wisconsin

On the road

Lake Michigan

I was thinking about eyes. They take in light. Images pour in. Movement. My brain processes them into things I recognize. My ears take in sounds. Add music and conversation. My brain keeps track of it. I’m driving. My hands on the wheel. The cruise control the gears the radio.

Feet on the pedal. Brain keeps track of sights sounds conversation cars. Surrounded by semis. Speeding up to get around semis. Rain starting. Windshield wipers. Billboards along the road. Leonard singing Hallelujah. Bruce belting tramps like us baby we were born to run…. Billboard flashing. Anti choice. God is here. He sent Trump. Brief thoughts about possible identities of “he”.

Impressive all the things we can do simultaneously.

Art Museum

Saw an interesting exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Some of it thought provoking. Some of it just depressing because of what it represents. All the horrible history. America in denial:

“In Native America: In Translation, 10 artists consider Indigenous histories, cultures, and representation through a contemporary lens. Photography, a medium historically used to suppress and stereotype Native cultures, is reclaimed by these artists, who are, in the words of the curator Wendy Red Star, “opening up space in the art world for new ways of seeing and thinking.”” (From museum pamphlet)

Lake Michigan was crazy with big waves. Too cold to surf.

Victory Day Moscow

May 8th, Victory Day or VE Day, marks the end of World War II in Europe.  Due to the time changes, the Russians celebrate this occasion on May 9th.  They have military parades on Red Square, civilian parades down city streets, run old war movies all day on TV, and they gather with family and friends to eat and make many toasts. The USSR suffered the most casualties of any country during World War II, estimated at 27 million.  China comes in a distant second with 10 million. Indeed they have reason to celebrate.

I was in Moscow in 1995 when Boris Yeltsin pulled out all the stops to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this day. Celebrities from all over the world attended including US President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister John Major, French President Francois Mitterrand, and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

We were living in an apartment on the 5th floor right on Tverskaya, one of the main streets downtown that led right into Red Square and on the parade route.

One night we were shaken out of bed in the middle of the night. I thought it was an earthquake, but it kept going and going and after a while I thought we were being invaded because it sounded like large trucks. I looked out the window and there were huge tanks rolling down the middle of our street in the middle of the night. What was going on? Turns out they were practicing for the big military parades on Victory day. This went on for several weeks.

On May 8th, we were glued to the BBC watching the celebrations in the UK including the church service at St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace with the Queen and the Queen Mum. From there BBC took us to Paris and we saw the parade around the Arc de Triumph and down the Champs Elysees.

We took the video camera and went down to Red Square and saw the big banners and the stage set up. The Hare Krishnas placed a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier (very surreal). We ran into some high school students from Wisconsin who said they were part of a marching band. We figured they were just on some school trip.

On May 9th we didn’t have to leave our apartment. First we watched the parade on Red Square on TV. Then the Communists paraded down our street so we watched them from the balcony and later in the day those tanks came rolling down in formation.

The last parade of the day was the marching bands. And in the middle of all the marching bands was the McFarland High School Band from Wisconsin playing “On Wisconsin”.

Unbelievable.

 

The 70th Anniversary celebrations last week were the largest in Russian history but President Obama and the EU leaders chose not to attend this time.

Any gathering in Russia starts with Zakuski.  These are the warm ups, the small plates, the appetizers.  They can include beet salads, potato salads, cabbage salads, pickled mushrooms, pickled herring, dried fish, caviar, or any other thing you can think of.  Just so there is lots of it.  For the toasts, vodka is the staple, followed by cognac for desert.  Sometimes champagne precedes the vodka.

Here are a couple of my favorite Zakuski (they are easy to make):

Julienne (Mushrooms in Sour Cream)

1 lb mushrooms

3 Tbsp butter

1 ½ Tbsp flour

1 cup sour cream

½ tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Slice the mushrooms.  Sauté in butter for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring.  Add sour cream and lemon juice.  Keep the heat low and cook for 15 minutes more.  If the sauce seems too thin, sprinkle in a little flour or if too thick add water.  The sauce should be like thick cream.  Season with salt and pepper.This can be served in individual cups or all together in a large dish.

Cucumbers in Smetana (Sour cream)

2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

3 Tbsps chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsps chopped fresh dill

1 ½ cups sour cream

2-3 Tbsps fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, pressed

½ tsp black pepper (or to taste)

¾ tsp salt (or to taste)

Toss and chill

 

Nomad on the Loose – 2013 Recap

Last year was a busy one. Some challenges and some fun.

My child’s father, Nicholas, died a year ago today after a battle with cancer. In February we traveled to Milwaukee to bury him. We stayed a couple of extra days and saw the IMG_0092 Quadracci Pavilion and the Alumni House at the University of Wisconsin.

 

 

I posted 43 recipes and published my cookbook 52 Food Fridays on Amazon. IMG_1551 Baked Asparagus was my most popular recipe. 

 

 

 

I started writing for the Baltimore Post Examiner. Check it out – there is a good post on Boarding Schools.

IMG_1418In March I spent four days in Miami reunited with old friends.

 

 

 

 

In April it was back to Wisconsin for my parent’s 70th Wedding Anniversary. While we were there we enjoyed a quick tour of the Capital building. P1140558

 

 

 

IITA268I wrote a posts on TCK Patriotism HOME and Facebook and the TCK

 

 

 

P1150226In July we went to Halifax, Nova Scotia. A beautiful amazing place – Public Gardens, Halifax Part Two. This piece was so good somebody stole it and put it on their Facebook page claiming to have written it themselves.   After asking him politely to take it down, I had to write to Facebook to get it off.

 

IMG_2185My local trips included the National GalleryGreat Falls National Park, the Botanical Gardens and Shenandoah Skyline Drive.  

 

CoverShotI had a promotion on Amazon that gave away my memoir, Expat Alien.  I was surprised when 712 people in the US and 103 people in the UK downloaded it. I hope you all enjoyed it!  Write a review on Amazon!! Help me out!   

 

 

20131122-160324.jpgIn November it was a quick trip to New York City.

 

 

 

IMG_0115December took us to Chicago and back to Madison to celebrate some Nomad Holiday Traditions.

 IMG_0073_2

 

 

 

What will the New Year bring? My son graduates high school and goes off to college. I’m going to Europe in June. Anything can happen, and probably will. Let’s hope we all have a great year!

 

I’m being followed

999277_10152528336688266_797239321_n

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to drive to Wisconsin this year because I wanted to bring “the chair” back with me. We had a lovely family gathering for Christmas as usual. On the way back we packed the car up the night before and started out at six a.m.  It was minus 12 F.

1545733_10152539991843266_1792524020_n

As we entered Illinois the sun was rising.

1521962_10152540150333266_1252359443_n

The cold  produced steam-filled air in Indiana.

1510933_10152541132593266_691629139_n

Ohio was uneventful but it started snowing in Pennsylvania.

1546171_10152541231198266_1831052030_n

It started feeling like home when we hit the Maryland gateway.

1497463_10152541410458266_1433708944_n

And then crossed the bridge into Virginia.

1504065_10152552432058266_1875395909_n

Today we woke up to snow again.

1504065_10152552432068266_375576470_n

The weather is following me.

1533790_10152552432073266_973747828_n