Book Talks 2025 -- Tom Nelson

 I happened to see that Kaukauna was having an author talk on the Edmund Fitzgerald. The hubby is big fan of the Edmund Fitzgerald and I asked him if he wanted to go. He said he did so we had date night at the library.

Tom Nelson, the current Outagamie County Executive, partnered with Jerald Podair, a professor at Lawrence University, to write Wrecked: The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy.

Many books have been written about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This book focused more of the impact of the economy and other theories on why the ship sank. Bottom line was the Edmund Fitzgerald was junk and couldn't handle another winter storm on Lake Superior. Because it wasn't owned by a parent company, they were more worried about the bottom line then the condition of the ship. 

To hear Tom Nelson and Jerald Podair talk about the book was fascinating. Both contributed to the conversation and had different perspectives (and theories) about why she sank that cold and stormy November night 50 years ago. 

There weren't many people there which was too bad. Apparently his other talks had many more people. I don't know if this one wasn't advertised very well or what. Both men gave a great talk and if you get a chance to go hear him speak about his book, definitely check it out.  

Dining Adventures 2025 -- Falls Firehouse Pizza

 Lil' Bro suggested we needed to try Firehouse Pizza in Sheboygan Falls. We aren't always down in that area for dinner that often. We finally got the opportunity to stop and try it.

Falls Firehouse Pizza is downtown Sheboygan Falls. It is open 4-9 Friday and Saturday and 4-8 Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It loos like it might be open for lunch on Fridays too. There is plenty of street parking in the area. As the name suggests, it is an old fire house.

In typical APL style, we ordered a cheese and sausage pizza plus cheese bread. They had several varieties of specialty pizza such as taco pizza. While we had water, they do have a variety of soda and beer on tap.

The cheese bread was good. It was nothing special but it was still good. 

The pizza was very good. The crust is unique and reminded us of the crust from the pizza we had when we were in Galesburg, IL. It is cracker thin and has cornmeal on the bottom.  The sausage wasn't too spicy or sweet. It was the perfect twist. The sauce wasn't too sweet either. 

We definitely will be back. Our waitress did give us a suggestion for fish in Sheboygan. She was very friendly and was surprised that we travel all over and try pizza. 

If you are in the Sheboygan or Sheboygan Falls area, definitely check out Falls Firehouse Pizza. Andrea even recommends it. 

25 in 2025 -- Try at least one new beer, cider, or cocktail -- The Gray Stuff

 For each musical at the PAC, they have a special cocktail that is based on the show. For The Lion King, it was the Lion Drop. I was excited to see the drink for Beauty and the Beast was the Gray Stuff. I definitely wanted to try that. 

The Gray Stuff was Vodka, Pineapple Juice, and triple sec with Sprite. Even though I am not a huge fan of pineapple juice, it was tempting to try. It was $12 with the glass and $8 if you have your own glass.

The Gray Stuff was good. It did not have too much pineapple taste. It could have more vodka but I get it. They have to make huge batches of it at times to make the line move quickly. It was easier to have the Grey Stuff mixed and just have to add the Sprite to it. 

I did not see many people with the Gray Stuff. I hope they made the right option for the signature drink and the rest of the run drink is popular.

I will be very curious what the drink for Hamilton be. I will be ready to try. 

Always try the signature drink because you never know when you can have the gray stuff next. 

7401. See Beauty and the Beast

 When I found out that Beauty and the Beast was coming to the PAC, I told Heather that I was taking her for my birthday since she took me to see The Lion King for her birthday. By the time I got tickets, there were few seats left but I managed to get some on the aisle stage left. 

Beauty and the Beast was in Appleton for one week only October 21-26. We had tickets for the 22nd for 7:30. I bribed the hubby with dinner to drop me off and pick me up so I didn't have to park downtown. I hitched a ride with Heather and we parked in our favorite spot and walked the couple blocks. The rain stopped by then. 

After getting in and buying our $80 sweatshirts, we snapped a few pictures before heading up to our seats.

We also grabbed beverages. I got their signature cocktail for the show -- The Gray Stuff. Since I had my cup from The Lion King, it was only $8 otherwise it would have be $12. Heather played it safe and got water, well that and she forgot her cup. Note to self-- always put it by your purse in the morning.

The view from our seats wasn't bad. We just had to lean forward to see anything in the far left side of the stage. I would definitely sit in them again. 

Ever since I saw a community theater presentation of Beauty and the Beast, I wanted to see a Broadway production of it. I was sure it was going to be amazing. The show itself was amazing. It was beautifully done.

However, the community theater (and probably the movies) ruined my experience. The costumes were a huge let down. I spent way too much time being annoyed by the costumes than I should have. Belle's blue dress was the wrong shade of blue. Madame did not look like a wardrobe. I'm not 100% sure Chip was an actual actor during most of the show. But Mrs. Potts is the wrong that bugged me the most. She looked like a southern belle not a tea pot. They could have definitely designed her costume better. At least Lumière was what I expected.

Oh and the Beast. He was almost worse than Mrs. Potts.  It took me all show to figure out what was wrong with the beast, He had no facial hair. What the heck. The beast was not hairy. Seriously annoyed the heck out of me.

Overall it was a great show and you should go see it if you get a chance. Just don't let the costumes drive you nuts. 

Dining Adventures 2025 -- Tipsy Taco

 Heather and I had tickets to see Beauty and Beast at the PAC. We decided to do dinner before hand. I suggested Tipsy Taco even though I wasn't sure the hubby would agree. I've been wanting to try Tipsy Taco for awhile. Heather's oldest kiddo likes the place so I figured it was a good choice

Tipsy Taco and Tequila Bar is downtown Appleton on Memorial Drive. It is open daily at 11 and closes between 8 and 10 depending on the night. The parking lot is shared with the Dollar Tree or you can find street parking. 

Just like the name suggests, it has tacos and tequilas. There is also burrito bowls and soup. The tacos are a regular street taco size.

Heather had a bowl and said it was very good. The hubby went with regular chicken tacos. 

I went with a steak taco and a coconut batter haddock taco. 

They certainly do not skip on the toppings for the tacos. One taco may have been enough for me. The fish taco (with the mango salsa on the side) was very good. Not quite what I expecting but it was still very good. The steak taco was also very good.

None of us had margaritas mainly because I was going to have a cocktail at the show.

The decor was fun and it was bigger inside than it looked from the outside.

I personally would go back especially with a group of friends. The hubby not one for tacos was not overly impressed. I was batting a 1000% with him dining out lately. 

If you are looking for a good place for a friends night out or a bite to eat before a show at the PAC, Tips Taco is a good choice. 

Nature of Light -- Take 2

 Stacy reached out to me asking me if I wanted to go to Nature of Light at the Paine Art Center with her family. I asked the hubby if he wanted to go even though it wasn't really his thing. He agreed. After a dinner at 1890, we headed to the Paine Art Center.

The is the second installment of Nature of Light an immersive installment of art and light that is both inside and outside of the Paine Art Center. It runs from August 1 to October 26 and tickets are $30/adults for both inside and outside. Parking is always an adventure at the Paine as the lot is not very good. We snagged  a spot in the lot but Stacy parked a few blocks away. 

Our time was 7:10. They are pretty good at getting you in on time. If you have the combo ticket, you start inside. We did the inside and outside option this year. 

Inside only the main floor of the mansion was part of the exhibit. The volunteer gave us instructions and said not to spin the sculpture in the main room or you will get dizzy. Even the gentle spinning of the prism was too much for the hubby. 

Each room featured a different prism. They all left pretty designs in the room they were in. 

After we finished the inside portion, we headed outside and followed the designed route around the mansion. It was more organized this year than it was first time. 

It was all pretty much the same but still quite fun. Even the hubby had fun.

The only downside was you had to watch the light show to continue to the second half of it. We were able to catch the tail end of it so we could join the crowd to the other side. Stacy watched the entire 7 minute show. 

The designs in the second half were great. It was full of color.

The night was chilly but it was still a nice evening. If you get a chance, check out Nature of Light if comes to location near you. 

Dining Adventures 2025 -- 1890 Pub and Bistro

 Heather mentioned that she and her husband went to this restaurant in Oshkosh for their anniversary and really liked it. When Stacy asked us to join them at the Paine for Nature of Light, I looked for a place for dinner that was not our usual places or chain restaurants. I suggested 1890 Pub and Bistro to her and she said it looked good. It a few sandwiches the hubby would eat.

1890 is located off of downtown on W. 6th St in Oshkosh. There is a small parking lot or street parking. It is open Wednesday-Monday 11:00-8:30. The building was built in 1890 so hence the name.

The inside is bigger than it looks from the outside. You enter into the bar but there is plenty of side in the back room. We had no issue getting a table for 6 on Sunday night.

The menu is not that expansive and features daily specials, burgers, sandwiches, and a handful of entrees. It is no more expensive than any other burger or bistro restaurant in the area. There is a children's menu.

The hubby ordered The 1890 Paramount which is a basic burger. It came with fries. I went with a hot chicken bowl. We both ordered chicken dumpling soup. The guys shared ribs, Stacy got fish, and the kiddo had corn dogs from the children's menu.

The hubby said his burger was okay. He said no onion and it came with onions For the price, he said can get a better burger elsewhere. 

My chicken bowl came with tomatoes on it and I ordered it with no tomatoes. I forgot how much heat hot chicken really had. Don't touch your eye after touching hot chicken sauce. Once I got over the hot chicken heat, it was actually really good. It came with fried pickles which was a selling point. I actually ate most of it. 

Stacy said her fish was good just needed more food. The guys devoured their ribs so they must have been good.

Overall not a bad experience. Our messed up orders did annoy us but other than (and a pesky fly) it was fine. The hubby said he won't go back if it was just the two of us but with a group of people it was fine. I would go back just for the hot chicken bowl with fried pickles. 

If you are looking for a different place to eat in Oshkosh, check out 1890 Pub and Bistro. 

Book Talks 2025 -- Ron Rindo

 As usual I was browsing Facebook and saw an event for a book signing for a book I just finished the Advanced Reader Copy of. I really enjoyed the book and I wanted a copy of it. It was the same day as the opening day at the Trout so I dragged Danielle along with me to Barnes and Nobles.

Barnes and Nobles advertised it as an Author Signed. The post literally said come meet Oshkosh Author Ron Rindo and get your book signed. I figured I'd get a copy of Life, & Death & Giants signed and we'd be on our way in a few minutes. 

Danielle stops by the cafe for a snack and I wander over to where he was going to be signing and stopped. There were chairs set up. I walk sheepishly back to Danielle and informed her it was a book talk and not just a signed. I claimed some seats and waited for it to begin.

 Life, & Death & Giants is a debut novel about an Amish Giant from Central Wisconsin that excels at sports and eventually plays football at Madison. He has to struggle with the balance of his old life and new life along with how it affects the people around him. Without out giving too much away, it is really good book. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it based on the title but I couldn't put it down. It was a quick read that touched on many different issues and how people deal with it.

Ron talked about his book and why he chose to write this book including the Amish and Giant piece. Like many authors a sentence read in an article sparked the idea and it took off. 

Even though I was just there to get my book signed, it was fascinating to learn the whys behind the story. 

I also learned he is a fellow Carroll Alum. 

It was a good afternoon and I need to keep tabs on Barnes and Nobles Facebook page for more author events. Definitely check out his book and always support new authors. 

Checking out the New Trout Museum of Art

 The Trout Museum of Art moved to a new location on College Ave. It was closed for a few months while they moved. Danielle and I went to the closing exhibit at the old location so it was fitting we would go to the opening of the new location. 

The official opening was at 10 am and we both said that was way too earlier. We decided to head there after lunch. Thanks to Boldt Construction, admission to the museum is free for the first year. We parked at the library and walked. I hate parking downtown and really loathe parking ramps.

The museum itself is nice and bright. It is very spacious with high ceilings and multiple galleries on the first floor. I love the brightness of it.

The art was art. I'm beginning to realize how not an art gallery person I really am. I just found all the art to be completely random. Don't get me wrong it was very museum worthy art but each exhibit was just very random.

The fiber arts were definitely more my style even though I didn't quite get the point of some of it.

The Home Rules exhibit by Michelle Grabner was definitely my favorite. It was all very random but it was fun to look at. I like art that is fun to look at. 

The glass pieces were also my style and I enjoyed those. 

So maybe I am not just a painting kind of person. 

I did like it was a bit more interactive and made you think of the art by giving you questions to answer.

If you are in Appleton, definitely take some time this winter to go check out the new Trout Museum of Art. It has more space than the old museum and can have larger exhibits. It is worth the parking hassle and admission is free.