On This Date in 1998: April 11

In spite of our being away from home, on vacation if only for a day, we were all in bed by ten o’clock last night.  After the conclusion of an animated version of “Robin Hood” on the Disney Channel, the boys argued over what to watch next.  I said I’d make the choice and told Andy, in control of the remote, to surf through the selections.  He stopped at a rerun of “Mad About You”, which JoAnna quickly endorsed.  Andy agreed with Mom’s choice, and Eddie made no comment.  I’m not particularly fond of this show; I would have preferred a further exploration of our choices.  After 5 minutes, I took off my glasses turned onto my stomach, and let the drone of the TV soothe me to sleep.

            
After our initial visits to the pools yesterday afternoon, we cruised the main streets of Wisconsin Dells and neighboring Lake Delton looking for a place to eat dinner.   Prior to our departure from the Aloha Pavilion, the larger of the two indoor pool areas, Andy had been urging us on with his insistent pleas, “I’m really hungry!:  Back at our room, I checked the yellow pages listings in the phone book.  JoAnna wanted fish, which immediately brought a whiny and negative reaction from Andy.  We assured him that any restaurant we went to would have other items on the menu.

            
I recalled a placed I had eaten at last year, after a librarians’ meeting at the new Wisconsin Dells public library.  We found it located right next to Fischer’s Supper Club, the one listing in the phone book that had caught my attention.  The Cheese House (had forgotten the name of the restaurant) serves a specialized menu with a lot of vegetarian items.  No fish.  So we ended up at the supper club, which has a very stylish, almost 1930s/1940s Hollywood ambiance.  Low ceilings.  Dim, but not dark, lighting.  The spacious floor plan eliminates a feeling of confinement or crowdedness, though.

            
This being the off-season, we were seated immediately.  JoAnna ordered salmon and I ordered the broiled cod, which we shared, and the boys selected chicken strips from the kids’ menu.  Before our meals arrived, though, we were served a basket of rolls, which included warmed corn fritter with honey butter, and a relish tray, the signature supper club side dish.  The food was excellent.  Jo’s baked potato looked tasty, and my hash browns were done to perfection, crunchy on the outside, initially hot to the taste on the inside.  I could have made a meal of a plateful of them.

            
Back at the hotel, we spent another two hours at the pools before calling it a day.  While the boys frolicked in the waterslide and basketball pools in the Aloha Pavilion, Mom and Dad retreated to the glass enclosed Tiki Bar & Grill, where we played Casino (a two-handed card game) and drank margaritas (just one apiece).

January 12, 1991

Originally, I had thought, "Oh, great, a day off.  Now I'll have a chance to read like I did during Christmas vacation."  So what happened?  The family went out to eat during the morning, trying out a new restaurant, the Coppertop, located just off Whitney Way and the Beltline.  It's Eddie's first meal away from home, one that he sleeps through.

During the afternoon, JoAnna and I rearrange the guest room and I take the dead battery out of the Nissan and unsuccessfully attempt to replace it.  I stop at the library to check out the Motown CDs that have arrived in delivery.  I don't see the early, more obscure songs I'm looking for, the ones that will allow me to resume taping.

During the evening, JoAnna and I play two games of Casino before going to bed.  We split.

December 29, 1990

I wake up early and use a couple of solitary hours to record music.  I spend the day reading, helping Andy with his United States puzzle while holding a cuddly little Eddie Guy, and playing Casino with JoAnna.

I get some fresh air during the afternoon scraping the ice off the sidewalk.  I drive to the hardware store to buy three bags of salt and a new snow shovel,  having irreparably damaged one while shoveling us out of a record snowfall earlier in the month.   By late afternoon, JoAnna is complaining about cabin fever, so I suggest we play Casino.  I'm still in the mood for four more days of seclusion at home.  By next Wednesday, I'll be ready to go back to work.