Teddy. Sadly, both The Oaks (Washington's home) and Carver Museum (Carver's lab) were closed for renovations. Cool to walk around anyway. Enjoyed seeing the well known sculpture, Lifting the Veil of Ignorance. Thoughtful expression of Washington's life work. Walked by their graves: Washington and Carver. Tuskegee Airmen museum was exceptionally interesting. Just another in a litany of reminders of great barriers that generation of Blacks overcame to contribute mightily to America. In spite of ""antiquated hangar exteriors," the two hangar interiors house a fully modern museum—superb audio visual. P-51 Mustang suspended from ceiling. Again, to look out at Moton Field and conjure images of those courageous and worthy airmen training to defend America during her great peril. Drove on Chappie James Drive (Tuskegee Airman and first Black Four Star General) to and from Moton Field.

Tuesday, February 13. Visited Cherokee Chief James Vann's mansion near Dalton, Georgia. A wealthy planter on his prosperous 1,000 acre plantation, Vann led efforts to assimilate his Cherokee nation. Had read Blood Moon, the best-selling story of the Cherokee nation. Stopped by New Echota, capital of the Cherokee nation. One original building, the two-story Worcester house, plus reconstructions of Vann tavern, print shop, council house, and supreme court building. Then drove to Rome, Georgia to see Chief Major Ridge's plantation home. Quite prosperous. Visiting Cherokee sites helps one grasp just how far the Cherokee had assimilated, making the expulsion and Trail of Tears doubly terrible and evil. Toured the Martin Luther King national historical park in Atlanta. Well worth it. Walls covered with his quotes. Impressive. The pool and grave are creative. Uprights on cascades of water convey words of King quoting Amos 5:24: "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream." Walked inside Ebenezer Baptist Church, imagining King preaching and straining for echoes. Always thankful for my 11th grade teacher Miss Dickson who challenged me to read King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Never forgot it. Saw King's boyhood home. Closed for renovations. Bummer. Great visit to the restored Fire Station 6 in the historical park. Built in 1894, it houses a restored 1927 American LaFrance Metropolitan Pumper Hose Car. Cool ranger telling us about it. Gorgeous day for a walk over to Jimmy Carter presidential library and museum. Didn't go inside but walked around the beautiful pond and grounds. Always short of time.

Monday, February 12, 2024. Stayed in Oak Ridge, the site of the uranium enrichment for the Manhattan Project. We had both read The Girls of Atomic City, the story of the workers during WWII. No tours in winter. Bummer. We did go through the American Museum of Science and Energy. Well done.

February 11, 2024. Sunday. Stopped for a few hours at New Harmony, Indiana, site of two of the most famous utopian experiments: Harmonists (1815-1825) and Robert Owens (1825-1826). Fascinating and sleepy small town. Saw several original Rappite (Harmonist) structures including homesteads as well as their granary which is now a typical, cool wedding venue. First log house. Work house and dormitory. Socialism has never worked on a large scale (Soviet Union). Heck, it didn't even work on a tiny scale with visionaries. Louisa May Alcott wrote a hilarious satire on her father's involvement with the short-lived Brook Farm (1841-47) utopian experiment. With Dickensian suffering dominating the wild west of the early industrial age, it's little wonder activists experimented with communal living. To be fair, I do know of one success: Hutterite Bruderhofs across America's northern plains and southern Canada have been very successful. We visited 2 in 2015 on our heritage quest in South Dakota. I remember my Grandmother Tschetter taking me to the Huron Community on the James River. We also visited the Wolf Creek Community by Freeman where the Hutterites originally homesteaded.

February 10, 2024. Saturday, Decided to drive, instead of fly, to Florida this year. Places we wanted to see. We had both read The First to Fall, (by Ken Ellingwood) the story of Elijah Lovejoy, the abolitionist printer who was killed by a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois in 1837 after which they dumped his press in the Mississippi. On the way to Alton today we listened to a podcast interview of the author. Lovejoy was front page news in his day and was a catalyst in the transition from gradual to immediate abolitionism. His martyrdom occasioned Wendell Phillips' entrance onto the national stage with his great "Freedom" speech at Faneuil Hall. (In May we saw Daniel Chester French's famous sculpture of Phillips and visited Faneuil Hall.) Raised in Illinois, Steve knew about Lovejoy from elementary school. Elijah Lovejoy also happens to be a cousin to Alan Lovejoy, the Janesville lumberman, who built Janesville's well known Lovejoy mansion. We saw the 110' Elijah Lovejoy Monument erected in the cemetery (where he is buried) and dedicated in 1897. Several of his inspiring quotes are etched into the memorial base. One: "I have sworn eternal opposition to slavery, and by the blessing of God, I will never go back." A second: "Gentlemen, as long as I am an American citizen, and as long as American blood runs in these veins, I shall hold myself at liberty to speak, to write, to publish whatever I please on any subject—being amenable to the laws of my country for the same." A third: "If the laws of my country fail to protect me I appeal to God, and with him I cheerfully rest my cause. I can die at my post but I cannot desert it." Lovejoy's grave with monument in background. We visited the house of Lincoln ally Lyman Trumbull who helped author the 13th Amendment. Also visited Old Rock House where the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society was formed after a riot chased the meeting from Lovejoy's church. We saw the Lincoln-Douglas Square where the 7th and final of the great debates of 1858 was held. Alton is also the hometown of Miles Davis, the great jazz saxophonist. We enjoyed learning about him in Ken Burns' documentary, "Jazz." So we saw his sculpture. I wonder if they have jazz musicians performing there in the summer. Cool space. We arrived in St. Louis early afternoon and visited the museum under the Gateway Arch. When we took our children to Texas in 1998, we saw my cousin, Jay Tschetter, creating the brick sculpture on the north wall of the museum, and had our picture taken with him. It was, for course, unfinished then. It honors the design and building of the Gateway Arch. Cool to enjoy it now and think "my cousin sculpted this." (Sadly, his south wall mural, "Photographers of the Old West," is no longer visible.) Jay's website, "Images in Brick". The museum is wonderfully modern. Selfie at the Arch. After all these visits on bike trips we both felt like "we were loafing" driving everywhere.

February 3, 2024. Saturday. Watched Hank and Leo this evening. Roasting sausage.

January 26, 2024. Friday. Amber's 3 overnight. Rocket baking. Everyone reading.

January 14, 2024. Sunday. Winter at Mocha Moment. Kathy sewed Felix a Ninja outfit. Entertaining Leo and Hank.

January 12, 2024. After a big snow storm, a Mocha Moment regular and Gazette photographer snapped 2 shots of Amber and the kids as they came sledding by. Amber has good memories of our pulling the kids to Lisa's Pizza after big snows.

January 7, 2024. Sunday. Ziggy feeding Meme. Meme watching Ziggy watch the screen.

December 30, 2023. Saturday. Yet another sad occasion. Funeral for Jerry Vegter who passed away December 8. Unexpected. Over 100 Vegter clan gathered. Loyalty. Funeral in Watertown. All the "cousins" at DeAnna's. Siblings at our house.

December 25, 2023. Monday. Kathy read to Hank and Leo on Christmas Day.

December 24, 2023. Sunday. Christmas Eve at Linda's. Always a good time. Chad and wee ones (Gulliver and Lilliputians). Ours.

December 17, 2023. Sunday. Seth treated to Rotary Gardens Light Show again this year. Seth and Ashley and family. Amber and DJ. To our house after for hot chocolate, mull wine, and treats. Working a puzzle with Leo and Felix.

December 16, 2023. Saturday. Mocha Moment staff party. Rocket had a visit with Santa. Kathy with Leo and Felix.

December 10, 2023. Sunday. All grandkids over. Felix and Ziggy. Making pizza with Rocket and Hank. Rocket. Felix. Kathy got all of them pajamas. And a puzzle. And a book.

December 9, 2023. Saturday. Hank and Leo's 4th and 2nd birthday party. Christmas party/dance at John and Vicki's. Good band. Great fun.

December 2, 2023. Saturday. Very sad occasion. Back in Florida for Bob's funeral. Quote board at Mocha Moment. Lunch after funeral. Just not right.

November 30, 2023. Thursday. Three Dean bikes with snow on the ground and frost on the roof. Commuting. An hour later, Amber and Rocket joined on scooter and bike. Runs in the family.

November 24, 2023. Friday. Quick flight to Florida for Cody's wedding. Kathy had come on Monday. Amber's family and Jordan. Felix with us. A bittersweet wedding. Bob, Cody's dad, had a stroke this morning. Not expected to make it. Mother and father of the groom, Bob and Sharon, not at the wedding. Sadness and joy at once.

November 23, 2023. Thursday. My 71st straight Thanksgiving with Mother. Famous dinner rolls. Leo enjoyed the rocking horse his father and grandfather rode. Stacking cups with Great Grandma Dean. Great photo with Grandma Dean. Asleep in just a couple minutes for the ride home.

November 19, 2023, Saturday. Rocket's first day washing some dishes at Mocha Moment.

November 18, 2023, Friday. Grandkids overnight. Ziggy pretty proud. Reading Aesop's Fables to Felix. Roasted sausage. Hit with kids.

November 13, 2023, Monday. Beautiful day. Potato Digging party with grandkids. Digging. And washing. Kathy made potato soup. Outstanding.

October 24, 2023, Tuesday. Windy, but gorgeous, warm fall weather. Bike ride to the overlook at the old ski jump in Big Hill Park, Beloit. Incredible view of Rock River. Entire park seems to have a golden hue. Only a half mile from Apple Hut, so cider donuts and cider of course.

October 22, 2023, Sunday. Benefit today for Bags of Hope. Entrance flowers still spectacular. Felix washed dishes for the benefit. DJ brought Rocket and Ziggy to the benefit and collected some treats. Amber took her 3 to the Apple Hut. Enjoyed spectacular weather to make our annual fall bike ride up to Milton's North Leaf Winery. Fall colors above average this year.

October 18, 2023, Wednesday. Among the head city planner's reasons Mocha Moment should not be built was that drive thru would be stacked into the street. In 2002 that seemed preposterous. A long way off. It happened this morning. Traffic couldn't get in or out for a couple of minutes.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023. Our annual fall bike trip to Apple Hut. Still enjoying the recent trail paving from Tripp Road to Townline Road. Good to contribue to Rock Trail through Mocha Moment benefits. Cider and apple cider donuts.

Sunday, October 1, 2023. With chillier weather looming, enjoyed a last summer-like bike ride of the season. Took the short, picturesque trail to Milton. Apple cider donuts and cider at Hawk's Orchard. First visit to the new Timber Hill Winery. On return trip, stopped at Crosby House on Sutherland. We've ridden by it before and always been curious. People outside painting and caulking. Rode up long drive and said we hoped we weren't intruding. On, no. The nicest people. Took us inside to show us a photograph. Built in 1851, Crosby House was first a mansion, then a hospital, then an asylum, orphanage, etc., etc. Now a private residence owned by an architect who still draws prints by hand.

Saturday, September 30, 2023. Rode bikes to see grandkids play soccer. Hank and Rocket. Felix. Felix is pretty agressive with lots of energy. Hank and Rocket are part of the crowd following the ball around. Kathy's high school friend, Jodi, came to visit today. Drove to Staller Winery together. First time by car.

Thursday, September 28, 2023. The long-awaited reopening of the Monterey Hotel. Janesville icon. Rode our bikes to the open house. JFK and Jaqueline came here on their 1959 campaign stop. Louis Armstrong was in their entourage and stayed here. Wonderfully restored by the Grafft family. Original trazcoat(sp?) floors. When we were very young, Kathy and I had fish fries at the The Orleans Restaurant. Memorable. Janesville's polished came here. Men in suits and sport coats. Women in finery. Original blueprints artfully displayed on hall walls. Hand drawn. Works of art. Nice touch.

Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Harvest with grandkids: Apples. Grapes. Ziggy and Leo stack wood. Beautiful apples. Kathy made 6 gallons of grape juice.

Tuesday, September 19, 2023. Delayed 2 hours in Verona Tuesday morning because of rain. Lunch in Albany. Home without getting wet. Such a treat to see mature corn, beans, cattle, and the encroaching harvest season. Always look for angus heard at corner of Spring Valley and Old 11. Back home. 221 miles.

Monday, September 18, 2023. Leaving Spring Green, took a last look at distant Taliesin, and then stopped at Unity Chapel and burial place of Frank Lloyd Wright among the Lloyd-Jones family at Unity Chapel cemetery. Retraced our the 15 miles of breathtaking hills, summits, and valleys to Ridgeway. Military Ridge Trail. Lunch at Grumpy Troll in Mt. Horeb.

Sunday, September 17, 2023. Military Ridge Trail to Ridgeway and turned north for 15 miles of major hills and valleys. Just gorgeous. Toured Taliesin Sunday morning. Table on which Wright designed Falling Waters, perhaps the most famous house in the world. Wright was quite musically talented. Sundays evenings were gatherings of apprentices for music. Frank Lloyd Wright never disappoints. Took in Romeo and Juliet at American Players in the afternoon. Ate lunch in picnic grove first. Gorgeous weather for outdoor theater. We'd recommend the theater. Crossed Wisconsin River and stayed at Round Barn Lodge. Great walleye at Arthur's Supper Club in Spring Green Sunday evening.

Saturday, September 16, 2023. A short jaunt down Military Ridge Trail to Barneveld.

Friday, September 15, 2023. We'd been to Taliesin but never toured the house. Many friends for many years had told us "we must go to American Players Theater." On Friday we left our house, took country roads, and picked up Sugar River Trail north of Brodhead. Wonderful early fall: Soybeans drying. A favorite road: Gempler. A favorite bridge: Sugar River. At Monticello turned north on Badger Trail. Stewart Tunnel still closed. Climbed up over ridge on Tunnel Road. Quite the summit. Understood exactly why railroad tunneled through. Overnight in Verona.

Monday, September 11, 2023. Celebrated Amber's BD #36. Birthday cake. Prize cabbages this year.

Saturday, September 9, 2023. Took grandkids for the evening to Riverside Park. Played on merry-go-round. Grilled hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. Ziggy.

Friday, September 8, 2023. Chad's done a great job again this year with landscaping. Entry flowers have never looked better.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Great garden this year. Dinner tonight. Everything on this plate grown right out back.

Monday, September 4, 2023. Labor Day. Hot Day. End of Pool Season. Grill out. Kids and grandkids over. Kathy swinging Hank and Leo. Great time.

Friday, September 1, 2023. Felix is a first grader now.

Thursday, August 31, 2023. Annual bike ride to Jedediah's grave. Hard to believe it's been 40 years. His memorial was quite clean. Read a few days later that a group is cleaning memorials. Very nice of them.

Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Felix' last day of summer help. Back to school next week.

Thursday, August 17, 2023. Bike ride through Riverside Park for my 70th BD treat. New shelter on overlook. Impressive. Drinks after.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Took photos of our spectacular front sign flowers. Chad plants them. Back. Front.

Sunday, August 13, 2023. Sue and Carol returned Saturday for their Williams Bay class reunion. These are always held in conjunction the annual Corn and Brat Roast. So Carol, Kathy, and I rode to Shopiere Tap for breakfast. Traditional photo at 5 arch bridge. Sisters at Shopiere Tap overlooking Turtle Creek. Country scenes on ride home.

Saturday, August 12, 2023. Amber and her family turned Mocha Moment into a bike thru this afternoon.

Tuesday, August 8, 2023. Beautiful cauliflower this year. And big.

Sunday, August 6, 2023. Annual, traditional ride to DC Estate Winery. Such a pretty place. DC is for Dry Creek.

Saturday, August 5, 2023. Finished our Golden celebration with dinner on the deck at the Butterfly.

Friday, August 4, 2023. Only about 20-25 Vegters left in town. Kristin and I rode to Double B for breakfast, then back to O'Riley's.

Thursday, August 3, 2023. Our actual 50th anniversary. Finally. A bike ride, of course. Rode to Riverside Park where we ate donuts the morning of our wedding. Rode to VFW to hear and dance to Rainbow Bridge, same band that played our 50th.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023. Didn't think Mother would leave Sterling again. She came to Janesville for our 50th. Mother and Ashley's mom with Seth's family. With us.

Monday, July 31, 2023. Over half "The Vegters" gone by Monday, so only 50-60 at Mocha Moment in the morning and our house for a grill out in the evening. Vegters everywhere: pool and deck and trampoline.

Saturday, July 29, 2023. Seth and his family in a 5K together.

Sunday, July 30, 2023. Since "The Vegters" congregated for our 50th Anniversary, DeAnna hosted a big party on Sunday. 4 teams of cousins volleyball, the siblings, the cousins. Rented a big water slide. Lots of fun.

Saturday, July 29, 2023. Our kids surprised us with a 50th Anniversary Dinner-Dance at Casa Grande. We knew something was up, but had no idea what or the scale of it. So it was a surprise. Photos first on pedestrian bridge over Rock River. Us. Our family. Surprise. Venue. Even a cake. Rainbow Bridge, one of our favorite bands, played. Our first song: "Can I have this Dance for the Rest of my Life?" Almost 200 family and friends showed. "Who could ask for more?"

Sunday, July 23, 2023. Our traditional Sunday ride to Tiffany for breakfast. With a stop at the iconic 5 Arch Bridge. A drink by Turtle Creek at Turtle Tap. Crossing Turtle Creek on the way home.

Sunday, July 16, 2023. Had Felix, Rocket, and Ziggy overnight. Went swimming and hiked the Ice Age Trail to Devils Staircase. Nice beach near the end. They climbed every possible side trip. Ziggy seems heavier than his mother did at that age. (LOL. I was 35 years younger.) Ziggy entertained us at the splash pad. Frostie Freeze afterward, of course.

Sunday, July 9, 2023. Dean cousins. Tara and her family, and Jonathan and his family came for a grill out. Kathy makes sure we stay in touch. Zach and Brooke joined us. Hank and Rocket enjoyed a good laugh.

Thursday, July 6, 2023. Leo and Hank came for a visit at Mocha Moment.

Sunday, June 25, 2023. Seth was getting a lot of help replacing a hose bibb. Kathy entertained Leo.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Met our kids and grandkids at the 2023 Porkfest. Great time and chops bigger and tastier than we remembered. Always enjoy the ride up Sharon Road and back. It feels like a country road.

Friday, June 16, 2023. Had just returned from riding Paul Revere's ride in Boston, and touring Longfellow's house. Bought Hank and Leo a little lego puzzle of Paul Revere on his horse. So I read them "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." And Amber and her kids went down to see my mother today.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Felix' first day of work at Mocha Moment. He's a dishwasher. And he cleans tables. And takes breaks.

Thursday, June 8, 2023. On the Amtrak. Headed home. Dinner on the Amtrak. Comes with our roomette. Always fun to look out window and see places we biked. We ate two previous trips at different places on the Hudson in the shadow of the Cuomo Bridge. Once at the Cove and once at Barley on the Green. Crossed the Walkway over the Hudson twice previously. Fun to gaze up and remember last year when we came across it out of the Catskills after seeing the Ashokan Reservoir. Rode by location of Ebbets Field. Apartments now. Remembered Boys of Summer, one of my favorite books. All humans fade. Two more disappointments today over weather. Louis Armstrong house closed because of haze. Steve and I have danced countless times to "What a Wonderful World." The main lyrics were etched on Louis' garden wall. Hard to believe he's been gone 52 years. Steve's Uncle Phil heard him play five different times in clubs in Chicago. Louis so full of happiness and joy while living in an age of bigotry and hate often aimed at his skin. That joyful Louis image etched indelibly in my mind. A rare and noble human soul. I wonder if Louis would have cancelled a show over some smoky haze. Little Island still closed. Passed the Intrepid. Nice lunch in the Amtrak lounge in Moynihan Hall. We hope you've enjoyed our bicycle journey along with us. So long for this year. As Billy Joel sings, "Life is a series of hellos and good-byes. I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye again." 25 miles today. 747 miles out.

Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Never planned to experience history being made in NYC. Last night when we went to dinner, I remarked the air sure seemed strange. Not cloudy, but dark and dingy. Learned this morning that the haze is smoke from Canadian fires. We took the ferry to Statin Island this morning. Air was still hazy. Passed Statue of Liberty. Compare morning photo with identical location in the afternoon. We could barely make out the shape of Lady Liberty on the afternoon return. Top of One World Trade Center almost obscured by smoky haze. Lots of people wearing masks. Last evening the Prospect Park recreational loop was its bustling, pulsing self. Today we came through about 4:00. Almost deserted. NYC set the record for the worst air quality in its history, and at this moment has the worst air quality of any city in the world. Enough on haze. The ferry was cool. What a way to travel. Went to Statin Island to see the Olmsted farm house that was the center of the 130 acre Tosomock Farm that Olmsted launched in 1848. Olmsted entered this phase after he returned from walking through farms in England, but before his career as America's first landscape architect. Olmsted was inspired by scientific farming so he planted and developed many hybrids of specialty trees right here at Tosomock. As you can see in photos, house is in disrepair and now sits on just a bit over an acre of land. The good news is the last owners gave it to NYC parks. We watched last years launch of "Friends of Olmsted-Biel House," dedicated partners who will restore the house and open it to the public. Statin Island has an impressive boardwalk along its extensive South Beach. A scenic ride along the harbor. Rode to Little Island Park in Manhattan. Noticed it being built on a previous trip. Jordan had just suggested it. Closed because of air quality today. Disappointed. Maybe tomorrow. To and from Manhattan over the great Brooklyn Bridge. Since we rode it last, one inbound lane has been turned into a two-way bike lane. So the congested center walk is now the domain of walkers while bikes speed by in both directions. Impressive. I recall reading The Great Bridge by McCullough. One of my top five all-time favorite books. McCullough's story made crossing the bridge a rich experience. 45 miles today, just sightseeing. 722 miles out.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Lazy day. Our Airbnb is immediately across Ocean Avenue from Prospect Park. Felt good not to be riding a long way. As I mentioned back in Boston, we've been captivated by Frederick Law Olmsted. We'd read his most recent biography, Genius of Place. We watched documentaries on him. We'd read his dispatches from the antebellum South, edited into a single volume by Arthur Schlesinger called The Cotton Kingdom. Malcolm X read it when in prison and said it was the best material available on the pre Civil War South. At the tour of Olmsted's home and studio in Boston, the guide said that some consider Prospect Park his greatest achievement. So it was Prospect Park day. Like Central Park, Prospect Park has an outer recreational loop. Central Park's is 6.2 miles; Prospect Park's is 3.3 miles. Gorgeous Park. Nice lake and waterfall. Not as well maintained, but pretty still. Saw horseback riders. Loop was a blur of motion with walkers, runners, and bicycle riders riding for speed or training. Disappointment: the iconic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Grand Army Plaza was completely shrouded in wrap while undergoing restoration. The picturesque Bailey Fountain was also off limits, not running, and being restored. I've always been amazed at the fruit markets in big cities. Mouth-watering produce. Finished our day by walking through Prospect Park to Windsor's. 17 miles today. 677 out.

Monday, June 5, 2023. Travel day. Entered Bronx through Pellham Bay Park trail. We rode through the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. 80% of city riding was on bike lanes or trails. Amazing how easy it is to get around on a bike, as long as you know where you are going. Rode through Randall Island. Amazing, dedicated bike ramps and lanes to cross these great bridges, in and out. Rode through Hasidic Jew section of Brooklyn. So odd and so different. Great view of East River. 50 miles today. 660 miles out.

Sunday, June 4. Gorgeous beaches on Long Island Sound today. Still in Connecticut. One special trip. Steve has a vast heritage site. His great-grandfather Holtzman had 5 children by his first wife. Steve has a web page on each one, and knew where all were buried except Earl. Knew lots about him, but no obit or grave. Steve's cousin found a clue about a month ago. So we rode only 3 miles out of our way today to visit Earl Holtzman's grave at Lawncroft Cemetery, Bridgeport, Connecticut. Bob and Sharon drove over from Long Island and met us at Tiernan's in Stamford. We ate there 5 years ago and wanted to return. 54 miles today. 610 miles out.

Saturday, June 3, 1023. Left New London early with a big weather change. Chilly and windy. Terrific views of Long Island Sound from road coming into East Haven. As we did 5 years ago, visited the Amistad Memorial across from New Haven Green. Though the Amistad was docked in New London, the proceedings played out in the courts, especially in New Haven. Former President John Quincy Adams defended the Africans before the US Supreme Court. They won their freedom. Great story. Looked up the grave of William Minor at Evergreen Cemetery. Read the 1998 book, The Professor and the Madman. Truth is stranger than fiction. What are the odds that the most prolific contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, 10,000 entries, would be an inmate at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum? Book was made into a 2017 movie starring Mel Gibson and Sean Penn. My students read the book in school and are always riveted by the tale. A perennial favorite. The madman was deported to America, and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Dr. William Chester Minor. Ordered clam chowder quite a few times so far. Oysters today. Very nice vibe at American Kitchen and Bar. 64 miles today. 556 miles out.

Friday, June 2, 2023. Visited boyhood home of Gilbert Stuart, incomparable portrait artist of most of the founders: Washington, Martha Washington, Adams, Jefferson, etc. Rode underneath The Towers, landmark remains of the 1880s Narragansett Pier Casino, destroyed by fire in 1900. Stopped and enjoyed ocean air at Narragansett Beach, one of America's most popular. A few miles of the gorgeous O'Neill Bike path out of Narragansett. Got a smile out of RI's "Don't litter" signs: "Don't litter our clean Rhodes." Our pub tonight had a 3rd deck harbor view, right above the Amistad Pier. The Amistad was docked right here in New London behind the US Customs House for 14 months while the case wound its way through the courts. The Amistad cargo was auctioned from the front steps of the customs house. Many ferries docked while we ate. Interesting sculpture of the great playwright, Eugene O'Neill, who grew up in New London. Saw the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse. He graduated from Yale and taught school for a few months in New London. My grandmother Hey had a painting of Nathan Hale about to be hung at age 21. As a young boy, I would often pause in her library and stare at the painting while reading Hale's last immortal words: "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Saw New London's iconic whale sculpture. 61 miles today. 492 miles out.

Thursday, June 1, 2023. On to Newport, Rhode Island. Rock walls everywhere. Fabulous view of Mt. Hope Bay from bridge onto Aquidneck Island. So much agriculture on island. Never would have expected. Beef. Strawberries. Hay. Green Beans. Vineyards. Nurseries. Stopped at Greenvale Vineyards for wine. Incredible view of bay. Then Newport Winery. Massive acreage in grapes. Walked around Newport for a bit. So old. Such narrow streets, so far back in time. Many Quaker meeting houses and schools. This one: Great Friends Meeting House. Saw Old Colony House where Assembly met and Governors were inaugurated till 1901. White Horse Tavern, 1673, oldest tavern in America. Burger, fries, and brew at Fastnet Pub, named after famous Fastnet Lighthouse, Ireland. Slept at Jail House Inn, former police station and jail. 40 miles today. 431 miles out.

Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Left Hyannis, rode along Cape Cod Canal again, and arrived in New Bedford, the whaling capital of America. If we'd had any idea how cool the historic district is, we'd have stayed two nights. Cobblestone streets. Dozens of historic homes with plaques on exterior fronts denoting the owner and his rank/position in the whaling industry. Most built in the 1840s and 50s. Spent quite some time in Seamen's Bethel Chapel, built in 1832. Setting for chapters 5-7 of Moby Dick. Sat in the Herman Melville pew, where he actually sat before going out to sea, almost 200 years ago. Cenotaphs line walls to commemorate sailors lost to whaling. Sobering. Saw the extraordinary pulpit, a ship's prow, made famous in the 1956 classic, Moby Dick. Closed my eyes, and imagined Father Mapples (Orson Welles) climbing the ladder rigging, pulling up the ladder, and preaching on Jonah. And Mariner's Home. What it must have meant to destitute seamen who had given their best years to whaling. In need of a little refreshment after 50 plus miles, we had a brew at Whaler's Tavern. Walked the cobblestone streets of the historic district. Saw the Rotch-Jones-Duff house, a magnificent icon of the wealth that accrued from whaling. Viewed the US Customs House, a magnificent structure mirroring the wealth of whaling and the dignity of young America. One disappointment: one of two surviving wooden schooners is docked at New Bedford, but we couldn't view it as it was out to sea. Ate at Moby Dick Brewery, of course. Delightful patio dining and stunning evening. Good food and IPA, the Pulpit. 55 miles. 391 out/

Tuesday, May 30. 2023. Very good complimentary latte with our room at Joe's next door. Rare to taste decent coffee at private coffee shops. Remarkably good time in Provincetown. When leaving our delightful room and surroundings, I thought, as I regularly do of Billy Joel's notable lines: "Life's a series of hellos and goodbyes. I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye again." Return trip to Hyannis. Side trip to site of Marconi Wireless Station. All that's left is a plaque on a boulder. Hard to imagine that from 1903-1920, it was an exciting and bustling hub of four towers and a massive kerosene generator. The first wireless trans-Atlantic transmission was from President Roosevelt to King George VII from that very spot. The message read, "His Majesty King Edward VII., London: In taking advantage of the wonderful triumph of scientific research and ingenuity which has been achieved in perfecting a system of wireless telegraphy, I extend on behalf of the American people most cordial greetings and good wishes to you and to all the people of the British Empire. Theodore Roosevelt. Wellfleet, MA, Jan 19, 1903."" Marconi Station's most famous moment was picking up the distress signal from the Titanic. Operators alerted the Carpathia, and many lives were saved. Marconi said, "Every day sees humanity more victorious in the struggle with time and space." What would he say now? Another side trip to Nauset Lighthouse. The first lighthouse here was built in 1838 because of so many shipwrecks off Cape Cod. Nauset Lighthouse was continuously manned till 1952 when it was automated. Saw the keeper's house and oil shed housing fuel for lights. Revolving red and white lights still flash today. Return ride on Cape Cod Rail Trail was a delight. 58 miles. 335 out.

Monday, May 29, 2023. We like to ride both roads and trails. Variety. Today was our first real trail. Cape Cod Rail Trail. Beautiful woods and pleasant. When that ended after 25 miles, we rode through rolling hills. Stunning. Didn't know Cape Cod was so hilly. Many cranberry bogs. When I was in school—when dinosaurs roamed the earth—we learned that Massachusetts was America's leading cranberry producer. Today, Wisconsin produces 60% of America's cranberries with Massachusetts a distant 28%. But still, lots of cranberries bogs. Commercial Street in Provincetown is narrow, crowded, and interesting. Great ocean views, of course. Famous Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown. 53 miles today. 277 out.

Sunday, May 28. Pretty country roads down from Plymouth. Gently rolling hills. Busy though. Interesting old one room school house on National Register of Historic Places: Bournedale Village School, built in 1897. Cape Cod Canal is beautiful and striking. It saves commercial and recreational vessels 65-150 miles, plus it avoids navigating the shoals and treacherous currents off the outer Cape. More rolling hills into Hyannis. Rode by the Kennedy houses in Hyannis Port. Ate outside at British Beer Company on Main Street, Hyannis. 46 miles. 224 miles out.

Saturday, May 27. Leaving Quincy, we saw the Church of the Presidents where both Adams and their wives are buried. Cool sculpture of Abigail with her standard, well-known quotes, including "Remember the Ladies." She was far, far ahead of her time on women's rights. Rode by the house where she was born. In Duxbury, saw the Alden House. Several presidents including the Bushes descended from John and Priscilla Alden. And they were the subject of Longfellow's epic, "The Courtship of Miles Standish." Arrived in Plymouth. Wonderful walk. Saw Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock. Statue of Governor Brewster. Idyllic walk in Brewster Gardens which frames Town Brook where the Pilgrims settled because of its fresh water. Plymouth Grist Mill was cool, as was Richard Sparrow House, the oldest wood frame house in Plymouth. Came back twice to Martini's Bar and Grill: lovely patio, tasty Haddock, refreshing drinks, friendly servers, good prices. If we lived in Plymouth, we'd be regulars. 44 miles today. 178 out.

Friday, May 26. On Monday we rode Olmsted's Emerald Necklace—Boston's linear park system. Today we toured Olmsted's home and office, Fairsted. Over 70 people worked at Fairsted at its peak. Drafting room. Olmsted is America's first landscape architect. Fairsted circle drive. We saw the room in which Olmsted, Jr. wrote the purpose statement for the 1916 Act that created the National Park Service. Toured the Longfellow House & Washington Headquarters. Library. Exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate park ranger for a guide. Steve has read most of Longfellow's major works, so the visit was especially interesting. When Steve mowed his Aunt Mary's lawn for the last time, she offered him any book from her library. He chose a red leather bound copy of Longfellow poems which he still has. The ranger read the following poem to us while we stood in the room where the poet wrote most of his works. The poem he read was an 1842 poem titled "The Warning":

Beware! The Israelite of old, who tore
The lion in his path,--when, poor and blind,
He saw the blessed light of heaven no more,
Shorn of his noble strength and forced to grind
In prison, and at last led forth to be
A pander to Philistine revelry—
Upon the pillars of the temple laid
His desperate hands, and in its overthrow
Destroyed himself, and with him those who made
A cruel mockery of his sightless woe;
The poor, blind Slave, the scoff and jest of all,
Expired, and thousands perished in the fall!
There is a poor, blind Samson in this land
Shorn of his strength and bound in bonds of steel
Who may, in some grim revel, raise his hand
And shake the pillars of this Commonweal
Till the vast Temple of our liberties
A shapeless mass of wreck and rubbish lies.

Cool sculpture in Longfellow Park depicting 6 characters from his works. After leaving Longfellow's house, we rode down to Quincy. Saw President Adams' home. 26 miles today. 134 out.

Thursday, May 25, 2023. May 25. Thursday. Walked Boston Commons and Freedom Trail today. Since we read David McCullough's Americans in Paris, we've noted several works by August Saint-Gaudens. Saw his great memorial to Robert Shaw and the 54th Regiment, the first regiment of black volunteers who fought for the Union. Saw the General Hooker statue by Daniel Chester French. Had listened to a podcast on Mary Dyer, a Quaker hung by Puritans in Bay Colony. Also the Anne Hutchinson statue. So looked at their statues outside Massachusetts State House. Walked by the titular bar on Beacon Street for the Cheers TV series. We'd toured most sites on Freedom Trail before so just rambled, noted famous buildings, and rehearsed events which took place centuries ago. Always have to look at the graves of Paul Revere and many other famous revolutionaries. Always a treat to see the Old State House and Faneuil Hall. Walked through Boston's Holocaust Memorial. Clear glass towers with tattooed ID numbers of all six million plus victims etched in the glass panels. Steam rises from vents to simulate gas. Sobering. Sculpture memorial to victims of Irish potato famine is impressive and sobering. Ate a lobster roll and drank a brew at Bell in Hand, the oldest continually operating pub in America. Established 1795. Just imagine Paul Revere and Samuel Adams would have known the founder, Jimmy Williams, who was town crier for 50 years. Hence the name. Saw a new sculpture, a memorial to MLK and his wife, called "The Embrace." I'd read about it and seen photos. I'm a fan of MLK, but not of this art. A sea of American flags on the slope to the monumental Civil War memorial in the middle of Boston Commons. Preparation for Memorial Day. A second food treat. Pizza and brew at J. J. Foley's, a Boston pub operated by the family since 1909. Father and son served us. Great ambiance. 11 miles today. 108 so far.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023. Stayed close to home. Enjoyed Boston Public Gardens. For years, had been taken with Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial. Toured his home and studio in Stockbridge a few years ago on a bike trip. So we spent some time looking at his 2 works in Boston Gardens: Wendell Phillips as well as Angel of Waters, a memorial to George Robert White. Blacks in the Civil War era felt that Phillips was one of the few abolitionists who saw clearly—not just the end of slavery, but full equality and civil rights. An unexpected treat was the impressive and detailed memorial commemorating the discovery of ether at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, in 1846. Several scenes depict care for the sick. Several inscriptions including,"And there shall be no more pain." Revelation 21:4. Also, saw sculpture of Howard Everett Hale who wrote "Man Without a Country" that I read in high school and remembered all these years. Visited Boston Women's Memorial honoring Phyllis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, and Lucy Stone. Saw two sculptures of Charles Sumner, the great abolitionist and leader of the Radical Republicans. First, in Boston Gardens. Second sculpture placed outside Harvard Yard in 2011 to commemorate his 200th birthday. Burger, fries, and brew in patio at 730 Tavern in Cambridge. Just 17 miles today. 97 so far In Boston.

Tuesday, May 23, 2023. When we rode from Maine a few years ago, we rode through Concord from the north. Today we retraced the midnight ride of Paul Revere from Old North Church in Boston. Rode through Medford, Lexington, and Concord. After leaving the city, beautiful trails from Arlington to Concord. Interesting to think we could ride those miles more quickly than Paul Revere. Steve's Grandpa Hey read him Longfellow's "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." He read it to our kids and now reads it to our grandchildren. Some lines..

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere..
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry-tower of the Old North Church..
It was twelve by the village clock,
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town..
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington..
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town..

At Lexington Battle Green, at the grave of the 7 who died in the Revolution's first battle, it was good to reflect on the bravery of those minutemen. Buckman Tavern where Captain Parker and the minutemen waited. Daniel Chester French's Minuteman at Concord. In Medford we saw the house of Lydia Child's grandfather. She made the home famous when she wrote of that very house..

Over the river and through the wood,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.

Steve's parents used to sing those lines. 50 miles today. Total so far: 80.

Monday, May 22, 2023 Got off Amtrak at 1:00 am this morning. One mile to our Airbnb and slept in. Got hooked on Frederick Law Olmsted last year when we rode through Niagara Falls on return from Canada. 200th birthday last year and NPS was renovating Niagara Falls Park in his honor. He had saved it for the American people. He's the creator of Central Park. We read his current biography. He's also the designer of Boston's Emerald Necklace, a linear system with 6 parks. We rode through the entire park system today: Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, Arboretum, and Franklin. The Fens were Victory Gardens in WWII, but are mostly quaint flower gardens today. We had seen copies of Daniel Chester French's "Angel of Death" both at his studio and the Met, but today we saw the original in Forest Hills Cemetery. French was absolutely a genius. To think of using the tenth Egyptian plague as a metaphor for the famous Milmore brothers, Boston sculptors who died very young. This memorial marks their family plot. Saw the grave of Susie King Taylor in Mount Hope Cemetery. We had listened to a podcast of her life and had read her memoirs. One example of buried treasure now coming to light in scouring American history for great Blacks and women who are now enjoying their time in the sun. Stopped by Fenway Park. Modern stadiums are incredible, but Fenway, smack dab in the old neighborhood, makes one nostalgic for simpler times. 30 miles through the parks today.

Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Felix still likes to walk beside the tiller. Rocket and Felix helped plant potatoes and green beans. Biking home after gardening and grilling out.

Sunday, May 14, 2023. Mother's Day at Amber's. Mother's Day at our house.

Saturday, May 13, 2023. Annual Sock Hop in Elkhorn.

Friday, May 12, 2023. Hank on his balance bike. Hank and Rocket in the Burley.

Saturday, May 6, 2023. Brooke's wedding in Murphy, South Carolina. Mountains from our cabin. Hiking. The Dean girls. Brook and Zach. Jordan and Kathy. Amber and family. Us.

Saturday, April 29, 023. Ziggy's 1st birthday. With Kathy.

Friday, April 14, 2023. Hangar dance at Rock County Airport with Ladies Must Swing. Great, great, swing band. Kathy and Teri.

Sunday, April 9, 2023. Easter at our house. Lots of good food, cheer, and an easter egg hunt.

Saturday, April 8, 2023. Winding down from Kathy's 70th BD. Back at the Butterly. Mike, vocalist. And Shane, head bartender.

Saturday, April 1, 2023. Gearing up to celebrate Kathy's 70th BD at the Butterfly, of course. On the floor. A good time.

Saturday, March 25, 2023. Levi's wedding to Katherine. Venue was Highlands Ranch Mansion. Super cool, historic home. Us at the grand fireplace. 8 of 11 siblings showed up. The 7 of 8 Sisters win person. Caleb, Jordan and Rachel with us. Levi and Karen, mother son dance. Bride & Groom. Some of the cousins Sunday at our hotel.

Thursday, March 23, 2023. Always amazing to walk outside Caleb's front door and see Pike's Peak.

Wednesday. March 22, 2023. Hiked 4 miles in Cheyenne Mountain State Park today. Great hiking and views.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Rode Amtrak to Denver. Caleb picked us up Tuesday morning. Hiked Red Rock Canyon Open Space again.

Sunday, March 20, 2023. Kathy gave Felix a volcano kit for his 5th birthday. We watched it erupt.

Monday, March 13, 2023. Kathy sewed Rocket a matching dresses for herself and her doll. Kathy had sewn Amber matching dresses for her and the same doll, 30 years before.

Saturday, March 11, 2023. Felix rode his bike over early to help Kathy with St. Patrick's Day food. Big help. Everyone came over for Reubens, Irish mashed potatoes, and Irish ice cream cake. Kathy with 3 grandkids. All 5.

Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Kathy sewed Rocket a dress and backpack for Rocket's 4th birthday. Jared and Rocket.

Sunday, February 12, 2023. Kathy finished Christmas stockings for Felix and Rocket. Felix is at home with his hallway gymnastics setup: hanging, climbing.

Friday-Sunday, February 3-5, 2023. As unlikely as it seems, Kathy and I were featured in a weekend multimedia show, "Tales of Adventure," at Janesville's Performing Arts Center. The show featured 6 stories of Rock County Adventurers. 3 other tales: Lori Schneider has summited the highest peaks on all 7 continents. Bob Kimball, who with a friend and their teen sons, floated on a raft (Huck Finn style) down the Mississippi from Prairie du Chien to New Orleans. Roy Chapman Andrews was the first to discover dinosaur eggs (Gobi Desert). I asked the script writer Teresa why she would want us. She said, "Your love story, founding Mocha Moment, your swing dancing, and your bicycle riding." The show featured original music, written by Teresa and performed by locals. In addition to prerecorded interviews, photos, and footage, the show highlighted stories with 4 skits, one of which was a "young Steve and Kathy." The calendar showed 1973 and the young Steve and Kathy were getting married with bride Kathy saying, "Two things I want to do—bike and dance." They dance a bit, pretty fumble-footed. The calendar fast forwards 10 years. A decade older Kathy hands Steve a VHS dance video from the library. They try again with slight improvements. Again, the calendar races forward to 2023. To an unexpecting audience, a show biz voice booms, "And now competing for first place, Steve & Kathy Dean..." We walked on stage and performed a dizzying swing dance. It was fun, but we're glad it's over. Complete "Tales of Adventure" Show. Our 12 minute clip. Three show fliers: general, 6 tales, and us. The show will appear on JATV later this month. It will also be available to stream. More of that when I know more. Until then, here's a slideshow of random pics of our adventures over the years. The 2 songs on the slideshow are Teresa's 2 originals for the show: "Tales of Adventure," and "Why Not?" And 3 pics from the show itself: One, Two, and Three. Tales of Adventure program. Earlier this week, "Tales of Adventure" (and we) made the Kicks section of the Janesville Gazette.

Saturday, February 4, 2023. Hank sledding with his dad.

Saturday, January 21, 2023. Had Felix, Rocket, and Ziggy overnight. Took them to the library to see the model train show. Felix and Rocket operated a train.

Sunday, January 15, 2023. Saw Mother for Christmas and gave her craft presents made by Felix, Rocket, and Hank.

Thursday, January 12, 2023. Rocket rode her bike to Mocha Moment to see us.

Saturday, December 31, 2022. Went to Heidel House in Green Lake for New Years. 2 good bands: jazz and rock. Ready to go. At the jazz band, Sundae and Mr. Goessl.

Saturday, December 31, 2022. Jordan took Felix rock climbing. Felix climbed by himself. Amber's hall gym is producing results.

Wednesday, December 28, 2022. Felix baking with Grandma.

Sunday, December 25, 2022. Christmas at our house. Bob, Sharon, and Blake from out of town. Zach and Brooke. Grilled out steak, as traditional. Awfully cold for grilling (about zero). Games. Good times. Grandkids.

Saturday, December 24, 2022. Christmas Eve at Amber's. Chad and family, and Bob, Sharon, and Blake joined. Lots of kids. Lots of fun.

Saturday, December 17, 2022. We always give the band and Shane (bartender) coffee for Christmas.

Wednesday, December 7, 2022. The only student who could climb the rope at Van Buren. I guess Amber's home hall gym pays dividends.

Saturday, December 3, 2022. Headed to the Butterfly, of course. Kathy having a good time.

Friday, December 2, 2022. Seth treated us to the Rotary Gardens light show again this year. Wonderful weather. Everyone at our house after for roasted sausage, cheese, shrimp, horderve size gyros, cider, etc. As usual, Kathy read to Felix and Hank.

Monday, November 28, 2022. Karen and Carmen are the occasion. All the girls at Mocha Moment.

Sunday, November 27, 2022. Last day of a flurry of activity. Karen and Blair arrived yesterday for a week's stay. Traditional decoration of Mocha Moment for Christmas. Linda, Karen, and Carmen helped. Pizza afterward. Kathy and I posed by our annual skate decoration. Those were our skates which we used a lot—about 50 years ago.

Saturday, November 26, 2022. Leo's first birthday party and chocolate cupcake. A dandy mess. A great custom to have added after our kids were older. Standard great night at the Butterfly. Mike announced that "his good friend Manny" was going to sit in with the band for a bit with his flugelhorn. His playing was mellow and wonderful and haunting. We were impressed. At the break I asked Mike how he knew Manny, a black man, about 60 who seemed to be the epitome of good jazz. Mike said, "I never saw him before." Mike is just great with people.

Friday, November 25, 2022. Annual Christmas decorating at our house. Kids and families all over. Hank placed the star. Kathy's homemade pizza. Mull wine. Traditional Christmas movie.

Thursday, November 24, 2022. My 70th straight Thanksgiving at home. 68th in this house. Seth's boys were sick, so they didn't come. Great-grandma read to the wee ones. Amber's family with Mother.

Monday, November 21, 2022. Kathy and Rocket spent today together. Shopping, reading, and making crafts.

Thursday, November 17, 2022. Dianna flew up to help at MM for a couple weeks. Jerry and Diane came through. So the 5 oldest siblings at Linda's for dinner.

Monday, November 7, 2022. Kathy and Ziggy.

Tuesday, November 1, 2022. Such great weather, had to ride to Apple Hut one more time. Always take in this cool pond and homestead on Bass Creak Road.

Monday, October 31, 2022. Another spread of Halloween treats. Everyone launched from our house this Year.

Sunday, October 30, 2022. Unusually warm weather. Kathy and I are benefactors through Mocha Moment benefits for Rock County Trial. Just finished paving trail to Big Hill Park, Beloit. Tried it out. Very proud of this scenic route.

Saturday, October 29, 2022. Phil, a good friend at the Butterfly, is 85 years old. Has the vitality of someone 60. Kathy.

Sunday, October 23, 2022. Jodi's wedding in Florida. So many cousins playing volleyball. 2 different locations; this match at Jim at Carol's. Wedding Dinner. With Jodi and Josh. Us at Lake Mirror, Lakeland. Our family. The girls.

Monday, October 17, 2022. Amber and the kids over for the weekly Monday evening supper. Always a good time.

Saturday, October 15, 2022. Harold, a friend from the Moose and the Butterfly invited us to celebrate his 90th birthday. Kathy danced a couple with him.

Sunday, October 9, 2022. Seth and family spent the weekend at the cabin and shut off water. Vibrant colors. Fire felt good.

Friday, October 7, 2022. Our little apple tree produced delicious apples this year. Felix and Rocket picked them.

Tuesday, October 4, 2022. More gorgeous fall weather. So our annual ride to Apple Hut and Wissota patio to celebrate 51 years together.

Sunday, October 2, 2022. Gorgeous day so our annual ride to Fermenting Cellars.

Friday, September 30, 2022. Kathy with the grandkids at Amber's.

Thursday, September 29, 2022. Felix rides his bike to our house now. His parents text us when he leaves for here, and we text his arrival. Same routine in reverse. DJ called and asked if Felix could come pick vegetables. Quite proud of his garden, Felix and I dug potatoes, and picked tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, green peppers, grapes, and an apple. With loaded backpack he headed home.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022. Always enjoy the iconic bridge over the Sugar River just west of Albany. Corn starting to turn. (Late fall this year due to chilly and late spring). Angus cows. Lots of agriculture and nature. Back home. Wonderful 5 days. 46 miles today. 200 total.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022. No trip to Monroe complete without a brat at Baumgartner's. 34 miles today.

Monday, September 19, 2022. Holstein herd on our way to New Glarus. Bailey's Run Winery and its fabulous valley and distant hills. 35 miles today.

Sunday, September 18, 2022. A pause at Rock Lake on our way to Madison. Lake Monona with its iconic view of Monona Terrace and the Capitol. Burgers and brew in the lower gardens of the Great Dane with its ivory covered walls. Restored statue of the great Hans Christian Heg, made famous by the George Floyd riots. 46 miles today.

Saturday, September 17, 2022. Left for our traditional, fall, Southern Wisconsin bike trip: Ripening soy beans. To Lewis Station Winery in Lake Mills for pizza. Really good Irish band at Tyranena Brewery, Lake Mills. Always a great setting: flowers, amphitheater like setting, barbecue food truck, lots of people enjoying the gorgeous evening, music, food, and brew. 49 miles today.

Friday, September 9, 2022. Jim and Carol are in town for Chad's Iron Man on Sunday. Nice time at our house. Huge cauliflower, but not so pretty. Sun got to it a bit. Felix and Rocket love to hear grammy read.

Sunday, September 4, 2022. Annual ride to DC Estate Winery (Illinois) today. Gorgeous as usual. Saw an eagle (I think). Swung by G5 Brewing for a great burger and fries on return. Chilly enough the fire pit felt great. Crops noticeably later than usual. Late spring and plenty of rain. Corn and soybeans not yet turning. 35 miles round trip.

Saturday, September 3, 2022. Great visit with Rick Carpenter (wife, Tracy) and his mom, Dee (husband, Vern). I lived with Rick and his mom for over a year when I first came to Janesville at age 18. They were so gracious to me. Friendship has lasted all these years.

Thursday, August 25, 2022. Matt, Chad and Autumn & Family have Mocha Moment flowers looking as good as ever: Pergola, Deck, Sign, Villa, Arbor, and Garden.

Monday, August 22, 2022. Precious pose: Rocket, Kathy, Felix.

Sunday, August 21, 2022. Rode east to Countryside Restaurant. Then to Staller Winery. 45 miles.

Saturday, August 20, 2022. Kids joined us on the Butterfly deck to celebrate our 49th Anniversary.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022. My 69th birthday. Grandkids made it special at MM. Felix and Rocket very much like the candy they bought me. Brooke and I share a birthday. To celebrate, Kathy and I rode out to Riverside Park and ate pizza at Genisa.

Monday, August 15, 2022. Kathy, Felix, Rocket, and Ziggy enjoying glider. Special day. My cousin Gale and her husband George visited. Gale is the daughter of Dad's youngest sister who passed at age 32 (in 1959). I had only 1 fleeting image of Gale (and that from my youth). In my mind I recollect my Grandpa Dean lying in in a hospital bed (the year he died) and Gale (her mother had died 6 years before) walking out the door with her dad (my Uncle Eldon). I would have been 12, and Gale 17. Hadn't seen Gale since, though we talked a couple times by phone. Gale is a warm, kind, thoughtful, and bubbly person. Grilled out. Coffee at Mocha Moment the next day, of course.

Sunday, August 14, 2022. Everyone over to Jordan's for a grill out. Great meal Jordan puts on. Kathy and Ziggy. Kathy with Leo, Amber with Ziggy.

Saturday, August 13, 2022. Kathy's all school reunion at Williams Bay High School. Small classes. Most students knew each other. The 70s graduates pose. Kathy still talking to Tom, or to Evelyn. Some things remain the same after 51 years. Afterwards, chatting with old friends at the Brat and Corn Fest in Williams Bay on Lake Geneva.

Friday, August 5, 2022. This old store and Woodman's Food Market sign are currently the talk of the town. It's the store where the now massive Woodman's (19 stores) began in 1919 on the corner of Sherman and Milton Avenue. It had most recently been a thrift store. New owners began remodeling it, peeled back signage, and look what they found. I've had an interest in the old neighborhood grocery stores, so I always knew this was the original Woodman's. A 1925 Janesville directory lists about 52 grocery stores. That's my favorite illustration with students to show how mass markets and chains, as well as the automobile (stores within walking distance before cars), changed America. No one under 65 would ever guess there were that many stores. When I came to Janesville in 1971, about 10 were still in business. One was around the corner from our Chestnut Street apartment on Rockport Road. We bought crackers there once. Stale. Never went back. Used to buy steaks from Randall Avenue Grocery which specialized in meat. I think the last one operating might even have made it to the 21st Century. The old Triangle Grocery . A Southsider, I was in Willard Avenue Grocery (now a home) from time to time. And, of course, the old Rock Hill Grocery is now rehabbed to house Amber's Villa Decoris on the Mocha Moment corner.

Wednesday, August 3, 2022. To celebrate our 49th, rode bikes to Riverside Park where we used to hang out and hike as teens. Observed the spot where I first met most of Kathy's family on a 1972 Sunday picnic in 1972. Remembered the spot where we ate donuts after buying some the morning of our wedding. Nostalgia for the old artesian well that used to flow always. Finished with drinks at Wissota beside the Rock River.

Sunday, July 31, 2022. Rode our bikes for the annual breakfast at Double B. Amber and kids joined us. Goats and sheep always an attraction. Kathy watering her wonderful flowers.

Saturday, July 30, 2022. Celebrating our 49th eating on the gorgeous Butterfly deck. Tom and Carol in town for a few days. So some of the old crowd gathered in the old corner at the Butterfly.

Monday, July 25, 2022. Kathy and Felix tend the lilies.

Sunday, July 24, 2022. I had told Felix, "That broccoli is as big as your head." Beautiful, large heads.

Friday, July 15, 2022. Felix and Rocket love to climb.

Friday-Tuesday, July 8-12, 2022. Long weekend at the cabin. Kathy and Hank sure hit it off: Dock, Net, Kitchen, Beach, Games. Lots of hiking, again, finding blueberries. Seth and Hank. Hank and his catch. Father, Son, Grandsons. Good-bye. And the lake.

Sunday, July 3, 2022. Swim Time. Ziggy swims. Sunning.

Sunday, July 3, 2022. Annual bike ride to breakfast at Tiffany Cafe. Traditional stop at 5 Arch Bridge. More fields in wheat this year. Iconic Lathers Road bridge.

Thursday, June 30, 2022. Watched Hank while parents were away. Like every boy, easy to entertain with water and squirt guns .

Friday, June 24, 2022. Celebration of Bryan & Savannah Cherry wedding at Gardens of Woodstock. Good to see all the Cherry cousins.

Sunday, June 19, 2022. Father's Day at Amber's.

Saturday, June 18, 2022. Headed to the Butterfly.

Tuesday, June 14. 2022. All over but the shoutin'. Worked in 2 more 6.2 mile full recreation loops in Central Park early today. Countless bicycle racers, runners, and walkers. Central Park was on the way to Penn Station, so we ate a sandwich on the steps of Bethesda Terrace and enjoyed Angel of Waters fountain and boaters one last time. Headed to Penn Station. Moynihan Hall is recently renovated. Fabulous and luminous interior. On the Amtrak now. Headed home. Rails immediately on east side of Hudson and generally along Erie Canal. Saw many scenes by which we had just biked, including Walkway Over the Hudson and the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse. 20 miles today. 902 miles out.

Monday, June 13, 2022. Last full day biking. We'd ridden through Central Park on different occasions before, but never explored. Started out with Conservatory Gardens. Shakespeare Garden with its many roses and quotes. Climbed Belvedere Castle. A memorable time at Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon memorial. Lennon lived immediately across the avenue from the memorial when he was murdered. A guy with a guitar singing Beatles tunes. A line of people taking photographs with the inlay, "Imagine." We stayed for Hey Jude, When I'm 64, and Here Comes the Sun. If we had time, could have spent the morning. Enjoyed Bethesda Terrace and Angel of the Waters, the fountain sculpture which celebrated the New Croton Reservoir and its new and clean water supply to NYC in 1890. The Loeb Boat House. Musicians in many places playing sweet music. The Mall and Literary Walk with its many sculptures of literary giants is magnificent. Women's Rights Pioneer. Robert Burns. Balto, sled dog who saved Nome. Headed south into lower Manhattan. Last winter we had read McCullough's Americans in Paris. Long section on Augustus St. Gaudens. Considerable detail on his 2 sculptures honoring Civil War heroes. So we, of course, had to see the Sherman Monument at the south end of Central Park and the Farragut Monument in Madison Park. Read how St. Gaudens spent many days reworking the Admiral's coat and pant legs to simulate "blowing in the wind." Had heard and read so much about Bryant Park and its being a haven in this throbbing city. It is magnificent. Superb flower gardens. Thousands of people enjoying its superb flower gardens. Cool sculpture of William Cullen Bryant presiding over his space. Blue Angel Hosta. Bike lanes everywhere. So much easier and faster than a car. Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir. Ate great Mexican food at Mole. 27 miles today. 882 miles out.

Sunday, June 12, 2022. Saw 3 exhibits at The Met: Winslow Homer, Thomas Hart Benton's America Today, and Anthology of Fashion. We'd read and watched so much on Homer and Benton. Fabulous to actually be staring at their works. Homer: Veteran in a New Field, Prisoners from the Front, Gulf Stream. Benton: City Activities with Dance Hall, City Activities with Subway. Mural #1, Mural #2. American fashion so dramatically set in period rooms. Favorite was the scene in the Frank Lloyd Wright room. Inspired by Daniel Chester French, we had toured his home and studio on a bike trip through Stockbridge, Massachusetts 3 years ago. Had seen then his mesmerizing memorial, The Angel of Death, so it was cool to see it in stone sculpture today. The Met is as grand as its reputation. 6 miles today. 855 miles out.

Saturday, June 11, 2022. Sleep Hollow Hotel where we stayed. Lyndhurst Mansion. Three years ago we had toured Washington Irving's home and ridden through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, so we didn't repeat those. Our acquaintance last night suggested we stop at Antoinette's Patisserie. Outstanding homemade bakery and exceptional latte. Final stretch to NYC. Rode into Manhattan this morning. So I guess "We made it." Met Bob and Sharon met us at Third Avenue Ale House. After riding across New York, what do you think we did this evening? Went for a bike ride through Central Park. It always wows. Masses of people pouring in to hear jazz pianist Herbie Hancock perform. The usual cyclists racing around the 7 mile loop. Horse carriage rides. So many activities going on at once. 35 miles today. 849 miles out.

Friday, June 10, 2022. Last day of rural riding. Beautiful trail. Skirted north end of Middle Branch Reservoir. Pine Bridge Monument is a notable memorial to a few revolutionary heroes who died in a Yorktown battle. A treat to see the New Croton Reservoir, which opened in 1890 to supply NYC water. Etched in memory is reformer Jacob Riis, a pioneer photographer, who tramped the perimeter of the New Croton Reservoir in the 1890's, documenting sewage and other toxic runoff into the reservoir. His published photos and documentation created a sensation and forced sanitation reform, helping to end deadly cholera outbreaks. Tarrytown's CubeInn provided superb Cuban fare, as well as Sangria and an IPA. Still an operating theater, Tarrytown's Music Hall, built in 1890, is on the NRHP Teddy Roosevelt spoke here. Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Miles Davis all performed here. On Monday, met a photographer in Hudson who lives in Tarrytown. Wanted to hear about our bike adventures. Had drinks with him and his partner tonight at Barley on the Hudson. Great views of Hudson and the Tappan Zee Bridge. 43 miles today. 814 miles out.

Thursday, June 9, 2022. Left New Paltz and had a gorgeous ride down to the incredible Walkway over the Hudson. Kathy posed with Sojourner Truth. Walkway built on old Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge. When it opened, at 1.28 miles was the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. 212' over the Hudson. Freight train appears tiny from Walkway. We rode across the Walkway in 2019, but from the other direction. Restored depot at Hopewell Junction. Today was a bonus: 49 miles of newly paved trail. Trail follows old Maybrook Line, an important rail line in the last century. Fabulous scenery through the western foothills of the Taconic Mountains. Whaley Lake is beautiful. Overnight in Brewster. 49 miles today. 771 miles out.

Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Rode up into the Catskills to see the Ashokan Reservoir. Completed in 1917, the project employed 3,000 men and cost $4 billion in 2022 dollars. The reservoir supplies about 40% of NYC water through 92 miles of aqueduct. Ken Burns made "The Ashokan Farewell" famous in his Civil War series with over an hour of footage containing this background lament. Most famous clip is the haunting letter of Sullivan Ballou. Anyway, Jay Unger operates the Ashokan Center, a major arts camp, and wrote the song in 1982 as a closing tradition for each camp. Biked to both the reservoir and his camp today. The song is an Irish lament in waltz time and a favorite of ours. The Butterfly band plays it for us at closing every Saturday evening. Rosendale from the bike trestle is awesome. So far down. The roads and woods through the foothills are breathtaking. You'd have to experience them. Rode through Huguenot Street in New Paltz, a 10 acre neighborhood of 7 stone houses and several other homes. Oldest built in 1692, and most by 1735. Huguenots had fled persecution in France, bought land from Munsee Indians, and settled here. To bike or walk down this street is to step back 3 centuries. Cool feeling. Fabulous patio space at the Huckleberry. The usual-great IPA, burger, and fries. 45 miles today. 722 miles out.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022. June 7. Tuesday. The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse helps pilots stay away from a sandy middle ridge in the Hudson. Cool country roads and rock walls. Saw Hannah Arendt's grave at tiny Bard College Cemetery. She was a Bard professor. Writing for the New Yorker and covering the 1962 Eichmann trial, she coined a phrase when she called the mass murderer "The Banality of Evil." Her great work, "Origins of Totalitarianism," covers the rise of Stalin and Hitler. Quite relevant today, these are her major themes: isolated citizens are prey for populists, and non-thinkers (those who follow imagination over eyes and ears-those gullible for conspiracy theories) are game for tyrants. Philip Roth is buried nearby with his 2004 book, "Plot Against America," propped again his tombstone. The book was made into an HBO miniseries. Roth won numerous literary awards. Beautiful country roads. Crossed the Hudson to Kingston. 35 miles today. 677 miles out.

Monday, June 6, 2022. Leaving Albany, crossed the Hudson River. Entering Kinderhook, stopped at President Martin Van Buren's grave. Janesville has an eponymous elementary school in his honor. Stopped for a tour of his home, Lindenwald. We were the only guests for the tour. Apparently, he's not as popular as Disney. Awesome tour guide named Ed. The hour flew by. Ed said he could talk about this home all day; he's that passionate. An organizational genius, Van Buren is most remembered as the founder of the Democratic Party, and thus America's two party system. In this room at this desk, he laid plans for the Democratic party election of 1844. A warm host, the era's luminaries (including Thomas H. Benton, Francis Blair, Henry Clay, Washington Irving, etc) ate and conversed at this table in this room. Pedaled by roaring Chittenden Falls on Kinderhook Creek. This area once the site of great woolen mills. Arrived in Hudson mid-afternoon. Ate on a homey patio at "The Governor's Tavern." Stayed at the vintage Whaler Hotel. Hudson was once a major whaling and shipbuilding city. 37 miles today. 642 miles out.

Sunday, June 5, 2022. Good-bye Saratoga. Briefly rejoined the Erie Canal/Mohawk River trail. Went past Lock 7. Looked at the 9 remaining buildings of Watervliet Shaker site. Watervliet's founder, Mother Lee, is buried here. Elders offices. Shakers were once well known and the most successful of the Utopian societies. Watervliet, the first of the Shaker communities, is rather disappointing compared to the Hancock Shaker Community which we visited 3 years ago near Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Three years ago, the Schuyler mansion was closed. Not today. Desk where Hamilton wrote some of his Federalist Papers. Great 2nd floor hall where dances were held. Very nice tour of the home where Alexander Hamilton wed Elizabeth Schuyler. Great IPA, burger, and fries at McGeary's. Cool to be among common Americans enjoying life. 43 miles today. 605 miles out.

Saturday, June 4, 2022. Saw Saratoga Race Course. Horse sculptures everywhere in this town. Followed the Saratoga Lake shoreline for a while. Rode out to Saratoga National Historical Park, the battlefield. American's entrapment of Burgoyne's 8,000 soldier army proved to be the first turning point of the war. When the entire British army surrendered, France declared war against England and sided with America. The 9 mile route within the park features a bike lane and is quite popular with bicyclists. Beautiful meadows and slopes belie the carnage that unfolded here 245 years ago. Saratoga welcome. A walk through Congress Park again. Many water features and fountains. A last visit to Trask Fountain. Saratoga Springs. IPA, burger, fries again at Harvey's. Back at the Inn, listened and danced to Mark and Jill, a blues duo. 29 miles today. 562 miles out.

Friday, June 3, 2022. Leaving Amsterdam, Amsterdam Castle, and beautiful views of Mohawk River from state of the art pedestrian and bicycle bridge. Inlaid stone mosaic celebrating carpet produced locally for the Waldorf Astoria lobby. Saw Grant's Cottage, atop Mount McGregor, where he finished his famous memoirs as he was dying. A 650' climb in 2 miles. Rough slog up, but riding brakes all the way down. Never had a better tour. Site operated by Friends of Grant Cottage, such passionate volunteers. Grant's stay at this luxurious resort was a gift of a friend who foresaw many visitors coming to see the cottage where Grant died. So he preserved all furnishings exactly as they were at the President's death including cocaine water Grant used to swab his painful throat cancer. Period photographs confirm exact matches in every room. Had wanted to visit here ever since reading the memoirs which display his compassion, empathy, humanity, and progressive thinking about race. Fabulous overlook of Hudson Valley from the cottage. Usual outstanding IPA, burger, and fries, this time at Harvey's Irish Pub. Ever since visiting Chesterwood (2019), had wanted to see Trask Memorial Fountain, created by Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the Lincoln figure in the Lincoln Monument (celebrating its 100th anniversary, May 30, 2022). The "Spirit of Life," commemorating philanthropist Spencer Trask, did not disappoint. Listened and danced to Raggedy Co. (a local band) at the Inn of Saratoga (where we are staying), nostalgic hotel, built about 1843. 50 miles today. 533 miles out.

Thursday, June 2, 2022. Travel day. Several pleasure boats on the Erie Canal. Saw one locking through. Amazing scene of Mohawk River and long freight train with Little Falls in background nestled against the Adirondack foothills. Saw General Herkimer's home and monument over his grave on his estate. Died fighting British in Revolutionary War. So much sacrifice for us to inhabit this virtual paradise. Virtually all the canalway has been breathtaking with its profusion of Dame's Rockets or Phlox. Never sure which. Arrived in Amsterdam about 1:00. 70 miles today. 483 miles out.

Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Left Syracuse at daybreak to beat expected thunderstorms. Succeeded. Gorgeous vistas on the Erie Canal. By 10:00, with only 7 miles to go, ducked into Charlie's Place (a diner) for breakfast and shelter from a big thunderstorm. Not too wet. Hot shower felt good. We can hear the rain pounding on our roof at the moment. In Utica now. 57 miles today. 413 miles out.

Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Rejoined the Erie Canalway this morning. in Jordan, old canal bed now planted with flowers. The restored Nine-Mile Creek Aqueduct was something to experience. The only working aqueduct in New York. Great Reubens at Kitty Hoyne's Irish Pub in Syracuse. Just like Rochester, Syracuse has great bike lanes. Way ahead of Wisconsin. New York has many highways with wide shoulders/bike lanes. Again, way ahead of Wisconsin. 40 miles today. 356 miles out.

Monday, May 30, 2022. Memorial Day. Easy day. Rolling hills. Seneca Falls to Auburn. Saw Memorial Day program at Seneca Falls. Visited Harriet Tubman's brick house and home for the elderly. Aided by the Sewards, she bought her home in 1859 and an adjacent parcel in 1896 to provide a home for the elderly. She lived here from 1859-1913. Saw the William Seward mansion and park with memorial sculpture. A radical Republican (ardent abolitionist), he was a U.S. Senator, Secretary of State under Lincoln, and chief proponent of the Alaska purchase. Critics dubbed it Seward's ice box and Seward's folly. Somewhere, he's having a long, last laugh. Great burger, fries, and IPA at Prison City Pub. 23 miles today. 316 miles out.

Sunday, May 29, 2022. Staying at classic Seneca Falls' Gould Hotel, built in 1920. Breakfast at the Gould. Flanked by Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott, Kathy "gave a speech" in the Wesleyan Chapel where reformers launched the women's rights movement, July 19-20, 1848. Cool memorial to the "Declaration of Sentiments" which the attendees of the Convention adopted and signed. Walked across It's a Wonderful Life Bridge, widely believed to be the model for Frank Capra's bridge from which Clarence stopped George Bailey from jumping. Streets by bridge named George Bailey, Bedford Falls, and Clarence. Little bells tied to bridge. Memorial plaque to actual person who dove from the bridge into the canal in 1917 to successfully rescue a woman attempting suicide but drowned himself. Joined the 2 most famous reformers in their sculpture titled "When Anthony Met Stanton." Also photographed with "Women of Change" sculpture which featured 4 including Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. Nice tour of Elizabeth Candy Stanton's home. Great views of Van Cleef Lake, Barge Canal, and the historical "flats." Rode to Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. What a day. Lake and park full of people enjoying water and Memorial Day celebrations. Enjoyed tasty wine at Montezuma Winery, of course. 13 miles today. 293 miles out.

Saturday, May 28, 2022. Drizzled 2-3 hours in the morning. Wet trail with puddles. Saw Pittsford Crew's annual regatta on the Erie Canal. Countless single crew racers. Very exciting. Pleasure boats. People fishing. Several locks today. Left the canal to head south to Seneca Falls. Beautiful farms. Amish. Found a hose behind a gas station to spray off all our mud. 70 miles today. 280 miles out.

Friday, May 27, 2022. Saw Genesee Aqueduct that once carried the Erie Canal over the Genesee River in Rochester's city center. A Frederick Douglass sculpture marks the location of Corinthian Hall where Frederick Douglass delivered his famous "Fourth of July" speech. Photograph in front of mural of Susan B. Anthony's famous bicycle statement. Famous "Let's Have Tea" sculpture in Susan B. Anthony Square, designed by Frederick Olmsted. Toured her home. Great docent. Portraits of suffrage heroes in dining room. Same sidewalk stone slabs she walked on. Same carriage step beside street. Saw graves of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Kathy placed her "I Voted" sticker beside Anthony's grave. Saw a house Douglass lived in. Douglass sculptures all over Rochester. Disappointed George Eastman house was closed for private event. Lower Falls of Genesee River roars also. Sitting on Genesee Brew House rooftop now watching and listening to the Upper Falls roar, from a half mile away. 18 miles today. 210 miles out.

Thursday, May 26, 2022. Left Lockport by 7:30. Erie Canal is beautiful. Saw several pleasure boats headed west. Church in the Middle of the Road at Medina. Lots of orchards and fertile farmland off canal. Waving to a pleasure boat. Arrived in Rochester. Kodak tower, the company a skeleton of its former self. Burger, fries, and IPA from deck of Genesee Brew House with spectacular view of upper falls which powered Rochester's early industry and mills. 65 miles today. 192 miles out.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Saw one last freighter rise through Lock 7 on the Welland Canal, and left Thorold through tunnel under the canal. Arrived at Canadian Niagara Falls. Spectacular, of course. Again. Tourists zip line now on the Canadian side, of course. Maid of the Mist is quite yesterday. Through customs and then saw American Falls. Rapids above the Falls. Special memorial to Frederick Law Olmsted on his 200th birthday. He was instrumental in saving Niagara Falls for the American people. Rejoined the Erie Canal. Rolled into Lockport early afternoon. Fascinating history of ingenious Twin Locks at Lockport. Originally 5 elevations. Now just 2, Locks 34 & 35. Saw a pleasure boat raised through both locks to continue west. Joined the Lock Tenders Tribute. Had a great burger, fries, and local IPA at Lock 34 Bar & Grill. Great outdoor space. 41 miles today. 127 miles out.

Tuesday, May 24, 2022. May 24. Watched freighters lifted and lowered at the Twin Locks, 5 & 6. An old-timer who grew up on the Welland Canal spent a while answering our questions while we stood on the Lock 3 observation deck. Saw memorial to 137 men who died building Welland Canal. Drawbridge up for a freighter. Rode into St. Catharines to see Salem Chapel, the church Harriet Tubman called home for almost a decade. This building built in 1855 with some original pews still in use. Amazing that she fled America to find freedom in Canada. St. Catharines was haven to many runaways. Rode up to Lake Ontario. Back on the east side of the canal through countless orchards and vineyards. Wineries everywhere. Visited three: Trius, De Simone, and Hare. 31 miles today. 86 miles out.

Monday, May 23, 2022. Started from Buffalo's Erie Canal Milestone Zero. Over the Peace Bridge, rode into Canada. Niagara River is fast and spectacular. Rode past Old Fort Erie, first British fort built after Seven Years War and scene of bloody battles during War of 1812. Rode several miles along Lake Erie. Hadn’t gone but a couple miles up the Welland Canal when we got held up by a freighter, the Whitefish Bay. The drawbridge went up and we waited and watched while the freighter passed. 5 pleasure boats locked through at once. At Lock 7 in Thorold, watched for 45 minutes while a freighter, Onego Traveller, was lowered through the lock. We are staying in Thorold in The Inn at Lock 7 with a balcony overlooking the lock. From our balcony, watched the freighter Mckeil get raised through Lock 7. 43 miles today. 55 miles out

Sunday, May 22, 2022. Our long anticipated Canada, Erie Canal, Hudson River Bike Trip has begun. Took the Metra to Chicago. Got off Amtrak at Depew Station, Buffalo, at 8:55. Saw Michigan Street Baptist Church, built in 1845. First black church, oldest building in Buffalo, and last stop on Underground Railroad. (Harriet Tubman led blacks to freedom in Canada from Buffalo's Broderick Street landing.) Saw home of Edward Nash, its longtime pastor (1892-1953), and influential civil rights leader. This pastor and church welcomed the era's most important black leaders: Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary Talbert, Frederick Douglass, and William Wells Brown. Toured the Ansley Wilcox home, scene of Teddy Roosevelt's inauguration in its front parlor. Outstanding docent who assumed the identity of a Wilcox maid to tell the story of Roosevelt's oath of office in the front parlor. Iconic Electric Tower, site of Buffalo's New Year's Eve Ball Drop. First day of traditional after-ride microbrew, burger, and fries at Buffalo Tap House. 12 miles today.

Saturday, April 30, 2022. Sock Hop in Elkhorn with the Larry Lynne band. Larry Lynne had a band and recorded back in the 60s. In his 80s, still puts on a great show. He tapped Kathy to play the washboard for a number. Kathy was a natural.

Saturday, April 30, 2022. Ziggy Solo was born yesterday. Home today. Proud sister. Happy grandparents. Proud grandma.

Friday, April 22, 2022. Hank enjoys pizza.

Sunday, April 17, 2022. Easter at Mocha Moment. What a great place for an egg hunt.

Saturday, April 9, 2022. Time to plant the later bedding plants. Extra help all at once from Felix, Rocket, and Hank. Should be interesting to find out what comes up where.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Kathy is popular. Her secret: treats.

Friday, April 1, 2022. Felix works the ropes and rings daily in his hall gym.

Wednesday, March 9. 2022. Along with Judy, Carmen, and Karen, visited the Edison Ford Estate in Fort Myers. Edison wasn't just inventive with technology and mechanics, he was creative with architecture and plants. Homes were amazingly airy. Such a wide collection of plants and trees. One of America's largest Banyan trees.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Enjoyed dinner beside Lakeland's Lake Morton with Jana and Jodi.

Monday, March 7, 2022. Traditional hike at Circle B. Saw the standard alligators, herons, turtles, and a very friendly bird.

Saturday, March 5, 2022. Dinner with Matthew, Marianne, and their very lively 5 children.

Thursday, March 3, 2022. An evening at Grove Root with Alec and Kristen.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Photos of 11 kids and 40 grandkids that had surrounded Mom's porch for years were on display at the funeral. Look at this heritage site page for funeral details. The "Vegter girls" performed the standard "feeding the tribe" by making 130 lunch bags for the hour plus trip to Bushnell National Cemetery. Service at Bushnell. Our family at Bushnell. Caleb and Kathy. We 3. Our girls at Bushnell. Five Vegter girls at Bushnell. Meal for "the tribe" back at the church.

Monday, February 28, 2022. Leo is smiling away. Brothers. Hank helping Seth in the kitchen.

Saturday, February 19, 2022. Our annual Florida trip. This time knowing Mom Vegter was passing soon. We arrived yesterday (Friday), celebrated her 97th birthday today. All the Vegters fondly remember Grandma Tschetter's Cottage Cheese Dumplings. She pronounced them "Shutenkuflin." For the occasion, Kathy, with quite a bit of help, made dumplings for Monday dinner. Mom passed immediately after dinner. She passed on Monday with all 11 children around her bed. I'm beyond fortunate to be part of this family.

Saturday, February 12, 2022. A great Valentines dinner and dance with friends at Riverstone

Thursday, February 3, 2022. Carol, Chad and family, and Seth and family roasted sausage, and ate cheese and crackers with us tonight.

Saturday, January 22, 2022. Mom's 90th birthday, reprise. This time with the Cherry cousins. Pat & Fern's Gia made a special cake for mother.

Sunday, January 9, 2022. Kathy and Leo.

Saturday, January 8, 2022. With Shane, the Butterfly's very cool head bartender.

Friday, December 31, 2021. New Year's Eve. A package weekend at Lake Lawn Lodge with a great band from northern Illinois, The Beaux Band. Dinner. Kathy at the dance. Again. Kathy again. Danced hard for 4 hours. Energy left at 1:00 am. Great time.

Saturday, December 25, 2021. Christmas. The traditional meal at Linda's followed by the annual "unwrap the food wrap ball game." On Christmas Day Hank opened presents. Kathy read to Hank, and read some more.

Saturday, December 18, 2021. Amber will be in Michigan this year, so we had Christmas with her family today. Kathy and Leo. Kathy and Rocket with gift. Kathy and Rocket at Rotary light show to end the evening.

Saturday, December 11, 2021. Most of my extended family went to Sterling to celebrate mother's 90th birthday. 9 of 12 grandkids present. All great grandchildren (9) except newborn Leo Hey Dean present. Fitting cake. Venue: Church hall. Felix jettisoned his 2nd boot during pics. Pics: Mother and 3 sons. My family. Mike's family. Jerry's family. The Cousins. The Grandchildren. Great Grandchildren. Brinley.

Tuesday, December 4, 2021. Hank's moving out on his bike. He's feeding birds now. Hank and Leo. Kathy and Leo.

Saturday, December 1, 2021. Kathy at the Butterfly. Kathy and Rick, the keyboard player, who plays the wonderful "Ashoken Farewell" for our dance near the end of every evening.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021. Leo Hey Dean has arrived: Cap. Mom. Eyes Open. Mom and Dad. Seth. Grandparents. Parents.

Saturday, November 20, 2021. Kathy at the Butterfly: laugh, listen, care. With old friends Carl and Cheryl.

Saturday, November 13, 2021. At the Butterfly with Blair and Karen.

Thursday, November 4, 2021. Rocket in leaves. Hank on his bike.

Friday, October 29, 2021. Carving pumpkins.

Sunday. October 24, 2021. Grandkids. Seth and Hank. Rocket in Hank's jacket. Vegetable stand stocked from Felix's garden. Kathy reading to Hank. Felix baking with Kathy. And proud of it. Reading Fox in Socks. Kathy prepping buns with Felix and Rocket for Mocha Moment staff party.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021. On a gorgeous, warm afternoon, our standard bike ride to Apple Hut for apple donuts and a half pint of cider.

Saturday. October 16, 2021. Enjoyed Janesville's Enchanted Forest at Palmer Park. Felix and Rocket attempted to make helicopter toys fly. Not too much luck.

Monday. October 11, 2021. Monday meal at our house. Rocket and Felix enjoyed hearing Dr. Seuss, Fox in Socks, once again.

Saturday. October 9, 2021. Gorgeous day. Rode to G5 in Beloit for burger, fries, and craft. Cross our favorite Rock County bridge over Turtle Creek on Lathers Road.

Sunday. October 5, 2021. Very warm September and October. Incredibly, flowers in pergola and at sign are still at peak. Still picking heads of broccoli.

Monday. September 27. Rocket was excited and proud to ride her balance bike to our house for the first time.

Saturday. September 25. Aunt Sue passed away Tuesday. Funeral in Sterling. Mom's last family member gone. Had to leave early for wedding north of Janesville. So missed this family lunch after the funeral. Annual Vegter reunion at Ormond Beach. Felix.

Sunday. September 20. Rode out to see James Garfield Memorial (grave). Like McKinley's, it towers above trees. Saw Progressive Field, home of Cleveland Indians. Crossed Hope Memorial Bridge and saw all 8 Guardians holding different vehicles of commerce and transportation. They are the inspiration for the Indians' name change. Walked through West Side Market, Cleveland's oldest market. Land dating to 1842 and building to 1912. Mind-boggling array of meat, bakery, produce and so on. Great Lakes Brewery, home of the Edmund Fitzgerald. As usual, great burger, fries, and brew at Market Garden Brewery. Browns first home game of season. A half mile from stadium, saw thousands dressed in Browns jerseys. Browns mania. 17 miles today. 451 miles out. In a few hours (2:59 am), we board the Amtrak for Chicago.

Saturday. September 18. Continued the Ohio & Erie Towpath to Cleveland. Ohio has done a good job preserving and marking the locks and other canal features. Rode through the famous Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Constant scenery: Cuyahoga River on the left, canal on the right. Cool to see and hear the scenic excursion railroad (look closely). Lots of fans cheering a rowing competition on the Cuyahoga in downtown Cleveland. If I hadn't met a local on the trail yesterday, I wouldn't have known of the brand new bike bridge over the tracks and into Wendy Park. Dipped our tires in Lake Erie. Celebrated with a brew and live music while taking in Lake Erie just a few yards from where we dipped our tires. 43 miles today. 434 miles out.

Friday. September 17. Rode over to Canton to see the William McKinley Memorial and Library. What a grand monument towering above the trees. 108 steps up. Interior dome is impressive. Because he's less known and not popular, I had no idea how modern and interesting the library is. A McKinley Gallery where wax figures of McKinley and Ida inform visitors of important events by use of dialogue. An especially well done section of period streets and shops. Super interesting. Rode the Ohio & Erie Towpath north to Akron. Beautiful scenery. Interesting to see ancient locks built 200 years ago. Rode for a bit today with an Akron native who said "we had to experience Lock 15 Brewery." He was right. Little Cuyahoga River at night. 49 miles today. 393 miles out.

Thursday. September 16. Enjoyed the Holmes County Trail, the only bicycle-horse and buggy shared use trail in America. Amish country. Downtown Fredericksburg. Plenty of evidence that horses use the trail. 18 miles of rural road through a prosperous Amish region. Arrived in Massillon this afternoon. Finished the evening listening to top notch blues singer, Taylor Lamborn, in a cool venue at a craft beer tap. 39 miles today. 344 miles out.

Wednesday. September 15. Dodged rain today. 0-6-0 Alco locomotive steam engine on display. Passed under the stone arch at Howard. Stopped for a photo at Bridge of Dreams, a 370' covered bridge, the 3rd longest in America. Phenomenal scenery non-stop. Amish Country: Shared use road. Ate at Millersburg Brewery. Good burger, fries, and brew, of course. Overnight in Millersburg. Coolest town with its courthouse and monument from another era. 43 miles today. 305 miles out

Tuesday. September 14. Photographed Ohio's Statehouse before leaving Columbus. Exited Columbus on Alum Creek Trail. At least 15 miles. Spectacular scenery. Crossed Alum Creek repeatedly. 10 miles of country road today. Arrived at Mt. Vernon. Ate at Stein Brewing Company, situated in the historic Woodward Opera House. Coolest architecture. As usual, great burger, fries, and brew. 56 miles today. 262 miles out.

Monday. September 13. Uneventful today, except for standard, great scenes from Xenia to Columbus. More open fields of corn and beans. Definitely fall. Hundreds of absolutely new grain hauling rail cars on sidings. Waiting for harvest? Through Darby Creek Nature Center. Picturesque Darby Creek. Winding path through its woods. All the way into downtown Columbus on a gorgeous trail along the Scioto River. Now that's a bike-friendly city. As usual, great burger, fries, and brew at Bareburger. 59 miles today. 206 miles out.

Sunday. September 12. Rode to Dayton to see the Wright Brothers' sites. It was at this, their 4th of 5 bicycle shops, where they conceived the idea of flight. Hawthorn Hill, their home, stately and commanding. Many kayaks in the Miami River with its levees. Burger, fries, and brew at Carillon Brewery, an authentic, mid-1800s, German brewery. Coolest place. Again, spectacular scenery. 59 miles today. 147 miles out.

Saturday. September 11. Rode north to Xenia. Splendid scenery. Looked at Crossed Keys Tavern, built in 1802. Rode through Fort Ancient Earthworks, erected by Hopewell Indians, BC 200 to AD 400. Most of our ride included views of the Little Miami River with its popular kayaks and canoes. Finished the day with wings, fries, and brew at Xenia's Devil Wind Brewery. Live music. 72 miles. 88 miles out.

September 10, 2021. Friday. Got off Amtrak at 3:17 am. at Cincinnati's Union Terminal. Caught a few hours sleep. Toured President Taft's boyhood home. A good and decent human being who became President. Toured Harriet Beecher Stowe's home. Learned her formative influences that produced Uncle Tom's Cabin. Rode by Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds. Heard Billy Joel and band doing sound checks for a concert tonight. Heard all or parts of many hits. Listened to him while riding across the John Roebling Bridge to Kentucky and back. Dipped our rear tires in the Ohio River. John Roebling Bridge. Admired the Tyler Davidson fountain. Had a great burger, fries, and craft brew at the Taft Ale House, a cool converted church building. Took in Findlay Market, Ohio's oldest public market, operating since 1855. What a dream to shop daily for outstanding meat, produce, and fruit. 16 miles.

September 4, 2021. Saturday. Uncle Phil passed away on May 15, 2020. Because of Covid, just holding his Celebration of Life at Goodenow Nature Preserve, south of Chicago. Wonderful celebration with all 4 surviving children sharing remarkable perspectives of their father. Dave and Ken with Uncle Phil's bicycle. Uncle Phil's 4 children: Dave, Laura, Tom, Ken. Hey cousins: Steve, far left. Dave, next to Steve. Laura, next to flowers. Tom, next to flowers. Ken, man in black. Charlene. Doug. There were 13 Hey cousins. John is passed on. So 7 of 12 in the pic. Mike came, but left before pic. Hey cousins at Grandma Hey's funeral, 1976. Can you match them?

September 1, 2021. Kathy and Felix, baking again. Hank likes picking cherry tomatoes with Kathy. I've grown okra all my life, and never seen any plant over 6' tall. This one's over 8' tall. Leon, a man from Alabama, has grown okra his whole life. Says he's never seen anything like it. Mocha Moment sign flowers, 2021, at peak now.

August 17, 2021. Tuesday. Brooke, Betty, and I share a birthday. Betty and I are 40 years apart, and she always comes to MM on our birthday. For my birthday, Kathy treated to a bike ride and drinks at Wissota with this river view. The same Scott who designed our berm at MM just completed this retaining wall.

August 17, 2021. Tuesday. Morning Coffee. Cousins. Felix and I sure enjoy our garden. Season's first cauliflower. I grew up on fried okra. I've never grown better okra than this year's. In fact, the whole garden is doing great. Supper from the garden.

August 15, 2021. Annual Riverside Park Music Festival. All the grandkids came. Great roasted chicken dinner as usual.

August 14, 2021. Juliana works for us. She invited us to her quinceanos, her 15th birthday party. It's hard to exagerate what a big deal the quinceanos is in Hispanic culture. Tremendous meal. Then several hours of choreographed dancing. A show.

August 14, 2021. Kathy's informal, 50th class reunion at Williams Bay's annual brat and corn fest. She had a great time reminiscing with old friends. When I first met her, Kathy talked by far the most and so fondly about her family and her high school friends and experiences. Small class: just 50. It must have been an ideal youth for her. Proud to say that 50 years later, of all the class mates, Kathy most exudes her youthful figure.

August 5, 2021, Thursday. Seth and family enjoyed life today. Pigs. Goats. More goats. Family.

August 1, 2021, Sunday. Gabe rode most of the Janesville trails with us (30 miles this morning). Saw several deer and turkeys on the spur going out to the youth sports complex. Ended with breakfast at O'Riley's.

July 23, 2021, Friday. Felix helps me split wood now, a job his uncles used to help me with. Kathy's lilies are looking good this year, as is my garden.

July 18, 2021, Sunday. Saw many Pelicans in Rock River on our early morning ride. Looks like we have new help at Mocha Moment. And Hank will have a new brother. Look at my ring. "Gee, Wally. I didn't know that would happen."

July 9-13, 2021, Thursday-Tuesday. Annual family gathering at the cabin with all our kids. Seth and Amber's families. In the lake. Saw lots of deer this year. This doe allowed Kathy and me to walk within 20 yards of it. Daily camp fire. Kathy and Rocket. Reading to Felix and Hank. New steel roof. Thanks, Mike, for initiating that. Everyone gone but Kathy and me. Quiet . Good-bye to Carol who coordinated things, ran errands, banked, etc., so we could be gone.

July 4, 2021, Sunday. Rode to Tiffany Cafe for breakfast. Of course, had to see Tiffany's 5 Arch bridge.

July 2, 2021, Friday. Seth and Hank. Always nice when the grandkids stop by MM to see us.

June 30, 2021. Wednesday. Karen, Sharon, and Diana brought mom once again to Wisconsin. As Cody says, "Mom's 7th last trip." Jerry & Diane as well as Uncle Ron & Aunt Darlene came. All the locals, of course. What a wonderful place to gather—the gardens at Mocha Moment. Kathy reading to Hank. Waving goodbye.

June 27, 2021. Sunday. Whole family gathered at Jordan's new house for a grill out. Jordan made entire meal. Impressive. Great brisket and burgers. His grill box was designed to be a playhouse. Hank liked it. Bee Balm at MM is eye catching.

June 24, 2021. Thursday. Picked raspberries at Mocha Moment with Felix and Rocket. Made raspberry ice cream. Made raspberry shakes.

June 22, 2021. Tuesday. Cousin Tom Hey and family visited at Mocha Moment yesterday. Michael was home for a visit and wanted to stop by MM on the way to his plane. Last time we saw them was at Michael and Christiana's concert in Madison, October, 2019.

June 20, 2021. Sunday. Father's Day at Amber's. Great ribs and steak.

June 19, 2021. Saturday. We heard the ABBA tribute band event at the Pheonix Bandshell in Delavan. Gorgeous summer evening. Lots of attendees dancing to the happy music on the polished cement, semi-circle dance floor.

June 17, 2021. Thursday. Tour of America's Dairyland is an annual pro-am bike race that makes a 2 day stop in Janesville. It's a big deal. The Tour offers a children's "race." Felix "raced" this year. Lots of fun to watch the pack whiz by about every minute on its 1-mile loop.

June 17, 2021. Thursday. Hank, Ashley, and Seth in Arizona. Again. Rocket sprayed Felix on the ride by. Jordan and Ryan on a motorcycle trip through the smokies.

June 13, 2021. Sunday. Rode to Double B for breakfast. Stopped by Seth's on the way back. Went with them to see this beautiful of wild flowers, right in the city.

June 7, 2021. Monday. Everybody in the pool on a hot day.

June 1, 2021. Tuesday. Ice cream with Grandma. Angle.

May 30, 2021. Sunday. Overnight. Felix and Rocket snuggle up.

May 29, 2021. Saturday. Hank on his trike. Kathy and Hank. Felix climbed the new rope to the top. Lilacs, deck, flowers especially pretty this year.

May 20, 2021. Thursday. Felix cleaned up after planting the garden with me. On Monday, we were cleaning out the pool together. I asked him if he'd come back later in the week and plant. He said, "Well, if I don't have day care, or Basics (grocery store), and if I have time, I'll be back."

May 19, 2021. Wednesday. Two or three times a week, Amber and the kids visit Mocha Moment. Coming, Felix parks his bike by mine. Leaving.

May 10, 2021. Monday. Seth and family at the cabin for a long weekend. At the lake. In his great, great grandpa Hey's chair. Video. Hike.

May 5, 2021. Wednesday. Hank and Kathy at Mocha Moment.

May 2, 2021. Sunday. Felix plants the Mocha Moment Coleus with me every year. We rode our bikes back to his house. Going down State Street, I was hanging back a bit from him and had him between me and the curb. Finally, he said, "Grandpa, why are you going so slow?"

May 1, 2021. Saturday. After a whole year of no big bands and dances, was sure nice to go to a sock hop at the fairgrounds in Elkhorn. Lot of people, and big band. Kathy having fun with friends. But no pic of us tonight.

April 27, 2021. Tuesday. Felix and I planted potatoes today. Great tradition. We have a good time together. Hank's gardening, too.

April 26, 2021. Monday. Amber, Seth, and I took the grandkids to see Mom in Sterling. Now a 3rd generation splashing in the "creek." Group photo. Getting ready to go. And Felix, like his mom and grandpa, finding the Bilco doors a great place to climb.

April 23, 2021. Saturday. Kept Felix and Rocket overnight. Walked to the new Sugar Exchange on Main Street for ice cream. Kathy read to both.

April 22, 2021. Thursday. Felix comes every year to help spread the compost and till the garden. He walks back and forth every pass plugging his ears over the tiller noise. I asked him why the motor hurts his ears but his yelling doesn't. Didn't have an answer for that.

April 15, 2021. Thursday. Mischief in Rocket's scrunched nose.

April 10, 2021. Saturday. Amber ran the Janesville marathon. Mocha Moment donated coffee.

April 6, 2021. Tuesday. Grilled for Kathy's birthday. Hank was impressed with tulips.

April 4, 2021. Sunday. Easter. Easter preparations with Felix. Mocha Moment is a great Easter venue for our many family and friends. Sun on the deck. The inner garden is perfect for an Easter egg hunt. Grandkids. Ladies. Uncle Jordan and Rocket. Family photo.

March 27, 2021. Saturday. Felix' birthday #4. Spiderman. Chad has access to an rehabbed, small school bus in which the birthday party rode to Mac's Pizza Shack. Reading "Fox in Socks" to Felix and Rocket.

March 6, 2021. Saturday. A nice surprise package. Every February we hang out at Grove Roots with Alec and Kristen. Since we couldn't go to Florida this year, they sent us a package of 6 am Pickers, a coffee stout. Jordan and Felix went for a ride. Hank enjoys his egg laying chickens.

March 1, 2021. Monday. Rocket's 2nd birthday. Sipping juice with Kathy. Lots of family.

February 25, 2021. Thursday. Kathy and Felix reading again. Time to say good-bye to an old friend. In 1977, we bought nice Schwinn bikes for our 4th anniversary. Those 2 bikes went over 10,000 miles each on countless bike trips. Mine was stolen about 10 years ago. (Good thing or we might still be riding them. The burgundy Schwinn behind Kathy was replacement for the stolen Schwinn.) Kathy's was still hanging from the rafters. Today we gave it and 3 other bikes to the Bike Elves, a couple who fixes up bikes to give away.

February 18, 2021. Thursday. Kathy and Hank enjoy a good laugh. Caught Rocket and Hank's attention again. Lots of snow this year.

February 7, 2021. Reading weekend for Kathy and Felix. Snuggling on the couch. Sitting up. Snuggling in bed.

January 16, 2021. Felix and family used our bike thru today.

January 9-10, 2021. Saturday-Sunday. Kept Felix and Rocket overnight. Went sledding at Peace Park. Rocket and I roasted sausage later. Stopped at Mocha Moment for hot chocolate on our way to walking the Town Square.

January 3, 2021. Sunday. Kathy and Felix enjoyed a matching/yarn game.

December 31, 2020. Thursday. Because of Covid, not much happening for New Year's Eve dance. So we went to the Moose. Good band: Frank & Company. Had a nice time. Pretty subdued.

December 26, 2020. Saturday. A massive Burr Oak grows on the east edge of our woods. Tom Presney, former head of Janesville Parks, told me that he was a member of a group that catalogs trees throughout Wisconsin and that our Burr Oak might be as big as any he'd ever seen. I tell this to various customers from time to time. Today, a customer told me that he'd measured the circumference of our oak (over 10'), input the data on a UW Michigan website, and that the results showed the Burr Oak to have likely come to life in 1662.

December 25, 2020. Friday. Felix rode his new bike to our house for Christmas. 3 years old. 7 degrees. .7 mile. He's a bonafide Dean now. Pose with grandkids, but Felix wasn't in the photo mood. Christmas breakfast. I grill steaks. Jordan fries bacon. Amber fries eggs. Kathy bakes egg dish. Opening gifts. Felix likes his heavy equipment. Mother, daughter, granddaughter.

December 24, 2020. Thursday. Annual Christmas Eve at Linda's. Always warm and memorable. All 5 home. And spouses. And grandkids. Evening wouldn't be complete without the "unwrap the food wrap" game. Our 4 boys.

December 23, 2020. Wednesday. Gorgeous new fire pit table at Mocha Moment.

December 20, 2020. Sunday. Seth bought us all tickets for the annual Rotary Gardens Light Show. Met for appetizers and drinks at the Draft House. Then to the light show. Rocket and Felix.

December 15, 2020. Tuesday. The annual black-eyed peas and cornbread meal with the Hopkins. Felix and I plant the peas. I pick them. The many fingers of the Hopkins children shell them. Afterwards, time for playing and reading.

December 13, 2020. Sunday. Hank is charming again.

November 28, 2020. Saturday. Birthday celebration continued at Seth and Ashley's. Lots of cousins.

November 27, 2020. Friday. We combined Hank's 1st birthday with tree decorating. Hank contemplates opening his gift which turned out to be a Mickey Mouse scooter, very popular with older cousins. Hank enjoyed his birthday cake. Grandkids and us.

November 26, 2020. Thursday. My 68th straight Thanksgiving at home. I didn't intend such a streak, but it happened. I'm not sure that turkey is the meal highlight—it's likely Mom's dinner rolls. The traditional game of caroms. Felix and Rocket at play. Some dinner guests. Hank.

November 20, 2020. Friday. Beautiful cabbage, kale, pansies, and violets. Crazy how they survive cold and snow, and keep right on looking pretty.

November 16, 2020. Monday. Felix still feeds the birds with me at Mocha Moment. Still eating fresh broccoli from the garden. Amazing plant to survive the cold.

November 8, 2020. Sunday. Kathy and Carol did the traditional deep clean last night at Mocha Moment. Another tradition: bike ride the day after. Burgers and fries at Lucy's #7 in Beloit. We three at Mocha Moment. So many great memories over almost half a century now.

November 7, 2020. Saturday. Gorgeous November weather. Rode our new Domanes to G5 Brewery. Thanks to Ann and Mike, we have nicer rides than we'd ever dreamed of owning. Can't pass up country scenes. Firepit table felt really good. It's not summer. Our favorite bridge over Lathers Road. Kayaks coming and going.

November 3, 2020. Tuesday. Jenny, her family, and mom at dinner at our house.

October 31, 2020. Saturday. Fun times for Halloween. Ready to go for candy.

October 13, 2020. Tuesday. Felix helped Kathy make apple pies. Playing in the leaves.

October 11, 2020. Sunday. Three days of gorgeous weather. Farm view. Just up out of Gempler Road hill. What appeared to be about a 12 year old boy operating this corn harvester. Soybean harvest. Bailing hay with an automatic shrink wrap machine. Very interesting. Here's the slideshow.

October 10, 2020. Saturday. Coffee at Mad Charlie's; we supply them with coffee. Valley view leaving Monroe. Outcroppings on the way to New Glarus. Wine at Bailey's Run Vineyard. Two or three hundred people enjoying the warm afternoon and live music at Bailey's Run. The valley from Bailey's Run. Traditional pizza at Sugar River Pizza, only it was warm enough we didn't want the fire pit table.

October 9, 2020. Friday. Headed to Monroe and New Glarus for our traditional fall ride. First time to see a train crossing Hanover-Footville Road. New bridge and riprap over Markham Creek. Fantastic fall colors. Favorite stop over Sugar River. Favorite valley view of fields on the way to Monroe. Green County Courthouse at night. Friday night fish fry at the Ratskeller.

October 4, 2020. Sunday. Rode to Tiffany for breakfast with Sue. Five-Arch Bridge. Lathers Road steel bridge. Seth and Hank at the pumpkin patch. Ashley and Hank.

October 3, 2020. Saturday. Kathy and I met 49 years ago today. Almost five decades later, still hanging out at the Butterfly, dancing and enjoying life.

September 26, 2020. Saturday. A good-bye party for Jordan, leaving Milwaukee for Denver. Felix loves working the garden, digging potatoes and composting cucumbers. And still climbs.

September 24, 2020. Thursday. Stories and Milk with Grandma.

September 18, 2020. Friday. Stopped to give Felix and Rocket blueberries. Felix had to show me his pumpkin.

September 17, 2020. Thursday. Seth, Ashley, and Hank stopped by MM on the way to the cabin for a long weekend with Chad and family. Amber's kids joined. Amber took over Autumn's shirt for Hank. Ambulance driver let Felix honk the horn and flash the lights.

September 15, 2020. Tuesday. Brooke watches the kids on Tuesdays and brought them to MM. Amber and the kids came for standard grill out. Evening finished with a garden search for tomatoes and broccoli.

September 12, 2020. Saturday. Wedding. Jordan was in the wedding party. Uncle John told a tall tale. Brent could do stand-up comedy. Kathy.

September 11, 2020. Friday. Wedding rehearsal for Ryan and Hannah. Drinks with Uncle John & Aunt Florence and Don & Judy. Rehearsal. Kathy and Aunt Florence. Dinner. In clearing the dance floor down to the longest married, Uncle John and Aunt Florence (60 years) and we (48 years) were the last 2 couples. I guess we are "getting on up there."

September 11, 2020. Friday. Amber and family on the Florida, Atlantic Beach for the annual Vegter clan gathering.

September 7, 2020. Monday. Wonderful Labor Day with family. All over for grill out. Hank came by Burley. Going home.

September 6, 2020. Sunday. Felix enjoyed his ice cream cone. Interesting pose from Rocket.

September 5, 2020. Saturday. Hank thinks Felix is funny. Rode to Staller Estate Winery. Staller grows many of its own grapes. Extra nice cheese and meat tray. 40 miles.

September 3, 2020. Thursday. Standard August-September dinner. 100% from our garden. And organic, of course.

August 30, 2020. Sunday. Great ride to DC Estate Winery on the Illinois side of the state line. Crossed one of our favorite Rock County bridges, an old steel, single lane steel bridge over Turtle Creek. Spectacular day. Happened to catch a guitar, vocal duo from Nashville. Kirstie Krause is a Janesville native. Lots of people on lawn chairs taking the day. Burgers, fries, and porters at G5 Brewery on the way back. Telephone wires lined with blackbirds. 34 miles.

August 23, 2020. Sunday. Rode to Milton's Timber Hill Winery and returned along Janesville's bike trails. Pine Trees. Blackhawk Creek.

August 22, 2020. Saturday. We attended Bethany Moen's wedding at Old Coon Creek Inn on Raccoon Creek, the source of the mill pond for Beckman Mill.

August 20, 2020. Thursday. Always fun to take a break with Felix and Rocket when they come by Mocha Moment.

August 18, 2020. Tuesday. Tuesday night grill out. Hank likes sweet corn. Kids enjoy swings.

August 16, 2020. Sunday. Kathy enjoys reading to Felix and Rocket .

August 9, 2020. Sunday. Rode through Johnstown today. Familiar horse paddock. Old country meat market. Corn is tall and maturing. Distant farm across soybean fields. Breakfast in Milton at Nadalie's in Milton. Rode through the new Scheiffer Park. 46 miles. Another hot day. Straight in the pool.

August 3, 2020. Monday. Married 47 years today. Honeymooned at the cabin. Grilled ribs. Lake as beautiful as when I first saw it 51 years ago.

August 1, 2020. Saturday. At our cabin again. Saw Richard Bong's grave at his hometown, Poplar, just 35 miles north of our cabin. Shooting down 40 enemy planes from his P-38 (Bong Veteran's Historical Center, Superior), he is called "America's Ace of Aces." Ate at Mexico Lindo on the patio at the Fitgers complex overlooking Lake Superior. Watched a freighter come in.

July 27, 2020. Monday. Always nice when Amber stops by our bike-thru with Felix and Rocket.

July 26, 2020. Sunday. Rode our bikes to Magnolia Bluff County Park with its magnificent vista of Green County. The bluff is the second highest elevation in Rock County. Scenic slope back off the bluff. Still drink from the old hand pump. Breakfast in Evansville at Main Street Cafe. Very hot day. Straight into the pool when we got back. Exactly 50 miles.

July 20, 2020. Monday. Felix picked our broccoli. I always ask him, "Who planted that?" He always says, "Me."

July 18, 2020. Saturday. Watched Felix and Rocket so DJ and Amber could tube Turtle Creek. Nap time.

July 17, 2020. Friday. Jason and Tatiana stayed with us this week. Amber loaned her Burley and they brought Solara and Eisen to Mocha Moment every day. Eisen always wanted to go in the Burley instead of the truck.

July 12, 2020. Sunday. Rode our bikes to the southwest corner of Rock County. Ate breakfast at the Sand Burr. Saw the "Half Way Tree," that Indians had stepped off as half-way between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. Rode through Avon Bottoms , a Sugar River nature area. Avon Townhall itself. Beckman Mill and its Fish Ladder. Gorgeous day. 62 miles.

July 6, 2020. Monday. Felix still parks his bike by mine. Look closely. He and Rocket have been picking and eating wild raspberries with Mom.

July 4, 2020. Saturday. Felix rode his first dirt bike course.

July 3, 2020. Friday. Now a tradition. When Bob comes to town, we do a Friday fish fry, generally at a new spot. This time, we enjoyed a wonderful fry and view of Delavan Lake at the Inn Between.

June 28, 2020. Sunday. Decided to work on a slideshow, "Rock County by Bike". We are biking to parts of the county of which we don't have pics. We used to hike with our kids many times at Carver-Roehl Park, but I had no pics of it. This sandstone wall above the stream still just how we remembered it. Of course, Breakfast at Tiffany Cafe. 36 miles this morning.

June 26, 2020. Friday. Spectacular flowers at Mocha Moment this year. Clematis. Inviting front. And our first Bee Balm.

June 25, 2020. Thursday. Another distant cousin found my heritage site and made contact. Kathy and I went to Wheaton to visit Will Hohm (Mom Vegter's first cousin), his daughter, Bev (Kathy's second cousin), and her son Kent Smith (my kids' third cousin). Great time. Because of Covid, we distanced in the garage. Will told us many personal experiences about Kathy Uncles, Grandpa Tschetter, and great grandparents. Will has sent me a wealth of material for our heritage site. Then we visited my mom in Sterling.

June 22, 2020. Monday. Seth and Ashley at the cabin with Hank. How the years cycle around. Boating. Hiking. Ready to canoe.

June 21, 2020. Sunday. Rocket enjoyed her ice cream, to the last drop.

June 16, 2020. Tuesday. Experimenting with new Cafe Lights at Mocha Moment. Nice, soft ambience.

June 11, 2020. Thursday. Burgers with Uncle Ron and Aunt Darlene. Sobering to see this mountain of man reduced to frailty. But they handle it so well. Inspiring.

June 10, 2020. Wednesday. Felix loaded the suet and posed on the railing.

June 7, 2020. Sunday. Hank paid us a visit.

June 6, 2020. Saturday. Our friend, singer-songwriter Mike Williamson (Butterfly vocalist) wrote and recorded a song, "Watching the River Roll." Another friend, Bruce L. Warden, produced the music. By bicycle, Kathy and I rode the Rock River in Rock County between Indian Ford and the state line (75 miles). We photographed the Rock River and created this slideshow with Mike's music. Some of our favorite scenes: Janesville's old railroad trestle, popular dam at Indian Ford, deck at Showboat at Indian Ford, Beloit's foot bridge, river from Oakley Road.

May 25, 2020. Monday. Memorial Day with a cookout at Seth and Ashely's. Hudson, Nora, and Piper gave Kathy and Hank a swing.

May 13, 2020. Wednesday. Seth and Hank .

May 10, 2020. Sunday. Mother's Day. Felix and Kathy made fruit pizza. All over at Amber's for omelets.

May 3, 2020. Sunday. Beautiful, warm day. ll 3 grandkids. Seth's family.

May 2, 2020. Saturday. Felix climbs the cargo net. Loves to have Kathy read to him.

April 30, 2020. Thursday. Felix helped me spread compost and till the garden. Cleaned up the tiller afterwards.

April 26, 2020. Sunday. Rode over to Seth's. Got to know Hank better.

April 21, 2020. Tuesday. Felix, Rocket, and Mimi headed home after Tuesday night dinner.

April 20, 2020. Monday. Felix parks his bike by mine at Mocha Moment.

April 16, 2020. Thursday. Amber, Rocket, and Felix headed home after the daily stop at Mocha Moment. Calendar says Spring, but weather is Winter still.

April 12, 2020. Sunday. Easter. With the Coronavirus lockdown, Easter was a pretty simple and quiet affair. Ashley and Seth brought Hank to see us. Amber and family came. Kathy and Rocket. Felix, Rocket, and us. Felix always cleans his shovel after working in the garden. Headed home.

April 1, 2020. Wednesday. Kathy and Rocket. Felix fed the birds and rode his bike home.

March 29, 2020. Sunday. Hank is getting ready to hike.

March 27, 2020. Friday. Felix' 3rd birthday. Rocket riding.

March 25, 2020. Wednesday. Felix went from a balance bike this morning, to a real bike this evening.

March 21, 2020. Saturday. Felix and Rocket stayed overnight. Baking with Kathy, reading with me, and reading with Kathy.

March 1, 2020. Sunday. Hank is smiling. Kathy and Mom on our last full day in Florida. Lunch at Tanner's with Cody.

February 29, 2020. Saturday. Karen and Blair took us to Cherry Pocket, a restaurant with live music and a patio on Lake Pierce. Lake Pierce at night. The guitar duo was really good. The leader, Rick Langolf, was also an exceptional entertainer.

February 28, Friday. On the shelf in Mom Vegter's sitting room are graduation photos of all 40 grandchildren and 11 children.

February 27, 2020. Thursday. Annual walk in Circle B Bar Reserve. As much wildlife as ever, especially large birds and gators. A Great Egret (with lizard in his beak). Friendly raccoons. Another gator. And another.

February 25, 2020. Tuesday. Self-guided, audio, walking tour of Tarpon Springs today. Florida Stories app. Sponge capital of America and largest Greek ethnic concentration in America. Sponge boat with sponges. Sponge production peaked in the 1920s-1940s. Memorial to Greek sponge divers. Tarpon Springs' sponge production was essentially built by Greek immigrants from the Greek Dodecanese Islands. Manatees in the canal. Ate genuine Greek salads and gyros for lunch. Owners of the side-walk cafe were younger and spoke Greek to each other and their staff. Greek Catholic with memorial to Greek boys who died in WWII. Interior.

February 19, 2020. Wednesday. Starting last Friday, celebrated Mom's 95th birthday. Mom plus all 11 siblings and spouses. For the weekend, rented house with 12 bedrooms, each with a bath. Large commons where we repeated familiar and cherished stories of old times. Familiar sax trio. Back at home, restaged Mom & Dad's 50th anniversary photo with an empty chair for dad.

February 9, 2020. Sunday. Rocket is walking now. Hank is smiling. Hank and family.

January 23, 2020. Thursday. Gave a 3 minute acceptance speech at the awards ceremony today. Our award plate sits on our Mocha Moment mantle. Awards program. Recognition from Congressman Steil.

January 18, 2019. Saturday. Watched Felix and Rocket today. Baked rice krispie bars. Worked puzzles. Visited model train display at Hedberg Library. Felix helped run the Lego model train.

January 12, 2020. Sunday. Forward Janesville awarded Mocha Moment its "Small Business of the Year Award." Very nice. Janesville Gazette print edition. Online edition.

January 1, 2019. Wednesday. Hank came over for New Year's Day. Kathy with Hank.

December 31, 2019. Tuesday. New Year's Eve. Went to Riverstone in Fort Atkinson. Nice meal and good band, Midnight, from Chicago.

December 28, 2019. Saturday. Another Saturday night at our hangout, The Butterfly.

December 25, 2019. Wednesday. Dean Christmas. Hank's first. Amber and Felix.

December 21, 2019. Saturday. Jacob & Allysa's wedding in Westfield, Indiana. What do people from Florida do when they see snow? Snowball fight. Cousins. Siblings and spouses. Daughters with Mom. The aunts wanted to be photographed with Cody. The clan in the motel guest room for pizza. An amazing family. That about 70 people would travel that far for a nephew's wedding.

December 18, 2019. Wednesday. 4 Generation photo with Hank and Mom Vegter.

December 17, 2019. Tuesday. Peter is a Mocha Moment regular and owns the Allyn Mansion in Delavan. He is passionate about historic preservation. He invited us to an open house, holiday fund-raiser at the Allyn Mansion. Marvelous restoration story. The Allyn Mansion is stately, soft, and warm. Main hall.

December 16, 2019. Monday. The parade ordered by Jacob's wedding has started. The Vegter Girls and Mom are back in town.

December 13, 2019. Friday. Karen and her girls wanted to go to the Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater just like old times. Used to take our kids every year. Hadn't been back in years.

December 2, 2019. Monday. Hank meets his cousins.

November 30, 2019. Saturday. Hank is 3 days old. I finally put together a Mocha Moment Slideshow.

November 27, 2019. Wednesday. Hank Andersen Dean joined us today. 7 lbs. 2 oz.

November 24, 2019. Sunday. Riverside Park Benefit at Mocha Moment. Andrew of BUZ Expressions, one of our great customers, took photos and printed them on customers' lattes. Kathy and Rocket's print.

November 19, 2019. Tuesday. Uber'd it out to Garden of the Gods and hiked back to Caleb's through Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Canyon, and Bear Creek Park. About 11 miles hike. Well deserved brew, burger, and fries at Bristol Brewery.

November 18, 2019. Monday. Amber and family.

November 17, 2019. Sunday. Hiked 7 Bridges Trail. Ice and Snow on trail. Another bridge. Mountains.

November 15, 2019. Friday. Picked up the Amtrak in Princeton to go to Caleb's. Observation deck.

November 4, 2019. Monday. Janesville opened its newest bike trail segment through a park renamed "Schaeffer Park."

October 31, 2019. Thursday. Halloween. Blade's gone now. She and I had this morning routine. Boots on at 4:00 am. She'd come over to have her ears scratched. Right boot on. More petting. Left boot on. Last strokes. Then outside. Even at age 16, she never failed to trot back in. Had wondered if she'd last the winter, just because she was eating so little, less than 2 cups a day. Very lethargic. No zest. But she always trotted in from outside. Same routine this morning. Trotted in. Kathy called about 7:00 am. Blade was crying and couldn't get off her haunches. Jared took her to Dr. Helbing who put her down. Said older large dogs have their lumbar vertebrae collapse. Buried her just east of the garden compost bin about 10:00 am. A typical black lab, she was the kindest, gentlest, nicest pup. Of the thousands of dogs who've come through Mocha Moment drive thru, she is still the only one so excited she tried to vault through the window for the treat. Was harder to part with her than I thought. Seth and Jordan bought her the second Spring after we opened Mocha Moment. The boys are long gone. So we parents inherited Blade. But we won't miss the hair, taking her outside, etc. Dusty (1980-1990) is buried in the northeast corner of our garden. Blade (2004-2019) in the northwest.

October 29, 2019. Tuesday. Felix is getting ready for Halloween.

October 27, 2019. Sunday. Gorgeous late October day. End of the season ride to Riverside Park. Overlook.

October 22, 2019. Tuesday. Kathy and I attended the Organ-Violin duo of Michael Hey and Christina Liberis at the Overture Center, Madison. Program Bios. What a great evening. I thought I'd enjoy the program, but it was even better than that. Saw Tom and Chris, too, of course. When Michael played his wonderful recitals as a teen student at the Conservatory, some of us used to remark afterwards that "one of these days we are going to have to pay to hear him play." It happened.

October 18, 2019. Friday. Friendly fox at Mocha Moment today. Too friendly. Likely sick or something.

October 6, 2019. Sunday. Amber ran the Milwaukee Marathon. Very Cool. Took Felix to the Milwaukee Zoo where he enjoyed a hyena and giraffes.

October 5, 2019. Saturday. Took Matthew and Marianne to Apple Hut for apple donuts and cider. On weekends the owners smoke ribs and pulled pork—great dinner. Kathy and I at ECHO's 50th Anniversary Dance. Great band: Big Stuff.

October 4, 2019. Friday. Walked with Felix and Rocket in MM woods. Felix climbed the vine to Jim's Pizza.

October 2, 2019. Wednesday. Amber took Felix and Rocket to see Grandma Dean. Mom read to Felix.

September 25, 2019. Wednesday. Dad's birthday. He would have been 90. Felix rode his bike to MM this morning. Parked it next to mine. You know you have a lot of cousins when Jordan is in Orlando on business, Matthew is also in Orlando randomly with friends, looks across the lane of a bowling alley and says, "That guy looks a lot like my cousin, Jordan."

September 15, 2019. Sunday. Kathy's back from Florida. Our annual fall ride to Hawk's Orchard for some cider donuts and Lake Koshkonong along beautiful Serns Road. 40 miles. Later, Felix helped Kathy freeze bananas.

September 14, 2019. Saturday. Chad's girls shelled my black-eyed peas. Even Jack helped. Mocha Moment Flowers, 2019: Berm, Mocha Moment, Garden, Deck, Pergola, Alyssum. House deck.

September 5, 2019. Thursday. Picked peppers and tomatoes. Game them to Barb and Bill. Got Salsa, canned tomatoes, and raspberry jam in return. When all that generation is gone, who will take my extra produce? Who cans anymore?

August 27, 2019. Tuesday. Felix over for his standard Tuesday night cookout. Helped me dig potatoes. I ask him, "Who planted these potoatoes? He says, Me."Biking home.

August 18, 2019. Sunday. Seth and Ashley on a getaway at Horicon Marsh.

August 17, 2019. Saturday. Birthday #66. Spent the weekend in Buena Vista, Colorado. Amber's wish to see a 100-mile trail run in Leadville. Wonderful 6.2 mile hike with 941' elevation gain at Browns Creek Trail. Especially good time. Kathy and Caleb. Sharing a birthday: Brooke and I. And Kathy and I. The group. Group again. And with Felix and Rocket. We watched the kids while Amber, DJ, Brooke, and Austin went to Leadville to see the trail run finish. Going for ice cream. Felix happily posed with some flowers. Felix picked out his own ice cream. It was, of course, blue with lots of candy. Loui's ice cream shop grounds had a rope climb. I got help pulling Rocket home.

August 3, 2019. Saturday. Anniversary #46. Wow. Dinner on the patio by Rock River at Merrill & Houston's. Then the Butterfly.

August 1, 2019. Thursday. Amber and DJ go to Trivia Night at Rock County Brewing on Thursdays. Kathy walks Felix and Rocket home to bed.

July 30, 2019. Tuesday. Tony, Seth, and I took Felix to see Big Boy, the largest steam locomotive ever built. Because of the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad, Union Pacific restored the UP 4014 and is touring it. Stopped this morning in Rochelle, Illinois. Felix had great views from Tony's and Seth's shoulders.

July 28, 2019. Sunday. Pool party and grill out with Chad's family & Erin's family. Gymnastics practice, games, and lots of fun.

July 23, 2019. Tuesday. Felix rode his bike over for a grill out tonight. Helped Kathy spray down a mat.

July 15, 2919. Monday. Felix rode his bike to Mocha Moment today. And parked it by himself. Felix and I planted this broccoli from seed. Now look at it.

July 10, 2019. Wednesday. Felix and I picked raspberries at Mocha Moment. Kathy made raspberry ice cream.

July 9, 2019. Tuesday. A wonderful time of year at Mocha Moment. The blooming of the Tiger Lillies. And again.

July 7, 2019. Sunday. A good day to ride out to Tiffany Cafe for breakfast. And, of course, we can't miss a view of the 5 arch bridge.

June 22, 2019. Saturday. The Vegters convened in Lafayette, Indiana for a surprise celebration of Jerry & Diane's 50th anniversary. Jeremy & Alisha pulled off a fabulous party. All 11 brothers and sisters with Mom. It is still the age of miracles: The Vegters actually pulled off a surprise. A lifetime of laughs, fun, support, and good times. Where did 50 years go? Dad's been gone 15 years. Siblings with a few nephews and nieces (out of 40). Amber was here, but missed the photo, as did Jessica, Nikki, Josh, and Jodi.

June 20, Thursday. Felix grabs the rake and gets to work.

June 11, Tuesday. Felix comes for a cookout, grabs the shovel, and gets to work.

June 9, Sunday. Great hosting Kathy and Levi at our house.

June 8, Saturday. Took Felix to a Century Farm celebration hosted by Elizabeth and Devin, Mocha Moment regulars. Elizabeth's father was a model train hobbyest.

June 4. Tuesday. Almost home: Janesville's Springbrook Trial. Home (392 miles).

June 3. Monday. Hudson River and Adirondacks from train window.

June 2. Sunday. Bob and Sharon took us to Macari Vineyards, also on North Fork.

June 1. Saturday. Bob and Sharon took us to Jamesport Vineyards on North Fork. Walked around Port Jefferson Friday evening. Cool, little port town.

May 31. Friday. Rode the final 38 miles to sister Sharon's house in Ridge, Long Island. Since Sharon just moved here, we are the first sister or brother to visit by bike (383 miles out).

May 30. Thursday. Rode up to Sagamore Hill, Teddy Roosevelt's home on Oyster Bay. Wonderful tour by an exceptional guide. As TR was the first president to be captured on film, many fascinating minutes of archival footage. Found his grave overlooking Oyster Bay. Made a stop at Oyster Bay Brewing Company (17 miles around Oyster Bay).

May 29. Wednesday. Left Menno House and Manhattan over the Ed Koch Bridge. Uneventful ride through Queens and beyond. Toured the Walt Whitman boyhood home. Association preparing for his 200th birthday on May 31. Was intrigued by 2 of his poems in 9th grade and never forgot them: "O Captain, My Captain" and "When Lilacs Last in the Courtyard Bloomed" (333 miles out).

May 28. Tuesday. To start our day, savored bagels and coffee with our cousins, Henry and Tamara Hey, NYC musicians. Strolled through a typical Manhattan oasis, alluring Stuyvesant Park with its stunning flora. Peter was the famous governor of New Amsterdam. Walked through Washington Square Arch, famous design of architectural star, Stanford White. Walked The Highline, Manhattan's linear park. Took in the Flatiron building on the way back. Around the corner from Menno House where we stayed, we hung out second night in a row at Gramercy, enjoying the street view through open window space (7 miles).

May 27. Monday. Lovely ride on South County Trail into the Bronx, right past Yankee Stadium. Entered Manhattan and saw Daniel Chester French's Alma Mater at Columbia University. Central Park was alive with Memorial Day activity including The Lake full of boaters viewed from Bethesda Terrace and its Bethesda Fountain, crowned with the Angel of the Waters, celebrating the New Croton Aqueduct bringing water to NYC. Swung by the Roosevelt House on our way to the new Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island in the East River. Lunch on the sidewalk at Under the Bridge, a Greek Cafe. Good burgers and fries. Walked through majestic St. Patrick's Cathedral and Grand Central Station. A full day (282 miles out).

May 26. Sunday. Short ride past the Tarrytown Reservoir into Tarrytown. Toured Sunnyside, estate of Washington Irving. Took a peak at the Armour-Stiner Octagon House. Disappointed all tickets sold out for Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate. Instead, toured Philipsburg Manor, perhaps the wealthiest patroonship in New York before the Revolution. Found the graves of Irving, Gompers, Carnegie, and Rockefeller in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. History's irony: we can see Carnegie's grave from Gompers'. Just around the bend is Rockefeller's. Foes in life; neighbors in death. Rode over the Headless Horseman bridge. The Old Dutch Church and Headless Horseman Sculpture. Burgers, fries, microbrew, and live music at Sunset Cove almost under the new Tappan Zee Bridge in superb view of the expansive Hudson River (22 miles around Tarrytown).

May 25. Saturday. Biking day. At Poughkeepsie, rode Walkway over the Hudson, the world's longest, elevated pedestrian bridge (212' over the Hudson, 6,678' long). Spectacular views. Headed back east on our first bike path, Dutchess Rail Trail. Turned south through some mountains from Hopewell Junction to Mahopac. Boyd Corners Reservoir and New Croton Reservoir were especially striking. Turned southeast to Tarrytown on North County Trail. 67 miles today (218 miles out).

May 24. Friday. Staying in Hyde Park, FDR's turf. Dropped down along the magnificent Hudson to go roundabout to Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt's home which we toured. In this room, she received important visitors including JFK who came here to ask her support in running for president. Then a wonderful afternoon touring Springwood, FDR's home. Viewing his wheelchair and elevator emphasized how successfully he obscured his crippled legs to project strength and confidence. His presidential library was exceptionally interesting and informative including his Ford Phaeton fitted with hand controls (11 miles around Hyde Park today).

May 23. Thursday. Leaving Tivoli, visited the Montgomery Estate on Bard College campus. General Montgomery was killed in the ill-fated battle of Quebec. Moving south along the river, many spectacular views of the Hudson and Catskills. Toured the Vanderbilt Mansion with its wonderful flower gardens and pond. Frederick Vanderbilt was grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt and director of the New York Central Railroad (140 miles out).

May 22. Wednesday. Rode down from Stockbridge this morning to Tivoli on the Hudson River. Passed the Arlo Guthrie Center and typical New York apple orchards. Toured Clermont on the Hudson River, ancient estate of the Livingston family whose members and descendants include a signer of the Declaration, a signer of the Constitution, a First Lady (Eleanor Roosevelt), and both Presidents Bush. Staying at the charming Hotel Tivoli (114 miles out).

May 21. Tuesday. Stayed at the Red Lion Inn, a continuously operating inn since the Revolutionary War era. Toured the home and studio of Daniel Chester French, America's great sculptor whose creations include Minuteman (Concord; last year's pic), Lincoln (Lincoln Monument; pic from 2 years back), Forward (Wisconsin Capitol), Spirit of Life (Saratoga), Alma Mater (Columbia University), and Republic (Chicago World's Fair). The actual clay model of Lincoln is in French's studio. Of course, we saw only casts of those sculptures, except we viewed the original Andromeda which he was working on when he died. Intrigued by his famous Angel of Death and the Sculptor. On these tracks, French rolled out his models to test them in natural light. Also, saw home of and toured museum and studio of Norman Rockwell, America's iconic illustrator, viewing hundreds of Rockwell originals, including the Four Freedoms (just 7 miles around Stockbridge today). Studio just as he left it. Stopped at the Housatonic River and Stockbridge Indian burial grounds on the return. Viewed French's miniature Angel of the Waters at St. Paul's, across the street from the Red Lion Inn. The original is in Saratoga. The Lion's Den (at the Inn) hosts great live music every night. Heard a top-notch guitarist (BJ Korona) and his vocalist. We were having so much fun livening the place up and swinging to his music that he bought us drinks (just 7 miles around Stockbridge today).

May 20. Monday. While waiting out thunderstorms in Albany, visited the Schuyler Mansion, built by Philip Schuyler, one of Washington's generals. To think the Washington's, Benjamin Franklin, and other notables were guests. And Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler here. Crossed the Hudson. On the way to Stockbridge, visited the Hancock Shaker Village and its famous round barn. Also on the way, saw Herman Melville's home, Arrowhead, in Pittsfield. Arrived in the Birkshires (2,611 feet of elevation climb, 51 miles).

May 18-19, Saturday-Sunday. Took our bikes on the Amtrak to Albany, New York to begin our trek to Ridge, Long Island. Because of switching problem, train was quite late leaving Chicago. Some fine young passengers helped pass the time with beautiful music.

May 6. Monday. These days Felix majors in coloring, and checking out bedding plant growth.

May 3. Friday. Ashley and Seth were married this evening at Autumn's house. Seth and Ashley. Seth. Mom and Seth. The girls. We seven. Mom and sons. Our five. Growing family.

April 28. Sunday. We always bike to Tiffany for breakfast on spring cleaning weekend. Not this one. Carol & Kathy proved fair weather riders, deciding not to venture out at 35 degrees. After breakfast, still had to drive over the Smith single lane bridge (who days are numbered), and take a shot of the 5 arch bridge. Toured Rockford's Laurent House, the only home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for a person with disabilities. Stunning 50' windows that drink in the sun: exterior & interior. Outside: View 1 & View 2.

April 28. Sunday. Cleaning weekend again for Carol & Kathy. But a spectacularly beautiful 5" snow fell Saturday afternoon. What's wrong with this picture? And this one? Breathtaking.

April 21. Sunday. Easter at Mocha Moment. Grandma and Rocket.

April 20. Saturday. Mother drove up by herself from Sterling yesterday. Nice brunch with Jerry, Tara, Jon, Amber, Seth, and families all over. 3 great-grandchildren with Mother. Kelsey with Jon in a headlock. Big brother feeding Rocket in the swing and on his lap.

April 16. Tuesday. I'm getting help on the Spring raking. Then time to climb the cargo net.

April 14. Sunday. Felix helped me plant more bedding plants. Then we roasted sausage. Felix has to grab the stool and check plant growth 3 or 4 times on every visit.

April 5 & 6. Friday & Saturday. Kathy's 66th birthday. Celebrating Friday night at the Butterfly, our decades-long hangout. Kathy learning new Polka steps at the Moose on Saturday.

April 1, 2019. Monday. Felix visits Mocha Moment. Please hurry and get that hard-boiled egg sliced, Grandma.

March 26, 2019. Tuesday. Rocket has booted Felix and Mimi.

March 21, 2019. Thursday. One of the Thursday, Mocha Moment knitters made Rocket a cap and blanket.

March 19, 2019. Tuesday. Used to start my own bedding plants decades ago. Thought I'd start again with Felix. We planted watermelon together.

March 9, 2109. Tuesday. Big boy has new sleeping arrangments. And feeds the birds.

March 9, 2019. Saturday. Happy you are here, Rocket.

March 3, 2019. Sunday. Felix and Mimi welcome Rocket. First visit to Grandma's.

March 1, 2019. Friday. Rocket has arrived.

February 27, 2019. Wednesday. Felix and Grandma napping.

February 24, 2019. Sunday. Always like to walk at Circle B Bar Reserve on expansive Lake Hancock. Three alligators in photo but they're hard to spot. Many birds, including herons. A few alligators including this cute little 2' baby gator.

February 24, 2019. Sunday. Watching the boats, jet skis, and paddleboards come and go, Kathy and I like to hang out on Tanners deck over Lake May, a small lake connecting much larger Lake Howard with Lake Shipp.

February 17, 2019. Sunday. Celebration of Mom Vegter's 94th birthday. Family at Karen's. Grandchildren at Carol's. Kathy and Mom enjoying a birthday treat.

February 15, 2019. Friday. The last few years, we've taken walking audio tours in various Florida cities on an app named Florida Stories. We've done Bartow, Lake Wales, Ybor City, and yesterday St. Petersburg. This fountain is all that's left of the historic Soreno Hotel. The original Detroit Hotel, named after the hometown of a city founder, John Williams. Kathy, Carol, Judy, and Mom are all listening to the audio while seeing the embedded slide show. St. Petersburg's open air post office from which mail is still delivered by bicycle. A walk around Mirror Lake. The largest in the state and founded in 1924, the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club is the largest in the state. I presume Uncle Clement played here every afternoon for decades of winters as he lived in the Vernon Hotel, only 3 blocks away. The Banyon Tree outside the "still in use" Carnegie Library. That's the Banyon Tree on the right. Ended at Williams Park, St. Petersburg's first park.

February 14, 2019. Thursday. Kathy took Mom to a dinner wtih music.

February 12, 2019. Tuesday. Back in Florida. Kathy and I along with Carol and Judy took Mom on an walking tour of historical Auburndale. A QR code connects to a map and information on several sites of interest. Ephraim Baynard, an early settler, built this home (in the distance) on the tour. Years later and wealthier, he built this home (now a funeral home) facing Lake Stella.

February 6, 2019. Wednesday. With his own rolling pin and dough, Felix is a regular baker now.

February 5, 2019. Tuesday. Amber grew up roasting sausages by the winter fire. Tradition continues.

January 28, 2019. Monday. After helping Grandma bake scones, Felix stocked up for the pull home.

January 24, 2019. Friday. Felix likes our sausage roasting tradition. With cheese and crackers. Yummy.

January 23, 2019. Wednesday. Winter at Mocha Moment. Felix pulls up for his smoothie. Getting ready to go. Bundled up. Felix and Mimi on the way home.

January 13, 2019. Sunday. Annual Vegter Christmas party at Linda's. Felix tackled Hudson. Kids had fun unwinding plastic wrap in quest of goodies.

January 8, 2019. Tuesday. Felix was all business as he sat in my chair and recorded his memoirs.

January 6, 2019. Sunday. Over to Amber's for barley soup and Grandma Dean's rolls. After many attemps by Amber and Kathy, Amber got it. The legacy lives.

December 31, 2018. Monday. This New Years' Eve we danced to the Larry Bush Big Band at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds. On New Years' Day, relaxed and roamed around Dubuque's amazing historic district. Just inside the levee in the Port of Dubuque, Stone Cliff Winery's cozy tasting room housed in the old Star Brewery. Amazing architecture and restoration.

December 26, 2018. Wednesday. Felix baked his first scone.

December 25, 2018. Tuesday. Wonderful Christmas with our kids. Felix has a stocking. Felix got Lincoln Logs. Felix and Grandma. Seth and Ashlely.

December 24, 2018. Monday. Traditional Christmas Eve at Linda's. This year's game was unwrapping a plastic ball full of goodies.

December 23, 2018. Sunday. Watched Felix for a few hours. Being nice to Blade.

December 22, 2018. Saturday. Christmas at the Butterfly, our Saturday night spot for decades. Kathy and Mike. And Us with Mike, and band members Bob & Bob. Just the greatest entertainment all these years.

December 19, 2018. Wednesday. Many nephews and nieces have baked with Aunt Kathy. This morning was Felix' first session with Grandma. After baking, Felix took a walk with Mom.

December 15, 2018. Saturday. Kathy and I held a successful fundraiser to help restore the Oakhill Cemetery Chapel. Open house today. Magnificent restoration. After decades, services again being held in it, and it is available for rental. The leader of the restoration is Richard, a stained glass artist.

December 10, 2018. Monday. A stunning hoarfrost blanketing everything this morning. Sparkled in the morning sun.

December 7, 2018. Friday. Amber, Felix, and I went to see Grandma Dean. Felix rocked on the same horse his mother and dad rode in ages past. (Uncle Mike riding, Uncle Jerry sitting.)

November 28, 2018. Wednesday. Felix is a regular bird feeder now.

November 23, 2018. Friday. Amber and Felix came over to help Kathy decorate and put up the Christmas tree. Kathy and Amber hung the stockings.

November 14, 2018. Wednesday. Amber and Felix made their usual Wednesday morning stop at Mocha Moment, this time for a smoothie and soup.

November 12, 2018. Monday. Felix came over to play the drums in front of the stove.

November 2-3, 2018. Friday/Saturday. Went to the dance at the Milwauikee Swing Club. Us. Kathy. Saw a lot of friends and danced to the Mood Swings at the Elkhorn Historical Society dance on Saturday.

October 26, 2018. Friday. Traditional Friday night fish fry with Bob & Sharon. Chalet north of Elkhorn. Walked the newly opened Doty Alley with its solar powered lights on the developing riverfront. In Spring, Mocha Moment had held a fund-raiser for this project.

October 21, 2018. Sunday. Riding season ends soon. A late fall ride to Northleaf Winery in Milton.

October 19, 2018. Friday. Felix figured out the connection between the remote and the screen.

October 14, 2018. Sunday. Felix came for a visit today. These days he enjoys hiding.

October 7, 2018. Sunday. Drove to Elbern for Chuck and Mary's 25th Anniversary celebration. Enjoyed catching up with Doug and family as well as Pat and family.

October 3, 2018. Wednesday. In the past few years, at least 10 distant cousins have contacted me through my vast heritage site: deanvegter.org. One of the most recent was Tamara Hey who lives with her husband Peter Hey in the Bronx. Both are musicians. Henry is the great grandson of Henry Hey, brother to my Grandpa Hey. Tamara emailed me because she'd read and enjoyed much of the Hey material on my site and that she had an upcoming gig in Chicago and thought it would be cool to come to Janesville, meet me, and play Open Mic at Mocha Moment. We had the best time. She did play Open Mic, came to dinner afterwards, stayed overnight, and enjoyed Mocha Moment Thursday morning. Tamara's website: Tamara Hey.

September 25, 2018. Tuesday. Breakfast at Sweet Autumn B&B. The Crawfish River. Jefferson's Rock River. And hamburgers at Wedl's. A Fort Atkinson view of Rock River. Almost back home in Janesville's own wonderful trails. After four perfect weather days, we beat the heavy rain by 1 hour. 167 miles.

September 24, 2018. Monday. After coffee, rode past beautiful Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa. Ate at the 1855 Grill in Cottage Grove. The Glacial-Drumlin Trail on the way to Rock Lake in Lake Mills. Lake Mills' depot and the gorgeous flowers at Tyrenena in Lake Mills.

September 23, 2018. Sunday. Exeter Crossing Road. Into the Stewart Tunnel. Rode through Paoli with its quaint shops and old grist mill housing the Hops Garden on the Sugar River. The owner grows his own hops. Typical scene with cows grazing. Ridge Trail Road leading to Verona and scenic Wisconsin Brewing Co. And the amazing 5 trail bicycle roundabout on Madison's southwest corner.

September 22, 2018. Saturday. Time for our annual New Glarus bike trip. Started out with a cool temp of 42. Gempler Hill. A favorite view of the Sugar River. Still chilly, so fire felt nice at Sugar River Pizza. Up to New Glarus Brewery with its magnificent valley view and Zweifell Brothers band at New Glarus Hotel Restaurant. Lots of families and children having fun. Neighber Steve Doiel happened to be playing. Cool talking with him.

September 16, 2018. Sunday. Bike ride to Bessie's Diner with Amber and Felix. Felix liked watching planes take off and land.

August 26, 2018. Sunday. Seth & Ashley, Amber & Felix came over to grill out today. From the garden, fried potatoes & green beans with bacon. Fresh salsa, from the garden. Swinging and swimming with grandma. Digging potatoes with grandpa. Felix grabbed the trill turner for a shovel. A really good day.

August 19, 2018. Sunday. Annual Riverside Park Music Festival. Bike transporation as usual. Great grilled chicken dinners. Our crew. Two of our favorite bands: GoDeans & Rainbow Bridge. Kathy and Felix on the tandem swing.

August 12, 2018. Sunday. Rachel was up from Florida for a few days. Over for a cookout and pool time on a hot day.

August 9, 2018. Thursday. Felix is not only helping me feed birds, but he's also helping me pull weeds.

August 3-5, 2018. 45th Anniversary. Saturday, ate on the patio at Merrill & Houston's. Beloit keeps improving its fabulous waterfront. Sunday, saw mint farmers harvesting mint as we rode our bikes to breakfast in Tiffany at the quaint, anachronistic cafe. Walking Felix. A sly look. Hiding behind stools. Always ride back home on Lathers Road across the 1 lane bridge over Turtle Creek

July 28, 2018. Saturday. Grabbing the grill turner, Felix helped me shovel some chips back up on the wood pile.

July 27, 2018. Friday. Mocha Moment flowers at peak: Black-eyed Susans, Deck, Planters, Sign South, Sign North.

Juy 23, 2018. Monday. Chad's and Erin's kids enjoyed some treats in the Mocha Moment gardens.

July 22, 2018. Sunday. Out to Double B for breakfast. Felix watched Nox feed the goats apples. Felix thought he'd try it.

July 20, 2018. Friday. Annual Shrimp/Corn Boil. First sweet corn from the garden. Adult table. Kids' table. Amber plans it. Great fun. Amber and hers. Seth and Ashley. Chad and his. Erin and hers. Felix' first. Carol.

July 5-10, 2018. Friday-Tuesday. A few days at the cabin. Hiking with Felix. Come on in. Jon & Kelsey, Seth & Ashley floating. Felix and Dad. And Seth and Ashley. Water has never been higher. No beach. Eau Clair River has never been higher or faster. Great tubing.

July 3, 2018. Tuesday. My favorite flower is the annual blooming of the spectacular Asian Lillies. Closeup.

July 1, 2018. Sunday. Grandma and Felix swinging and bouncing.

June 29, 2018. Friday. Traditional fish fry with Bob and Sharon. This time at Springer's on Lake Kegonsa. Longtime friend Ken Curtis provided the music.

June 25, 2018. Monday. Grandma and Felix swimming and swinging on a hot summer day.

June 17, 2018. Sunday. During a grill out at Amber's, Felix discovered water.

June 7, 2018 Thursday. Uber to Penn Station and homeward bound. In Pennsylvania, the Amtrak Engineer pointed out the world famous Horseshoe Curve. East Coast Bike Trip Itinerary.

June 6, 2018. Wednesday. Outside our Air B&B with this view across from Central Park. Stopped at the Frederick Douglass sculpture and water wall with several of his quotes. Meaningful as we'd just read his My Bondage and My Freedom. Toured The Grange, home of Alexander Hamilton. Back through Central Park with its carriages to tour the boyhood home of Teddy Roosevelt. Our train didn't carry bicycles, so shipped them back from Penn Station today in hopes of their meeting us in Chicago. A little sad and a little weird: Bikeless in Manhattan (12 miles, 81 miles in Manhattan, total: 586 miles). Uber is a great get-around, but not as cool as bikes. And back for a last night of dancing with the Stan Rubin Big Band at Swing 46. And Us. Uber through Broadway on the way back to our Air B&B.

June 5, 2018. Tuesday. NYC bike lanes are cutting edge. Once figured out, so much better than a vehicle. NYC's are our favorite: bike lanes generally separated from traffic with barriers and parked vehicles. 330 bike stations for bike rentals. Thank you Mayor Bloomberg. Photo op at Fearless Girl facing down Wall Street's Charging Bull. Walked the ancient Trinity Church Cemetery to view Alexander Hamilton's grave and church. Also saw Robert Fulton's grave (first commercially successful steamboat, 1807). Was fascinated in elementary school reading Fulton's biography. A look at the federal building where Washington took the first oath for President. A beer at Fraunces Tavern, the oldest structure in Manhattan (1719) and scene of Washington's farewell to his generals in 1783. The pub housed several governmental departments during the USA's early years. A ride across the Brooklyn Bridge. In awe after reading its building in McCullough's The Great Bridge. Imagined the 1869 sinking in the East River of great caissons and concomitant hydraulics and ventilation systems to build the great towers. 1869. How brilliant Roebling was. Burger and beer at The Grayson, a pub catering to Wisconsin fans. Just coincidence that we chose The Grayson. And back to our B&B through Central Park. So vast (2.5 x .5 miles). And such a reservoir (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir) in the middle of the metropolis. Olmsted was brilliant. No wonder he was selected to design the Chicago's 1893 World's Fair. And back to Swing 46 and the George Gee Jazz Band (22 miles).

June 4, 2018. Monday. Touring Manhattan by bike. Hard to believe we're not headed to the next city today. Piles of garbage everywhere awaiting pickup every morning. Started our day with a New York bagel from Absolute Bagels. Typical open market. Went north first to see Grant's Tomb. We rode the Hudson River Greenway 9 miles from our B&B to Battery Park. Phenomenal views of the Hudson River. In awe of the docked Intrepid. Sobering stop at the World Trade Center Memorial as well as the ride on the very bike path adjacent to the memorial where a lone terrorist with a truck killed another 8 of us last fall. Emotional viewing names of almost 3,000 Americans on the twin reflecting pools' walls. And gratitude for our President and Seals who got him. World Trade Center. Imagining our ancestors' entry to a new world, we walked around Castle Clinton (immigration center before Ellis Island) where our Tschetter forebears (Jacob and Barbara, John and Susanna) immigrated September 4, 1875. Beautiful day to look across Upper New York Bay from the Battery to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island where our Vegter forebears (William and Tryntje along with Grandpa John) docked on June 14, 1914. Brooklyn Bridge: Cool to see it after reading The Great Bridge, a phenomenal book. Great Manhattan bike lanes allowing travel much faster than by vehicle in Manhattan. Breathtaking riding the Williamsburg Bridge over the East River to Brooklyn for a grill out with our cousin Jason and his wonderful family. Biked through the Hasidic section of Brooklyn. Stayed with Jason as long as possible before racing back on the bikeway (George Washington Bridge in distance) to go out dancing at Swing 46, a classy nook with a different live jazz band every night. We had shipped our good clothes to Jason. Logistics (32 miles).

June 3, 2018. Sunday. Came through the Bronx. Pedaled into Manhattan about noon today (35 miles, 505 miles out). Had dodged rain a couple times, but never got hit. Phew. Cleaned up at our B&B (by NW corner of Central Park) and headed out to meet Jacob, our cousin, at the Boilermaker (in lower Manhattan) where he learned bartending and still knows everyone. Jacob treated: burgers, fries, onion rings, and beer. Amazing food. Super guy. Great conversation. Mounted patrol. Colombus Circle (15 more miles, round trip).

June 2, 2018. Saturday. On to Stamford, Connecticut alongside Long Island Sound. Magnificent views of Long Island Sound. And Rhododendrons quite prevalent throught New England. Ice cream stop in Milford. Stamford for the night. (55 miles, 470 miles out).

June 1, 2018. Friday. New Haven, Here we come. South from Hartford: Shuttle Meadow Road and Shuttle Meadow Reservoir. Biked final few miles into New Haven on the historic Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Impressive murals depicting modes of recreational transportation. Saw Amistad Memorial. A photo at Yale's iconic Sterling Memorial Library, of course. Cool B&B in 1912 home built by a designer who worked in forestry for Teddy Roosevelt (50 miles, 415 miles out).

May 31, 2018. Thursday. On to Hartford. Idyllic river. Mountain falls. Peak pass. Nearing Hartford. Into Hartford over the Connecticut River. Fabulous Riverwalk. Lots to see so grabbed a quick gyro while an above average street jazz performance caught our attention. Wouldn't have known it, but a fellow listener pointed out one musician. "That's my neighbor, Nat Reeves, one of the world's great bass players." Nat teaches at the University of Hartford and performs internationally with great jazz bands. Can you believe it. Old Statehouse. Great tours of three literary houses: Noah Webster's, Mark Twain's, and Harriet Beecher Stowe's. Notable Emerson quote etched in Twain's home: "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it" (60 miles, 365 miles out).

May 30, 2018. Wednesday. On to Plainfield, Connecticut via Rhode Island's Washington Secondary Trail. Old mill and mill dam. Usual vistas. Biked through low mountains before descent into Plainfield. Too busy pounding out steep grades and braking on the way down for photos (48 miles, 305 miles out).

May 29, 2018. Tuesday. Biking out of Concord, locked up bikes and walked out to Thoreau cabin site on Walden Pond. Memories of walking around Walden 15 years ago with our youngest 3. Rode the Blackstone River Greenway into Rhode Island. Manville Dam. Gorgeous river. Hot day, so ice cream. Nice chatting with the owner about Providence. Ate at "Hot Spot" on Providence River with Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in the background. Walked much of historic Providence. Stephen Hopkins House. Benefit Street steps back in time. First Baptist Church, built in 1776. Brown University. Viewed memorials to Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, who had a couple strange ideas: don't kill people of religions other than your own and don't steal from Indians—and if you make a treaty with Indians, don't lie, keep your promise. Stayed at historic Old Court B&B. Our room contained a large, vintage 1860's stove. Fresh omellets and fruit for breakfast (58 miles, 257 miles out).

May 28, 2018. Monday. Waited out some rain before heading to Concord on the Bruce Freeman Trail. Toured Louisa May Alcott's home, Orchard House. Hillside Chapel, Orchard House. Saw the Wayside where Hawthorne and Alcott both lived. Emerson's home. Minuteman National Park. Old Manse, Hawthorne's home. Robbins House. Visited Author's Ridge at Sleep Hollow Cemetery and saw graves of Thoreau, Alcott, Emerson, and Hawthorne. Full Day (35 miles today, 199 miles out).

May 27, 2018. Sunday. On the way to Lowell. Toured the famous Lowell Mills and mill girls'boardinghouses which fascinated me in elementary school. Powered by this ingenious canal system fed by the Merrimack River, several of the looms still operated. This early 19th century, textile powerhouse formed an important step in the American Industrial Revolution. Jack Kerouac Memorial Park. Jack's most famous book, fittingly, On the Road. Our Air B&B was a studio apartment in the Appleton Mills Apartments (33 miles today, 164 miles out).

May 26, 2018. Saturday. More spectacular ocean views. Hello, Massachusetts. Salisbury Point Ghost Trail. Over the border to Amesbury for a visit to the home of John Greenleaf Whittier, ardent abolitionist and poet who wrote "Snowbound" which Grandpa Hey read to me a few times, and I to my children on occasion, during, of course, snowstorms. Also the Macy-Colby House, setting of Whittier's "The Exiles". Plumbush Creek winds through Amesbury. Pretzels and beer and Slivaticus Brewery over Pumbush Creek rapids. Mural honoring All Capp who lived and worked in Amesbury. Wine at Starlite Lounge listening to Plumbush Creek rapids (33 miles today, 131 miles out).

May 25, 2018. Friday. Headed down the coast toward New Hampshire. First view of the Atlantic. Rode many miles along the ocean. Typical New England road with rock fences. Ocean View. Walked on Long Sands Beach. Just ankle deep. Atlantic is still quite cold. Us. Typical New England home and road. Lobster traps. Had drinks in Portsmouth's Piscataqua River Harbor and watched a draw bridge go up a few times to let tugs and ships out to sea. John Paul Stevens' home. Back to same spot, Oar House Deck, for lobster dinner. Portsmouth's streets and homes are fascinating: so narrow and so colonial. Our Air B&BM (32 miles today, 98 miles out).

May 24, 2018. Thursday. We headed south along the coast to Kennebunk. On the Eastern Trail, rode through Scarborough Marsh, Maine's largest salt marsh. After checking in at Kennebunk Inn, rode out to Kennebunkport and The Boathouse for fried shrimp and Haddock at low tide (44 miles). Walking through Kennebunk, a gorgeous view of the Mousam River. Typical New England flower beds: Pansies are popular with Black Onyx Mulch.

May 21-23, 2018. Monday-Wednesday. After a year's preparation to ride our bicycles down the east coast from Maine to Manhattan, on Monday-Tuesday, May 21, we took the Amtrak to Portland, Maine. Spent Wednesday exploring, visiting Longfellow's boyhood home, Casco Bay, the Liberty Ship Shipyards Memorial, and eating seafood by Casco Bay: lobster roll, clams, mussels, and lobster. And a clam bake (22 miles).

May 12, 2018. Saturday. Caleb came for a long weekend. All 5 kids together for a few minutes Thursday evening. At Mocha Moment Saturday. In front of Jeanne's tree at Villa Decoris.

May 6, 2018. Sunday. Rode over to give Sarina a graduation card and stopped by Chad's on the return. No one home. Passed Felix's family in Lustig Park on the way to their house.

April 30, 2018. Monday. My much anticipated day arrived. Felix took notes on cutting potatoes and helped me plant them. Actually, he nibbled a few, and with the help of Kathy, threw a few in the right holes.

April 29, 2018. Sunday. We rode out to put flowers on Jedediah's grave. Had to admire the progress on the Oakhill Chapel preservation. Our benefit for the chapel certainliy bore fruit. Open house in June.

April 28, 2018. Saturday. The Cherry cousins, Mom, and Aunt Sue came for the annual Parkinson's event. We hear there'll be a run/walk again next year. Mocha Moment in the morning. Lunch at our house.

April 16, 2018. Sunday. Felix stayed overnight and enjoyed his bananas first thing this morning.

April 9, 2018. Monday. Felix in training to feed the birds at Mocha Moment.

April 8, 2018. Sunday record cold Friday (16) and Saturday (13).

April 4, 2018. Wednesday. Snow. Kathy and Amber teaching Felix to read the National Geiographic.

April 3, 2018. Tuesday. Felix came for a visit. Helped me lay up a fire. Only problem, he wanted to take wood back out. Very glad to share my black eyed peas and cornbread. He'll fit right in.

April 1, 2018. Sunday. Lots of family and friends for Easter dinner at Mocha Moment. Felix' 1st Easter egg hunt.

March 31, 2018. Saturday. A house full to celebrate Felix' 1st birthday. Amber's cool BD cake.

March 27, 2018. Tuesday. Can't have coffee with Carol at Mocha Moment, of course. So we go in the back door at O'Riley's before hours, brew a pot of Mocha Moment coffee, and have the place to ourselves.

March 25, 2018. Sunday. Carol and Kathy spring cleaned Mocha Moment from Friday afternoon to 4:00 am Saturday. Wow. Tradition: Spending Sunday together (after cleaning) doing something special. Breakfast aty Tiffany Cafe. Logan and Wright Museums at Beloit College. And drinks at Clara Bo & Gatsby in the afternoon.

March 11, 2018. Sunday. Felix and Grandma intrigued with a music video.

March 6, 2018. Tuesday. Back home. Felix pondering the stairs with Blade.

March 4, 2018. Sunday. At Sharon and Bob's.

March 3, 2018. Saturday. Amber and Felix joined us. Saturday morning at Circle B Reserve. An Osprey eating a fish. Looking for gators in Lake Hancock at Circle B Reserve.

February 25, 2018. Sunday. We enjoyed Tanner's deck over Lake May. Constant stream of boats passing through the canals between Lake Shipp and Lake Howard. Two alligators.

February 22, 2018. Thursday. Audio-walking tour of Ybor City, an old Cuban enclave, hotbed of Cuban independence, and cigar capital of the world. Rough Riders' Monument to Roosevelt's soldiers who organized here on their way to Cuba. Jose Marti Park honoring the Apostle to the Cuban Revolution who made countleess speech organized many rallies here in Ybor city. The park itself is sovereign territory of Cuba. Seventh Street (the main street) of Ybor City. By 1895 Ybor City had 10 cigar factories with thousands of workers. Today, only a few storefront shops still handroll cigars. These workers encouraged observation, photos, and put out a tip jar. Rich, dark, Cuban espresso in the rear of shop. Cigars for sale and for shipment around the world. Saw more men smoking cigars in a few hours than I'd seen total in my entire life. Am reading at the same time Grant's Personal Memoirs, so was thinking periodically during tour of his always having a cigar in his mouth and dying of throat cancer. Danced to the Johnny Charro band that night. Lots of people our age, lots of fun. We follow the Johnny Charro band every year when we go to Tampa.

Friday. Circulo Cubano, or Cuban Club. The club was a vibrant and proud social center. Ybor City native and Hall of Famer, Al Lopez, was a member. Al Lopez' boyhood home is now the Tampa Baseball Museum. Ybor City founder Vicente Martinez-Ybor was an enlightened owner. Wanting a stable work force, he paid his workers $20 a month and sold them a house for $300, at $2 per month‐no interest. For another $2 per month they could have cradle to grave medical care for the entire family. We toured one of these houses which were built from a kit in 6 days. This major Cuban bakery for Cuban bread operated till 1973. The owner could repair the tiles in his oven without cooling the ovens (savings lots of money). He tied on a rope for safety, covered himself in a soaked burlap bag, and slid into the oven on a bread pan. Maximum stay: 4 minutes. The Immigrant Statue in Centennial Park complete with chickens descended from those owned by the original Cubans. Cubans believed you'd never starve as long as you had a chicken. Ybor City's Bird Sanctuary Law prohibits hurting chickens. So chickens are quite populous, including the rooster who staked out a position on top of the Immigrant Statue in Centennial Park.

February 20, 2018. Tuesday. Audio-walking tour of Bartow. Saw Oak Hill Cemetery where many Confederate veterans are buried. 78 Confederate flags. No American flags. Interesting. Stately house used as the funeral home in the movie, My Girl. Childhood home of Spessard Holland, Florida Governor and U.S. Senator who authored the 24th Amendment, prohibiting the poll tax.

February 18, 2018. Sunday. Mom Vegter's 93rd birthday: Children and Grandchildren. Met Alec and Kristin at Grove Roots Brewing. Lovely evening: band families, children, dogs‐lots of dogs, games, food truck, and bocce ball.

February 17, 2018. Saturday. Florida. Taking Mom for a regular walk.

Feburary 14, 2018. Wednesday. Hey, Culligan Man!

February 12, 2018. Monday. Took Kathy to the Beloit Memorial Jazz Orchestra's Valentine Spaghetti Dinner Fund Raiser & Dance. As always, amazing youth. Found out Tuesday they'd won an invite to the Essentially Ellington, 2018 contest. Full performance at Essentially Ellington, 2016.

February 10, 2018. Saturday. With DJ and Amber, took Felix to Rockford's Discovery Children's museum. Felix discovered water.

February 4, 2018. Sunday. Last Dance. For 20 years, the Jack Farina Band has played at Boundaries, the 1st Sunday of the month. No more. The owners have different plans, and we danced the last dance today. When our children were home, we never went. But for the last several years, we've enjoyed most 1st Sundays with the Jack Farina Band.

February 3, 2018. Saturday. Felix dropped in at Mocha Moment today, saw the floor needed tidying, and took action. Attracted attention as customers don't expect workers younger than teens. "I see crumbs." But he hasn't yet mastered the broom and the dustpan at once.

January 28, 2018. Sunday. Legos with Grandma.

January 26, 2018. Friday. Packed up for a hike on a winter day.

January 21, 2018. Sunday. Annual Vegter Christmas, this time at John's. Amber prepared a new game: unwrap a package with oven mitts until someone rolls an 8. Next person's turn. Always to be counted on for diversion, Hunter really went at it.

January 20, 2018. Saturday. Great January day. 40 degrees. Took Felix hiking through Lustig Park.

January 8, 2018. Monday. Our back yard ash tree succumbed first to the Ash Borer and finally to Dave of Clear View Tree Service. Likely planted about 1963 when our house was built, it had provided good memories and great shade since we moved here in 1979. One last hurrah! It will help heat our house next went.

January 7, 2018. Saturday. Felix' first Christmas at Grandma Dean's. Mimi's not required to be in a car seat, so she still commands front and center.

December 30-January 2. Saturday-Tuesday. New Year's Eve. Went to Heidel House in Green Lake for their quiet relaxation and great New Year's Eve Dinner-Dance. Always taken by its history. About twice the size of Lake Geneva, Green Lake (2 miles by 10 miles) is Wisconsin's deepest inland lake. On Saturday, relaxed at Norton's on Green Lake, a classic Wisconsin supper club. Fran the Piano man played great tunes at Grey Rock that evening. Reading by the fire on Sunday. Ready for New Year's Eve. Met friends Rick & Teri at the Grey Rock Sunday evening. Great dinner/dance to Milwaukee's Mood Swing. Kathy and I. By the Christmas tree with Green Lake in the background. Right across the road from Heidel House, ate dinner at 680 North on the Tuscumbia Country Club, Wisconsin's oldest golf course. A last bit of reading with the Green Lake view before heading home. Icy temperature to remember: in 3 days, temperature varied from a nightly -13 to a daytime high of 3 degrees.

December 24, 2017. Sunday. Traditional Christmas Eve at Linda's. Our boys sure enjoyed Jake and Hunter's new drones. Usual game of Rummy.

December 17, 2017. Sunday. Christmas at our house. Felix rides his new train. Annual dinner/theater at Fireside with photos: Amber, Kathy, Felix. Again. Steve, Kathy, Felix. King's. Amber, DJ, Felix. Dean's. Dean kids. Mother-Son.

December 13, 2017. Wednesday. Felix rides his first sled. And he's already training at Mocha Moment.

December 10, 2017. Sunday. Nice gathering of Vegter sisters and family at Linda's. Arielle, Kiara, and Judson played. Very nice.

December 9, 2017. Saturday. Dad's been gone 6 years today. Dad Vegter 13 years tomorrow (December 10). Karen flew up to sing in the Messiah in Watertown (Alumni can sing). So Carol, Sue, and Mom came for the weekend, too. A walk through Rotary Gardens' light show. Jerry came up from Indiana. Jared and Jerry. Made the girls a fruit tray, baked potato skins, and grilled, stuffed chicken. I treat them special; they are special.

November 22, 2017. Wednesday. Pikes Peak (to the right, tallest peak, farthest back) from Caleb's house. Caleb's nice back yard with his waterfall and pond. We walked for coffee every morning. Every block has an alley. With barns behind the house, alleys were functional in the horse and buggy era. Cars created suburbia and became a status symbol to be displayed proudly in front with the garage. No more alleys. Time to go home. Tracks at Denver's cool and bustling Union Station.

November 21, 2017. Tuesday. Hiked today in Garden of the Gods. Endless spaces that awe. Famous formations: Kissing Camels. Three Graces.

November 20, 2017. Monday. Went hiking at North Cheyenne Canyon. Helen Hunt Falls. More falls. Canyon. Again. Then hiked at Red Rock Canyon, an old mining pit. (Caleb and his Mom in the distance.)

Novembver 19, 2017. Sunday. Took the Amtrak on Friday to Denver. Cool schedule: Get on the train at 4:00 pm. Eat dinner. Go to sleep. Wake up. Eat breakfast. In Denver by 7:15 am. Caleb picked us up. Not bad, not bad at all. Mountains from Caleb's house.

October 31, 2017. Tuesday. Back from Texas just in time to join Kathy's Halloween bash at Linda's. Felix isn't costumed for Halloween yet.

October 29, 2017. Sunday. Flew to Arlington to help Lynn and Sue plan their coffee shop. Casey and Heather's kids just heading out for Halloween.

October 28, 2017. Saturday. Took Felix at Rockport Park. Nice walk. Brought back memories. Used to take our kids hiking on most Saturday afternoons in the fall, often in the Outdoor Lab. Felix needed his broccoli after the hike.

October 26, 2017. Wednesday. Watching Felix for the weekend. First romp with Felix in the leaves.

October 23, 2017. Monday. Kathy with Felix and our fall flowers at Mocha Moment: Decorateive Cabbage & Kale, Pansies, Violas.

October 20, 2017. Friday. Amber bladed Felix and Mimi to Mocha Moment in their Burley today.

October 15, 2017. Sunday. Rode over for Autumn's birthday today.

October 14, 2017. Saturday. Grandma Dean drove up to see everyone including Felix. Getting his first sweet potatoes. And processing the taste.

October 10, 2017. Tuesday. Told Amber my late sweet corn is delicious, and we should have a corn boil. She said that sounded a little bland, and we should have a fish boil. So I picked corn and dug potatoes. She brought shrimp and sausage. What a fish boil we had.

October 9, 2017. Monday. Grandpa Hey passed away 50 years ago today. Sure would like to talk to him.

October 8, 2017. Sunday. Gorgeous day for biking. Rode to Apple Hut for cider and a donut. One of the sons grills burgers and brats on weekends. Met Carol, Jim, Chad and his family at Double B's for the usual farm breakfast. Back to Apple Hut for more cider. Apple Hut has a new sign to leave the chickens alone, but no sign for the chickens to leave the customers alone. 27 miles.

October 1, 2017. Sunday. A full day with Carol. Left at 7:00 for breakfast at Tiffany Cafe. 41 degrees. After breakfast, from the single lane steel bridge on Smith Road, a view of the much-photographed 5 arch railroad bridge. Another single lane steel bridge on Lathers Road. Grandkids on the trampoline. An afternoon trip to Apple Hut for apple donuts and cider. Relaxing at sunset with coffee at Mocha Moment. 47 miles of biking.

September 26, 2017. Tuesday. Felix loves his bear.

September 16, 2017. Sunday. Felix relaxed during a brunch at Amber's. Cuddling with Mom.

September 15, 2017. Friday. Did a wedding for Kristen & Christopher at the Pavilion at Orchard Ridge Farms. Quite the wood beam interior. Exterior. Pond at dusk.

September 15, 2017. Friday. Outside Villa Decoris, Felix waits happily for his mother.

September 13, 2117. Wednesday. On the way to see Mother today, had coffee with my Dixon Hey cousins: Ward, Micah, Jared, and Marty. On the return, enjoyed Dixon's cool "Heritage Crossing River Front Plaza" with its centerpiece, the equestrian statue of Ronald Reagan, by local artist Don Reed.

September 11, 2017. Monday. More perfect weather. The new Cannonball Path bridge over the Beltline. Bicycle roundabout connecting 5 trails. Notice the signage. Impressive. Truly a "bike friendly city." Out of the tunnel again. A deer on the trail. Back home by 1:00. 59 miles.

September 10, 2017. Sunday. Back on the road. More perfect weather. Into the Stewart Tunnel south of Bellville. Out of the tunnel. Historic town square in Bellville. Capitol City Trail south of Madison. Onto the Lower Yahara Bridge connecting McFarland with Madison across Lake Waubesa by trail, a $9 million project. The bridge approach on the way back. Spectacular. The Capitol in view. Burger, fries, and a porter in the gardens at the Great Dane. 53 miles.

September 9, 2017. Saturday. Perfect weather for our traditional, 3 day New Glarus-Madison ride. On the way past Amber's house, Felix getting ready for a ride. Always enjoy the Gempler Road hill. Bridge over Sugar River. Getting close to New Glarus. By 11:00, lunch at Sugar River Pizza, New Glarus. Still chilly in the shade, the table flame felt good. Overlooking New Glarus from New Glarus Brewery. Hundreds of people at the gardens, but not so crowded: a couple of acres of alcoves, steps, nooks, and tables. New Glarus Brewery hops garden. Sugar River Pizza was so inviting, back for dinner with live music. 44 miles.

September 8, 2017. Friday. Shopping with Mom.

September 5, 2017. Tuesday. Ready for a Burley ride.

September 4, 2017. Labor Day. Some family playing volleyball at the new court in Marquette Park by Mocha Moment. Then to our house for grill out. Felix and Mimi.

September 3, 2017. Sunday. Dropped by to make sure Felix doesn't forget Grandma.

September 2, 2017. Saturday. Felix movin' up with faster transportation.

September 1, 2017. Friday. Felix relaxes in the Mocha Moment gardens.

August 30, 2017. Wednesday. Amber, Felix, and Kathy pose in the Villa Decoris gardens.

August 28, 2017. Monday. Waking up to the wide, wide world. Felix wanted the toad.

August 27, 2017. Sunday. Cookout and picked my first watermelon. Felix enjoyed the cookout. And how.

August 24, 2017. Thursday. Celebrated our birthdays a week late at O'Riley's. 40 years apart. Who is younger?

August 20, 2017. Sunday. Annual Riverside Music Festival. Holding benefits, we are part of Friends of Riverside Park. Biking to Riverside. Great grill preparing 700 halves of chicken. All sold. Good area bands. Lots of boats on the river. Lots of games and crafts for children. On blankets. And swinging with Felix. Riverside Park is back.

August 19, 2017. Saturday. Mocha Moment held benefits to pay for the South Side's first sand volleyball court in Marquette Park adjacent to Mocha Moment. Didn't take long for players to discover it.

August 18, 2017. Friday. Fish fry on Pearl Lake with Kevin Burns entertaining. Great scenery, sunset, and tunes.

August 17, 2017. Thursday. Rode our bikes to meet Amber & DJ at Rock County Brewing. First visit at this new microbrewery. Entertaining Felix on the patio.

August 14, Monday. Amber bladed by with Felix and Mimi in the Burley for a visit today. Just leaving. A squirrel has been running from the tree, down the rail, right behind our backs, up the lilacs, and onto the roof. Entertaining.

August 12, 2017. Saturday. Mother drove up this morning so Amber invited the Dean cousins for breakfast. Seth and Ashley had already left. Felix enjoying his jump swing. A bike group from Madison occasionally make Mocha Moment a destination. Just leaving.

August 4-6, 2017. Friday-Sunday. Annual tradition to celebrate our 44th Anniversary. Headed to the Milwaukee swing club for Friday night dance. Hundreds of young people. Lots of energy. Great band. Played till midnight. Coffee with Jordan at Collectivo on the lakefront Saturday morning. Rode up to Cedarburg on our bikes. Perfect porter at Silver Creek Brewing in the historic grist mill. Mill dam still in place. Water still runs through the race. On our way to Saturday night salsa club. Jack Farina band at boundaries on Sunday arternoon.

August 3, 2017. Thursday. Time to say good-bye. Mocha Moment pergola with its Coleus planters. Dianna and hers. Three oldest Vegter girls. Black-eyed Susans sporting summer magnificence.

July 28, 2017. Friday. Florida Vegter visits continue. Dianna and hers arrived. Took Dianna on a tour of the old places. Dianna and Kathy both attended North Walworth School, now a house. To improve herself, Dianna stayed on the steps at the left during recess and lunch reading by herself. Since it's in the area of the old homes and schools, this year's fish fry of choice was Village Supper Club on Delavan Lake.

July 24, 2017. Monday. Nice cabbages this year.

July 23, 2017. Sunday. Big cookout at Amber's because a several more aunts and uncles and cousins are in town. Lots of fun games.

July 14, 2017. Friday. Bob and Sharon back in Wisconsin so we're on the fish fry circuit again. Edgewater Supper Club north of Fort Atkinson. In business for 106 years. Owner came and talked to us a bit. Just a few feet off the Rock River. Marvelous atmosphere. Sloping floor because decades ago the owners just put a roof over the porch slab to get more room.

July 9, 2017. Sunday. Holding Felix so Amber, Seth, and DJ could roof their house. And still watching Felix.

July 6, 2017. Thursday. Family visits continue unabated. Hopkins on the deck at Mocha Moment. Our kids and Felix over for a grill out. Cousin staff at Mocha Momenbt.

July 4, 2017. Tuesday. Always amazing to see the Aqua Jays' great pyramid on July 4.

July 2, 2017. Sunday. My favorite Mocha Moment flowers: Asian Tiger Lillies. My two favorite views every year. Zoomed Out with Yellow Foreground. Zoomed In with Orange and Red. Matt & Loren, Torey & Haley, Jim & Carol all in town. Grill out and games. Some of the cousins.

June 30, 2017. Friday. Looking for special fish fries for Bob and Sharon, we happened onto the outdoor dining at Shopiere Tap along Turtle Creek. Watched geese float by.

June 22, 2017. Thursday. Kathy gave Nora her very own rolling pin for Nora's birthday.

June 18, 2017. Sunday. Jordan did the Boulder Iron Man today. Followed him all day long. 2.5 Mile Swim. 112 Mile Bike Race. (26 Mile) Marathon. Crossing the finish line. Award. Final Stats. 11:40 minutes. 4/20 in Division Finishers. 187/399 Overall Finishers.

June 18, 2017. Sunday. Felix over for a cookout with his grandma and uncles.

June 16, 2017. Friday. Took Blair & Karen to see some old home places in the Delavan area including the Inlet, Theatre Road, and Williams Bay School. Lots of memories. Fish fry at Village Supper Club on Delavan Lake.

June 13, 2017. Tuesday. Our Luna Moth returns to Mocha Moment for the annual visit.

June 12, 2017. Monday. Visit at Mocha Moment with the cousins and Aunt Ruth.

June 11, 2017. Sunday. Blair, Karen & Carmen are up for the week. So, a cookout, of course. And pool time. Nap time. for Felix. Amber, Mimi, and Felix head home in the Burley.

June 10, 2017. Saturday. Jon & Kelsey's wedding. Owen and Wyatt provided intermission entertainment. Felix enjoyed the wedding, and the attention. Jon & Kelsey's family. Kelsey teared up when her dad presented her with a quilt made by her grandmother in 1997 for Kelsey's wedding day. Grandmother had passed earlier this year.

June 9, 2017. Friday. Took Carol past some old home places including the Inlet, Theatre Road, and Williams Bay High School. Wound up at Village Supper Club on the east shore of Delavan Lake for a fish fry.

June 8, 2017. Thursday. Judson bakes cookies for Kathy at Mocha Moment. She's quite impressed with him and gave him his own, embroidered apron. Back to work.

June 6, 2017. Tuesday. DC Day 5. Through Dupont Circle and passing by the Korean Memorial on the way to see the MLK Memorial which we'd never since it opened in 2011. Facing the sunrise, "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." The Jefferson from the King Memorial, across the Tidal Basin. We read each of King's 14 quotes. Reading "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Always taken by how King's thinking was saturated in Christ's ideals of Providence, Forgiveness, Nonviolence, Love, and Overcoming Evil with Goodness and Truth. Toured Georgetown's 5 acre Tudor Place, built by the granddaughter of George and Martha Washington and lived in continuously by the same family for 6 generations. It's famous Federalist architecture: Temple Portico. Leaving our Air B&B for the last time. Two-Way bike lane on the way to Union Station and its cavernous hall. The Capitol from Union Station. In our Amtrak roomette head home.

June 5, 2017. Monday. DC Day 4. Self-guided tour of Georgetown's Old Stone House, the oldest house in DC still on its original foundation. Its kitchen. Not a movie watcher, I never saw the Exorcist, but we walked up and down its famous stairway, also in Georgetown. Alexander Graham Bell's Volta Laboratory and Bureau. Dinner atop the Brixton. Three stories up. On the way back to our apartment, saw the Duke Ellington (born in DC) Memorial. Duke's signature "Take the A Train."

June 4, 2017. Sunday. DC Day 3. Missed the tour but stopped by the Octagon House where the Madisons stayed (and where the Treaty of Ghent was signed) after the British burned the White House. White House. Rode by the WWII Memorial on the way to the Lincoln. The only common site that we revisited was the Lincoln Memorial because Lincoln inspires me more than any other famous American. Having memorized them, we always pause to read and reflect on both the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural. The Washington from the Lincoln. Biked past the haunting Vietnam Memorial. Because we were 10 years old when Kennedy's assassination was etched in our childhood memories, imagining the funeral procession in which Jackie walked between Edward and Robert behind the horse drawn casket, we locked up our bikes, and walked up Connecticut Avenue to St. Matthews Cathedral the same route the Kennedys walked to mass as a family. Reflected on the procession of 220 foreign dignitaries, including 19 heads of state, and members of royal families from 92 countries, including Charles de Gaulle, who had come to honor the American President. Went inside where the funeral was held and photographed the steps where John John made his famous salute to his father's coffin. A humorous incident on the steps: As we paused to take a pic, 2 black men (in the pic) with "donation cups" sprang into action. With great animation and gusto, they motioned to us the route of the procession, how Jackie came down the steps, and right where John John saluted. They then argued between themselves on whether the salute was "right here" or "over there." I gave them a $1 each for the entertainment. One remarked, "$1 doesn't buy much in DC, but I still thank you." Photographed the corner of Vermont Avenue and L where Walt Whitman, in Specimen Days, describes in vivid detail Lincoln's daily descent from his summer cottage to the White House during the war. Whitman writes, "We have got so that we exchange bows, and cordial ones." Then we rode up to Lincoln's Summer Cottage, toured the home, and posed for a nice photo.

June 3, 2017. Saturday. DC Day 2. The C&O Canal has one set of functional locks, Lock 19. The NPS offers an hour program with mule drawn rides, history, and information. Biking from Harper's Ferry on Thursday, we didn't feel like stopping then. Today we rode back out to Lock 19 (17 miles) and rode the canal boat, the Charles F. Mercer. Rangers in period clothing filled the lock, tied it off to go through the locks, brought mules, led the mules, cranked the "doors"(?) on the lock gates open, and opened the gates. A special treat: When we returned from the ride, the Washington Maritime Revels, were performing a program of canal songs. Returning to DC through Georgetown, we saw dozens of kayakers on the Potomac, as well as the Watergate Hotel & the Kennedy Center.

June 2, 2017. Friday. DC Day 1. We biked DC for 5 days. We'd both seen the famous sites numerous times, so we aimed to stay "off the beaten path." Progressive bike lanes allowed us to go anywhere in DC much more efficiently than motorists. Thousands of DC commuters on bikes. Generally, one-way lanes on one-way streets; two-way lanes on two-way streets. Toured the Woodrow Wilson home with its beautiful garden portico. Posed on Spanish steps near Wilson home. Walked through the lobby of the famous Willard Hotel where King stayed the night before his famous speech and where he carefully edited "I Have a Dream" most of that night. Most Presidents have used the Willard for meetings. Its famous Peacock Alley which an endless stream of rich, famous, glamorous, and powerful have promenaded. The Blair House (the President's guest house) where would-be assassins tried to kill President Truman.

June 1, 2017. Thursday. Day 6. Leaving Harper's Ferry by crossing the Potomac for the final leg. Spectacular Potomac rapids. Famous Catoctin Aqueduct spanning Catoctin Creek with its elliptical center arch and side Roman arches. More canal and towpath. Magnificent Potomac rapids charging between craggy bluffs. On a 3 mile stretch, engineers used an ancient Potomac River route for the canal. Destination achieved: Washington D.C. Air B&B, 1805 2nd Street NW. 335 miles.

May 31, 2017. Wednesday. Day 5. Starting out with a nice breakfast at our B&B. Took a slight detour to go through Fort Frederick. Live history presenter. Many, many references to Civil War history. This marker at Potomac Dam 5 telling about Jackson's attempts to destroy the dam, deprive the canal of water, and deny the Union use of the canal. One of 2 stretches where engineers built the towpath into sheer cliff and used the Potomac for its route. Left the canal to ride through Antietam, the scene of 22,000 casualties in a day, and the impetus for Lincoln's announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. The famous Dunker Church at Antietam. Stone fences near Antietam. Rolling Maryland hills near Antietam. Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. 270 miles out. John Brown's fort. Climbed these stairs which are part of the Appalachian Trail to climb and take in this view of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, of which Thomas Jefferson wrote, "this scene is worth a journey across the Atlantic."

May 30, 2017. Tuesday. Day 4. First of 74 locks and lockhouses on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. Many deer on our ride. Notice the proximity of the locks and lockhouses. We rode during the cooler, but rainier season. Never a hot day, but lots of puddles and mud. Entering the amazing Paw Paw Tunnel, a canal and towpath .6 of a mile through the mountain. Amazing engineering and construction for 1836. Inside the tunnel. Then emerging from the Paw Paw to a high waterfall. Tremendous thunderstorm about 2 miles from Hancock. Soaked in seconds. Spotted a house with a porch about 50 yards away. Made for the porch. Owner waved us up on the porch. Offered to let us come in which we declined. Offered us water from 2 coolers on the porch. Such generosity to strangers. We remarked, "This must happen a lot." He responded, "All the time. That's why I keep coolers with water. Frequent trail users know it's here." Recalled the ancient Greek virtue of hospitality and lines from the Odyssey: "Eteoneus: ...we have some strangers here at the gates...should we unharness their horses for them or send them on for someone else to entertain? Menelaus: ...you have not always been a fool; but at the moment you are talking nonsense...Think of all the hospitality that you and I enjoyed from strangers." View from our bed and breakfast, Hancock, Maryland. 210 miles out.

May 29, 2017. Monday. Day 3. A great BB breakfast to start the day. Had to stop and look at a double falls. Peering down at roaring rapids. Approaching the Continental Divide. Crossing the Divide. Strange after three days of water flowing westerly to see it suddenly flow the other direction. Approaching the Big Savage Tunnel through Big Savage Mountain. Inside Big Savage Tunnel. Out of Big Savage Tunnel. Spectacular view of the Alleghenies. Crossing the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland. Into the Borden Tunnel. On to Cumberland. Drinking in the Alleghenies and sky. Approaching Brush Tunnel. A bike wash station at Fairview Inn in Cumberland. Mile "0" Marker of the National Road, Cumberland. Washington's headquarters during the French & Indian War. Refurbished Baltimore Street. Burger, beer, and fries at Uncle Jack's Pub, Cumberland. 150 miles out.

May 28, 2017. Sunday. Day 2. Back on the trail. Regular freight trains on the opposite bank. Such spectacular scenery, we had to stop and look. Selfie with Youghiogheny flowing from the Alleghenies. Youghiogheny set against the Alleghenies. Youghiogheny from the bridge. Crossing the Youghiogheny. Falls Market in Ohiopyle. After Tara's wedding in 2014, Amber, DJ, Kathy, & I went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Waters and then ate hoagies & ice cream at Falls Market. Sitting on the picnic table from where I took this pic, I stared at the flow of bikers coming across the bridge. We had no idea that three years later we'd be in that stream. Great Falls at Ohiopyle. 105 miles out, we arrived at our B&B in tiny Rockwood. On our way to Rock City Cafe, we wandered into this very cool restored mill (National Register of Historic Places) with its shops and opera house where the visionary owner still brings shows. After we walked across the river and were eating at the pub, we sat through a couple of tremendous thunderstorms. Getting updates from his phone, a volunteer firefighter kept all patrons posted: "Water in basements. Wow! Road's washed out. Water pouring down the mountain. I've got to go." Locals said they had never seen anything like this. We were able to return to our B&B by walking on the levee because the road was washed out. From the porch of our B&B, we watched locals shoveling their driveways back where they belonged.

May 27, 2017. Saturday. Day 1. Leaving the Drury and ready to ride. Goodbye to Pittsburg, a city of 446 bridges. Typical scene from the Great Allegheny Passage, formerly the Western Maryland Railroad. Countless waterfalls with amazing sounds of rushing, falling water. Innumerable gushing, gurgling mountain streams. Hundreds of kayakers on the Monongahela (and later) the Youphiogheny Rivers. Many, many trains on the opposite side. Since we traveled much the same route in reverse, many references to Braddock's ill-fated march on Fort Duqhesne. 60 miles later, a great burger, fries, and beer at Bud Murphy's in Connellsvile. Walking back across the river, beautiful sunset on Connellsville.

May 26, 2017. Friday. Rained most of the morning. Drank coffee and read. Point Fountain at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers.

May 25, 2017. Thursday. On our way for our big bike ride from Pittsburg to DC on the Great Allegheny Passage and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath. Took the Van Galder Bus to Union Station. Bikes stowed and comfy in the Amtrak sleeper enroute to Pittsburg.

May 19, 2017. Goodbye party at John's for Jerry & Diane who are leaving Wisconsin again, this time to live in Lafayette near son Jeremy.

May 18, 2017. Felix with Great Grandma Dean. Four Generations.

May 16, 2017. New type of coffee break at Mocha Moment.

May 14, 2017. Mother's Day. Beautiful walk at Rotary Gardens. Us. Felix & Family. Mom, Daughter, Son.

May 13, 2017. First official babysitting Felix. Amber & DJ went kayaking.

May 6, 2017. Took Ashley & Seth, DJ & Amber with Felix to hear Terry Sweet on the piano in the Frontier Lounge at Lake Lawn on Lake Delavan. Took Felix over so he could listen to "Spider Man" and "Chariots of Fire."

April 29, 2017. Kathy and I are supporters of Rock County Historical Society. Attended one of their great event/fundraisers at the Armory. The theme was "Celebrating 1940's Community Achievers." Event was sold out. Raised lots of money. We were given complimentary tickets so there wouldn't be a "dead dance." Can't even begin to describe what a classy event this was and what an operation RCHS is. It seems to me that Madison, Milwaukee, or Rockford historical societies would have nothing on us.

April 29, 2017. Saturday. Annual get-together of the Hey-Cherry-Dean cousins. And our moms too. 10:00 coffee and bakery at Mocha Moment. With Kathy in Florida, Mary, Becky, Chris, and Melissa made quick work of food prep. We guys managed the grill. A table full. Proud Fern and Gia.

April 24, 2017. Monday. Precious Felix with his dad.

April 23, 2017. Sunday. Amber took Felix, sun glasses and all, for a run in his high tech stroller.

April 22, 2017. Saturday. Heard the acclaimed Beloit Memorial Jazz Orchestra at a dinner-dance fundraiser at the Eclipse Center. Truly amazing from teenagers. Short clip. Also appearing with them was nationally acclaimed guest performer Tony Scodwell, a Beloit, Wisconsin native and Beloit Memorial Graduate. Tony has played and recorded with the greats: Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Harry James, Doc Severinsen, etc. Always mindful of his roots, Tony comes back regularly to support the jazz band by appearances and mentoring for a couple of days at the high school. Six times since 2009, the band has been one of only 15 bands invited annually to the Essentially Ellington competion in NYC. Full performance at Essentially Ellington, 2016.

April 20, 2017. Thursday. Felix now makes regular appearces at Mocha Moment. Always a baker ready to set the oven timer and come out for a photo.

April 16, 2017. Sunday. Easter egg hunt at DeAnna's today. Lots of family and fun.

April 9, 2017. Sunday. Saw Jordan's new apartment today. Milwaukee River from Jordan's balcony.

April 8, 2017. Saturday. Took Kathy to Milwaukee for her traditional birthday weekend. Milwaukee Swing Club Friday night. Great band: The Flat Cats, out of Chicago. Rode from near Milwaukee lakefront to Port Washington and back. Always have to stop at the Cedarburg bridge over the Cedar Creek. Always have to have a burger at Mort's (Cedarburg) on the way back. 67 degrees and sunny. 53 miles. Salsa Club Saturday night.

April 6, 2017. Thursday. Chad, Autumn, and girls were over for Kathy's birthday dinner. Felix is pretty popular nowadays.

April 4, 2017. Tuesday. Felix in his hammock-rocker in his room.

April 2, 2017. Sunday. Kathy and I performed at a Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra fundraiser, "Dancing with the Stars," at the Janesville Performing Arts Center. Amber brought Felix down to watch.

March 31, 2017. Friday. Felix in his Great, Great Grandfather Hey's cradle. Through my heritage site, a man, whose grandfather had been a route man for my grandfather, contacted me. He gave me this cradle which had come down to him as "Clement Hey's Cradle." Clement and Abram's father, Felix' 3 great grandfather, was a carpenter and may well have made the cradle.

March 28, 2017. Tuesday. Home already. Kathy and Felix. Felix wants to scratch himself, so he wears mittens already.

March 27, 2017. Monday. A big welcome to our new grandson, Felix, born this morning. Pretty cool.

February 22, 2017. Wednesday. Record-breaking warm stretch. Tulips poking through already.

February 19, 2017. Sunday. Final Day. Coffee with Jon, Hope, Jayden, and SummerM. Parting shot with Mom. Very fine dinner with some of the family at Judy's. Teens and children in another room.

February 16, 2017. Thursday. Went back to Lake Wales. This time took Mom and Kathy back walked the entire audio tour. Again impressed with the 1924 Rhodesbilt Arcade. View from the 2nd floor.

February 14, 2017. Tuesday. Walked the Auburndale QR code tour with Mom and Kathy today. Ephraim Baynard's son built this home, now the Kersey Funeral Home, overlooking Lake Stella. Flatiron Triangle Building from 1912. 1894 Ephraim Baynard home. Auburndale's 1st fire engine, a 1925 American LaFrance. Chad worked at this fire department and has moved this engine for cleaning.

February 13, 2017. Monday. Walked the audio historic tour in Lake Wales today. Local builder J. T. Rhodes built so well and aesthetically pleasing that he was nicknamed "Good." Several of his buildings are on the historic tour. Notice the name on this cool 1924 arcade: Rhodesbilt Arcade. Far ahead of his time, this grand view with skylights greets the visitor at the entrance. Once a retail arcade, offices occupy the space now. Lots of lore (several silent film stars like Clara Bow, and mobster Al Capone) about the 1927 Dixie Walesbilt Hotel which is now being restored to iuts former grandeur.

February 12, 2017. Sunday. Walked around Auburndale city center this afternoon. Park quite popular for families. 1894 Ephraim Baynard house. 1927 Italian Renaissance Auburndale City Hall. He was a real estate devoloper and in 2000 was named a Great Floridian. Lots of the clan over to celebrate Blake's 27th birthday. The aunts always manage to make all the nephews and nieces feel special.

February 11, 2017. Saturday. Nice app provided a 12 point walking tour of historical Bartow, Florida, county seat of Polk County. Photographed and learned about many interesting things, including the old Polk County Courthouse, the Mann Mannor, the Benjamin Holland house, and the John J. Swearingen house. Beauiful, sunshiny day for a walk.

February 10, 2017. Friday. Tipped off by a friend about the dance venue at historic Gulfport Casino, we stayed at the Historic Peninsula Inn for a couple days. Built in 1905, it was a hospital for decades, then a retirement center, and now restored. The standard wide and long southern veranda. Warm, wood panelled dining rooms. Music by John and Ray in the piano bar. Heard enjoyable renditions of "Cats in the Cradle," "Make You Feel My Love," "Georgia on my Mind," and "Piano Man." Walked a few blocks to Blind Ciega Bay several times. Casino from a pier. Huge floor and packed for swing dance. Afterward by the bay. Not so crowded the next night for salsa. Afterward by the bay. And us.

Febvruary 6, 2017. Monday. Demolition of downtown, over-the-river, parking ramp continues. Strange, but great to see Rock River downtown again. Interesting how taste for aesthetics has returned in some areas. Remember the era when Americans painted over gorgeous wood trim in stately homes and covered oak pianos with black paint? And the era where we covered up rivers with parking ramps.

February 5, 2017. Sunday. Ashley and Autumn, along with Michelle, Linda, Nikki, and Kathy hosted a baby shower for Amber and DJ at Mocha Moment. Where else? Mother-Daughter. King family. DJ has always owned his "bump." Hostessses went all out. Cupcakes. Tables with crafts to occupy the wee ones. Many thoughtful gifts. So many wonderful family and great friends.

February 4, 2017. Saturday. Had swapped vehicles with Jordan so Rich could put on new tires. Returned his vehicle on Saturday, ate lunch, and visited.

February 3, 2017. Friday. Bob likes his Wisconsin Friday Fish Fry; we like finding him a different supper club every visit. Kathy and I saw this one in November when we were riding bikes on South Shore Road on the east side of Delavan Lake. So we took Bob, his family, and ours to the Village Supper Club on Lake Delavan. Good fish fry. Even better view, overlooking Delavan Lake.

January 25, 2017. Wednesday. Went to cousin John Hey's wake and funeral in Brookfield. So sad: 4 months younger than me. From my website, this photograph used in the standard photo display celebrating John's life. John is farthest back, just the head showing. I sit the tallest, back right. 4 Hey and 3 Dean cousins. We sure had fun in that pony cart.

My favorite memory of John: Physically tall, of substantial bone and mass, John was also a larger than life personality. Notorious for not answering or returning phone calls, John hadn't connected with me for several years. In the summer of 2007, a Janesville city official was drinking coffee at Mocha Moment one morning and mentioned the ongoing asbestos abatement fiasco in the demolition of the old Ramada Inn. The public knew a specialist had been called in and contracted. The official mentioned in passing that the owner of the abatement business said he was a cousin of mine. I exlaimed, "Tell that John to give me a call because he won't ever return mine." Hours later I got my call. John came to Mocha Moment and over to our house for a steak cookout that night. On our deck all evening, we laughed, reminisced, and as always, John regaled Kathy and me with stories. Such a treat. John returned to Mocha Moment the next morning to buy bakery for his crew. John had named his business Delahey Industries, an allusion to the old family name (Peter de la Hey, 1675-1746). That was 2007. I thought at the time that John didn't look so good. The next and last time I saw John (perhaps 2012) was at a recital of Michael Hey, Tom's son. And John really didn't look good at all. And now he's gone.

There are 13 Hey cousins. I'm the oldest, and Pat is the youngest. (John was 2nd oldest.) At the funeral, got to see Fern, Pat, and baby Gia.

January 22, 2017. Sunday. Annual Vegter Christmas party at DeAnna's. Amber's new idea this year: all gifts were to be handcrafted. Quite special to see how talented and creative family is. Kathy baked sweet rolls, and I made note cards.

January 17, 2017. Tuesday. Photographed this Lincoln marker on Main Street in Janesville. Lincoln had spoken at Hanchett's Hall in Beloit earlier in the day, Saturday, October 1, 1859. After speaking at the Young America Hall on this site, Lincoln was a guest of the Tallman's that evening and the next.

December 31, 2016. Saturday. For New Year's, took Kathy to Heidel House in Green Lake. Beautiful winter days. Green Lake. Great Orchestra: Swing Moods. Kathy and other girls from our table. Relaxing and reading New Year's Day overlooking Green Lake. Ate dinner at Norton's, a great supper club on Green Lake itself. Cozy place with great lake view.

December 30, 2016. Friday. During the holidays, Mocha Moment sustained the busiest level of business ever. Every day, most of the morning, extra chairs and tables. Worked continually to find guests seats. Celebrated Seth's birthday tonight at our house. Pizza.

December 26, 2016. Sunday. Christmas. At Linda's last night for a traditional and wonderful meal. Rummikub afterward. Christmas at our house today. New game: Ticket to Ride.

December 18, 2016. Sunday. Traditional Christmas outing at the Fireside to savor a meal and enjoy great Christmas entertainment on their theater in the round. Below zero and winter outside. Warm and cozy within. Our family. Next generation. Mother and son. Mother and daughter. Seth and Ashley. And us.

December 8, 2016. Thursday. We've sung and listened to "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" for a lifetime. Chad finally decided to actually roast chestnuts while Hudson and Piper entertained themselves. Hudson and Chad peeled roasted chestnuts while Nora drank hot chocolate. We all decided that eating chestnuts just once a year was plenty.

December 4, 2016. Sunday. First snowfall of the year. Silent Mocha Moment woods. Ornamental cabbage and kale with snow cover.

November 24, 2016. Thursday. My 63rd straight Thanksgiving at home. Other end of the table. Mother wanted to prepare and host the feast. Vegetable tray by Amber. Nice to be with the Cherry cousins. The 2nd cousins especially appreciated the younger company.

November 20, 2016. Sunday. Celebrated the payoff of our big Mocha Moment loan by taking our kids for grillout at Prime Quarter. We've had every family's dream: a family successful business. Would never have been the same or near as rewarding without our kids: they've been there for us all the way. Waiter (behind us) is a Mocha Moment customer. She gave us a special "Best Wishes" cake. Early days: Amber, Seth & Jordan. All grown up tonight. Seth and Ashley.

November 13, 2016. Sunday. Took Kathy to Lake Lawn Lodge for the weekend. Friday night was the salute to the veterans "Big Band Dinner & Dance" with "Ladies Must Swing." Lots of fun. Saturday bike ride. 50 degrees, about Kathy's limit. Kathy's old house in the Inlet. It is the blue house which was Uncle Pete's first house, until he built the yellow house with back yards abutting. Kathy riding past her old house on Theatre Road. Lake Geneva at Williams Bay. 17 miles round trip. Our balcony overlooking Lake Delavan. Wonderful evening with Terry Sweet at the piano in the Frontier.

November 10, 2016. Thursday. It's going to frost hard tomorrow night. Will be the latest killing frost since I've been gardening. Picked the last vegetables: broccoli, grape tomatores, celery, peppers, cabbage, green beans, sweet potatoes. Who would have thought?

November 7, 2016. Monday. Been having fun at Mocha Moment the past several days asking people if they recognize the date on my photo of Grandpa Hey delivering milk: 1908. When asked the signficance, almost everyone knows 1908 is the last year the Cubs won the world series. And just how long ago was that? Horse-drawn truck delivering milk. A long time ago. He was an avid Cubs fan. No wonder he was smiling. A great memory of Grandpa in the 1960's: Seated in his chair that's now at our cabin, he was simultaneously watching the Cubs on TV, listening to a ball game on the radio, and listening to still another game with his transistor radio and earjack.

November 6, 2016. Sunday. Couldn't resist doing another bike ride with a 70 degree day. Breakfast at Tiffany Cafe. Poster from Breakfast at Tiffany's at the cafe. Can't exaggerate the wonder of the weather. Pasture scene with a grazing horse. Turtle Creek above the single lane steel bridge on Smith Road. 26 mile ride. Went to the Jack Farina Band dance in the afternoon.

October 30, 2016. Sunday. Amber ran out to Double B Farm again for breakfast. We rode bikes. Striking driveway on Finley Road lined with trees. Time to say good-bye. On the way back from Rockford Airport, we stopped at the Butterfly to hear renowned drummer (he has recorded with Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and countless others), Jeff Hamilton (rear, right, against wall, only head showing), sit in with the accomplished Beloit Memorial Jazz Band (high school). As expcted, a treat. Six times since 2009, the band has been one of only 15 bands invited annually to the Essentially Ellington competion in NYC. Full performance at Essentially Ellington, 2016.

October 28, 2016. Friday. Alec and Kristen, Forida nephew and niece, visited Wednesday through Sunday. They rode bikes themselves on Thursday. On Friday we all rode out to Fermenting Cellars. Leaves burning in Juniper Hills. Trail next to the Rock River. Fish fry at the Ding-A-Ling in Hanover Friday night. Great fish. Pure Wisconsin. This supper club in this tiny village has lines every Friday night.

October 25, 2016. Tuesday. Tatum helped Kathy get ready for Halloween.

October 22, 2016. Saturday. Hadn't been to Staller Estate Winery in a few years. The owner comes to Mocha Moment. Rode out to see the many improvements including a nice gazebo. Classy food tray. 41 miles round trip.

October 16, 2016. Sunday. Amber is still training for her December Arizona half marathon. She ran and we biked to Double B Farm again for breakfast. Historical marker at farm, once a significant gathering place for Mormons. Rode out to see Bill & Mary at Fermenting Cellars, an annual fall bike ride. Beautiful through Juniper Hills. The last couple of years, water has flowed from the artesian well pipe at Riverside Park. 37 miles in all. Chad and family came over for pizza in the evening. Hudson chilling with Blade.

Octobder 15, 2016. Saturday. Family gathered at Clara Bo to learn the gender and name of our coming grandchild. His name is Felix Ray. Parents and children afterwards. Wonderful evening.

October 13, 2016. Thursday. Racine Street lined with flags to honor the return of the body of Korean War Veteran Donald Hendrickson to Janesville. Impressive sight.

October 9, 2016. Sunday. All went to church Sunday morning. Aunts and uncles came to a big dinner at Mocha Moment in the afternoon. On the deck. Sheila and Susan put up our fall pumpkin decorations. Then to John's for last hurrah with Mom. On the way, took family friend Sue (who takes care of Mom one night per week) and brought Mom to Wisconsin on a tour of Janesville. Another pic, same scene, spectacular fall colors. End of the party at John's.

October 8, 2016. Saturday. All to Skelly Farms on Saturday. Bundled Mom up against the chilly 65 degree Wisconsin fall. Amber and Kathy.

October 7, 2016. Friday. After a week of partying in southeastern Wisconsin, chilling at Chad's after a chicken grillout.

October 3, 2016. Monday. The aunts all met Jordan for dinner in Milwaukee.

October 2, 2016. Sunday. Great to have the 8 Vegter girls all together celebrating Sharon's 50th BD. Served fruit bowls & platters, baked potato skins, and grilled, steamed broccoli, stuffed chicken breast. From the garden: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, melons. Always special to be with them. They are the best.

September 29, 2016. Thursday. Our annual ride to Apple Hut for cider and apple donuts . Ride back. 19 miles round trip.

Septebmer 24, 2016. Saturday. Went to a cool USO dance, part of the annual WWII reenactment event at Rockford's Midway Village Museum. Polka Dots at least reminiscent of 1940's. Music provided by Moonlight Jazz Orchestra, a four decade staple of Rockford's music scene. Sadly, this amazing band formed at Jefferson High School in 1974 is hanging up their horns at the end of this year. Hundreds of dancers, vibrant band, lots of fun.

September 20, 2106. Tuesday. Caught the Rock River shrouded in fog.

September 18, 2016. Sunday. Still celebrating Amber's BD now that Kathy is back. Rode to Tiffany for breakfast with Amber & DJ. Always interested in its feed mill, now owned by Ed from Jack & Dick's, Janesville. Tiffany is a sleepy little village with a step back in time. Ate at Tiffany Cafe. Only open Sunday mornings. Great breakfast. Hadn't eaten there in over 30 years when we also rode our bikes there. Then rode east across Smith Road single lane steel bridge in order to view the famous 5 arch railroad bridge, one of only 2 in America. Scenic Smith Road going south. Shopiere home of the ill-fated Governor Harvey of Wisconsin (January-April, 1862). Another single lane steel bridge crossing Turtle Creek on Latham Road. 26 miles round trip.

September 11, 2016. Sunday. Amber's 29th birthday. Kathy's in Florida for a week watching Mom while the clan heads to Ormond Beach for the annual beach weekend. Rode my bike to Double B Farm Store/Cafe on Brostuen Road for breakfast. Amber ran there. 12 miles one way. Others drove. Double B is a homey, laid back, farmyard cafe. Much of the breakfast grown at the farm. Nice time. Perfect weather.

September 10, 2016. Saturday. Typical meal the last few weeks (and likely the next few). Everything, except chop, from garden: honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomato, green beans, potato, broccoli.

September 5, 2016. Monday. Labor Day. Big news. We are to be grandparents. Amber held a big family/friends Labor Day party at Mocha Moment. Centerpiece was a cool cake that announced the basics. Proud moment. We had known since Friday evening. Amber and DJ invited us to the Prime Quarter, ostensibly to celebrate a different milestone. Arriving at our table, we discovered wine glasses (we are holding them in these pics) lettered by Amber with "Grandma" and "Grandpa" awaiting us.

August 26, 2016. Friday. Kathy and I went to the Billy Joel concert at Wrigley Field. Sellout. We always ride the trian, and stay near Ogilvie in the Loop. Walked to and from Wrigley: 10 miles round trip. The #3 selling all time solo recording artist did not disappoint. Setlist. Interesting traffic management with mounted police.

August 21. Sunday. Riverside Music Festival 2016. Kathy and I are part of "Friends of Riverside Park." Cody flew up for the weekend. Rode our bikes to Riverside. Autumn, girls, Cody, and us. Fried chicken dinner grilled by the Noon Rotary. Lots for kids to do: Hudson and Nora heading for fun with Aunt Kathy. Bands: Steve Doil Band, and the GoDeans. So well attended. Always amazed at how a small group of dedicated people brought Riverside back from the abyss.

August 18. Thursday. Brooke and I share a birthday, August 17. (She's a Cubs fan now.) So we went to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs beat the Brewers, 9-6. Our view: Anthony Rizzo at bat. Hadn't been at Wrigley in 30 years. This Friday will be the 2nd time in 2 weeks as we're headed back to Wrigley to hear Billy Joel. (Strongest memory at Wrigley: In the midst of Cubs-mania, with standing room only due to the Cubs huge lead in the pennant race, I saw Kenny Holtzman's 1st no-hitter on August 19, 1969.)

August 12-16. Friday-Tuesday. Up to our cabin for a long weekend. Just Kathy and I. Pretty Quiet. This tree down and blocking the cabin greeted us. Worked the tree up Saturday. Plus a limb lying across the shed. On our new firepit, grilled burgers, chicken, and brats each of our 3 nights. Went to Duluth Monday. Hadn't been there since our honeymoon, 43 years ago. Wisconsin from across the bay. Saw this excursion of the North Shore Scenic Railroad along the cool boardwalk and lake path. Would be a cool and informative tour some day. In the Historic Fitgers Hotel complex, ate fajitas on the upper balcony of Mexico Lindo overlooking Lake Superior.

August 5-7, 2016. Friday-Sunday. Early on Kathy told me she liked to bike and dance. Celebrated our 43rd anniversary, by doing plenty of both. She still likes me. Ditto. Friday night danced till midnight at the Milwaukee Swing Club to the Robert Allen Jr. band. High energy there. Never left the floor for a single dance. Saturday biked from the Milwaukee lakefront up through Brown Deer, Cedarburg, Port Washington on Lake Michigan, and back. Milwaukee River. Both of us. 60 miles. Traditional burger and Woodchuck Cider at Mort's in Cedarburg. Saturday evening bought fixins at Jordan's favorite market and grilled burgers, brats, and sweet corn with Jordan and his friends at his apartment's cool interior space. Danced Saturday night at the lakefront Salsa club. Cool young people. Rested a bit Sunday before an afternoon dance with the Jack Farina Band at Boundaries. Monday, Kathy back baking scones at Mocha Moment for a bit of a rest from celebrating.

August 4, 2016. Thursday. But I was just getting the grill warmed up with Melissa and McKayla. With Erin, Matt, and Lauren in town, we hosted a pool party. Second meal of the day and a game. Lots of babies. Cousins. Brooke provided swing time. Colson and Judson, and Kallie, Kiara, and Bailey back and forth from the pool to the tramp. Wee ones on a romp with Aunt Kathy. Wee ones get pool time with Aunt Kathy. Plus Noxie. Dangling the feet before going home.

August 4, 2016. Thursday. Cousin Melissa and her friend spent the night, rode bikes, and hung out for a grillout at the pool.

July 31, 2016. Thursday. Lots of rain this year. Watched this 1.9" thunderstorm from our garage. The rain has made for good broccoli. 14" head towering above a 16 oz. cup. And Kathy's pretty flowers.

July 30, 2016. Wednesday. Jessica wanted to ride Janesville's trails. Including the trail next to Rock River. And through Riverside Park. Made onto the overlook (but couldn't capture the river far below). 36 miles.

July 29, 2016. Tuesday. Listening to the GoDeans with some Florida cousins at Courthouse Park.

July 17, 2016. Sunday. Just leaving the BD party on our bikes, we decided to head to Traxler and the Rock Aqua Jays ski show. Founded in 1961, they are 19 time national champions. What are the odds that the best ski show in America would perform right on our Rock River? Hard to exaggerate. Each year, we wonder how the show could get better, but it always seems to. Ski show runs from "setting sun in your eyes" to "dusk." Several pyramids like this: no big deal, just the norm. How many barefooters leaving quite the spray? Your guess. Quadruple 3-high pyramid making it look easy. Another barefooter launching from the dock and leaving spray. And backwards off the dock leaving a spray. Last year we saw the Aqua Jays perform a 5-high pyramid, a record. This year's record was the most skiers in pyramids ever pulled by a single boat. Performing for decades, Hall of Fame husband and wife team Gerry & Cathy Luiting (ages 58 & 54) performed doubles with 3 other couples. No skiers with this class take simple bows. The stage is a show itself. After sunset and concluding the show to applause, 4 doubles couples perform handstands on the stage as well as on the river. Many exceptional athletes.

July 17, 2016. Sunday. Hudson and Nora's BD party. Nora feeling very much like copying her aunts. It seemed like Hudson would never break the piñata. Learning to blow out candles. Opening lots of presents from an entourage of adoring grandmas, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.

July 14, 2016. Thursday. Spent the day in Sterling. Mom and I had this idea of making a page on "Sterling History and Culture" for our heritage site. Visited well known Sterling sites and took many photos. Page turned out pretty nice: Sterling History and Culture.

July 13, 2016. Wednesday. Tom & Chris came for a visit. Great time.

July 10, 2016. Sunday. Our first green beans and new potatoes from the garden. Always planted Blue Lake. Tried Slenderettes this year. No string. More tender. Slenderettes from now on.

July 5, 2016. Tuesday. Bill, Sheila, and Jacob over for a cookout. Mocha Moment Raspberry ice cream made from raspberries picked in Mocha Moment woods.

July 4, 2016. Monday. Amber entertained a lot of us. Great time with games, even bubbles for the wee ones. Nora and Hudson didn't want Aunt Kathy to go.

July 3, 2016. Sunday. Rode into Rock Island then across the Mississippi into Davenport. Track had just swung open to allow this barge to pass. Interesting sculpture called "Skipper."

July 2, 2016. Saturday. Started the day at "Dead Poets' Espresso," featuring cool portraits of "dead poets." Rode part of the Great River Trail up to Cordova and back. Much of the trail on top of the levees. Moline features several miles of parks with flowers. Cool fountain and sculpture by our hotel. Moline is, of course, John Deere headquarters. Their Pavilion amazes. Farmer Kathy dreaming of planting corn. Amazing controls in the cabs. We saw log cutters, earth moving equipment, combines, and the works. The first 3 John Deere models. Our dads likely used all 3. The 3rd tractor was common when I hayed for farmers. Moline downtown is thriving; never moved our truck. Great burgers, chicken cordon bleu sandwich, stout, and patio at Bent River Brewery.

July 1, 2016. Friday. Surprised Kathy with a "Captain's Dinner/Dance Cruise" on the Mississippi aboard the Celebration Belle out of Moline. Gorgeous weather at boarding. Enjoying the top deck. A treat to talk to the captain and pilot, the owners' 11 year old son who had been piloting the boat for 5 years, almost half his life. Captain had worked the river for 40 years and knew it thoroughly. Second deck meal and band. Sunset with Davenport lights across the River. Sundown.

June 15, 2016. Wednesday. Bob and I went to Porkfest as usual. Lots of beefy, farmer looking men grilling chops by the 1,000's. Wisconsin at its finest. Band provided humor. Actually pretty good music. Several members puffing aggressively on smokes during breaks. Downwind from grilling. A vocalist explained his having a hard time with his voice at that moment: "Must be the smoke." He meant the porkfest smoke; it might have also had something to do with another kind of smoke.

June 15, 2016. Wednesday. Officially moving out. Our last one. Last stop at MM to grab coffee, and hug mom goodbye.

June 12, 2016. Sunday. Celebrated Jordan's 23rd birthday early. Bob and Sharon in town. Bowl set, and other "setting up household gifts," for Jordan's big move to his apartment.

June 5, Sunday. Sue's in town. Sue and other family came this morning for brunch. Made them lattes and a fruit platter.

June 3, Friday. Mother and Dad always came to walk in the woods when the Dame's Rockets were in bloom. Mom still likes to come to see them (and us). Memories. We walked the woods together. 5 years already this December that Dad left us.

June 2, Thursday. We supplied lemonade and coffee for the grand opening of Janesville's new fire station. A ceremony that connected with history by the "pushing in" of the firetruck. Not a ribbon cutting, but a "hose uncoupling." Honor guard with bagpipes.

June 1, Wednesday. Family gathered on the deck to say good-bye to Carol. Carol watched over Mocha Moment so we could ride across Missouri. Thanks, Carol. We 3 go back a good many years now. Many happy memories.

May 30, Monday. Memorial Day. Torrey and Haley down for Memorial Day. Some of the cousins at Mocha Moment. Rode our bikes to decorate Jedediah's grave. Gone 33 years now. I always remember the Proverb, "A person is not dead until someone visits his grave for the last time." Then to Chad & Autumn's for a cookout. Yard games.

May 29, Sunday. Day 8. Minor Snafu. I had shown an Amtrak agent the previous Sunday that I couldn't reserve a bike from my Amtrak phone app. He said, "Reserve it when you arrive." Well, the train we picked doesn't allow uncrated bikes. Instead of leaving at 7:00 am, had to settle for 3:00pm. Ouch. Late night. Extra time to read at a Starbucks. Rode bikes through St. Louis University and saw this fountain. Home by midnight. Adventure over. Slide show: Katy Trail.

May 28, Saturday. Day 7. Stayed at the Drury, in the shadow of the Arch. Felt good to leave our bikes in our room and go walking. All things Lewis & Clark. A Lewis & Clark water feature in the Drury lobby. In 1999, when we took our kids to Texas, we saw cousin Jay Tschetter creating his brick murals in the Arch visitors' center. A major goal of our current trip was to see and photograph Jay's murals. (Jay's web site, "Images in Brick." But the entire center is closed for renovation. Had to settle for this. Immediately west of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is the federal courthouse where in 1847 Dred & Harriet Scott entered their plea for freedom. America continues its long, fitful journey toward realizing "all men are created equal." Ceiling of the federal courthouse reminds of the Pantheon. A remarkable mile of greenspace with several fountains in a boulevard heading west from the Arch. With the male and female gods and goddesses facing each other, this fountain represents the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. In the gardens at the Schlafly Tap Room for a great burger, porter, and raspberry cider. The federal courthouse framed by the Arch.

May 27, Friday. Day 6. Still dodging thunderstorms. So far so good. Couldn't leave till 9:00 when one finally passed. Modern tech is cool. 15 years ago, we'd have been guessing about rain. On the Katy nearing St. Louis. Had a flat a day. Wondered if we'd be lucky and skip a flat today. Not to be. Our 5th and final flat tire. I had 3; Kathy 2. Another cool bike ramp to the bridge. And back this way (see Kathy). Over the Missouri and entering metro St. Louis. Because of construction, got really muddy under a bridge entering St. Louis. Spent an hour cleaning us and our bikes up in a park. Kathy framed under the Arch. 30 miles across St. Louis itself. Total: 66 miles on Friday. Including all our excursions and sightseeing: 320 miles in 5 days. Thunderstorms every day, but never got hit.

May 26, 2016: Thursday. Day 5. Grabbed a hardy breakfast at "Welcome Inn Again" before leaving Jefferson City for Marthasville. Back across the Missouri. Down ramp from on top. Down ramp from below. Typical bower on the Katy. Sign commemorating Ted Jones, founder of Edward Jones, whose vision and generosity made the Katy Trail a reality for 400,000 to enjoy annually. Several stations featured cabled bike tools. Typical view of the Missouri on the way to Marthasville. Stayed at "Little House Bed and Breakfast" in Marthasville. A treat. Whole house to ourselves. Kitchen furnished with orange juice, milk, yogurt, fruit, cheese, and turnovers. So thirsty we drank almost a half gallon of orange juice upon arrival. Even a laundry room; Kathy did laundry. Amazing catfish dinner at "Cory's Twin Gables." Marthasville is a sleepy village. But it came alive in the evening with youth filling 2 ballparks for baseball as well as horseshoes by Cory's. John Mellencamp: "Ain't that America." Rest before bed at "Little House." 72 miles.

May 25, 2016: Wednesday. Day 4. Leaving Boonville, crossed the Missouri for the first time (old railroad bridge in distance). Katy memories everywhere. Dozens of cool markers denoting events recorded in the Lewis-Clark expedition. Tunnel going into Rocheport. Along the Missouri. Saw deer, eagles, and snakes. Towering bluffs. Typical trail along the Missouri. Then the trail would move away from the Missouri with a view of the rich bottomland (40 acres could support a family) between us and the river. Notice the state capitol in the distance (just left of center) across the river. Trail near Jefferson City and the capitol closer (from the bridge). Crossed the river into Jefferson City. On the way to eat, strolled the capitol grounds and enjoyed the fountain. 57 miles today.

May 24, 2016: Tuesday. Day 3. Forecast was for thunderstorms all week. Dodged one this morning. Leaving Sedalia about noon (because of the storm), rode passed the restored Sedalia depot. Magnificent. Typical trail heading northeast. Typical view of a creek/river from one of the countless bridges. Arrived in Boonville about 4:00. It cost over $400,000 to restore the Boonville depot. Constant reminders of the once mighty Katy (MKT) Railroad. At it's peak, 25 passenger trains a day passed through Boonville. Shortest ride today: only 48 miles.

May 23, 2016: Monday. Day 2. Sedalia is 36 miles from the end of the Katy Trail, so we rode from Sedalia to Clinton (the western terminus) and back on Monday. We stayed at the Best Western State Fair so we had a great breakfast buffet of sausage, eggs, potatoes, and pancakes each morning to load up energy. Clinton is a nostalgic county seat wrapped around a town square. Had a flat and wanted to buy a better tire. At a bike/Stihl shop, we learned that the proprietor, Sam, is an ultra marathoner. Great guy. He'd ridden the entire Katy trail in a single trip. When a friend later related this to a park ranger, the ranger said (jokingly), "Should have thrown him in jail for being on the trail after dark." Interpreting that as a challenge, Sam picked June 21, the longest day of the year, and rode the entire Katy, all 238 miles, between sunup and sundown. Kathy and I had just thought we were pretty good riders! Between Clinton and Sedalia on a bridge and in a bower. After 84 miles, tasty pizza with a stout and cider at Fitters in Sedalia.

May 22, 2016: Sunday. Day 1. Kathy and I have been planning our Katy Trail adventure for 2 years. The Katy Trail follows the path of the old Katy Railroad, 238 miles, from Clinton, western Missouri, to Machens, above St. Louis. Mocha Moment regular and Van Galder bus driver, Bob, drove us to Union Station where we, along with our bikes, caught an Amtrak to St. Louis and finally Sedalia.

May 14, 2016: Great day for us. Jordan's awarded his Masters in Accountancy from UW Wisconsin Whitewater in the Graduate Degree Ceremony. Awarded his hood. Close moment with Mom. And Mom and Dad. And Grandma. And everyone. And Seth and Amber. (Hard to believe these 3 youngest helped us build Mocha Moment the first years. And now look.) And Brooke. And the family at the campus fountain. (Very cold and windy. Can you tell?) And Amber and Mom at 841 Brewhouse for celebration dinner. (841 is owned by the son and grandson of our next door neighbor, Doris. Great food at good prices. Outstanding Cod and Salmon.) And Amber and Linda. A great day. Good student and commencement speakers. Classy ceremony. Typified so much good about America, including an abundance of minority and foreign graduates. (Alexander Hamilton still lives.) Our last child done with school. Where did these 35 years go. Two months at home and Jordan starts his job in Milwauikee in August. Only two months before the last vestige of child-raising behind us. And these will fly too. What a great nation and great state. University degree with no debt. Graduate degree with only small debt. And financially, we're a modest family. How could we whine. Everyday citizens still go as far as their industry and ambition can reach. (Alexander Hamilton still lives.)

May 13, 2016: Oakhill graduation. Finished my 41st year teaching high school. Colton and Riley give their senior reflections. Colton says composition class influenced him to go to college to major in journalism. Riley has been catering for us at Mocha Moment.

May 9, 2016: Carol joined Kathy for their annual spring cleaning at Mocha Moment. Grill out afterwards. My treat for these 2 amazing girls. Stuffed chicken breast, grilled broccoli, cauliflower, and stuffed potato skins.

May 8, 2016: Mike painted the wall behind our antiques at Mocha Moment last night. So we were back repositioning them tonight. DeAnna and her family had ridden to Mocha Moment for a picnic.

April 29, 2016: No more "Pace for Parkinsons" walk/run. But the tradition held. Cherry cousins up for the annual visit. Melissa and Hannah walk the Mocha Moment trail. Cousins for pizza. And Mother and Aunt Sue came, too. Plus a surprise cake/shower for Pat with 2 months to go.

April 28, 2016: Kathy's back from Florida, taking care of her Mom and giving her sisters some time off. The timing was a mother-daughter event at their church. Kathy and some sisters with Mom. Kathy and Mom.

April 23, 2016: Kathy flew to Florida Friday to take care of Mom and give her sisters a break. Rode my bike over to Cedar Crest Saturday morning to see their new coffee shop for which we were a consultant and now supply coffee, chai, and syrups. Three Mocha Moment regulars, Donna, &, and Nadalie, invited me to sit with them by their gardens. They wanted to know when Kathy was bringing back her eclairs. Went to Chad & Autumn's for a cookout in the afternoon. Kathy's gone, so Amber and I went to the Vets Roll Dance, 2016. Got to hear the Beloit College Jazz Band along with nationally acclaimed guest performer Tony Scodwell, a Beloit, Wisconsin native. Later, the Jack Farina Band played and Tony again sat in for a few numbers. Went to DJ & Amber's for another grill out on Sunday. Grill season is in full swing.

April 17, 2016: Tilled garden yesterday, a beautiful spring day. Planted green beans. Forecast is promising for some early beans. One-armed Brooke (broken collar bone) helped me plant potatoes. Brooke and I love potatoes. Grilled/smoked first whole turkey today. Turned out perfect, along with Kathy's baked potato slices and veggies, as well as chocolate covered strawberries. All the kids and spouses/friends over. Good start to the season.

April 15, 2016: We supplied coffee, lemonade, and cakes for Janesville Fire Department graduation at JPAC. Kathy baked cakes. Charlene lettered them. Autumn put it all together. Quite the family we have.

April 3, 2016: Celebrated Kathy's birthday with our traditional trip to Milwaukee. Friday night swing dance. About 300 people, whole range of ages, younger to older. The band: Flat Cats out of Chicago. Us. We usually ride on Saturday, but not this time. Snowed a couple inches with high winds. Saturday night is Salsa night. Always packed with very cool and polite young people. Rode down to the lakefront Sunday. Coffee at Colectivo, the old Milwaukee River Flushing Station. Very warm; lots of customers in the sun. Hard to believe this trail runs right through Milwaukee.

March 31, 2016: Mocha Moment continues to bring our extended family together. Twice this week. Aunt Florence and Uncle John, Don and Judy, Dawn on Monday. Then Thursday, cousin Brenda called to say Ed and Mary were in town. So we saw Aunt Florence and Uncle John, Don and Judy, Dawn, and Linda again. And this time Ed and Mary, Brenda, Aunt Teresa, and John. Kathy hadn't seen Ed since high school. Always fascinated with Aunt Teresa's stories. A Dutchman, she remembers hiding under the potato wagon in the fields when the Nazi's strafed and bombed. A good-bye shot.

March 27, 2016: Easter Sunday. Too many family and friends for the house now. Amber and Kathy prepared Mocha Moment. Family and friends. Kids' corner. Great food brought by guests.

February 21, 2016: Dinner at Bill's today with him, his kids, and grandkids. Boat ride in the afternoon. Canal between Lake Summit and Lake Eloise (where Cypress Gardens was, now Legoland). Gator in the weeds on Lake Summit where Bill let us out to walk back and get Mom.

February 20, 2016: A gorgeioius warm Saturday morning. Karen thought a fire would be nice. Kathy showing Mom family pics on her iPad. Always go to the dinner-dance at the Sons of Italy. Great noodles and Italian sausage. Always the Johnny Charro band. Always forget to get a photo till too late. Johnny himself posing for us afterwards. A little rumpled and sweaty, but still, a pic. Nice people and so hospitable.

February 19, 2016: Kathy and her sisters suprised Mom by taking her to "Super 60's" in Dundee for her 90th birthday. The church group made her a birthday cake and bought her a bouquet of flowers. Later that night the families all came to Carol's for the family birthday party. Us with Mom plus Kathy's chocolate cream cake. Some granddaughters. Some grandsons.

February 18, 2016: Out to dinner with Bob and Sharon at Norby's, a Lake Wales dining gem set inside a nondescript exterior. Owner must be 60, loves what he does, suggested his best offering, a bone in ribeye. Couldn't finish it. Two meals in one.

February 14, 2016: Day at the Kennedy Space Center. Kennedy at Rice University, September 12, 1962: "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.." I recollect discussing this speech with a 3rd grade classmate and saying, "No way!" But I vividly recollect my parents granting a special dispensation from rigidly strict bedtime (8:30 pm sharp) rules to finish watching (on my grandma's borrowed portable black and white TV) the July 20, 1969 lunar walk and return inside lunar module (11:11 pm CST). The bridge Collins, Armstrong, and Aldrin walked across to begin their lunar landing journey. Only 3 Saturn V's remain: Saturn V engines. 363' Saturn 5 rocket. My favorite was the Atlantis. Shuttle rocket boosters and external fuel tank.

February 13, 2016: Magnificent winter day. 69 degrees. In Florida for Kristin and Alex' wedding at the splendid MacKay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve, Lake Alfred. The residence, now eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1915 and called "La Rochelle" after the lake. Amber and DJ attended with us along with us. The ceremony took place under the arch in the background. Them. Us. Mother-Daughter. Grandma, Daughter, Granddaughter. Gazebo on Lake Rochelle. Only Jerry and Linda (and Dad, of course) missing. Bride and Groom Dance. Always creative and handy, Blair built the dance floor. Cousins, aunts, and uncles having fun. Farewell with glow sticks. Levi (6' 4") and Jessica (6' 0") team up to take down lights. Of course, a ladder lay just outside the tent.

February 6, 2016: Went to Sterling with Amber and DJ to a "reveal party" for Pat and Fern's baby. Pat is 47. First baby. So exciting. It's a girl! Mimi really wanted Doug's pizza.

January 23, 2016: Tara and Nick's open house today. Centra Chiropractic. Successful. Supplied coffee, hot caramel cider, and cherry bars. Went to Elburn to see cousin Chuck and family. Melissa works at Ream's Meat Market. Quite the place. So busy. Such great meat and wide selection. Customers come from miles around. Melissa, Mary, and Kathy at the market. Of course, had to get some brats to get the jump on grilling season.

January 9, 2016: For years (this is about 3 Christmas presents) Kathy has been wanting to take us to the "Million Dollar Quartet," a musical recalling the serendipitous evening meeting of 4 famous artists of Sun Records: Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee , Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. This is the second to the last week of an 8 year run at the Apollo Theater. Show was even better than expected: a blast. On Amber's recommendation, Kathy treated to dinner at Gyu Kaku, a Japanese restaurant. We grilled our own meat and vegetables at our table. Great food. Never get used to Chicago towers disappearing into the clouds.

January 7, 2016: As usual, Mimi waiting patiently as Amber gets coffee at Mocha Moment. Ornamental Cabbage still pretty. Brown stains on snow are dumped coffee, not Mimi.

January 1, 2016: New Year's Day. Cindy and her family joined us for games: Hand and Foot, Settlers of Catan, and Kathy and Tatum at Dice.

December 31, 2015: New Year's Eve at the Madison Concourse. Great band: Blue Light Scene. Good time.

December 27, 2015: Traditional Christmas party with the extended Vegter family. Not so many this year. Two or three families out of town.

December 25, 2015: Christmas at our house with our family.

December 24, 2015: Traditional Christmas Eve dinner at Linda's. Jake and Hunter focused on their new game.

November 22, 2015: Biking last weekend at 60 degrees. Record November snowfall (11") and cold (3 degrees) this weekend. Record warm fall yielded record broccoli and cauliflower suckers. Several 6"-8" heads of each this November. Picked a 9" sucker Friday. Using it, Kathy made her famous broccoli-chicken-cheese casserole today. Autumn, Cindy, their families, and our kids over to eat it. Rafael too. Mocha Moment fantastically beautiful today.

November 15, 2015: Incredible mid-November weather. 60 and sunny. Rode down to our friend Scot's place in Beloit. Kathy is in Florida. Couldn't ride. Scot has done amazing things with this 1926 farmhouse that raised chickens here until 1970. Classy place. 27 miles, round trip. Later for supper, Amber made a great vegetable dish topping for spaghetti squash.

November 8, 2015: Picked this broccoli today. Never seen anything like this so late in the season.

November 8, 2015: Annual weekend in Milwaukee. Quite late this year. Lots of family in the summer. Never worked out. Friday night at the Milwaukee Swing Club's First Friday Dance. Hundreds of people of all ages. Saturday. Didn't know if we'd get our bike ride in because of too little daylight and chilly, but day turned out sunny and 50 degrees with moderate west winds. Rode down to the lakefront from Estabrook. Incredible day on Lake Michigan. Everybody out enjoying activities. We saw giant kite flying, disc golfing, a huge mountain bike race, a Veteran's Day Parade including this band, and a steady stream of hikers and bikers. Coffee at Collectivo on the lakefront. Cool interior: the refurbished 1888 Milwaukee River Flushing Station with its loft wrapping the atrium. Left the lake front and rode up to Brown Deer including the newly completed 3.1 mile segment of trail connecting the Estabrook lakefront section with the Interurban Trail going on up to Port Washington. Ribbon cutting will be November 16. Amazing gem in the middle of Milwaukee. Would have ridden on up to Cedarburg for our traditional burger at Mort's, but already running low on daylight by Brown Deer. Just 26 miles. Saturday night. Salsa Club on the lakefront. Crowds of cool and polite young people. Enjoyable. Sunday. Traditional drive through Kathy's home town (Williams Bay) on the way back. Kathy's house (6th-12th grades) on Theater Road looks better than at any time we remember it. In good hands. Kathy's house (age 2-5th grade) on North Walworth Road gone now. Was just to right of drive. Old barn shell remains. New, huge house (?, odd) built way back on rise. After we returned, kids and cousins came over for pulled pork tacos, fresh cauliflower and broccoli from the garden, and hot apple pie with Mocha Moment vanilla ice cream. Played games. A grand weekend.

November 4, 2015: More large broccoli heads. November. Amazing. Always enjoy our burning bush in November.

October 21, 2015: Halloween at our house again. Lots of people, of course. Over 30. Kathy always has cool treats. Then off to the candy hunt.

October 25, 2015: Maybe the last bike ride of the season. Sunny, light winds, and 60. Annual stop at Hawk's Orchard and 2 Empire apples. We know the owners. Nice chat. Rode on up to Lake Koshkonong and sat in the sun. Gorgeous country roads. 36 miles round trip.

October 24, 2015: Always knew that Gays Mills was known for apples. Breathtaking scenery. Looking down into Gays Mills from the ridge. Didn't know there were several orchards on an 8 mile ridge east of Gays Mills. Stopped at 3 of them. Kickapoo Orchards and store. Treated ourselves to the standard cider, apple pie, and apple turnovers.

October 23, 2015: We left for western Wisconsin this afternoon. Went to photograph the grave of Kathy's great uncle, Joseph Tschetter, a doctor in Whitehall, Wisconsin. We don't know much else about him. He married a Leone Cline, who was from Fayette, Wisconsin, where they are buried (in the middle of nowhere) in Fayette Cemetery, in the Cline family plot. Their memorial is in the back, right of the plot. We then saw Vernon Vineyards and Branches Winery near Viroqua. Beautiful country.

October 19, 2015: Amazing year for the garden. Look carefully and find 6 x 7"-8" broccoli heads. Picked several today. Two broccoli heads. 5 cauliflowers, anywhere from 7" - 11". Three of them.

October 18, 2015: The annual fall bike ride to Fermenting Cellars owned by our friends, Bill and Mary. 25 miles round trip. Log cabin in the woods. Faturing a new patio with waterfall and fireplace. A new feature on Janesville's bike trail system: under the new Jackson Street bridge spanning the Rock River.

October 16, 2015: Such a gorgeous view of the Rock River lagoon.

October 9-11: Kathy, Amber, Nikki, and Linda took their annual mother-daughter excursion. This time to Door County on Lake Michigan. Very nice of Mocha Moment regulars, Tom and Dana, to invite the girls to stay at their house. Orchard Country Winery and Cider Mill where you can taste and buy all things cherry. Door 44 Winery which Mocha Moment regular Don says is "the best." And the "fish boil": A Door County tradition. The owner throws potatoes and carrots into the pot and brings it to a boil. Then he tosses in local whitefish. Finally, the owner throws kerosene on the fire which makes the pot boil over and the scum flows off. The tasty meal remains.

October 7, 2015: Our traditional, 19 mile fall bike ride to Apple Hut orchard. Pint of cider, an Empire apple, and a famous apple donut. Well, I had two. On Thursday, our traditional 30 mile trip to Milton's Northleaf Winery for wine, Wisconsin cheese, and crackers.

October 5, 2015: Coffee with Carol. And good-bye. Thanks to Carol for managing Mocha Moment in our absence and making it possible for us to enjoy a lengthy time away.

October 2, 2015: On the way home. Caleb and Ressa on 16th Street Mall in Denver (concept like State Street in Madison) near Union Station. Enjoyed reading and relaxing in the spacious observation deck. Across the Mississippi.

October 1, 2015: Got photographed at Balanced Rock in Garden of the Gods. Same rock where my great grandfather John Hey's brother was photographed a century ago. Drove up winding Rampart Range Road. Pike's Peak in background. And again with Caleb and Ressa. Air Force Academy chapel. Interior.

September 30, 2015: Walked 2 1/2 miles through Pulpit Rock Park each morning to Jives Coffee House. And back. Walk included Caleb's neighborhood where we saw several friendly deer, including this deer.

September 29, 2015: Devin from MM suggested we go to Bristol Brewery. A guy took the old Ivywild School and turned it into a microbrewery with many shops and a farmer's market. Patio dining. We were not disappointed.

September 28, 2015: Left yesterday on Amtrak from Princeton, Illinois to see Caleb and Ressa. Fabulous treat last night: Watched the super moon and entire lunar ecplipse from the observation deck. All the passengers on the deck were pretty animated about it. Couldn't get any good pics from the train, of course. Arrived at 8:00 this morning at Union Station, Denver. Drank lattes with Ressa who came to pick us up.

September 24, 2015: Kathy and I rode bikes to open house at Rock Prairie Dairy, Rock's County's largest. Milk 5,500 cows, 3 times a day. Milk 72 cows every 7 minutes 24 x 7 x 365. Fill 8 tankers daily. Burgers and brats for guests. And milk.

September 20, 2015: Gorgeous fall day in Wisconsin. Rode our bikes to the DC (Dry Creek) Estate Winery just over the stateline in Illinois. They have started their own vineyards. Beautiful, new banquet and event facilities. Said they have 43 weddings scheduled this year.

September 13, 2015: Picked my last melons today. 3 pails of green beans from a single row. 7 pails in the last 3 days from 3 rows. Never experienced green beans producing this long. Always stagger 3 rows: May 1, June 1, July 1. May 1 beans still produced 2 pails.

September 7, 2015: Jim and Carol's entire family here for a long weekend. Pretty cool. Cookout and swim party at our house Friday evening. All the nephews and nieces joined us at the Butterfly Saturday evening. Line dancing to Mike Williamson's band and song, "Wheelin' on Down the Road." Mocha Moment is a natural for Sunday morning coffee and breakfast. Carol with granddaughter Moxie on the trail.

August 28, 2015: Mimi always lies quietly at the door while Amber goes into Mocha Moment. Can't help but think of Mimi's obedience and that of some children.

August 27, 2015: Jenny and her family came for a visit. Great time. Very easy to entertain family at Mocha Moment.

August 23, 2015: Cindy and her family came for a cookout. All 6 on their way home.

August 23, 2015: Gabe flew in for a surprise visit for Erin and Moxie. (Erin is here for 2 months of internship in Madison and Rockford. Jana is nanny. Jodi is here for work.) So all the currently local Hopkins on the deck at Mocha Moment this morning for coffee. Jodi is training as a barista, and so had plenty of practice.

August 22, 2015: From a southern family, I grew up eating fried okra. Most northerners have never eaten it or have the distaste of "slimy okra" in gumbo. How it grows: closest row in my garden. Look closely, you can see a blossom and an okra pod underneath it. (Second row back is black eyed peas, another southern staple.) Okra: rolled in cornmeal and fried, served alongside Kathy's bruschetta made with our garden Roma tomatoes. Much more okra to come.

August 21, 2015: Jasmine is one of the many great young people who work for us. A Mocha Moment regular since 8 or 9 years old, Jasmine years ago sang the national anthem at Brewers and Bucks games. Saw her tonight in Miss Saigon. Jasmine wasn't just "in" Miss Saigon: Jasmine "was" Miss Saigon. Program bio. Afterwards with the star.

August 16, 2015: Through Mocha Moment, Kathy and I are benefactors of Friends of Riverside Park. Rode our bikes to the annual Riverside Music Festival. Came back to our birthday celebration. Brooke and I share birthdays: 40 years apart. Guess which one is 22. Lots of family to celebrate. Nora and Hudson love to swing with Aunt Kathy.

August 14, 2015: Karen and the girls had to say goodbye on Monday. Cousins in the gardens. Aunts and uncles in the gardens. And, of course, Friday night fish fry. This time at the Buckhorn on beautiful Lake Koshkonong.

August 7-12, 2015: Cabin. The cousins enjoyed grilling over the campfire. Games, games, and more games. Julie in the hammock. Supper over the bonfire. Been wondering for years when the water heater would quit. Don't have to wonder. Rusted through on Saturday. Replacement from Menard's in Superior. Quick connects; no brazing. Modern tech made it easy. Cousins left on Monday. Traditional cousins goodbye on the dock. Very quiet. Just the four of us. Traditional aunts and uncles goodbye on the deck. So many good memories. Still more. And harking way, way back. Goodbye for now.

August 3, 2015: Nice evening on the deck with a dozen of cousins.

August 2, 2015: Major family event at Amber's. Slack line afforded plenty of fun.

July 31, 2015: Bob, Sharon, and Cody arrived. Bob loves Wisconsin fish fries. Arriving from Rockford airport, the natural supper club was the Butterfly. Beautiful evening on the Butterfly deck.

July 25-26, 2015: Weekend of riding in Minneapolis. Splendid commuter trails, just as billed. They say 3% of workers commute by bike. Our nephew is one of those. Bikes everywhere. Rode about 45 miles on Saturday. 55 Sunday. Under street level on the Midtown Greenway. Cedar Lake Trail, another east-west corridor. Around Lake Calhoun on the Grand Rounds bikeway. Many bike and pedestrian overpasses. When possible, Minneapolis even separates bikers from pedestrians. Up and over. Magnificent railroad trestle over the Mississippi, now a bike and pedestrian bridge. Minnehaha Falls on the Grand Rounds trail. Minneapolis provides bike lanes on so many main roads that riders can literally get anywhere in the city easily and safely. Also, bike boulevards: residential streets with priority given to bikes. And when double lane streets do not have bike lanes, signs state: "Bikes may use entire right lane." And the culture is different: instead of trying to "run them over," most motorists stop and wave bike riders through. Ate a Thai dinner outdoors with Torrey and Haley. Stopped at their house the next day. Found a cool brew pub, Town Hall Brewery. Great burgers and patio. Enjoyed the mural. Look how many patrons had arrived by bike, and there is a Nice Ride station adjoining the pub.

July 23, 2015: Left Freeman and drove up to Huron. Because land had become scarce in the Freeman area, in 1908 Kathy's grandfather and several siblings moved up to the Huron area to homestead. Their father, John Tschetter soon followed his children. First, we drove to the old house of Kathy's Grandma Katie Tschetter's where Kathy has so many wonderful memories. Grandpa Jacob had built 4 homes on that street; 2 remain. Next to Grandma Tschetter's house was the house where Kathy lived for a bit at age 11. When we were in our 20's and visited Grandma Tschetter, Grandpa's terraces, orchards, and gardens covered the back slopes. Now no produce exists; just this slope. Saw the neighborhood houses where Kathy's Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt Anna lived. Next we went to the Huron library to find obituaries and pics of Kathy's mom in the high school yearbooks. Violet was active: band, drama, nursing. Left the library and saw Dr. John Tschetter's home (Kathy's uncle) in the "Campbell Park Historic District." In 1923, Dr. John established what became the Samaritan Hospital. Dr. John became mayor of Huron for 11 years in the 1940's and 50's. His wife died young, so Dr. John established the Violet Tschetter Memorial Home in her honor. Kathy's Grandma Katie Tschetter spent her last years there. We found Kathy's second cousin Jimmy Hohm, a major Huron farmer, and his wife residing in the home. Decorating the walls of the main hall are several portraits: Dr. John and Violet Tschetter, Dr. Paul Hohm (who along with Uncle Paul Tschetter and brother Theodore Hohm established the Tschetter-Hohm Clinic in 1949), Violet Tschetter christening the South Dakota, Dr. John and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey who wrote a thank-you note to Dr. John for caring for his mother. Dr. Paul's obituary inspires; he delivered 2 famous babies: Cheryl Ladd (Kris Munroe of Charlie's Angels), and Kathy Vegter Dean). Jimmy was quite helpful in telling us where to find the homestead of John Tschetter, Kathy's great grandfather. The original house stands, but has been added to several times. Jimmy narrated how Kathy's great grandmother, Susanna Tschetter, built the granary that still stands while her husband was preaching in Canada. Went to Bethel Church and Cemetery. John Tschetter was the pastor there for 30 years, 1908-1938. Many of Kathy's forbears are buried in the cemetery, among others paternal great grandparents, John and Susanne Tschetter, maternal grandparents Joshua and Barbara Stahl, and grandparents Jacob and Katie Tschetter. It is widely known that Amish are rather intermarried; so were the Hutterites. Bethel Cemetery crystalized this perception: most grave markers bore the same, few familiar last names. Kathy stands at the grave of her great grandparents (who were first cousins once removed) in the Tschetter section. Stopped to see Huron Colony on the James River where Kathy's grandma used to take her to visit friends sometimes. Heavy equipment bays, grain silos, and standard housing arrangement centered around the church/mess hall. Modern and successful.

July 22, 2015: Kathy and I started on a double mission this morning: heritage search in South Dakota where Kathy was born, and a bike trip to Minneapolis. We've heard it's a great bike city. To get a tour, I connected on the internet with two Mennonite farmers from the Freeman, South Dakota area where Kathy's immigrant ancestors homesteaded in 1874. Rudy and Norman are walking Mennonite encyclopedias. Saw Salem KMB Church founded in 1886 by Kathy's great grandfather John Tschetter. Modern church building sits on land donated by John Tschetter because it was his father Jacob's homestead. Across the road from Salem KMB Church is the cemetery where Rudy and Norman pointed out the grave of Kathy's great, great grandparents, David and Maria Tschetter. Kathy's forebears record being baptized in Wolf Creek through a hole in the ice in the winter. The creek adjoins Jacob Tschetter's homestead. Norman repeated that the homesteads were prime acreage because they adjoined water, without which Dakota land was virtually worthless at that time. About a half mile north is New Hutterthal Mennonite church and cemetery where Kathy's great, great grandmother, Anna Mendel, is buried. Anna's homestead on the James River. Many Hutterite colonies still in the Dakotas. Saw Wolf Creek Colony, producer of PWaire ventilation systems, sold around the world.

July 11, 2015: Especially since we are part of Friends of Riverside, biked to the grand opening of the new splash pad. Pizza, ice cream, drinks donated by businesses. Games for the kids. Live band (Steve & Teresa). Again, the whole park is resurrected from the dead. Lilac circle (see Kathy in pink behind distant lilacs) on overlook drive has been restored with long hours and donations.

July 9, 2015: Dani, Owen, and Wyatt came for dinner. Owen is quite a guy. Neatnik. Wouldn't go down the slide till I'd wiped it clean. Swung with me at the neighbor's. Obsessed with our basketball goal. Got up in the truck to get a closer look.

July 4, 2015: Long busy day at Mocha Moment. Went to Butterfly after church, and then watched the fireworks from the patio of Merrill & Houston's, Beloit.

July 2, 2015: Always wanted to go to a U2 performance. Finally went Thursday night at the United Center. Took the train. Stayed overnight. Walked to and from the United Center. Great evening. Concert sold out. Fifth in 9 days at the United Center. People wanting tickets outside the stadium. Cheapest tickets available: Very top row; but technology makes performance seem close. Not so bad. Second song was "Gloria". Closed their encore with "40" (Psalm 40). Only one of my favorites they didn't perform: "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for". First paid attention to U2 in 1987 with the release of Joshua Tree. Refreshing to hear a celebrity speak highly of America, especially for July 4. Thanked American taxpayers more than once for saving countless lives by funding HIV services. Said repeatedly that America is an idea. Bono's words from Georgetown University in 2012. Speech clip.

June 28, 2015: 2 birthdays this week: Our bookends, Caleb (6/28) and Jordan (6/26), are 34 and 22. But the big event, Dylan and Krista got married. Our family at the wedding. Some Mocha Moment girls. Our youngest 3. Us 2. Chad's family. The girls. Kathy and Nora on the dance floor.

June 21, 2015: Wonderful Father's Day. Besides mine, Chad and his over, and Ashley. Grilled out 2 racks of ribs brought by Amber and DJ. Kathy and Brooke dangle feet in the pool with Hudson and Nora. Aunt Kathy tells something interesting. End of the day: DJ and Amber head home. Kathy with Chad's 3 girls including Piper.

June 20, 2015: Had so much fun last year. For Father's Day, Amber treated me again to the Lincoln-Tallman 5K Run. Hung out afterwards at the remarkable Lincoln-Tallman House campus.

June 12, 2015: Cool to have Tara & Nick back in town. Jerry, Vicki, kids and cousins over for pizza.

June 3-4, 2015: For Mocha Moment's 10th anniversary, the staff threw us a surprise party and gave us a gift certificate to the Washington House Inn in Cedarburg. We finally went. 2 years later. On Wednesday, didn't have much time so we just biked up to Port Washington. On Thursday, biked down to Milwaukee's lake front and watched a quaint sailing ship. Lunch in the harbor. At night walked around Cedarburg. Cool rapids on Cedar Creek in front of Silver Creek Brewing Company.

May 28, 2015: A favorite time of year, the annual Dames Rocket exhibit. Special because when Kathy and I first saw the woods, we saw this show. And now Mocha Moment sits above the display.

May 25, 2015: Kathy flew to Florida for a week with Mom. So we celebrated Memorial Day at Amber's. A treat to have little children: Hudson swinging with Amber. Nora and Hudson with their own version of KanJam.

May 17, 2015: Kate and Isaiah married today. Reception at Mocha Moment. Dinner and dance at Isaiah's grandparents. Amber wore Kathy's "going away dress" that Kathy made. Mother and daughter, 42 years apart in the same dress.

May 2, 2015: Took Kathy to a Sinatra-Martin tribute dance at Lake Lawn on Lake Delavan. Great time.

May 1, 2015: Continuing our tradition of taking Bob and Sharon to a Friday night fish fry at a different Wisconsin supper club each time they visit. This one at Stagecoach Inn. What a pleasant atmosphere with great food.

April 26, 2015: Our 4th annual Hey cousins get-together for the Pace for Parkinsons walk/run. I guess we should call it the "Uncle Ed Memorial Walk/Run." Amber won the women's event. Another record: Five of thirteen cousins this year. Doug's track meet cancelled because of storms, so he was able to come. Mother and Aunt Sue here, too. Traditional routine now, too: 5K run at Riverside, then head to Mocha Moment for coffee and treats, finish at our house with lunch. The last time Uncle Ed was at Mocha Moment, October 21, 2010. Dad and Uncle Ed both missing now.

April 18, 2015: Kathy and I are benefactors of VetsRoll, the local organization led by the Finnegans that sends hundreds (1,125 to date) of area WWII and Korean War vets to Washington (all expenses paid) to see their memorials. Last night was the annual Hangar Dance, a major fund-raiser. Kathy and I enjoyed swinging to the Jack Farina band (this shot near the end, floor crowded most of the evening), one of southern Wisconsin's great jazz bands.

April 12, 2015: Great to have Carol here for a few days. Opened for me twice. When Kathy and Carol finished Spring cleaning at Mocha Moment, I had dinner ready. Typical grill out: chicken breast, baked potato skins, a fruit platter, and spinach salad. All our kids and Brooke showed up. Full table. Typical Sunday. We are fortunate.

April 9, 2015: Took Kathy to the Neil Diamond Concert on Thursday at the Bradley Center. When we were young, we dated and grew together on his seemingly endless hits. 74 years old. No exotic light show and fireworks display. Not necessary. Captivated the almost full Bradley Center with just his voice, energy, lyrics, music, and soul. 25 straight songs without a break. Opened with "I'm a Believer." As a teen, I had intended not to get sidetracked with girls: stick to study and soccer. John repeatedly ask me "to take his sister out." I declined a few times, then acquiesced. Then decided to marry Kathy 2 days after we met. Lyrics: "I thought love was meant for someone else. Then I saw her face, and now I'm a believer." He closed with "Heartlight." Lyrics: "Turn on your heartlight, let it shine wherever you go. [A young boy's] lookin' for home, and home's the most excellent place of all. Turn on your heartlight now, for all the world to see." At the hotel lounge. Hotel atrium.

April 5, 2015: Easter. Kathy worked all weekend for this amazing Easter dinner. The kids were at a different table. So lots of family and friends. Nice day. 60's. Outside for KanJam and Spike Ball.

April 3, 2015. Old farmer's guide: plant potatoes on Good Friday. So Brooke and I did. Only garden job that is really a 2 person job: you cover the last potato with dirt from next hill. Brooke and I love potatoes. Every night. "Brooke, baked potato?" "Of course." I started the winter with several 5 gallon pails. Ate the last potatoes last week.

April 1, 2015. Beautiful day to till the garden. Tilled in the usual: 50 pails of coffee grounds, leaves from the fall, and fruit cuttings for the year. Before. After.

March 15, 2015: Nice current article on Kathy's cousin's remarkable brick sculptures. Jay father and Kathy's mother are brother and sister. Jay is the artist behind the murals in the visitor center at the Jefferson Expansion Memorial Park (St. Louis arch). When we took our family to Texas in 1999, we stopped to see Jay's mural depicting photographers of the Old West (on the south wall). Incredibly, opposite that mural was scaffolding where another brick mural was going up. A guard confirmed that "Jay was gone for lunch." When he returned, he happily chatted and took a photo. He's behind Kathy and Amber waving from his scaffolding as he works on "Mural of Builders of the Arch." The only time Kathy has seen Jay since teenage years. What are the odds? His website, Images in Brick, contains great portfolio and technique sections.

March 8, 2015: Cool article about Earl Schultz. I bought ice from him periodically. Good guy. Story reminds me of Uncle Clement telling about ice harvesting for Hey Brothers Ice Cream.

March 2, 2015. Kathy had baked batches and batches of scones last week. The Bonin cousins and Aunt Doris came over to mom's Monday morning for coffee and scones. They used Great Grandma Tschetter's table service.

March 1, 2015, 8:00: FINAL GET TOGETHER. Just we 11 and spouses with mom. Quite special, to say the least. After pizza, from oldest to youngest, the eleven read from the "50th Anniversary Book," their own page to their parents (from 20 years ago). John reading. Each could add remarks, followed by comments from the spouse of each. Touching memories and thankfulness from all. Almost all the girls remarked about how on a meager budget mom always sewed new dresses for Easter and other occasions. Most common parental traits recollected: hard work, honesty, endurance, and hospitality. Also reminded of dying traditions and a waning way of life: so few families now with Sunday dinners and rich traditions.

March 1, 2015, 3:30: Reception: Packed again. Two cakes, sheets of Kathy's cherry bars and pumpkin bars. Not much left. Kathy with aunts and uncles from Dad's side. Amber with Brenda, her mom's favorite cousin. Group pics start. Kathy and Amber with mom. Eleven with mom. Girls with mom. Vegter and Bonin cousins with mom. Oldest to youngest, Vegter and Bonin cousins. Goofing off.

March 1, 2015, 2:00: Program: Mom always loved programs, her kids singing in trios, playing sax, quartets. Didn't matter. Just to hear her kids sing and play. No 90th could possibly be complete without a program. Grandkids and great grandkids opened with a skit: the Vegters driving to Sunday morning church. The original trio, Kathy, Linda, and Sue. Younger trio, Carol, Karen, and Judy. Sax trio, Jerry, Sue, and Carol. Duet, Jerry & Diane. A rousing rendition of "Have a Little Talk with Jesus" from the three sons, and their three sons. Granddaughter Julie played and sang. Bill and his kids and grandkids performed. And several others, including violins and chimes. Amazingly, the program finished in 1 hour and 30 minutes.

March 1, 2015, 12:30: Dinner: The grand celebration has arrived. All 11 kids and spouses, along with 32 of 40 grandkids, countless great grand kids, and a couple great, great grandkids. Church together on Sunday morning. Lasagna dinner for hundreds following church. Aunts and Uncles from Dad Vegter's side. Mom and her sister, Aunt Doris, the only 2 left of 5. Aunt Doris and her Idaho daughters. Favorite cousins. Pics of Mom's 11 children and 40 grandchildren moved from her porch for display to today.

February 28, 2015: It was to be a great Saturday of outdoor activity: morning golf; noon picnic with boating on Lake Ariana, games, and volleyball; square dance Saturday evening. A day-long soaking rain curtailed all that. Plan B: hanging out and volleyball at the gym all day. Sue's great barbecue. Games, games, and more games. A highlight for Kathy: Brenda, her favorite cousin from Idaho. As typical, saw each other regularly as kids, but only twice since high school. Aunt Doris (mom Vegter's sister), Brenda's mom made all the girls aprons.

February 27, 2015: Mom's 90th Birthday celebration begins. Food prep first. Six of the eight Vegter sisters made it to the kitchen Friday morning. What a production. Kathy beside her racks of cherry and pumpkin bars. Lots of disappointed family when the cherry bars ran out. Pumpkin bars last a bit longer. Mom staying in shape for her big weekend. When her trainer revved up to high speed, I worried. Started to set it back. She said, "You leave that alone. I have 6 minutes to go, and I need my exercise." Friday night weiner roast and bonfire. One of many practices for Sunday's program. Not one, not two, but three bonfires at Jim & Judy's. And the house full of family, too.

February 21-22, 2015: Enjoyed our annual weekend in Tampa. Melissa and Jaime's delightful bed and breakfast is our favorite. Coffee overlooking their infinity pool and the Hillsborough River from their deck. Upriver. Downriver. A walk through the neighborhood and Purity Springs (source of first Florida bottled water) on the other side of the river. From the river, the infinity pool cascade. Always fun at a dinner/dance at the Sons of Italy and the Johnny Charro Band.

February 20, 2015: Long trip to Florida. Mechanical problems. Flew up another plane. Arrived in Clearwater about 3:00 am, 6 hours late. Allegiant, perhaps the most profitable US airline, flew "the art of fees" to new and dizzying heights. I fully grasp the concept of fees: customers who cost more pay more. However, spying an empty seat beside me, Kathy was about to sit down in it. The attendant stated, "You can sit there if you want to pay $30." Mr. Gallagher (Allegiant CEO): "Dang it! You can't sit by your wife unless you pay me $30." Wonder if Mr. Gallagher has considered how much profit he could add by charging $5 each for notes husbands, wives, partners, and friends pass to each other on the way to the lavatory.

February 15, 2015: Nice Valentines weekend. As a foundation board member, it made even more sense to take Kathy to Friday's "Night on 52nd Street," a Valentine dinner/dance hosted by the UW Rock Jazz Singers. Tasty meal and delightful music. The Jazz Singers entertained for the meal and their jazz combo performed for the dance. Saturday we rode the train to Chicago and attended the Barry Manilow performance at the United Center. Great show. Six block walk from Ogilvie (train station) to hotel. Below zero and 30 mph winds. Brrrr. Heavy lake effect snow with skyscrapers for reference.

February 8, 2015: Beautiful drift from our Sunday storm. The Mocha Moment deck in winter is beautiful.

January 31, 2015: Megan stopped by Mocha Moment Friday. Kathy got to hold little Reagan for the first time. With snow and ice around, brothers Jonathan and Josh played chess on the deck at Mocha Moment. A little comfort derived from the deck heater.

January 23, 2015: Hudson looks forward to feeding the birds with me. I like it to.

January 20, 2015: Bringing his girlfriend Ressa, Caleb visited Tuesday and Wednesday. Kathy made potato soup and many cousins and friends stopped by to visit on Wednesday.

January 16, 2015: When I met Kathy, she sewed all her clothes. She was extra proud of her Viking sewing machine that she'd bought (with help from mom as a graduation present) in high school. When it needed repair in the 1970's, we went to Casey's Sewing Center. We liked Casey: he was personable and quite good. In December, 2014, we returned to Casey's for a repair. Asking about Casey, Kathy learned that he had passed away 3 years ago, and that we could read his story in the Janesville Gazette, January 23, 1996. Amazing Odyssey. A Dutchman in Delavan. Did he know the Vegters? (Just called Aunt Darlene. Yes, he went to their church, Dutch Reformed. Knew him well.) Wish I could turn back the calendar and hear this grateful immigrant. Young, we were too hurried to meander life's byways, absorbing what is beautiful, and true, and good.

January 15, 2015: Last Sunday Brooke watched the Packers vs. Cowboys game with Dylan and Krista. Whoever lost had to wear the other's team shirt. Dylan and Brooke worked together this morning. You can see who lost the bet.

January 4, 2015: Judy, Jim, and their kids came for a week. The boys had never seen snow. Lots of games. Family photo. And goodbye with Aunt Kathy. Nice kids. They left Monday with temp below zero. All decided Wisconsin in the winter was not for them.

January 3, 2015: Jordan hugged us good-bye, and drove off to Milwaukee for his accounting internship. All 4 left before, but there was always one more. No more. Sobering. Over 33 years with kids in the house. It was a great run.

December 29, 2014: For almost 12 years (since Jauary 13, 2003), we 5 have been a team. Lots of good and rewarding times. The greatest enterprise for our family. But this too has passed. Today was Jordan's last day as he and Brooke ran the bar. He always parked his Scion at Jim's.

December 25, 2014: Christmas come and gone. Food at its best. Kathy's baked shrimp, stuffed Jalapenos, meatfalls, and DJ's spicy chicken wings. Games. Tenzi. Set. Rummikub. Amber and Jake compete at Wii Dance.

December 22, 2014: Jordan's last week at Mocha Moment. End of an era.

December 22, 2014: Mocha Moment regular gave me these bike toons in a Christmas card. Her husband rides a bike all winter too.

December 15, 2014: Installed a deck heater for fall and spring. Warm Monday. Tried it out. Nice.

December 14, 2014: Family Christmas outing to the Fireside's annual Christmas special. Historical tour of Christmas origins. Great show. Kathy and I. DJ and Amber. Kids. Group.

December 10, 2014: Dad Vegter's been gone 10 years ago today. Gave Kathy the lyrics to "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" along with this pic, the last time she ever saw him.

December 9, 2014: My father's been gone 3 years ago today. Good memories.

December 8, 2014: Kathy launched both her cherry bars and her pumpkin roll today. Customers are having a hard time just looking and walking on by.

November 29, 2014: Paul & Jenna asked me to perform their ceremony. Taught Paul in school years ago. As a teen, Paul tried to copy me. Rode his bicycle everywhere. Now he's an attorney in Phoenix. Doesn't own a vehicle. Beautiful, classic lobby of Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. (Kathy's on stairs.) Warm, cozy lounge with fireplace and grand piano. Ballroom. Great black band out of Chicago. Introduced each of 14 couples in wedding party with these sounds.

November 27, 2014: My 61st straight Thanksgiving at home. Changes this year. Jerry & Vickie gone to Tennessee with Dani. Dad is gone now for the 3rd year. Uncle Ed gone. Mom still wants to cook and host. So the Cherry cousins and Aunt Sue came to Mom's for Thanksgiving. Good to have the table full. Annual game of carroms. Recollected that Dad was really good at carroms. And high tech Charades. And Rummikub with desserts. Amber keeping Brooke humble. Our kids. Goodbye with Grandma who puts on a a mighty good feast at almost 83.

November 17, 2014: Carol up for the week. Jim joined her for the weekend. Erin and Moxie flew in too. Grand time. All left today.

November 9, 2014: Grand occasion of the wedding of Fern & Pat, my Chicago cousin. Took the Metra into Chicago. No other way. Walking from Ogilvie to the Fairmont, we saw many ornamental cabbage and kale plantings. Wedding at the Mid America Club on the 80th floor (very top) of the AON Building. Garden entrance. Looking west at sunset. Looking south: Lake Michigan and Millenium Park. Pat & Fern on the dance floor. Such a good guy. Welcome. Pat & I. Pat, Kathy, & I. DJ & Amber. The Hey family: Aunt Ida, Uncle Phil, mom, Aunt Sue (Pat's mom). Mom and I. The Hey cousins. There are 13 of us. 6 attended the wedding: Mary, Melissa, Chuck. Dan and Charlene. Becky and Doug. Chris, Tom, and Albi. Kathy and I enjoying the dance. Chicago throbs with activity. Went to get coffee early Sunday morning. First of 3 races. And an open tour bus at 25 degrees. Somone tell them it's winter. Millenium Park skate rink.

October 31, 2014: Halloween. Everybody over before trick or treating: Arns, Daltons, Henkels, Hopkins. Kathy's usual spread of Halloween goodies. Lots of people: west view, east view. Arn, Dalton, Henkel costumes. And Henkel costumes.

October 26, 2014: Such a gorgeous day. Had to take a ride to a new orchard north of Milton: Hawk's. Only 2nd year. Delicious apples. Between Janesvile and Milton, took the Ice Age Trail. An equine trail, too. That's horses we just passed behind Kathy. Rode on up to Charley's Bluff on Lake Koshkonong. Stopped at the Buckhorn Supper Club. Outdoor dining. 40 years since I was there. Grilled out chicken and potatoes from the garden when we returned. Mocha Moment ice cream to go with Kathy's apple crisp. A spectacular fall day.

October 25, 2014: Did a wedding for one of Amber's high school friends who are now Marines stationed in California: four of us, Amber and DJ, us. A rarity nowadays: a live band for the dance (Rainbow Bridge). Really good band. Been together 38 years. We've heard them several times before.

October 12, 2014: Our annual October bike ride on a gorgeous fall day to the cabin in the woods, Fermenting Cellars. Amber and DJ joined us.

October 10, 2014: At Mocha Moment today, Jason did a bookreading of his new book, Radical Spirituality, available on Amazon. Jason told stories of his Mennonite heritage and his current work at the Bowery Mission in Manhatten. Cousins wanted to meet the author afterwards. Lots of family came. Nice evening. While Jason was reading, Jordan was studying with the help of Nora and Hudson. Your Mac looks interesting. No, I'd rather use your iPhone. On second thought, I like your Mac. I'll even help you.

October 7, 2014: Kathy has a new helper: Judson.

October 4, 2014: Nora figured out the dish machine. Got it. Just like her big sister before her.

October 2-5, 2014: Kathy and Amber spent 3 days on a mother-daughter trip to the big city, Las Vegas. Took in 2 shows: Rock of Ages and Cirque du Soleil. At the Heart Attack Grill. Claim they didn't eat. Hotel Lobby. Strong right arm. Walked about 13 miles each day. Lots of fountains for a desert city.

September 27, 2014: A week of gorgeous weather continues. Rode the bike out to Apple Hut. Sat by the orchard in the sunshine, drank a pint of cider, and ate a homemade apple turnover. Rock River on the way back. Leaves already turning. Watched a Monarch enjoying my broccoli flowers.

September 25, 2014: Would have been Dad's 85th birthday, Grandpa Hey's 125th. Exactly 40 years apart. Brooke and I share birthdays, exactly 40 years apart. Jordan off to another interview for his internship. He's come far in twelve years since he stood on a tub to work the drive-thru.

September 12, 2014: Great neighborhood tragedy last Saturday. Jonathan drowned in a neighbor's pool. Had the funeral Friday. Read family and friends the poem Bud wrote us when we lost our Jedediah 30 years ago last month. Grandma & Grandpa Hey had a sad, framed poem in Uncle Phil's bedroom. I read it every time I stayed overnight at their house. Hadn't thought of the poem in over 40 years. Came to me Thursday evening. So I read "Little Boy Blue" to the family and shared: "I wonder if their was any connection between the melancholy stanzas and Grandpa Hey's loss of his entire family in the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic: Twins on December 17, 1917, a 3rd infant October 9, 1918, and his wife on October 13, 1918." All four buried in the same plot.

September 8-9, 2014: Last big trip of the year: Monroe-NewGlarus-Madison. Stayed in Monroe Monday night. Standard lunch at Baumgartner's. Planned on Madison Tuesday night. Heavy rains forecast for Wednesday. With disappointment, cut the trip short. Biked to New Glarus on Tuesday, then back home. Typical trail scene. Bridge over the Sugar River: Kathy, Steve. Nearing the top of the well known Gempler Road hill. Quite the climb.

September 7, 2014: Jared's Birthday dinner. Blade got some lovin'. First Nora. Then Hudson. New game: Spike Ball.

September 1, 2014: Labor Day. Cookout. Got out the stilts. KanJam is this year's popular game.

August 26, 2014: Cleaning Day for Hudson. Cleaned up Aunt Kathy's bakery table and area. Splashes on the refrigerator. Very hard to reach places. And way down under. Kathy's got it made.

August 24, 2014: Uncle Ron & Aunt Joyce, Uncle Ron & Aunt Darlene, cousin Mike & family, and several others over for a brat grillout. The aunts at one end. Uncles at the other telling stories. Lots of fun. And goodbye.

August 23, 2014: On my birthday, Jan Gaffey, my best friend from high school, died of Parkinson's. She was 63. We had sports in common: biking, running, canoeing, and tennis. If memory is correct, she placed at state in AAU track: high jump and 100 yard dash. Shared a locker for 2 years. Jan as a Sterling Warrior mascot. When Kathy and I were first together, Jan worked with us in youth group at Oakhill. Jan coaching some team. Saw her recently and showed her photos of my family. Reminisced. What a toll Parkinson's took on an athletic body. Kathy, mom, and I saw her brothers, sister, and parents at her visitation. Recognized only her dad. High school. Such a long time ago. Program A. Program B.

August 17, 2014: FALLING WATER: On Sunday, we visited Falling Water, Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous home. We drove through Punxsutawney and posed with one of the numerous groundhogs. Falling Water does indeed appear to emerge from the hills and woods to straddle the falls which can be heard everywhere in the house. Stairs descend from the main room into the stream. The floors are cantilevered from the hillside. Wright's famous "compression and expansion." Notice the scaffolding. Like everything Wright designed, Falling Water leaks too. Constant repair and restoration. Falls through the woods.

August 16, 2014: TARA'S WEDDING: Drove to Dubois, Pennsylvania for Tara's wedding. Rustic weddings are in. Tara had a bonafide rustic wedding: Nick's house in the Pennsylvania hills. Perfect weather: light breeze, 78 degrees, sunny. Jerry performed the ceremony. Tara & Nick. With the flower girl, Nick's niece. Wedding party. Bride's family. Enjoying the meal in the tent. First dance: Tara & Nick. Us with Tara & Nick. Cousins having fun at the dance. Almost over: tossing the bouquet.

August 15, 2014: Nice week long visit from Jana, Jodi, and Jessica. Everyday visits to Mocha Moment. The ride home with Nora and Hudson in the Bugger. Brooke and Sharon came, too. Chilly Wisconsin evening.

August 14, 2014: Our cauliflower harvest is off to a solid start.

August 3, 2014: Celebrated our 41st. Had such a memorable time on our 40th, we did a rerun. Stayed in Brookfield and joined the Milwaukee Swing Club's Friday night dance. Lots of people of all ages, great band. Rode the Interurban Trail up through Cedarburg, Port Washington, and Belgium on Saturday. Listened to a band for a while at Port Washington's annual Lion's Club event on the lakefront. Port Washington Harbor Walk. Traditional stop at the Cedar Creek bridge. After 56 miles, the "must stop" at Morton's in Cedarburg for the best burgers. Salsa Club on the Milwaukee lakefront Saturday night. Reminiscing on Sunday, stopped at Kathy's old stomping ground, Williams Bay. When we bought ice cream, Kathy told the teen workers, "I went to high school here." The teens informed her, "The old high school is being torn down." That motivated us to take a walk and photograph Kathy in front of her old high school. When I met Kathy, she was quite enthusiastic about and proud of her happy high school days: cheerleading, yearbook, school paper, chorale, jobs, friends, and family. Main entrance. School front.

August 1, 2014: Here 2 weeks now, Carol's trained to help me with Mocha Moment, especially when I want to be away. Carol up every day at 3:30a. Bike ride to MM at 4:00a. Made my life easy for a couple of weeks. Left MM in capable care and with Vegter/Hopkins hospitality while our entire family went to our cabin. Kathy and Carol managed to find Amber's a few times. Even found time to shine the display cases . After another long day, dinner by Steve on the deck: beans, potatoes, cucumbers, and broccoli from the garden. And regular grandma and aunt duty. Time to say goodbye. Wanted a photo with Carol. Amber wanted in. And still managed to appear.

July 29, 2014: Another great time at our cabin. After all these years, bought real river tubes. No flat tubes. No patching. River was highest and fastest ever. Perfect Saturday: 84 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. Enjoyed our new grill pit, and the daily hike. Always over too soon.

July 18, 2014: Lots of family to help Hudson and Nora celebrate birthdays 2 and 1. Hudson liked her chalk book from Kathy and her hammock swing from Carol.

July 17, 2014: Jon and Hope and family came to MM today. Jon and baby Summer. Kathy and Summer. Always good times with Jon, rehearsing stories of Jon's flying up to help us build Mocha Moment. Left to right: me with a black beard, Jon with a red cap, Jared with a green cap.

July 14, 2014: Through my heritage site, deanvegter.org, I connect with many distant relations. Susie Huisinga Sedlak and her sister Joyce, visited from Nebraska for a couple of days. All 3 of us are great grandchildren of Klaus and Janna Huisinga, they from Leopold, I from Gertje.

July 11, 2014: Lynn and Sue flew up for the weekend. Busy day at MM. Deck was full, so stuffed our family into the pergola. Hudson likes that iced coffee. And goodbye.

July 10, 2014: Visited Uncle Phil and Ida. Great time with Uncle Phil telling about old times and drumming in bands when he was young. Heard Louis Armstrong play several times. Uncle Phil gave me a packet. Treasure. Great, great grandfather Jacob Hey's citizenship papers, German conscription, marriage certificate, and farm warranty deed. Wow.

July 7, 2014: Annual neighborhood cookout at Barb & Bill's. Barb's beautiful lillies.

July 4, 2014: Another great July 4 at our house. Hudson liked the homemade ice cream, joined her dad in the pool, made Aunt Kathy grimace with a spill, and sported "electric hair." What a nice family Chad has. Linda entertained us by jerry-rigging her umbrella. It fell and hit her. You'd have to have been there.

June 25, 2014: Another cool bike trip. We'd read about Indianapolis' Cultural Trail in the NYT. Sounded grand. It was. Not what you'd think of for a bike trail, although Indianapolis has plenty of those too, and we rode several. As its name suggests, the Cultural Trail is an 8 mile artistically cool path navigating the downtown and connecting its many attractions: museums, theaters, statehouse, memorials, zoo, parks, markets, outdoor and indoor dining. The trail down busy Washington Street is typical: The path, neither a bike lane nor sidewalk, divides the street from the walk. Constructed of quality pavers, the trail is aesthetically impressive, boardered by flowers and art. Of course, we started each morning with coffee at Monument Circle, commemorating Indiana's war heroes. The trail runs through the Canal District with its fountains, bridges, greenspace, gondolas, and paddleboats. The Cultural Trail connects with several standard bike trails: White River Trail runs past the zoo, while the popular Monon Trail terminates north of Indianopolis, taking riders past Broad Ripple and its Broad Ripple Brew Pub with great burgers and tacos. We returned to the downtown via the Central Canal towpath. After the ride, shower, dinner outside, and a night walk through Monument Circle.

June 20, 2014: More cookouts. Aunt Kathy telling stories to incredulous nieces. Regaling spellbound nieces with more tales and laughs. No cookout complete without adoring Hudson and Moxie.

June 16, 2014: Today is the 100th anniversary of Great Grandpa and Grandma Vegter arriving at Ellis Island along with their family, including Grandpa John Vegter. You can see them all listed on the Ryndam's manifest. We commemorated this milestone with our quote of the week, two weeks ago, and last week, and this week at Mocha Moment. It was coincidental that we held the benefits for Amy Vegter on June 1 & 15. Lots of Vegters came from the area to help. Baristas Arielle, Liz and DeAnna brewed coffee and made drinks. Amber & JD teamed up on June 1. Kathy baked. Steve and Jared discuss events. Besides the work, time for holding babies: Steve and Moxie. And Diane, Jerry, and Moxie. And DeAnna, Erin, and Moxie. And Autumn, Nora, Hudson, and Ashley. And time for socializing: Jerry, Diane, Aunt Forence, Linda, Uncle John, Judy, Don, Brenda, Aunt Teresa. And Aunt Teresa, Brenda, Nikki, and Linda. And Kathy and Nora finished baking and socialized. DeAnna and Aaron got their kids all in one place long enough to pose. Thanks to the loyalty of our Mocha Moment regulars and the generosity of many, many Vegters, the benefit was a whopping success: $3,700. Jerry and Linda totaled the sales and donations. After both benefits, many Vegters came to our house for lunch. June 1 included Don & Judy, Dawn & Kevin, Uncle Ron & Aunt Darlene, Mike & Laura and family, and John & Cheryl. June 15 saw Eugene & Lisa, including daughter Liz & husband Steve, and son David. Eugene (from Clinton) is a grandson of Bill, Grandpa John Vegter's brother. Liz worked for us a couple of years ago. Great kid. Liz personified the Vegter sociability and generosity by rounding up her side of the clan for this benefit. John and Jerry still swapping stories and entertaining Kathy while Diane and Cheryl are still having doubts. A last good-bye. A fitting event to commemorate the Vegters 100 years in America: working, socializing, eating, celebrating, and helping family in need. Couldn't help but recall the Vegter reunions over the years (periodically between 1977 in Colorado and 1999 in Washington) which are no more. Dad Vegter and his many cousins were the energy driving those get-togethers. Now the cousins are gone or elderly, and reunions recede in memory. We enjoyed our small reprise. And Great Grandma and Grandpa Vegter have been gone for a half century. Historian G. M. Trevelyan wrote: "The dead were and are not. Their place knows them no more and is ours today. Yet they were once as real as we, and we shall tomorrow be shadows like them."

June 14, 2014: For Father's Day, Amber treated me to the Lincoln 5k/10k Fun Run at the Tallman House grounds. Amber ran 10k; I ran 5k. Pig roast and Rainbow Bridge band afterwards. Great fun.

June 13, 2014: Great to see Moxie and Erin. Kathy entertained Moxie. And some more. When I sent the photos to Jim, he said, "Cute grandkid, huh!" I replied, "It was the blonde I was admiring."

June 7, 2014: Guests at Megan & Ryan's wedding at "The Barn," west of Madison.

May 29, 2014: Nice to have Kyle and DeAnna and their families at MM. Lots of kids! Colton helped me feed the birds.

May 26, 2014: Memorial Day. On Sunday, rode bikes with DJ and Amber to put flowers on Jedediah's grave. 31 years. Amber wasn't even born. Cookout. Disc Games. Great to have Tara with us. Not sure when Tara will be back.

May 19, 2014: Drove up to Mildmay, Ontario, Canada, where great grandpa Jacob's parents pastored and are buried. Jacob's father Henry (1818-1881) is buried at Salem Cemetery (now abandoned). Jacob's mother, Christina (1827-1911) remarried and so is buried in a different cemetery, Mildmay United Cemetery, with her second husband. Spent the rest of the day at the Bruce County Archives where we found several documents including Christina's will. Outside the archives, saw turtles sunning in this pond. Walked along Lake Huron for a bit.

May 18, 2014: After the wedding, we traveled into Ontario to take photos and research my ancestry. My great grandfather, Jacob Holtzman, began his memoir, "I, Jacob Holtzman, was born near Phillipsburg, Waterloo County, Wilmot township, West Ontario, Canada on March 7th, 1851.." Philipsburg is now a quaint cluster of houses and a cute barn at an intersection marked with a sign. Jacob's own grandmother and my great, great great grandmother, Magdalena Holtzman (1789-1862), is buried at Berlett Corners Cemetery (now abandoned).

May 17, 2014: Attended nephew Michael and Jana's wedding in Lansing, Michigan. Michael unexpectedly made the ceremony quite emotional for us: he used the sound track of my father's wedding entertainment for his slide show. Apparently, he had used various songs from the track for certain stages of his courting Jana, including asking her to marry him. Michael entertained us as usual: before "kissing the bride," he applied chap stick, and then commenced. Mom and granddaughter Brynley. It was good to be together again: Mom, Mike, Brynley, Brenda at the reception. Mike, Mom, and Steve. Kathy and I in the photo booth. Thank you.

May 15, 2014: Saying good-bye at O'Riley's to Jordan for the summer. Sunday he leaves for Colorado. No kids living at our house for first time in 33 years. Strange. Good-bye with Amber and Seth. Good-bye with Seth and Jared.

May 11, 2014: Amber made Kathy a "watermelon cake" for Mother's Day. Waiting for Seth to play disc golf.

April 27, 2014: Busy and fun Saturday. Our annual Pace for Parkinson's 5K fundraiser with the "Hey cousins." This year Amber and DJ were out of town. Others couldn't make it. So it was just Fern, Pat, and I. Great fun at Riverside Park. At least it wasn't snowing. A good excuse to get together and remember Uncle Ed. Saturday evening Kathy and I made our annual VetsRoll Hangar Dance. The Finnegan family leads VetsRoll, a great organization, raising over $300,000 annually to send 10 buses of WWII and Korean War vets to DC to visit their memorials. All expenses paid. Their list of citizen honor awards is lengthy. Our next door neighbor, Al, an 89 year old WWII vet made the first trip. A great evening with great bands. I suppose I should mention that VetsRoll made several awards, including "Best Dance Couple." Somehow, this trophy wound up at our house.

April 20, 2014: Easter. Out of town guests: Bob and Sharon. Kathy spreads the table as usual. Pumpkin and strawberry cake rolls for dessert. Oreo Easter Bunny treats. Easter egg hunt. Digging to find the last one. Amber hid them well. New swing for Nora. No wonder Hudson likes Jordan: Swinging. Gymnastics. Tramp. Photo time: Bob and Amber. Mom and daughter. Father and daughter. Kathy and Steve. Easter Ladies.

April 13, 2014: Seems like every time Blake and Cody came to Wisconsin, I was moving or splitting wood. They always helped. But they weren't here this time. So their dad did their job.

April 6, 2014: First time on the deck since October. 6 months. Very long winter. Amber made her mom some chocolate mousse. Celebrated Kathy's 61st birthday with one of Kathy's favorite meals: stuffed chicken breast (provolone, asparagus, wrapped in bacon) and baked potato skins.

April 1, 2014: Our annual walk at Circle B Bar Reserve. As usual, lots of gators. But this time saw a wild hog. Made the rounds to different families for supper. Dekkers twice and ate well both times. Grilled salmon first night. Prime rib the second. Karen and Blair put on quite the feed. Celebrated Jessica's birthday.

March 31, 2014: Lots of hanging out at Bob and Sharon's pool: Carmen and Kathy chat. Enjoyed our annual Dinner/Dance at the Sons of Italy in Tampa. Ate with a couple married 67 years, and dancing every Saturday night from the start. Renewing vows at their church, they had their pastor say, "I promise to love, honor, obey, and take me out every Saturday night." Stayed at an exceptional BnB in the middle of Tampa on the Hillsborough River with a cool back view: manatees, gators, herons, and more. Stopped for our ritual strawberry ice cream dish and shake at Parkesdale Farms on the way home. Notable photos and other refreshing memorabilia at Florida's largest strawberry and citrus market. Hundreds (maybe thousands) of customers, as usual.

March 30, 2014: Yet another new baby in the Vegter family: Moxie Narcia.

March 28, 2014: Grandma went out to lunch and tea with her granddaughters to celebrate Jessica's birhtday. How can mom celebrate all those birthdays and eat all those desserts and stay so trim? Hard at work on her treadmill.

March 24, 2014: Visited Kathy's Grandpa & Grandma Vegter's graves. Carol has pretty flowers.

March 23, 2014: Back in Florida seeing mom and the family. Saturday evening at Bob and Sharon's with Kathy's aunts and uncles. Group photo with sisters, oldest to youngest.

March 16, 2014: Hudson and Kathy at MM.

March 9, 2014: Training Hudson already at MM. Record cold and beautiful winter. Icicles. Lots of snow. Sunrise at MM. Kathy continues tradition from Grandma Tschetter. Outstanding shooten kroffeln. Great stritzel.

February 24, 2014: Chad, Autumn, and the girls came Friday for an evening around the stove. Brought sausage to roast and pizza to bake. Hudson helped me see if the ice cream was ready. Sunday, we held our annual family grill at the Prime Quarter.

February 14, 2014: Mitch Kopnik, a urologist and musician, gets coffee at Mocha Moment. If you give his music a listen, two of my favorites: "I Married the Prom Queen" and "Too Many Tats." To think he wrote the clever lyrics and music, as well as performed and recorded all layers of music and vocals in their entirety. He also plays in "The Godeans," a band comprised of doctors from Dean Clinic. For Valentines, Kathy and I celebrated at a dinner/dance with the Godeans (Mitch on the left). An extra treat: In our opinion, Mitch matched the fiddle player in the Charlie Daniels Band on "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Incredible fiddle player. After church Saturday night, we heard Duane Worden perform at Merrill & Houston's. Exceptional for "local" talent. Duane is a Mocha Moment regular.

February 9, 2014: Kathy and Amber baked stritzel, Aunt Viola's traditional treat. Lots of good memories. Last Sunday, Chad, Autumn, Hudson, and Nora came for the day. Nora again. Traditional winter Sunday dinner: ham and baked potatoes.

January 26, 2014: Weekend visit from Carol, Dianna, and Gabe & Erin to attend a baby shower for Erin. Lots of family over for soup at Linda's Saturday noon. Beautiful midnight hike through Rockport park for Dianna, Kathy, Carol, and Steve. Temperature: 7 degrees. Snow angel by Carol.

December 29, 2013: Seth 23 years old today. Nice visit from Pat and Fern. Annual Christmas with the Vegter side at our house today.

December 26, 2013: Celebrated Seth's 22nd BD last Sunday. Tense game of Jenga at Linda's, Christmas Eve. Family at Christmas, 2013. And Rummikub, of course. Beautiful snow for Christmas.

December 15, 2013: Jodi flew up and joined us for Sunday dinner. Hudson looking for treats? Apparently, she's figured out her dad's backpack often contains fruit and nuts.

December 6, 2013: Wonderful night at the Parent Candidate Dinner for Jordan's induction into the Whitewater University chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a national professional accounting, finance, and information systems organization. And Jordan is the president-elect of the Whitewater chapter.

November 28, 2013: My 43rd straight Thanksgiving home since leaving at age 18. Great to have a baby at the table again. And to see the horse ridden for the 3rd round by great-grandson Owen. The traditional Carroms and Hand and Foot.

November 14, 2013: Full church for Uncle Toby's funeral today. Memorial Card. Program Cover. Program. Uncle Toby and family. Uncle Toby, Aunt Ruth, Mom and Dad Vegter: Both men gone. Widows remain. Often after church on Sunday evenings before we had kids, Kathy and I would go to Uncle Toby and Aunt Ruth's for pizza and to watch a movie. Among others, we watched the Towering Inferno with Uncle Toby. He regularly showed me his Popular Mechanics magazines which he perused for ideas. A big kid at heart, Uncle Toby was always making something that grandkids, nephews, and nieces would like. He called us down to see his car under construction. He was excited for us to bring our kids and drive the finished auto with 5 Dean kid passengers. And a grownup Kathy at the wheel. Once Uncle Toby told me, "I don't like money, just the things money buys." My favorite story: We needed shingles loaded on Jim Holloway's garage roof. Lifting weights as a teen and "strutting" (as all us teenage boys did at that age), grandson Jamin relished the job. After a few laborious throws of one bundle at a time to the roof from the pickup bed, Jamin was wearing down and paused for breath. Unaware of the previous efforts, Uncle Toby drove up with perfect timing. "Uncle Toby, can you throw some shingles up?" Uncle Toby, the "old man," stood in the pickup bed and, grabbing two bundles at a time, proceeded to effortlessly throw every bundle onto the roof without a pause. Incredulous, Jamin just went back in the house. A couple of years ago, I had coffee with Uncle Toby at Mocha Moment to hear a few recollections for my heritage site. Uncle Toby told me these stories over coffee that morning. Thanks, Uncle Toby, for many good memories.

November 10, 2013: Our Burning Bush staged its annual fiery display at the corner of our house.

November 3, 2013: Old friends week with our family at Mocha Moment. On Monday, Bobbie and Becky, stopped by for coffee. It must have been 20 years since we saw them last. Bobbie's daughter and Becky's husband came along. On Thursday, Jodi, Kathy's high school friend from Delavan, stopped in. On Friday cousins Jason and Jacob, from New York City, stopped for coffee with Amber and Jared. They were here to visit their very sick Grandpa.

October 27, 2013: Kathy and Carol give Mocha Moment the semiannual "white glove" cleaning. A deserved rest.

October 13, 2013: Beautiful October day in the upper 60's. Surprised Kathy with a bike ride to Fermenting Cellars, a little known winery on Manogue Road. Rode up through Riverside Park and Juniper Hills. En route, rode past "Yuppie Killer Motorsports Mudfest." Yes, really. Witnessed participants scraping residue off trucks onto the road. Rather have ridden behind horses. Really good people, Bill and Mary operate out of their home, a log cabin. They make a "Quoffee Wine." Yes, out of coffee. Bill was excited to meet us, because he had only used cheap coffee. Can you guess where this might be headed? More later.

October 4, 2013: Husdon and Blade get acquainted. A marker in Bond Park in Janesville commemorates the birthplace of singer-songwriter Carrie Jacobs Bond, America's first woman to sell over a million copies of a song ("I Love You Truly") and earn $1 million in royalties (by 1910). Both our Dad's could and did sing us "I Love You Truly." And it was the Lowry's wedding song.

September 29, 2013: Kathy posed beside her classy and popular Mocha Moment bakery. Spectacular fall day. 70 degrees. Rode our bikes up to Milton's Northleaf Winery and home. 33 miles. Total trip on dedicated bike trail.

September 16, 2013: Oakhill told me I needed a new pic this year because no one recognized me any more from my black beard photo. Shock. I took a decent photo.

September 8-10, 2013: Kathy and I went to our cabin to set up a fire pit with a grill. It works.

September 3, 2013: Labor Day. Hudson shows it's time for a new generation to begin pullups.

August 11-20, 2013: Traveled by Amtrak from Chicago to Dallas. Great ride. Treat to view America from an observation deck. Plenty of time to slow down, read, and talk. Spent Monday evening with cousin Wayne Hester and wife Linda. Always expanding heritage site. Pic of White Rose Cemetery in Wills Point, where my great, great, great grandfather and mother, Albert (1808-1885) and Nancy Dean, are buried. An important part of discovering the past is connecting with distant cousins who often have pics, photos, or information of common ancestors. Met with walking encyclopedia on Dean/Dean heritage, Susie Deen, her brothers, and first cousins, also descended from Alfred Dean, at Deen Implement Co. in Wills Point. Ate lunch at Bartley's Barbecue where Shane now operates the business. Bartley's made "Texas Top 50 Barbecues." Super 8 offers Texas waffles. Wonderful Wednesday evening with Dean cousins in Abilene at Al's Mesquite Grill: David and Jack Riney, Steve, Jimmy Hester, Larry Dudley. Met cousin Carolyn Mullinax at Barnes and Noble in Lubbock. Spent evening and had dinner with cousin Elbert Foster, a saddlemaker, and wife Phyllis in Amarillo. Saw cousin Gary Jaynes, wife Nancy, and granddaughter Kinley in Tucumcari at his old greenhouse. Went to Pike's Peak to see Caleb's friend Lara finish a half marathon, the Pike's Peak Ascent. Hiked around Garden of the Gods Sunday. Many climbers; look carefully near top. Backdrop of famous "Kissing Camels". Seven Bighorn Sheep on top. Monday we climbed the Incline. Ascent of 2,000' in less than a mile with up to 68% grade in places. All finished. Hiked down the Barr Trail, about 3.5 miles with switchbacks to descend. Spectacular views and a ledge.

August 2-4, 2013: Well, Kathy and I celelebrated our 40th this weekend. Here we were: August 3, 1973. Celebration started last Saturday with Kathy making an anniversary carrot cake for our friends at the Butterfly. Stayed at Brookfield Suites where one amenity is "made to order breakfast" including omelets, bacon, sausage, and potatoes. Danced till midnight Friday at the Milwaukee Swing Club. Hundreds of dancers, mainly young people. And guess who was there. Liz Vegter, one of our distant cousins, along with her fiance and wedding party. Liz is center of photo with fiance Steve in turquoise shirt. Whereas Kathy is descended from John, Liz is descended from Bill. Liz worked for us at Mocha Moment when she was a student at U-Rock. A favorite story: Liz approached me and said, "I'm Liz Vegter. My mom says we're related. I'd like to work for you." When she walked in the door to train, it was about 6:00 a.m. I said, "That's my friend, Keith. Please take him this cinnamon coffee cake." Totally comfortable in the first minute at work, Liz set the plate down in front of Keith and forthrightly announced in a friendly and confident manner, "Hi Keith. I'm Liz." I said to Liz, "You were telling me the truth. You ARE a Vegter." Saturday, rode the Interurban Trail from Brown Deer to Cedar Grove and back. 66 miles. Lake Michigan at Port Washington. Fly fishing in Cedar Creek. Across the historic Cedar Creek Bridge. Our favorite place to eat a great hamburger when we bike through Cedarburg: Mort's. Danced till midnight at a cool Salsa club near the lake front. Family and friends grilled a surprise dinner for us when we returned. We celebrated our 40th in style.

July 27, 2013: Amber and Kathy at Jordan's Spartan Race.

July 20, 2013: Kathy and I rode our bikes to Monroe Thursday. 45 miles. Back Friday. Hot. Fun. Kathy pounding up the well known Gempler Road hill.

July 6-10, 2013: Annual cabin days. Kathy and I honeymooned here 40 years ago. Then. Then. Now.

July 6, 2013: Gabe and Erin, here from Arizona for a week. Typical get together to see them at Mocha Moment by the clan. Mocha Moment, as beautiful as ever.

June 27, 2013: Jordan entered a Half Iron Man: Swim, Bike, Run. Won a trophy. Brought his best fans.

June 26, 2013: Jordan celebrated the big "20" with an ice cream cake from mom. Uncle John and Aunt Joyce visited us at Mocha Moment. Most of the local kin, including John and Cheryl, dropped in to socialize a bit.

June 23, 2013: Nora makes her appearance 1 day after her birth. Hudson welcomes Nora. Aunt Kathy gets a turn.

June 12, 2013: Hudson, pretty much the center of attention. Adored by cousins and aunts.

June 12, 2013: Jana's birthday. Kathy and the guys.

June 2, 2013: Vegters do know how to celebrate. Wedding party in progress 2 weeks now. Party starting to wind down. Several left yesterday. Several more today. Now less than 10 from out of town. After tomorrow, only 3 for another week or so. Madison bike ride Friday. Clan here for cookout today. Hudson gives Lauren a "swat". Table big enough for 2 games at once.

May 26, 2013: AMBER & DJ Reception! Held reception at Beloit Rotary Center on the Rock River. Careful Cutting the Cake you two. Amber and DJ dance to "Wouldn't it Be Nice." Lyrics: "Wouldn't it be nice if we were older, Then we wouldn't have to wait so long, And wouldn't it be nice to live together. You know its gonna make it that much better, When we can say goodnight and stay together." Dad and Daughter Dance to "Here for You." Lyrics: "And now a plane must take away my child that life has found, And you will be up in the sky, and I'll be on the ground." Amber still comfortable with Mom.

May 26, 2013: AMBER & DJ Wedding! Mother and Daughter moments before. Father and Daughter moments before. Presenting our daughter to that lucky DJ! Mother and sons watching the grand event. Celebrating the new Mr. and Mrs. DJ King. Good representation from the Vegter clan. Kathy and her handsome guys. New family: Welcome DJ! Amber and brothers who made her strong. Happy Day for Steve & Kathy. Amber is light; DJ is strong. Amber with the Hey (Steve's mom's family) group.

May 26, 2013: AMBER & DJ MARRIED! Amber and DJ married today on her Villa Decoris deck at Mocha Moment. Mother of the Bride and sons watched. Threating rain held off until exactly at ceremony's end. Amber spent time with her Hey relatives: Aunt Ida, Uncle Phil, Aunt Sue, Grandma Dean, and the mother of the bride. Kathy's 3 brothers and wives at the wedding. The getaway. Vegter sisters keep celebrating after gift opening at Mocha Moment on Monday.

May 11, 2013: Our family helped us yet again. Uncle Ron and cousin Mike spent Saturday evening putting stone on the front of our new counter at Mocha Moment. Uncle Ron and Mike had originally given us the stone, built our fireplace, and put stone on the exterior at Mocha Moment. Finished project.

April 28, 2013: Jordan's lacrosse team won their division championship at Beloit. Rough game.

April 27, 2013: Dan Wilcox, Alzheimer's Support Center Director, asked Kathy and me if we would be a team for their annual fund-raiser, Dancing with the Stars, at the Janesville Performing Arts Center. We raised $1,663, had a blast, and made it on Local Vision TV. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the video of our performance.

April 13, 2013: Cousins Pat Cherry (with Fernando) and Chuck Cherry (with his family) joined us for the Pace for Parkinson's fund raiser. We had run it last year and sent Uncle Ed the photo. Good excuse to get together this year. Had such a great time, we might make it an annual event. Cousins at the race. Father-Daughter. Mom and Aunt Sue came, too. Hung out at Mocha Moment and our house for lunch. Kathy served these chocolate covered strawberries and mandarin oranges.

April 7, 2013: Interviewed Kathy for a magazine because of her 60th birthday: Have Fun Every Day Workout. For her 60th birthday, took Kathy to Milwaukee for the weekend. On the way back, we drove by Kathy's old home place on Theater Road. Then drove by her old home place on North Walworth Road. House gone. Just torn down to make room for this new building. Upon return, surprise party for Kathy. Amber put it together. Cindy and her family. Chad and his family. Jordan took everyone "slack lining" afterwards. Tatum shows how to walk it.

March 31, 2013: Family over for Easter dinner today. Chad and his family. Christian and his family. Nikki and her family. Great times and another great spread by Kathy. Kathy made Easter bunnies from Oreo cookies.

March 7, 2013: Met our newest nephew Owen at MM.

March 2, 2013: Caleb home for the weekend. Good times. Heard Michael Hey in Rockford. Michael performed The Bartered Bride for his opening number. Met Michael, mom, Aunt Sue, and several cousins. (Michael, center of photo, behind flowers.) Incredible concert. Michael's a full scholarship Juliard student and pupil of Paul Jacobs, America's most celebrated concert organist, and the only organ soloist ever to receive a Grammy Award (2011). Paul Jacobs performing at the Crystal Cathedral.

February 27, 2013: Another light gone out. After a long struggle with Parkinson's, Uncle Ed passed on Saturday, February 23. Funeral today. Gave a eulogy for Uncle Ed. Uncle Ed and Aunt Sue used to drive up to Mocha Moment a couple of times a year, just to have coffee, and hang out with us. Last visit, October 21, 2010. Those days are gone. My parents 60th anniversary: Last time the Hey siblings and spouses all together. Now Dad and Uncle Ed both gone. Recalled our Pace for Parkinson's last year (April 14) when we reminisced about Uncle Ed and sent him a photo. Thanks for being a great Uncle and for the countless stories. So long. God speed.

February 3, 2013: Kathy and I hung out all morning in the bright sun at Richard's Coffees in Winter Haven. Took our annual hike in the Circle B Bar Reserve along Lake Hancock. Stayed with mom.

= January 29, 2013: End of an era. Dawn's last day at Mocha Moment. Been with us 8 1/2 years. Moving to Madison. Couldn't ask for more in a worker. Jodi was by herself at home. Only going to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We did better.

January 26, 2013: First full day in Florida. Breakfast with the clan at Karen's to celebrate her birthday.

January 20, 2013: Amie is a Mocha Moment regular. We knew she'd lost a lot of weight and had become a runner. We had no idea how much until CNN featured her on their main page.

January 5, 2013: Kathy and I relax and celebrate at the Butterfly after church every Saturday night. Owners Mike and Hektor are great guys with great families. With thick accents, it is common knowledge that they are Albanian immigrants. We never knew their story till it appeared in the Northwest Quarterly, Fall, 2012. To think we are friends with courageous guys who helped topple the Communists, and who valued freedom and opportunity over safety.

December 26, 2012: Christmas. Kids. DJ & Amber. Mother-daughter. Father-daughter. Guess who's the most photographed.

December 15, 2012: First Dean grandchild married today. Mike's daughter Becky with Kent, mom, and all three sons and wives. Still feels strange without dad. But it's the new reality. Took mom to and from wedding. She stayed overnight. Kathy and I back home after wedding.

December 2, 2012: Gorgeous December day. Bike ride on the new 26 overpass and trail to Milton. Roundabout even includes bicycle lanes. Easier and easier to navigate safely.

November 22, 2012: Thanksgiving at Mom's. 42nd straight Thanksgiving back home since I left in '71. First time without Dad. Strange to be chopping up his leaves with his tractor. Annual carroms at Mom's.

October 11, 2012: DJ's mom snapped this cool photo as Amber and Mimi pedaled to work.

October 3, 2012: Kathy and I met 41 years ago today. Celebrated with a bike ride. Rare sun and clouds created spectacular hues and reflections. Kathy made our annual several gallons of grape juice.

September 15, 2012. Final bike trip of the season. Road to Madison Thursday. Beat the rain. Always a treat to see cows grazing. Gorgeous fall days Friday and Saturday. Read about big city bike share programs. One of many Madison bike stations. Stayed near the Arboretum, a 1,260 acre outdoor treasure in the center of Madison. Seemingly endless trails. Rode Madison's great trails, around Lake Mendota, and by the Governor's Mansion on Friday. Always cool to go through Belleville tunnel on Badger Trail. Big hill leading to this favorite scene on Gempler Road. Back Saturday afternoon: 164 miles in all.

August 30, 2012: Oakhill let out early. Too hot. No AC. So Kathy and I rode to Beloit. Great trails and riverfront, including this restored bike and pedestrian bridge. Our bike rack sees a lot of use, but today was all Dean bikes.

August 17, 2012: Family celebrated my birthday. At least I'm not pushing 60 like Kathy. Rode up the trail to Bob and Michelle's Cone Zone in Milton for ice cream. Rode by site of 1883 Janesville City Hospital, at 1005 N. Sutherland, which was modern and included a surgical wing.

August 13, 2012: Drought and heat hard on garden, even with irrigation. Still had the largest and sweetest honeydew melons ever. Except for the salmon, everything on my garden plate grew in my garden: green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, honeydew, cucumbers, and potatoes.

August 10, 2012: Have met so many "distant cousins" through my heritage site. Candace and her mother Barbara stopped by Mocha Moment to meet me. Candace and I have the same great, great grandfather Johnson.

August 3, 2012: 39th and we celebrated on the Great River Trail along the Mississippi north of Onalaska. Very long bridge through marsh. Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge along the Mississippi. Lock and Dam #6 at Trempealeau. Not much barge traffic. River too low with drought.

July 27, 2012: Another Vegter gathering at Mocha Moment: Uncle John and Aunt Joyce, Uncle Wes and Aunt Teresa, Uncle Ron and Aunt Darlene. Everyone getting older. But having fun now.

July 26, 2012: Always fun to have DeAnna's kids over for a swim and Kathy's famous ice cream sandwiches.

July 14, 2012: Jordan finished a 50 mile run in Baraboo. I never did that. Hudson arrived. Now a grandniece.

July 10, 2012: Annual Dean week at the cabin. Jared and I stained exterior.

June 22, 2012: Stayed in Milwaukee and rode our bikes up to Cedarburg. Rode much of the Oak Leaf Trail around Milwaukee. Some nice bridges and views on the Menomonee River section. The Hank Aaron State Trail took us by Miller Park. A great lighthouse on the Estabrook Trail between Lake Michigan and Estabrook.

June 18, 2012: Catered coffee today for the Romney campaign stop at Monterey Mills in Janesville. Walker, Ryan, and Romney appeared together on stage before Romney's speech. Notice secret service facing the camera, far right, final photo. Perhaps 30 of them. Probably never this safe again in my lifetime.

June 16, 2012: Another milestone Saturday. We attended Hannah and Clayton's wedding. At Oakhill, I taught Hannah, Hannah's mother, and Clayton's mother. In the dance in which the DJ or band begins asking couples most recently married to leave the floor (under 5 years, then under 10 years, etc.), you can guess who was the last couple on the floor. That's right. Kathy and I: 39 years this August.

June 8, 2012. Friday. Kathy and I attended Coffee Fest at Navy Pier, a trade show. Walked Chicago's fabulous Riverwalk to Navy Pier from Ogilvie Center and back. Hung out on Navy Pier after the show.

June 4, 2012. Monday. For music and dancing, went in the evening to Harry's Place, a pavilion in Beloit's wonderfully restored riverfront.

May 18, 2012. Friday. Sisters-in-law back home. Great fun. Lots of laughs at Mocha Moment. Mother's Day at Linda's: Grandma and Amber, three of ours, and mother-daughter. Made kabobs for my sisters-in-law on Wednesday. On Monday made them fruit smoothies and fruit cups and stuffed chicken breasts. I want them to return!

April 15, 2012: Sunday. Went to Madison to watch Jordan (#4) play 2 lacrosse games today.

April 14, 2012: Saturday. Because my Uncle Ed has Parkinson's, Amber organized our family to run in the Parkinson's Race fund-raiser at Riverside Park. We sent Uncle Ed and Aunt Sue a pic.

April 12, 2012: Thursday. Jordan produced a commercial for Greek God Yogurt.

March 10, 2012: Saturday. At the 11:00 a.m. funeral, I delivered the eulogy for our old friend, Budd Sarow. Many great memories. He gave Kathy and me garden space on three farms. Family affair: Dad Vegter tilled, while Kathy, Jared, and Caleb planted on South Footville Road. Budd raised goats and gave Caleb a goat named Ida. Myra raised bulldogs. Budd wrote us his standard poem and thank-you note to commemorate their last Sunday dinner at our house, November 6, 2011. This engraving fittingly crested his vault. Good-bye, good and gracious friend. God speed.

February 19, 2012: Sunday. Another Valentines meal by Kathy. All family present including Linda, Chad, Autumn, and DJ.

February 16, 2012: Thursday. Watch Dawn's appearance on the Martha Stewart Show today.

February 8, 2012: Dawn did it again! She's featured in the February 8, Janesville Gazette for being among the 100 finalists to compete in Orlando, Florida, March 25-27, in the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.

January 24, 2012: Annual winter visit with Florida family. Lots of alligators today at Circle B Bar Reserve.

January 14, 2012: Honored with a visit from four of our Florida nieces: Megan, Jana, Julie, Jessica. Went hiking and snowshoeing.

December 25, 2011: All together at Christmas.

December 22, 2011: Our lives are different now: my father passed away on Friday, December 9. Dad had suffered from leukemia for almost a year. The service, of course, was emotional and difficult, yet triumphant and celebratory. One of my last, clearly etched memories is Dad and mom striking a lovers' pose at their their 60th anniversary in July. I paid tribute to dad with our "Quote of the Week" at Mocha Moment. And a second quote. You may visit Dad's memorial page to see the memorial slideshow (audio: dad's entertainment at a wedding reception), hear the memorial service, or read the obituary and eulogies. To read my eulogy, click on "Steve's Eulogy." I know I'm biased, but I think my eulogy makes good reading in its own right; Dad was a good man.

November 27, 2011: Mild weather and good soil: Largest broccoli sucker (6" in diamater) I ever grew in November. Seth shot his first deer. For the 40th straight year, all together at Thanksgiving at my parents' home. And the traditional game of carroms. Dad failing rapidly.

October 13, 2011: Amber brought Blade and MeMe to Mocha Moment today. Going, Going, Gone.

October 2, 2011: Kathy posed today at Mocha Moment: Kathy 1, Kathy 2, Kathy 3, Kathy 4, Kathy 5, Kathy 6.

September 29, 2011: Made the family a meal from the garden. Except for tilapia, everything grown in our garden: black-eyed peas, green beans, potato, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, and tomato.

September 15, 2011. Largest cauliflower and largest cantaloupe I ever grew. 7 gallons of green beans off one, 25' row.

September 10, 2011. Kathy and I rode bikes to Monroe yesterday. Back today. Great weather, great trip. Three trips since the BIG wedding. Rode the Green Circle Trail in Stevens Point, August 4-6. Cool boardwalks through marshes. Trail winds along two rivers: Wisconsin and Plover. On August 18-19, we rode to Jefferson. Back next day. First time I'd seen hills cut away to make a lower grade for a bike trail.

August 17, 2011. My parents' friend, John Sailors, passed away today. Age 89. Not starting trombone till 7th grade, I needed to catch up if I was to play in Mr. Myers' storied band. For several months, mom took me weekly for lessons to Mr. Sailors' house. He caught me up and I enjoyed playing in the school band. Friendly! Who could forget the "hello honk" as he drove past our house on the way to and from church three times a week! But mostly, Mr. Sailors was happy. Just a happy man! Jokes and magic tricks. (I've recalled Mr. Sailors countless times as youngsters' eyes widened to see my "finger stretch and stretch.") Just the kind of person teens like. They see enough ornery adults. How nice to see smiling John Sailors who was always happy to see me! Thanks, Mr. Sailors.

August 9, 2011. My two classy ladies at REL's wedding and the Armory. With mom at the Armory.

August 2, 2011. Last of the clan left today ending weeks of fun and feasting. Happy days and going fishing at the cabin ending with the traditional good-bye pose on its deck (like old times) and its dock (like old times). Several bike tours to parks and sites around Janesville always ending with breakfast at the Sizzlin Grill.

July 17, 2011. Chad and Autumn wed today at Mocha Moment. Aunts, uncles and cousins all showed up to celebrate. Next wedding couple! Cousins on the stairs. Time to say good-bye! After the wedding and cookout, the aunts discuss the wedding! Karen out on a limb to pick our cherries. Down came Karen and the limb. Undeterred, Karen kept on picking.

July 9, 2011: Because he had pneumonia, dad and mom were married at home on July 21, 1951. At their church we ate a meal to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary: Aunts and Uncles, Sons, Daughters-in-law, and Grandchildren (11 of 12). Afterwards at the house, we ate cake and played carroms like old times at at Grandpa Dean's. Recreated the old cousin line up at the swings. Poses at the 60th: Steve's family, favorite cousins, Kathy and Amber, and Amber and Kathy.

June 9, 2011: Jordan Jordan graduated along with Alexis. Feels different after 30 years of raising a family. Friends and family celebrated at the Prime Quarter. Graduation cake for the occasion.

April 20, 2011: Well, we made the paper again. Janesville Gazette readers voted us 1st Place Coffee Shop for 2011.

March 31, 2011: March 18-25, Caleb completed a week's medical mission to Haiti. Mocha Moment held a benefit that paid Caleb's way with $1,208. Caleb's group treated children, befriended boys, and had time for a little fun. More photos and the mission's daily blog.

February 23, 2011: Jordan made it to sectionals in the backstroke this year. Fun to watch.

February 2, 2011: Back in Wisconsin. Returned to a blizzard. Great 10 days with family in Florida. On Saturday, Kathy and I walked Frank Lloyd Wright self-guided tour at Florida Southern: Wright's Water Dome, Wright's Pfeiffer Chapel and Danforth Chapel, and 1.5 miles of connecting, covered walkways called The Esplanades. Walked by some lakes, including Lake Mirror. Typical of our wonderful family: Carol invited everyone for breakfast Monday to say good-byes. Dozens of family, stacks of pancakes, and several hours later, we left for the airport. Thanks for all your hospitality. You are the best!

January 28, 2011: Making the family rounds in Florida. A pleasure to listen to Jesse and Julie. Rode from Circle B Bar Reserve to Bartow for lunch. And back.

January 21, 2011: Lots of catching up. On a gorgeous October afternoon, Kathy and I rode from our house, up the Ice-Age Trail to Milton. Celebrated Seth's graduation at Prime Quarter with cousins, friends, and family. Our 40th straight Thanksgiving at Grandpa & Grandma Dean's. Hononored with our Second Annual Visit from Matthew and Marianne. We enjoyed another Christmas at home with Chad and Autumn. And another pleasant Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Dean's. As usual, David entertained. Mother and daughter at Christmas. In January, enjoyed our first visit from Gabe and Erin. ...and Amber and Erin. Winter is still beautiful at Mocha Moment. Beautiful winter day for Sarina's skate party at Traxler Park.

October 21, 2010: Get Dawn's autograph now before she charges! Dawn is featured on this week's episode of "What's Cooking?" We posted Dawn's news at Mocha Moment. Our great bike trail now stretches past Linda and Nikki's. Kathy and I rode much of it yesterday on yet another spectacular fall day. Karen made the news from Canton with a trip to ER, and the girls kept mom bundled against the cold. Where's mom? My parents, Aunt Sue, and Uncle Ed came for a Saturday visit to Mocha Moment. Lots of cross-country runners to keep Jordan company at the Blackhawk Invitational.

September 19, 2010: When Cindy & DeAnna and their families ride to Mocha Moment for drinks, the rack is full. Jordan caught the big bass. The guys enjoyed a long weekend at the cabin and found time for tubing. Birthday grill out for Amber, Jared, and Chad; Ian and Hunter took no chances on missing the goal. Jordan's running cross country this year. Biggest cantaloupe I ever raised this year. The long-time band, the VIPs, played their last Saturday night (9/11) at the Butterfly. Carol retired, so she and Tom, the piano player, moving to Florida, had coffee with us at MM and waved their final good-byes. Only great memories left now; and in the neighborhood, too. After 31 years, Joe's last flower bed and last garden. Then just memories.

August 2, 2010: Kathy and I rode (both ways) the 60 mile, all-paved Root River Trail in Minnesota, the most beautiful and well-maintained trail we've ridden to date. (By the way, you know you're riding older bikes when you stop by the Janesville landfill on the way to Minnesota with your bikes and the garbage in the truck bed and the attendant says, "Garbage in Dumpster #6 and metal in #7.") The trail along the river, close enough to hear water rushing over rapids, is typical. We stayed in Lanesboro, trail center, and rode each of three directions. We biked by soy fields, woods, wildflowers, and through bowers, almost always with high hills for a backdrop. Tubing is popular. We ate outdoors at Riverside on the Root. We're hoping to go again. Anybody want guides?

July 14, 2010: Today we buried a special neighbor and family friend. Many remember neighbor Joe who folded my papers. He's gone, and we miss him so. I was so moved by our friendship that I wrote; the family asked me to read this eulogy at the funeral, which I did. Good-bye, Joe! And God-speed! Since Joe didn't fold any papers, it was nice to have Blake help me out.

June 28, 2010: Caleb was born 29 years ago today. We're getting on down the road. Uncle John and Aunt Florence came for Ryan's graduation. Their visit occasioned a Vegter convocation at Mocha Moment. Always lots of fun. Nice to have Mom visit. Good excuse to get together at MM.

May 19, 2010: Jordan scored a goal and made the Gazette. I did too. The photographer wanted me for "Bike to Work Week," but said 4:00 a.m. was too early. So it was "Bike from Work Week." I made the light, he didn't, and he was just in time to catch me coming home.

April 14, 2010: Another great Easter celebration. Lots of friends and family: Kevin and Dawn, Kathy and Cindy, Cindy and Christian, Dean's, Chad and Autumn, the young, and nephew and favorite aunt.

March 8, 2010: And Kathy's back again from Mom's 85th birthday party. Dad Vegter's family can always be counted on, though many faces are now missing and missed. Another visit from Florida: Karen and the youngest cousins! Jordan with a candle trick at Linda's birthday!

February 10, 2010: Back from our annual Florida visit. We did a bit of what we do at home: teaching and baking scones with nieces for 4H. Ate a few great Cubans at Sister's Subs. Mom with her grandkids, her daughters, and with Kathy and Carol. Thanks family for the great food, hospitality, and memories.

January 6, 2009: Christmas and New Years have come and gone. Many great times. Matthew and Marianne huddled by the fire. Amber and Kathy attended The Armory's dinner theater production, "It's a Wonderful Life." Our annual tradition of the Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. Seth with family and friends celebrated his 19th birthday. The holidays ended with the Vegter North Christmas. Good times and celebration.

November 27, 2009: Friday. During Sue's late October visit, we rode bikes to Riverside Park on the Rock River on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Saw Diana's old house on the river. Hung at Mocha Moment 3 new heritage pics of family businesses. When Kathy and I first came to Janesville, we could buy Hey Brothers ice cream in four locations, including Woodman's. When our kids were young, we laughed and laughed with them over a recording of "Fantastic Mr. Fox." An animated version coming to the theaters prompted me to read it to our nephews and nieces (to be followed by a trip to the movie itself).

October 9, 2009: Friday. Grandpa Hey passed away 42 years ago today. Nice to have mom and Diana here. Chad, Diana, Jared, Kathy, and I attended a sesquicentennial, commemorative service of Lincoln's attendance at First Congregational Church in Janesville. We enjoyed the First Brigade Band playing their restored, antique, period instruments and heard a Lincoln impression artist deliver the Gettysburg Address. Kathy's newest helpers, Ian and Tatum.

September 21, 2009: Monday. Annual blade and swim day at Oak Street Beach, Lake Michigan. Kathy and DeAnna having a rough day being served mochas in the pool. A good-bye party for Caleb, off to study (not far from the beach) in St. Kitts in the Caribbean. And a family pic before our farewell. Several Vegter aunts, uncles, and cousins over for a cookout. Celebrated Amber's 22nd birthday for 4 days with family, and friends. Fun watching Jordan play soccer. Last cookout of the season? Food and more food before the tramp and a last swim.

August 9, 2009: Sunday. Celebrated Anniversary 36 by riding the Hennepin Canal Parkway which stretches 95 miles across Illinois. Parked at my parents' house and biked across the Rock River, where supplied with water through Lock 33 (the guard lock), the feeder line begins. One of 33 locks. One of 9 aqueducts, Aqueduct 9 moves water and traffic over this river. 64 regular bridges; Railroad Bridge 4, one of 8 railroad bridges. We stayed at Chestnut Inn, a marvelous bed and breakfast, in the sleepy corn town of Sheffield. Monica and Jeff provide fine dining in this remarkable house built in 1854, now the Chestnut Inn. Biking back home.

July 24, 2009: Friday. Our very cool nieces have come and gone. What a treat! Breakfast at Mocha Moment. Each morning. Wisconsin brats, garden green beans, potatoes, spinach, and cucumbers for our cookouts. From our tree, cherry pie by Al! Bike ride to Frostee Freeze. And goodbye and thanks for the memories! Jordan gives rides in his Scion.

July 16, 2009: Thursday. Mom and Sue came for the weekend to help celebrate Jerry & Diane's 40th anniversary. Linda and Amber went with us for the evening, too.

July 14, 2009: Tuesday. Amused by this car signage today— The bumper sticker on the right: "An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind. Gandhi." On the left side of the same bumper: "Republicans Are People Too. Mean, Selfish, Greedy People."

July 12, 2009. Sunday. An interesting side of the Supreme Court this week. When Justice Souter sat on the bench for his last day, Chief Justice Roberts read from a letter signed by the justices, "We understand your desire to trade white marble for White Mountains, and return to your land 'of easy wind and downy flake'," alluding to Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". Justice Souter then alluded to Frost's "Two Tramps in Mud Time" when he responded, "I will only try to leave you with some sense of what our common service has meant to me. You quoted the Poet, and I will, too, in words that set out the ideal of the life engaged, '... where love and need are one ... ' "

July 6, 2009: Bob and Sharon and family have come and gone. Too fast. Lots of disc golf at Lustig Park. We celebrated Jordan's birthday and Caleb's birthday. After 5 kids, DeAnna's still got it! Lots of cousins and second cousins. Hunter and Judson. Taking it easy.

June 1, 2009: Monday. The kids had a ruckus over who would park their bike next to mine. Ian won. But Tatum may have bested Ian, actually sitting on THE BIKE. Felt inferior to Kathy for years, the kids always sit on her lap and go to her (because she feeds them). Didn't know my bike was iconic. Watched the blue angels from our deck on Sunday.

May 26, 2009: Tuesday. Back from Texas and Melanie and TJ's wedding. Ella entertained most of the night as the dancing queen. We ate at the same table as Heather, Ron, and Luke, who didn't need a fork to enjoy cake. Nice pic of Shane and Casey.

May 13, 2009: Wednesday. Ian enjoyed Easter. Amber and Kathy on Easter. On April 17, as part of a district-wide program, I was asked to read for Michelle's (a Mocha Moment regular) 1st grade class room. I chose Aesop's Fables. Jordan scored a goal on this shot. In Mocha Moment, we recently hung a photo of my Grandpa Hey delivering milk in 1908. What are the odds of my mom having the negative? "Clement Hey Milk & Cream" would soon be incorporated as "Hey Brothers." "Both Phones" meant that there were competing, unconnected phone companies, and customers could reach the dairy on either phone, or, "Both Phones."

April 9, 2009: Thursday. Today would have been Mom and Dad Vegter's 64th. I once remarked to Dad that April 9 was the end of the Civil War. He said, "No, the beginning." We held our roaster party last Sunday afternoon. Uncle John and Aunt Joyce, Uncle John and Aunt Teresa, Dawn and Kevin, Don and Judy, and lots of family and friends helped celebrate the fresh aroma. To celebrate Kathy's birthday, we heard a very good blues band at Cafe Belwah. Across the Rock River from the Belwah, the restored Beloit Corp with its wonderful murals and lighting celebrates this aspect of the industrial era in Beloit.

April 3, 2009: Friday. We finished installing our roaster. Jared, Kevin, and I have been roasting between 9:00 p.m. (closing time) and 1:00 a.m. all week. We've gone from burning the beans on Monday to passing taste tests on Thursday.

March 22, 2009: Sunday. Yesterday, Amber held her open house for Villa Decoris. Kathy made treats. Chris Kohn provided music, creating a happy, party mood. Lots of people stopped by to see Villa Decoris, and Mocha Moment was full for most of the afternoon. It was an unually warm (over 50 degrees) first full day of spring; lots of family and friends returned to the deck.

March 4, 2009: Wednesday. Amber opened Villa Decoris last Thursday. Busy from Day 1. And Amber made the Janesville Gazette on her first weekend.

February 20, 2009: Friday. Dawn and Kevin's son Michael was a celebrity for a day last Saturday at the ESPN College Game Day. At the Badger's half-time, because he "stood out in the crowd" with his Halloween hot dog costume, Michael was chosen to make a half-court try for a field goal. He missed the $17,000 prize, but left with a $1,000 for his trouble.

January 25, 2009: Sunday. During our annual January visit to Florida, this gator posed for us when we walked in the marsh at Polk County's Circle B Bar Reserve. And we saw lots of birds, armadillos, and vultures. Mom's row of graduation 8x10's of her kids (11) are dwarfed by a growing row of grduation 5x7's of her grandkids (29 down, 11 to go). Too many for one photo, but you get the idea. Jodi and Rachel are busy at homework. And Carol and Sharon make great Cubans at their Sisters' Subs. Many of the nephews and nieces entered crafts and baked goods in the Polk County 4H Youth Fair. Jana, Julie, and Jessica participated in "mannequin modeling." This scene is a soccer shot on goal with a save.

December 20, 2008: Saturday. When Sue visits, she brings Bartley's barbecue; Linda brought trash! Evidently, Linda stopped a few places in the area to leave her trash. No luck! We were the last option! When I asked her about the landfill, she said she hadn't thought of that. Later that day, I asked 7 year old Lance where you take the garbage? Lance said, "The dump!" I later asked Sarina (9 years old) the same question. She said, "The trash dump!" Christian graduated from Wisconsin State Trooper Academy, and we attended the swearing in ceremony in the rotunda. Chief Justice Abrahamson was the speaker. Cindy's family and ours continued our tradition by taking in the Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.

November 20, 2008: Thursday. Mom posed with her grandkids and great-grandkids when she visited last month. It's a tradition now: Cindy's, Nikki's, and DeAnna's kids come over to start Halloween. Kathy, Jared, and I made a business trip and crossed this cool footbridge.

October 29, 2008: Wednesday. Sue, Diana, and mom came up last week. Lots of fun.

October 8, 2008: Wednesday. Our grapes were plentiful and luscious again. On Sunday we made grape juice with several families whose moms work at Mocha Moment. Gallons and gallons again.

October 2, 2008: Thursday. Last week we had several days in the upper 70's. One last hurrah at the pool. Cindy regales Kathy with poolside tales! Dawn, with Kathy's help, brought Mocha Moment into harvest spirit.

August 24, 2008: Sunday. In early August, Seth and Jordan joined their cousins, aunts, and uncles for a trip to North Carolina to go rafting, paintballing, and rock climbing. Jordan made it to the top.

August 10, 2008: Sunday. In sync with our 35th anniversary, Kathy and I rode the Sugar River, Badger, and Capital City Trails into Madison. For good reason, Madison, crisscrossed with intersecting trails, is rated one of the best biking cities in America. The Southwest Commuter Path has several entrance and exit ramps. The Parthenon Gyros on State Street has great gyros. The Wingra Creek Trail is especially pretty. Views of the Capitol are cool from this trail around Lake Mendota. Wisconsin's current emphasis on prairie restoration makes wildflowers seem ubiquitous and spectacular. From a beach near our hotel, the Capitol and Frank Lloyd Write's Monona Terrace are visible. Bikers do need a flashlight for this tunnel on the Badger Trail. On the night of our return, both Amber and Jacob performed for Open Mic Night at Mocha Moment.

July 24, 2008: Thursday. With family visits and our tile reinstallation at Mocha Moment, life's been full. Sharon and some of hers flew up for a couple of weeks. Jon, Hope, and their kids came, too. Kyla had fun with Blade and Amber. Jared with Jayden. Jon relaxes. Every day we took a walk to Mocha Moment. Fun crowd for July 4. The tramp keeps limber. Our families had a lot of fun for a week. Last Wednesday, the girls walked the 21 miles around Lake Geneva. Kathy around the lake and in touch with world . Vegter girls proudly pose in front of a job site for Uncle Ron's former business. Uncle Ron did masonry on about 50 homes on Lake Geneva during his business days. On a somber note, Bob was doing work in Florida National Cemetery, not far from Dad Vegter's grave. God knows we miss you, Dad!

June 26, 2008: Thursday. Back home. The rest of our trip. On Friday we had a guided tour of the Capitol. Francis Willard is the only woman in Statuary Hall, and she's from Janesville. Great tour of the Library of Congress. Saw the Supreme Court. On Saturday, we saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and President Kennedy's grave.

June 20, 2008: Friday. Well, the pictures stop for now. Matt has my cable in Florida; I have his. Sorry!

June 19, 2008: Thursday. We posed at this fountain in front of the National Archives where we saw the Declaration and the Constitution. This was our visit to President Bush. Lincoln died in the Pederson House across from Ford's Theater. The concourse between the wings of the National Art Gallery has this cool waterfall. A view of the gang from the catwalk of the U.S. Botanical Gardens. The cousins at the Capitol. The cool Eastern Market, with its great meat and produce, is just blocks from our apartment; the Capitol Hill District has countless neighborhood grocery stores like Mott's, a block from our apartment, where we buy our basics. For dinner, we had from the market, pork chops, chicken breast, green beans, potatoes, strawberries, grapes, honeydew, and cantaloupe. More flood news from Wisconsin: Our friend Jean sends us this pic from his front lawn of the Monterey Lagoon, which now features carp swimming on the bike trail, road, and park.

June 18, 2008: Wednesday. Mount Vernon still amazes and is in better care and position than ever with its state of the art museum. Washington had this vista of the Potomac; we walked up the path from the wharf. The old colonial street in Alexandria still has cobblestones. A note from home: Cindy sends this pic of Traxler Park all underwater due to our record flood.

June 17, 2008: Tuesday. Today we saw both Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Holocaust Museum. In between, we walked around the Tidal Basin and saw the Jefferson Memorial and the Roosevelt Memorial. The darker brick house just this side of the dark red one is our apartment. And the little front garden is a nice place to read and sip coffee each morning.

June 16, 2008: Monday. Hello from DC. We're busy so just a few pics. Last night, leaving our neighborhood in the Capitol Hill District about 10:00 p.m., we took the traditional night memorial walk (about 8 miles), seeing, among others, the WWII and Lincoln Memorials, and getting back about 1:30 a.m. Today it was a treat to photograph the crew in front of Frederick Hart's Ex Nihilo at the National Cathedral.

June 2, 2008: Tuesday. Lots of friends and family turned out at Mocha Moment for Jared's graduation reception on Sunday. Our gardens are becoming a great photo spot: Jared and brothers, sister, and family. On Saturday, I'd helped Jared move to his Chicago apartment, just a few blocks from Wrigley Field. Our development of fruit items at Mocha Moment has influenced our home display and selection: Most Sundays, many special days, and some regular days, we make a vegetable tray, and fruit, citrus, and watermelon cups to start the day. Kathy and Tatum in a special moment.

May 21, 2008: Wednesday. Jared graduated on Saturday from University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. Christian and Cindy and our families all attended. I do admit to being a little proud. Jared is all graduated now and starts a job with R. J. O'Brien, a futures commissions merchant on June 2.

May 15, 2008: Thursday. Another season of snowboarding is over. Jana and Jodi joined Amber, Seth, and Jordan at Tyrol Basin. Dani was home on leave before heading to Iraq and spent a lot of time with Amber. Jordan is #42 and scored a goal in Sunday's game.

April 8, 2008: Tuesday. Seth and Jordan spent spring break in Florida with their cousins. Amber surprised everyone by showing up "on the doorstep" in Florida last week. We have a cool family. Thanks guys. Ian insisted that Kathy have a birthday party, so Cindy, DeAnna, Nikki and children surprised Kathy Sunday.

March 16, 2008: Sunday. Seth and Jordan left Thursday for Florida and their cousins. Jared came home for spring break Saturday. Jared, Kathy, and I went to hear Michael Hey, my cousin Tom's 17 year old son, play another recital in Helen Bader Hall in the historic center of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music on the lakefront in Milwaukee. Michael, a student of Curtis Stotler, played a 45 minute program of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann. We were again mesemerized by this boy. Curtis Stotler announced that Paul Jacobs, a priemier world organist and head of Juilliard's organ department, has invited Michael to play an organ event with him at Juilliard this coming week. Last night, several of us were saying that we were glad to be at Michael's recital when we could still hear him for free! We don't think we are joking. And it was fun to see my cousins, John, Tom, and Laura, again.

March 6, 2008: Wednesday. Carol's 50th and the week's visit of the Vegter sisters is history. Celebration began with a train ride to see Wicked in Chicago. The aunts and cousins made use of Amber's new career at Studio 107. I treated the Vegter sisters to citrus and fruit cups while they perused the new family calendar. In the evening I surprised my cool sisters with two slide shows, a memorial to dad and a celebration of life with the Vegter sisters. I treated the girls to a cookout of both veggie and four-meat kabobs. Meanwhile the cousins renewed friendships with Rockband. Lucky John got a visit, too. The Vegter girls had coffee several times at Mocha Moment; Jana used the Mac during the long stays. Judy, please turn 50 soon! Hurry!

February 17, 2008: Sunday. With our record snowfall this year, everyone is recollecting the previous record, "the winter of '79." It was our last year at Rockvale Mobile Home Park, and Debra lived with us. We just happened to snap a couple of pictures.

February 17, 2008: Sunday. Last week I finished a well known Wisconsin book, The Land Remembers, by Ben Logan. A great read! My favorite story from the book is "Corn", a game plan of how one might live out Jesus' words, "If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also...and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back" (Lk.6:29-30). I copied one other excerpt, "Winter", a nostalgic tale of life in simpler times.

February 10, 2008: Sunday. On Wednesday, we had the biggest snow storm since 1979, at least 14 or 15 inches. Mocha Moment is beautiful after a snow fall.

January 30, 2008: Wednesday. Kathy and I just finished 5 wonderful days with family in Florida. We have left 70 degrees, are in the air, and will soon meet single digit temperatures with strong winds. Yes, Kathy's family is still big: families double and triple up, (this was at Bill's) inviting us to a different house each evening for dinner. We still didn't finish the tour. The pineapple Carol grew and picked was very sweet. We made dozens of citrus bowls, just like at Mocha Moment. I enjoyed spoiling the neices and nephews, including Jana, with citrus bowls. What a moment to actually hold "miracle Jayden," (Jon and Hope's newborn with the herniated diaphragm,) after teaming up with other family and our Mocha Moment community to raise almost $3,500 in our Jayden benefit. Somehow it felt just like Janesville when Kathy showed Jodi how to make scones while I taught Kristen, Rachel, and Jodi their punctuation and usage. We made time for a bike round around Eagle Lake. And it was my first time back just for a visit since dad's been gone. Wandering through dad's citrus grove and eating one of his tangerines as I'd done repeatedly for years, I remembered... And his chair where he'd sat to drink so many cups of coffee with me was empty. I miss you. "Empty chairs at empty tables, where my friends will meet no more." (—Les Miserables) And we miss all you guys already. Thanks for the hospitality. But it's not goodbye for long. The 8 sisters will arrive on February 26 for a week to celebrate Carol's 50th. See you soon.

January 1, 2008: Tuesday. New Year's Day. Amber, Seth, and Jordan are snowboarding at Tyrol Basin. Should be enough snow: 25+ inches in December. We had a wonderful Christmas and spent a great deal of the day playing our new game, Settlers of Catan. On Saturday we continued our holiday tradition of attending some performance. We took the train to Chicago and saw "Phantom of the Opera" at Cadillac Palace Theater. Last night we celebrated Seth's 17th birthday with his requested dessert, "Death by Chocolate". Jared posed between Amber and Dani on New Year's Eve.

December 20, 2007: Thursday. Yesterday, I attended the funeral in Friendship of the man with whom I lived when I came single to Janesville (1972). When Pastor Reber asked if anyone wanted to house a youth pastor, Dee (the mom) said, "YES!" especially because they had a 14 year old boy. Rick and I became lifelong friends. Rick, a children's pastor in North Carolina, held the funeral. An outstanding musician like his father (I was mesmerized when I listened to him play with his band), Rick played his dad's guitar and gave us two songs: "For the Good Times" and "I am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger." When Rick commenced "Don't look so sad; I know its over," there wasn't a dry eye... Dick was one of those immeasurably talented people who seemed to know how to do everything without having ever learned it. And he always helped others: he once flew to Fort Myers and helped his son Rick for months build a children's church theater and activity center. Ah! but it was so good to reminisce and reflect on the confluence of their lives and mine. Dick and Dee, you were always good and kind to me. Thanks. "I'll get along, (but) I'll (not) find another." As you told your son Rick on your last day together, "See you soon."

December 6, 2007: Thursday. On Monday evening, the Janesville Gazette treated VIP's to an Open House for its new, state of the art print facility. The table decor is an ice sculpture. Earlier, our house was once again filled with little children (Cate's & Cindy's) making Christmas candy. How fun! Seems so long ago that ours were so eager for Christmas. Yesterday, the Janesville Gazette featured me in one of its columns. Last Wednesday I held the funeral of a WWII vet whose family I've known for 35 years. His boys knew he had nightmares and, like thousands, never talked about "it." Going through his papers the day after he died, his boys found this newspaper clipping from his hometown paper. Imagine learning this just after your father passed on! On the need to interview WWII vets and record their stories, Ken Burns said, "Every time a man dies, a library burns." Well, Leonard's library burned, but this volume was rescued.

November 25, 2007: Sunday. We made the traditional trip to my parents for Thanksgiving dinner. We capped the wonderful day by playing Rummikub and Take 2, a faster version of Scrabble. We enjoyed a surprise guest performer at Mocha Moment last Saturday.

November 19, 2007: Monday. Amber's first day at her first job today. She's a cosmetologist at Studio 107. Pam was our very first customer at Mocha Moment, 4:58 a.m., Monday, January 13, 2003. Pam was Amber's first client today. Loyal Neighbor! And I heard a moving story this morning.

November 13, 2007: Tuesday. On Sunday, our Mocha Moment staff enjoyed the annual dinner at Prime Quarter, a "grill it yourself" steak house. The Mocha Moment Dean cousins and the Dean girl cousins were together for the dessert phase back at Mocha Moment. Kathy had to make batters and got help. But Sarina's help was different than Ian's version. Connecting her with food, Ian feels at peace with Kathy in church.

November 4, 2007: Sunday. We had lots of Trick or Treaters: Cindy & kids, Nikki & kids, and DeAnna & kids. Autumn still had time to swing. Cindy's kids worked hard for this hot chocolate. When I dig potatoes every fall, I remember Bud Sarow's line: "The dumbest farmers raise the biggest potatoes." Full moon and close makes a bright moon, visible at 10:30 a.m. on a sunny day.

October 24, 2007: Thursday. Last night we went to Rockford College to see niece Tara play her final home game. Her team won handily, 3-0. The team left this morning to play in San Antonio.

October 12, 2007: Thursday. Jared hosted us to a memorable Sunday in La Crosse where he is a university senior. We walked to these bluffs from Jared's very cool apartment. The day was hot, and we were overdressed. A water fight helped. Jared grilled a great dinner of chicken and vegetables. When I saw my parents on October 4, we visited the Sterling Public Library and enjoyed the October feature on my Grandpa Hey's ice cream company.

September 30, 2007: Sunday. What a fantastic day! Warm and pleasant. Went with Cindy and Christian for a bike ride and hike in Riverside Park. Kathy enjoyed a visit from Autumn. A great moment at Amber's 20th birthday. Our grape vines at the end of our house are 25 years old, but still produce prodigiously: over 6 gallons. What an improvement the double boiler extractor is compared to our mothers' cheesecloth! Enjoying Janesville's fantastic trail, Kathy and I bladed as usual Friday night, taking in the lagoon, the pine stand with its pine scent, the wildflowers in the prairie, and the sunset over Rock River.

September 10, 2007: Monday. Back to school. Strange. I come home during the day, and for the first time in 26 years, there are no kids. Way too quiet. Jordan's in high school. He threw his last paper on Sunday, and we have no more kids delivering papers. The previous Sunday, Kathy, Amber, Nikki, and Linda, all went to Chicago, via limo (courtesy, Nikki), to see "Wicked." This weekend, Kathy and I attended a wedding at Rotary Gardens of two of our regulars from Mocha Moment. We took Jeff & Deb their lattes to the dinner/dance. (We do have fun with our shop.) On Sunday morning, I delivered their mocha and cider to their hotel, along with bakery. This is not even close to the first time we've attended weddings of our regulars. Think about that.

August 23, 2007: Friday. On Monday we explored Mineral Point, Wisconsin, a historic lead mining community. I had read about an Al Felly who years ago had simply started restoring "Shake Rag Alley," 2.5 acres of an early Wisconsin lead mining community. When we arrived, an old man walking a little poodle greeted us, pointed, explained where to walk, and was happy to have us tour his garden. Since he seemed to "really know," I said, "You're not Al Felly, are you?" He said, "I am." Shake Rag Alley, a cool and beautiful place to walk, also hosts several historic Bed & Breakfasts, like the restored Coach House. It is now the center of a thriving arts community: Mineral Point hosts 15 art galleries. Finally, we walked an hour through the trails of the deserted Merry Christmas Lead Mine.

July 31, 2007: Tuesday. Kathy and I are back from our 34th anniversary bike trip. (We rode often BK (Before Kids) and countless times WK (With Kids). But this was our first trip without kids in 26 years. We left Monday morning from Brodhead, and stayed on bike trails, going to Monticello, then dropping down through Monroe into Illinois, and finally to Freeport: 51 miles. The Sugar River Trail has this covered bridge. And from this long bridge across the Sugar River, we watched a heron. Because Badger Trail rises a couple of hundred feet to Monroe, we viewed many picturesque valleys. The Jane Addams trail provides a great many bowered miles and cuts through limestone hills. In the second of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, it was within this very town square that Douglas enunciated his Freeport Doctrine, the idea that locals could refuse to enforce the Constitution by not passing the necessary laws. It was Lincoln's methodical and articulate rebuttal of this "advocacy of anarchy" that vaulted him to national prominence. My great, great grandmother's brother, Ontje Huizinga, an immigrant and only 22 years old, was killed in Tennessee in 1862 in the Civil War. (I wonder if he even spoke English.) Ontje is engraved (different spelling) on the Freeport Civil War Monument. Kathy and I celebrated our 34th with dinner at Fieldstone, in Freeport.

July 18, 2007: Wednesday. Vegter reunion time again. Watertown, Wisconsin. Lots of fun. Round robin volleyball in groups of 4. Lots of Vegters dining. Talent night included singing the traditional Vegter clan songs and many grandkids singing "We Love You, Grandma". Posing for a Vegter group picture seemed to take a very long time. Very patient for Vegters. Only Diane was missing from the Hank Vegter family group—and Dad, of course! He always loved the reunions. Dad was so very proud of his Vegter girls. Kathy proved photogenic; Steve and Kathy posed, too. When I first joined the family, we attended the Vegter family reunions, consisting mainly of Dad Vegter and his dozens of cousins (the first 2 generations immediately following the 1914 immigration of Willem Vegter and his 7 children). Many gone now, another original Vegter reunion is unlikely. The last 3 reunions have been John (one of the 7 and Kathy's Grandpa) Vegter (and his 9 children) family reunions.

July 18, 2007: Wednesday. After 30+ years we bought a raft for the cabin; the cousins soon learned to launch the younger ones. Just like old times: moms reading on the beach. The girls display ingenuity with their makeshift pantry to feed 23 people. Bass fishing and pike fishing are superb as usual. Erin explained why she won't work till age 30 when life is past. Most play games while Cody and Blake are on the net in the north country at the end of the world. And now a tradition, we four couples pose in the same spot on the deck when we prepare to leave. Jana told me that she had made 16 lime Italian sodas during her stay in Janesville; I gave her this club soda and lime upon departure. Near the last to return to Florida, Chad and Becca rode bikes with me to open the shop at 4:00 a.m.; but they were rewarded.

July 10, 2007: Tuesday. Much of the Florida family arrived 10 days ago. We celebrated July 4 at our house. Jim and Carol posed on the pool deck. The guys played lots of frisbee golf at Lustig Park. We rode our bikes many times, including trips to Nikki's, DeAnna's, and Riverside Park. Enjoyed a rainbow on the return ride from Nikki's.

June 29, 2007: Friday. Lots of special events: A Father's Day "fruit kabob" from Amber. On Sunday, Tara's graduation party where there was lots of volleyball, of course. Next, a neighborhood get-together. Jordan, with his music theme cake for his 14th birthday on June 26. Finally, Caleb and family on his 26th birthday, June 28.

June 22, 2007: Friday. The Janesville Gazette did a nice column on Mark Benson, an Oakhill graduate headed to West Point. The reporter quoted me several times regarding Mark. When Jordan was in Florida, neighbor Joe folded the 670 papers that Jordan usually folds. And finally, we had a nice cookout with Grandma and Grandpa Dean earlier this month. Shoni and Caleb came. David made a point!

June 15, 2007: Friday. Haven't blogged in a couple weeks; been busy Sundays. On June 3, we went to cousin Becky Dean's graduation reception at Mike's offices in Waukesha. The portraits of Lincoln and Washington that I always admired in my grandma Hey's living room now hang in Mike's office. Grandma's handwriting on the back indicates that they were a gift from Grandpa Hey for Christmas, 1937. On June 10, Jordan performed "Walkin' on the Sun" for his piano recital. Arielle relaxed and enjoyed the performance. After we hosted a reception at Mocha Moment, we hung out with Cindy and DeAnna and their kids for a while. Watering the Impatiens proved popular for Kiara and Ean.

May 23, 2007: Wednesday. Today we buried another longtime friend, Lew Eddy. Lew and Agnes were baptized the very first Sunday I came to work at the church. I was 18. I had happened to come in from kids' church and saw them in front. A timing of seconds. When I spoke at Lew's memorial, I pointed out the spot on the floor where Lew and Agnes stood. How fortunate to have that moment in memory. I recalled for friends and family the kindness of a 38 year old man to a teenager when I talked with him in the back porch of his old house before work one morning that same summer in 1972. Then we remembered his saving us $10,000 by his installing an energy efficient boiler (not counting saving gas every month since). Tom Rogers, assistant city manager, remarked that Lew's legendary cost-saving measures as head of the electrical department lowered everyone's taxes. Then there was the time Lew installed the new sewer line for a bathroom in my basement so I could house comfortably my growing family. And we rehearsed the magnificent day when Keith, Jim, Bill, and I went to Warrens and trussed, sheeted, and shingled his old, mobile home on a Saturday. We finished in mid-afternoon and ate real good that day. As talented and generous and kind as they come. So long, Lew. See you soon.

May 20, 2007: Sunday. A weekend packed with events, family, and friends! On Thursday, Diane and Jerry ate lunch with us at Mocha Moment; we all went to Nikki's for dinner. Two boys I taught, Blake and Mark, graduated from Oakhill on Friday. Mark has an appointment to West Point; Blake is headed to Moody Bible Institute. Exceptional young men. On Saturday, we attended Meagan's reception. Hard to believe it's been four years since I taught Meagan. She graduated from UW-Whitewater, with a degree in social work. (She's excited to start her internship with Lutheran Social Services on Monday.) How grown up now! We talked for an hour about literature, history, dreams, plans, ideas, and life! Go Meagan! Sunday we hosted family: Uncle Ron & Aunt Darlene, Dawn and her family, and Nikki and her family. Jared was home for the week. Jared wanted to have coffee with me at Mocha Moment before returning to summer school. Caught Jared while photographing a hummingbird.

May 13, 2007: Sunday. When we came home from The Butterfly Saturday night, the house had been cleaned by Amber. Mother's Day had begun. The kids bought Kathy a sweat outfit. Amber asked Kathy if she noticed anything new. After several hints, Kathy noticed the newly framed picture of Jordan, Amber, Seth, and Blade. I grilled out: thick pork chops with potatoes, onions, and carrots. Amber made a fruit salad. We ate on the deck. Kathy spent the afternoon planting all her flowers.

April 22, 2007: Sunday. Tilled my garden Friday, the 28th year in a row. Always think of my dad when making the final pass: walking beside the tiller so that the garden has no footprints when finished. Thought it was cool when he did that. Gardening is in the blood, I guess: both my dad and my father-in-law had great gardens. That earthy feeling of worms and insects, birds hunting in the fresh soil. It's spring again. But Dad Vegter won't be coming (3rd year now). The first place he checked was my garden. I miss that. Composting has raised the formerly low side of the garden almost a foot over the years. Jordan and I planted potatoes yesterday. Susie came up for the weekend. Ate out on the deck and watched the kids entertain Autumn on the trampoline.

April 15, 2007: Sunday. Easter weekend started with Judson's first birthday party at DeAnna's. We had the most wonderful Easter: all the kids home and celebrating! After our annual Easter dinner with Cindy & Christian, cousin Barb, their children, Adriana, and Ethan, Cindy's kids enjoyed the Easter hunt and spoils of the hunt. Hard to believe ours are hiding the eggs now instead of hunting them! Later Amber treated Lance to a handstand while Seth and Ethan enjoyed Mancala. Jared edged the sidewalk on Monday; however, we had a snowstorm on Tuesday. Yep, we are in Wisconsin!

April 1, 2007: Sunday. We had sunny, 80 degree weather, for our 2 day, April weekend at the Lincoln sites in Springfield. Lincoln spent 6 years as a young man in Salem Village. Lincoln's house and neighborhood are restored to 1860. The Lincoln-Herndon Law Office and the Old State Capitol where Lincoln delivered his House Divided speech are always fascinating. We spent over 3 hours at the new Lincoln museum and agree with its press and image: it's a multimedia and dramatic experience. A visit to the Lincoln tomb affords an opportunity to ponder his great speeches inscribed on the walls.

March 31, 2007: Saturday. Only 16, Michael Hey, my cousin Tom's son, mesmerized us at his piano recital in Helen Bader Hall in the historic center of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music on the lakefront in Milwaukee. Michael, a student of Curtis Stotler, played a 40 minute program of Bach, Mozart, Debussey, and Chopin. Michael received a standing ovation. Discovered by a teacher at a school talent show at age 9, Michael has taken lessons for only about 6 years. And I had fun reconnecting with Tom and Laura.

March 18, 2007: Sunday. Jared left for La Crosse last evening. His spring break was way too short! Blade would have lunged through the drive up window for her dog biscotti if it weren't for Amber's firm grip. No wonder: Amber spoils her rotten! Other dogs get biscotti; Blade gets two biscotti placed in whip cream!

March 12, 2007: Monday. Rick came from Colorado to visit Nikki and the grandkids. We all got together at Nikki's for a fried chicken dinner. Afterwards we sat around and caught up on old times.

March 11, 2007: Sunday. Jared came home from La Crosse for spring break today. What a treat! The whole family is more upbeat now. And I hung posters, pictures, blinds, and a clock to help Kathy finish refurbishing Jordan's room with a Chicago Bears' theme.

March 10, 2007: Saturday. More kids! Bridget starts baking for us every morning at 1:30 a.m.! That's right. Now she puts her children down on our great room floor before work. And this is what greets my eyes at 3:00 a.m. Yes, she returns at 6:30 a.m., wakes them up and readies them for school. Our house is still a busy place.

March 7, 2007: Wednesday. Linda's birthday. Out to Nikki's last night for dinner by Jamin and Nikki. Great meal. Tonight Linda came here for Kathy's meal. Linda's older; we benefit! As usual Jamin kept us laughing. This time the laughs were over Linda's offer to reciprocate with a meal for Jamin for his birthday. Alluding to her non-reputation in the kitchen, Jamin said, "Not for my birthday. Make me a meal any other day of the year, but not on my birthday!"

March 4, 2007: Sunday. Adriana, Amber and our family's longtime friend, joined our household this weekend. Adriana's been family for a long time; now it's official. Adriana's cool; everybody welcomes her.

February 27, 2007: Neighbor Joe came down today and helped Jordan bag hundreds of Messengers. He came back for supper. What a delightful neighbor! Upbeat as always. Good news for me today: I purchased another 15 year term insurance so that the shop is all paid off in case... I was accepted at the "Super Premium Rate" (upper 10% of men my age) based on my health profile. Well, that was nice news!

February 24, 2007: Saturday evening. Big snowstorm on the way. Kathy watched Judson while DeAnna, Aaron, and the girls sledded at Lustig Park. Afterward, we roasted sausage and drank hot chocolate and mochas by the fire. Snowing and blowing hard by the time they left. It's cool to have family that drops by.

February 18, 2007: Sunday afternoon. Another quiet day. The kids went snowboarding on Friday night as usual. Their cousins, Ryan and Jordan, stayed overnight last night. All four boys found a great hill next to the stairs at the shop and made a snowboarding jump. Pretty good jump for "in town." My dad's been snowblowing for some widows, his brother-in-law, and others. Amazing that he was almost dead four years ago and has this kind of life back again.

February 11, 2007: Sunday evening. A wonderful and quiet family day in front of the fire. Yesterday (12 degrees) and today (20 degrees) were the first days in over a week above 9 degrees; every night for over a week below zero. Feels good today. Linda came over for a while this evening. Jared called. He's pretty excited about kiteboarding. We had a common Sunday dinner today: roast, potatoes (from our garden), and carrots. Life is good.

January 19, 2007: Brooke, Jodi, and Rachel here for three weeks. Jordan's been so excited. The current "in" game is The Settlers of Catan. All are sledding tonight on "Suicide Hill" at Riverside Park. Beautiful night: 21 degrees at the moment. Clear sky. Kathy and I officially agreed to marry 34 years ago tonight. I'm a lucky guy. ...I know it! Had breakfast at the Sizzlin' Grill this morning with Jared. I'm privileged.

January 18, 2007: Carol, Karen, and Sharon just came up for a week with their younger children. Grand time. Very cold, warm fire, sausages and cheese by the fire. Everyone went snowboarding on Tuesday. The sisters went home today and left Rachel, Brooke, and Jodi here. All the cousins went sledding tonight. It's quiet again here.

January 5, 2007: Friday evening. Kathy and I sitting by a quiet fire. Amber, Seth, and Jordan all went snowboarding. Caleb and Jared downstairs. Time keeps passing. The kids went snowboarding with Sabrina, Shantelle, and Levi Larson, the children of Rory with whom we own the corner lot. Who would have thought that Mocha Moment would lead to such good friendships for our kids. And something else. Shannon was a foreman for Roger Olson who excavated our shop. Good guy. He died of skin cancer and was buried this last week. 36 years old.

December 30, 2006: Saturday evening. We celebrated Seth's birthday tonight. 16 years old. Seth chose pizza and "death by chocolate" for the meal. The last day of business for the year. A most amazing record month in sales. A most amazing record year. Christmas last week was "the best" ever. We all went to the Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater. Just like old times. Jared said this was one of his best memories. Such a good time together. Went to church on the way to Sterling. Wonderful Christmas with mom and dad. Such a beautiful Christmas at our house. Opened presents about noon. Very simple and meaningful. We had a great meal and played games. Kathy is the best! A weekend for Kathy and me to reflect: how rewarded we have been!

December 3, 2006: Sunday evening. Very quiet nice day. So cold. Almost zero. Second day of Bryan's benefit yielded $727. Jared called. Caleb's here for the day. Now he, Seth, and Jordan play World of Warcraft in the same room instead of opposite sides of the globe. Huge snow storm Friday morning. Rory always cleared my walks with his skid steer, but he sold it. He and Levi showed up with shovels to help us clear the shop walks. Not even his responsibility. He and his family are really great people. We are blessed in our business in innumerable ways. Sean plowed and kept us open. Again, I get top service on a difficult lot. Great friends have put us where we are. Kathy and I are the most fortunate of people. Saturday evening, Kathy served chocolates for "Taste of Chocolate," a classy fundraising dinner for Rotary Gardens. Second year in a row. She's acquired quite the reputation in just four years.

November 29, 2006: Wednesday evening. Caleb's home! Cool talk. He's brimming with tales and descriptions of Thailand. He's almost certain to have his old job at Crossroads back. If so, he'll be here until grad school next fall. Went to Sterling on Monday. Spent hours at the library copying articles from the Sterling Gazette for my heritage site. Modern technology! Gazette all indexed. So easy to find. Stopped by my parents for leftovers from Thanksgiving. Nice treat just to spend a meal with them.

November 26, 2006: Sunday evening. Update on the benefit. We raised $653 for our very sick man that I wrote about this morning. This afternoon we transformed the shop from fall to Christmas in 5 hours. Lots easier the last few years with Dawn and Judy and their husbands. But they had a funeral and a father in intensive care. Sure did miss the 2 hour decorating and the goodies by the fire afterwards.

November 26, 2006: Sunday morning early. As always worship was great at church last night. As usual, I have the strongest feelings of gratitude over God's care of us at Mocha Moment. Few can exit my former career, and not struggle. I had no experience and no training to do what I now do. Yet here we are, one of Janesville's hot spots. Family loves it; Mocha Moment community loves it. Today we have a benefit for a very sick man with huge unpaid medical bills. We could raise $1,000 just by opening the doors. (And so much easier than saving a widow $1,000 by roofing!) Who would have thought... So last night when we sang, "He holds everything. Yet He takes time for me. Can't understand...," I again had deep gratitude to God for not losing us in the shuffle.

November 24, 2006: Friday evening after Thanksgiving. The annual decoration of the Christmas tree. Everybody playing "Hand and Foot" at the table. Lots of fun. A great Thanksgiving yesterday. It was cool to hear the cousins laughing and having fun. It was a beautiful day, sunny and upper 50's. Just very thankful for each year that we all get to go home. Who knows which one will be the last. So savor each. Caleb missing though. Caleb's coming home from Thailand at the end of this month. Got to indulge my hobby of building our heritage site on the way to Sterling. Took pictures of the graves of my great grandparents and great, great, great grandparents. The family was generally okay with the search. I think Jared even liked it a bit. Claus and Janna sailed on the Mozart and landed in New York, November 9, 1865. What must it have been like to be strangers in a strange land?

November 19, 2006: Sunday afternoon. Crisp and sunny day. Very quiet, though. Seth and Jordan went snowboarding up at Tyrol Basin with their cousins, Ryan and Jordan. Amber hostessed a rental for a 60th anniversary party at the shop. Frank and Betty Daniels have 12 children. Very cool family. Never dreamed that Mocha Moment would be the community that it is. Very proud of Amber. A class act as a hostess. You can't teach people that level of skill. We hear that Caleb is coming home in early December. Jared will be here for Thanksgiving. Kathy had neighbor Joe over for dinner last Monday. So lost now without Esther. The week before it was George over for dinner. He's been three years now without Leona.

November 12, 2006: Sunday afternoon. Very, very enjoyable day. Sheila came over Thursday morning. Taught me some basics on working with pictures on Photoshop Elements. Such a good friend. Jordan is gone to Florida for a long weekend. Had to do his papers. Caleb called from Thailand at 8:00 a.m. Since Jordan's not home, Caleb asked Kathy to wake up Seth to play "War of the Worlds" with him. They played a long time. Seth was glad to fill in. Must be rough living in Thailand! Kathy and I read in front of the fire for a long time this morning. Fire is still going. Winter is cozy inside. Spent a good share of this afternoon figuring out the code to better format the spacing on my blog. Got it.

November 5, 2006: Sunday evening. Such a spectacular day. Went for a walk at the Outdoor Lab with Cindy and Christian and their kids. First time in over 20 years that Kathy and I went to that woods with none of our kids. Felt weird and a little sad. Jordan and Seth were watching football; Amber ran a race. Dug all our potatoes this past week, about 4, 5 gallon pails. I dug; Jordan picked. Huge potatoes and plentiful. Can't ever dig big potatoes without recalling Mr. Sarow's line: "The dumbest farmers raise the biggest potatoes." Mom Vegter was here all day Friday. Made donuts like old times. Saturday morning at Mocha Moment, a woman told Amber, "You look slim." Amber answered, "No, I just ate six of my grandma's donuts." And Mocha Moment just gets busier. The Butterfly has changed. Different band for the first time in over five years. Seems weird without Tom, Phil, and Nikki. Had a good time anyway. Jordan and Caleb stay in touch; they play each other online from opposite sides of the world.

November 1, 2006: Wednesday morning. Amber had a great Halloween. It helps to be doing hair and makeup for a living, I guess. She took all of her gymnastics students "trick or treating." Kathy spent considerable time making Autumn her "Little Red Riding Hood" outfit. Seth and Jordan didn't go out for candy. Too old, now. First time in many years that we've had no kids piling candy high on the floor. That's good and bad: no mountains of candy is good; no more little kids, I miss that. October was another record month at Mocha Moment. Who would have dreamed our shop would go like it does!

October 23, 2006: Sunday evening. What a wonderful day. Grilled out chicken. Kathy made spiced, baked potato chunks. Fried squash. Diane went home yesterday. Another major week at the shop. Started training Deanna. What a cool person. We are blessed to get to work with so many great family at our shop. Jared surprised us yesterday, coming home from LaCrosse for the weekend. What a good guy. Bought and planted a Dogwood tree for Jeanne for the shop. Keith, Mike, and Amanda came to see it right away. Still seems so strange that Jeanne's gone.

October 16, 2006: Monday evening. Jordan, Seth, and I split and stacked about a half cord of wood in a little over an hour. Not so long ago that was Jared, Caleb, and I. Won't be long till it's just me. Very thankful for my boys. Potato soup with Mom Vegter, Sue, Diane, Linda, and the family. What a treat. Esther passed away yesterday. Another neighbor gone. Joe all alone. Neighborhood keeps changing. Not long and we'll be the old ones. Our neighbors were perfect for our kids. Couldn't have asked for a better neighborhood.

October 14, 2006: Saturday afternoon. A great time every week. No more responsibility till Monday morning. Just enjoy life and my family. Mom Vegter and Diane are up from Florida. (Which reminds me-- the quote of the week at the shop: "Fish and visitors stink after three days." --Ben Franklin. Amber and Adriana called me up special to ask why I chose that quote for this week. They were sure I chose it because of the coming relatives.) Mom is so frail. Where did all the years go. Full of endless energy and raising a bunch of kids when I first met her. It's frosted hard this week. All Kathy's gorgeous flowers are gone. Our first fire this week. I love winter, too: warm fire, long evenings, slowed pace, popcorn, studies, and family. Mocha Moment is very, very, very busy. Mostly Dean's running it this morning. Hope, Amber, Seth, and Jordan handled the crowds adeptly. I was really "struck" by the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize this week. Microcredit. I'd never thought of the idea. No wonder he won a Nobel. Every time in church when Dave mentions our extensive missions work in Haiti (school, orphanage, hospital, home for the elderly, etc.) I think: "That's cool, but it doesn't fix these people's grinding poverty." I've told Kathy repeatedly investors need to build factories, etc., but it won't happen because of the corrupt and unstable government. That's all I could think of. But this.... Why didn't I think of it: empower little people, one at a time, with business capital! God bless you Yunus!

October 3, 2006: Bought Kathy flowers this morning for the first time I saw her--35 years ago today! ...5 kids and a lot of living later!

October 1, 2006: Went to see my parents all day Thursday. Good meal as usual. They drove me around to photograph a couple of old tombstones I need for my heritage site. At least 26 years ago, before we had any kids, Kathy and I rode our bikes through an old, little town in northern Rock County called Cooksville. We rode back today. 44 miles, round trip. Spectacular fall day: not a cloud in the sky, gentle breeze, 70 degrees, leaves turning slightly, fields overflowing with ripe corn and soy beans, herds of cows, horses, hawks, wildflowers, and the smell of fall. Time has stood still in Cooksville. Next to an old blacksmith shop, the Cooksville General Store in continuous operation since 1846. (Oldest such store in Wisconsin.) No change in architecture since 1900. We had 2 ice cream drumsticks and a coke, sat on the front porch in old chairs, and watched some kids play. Had a grand time. It would be cool if we and our kids can do a bike trip again someday (like old times). I cooled off with a brief dip in the pool afterwards. Very brief. It just doesn't take long to cool down in an outdoor pool in October in Wisconsin.

September 27, 2006: We buried Jeanne yesterday. Perfect weather; lousy loss. Overflow auditorium. I asked the gathering of about 275 family and friends, "Who has eaten a meal made by Jeanne?" A forest of hands! When we opened Mocha Moment, friends streamed to our aid. We couldn't be where we are without people like Keith and Jeanne. Friends like them happen once or twice in a lifetime. Keith plumbed our shop as a friend. Think of the time away from home for Keith to build houses and shingle roofs over the years with me and other friends. And then the time to plumb a commercial building! Not possible without the approval and support of Jeanne. Behind every good man is a good woman. And we were maxed with our new business. We needed a Saturday baker (sometimes) and Friday batter maker more than Jeanne needed a job. But there she was. Right up to 10 months ago. Now gone. One last memory: Jeanne laughed to tell that years ago when they first came to dinner, Jared was ecstatic: "I'm so glad you're here." Jeanne felt grandly honored that our 8 year old extended such a warm welcome. Her euphoria ended quickly when Jared added, "Company means we don't have stuffed peppers today!" Well, no more Jeanne in our lives. Marius sang in Les Mis, "There's a grief that can't be spoken, there's a pain goes on and on. Phantom faces at the window, phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables, where my friends will meet no more.". But as for Jeannie... she now "sees her Pilot face to face."

September 24, 2006: Sunday night again. What a week. Our good friend Jeannie Gottschall is gone. Pancreatic cancer. 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. And to think she was baking for us just last November. I have the funeral on Tuesday. I made drinks for a young, bleary and puffy-eyed woman on Friday. She's a regular. She knew I knew and said, "Not a good morning, so far." I wouldn't take her money and said, "I hope your day gets better." She stuffed $2 in the girls' tip jar and left. I really enjoy that part of our business. Kathy and I were guests of Joel and Nancy Bailey with Johnson Bank at the annual Echo fundraiser on Sunday evening. Classy dinner at the Country Club. The almost 300 guests were a sampling of Who's Who of Janesville. Small, delicious portions of each course. So far in our business I've noticed this about the upper class: very controlled eating habits, almost exclusively plain (not flavored) cappuccinos or lattes, and (now) disciplined eating with the small portions. "Super size" is for the masses. These people are generally disciplined as a way of life. Success is no accident.

September 17, 2006: Sunday night. Haven't blogged in a week. Shop has been busier than ever. Stopping by to see Jeannie every day for a few minutes. One day at a time, but outside of a miracle... Not good. Had some beautiful, big, red, juicy watermelon from the garden this week. Amber, Seth, and Jordan home from Florida. Nice to have the house noisier again. Nice 19th birthday dinner for Amber on Thursday with the requested "worm cake." Kathy and I went blading Friday night. Weather was irresistible. Today was a big day. We made 800 raspberry Italian sodas for our church carnival at our African American church in Beloit's inner city. Soda makers were Kathy and I, Cindy and Christian, Don and Judy, Dawn and Kevin, and their families. Great carnival for the neighborhood: basketball tournament, food tents, music, games, air rides, train rides, and more.

September 10, 2006: Sunday night. Almost all the neighbors came over for our annual neighborhood cookout. Weird without our kids here with the neighbors. Rained all day. Ate inside. Lots of fun, and such a good neighborhood. We've been blessed these 27 years. George and Joe are sure lonely without their wives. Kathy went and talked to Joe who was sitting by himself. She's so sweet and thoughtful. Talked to Jared (LaCrosse) and Amber (Florida) tonight. Last night after church, Kathy and I went to our favorite spot, of course, the Butterfly. The band was awesome as usual. On Thursday, a tree trimmer gave me a large, hard maple that he had taken down half way between here and our shop. Only condition, I had to remove it that day! I did (4 pickup loads). What timing. No boys in town. Where are my boys when I need them?

September 8, 2006: Today Kathy and I are alone in the house for the first time in over 25 years. Weird! We didn't waste too much time being lonely. Went blading for 2 hours and 23 miles, covering one end of the city to the other. Then went for a dip in the pool. Glad we built it for the kids! Caleb e-mailed and sent a picture this morning. Made it to Thailand safely. Seth arrived safely in Florida. Went to see Jeannie yesterday who has the worst of news from the doctor. She was emotional, couldn't imagine not being in Keith, Mike, and Amanda's lives. I held her hand and said a prayer. What else can a friend do?

September 5, 2006: Caleb came for a good-bye supper tonight. Stuffed peppers. Now that's a Dean tradition! Caleb was the only one of ours at the table tonight. Fitting. When we started 25 years ago, Caleb was the only one here. Tonight, the only one here. And one last cup of coffee. We shook hands, and he's gone. Just like that. He leaves Janesville at 8:00 in the morning for Tiger Muay Thai training camp in Phuket, Thailand. Perhaps we'll meet again in December.

September 4, 2006: Seth and I opened Mocha Moment from 7:00-10:30 this morning, Labor Day. So busy; all the two of us could handle. Very steady and dependable worker. Not many dads have the privilege of working in this way with their children!

September 3, 2006: Wow! Jared's actually gone! Jared, Kathy, and I went to Mocha Moment for coffee. Sat in the pergola. Great conversation. Came home. Packed his bike. And he's off to LaCrosse. Just like that. Quieter here now. And that's just the beginning.

August 28, 2006: Jared's birthday party! Everyone over. Kathy's pizza. The last hurrah for now. In a few days, we 7 will be on opposite sides of the world. I have a cool family. I'm proud of them, and I should be.

August 27, 2006: Since it's the last Sunday morning for the foreseeable future that all five of my children will be in Janesville, it seems appropriate to launch my own blog. With Caleb flying to the other side of the world (Thailand) and Jared moving to LaCrosse, at least I have some feeling that we can all stay in touch if we want to. But that's not all. On Tuesday Amber and Jordan leave for the annual trip to the ocean with the cousins in Florida. The following Friday Seth joins them. Kathy and I alone in the house for 5 straight days. That hasn't happened for over 25 years. I think we'll be too busy covering the kids' jobs to think about each other too much more than usual. That's in a few days. Today we have a cookout. All our kids home. Friends and family. Beautiful and sunny day. Life is good and I'll enjoy it.

Deipnosophist (someone skilled at dinner table conversation)

Deipnosophist
(someone skilled at dinner table conversation)