Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers! I wish each and every one of you a great day surrounded by family and friends filled with love and happiness. Plus I cannot forget complete with delicious food.

My Thanksgiving festivities began Tuesday night with my Red Stag volleyball team. Winning two out of three games and enjoying a dinner filled with laughs was a fantastic start. Then on Wednesday, I made the drive down to Franklin by Dad and Chris. First on the list of things to do was to go grocery shopping, which was a zoo. Second on the list was to begin cooking some of the menu items so Thursday is less hectic. I started by making the traditional turkey dressing, which is a generational recipe passed down from my great-great grandmother, Alma Heilemann (Judy Selin Klein, Jean Heilemann Selin, Ruth Dunn Heilemann, Alma Erich Heilemann). Peeling and chopping apples, chopping celery, adding raisins, crushing crackers, and cooking on the stove top is all that is needed in making this special recipe. While the dressing is cooking down, I peeled potatoes and made Dad’s favorite pumpkin pie (one of Mom’s special recipes). During all of this slicing, dicing, peeling and chopping, I was waiting for Mom to walk down the hallway and tell me how great everything. However, I do know she was looking down on me and guiding me through the cooking process.

Once these menu items were complete, I had enough time to quick clean up and get myself ready to join some special friends for dinner and a little fun out at the bars. Melissa, Anne, Greg, Kelly, Mike, Vanessa, and I celebrated Thanksgiving Eve by listening to a band at Bulwinkles and dancing at the Ale House. Always fun at our ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving party!

Now to the big day! Dad and I are tag teaming the Thanksgiving dinner and celebrating another Packer victory. Bring on yummy turkey, turkey dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and relish, peas and carrots, and rolls. Dad, Chris, Cassie and I will be indulging in this tasty dinner around 5 – 6 p.m. and then letting the turkey coma set in for the evening.

Tomorrow will be a day of recovery, maybe some shopping if I am brave enough, and then a fun Black Friday party with friends.

Saturday is a day of more food and family! The Klein family will descend upon the Kreys’ house in Valders for the annual Klein Thanksgiving. We will all be ready to feast on a big Italian dinner and most likely achieving the goal of being uncomfortably full. In between all of the food eating, we will find time to plan the menu for our Moroccan Christmas dinner.

Come Sunday, I will be back in Appleton recovering from five straight days of partying with family and friends and watching football.

So after all of this, what am I most thankful for? I am most thankful for my Dad and brother; for Mom teaching me how to cook for my family so we can keep our family traditions alive; for the Klein family and all of the memories we create when we are together; for my very special friends - Melissa, Anne, Greg, Kelly, Mike, Vanessa, and Cassie; for all other great people in my life. So very blessed with the circle of family and friends I have in my life.

Cheers to family, friends and traditions! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day (or 5 day affair like mine) and until next time, take care and talk to you soon!

Lighthouse Hop #3: Sturgeon Bay

Continuing my travels towards Door County, I finally reached the threshold – Sturgeon Bay! My exploration of Sturgeon Bay was focused on two structures: the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Lighthouse and the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light. (Since I had already visited the Sherwood Point Lighthouse, the third lighthouse in Sturgeon Bay, I only visited these two in order to quicken my trip.) Next time I go back to Sturgeon Bay, I definitely want to do more sightseeing and shopping as well as visit the Door County Maritime Museum.

Interesting notes about these two lights are that they are a stone’s throw from each other and are both operated by the Coast Guard, which is very apparent when you arrive. In fact there is a specific sidewalk for visitors with a painted yellow stripe down the middle, stating “Public” on one side and “Private” on the other. If you cross the line onto the private side, you are trespassing.

Once you overcome the fear of walking on the wrong side of the yellow line, viewing the lighthouses is enjoyable and slightly adventurous. The first one you notice will be the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Lighthouse, a white steel tower standing a proud 98 feet. Outside of the white tower is steel lattice braces to support the tower. Inside the tower is a winding staircase complete with 115 interior steps. At the top sits a cast iron lantern room with a watchroom underneath it that has four porthole-style windows to pier out. The light inside the lantern room flashes white and red lights alternately, which is now automated. This lighthouse was built in 1898-1899, with a steel support structure added in 1903.

After viewing the Ship Canal Lighthouse, I took the walk down the Public/Private sidewalk and spied the red Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light with its forever-long black steel catwalk. Feeling adventurous yet hesitant, I walked out on the concrete breakwater under the catwalk towards the red 2.5 story lighthouse to get a better view. Before one walks out onto the breakwater, you feel that there is enough room for you to walk and not fall off or get wet. Then you start the walk, people are passing on the other side and suddenly the 20 feet wide breakwater feels like a tightrope and you are getting splashed. Recognizing that time was not on my side, I made it three-fourths of the way down the breakwater, snapped some pictures, and high-tailed it out of there!

This big red lighthouse was built in 1903, replacing one previously built in 1882. It stands strongly on a concrete island with the catwalk extending over to it. Facing out to the lake is a tower with an octagonal lantern that houses a sixth-order Fresnel light that displays a fixed red light. Surprisingly enough, at one time in its early history, the lighthouse was white instead of red. Personally I like the red structure, and it harmonizes nicely with the Ship Canal Lighthouse up on the hill.

Before I sign off on my trip about the Sturgeon Bay Lighthouses, here is a little history about the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. This canal connects Sturgeon Bay with Lake Michigan and was constructed in 1872 to support maritime traffic. Finally completed in 1881-1882, the 11-mile long passage cost approximately $300,000. The canal cut about 70 miles of travel off mariners’ trips to Milwaukee or Chicago, and allowed them to avoid Porte des Morts (Death’s Door or Door of Death) at the north point of Door County, in between Plum Island and the Peninsula.

Knocking off two lighthouses with one stop, I climbed back in the truck, made a pit stop, and followed Highway 57 to Bailey’s Harbor for more lighthouse viewing. So until next time, take care and talk to you soon!

Lighthouse Hop #2: Kewaunee and Algoma

Pulling myself away from the Rawley Point Lighthouse and Point Beach State Park was hard to do, but it had to be done so I could make it to Fish Creek in time for sunset. Since I cannot stop the sun’s descent, it was a race against time. So I jumped back in the truck and continued north to Kewaunee and Algoma. These stops were quick since accessing both lighthouses are easy to spot from Highway 42 and have convenient parking.

The Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse can be found standing about 43 feet high at the end of a concrete pier just off of Ellis St. This lighthouse, constructed in 1931, replaced range lights that were built in 1891 and was built on top of the fog signal building that was previously there. It is equipped with an octagonal lantern and fifth-order Fresnel lens that glows bright white. Today the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse is still active, operated by the Coast Guard and is electrified.

Following some quick snapshots of the Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse and a brief debate of whether or not to stop at a local sports bar and grill for a quick cold one (I decided not to stop…time was moving too fast), I was bound for Algoma!

As I drove the 12 miles north to Algoma, I got to roll through Alaska…Wisconsin that is! Granted it is a short cruise through Alaska, but one does get to say they are in Alaska (fun way to surprise your friends like I did with a text to Melissa). Once in Algoma, you will see a red tower in the distance marking the mouth of the Ahnapee River, this is the Algoma North Pierhead Light. The first lighthouse that was built in Algoma was called the Ahnapee Light Station (1893). In 1932, the red tower took over as the symbol of Algoma, standing a proud 42 feet high. There are two observation levels, one midway up and one surrounding the lantern room.  A long catwalk runs from the lighthouse to the shore so lighthouse keepers could safely access the tower, especially during the winter. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light (coming to a blog near you in the coming week) is the only other lighthouse in Wisconsin to have a long catwalk.

One other fun photo opportunity before you walk out to the Algoma North Pierhead Light is Christmas Tree Ship Point. There is a sign that stands next to a Christmas tree stating, “52 Schooners transporting Christmas trees to Milwaukee and Chicago passed this point in the 1800s. Captain Herman Schuenemann of the Christmas Tree Ship, Rouse Simmons,” was born in Algoma. One of those 52 Schooners, Lady Ellen, is located upriver between the two bridges in its final resting place.” I quickly searched Christmas Tree Ship Point on Google and apparently there are many detailed stories about the schooners and Herman (so not spelling that last name again). Maybe I’ll save that reading for a rainy day. But definitely go and check out Christmas Tree Ship Point!

Following my photo opps in Algoma, I was back on the road towards Sturgeon Bay and three more lighthouses! Until next time when I share my journey in Sturgeon Bay, take care and talk to you soon!

Lighthouse Hop #1: Two Rivers, WI

As I stated on Tuesday, my Door County Lighthouse trip started in Two Rivers, WI. Two Rivers is home to the East and West Twin Rivers (hence its name), Ice Cream Sundae, commercial fishing, two lighthouses, and numerous members of the Klein family. Since it is the hometown of my Dad, his brothers and sisters, and several other close family members, I have visited Two Rivers countless times during my 32 years of life (almost every single one of those years). Some may say I’m crazy! Some may say I’m lucky! I personally believe that I’m both. Two Rivers does hold a special place in my heart, and I have found two new reasons to love Two Rivers: the Two Rivers North Pierhead Light and Rawley Point Lighthouse.

Two Rivers North Pierhead Light-Rogers Fishing Village

Rawley Point Lighthouse

The Two Rivers North Pierhead Light was built in 1886 to mark the harbor entrance of a growing fishing village. The red wooden pierhead stood 36 feet tall on the north pier of Two Rivers Harbor where a fixed red light shined brightly. The lantern room is a decagonal cast-iron structure with a sixth-order Fresnel lens and oil wick lamp. By 1928, the pierhead received extensive repairs and was electrified. In 1969, the pierhead was retired and replaced by a steel tower with an automated light (boring). Following its retirement the upper portion of the pierhead was moved to the Rogers Street Fishing Village on the East Twin River. A wooden staircase leads you up to an observation platform to overlook the river and the surrounding area. At the museum, you can see a replica engine room, Buddy O the Lake Michigan fishing tug and various fishing artifacts.

About five miles north of the Two Rivers North Pierhead Light, located in the Point Beach State Park and a few miles away from Port Sandy Bay Restaurant, the Rawley Point Lighthouse stands. Right now, this lighthouse comes in close second to the Sherwood Point Lighthouse as one of my favorite lighthouses because of its location. Several lighthouses stood in the area where Rawley Point does today and has been known by several different names: Twin River Point Light, Twin Rivers Light, Point Beach Light, and Two Rivers Lighthouse. The first one of these lights was built in 1854. The current steel erector-style structure was originally located in Chicago and was part of the 1893 Columbian Exposition hosted there. Following the exposition, the structure was taken down and rebuilt behind the keeper’s house, which was part of one of the original lighthouses. The white, eight-legged steel structure stands 111 feet high, dwarfing the house, and is the second tallest lighthouse in Wisconsin (Michigan Island Light Tower of the Apostle Islands, WI, stands 112 ft.). Below the decagonal lantern room sits two watchrooms with ornate fencing, a unique characteristic.

Today, the Rawley Point Lighthouse is a vacation destination used for U.S. Coast Guard staff and is off limits to the public. However, if you walk the tree line and sandy, boardwalk trails near the lighthouse, like I did, you can see it and get some great pictures. These trails lead to the shores of Lake Michigan, and the views are quite serene and peaceful. At one point while I was walking the trails, I kicked off my shoes and socks to walk in the soft sand, which was surprisingly warm still for being October. So between the unique structure of the lighthouse and its peaceful landscape, I found it to be one of my favorites. If I didn’t have to rush off to visit the next lighthouses on my journey, I could have spent all day viewing the lighthouse and sinking my toes in the sand.

One last note, besides sharing the same city only five miles apart, the Two Rivers North Pierhead Light and Rawley Point Lighthouse shared lighthouse keepers. The keeper lived at Rawley Point and made the trek south to check on the pierhead…two for the price of one.

This concludes my latest visit to Two Rivers. Next stop Kewaunee and Algoma! Until next time, take care and talk to you soon!

Lighthouse Hopping and Pub Crawling

What an incredible weekend! This past weekend my dad, brother, Cassie, and I went to Door County for a fall getaway and primarily for a Door County Trolley Haunted Pub Crawl on Saturday night. For me personally, I packed as much sight-seeing as one possibly could by driving through/visiting every town in Door County…check, check and check! At the same time I had to keep telling myself that this was not going to be my only visit to Door County so I could save some stuff for next time. I am definitely ready to go back in a heartbeat.

Friday’s Itinerary: lighthouse hopping along the coast of Lake Michigan starting in Two Rivers and ending in Bailey’s Harbor; meeting up with Cassie and Chris at Copper’s Corner in Fish Creek for a quick drink; witnessing a gorgeous golden orange sunset at Sunset Beach Park; back to Copper’s Corner for dinner; to the Waterbury Inn in Ephraim to check in and then catch a quick dip in the pool/hot tub. By 9 p.m., Dad caught up to us, and he and I sat in the lobby to catch up on life. We finally called it a night at midnight.

  

Saturday’s Itinerary: breakfast at Al Johnson’s (the restaurant that has goats on a grass roof) in Sister Bay;

back to Fish Creek to Peninsula State Park with stops at the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Welker’s Point, Eagle Panorama, Eagle Tower, and Sven’s Bluff;

satisfied our sweet tooth with treats at Not Licked Yet; walked through various shops; dinner at Greenwood’s Super Club (John Dillinger was known to stop at this restaurant), and then it finally was pub crawling time!

Trolleys were waiting for us at Carrington’s Pub and Grill, part of Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor, to take us to four Door County establishments within four hours. Part of the pub crawl included a plastic rocks glass that lit up with green, red, and blue blinking blubs. (Can any of you see Dad with a Brandy Manhattan on the rocks with olives in a lighted rocks glass? I never thought it would happen but it did! I have proof!)

Once we received our “confidence juice” (according to Tour Guide Bruce), we climbed aboard Katie the Trolley for our night of haunting fun. Since I highly recommend this tour, I will not spoil the ghost stories, but I will share the four pubs we crawled to. First stop was the Alpine Resort, think the hotel in the movie The Shining. Second stop was Shipwrecked Brew Pub/Inn and Restaurant, the only micro brewery in Door County. Both stops one and two are located in Egg Harbor. Third stop was The Blue Ox in Bailey’s Harbor. Fourth stop was the Peninsula Pub on Hwy A outside of Bailey’s Harbor.

Sunday’s Itinerary: recovery, back to Al Johnson’s for breakfast, then all the way to the tippy top of the peninsula…Ellison Bay to Gills Rock to Northport. Once we got to the very top, we watched a car ferry sail off to Washington Island. From there, we wound our way back down to the Cana Island Lighthouse in Bailey’s Harbor. The last lighthouse on my list to make this trip complete!

The four of us then concluded our trip with a stop back at Shipwrecked for a late lunch and a little Packer action!

And just like that, the weekend was over, and I was on my way back home. So sad because I had so much fun, loved visiting all of the lighthouses, and enjoyed viewing the beautiful scenery that Door County has to offer. I hope my next trip to Door County will be during the warmer months so I can go to the lighthouses on the islands (there are 4 island-based lighthouses I need to visit), hike Peninsula State Park, go to the Whitefish Dunes State Park and Newport State Park, and whatever else I can find.

As I said earlier, I highly recommend a trip to Door County and definitely add a trolley tour to your list of things to do, especially the Haunted Pub Crawl. They do offer the Haunted Pub Crawl from July – October, but I’d do it in October again purely because of its spooky fun.

Some people bar hop. I, on the other hand, prefer to lighthouse hop and pub crawl! To each his/her own, I guess. My next entries will provide you with more detail and history about the 10 lighthouses I hopped to. So until then, take care, and I will talk to you soon!

Sherwood Point Lighthouse

Tomorrow Dad, Chris, Cassie and I are headed to Door County for a three day weekend of relaxation, sight-seeing and fun! We are headed to the west side of the Peninsula (Ephraim and Fish Creek) and staying at the Waterbury Inn. Couple weekends ago when I was home, Chris and Dad talked about all of the favorite places they would go with Mom. All of their stories made Cassie and I even more excited about our trip to Door County, and it may me miss all the times I was not able to go Door County with Mom, Dad and Chris.

While Mom, Dad and Chris had their fun in Door County all those years, I had a bit of my own adventure in Door County. Last year, over Memorial Day weekend, I joined my cousins Kris and Shannon and their camping crew up at Yogi Bear Jellystone Campground in Sturgeon Bay. After hanging with them, enjoying campfires and games, but before I headed home, I ventured over to one of the lighthouses in Sturgeon Bay, the Sherwood Point Lighthouse. Of the lighthouses I have seen to date, the Sherwood Point Lighthouse is my favorite structure. I really like the look of the building and how it overlooks Lake Michigan. While researching the Sherwood Point Lighthouse, I learned a couple things that reaffirmed this lighthouse is one of my favorites thus far.

The first thing I learned is that the reddish-brown brick building, built in 1883 on the western entry into Sturgeon Bay, was modeled after an old schoolhouse. Notice the rectangular-shaped building with numerous large windows. Can’t you envision having school in this building…how cool would that have been! For me, I also see a close resemblance to the former St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Franklin (Chris and Dad, use your imagination.) The Sherwood Point Lighthouse is the only red brick lighthouse in Door County, which is a 1 ½ -story building with a white tower that stands 35 feet tall. Since it is that tall plus built on the limestone bluff of Sturgeon Bay, the white light’s focal plane is 61 feet over the water.

The second interesting fact is the history of its keepers. The original lighthouse keeper was Henry Stanley who transferred from the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, also in Door County (the family and I will be visiting this one on Saturday…I’ll share more about that one soon). Stanley’s niece, Minnie Hesh from New York, came for a visit and ended up staying permanently. By 1889, she married William Cochems, who was a prominent businessman and assistant keeper. When Stanley, Cochems became the main lighthouse keeper and Minnie became the assistant keeper in 1898. For 30 years, Minnie (Hesh) Cochems served as the assistant lighthouse keeper. Her husband placed a marker on the northeast corner of the lighthouse to honor her service and commitment. (I wish I would have known about this marker at the time I took pictures – all the more reason to go back and visit my favorite lighthouse.)

Minnie Cochems was one of many female lighthouse keepers. Since lighthouse keeping was a family role, wives would serve as assistant keepers or main keepers when their husbands would die. According to Wisconsin Lighthouses, women learned how the lights worked, tended to the lights and the house, raised families, and rescued sailors. (Impressive!) While Minnie Cochems served at Sherwood Point Lighthouse, other women served at lighthouses in the Apostle Islands, Kenosha (Southport) Light, and the Old Port Washington Light Station.

Other fun notes about the Sherwood Point Lighthouse include: 1) it was electrified in the 1930s, 2) it was the last manned lighthouse on the United States side of the Great Lakes, 1983, 3) the white building in front of the lighthouse is the fog signal built in 1892, 4) it is said to be haunted by the spirit of Minnie Cochems – visitors may see a shadow of a lady in a nightgown. For more on Door County's haunted lighthouses go to: http://dcmm.org/.

Well I better go and continue mapping out my trip to Ephraim and Fish Creek…maybe I’ll stop at a lighthouse or two or more. I hope when you visit Sturgeon Bay, Door County, WI, you stop and see the Sherwood Point Lighthouse, and if you’re lucky the spirit of Minnie Cochems. If you do see the lighthouse or her, you totally have to tell me! Until next time, enjoy life and take care!

Making friends is hard to do...especially if you are a turkey!

While working on a project at my desk, suddenly ADD took over (McT, you know what I'm talking about). To cure my ADD, I stood up, walked around for a bit, and then as I was walking back into my office, I looked out the window.

Little background before I continue...my office building backs onto a nature preserve. On the north side of the building there is a large, concrete, half-circle seating area where groups can host a campfire. This seating area is tiered so it looks like large, deep steps.

View from my office window/scene of the activity

On these same steps, during the spring, a couple co-workers and I rescued eight turkey babies (known as a poult). Mom was strutting around on the back side of the concrete steps; while the babies were running around on the steps not able to get by mom. They would try to get up by her by jumping, hitting the top rim of the step and then fall backwards. Granted it was humorous watching them do this, but the little guys were stressing out. So, my co-workers and I helped get the babies back to mom by draping a towel over them, scooping them up and flipping them over the step. Then they would scurry off in to the grasses by mom. I do feel a slight attachment to these turkeys because I rescued them.

Back to my sighting, and trust me I wish I had my camera today. As I looked outside, I saw a little rabbit munching on some grass (minding his own business), four hefty crows hanging out, and a woodchuck walking around on the concrete steps. All of sudden a family of turkeys came strutting through the area. It was the same turkey family that I rescued – mom, dad and the eight chicks, which were now teenagers (they grow up so quickly). The teenage turkeys were a curious group. My guess is that they wanted to make friends...I can hear them saying, "wanna be my friend?" I watched the turkeys wander over to check out the rabbit, and the rabbit had no interest in the turkeys. So he said, "Forget it, I'm outta here," and ducked under a bush. The turkeys then saw the woodchuck, and tried see if he would be their friend. I'm not really sure the woodchuck acknowledged the turkeys because he kept plodding along until he disappeared into the tall grasses. Now that these turkeys were shot down by a rabbit and a woodchuck, I think they felt the four large-and-in-charge crows would be a good choice. (I could have told them that they were not very nice birds.) Not being able to give them a clue, I watched the turkeys approach the crows. The four crows advanced towards the turkeys, making a few of the turkeys run closer to mom and dad. I figured the crows said some mean words to upset the turkeys. Then one by one, the crows left. One crow stood there and flapped his wings, one crow turned his head and walked the other way, one crow squawked and flew away, and the last crow just plain flew away. For a moment, I was expecting a battle of the birds: turkeys vs. crows.

The poor turkey kids did not make any friends. I felt bad for them, but I did continue to watch the family of turkeys poke around in the grass for food until they disappeared into the prairie grasses and trees.

Definitely an interesting observation of wildlife, and it did consume some time so my ADD could settle down. Granted my ADD led me to writing this story rather than tackling my project. Guess I better get back to that. Hope you are all well, and I will write soon!