The first priority was scratching that shopping itch. So, after getting our room, we went to a few places he was interested in. But storms were moving in--another round of thunderstorms was moving through Wisconsin. We ducked them for a while, but as we drove west towards a Barnes & Noble bookstore, we could see the rapidly darkening clouds right at us.
The skies really looked ugly. No picture: I had the camera along, but I was busy enough as chauffeur and navigator to worry about pictures. We almost made it. Just as we pulled into the bookstore's parking lot, the skies opened up with heavy rain, and we had to wait out the worst of it. The clouds weren't as ominous looking as before, but here's what the radar looked like on my phone ...
The rain eased off, we dashed inside, shopped for a while and later returned to our motel. It was dark by now, but lightning was still flashing, and I decided to try to get a picture as it went Zap! Why did I bother? My camera will not do a time exposure without a tripod, and I didn't bring one along. There was only occasional flashes, and before long I went back inside for the night.
The storms moved through during the night, and the next morning was bright and sunny. We were back on the road, heading to a place south and west of Wausau and north of Marshfield. With all the rain central Wisconsin has been getting, the corn is growing well ...
And so was a big field of sunflowers ...
Our destination was Jurustic Park, which features displays of whimsical creatures made entirely of scrap metal. My wife and I stopped there in '09, but we arrived too late--they were already closed for the day. We resolved to return and bring David along ...
They had creatures big and small, made by a retired lawyer with a fertile imagination who likes to play with bits of scrap metal and make creatures out of it. Here are a few examples ...
They had dancing cats ...
... and shiny fish ...
They had a pair of human dancers ...
Nearby it said:
"Life may not be the party you expected.
"But while you are here, you may as well dance."
They have a "Hobbit House" as a gift shop ...
... that had other whimsical metal sculptures inside, made by other artists ...
And would you believe the price of admission? Free. Believe me, I had a hard time posting just five pictures.
But we had to return to Wausau. We had planned to visit the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum ... but then my wife learned about a quilt supply shop that she just had to visit. We decided: I will drop her off there, and then David and I will go to the art museum.
No pictures allowed inside--very unfortunate because they had a fascinating exhibit, by the International Guild of Realism. It was called "The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century." It featured modern versions of classic paintings.
Here's an example: You probably have seen Raphael's painting of "The Three Graces", haven't you?
In the modernized version, it was at a beach, with the three girls posed exactly the same way. But this time they were wearing two-piece swimsuits. One of them has a tattoo on the small of her back. In the background, a typical modern-day beach scene.
Here's another: The famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Vermeer. The updated version was called "Girl with Piercings": a modern day girl, exact same pose, wearing modern dress and piercings on her ears, cheek and lips.
Very clever creations! But we only had a half hour to look them over and admire--the museum was about to close for the day. Very rush-rush, but I'm glad we got even that much. The exhibit will be open at the Wausau museum through Aug. 29.
David had one other thing he wanted to see while in Wausau: The Chucks ...
The Wisconsin Woodchucks are one of the teams in the Northwoods League, which is a summer collegiate baseball league. The teams are composed of college players; they all have eligibility remaining and are not paid. They usually board with host families in the area. But unlike college baseball, they use wooden bats and swing them at minor-league quality baseballs. It's a fast, intense season: 70 games in about 75 days from early June through mid August. Then they go back to school.
The players get to compete against other top college players in hopes of eventually getting drafted or signed by a major league team. Same with the umpires, except they are paid by the league. The umps want to get to the majors, too.
The Woodchucks play home games at Athletic Field, which used to house Wausau's minor league team. It's a small ballpark, but the team gets good support. On the night we visited, it was a perfect night for baseball ...
Last night's storm washed out the game, so they played two seven-inning games this night, and we stayed for the first game before hitting the road for home. The game was scoreless until the Woodchucks' Brock Stassi hit a home run in the last of the 5th inning. He got a hero's welcome as he returned to the dugout ...
The team wore stars-and-stripes shirts due to a promotion--the shirts were auctioned off after the game. Stassi's home run was the only run: The Chucks won that game 1-0 and went on to win the second game 2-1.
****
More fun and games last week: I covered the local rodeo last weekend, and that was pretty spectacular and even a little scary. I'll show what I mean later.
Hot and humid weather made a return visit early this week, but the air is cool and crisp today--lows into the 40s the next two nights. Back to August norms early next week, when I visit S and her GF. We are visiting an animal farm south of Oshkosh and maybe seeing a movie at night--they haven't been to a movie in quite a while. The usual cozy accommodations.
Tomorrow, my wife and I go back on the road for a day or two. Destination: Wisconsin Rapids. Event: A Betty Boop Festival. It seems the animator who created Betty in 1930 was born in Wisconsin Rapids, and they are honoring him this weekend. The first BB cartoon came out 80 years ago this month.
We both really enjoy Betty's cartoons and expect to have a very good time.
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