Our last stop on this trip was a visit with Ted’s brother, Gary, and a reunion with Ted’s high school classmates.
A few years ago, there was a fire in Gary’s apartment building. It wasn’t in Gary’s apartment, but there are only four apartments in the building, and they all had water and smoke damage. When the damage was repaired, Gary was able to move to a different unit than his original apartment. He (and Ted and I) like this unit much better because the window views are open land rather than the cul de sac on which the apartment is located. This is the kitchen/living room area. There are three bedrooms along the right side of the apartment (obviously, not shown here).
On our first night together, we went out for pizza and then played sheephead, a popular Wisconsin card game. The next night, we went to a more upscale local restaurant that featured Early American decor.
The ladies’ room had an old-fashioned, comfy appearance.
Ted and I planned our trip to include time for me to see my college friends while Eileen was in Madison for a UW football weekend, and we planned our time in Kiel so that Ted could attend his high school class’s annual reunion lunch at the Altona Supper Club. Our kids used to chuckle over the term “supper club” when we traveled with them to Wisconsin. I have no idea why these restaurants have that designation, but a Google search says that “supper clubs are an iconic mainstay of Wisconsin, filled with comfort food and good conversation.” This noon meal included all the Wisconsin noontime “dinner” goodies—a variety of meats and seafood, potatoes, salad, vegetables, dinner rolls, and dessert–and everything was delicious.
Three class reunions were taking place simultaneously at the supper club. Ted attended his 50th class reunion, but that was the only time after his high school graduation that he’d seen his classmates until now, so it took us a few minutes to locate someone he recognized. After we picked up our name tags, things became easier. Without them, Ted admitted there were very few people he recognized on sight. It was a nice gathering and Ted enjoyed talking with some of his old friends. The midday reunions have been held annually for several years, and a group picture is taken every year. Ted is the third man from the right in the back row.
Before leaving this part of Wisconsin, Ted and I stopped at the Gibbsville Cheese Factory to buy some “real” (i.e., not supermarket) Wisconsin cheese to take home with us. Gibbsville offered a new version of Ted’s favorite, super sharp cheddar. The “Special Reserve Super Sharp Cheddar” brought a smile and a quick “That’s really good!” from Ted. He bought six pounds of it to take home with us. We also stopped at the Oostburg Bakery to get some bakery favorites: hard (this does not mean firm or stale) rolls, filled coffee cakes, and Danish pastries.
Of course, we needed a picture of Ted and his brother on our last evening together before Ted and I left in the morning for our long drive home.
