On the cusp of changes



2 turkeys for Thanksgiving



Christmas-time ...Wow , time flies

(I missed november ,here,

entirely)...but I WAS 

around --well ,at

least my clone/standin

was here, while I was

off somewhere..

probably in a warmer

clime..

Nope...just busy..and I

have the pics to prove

it ,here & at the pic site

at Shutterfly...

Anyway my main point

of this entry is the

'generational change'

about to happen

in the extended

'Adair clan' with the

impending births by



Zach @  6-3 and Jeff @ 6-1



niece Ashley (any Day !) 

& daughter Amy

(due in May)

..1 girl/1 boy , by the way...

Unlike on the 'Moran clan'

side of our relations,

where there are ALL

kinds of kids bridging

the age - gap,

these are the last

holidays before a

17 year leap to

the next generation



Original Adair kids & dad



 of  'Adair-clan' kids...

Exciting times,indeed..

 

More  changes on the horizon...

..Jean , recently having
moved back to

San Fran area

(& visiting for Xmas)

will be back home

on her boat Talaria
soon..

..Former neighbor/friend

Deby is moving back

to Milwaukee area

(Bayview) next year
 after an



Maddy the Diver



extended exile to

the hinterlands

of western Waukesha..

..Nephew/Godson Zachary ,

now 6-3 tall , will stretch

to an estimated 7-4 by

early 2012..

..Kelley & Roger
are looking into
home ownership
in the area...
..Madelaine , having done

very well in recent

sectional diving

competitions , and moving

on to college life,

will find her future calling

as a Wisconsin gubernatorial

candidate in 2026..

See you in

the new year !



Jean on the good ship Talaria







SOOoooo long overdue ....it's Scary



Obviously ---it's been busy...

Every weekend something goin' on..
The weather cooperating nicely ...

-Mad-town biking trip






<><><><><><><>&

Quaffing milkshakes & beer after a long bikeride



-Kathy's birthday

- Octoberfests  visited

in Glendale and New Glarus

(and try the beer !)



-(almost) front row at Brewers' game



-Gwen's , Rob's , Tyler's,

 Nya's ,Thomas's , Judy's ,
 Bill/Ben's Birthdays
-Racinefest
-Fall getaway color tours
- Geo-caching adventures
-Jeff's birthday
(& walk for Parkinsons -thanks Kelley



and everybody !)

AND of course the BIG news..

 ..Both my neice Ashley AND

daughter Amy are

Pregnant !!

---Ashley early January,

---Amy in May...

Yep ...pretty exciting and amazing

all at once ....



As usual , the pictures say a thousand words ..

http://adairfamilyworldpics.shutterfly.com/



Having trouble with the page lay-out..



Don't be Scared now !





One Wild & Crazy Summer !

Another month has just
flown by...
and I don't even
wonder why .
Crazy times , indeed ,
these be ...
Whoa -- gotta go ;
a lot to see...




--Not my best work...

..but indicative of
these dog - days
of august .




A weekend near
Jacksonport at Jim's
& Gwens place on the
big lake was both
relaxing AND
action - packed
with high-powered
shopping/great
dining ; hiking /
biking -- and
the world's most
Awesome campfire
under a full moon
(Dale & Curt really got it
stoked at one point !)




Next saturday found
Kathy & I up at
Sharon & Virgils'
farm near Northfield
with most of our
sheepshead group
for serious card
action & a fine
tractor-wagon ride
around the area
hills & valleys..
quite a treat !
--and one sweet Ford
tractor there , Virg !


Sunday , we headed
all the way down
to Libertyville , Il.
to Tom & Judy's
for his graduation
party (& Ryan's
6th B-day )

..Ahhh..A toast to the
Young and the Smart..





The following weekend
was almost a wash-out
what with ALL that
rain lately..
no sandbars on the
Wisconsin R. for our
annual canoe-camp
trip --But Wilton
town park for
camping & the
Kickapoo for boating
filled the bill fine ..









Kathy & I even made it
a blast from the past
with a switcheroo
to our silver beast
--the 17 footer --
which Barely contains
our original crew ,
as you see ...













Plenty of fun & games ,
also ..Here , Julie
just misses the ball..
while Chris watches
helplessly as our
chances for
volleyball glory
drift away..
..as our chance to
bike the Elroy-
Sparta trail on
sunday was also
rained out ..



We DID get some good
eatin' in , though ,
celebrating Chris'
28th birthday
..that's his uncle John's
Italian beef sandwich
over there ..
..MMM - MMM !







Did I mention a nite
at the State fair...

..and going with Amy
& Kevin to the first
Packer's game of the
season (they lost to
Cleveland ) ?

No time...

Just time enuf to relax with this here video ...

..courtesy of Lake Michigan ..

Time in the SUN (& the Rain)

Yep...That's me practicing my technique
for the upcoming 'Boulder Jerk & Lift'
olympic trials , held up here in The Great
Wisconsin North...immediatly
followed by the well known
'Back Wrench & Spasm' ordeal...

Ahhh !10 days camping in

the back woods around Eau Claire ,

Chippewa Falls and Medford ...Plenty

of time for active pursuits of biking ,

hiking,kayaking , a daily dose of ice cream

and a wee bit of Gin & Tonic

to smooth the rough edges ...

Now Thats the High Life !




Paid a visit to Nancy & Bruce in

Minnesota for the day...

Thanks you guys --- I now have a

terminal case of 'Deck Envy '...

- Nice job there !

We were taken to a wondrous place called

Como Park in St. Paul , home to the zoo , an

arboretum , a butterfly house and other

wonders , including this ride in the video :






---And back to the wilds ...

We kayaked , in turn , parts of

The Chippewa R. , Fisher R.

Holcombe flowage , Skunk R. ,

Jump R. , Mondeaux flowage ,

Chippewa Waters flowage (where

the mouth of the Yellow R. eluded us ),

and the Wild rain-swollen Black R.

west of Medford --a short trip , due

to debris - blockage.

Yeah ... we earned our merit badges....and gave Mr. Mango & Lil' Red their workouts...

While waiting out the rain in our car

to check out our 2nd campsite , this

Big ol' pine tree - 100' away - was

zapped by a VERY LOUD & SCARY

bolt of lightening . KAPOW !!!

--Who needs caffeine with This kind

of action ?

Obviously , it made sense to camp

the next few days in the site CLOSEST

to the struck tree , figuring that the

odds dictate this to now be the safest

spot around from a repeat strike...

....except that the rangers now had to FELL

that tree the following day (after warning us to move our car )

as you see here :

Here I am laying claim to the

highest ground I could find...

to escape the coming 'Mother-Of-

All-Floods'

A Great Trip !


Fond memories of --

getting a new Leinies t-shirt ,

and a new birdhouse...

Riding 44 miles on the Red Cedar River
bike trail..(and NO butt sores !)

Having a new favorite county park
(Dells of the Eau Claire in Marathon Co.)..

Archie's hand-made pizza at
Mondeaux Flowage Lodge ..

and some nice sunsets...





And no more Lightning strikes !

Happy 70th Birthday Ringo !

And he Does look FINE too !

Other celebrities b'days include Kelley..
turning 25 on the 26th
(Next year's the
magical Golden Birthday ..woo-hoo !)







Speaking of celebrations , it was a very nice
Father's day for me a couple weeks ago
while camping at Long Lake in the North
Kettle Moraine S.P. ; all the girls and their
guys joining Kathy & I for some R&R...
and the ice cream cones at The
Hamburger Haus in Dundee
are still HUGE !
(although no marshmallow at the
bottom of All of the cones , as we remember
from years ago...so sad.



We caught some Humongous fireworks
at the Big Bang , first day of Summerfest..
..And at Oak Creeks' display on the 4th

Amazing what they can do with
gunpowder --always something new..

And the Summer...
she keeps rollin' on...

A New Look..

Yes it is... Trying for that new ,
hip , FRESH look..

( Does anyone even REMEMBER

how the blog USED to look ?)

We , here in AFW management ,
are always looking out for

your visual & mental stimuli needs..

(I'm workin on the olfactory..)

and so, here we go....

So much has gone on over the last

2 weekends ..doin' Stuff with

family , friends , etc....

I must just refer you ,

dear reader , to the Family Pic site

for proof...here's a few highlites...

3rd Annual Xmas tree burn (& Fish Boil )

with all the kids...



Southshore Bike ride to Barnacle Buds for

Bloody Marys & eats on the shores of

the Kinnikinnic River

ALL 12 Sheepshead - club people

show up at Linda & George's

Michelle,Kelley,Lauren & Erin (& parents !)

party hardy at our house ( + campfire )

A new crop of rabbits in the rock garden..

Civil war re-enactment

at VA Center grounds...

Including Cannon blasts..MUCH

louder than this video portrays !

--And other events , like Kathy & I celebrating

our 32 nd wedding anniversary

at the trendy MOCT lounge in the

5th ward ( they serve duck-fat

fries , and have a life-size

'Ghost-busters Proton Power Pack'

in their art gallery ( Do Not

turn it on ! )

--Tom's Tami & Todd

had rad Grad bash...

(Sorry!)

I finally golfed with the guys...

of which I will not speak further...

..And we finally took up Gwen's offer to kayak

on their lake Keesus.. very nice ...

Life !! --ya gotta love it !

Thanks !

Yes...thanks for the encouragement

to keep this blog goin' ..

such as it is...as time allows...

By the way ..it has been brought to my attention that some viewers of this blog do NOT regularly check the 'side bar' column on the right . Welllll-l-l...You are missing out on an ever - changing

array of fun & frivolity if you subscribe to this short-sighted attitude...I usually goof around with this area more than the main posting site...and yes , you must check ALL the way down !

ATTENTION ...Third Annual Xmas

tree burn is this friday for those

of you who can handle it !

(Grill-out included) let us
know if your coming !

...See our shutterfly pic - site

for last years' conflagration...

Sister Jamie & I joined

Chris & Kevin & friends

at the Chocolate City

Bike ride for a 33-mile

Burlington area

loop....we did well --we better,

since we are in prep for

our impending 155 miler

in late July up to Door

county. Any fellow

bikers up for joining

Jamie & I for 3 days

ending up at Gwen & Jim's

place in Jacksonport ?

(Don't all jump up at

once , now ...)

All kinds of news ...not enuf

time ...a few GRAD

announcments ---

we celebrated :

Lois on May 12 at

Cardinal Stritch (for

religious studies)

Kelley on May 18

at Ann's pizza (got

that undergrad degree)

Jenna up in Rudolph

(a new 2010 high school grad)

--That's Katie,Jenna

Jamie,Meghan ---

Right ?

We're Baaack !

Not a great turnout on my Blog-
viewer poll , but....
Okayyyyy! ...I guess I'll keep it goin'
for now ...
..but don't expect many updates
(except for Pics & stuff) .


Here's a group shot of our Easter gathering..
As always , the place for more
pics of goin-ons is at the shutterfly
site !

The music selection will be 'seasonal' & fun also , as time & whim dictates !!

WHOO-HOO ! IT'S MATING SEASON !!

...for the birds & critters

....in my back yard !!

so , calm down....

It is nice to see the return

of sights & sounds of spring
again...

- my resident Cardinal pair ---->

getting their nest in order..

--The last of the 'house-shadow'

snow melting away , like the

Wicked Witch of the West ---->

--Our basement

foundation on the south being

fixed (no picture-you'll Have to

imagine THAT mess)

--Yes,even the squirrels

(...which I, with futility, am

constantly trapping & hauling

away) are being frisky,fruitful &

multiplying with abandon..

Quite the show...

And , of course ,the Flowers are on

their way..in all their glory..

As this fine bouquet stands in

as an early reminder of what

to expect in the months ahead..

(from Kathy's friends - Sandy

& Joyce )

Congratulations once more to

those Love Birds gettin' hitched

this April 3..my sister Gwen &

one fine fellow , Jim .

A great site worth checking out...

A first time for everything.....
All I have in todays post for you .. my vast reading public...
is to relay a site worthy of your consideration..

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1429845

Groupon is free to sign on to , and get great daily deal offers ,
like the one I signed onto today...getting a complete bike
tuneup - worth $ 80 - for $39...usable until august.
Every day's deal is different & signing up is free...Check
it out !
Spring Has Sprung !!

It's not enough to 'Get my Irish up' over....

...But....it IS frustrating !!

Yes - once again , I have lost the ' First

Robin Sighting' award to --Who Else ? --

Kathy's sister , Louise ...

this very morning at about 9:11

--how appropriate...

since my hopes to snare the honors have

crashed year -after-year thanks to

her unerring Luck--or Robin-Radar--

or her putting out Robin-bait...

Look out, Wege , there's always next year....

This past week we have had

the pleasure of a revisit from

people in our past ..1991

was the last time Barry

and Harriet were in town..

having moved to New Jersey

in the early 80's , these friends,

fellow parents,educators ,

and accomplished

authors

--collectively known as 'Barriet' by their loving friends--

joined us for dinner

a couple times to relive

old glory-days

...and plan for new ones...

fun and frivolity were had by all..

Guess Which group pic was taken by George with his fancy digital slr and which by me

after not having read the doggone camera manual.....?

Hoist a cold one this St. Patty's day

to Friends

AND Family

...wherever they may be

...old or new !!

Good bye...old friend !!

He had been working tirelessly since the middle of the Carter presidency

-- with only minor injuries --

He was always happy to do his job...day and night ...

He probably had another 30 years of spunk left in him ...

He was Big, Bulky, Brawney..

..and yellow..

He had a heart of Cold..

Yes ... He was our JC Penney model 0222 Refrigerator,

now retired from serving us since July 10 , 1979...

Yes , almost 31 years !!

This is your poster-child for Anti-Obsolescence

if I've ever seen one !

Soooo , Why ..oh Why did we retire ol' Yeller ?....

Well -- a convergence of forces came into play --

- Gov't energy program rebates will return $ 75

of the cost of the New guy..

- The New guy will save us ~ $200/year in electricity

... and with less humming/buzzing/clunking noise

- Sears had a sale

- "Harvest Gold' is no longer the 'In' color

- Work has picked up enough to crack open the wallet a bit

Enter .. the New Guy ...

... Kenmore coldspot 106.6 ...

( first one to come up with a

better and more

appropriate name wins a choice

of cold beer , compliments of the

New Guy...)

(on a related note .. our early

80's era Over-the-stove

microwave is now counting

the days down to It's own

retirement..)

Younger members of the Adair

family are also making the

news ...Such as MRI Tech Kelley , shown

here in a photo taken from a recent Froedert Hospital

brochure AND a write-up in 'M Magazine' about the

excellance of Milwaukee health care ...

Kudos to Kelley !!

In other news...Jeff and

Kathy had ALL the kids

over for a recent

Saturday brunch ...

Yes folks -- this

Hurculen task of

coordination is

harder to swing

than it appears !

--And yet , So Worth

the effort ..

And lastly , we submit

for your consideration

this lovely scene of

mid-winter fun ..

..Joe , the Snowman

(center) has painstakenly

constructed a couple

of very life-like

copies of Nya (left)

and her grandma

Louise ..

Great job Joe !!

January Doldrums

Yes...the middle of january..

this post-Packer season-

pre-superbowl limbo -

when we pine for warmer

weather -- yearning for

spring-planting time, outdoor

biking/kayaking/hiking...

the snow's getting tiresome..

Cabin fever is on the horizon ..

...Or is this just Me ?

Well..we have made do by enjoying

local resources...Kathy's brothers &

sisters gathered in town ( a once in

a blue-moon occurance !) We checked

out the Art museum , Alterra coffee..

Seven Seas & La Rev

restaurants..

and of course -

Good times at our

homes , visiting..

Plenty of quality time

socializing.....

.. keeping those

January Chills

at bay...