So, with plenty of time to spare, I get my bike put away and my stuff laid out and the girls and I head over to listen to the Star Spangled Banner before the race begins.  This year, after the men and women’s elite waves, all the guys waves went first followed by the women.  I for one was glad to have the guys go first so they won’t swim over my back since I am not the fastest swimmer.  Other women talked about this before so that was a nice change… at least for me.

The water was choppy and I got a few mouthfuls of water but once I turned the corner the waves weren’t an issue anymore.  I hate the swim but it is the shortest part of the race.

The best part of the day came when they announced that my niece Annie Bley was the first place winner in her age group (women 20-24).  We all woohooed, but unfortunately, Annie wasn’t there to accept it, she had to leave, but we picked it up for her.  So we called her and she came back and we had our own celebration when she returned. Congratulations Annie!

A ton of Door County people do the race… The Jarosh boys, Jon and JR were there as was Megan Sarkis and Polly Helm.   I saw  Rachel Manek from Fox 11 and Cami Rapson from WBAY-TV both participating in the race.

The race is run extremely well and is well staffed with hundreds of volunteers. Thank you to all the volunteers… the race couldn’t be done without you.  Speaking of volunteers, Bob Dixon from the Shallows Resort was volunteering at the last water station on the run.  He and his wife Liz talked me into it after I started to chicken out last week. “Just Do It!” is what they said.  During the race I was cursing them but now that I finished… I think I owe them a beer!

This is Emilie, Nellie and I after the race…

Door County Triathlon 2010

Annie with her first place medal

Emilie’s friend Jeremiah, made this traveling trophy for us.  It is called the Sawyer Cup.  Nellie keeps it this year because she beat Em and me…  Here we are celebrating at Fred and Fuzzy’s after the race…

Annie, Nellie, Emilie, Sarah and Jer with the "Sawyer Cup"

We wore our new yellow Door County Triathlon shirts and medals and went out for lunch… it was a great day. I was far from placing but I finished and that makes me a winner… right?

"Make your own fireworks at Egg Harbor Lodge!"

We LOVE a parade!

And of all the video I took, who lands on the front? That’s Jeff Larson from the Landmark Resort... damn!

Door County is full to the brim right now, but come Monday… mass exodus.  The weather will be awesome next week, so a trip to Door County may be in order for those of you who could use a little mini vacation.

We are going to hang out at Egg Harbor Lodge tonight and then head to a friend’s to watch the fireworks.  Tomorrow, the “building of the float” begins.  Every year we think we can’t finish in time, but every year we do.  Watch for my parade pics next week.

Happy 4th of July !

Individually, Bela Fleck (on banjo), Zakir Hussain (on Indian tabla drums), and Edgar Meyer (on string bass) are virtuosos, each unmatched in his instrumental skill. Together, they form a powerhouse trio, blending classical, bluegrass, and world music in a captivating evening of genre bending and musical wizardry. The Los Angeles Times raves the Fleck, Hussain, and Meyer’s innovative combinations of American roots and Indian classical music “make alchemical gold.”

Tickets: $55/$45/$38

Sponsor

Order Tickets

Mark loves the smoked Prime Rib sandwich or the ribs, I am partial to the wings.  It’s all good.  The little ones had mac and cheese (homemade of course).  The girls had quesadillas, the boys had “Ruby Specials” and we all shared haystack onions… yum, yum, yum.

Our Bartender/Waitress Rhonda in Casey's back yard

Shelly (the owner of The Mill Supper Club) and I had lunch at Shipwrecked last week and ate outside as well… we both had my usual… seafood chowder.  Our friend Joe who is the manager and one of the reasons we like to go there, brought us out a complimentary dessert…

Thanks Joe, it was delicious!

The Carrington Pub at the Landmark Resort is another place for an outdoor dining experience in Egg Harbor.  They have an outdoor seating area with a really nice view of the water.  I plan on checking that out Thursday or Friday…

Mojo Rosa’s, The Bistro at Liberty Square and John Henry’s all have outdoor dining serving everything from Mexican and gourmet to burgers and pasta.

But the best place of all to eat outdoors?  On your balcony or our terrace  at Egg Harbor Lodge of course.  Grab a bottle of wine from Main Street Market’s HUGE wine selection and some Sartori Bellavitano cheese, and/or some of their home made dips and crackers, add a beautiful sunset and an voila’… a perfect outdoor dining experience.  Hors d’oeuvres not your thing?  How about a thick cut rib eye , some fresh asparagus and a twice baked potato?  Throw it on the Egg Harbor Lodge grill… yeah, now we’re talkin’.    Can’t beat that, baby…

So if you are looking to dine outdoors, look no further… the possibilities are endless here in Egg Harbor,  in beautiful Door County Wisconsin!

I Heart Egg Harbor!

Egg Harbor's Kimberly Sawyer crowned Miss Wisconsin!

With her sister Katie standing next to her as first runner up, Kimberly Sawyer was crowned Miss Wisconsin last night after a three day pageant in Oshkosh.  After talking with the girl’s mother Jackie Sawyer today, she said the family was excited both girls made the top 11 but when Kimberly and Katie were alone on the stage the crowd went wild.  With  foreheads touching waiting for the winner to be announced, Katie said she knew and wanted her older sister to win and was thrilled to be on stage together… and you know what? That came from the heart.

Katie hugging big sis Kimberly after the win...

Daughters of John Sawyer who is Mark’s cousin (Kimberly is Mark’s Goddaughter) Kimberly graduated from St. Norbert College in De Pere with plans for graduate school while her sister Katie is a student at UW-Green Bay. Kimberly walked away with a ten thousand dollar scholarship and a car to drive for  a year while sister Katie received a two thousand dollar scholarship.

Not to be left out, Miss Door County, Crystal Burke a Sevastopol High School graduate and John and Jackie’s son Tom Sawyer’s girlfriend was also in the Miss Wisconsin pageant and will attend Ripon College this fall.

Miss Door County Crystal Burke

We are really proud of all three Door County girls and even if we can’t get tickets, we are headed to Las Vegas in January for the Miss America 2011 Pageant.   Sawyer girls RULE!!!

Here we are after our dinner… I always have my camera!

Mike’s dad and uncle owned Casey’s Inn in Egg Harbor for years… Mike’s grandfather was Casey and Barbie and Mike named their eldest Casey as well.  Mark and Barbie’s parents owned what is now Mojo Rosa’s in Egg Harbor which was called Jean and Bob’s Midtown Tap and they lived above the tavern.  So both Barbie and Mike come from families “in the business”.  When I started dating Mark, his parents had the bar and on Sundays in the summer after the Egg Harbor baseball games (which Mark played and coached) EVERYONE went to the Midtown Tap.  Now those were the days… we just had a blast.  After the Egg Harbor New Year’s Day Parade, Mark’s mom would make a venison stew and homemade bread for the crowd… no charge of course.

Mark’s Legion Baseball team won one game and lost the other.  Joe is too old to play this year but Mark has a great group of guys playing.  They boys are between the ages of  16-19.  Best of luck Northern Door Chiefs!

Door County weather for Saturday, June 19… Sunny and 75 degrees!  I am heading up to Ellison Bay to spend the night with my BFF Nancy at her cabin.  We are going to one of my favorite restaurants tonight to eat too… JJ’s!  What a perfect way to spend a weekend.  Lucky me!

Fyr Bal (pronounced fear ball, not fire ball or fur ball) also ushers in the new “Chieftain” by boat.  The new Chieftain’s identity is kept secret until he or she is visible to the festival goers.  I think my favorite Chieftain, had to be Scotty Weborg a well known and loved Ephraimite and probably one of Gibraltar High School’s biggest sports fan.  Click here for the full festival schedule.

Contrary to the weather report, the weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend.  Go to Fox11online.com for an accurate and up to date weather report.  Don’t ask me about the weather, I am known to lie about it quite often. PS I have a few units available beginning Saturday.

Sam, Adi and Lilly Sawyer at The Farm

Adi petting a baby goat

Even if you don’t have a kid to take, check out The Farm, it will bring the kid out in anyone.

We also witnessed someone making the mistake of trying to win Kyle’s hot wing contest.  Eat ten super hot wings in 10 minutes and receive a T-shirt and your name on the wall of flame.  The guy stopped after three wings, the woman “won” but I imagine she will not be feeling very well for a few days.  She apparently made the mistake of touching her eye and by the time she got done eating her eye swelled shut.  She immediately drank milk and made her way to to restroom.  I can’t remember when I have laughed so hard. FYI… Kyle makes customers sign a waiver before they attempt the contest.  Don’t think I’ll try that any time soon.

We watched the Blackhawks win on the flat screen TV and Faye gave all the customers Jello shots (in a syringe, no less) for each score.  Gotta love Jello shots!  Even Ruth, who is 81 knocked back a shot.

Peninsula Pub is located on the corner of A and E about three miles east of Egg Harbor and is open  from 11 am till close 7 days a week.  Best of luck Kyle and Faye!

Why not take a class at the Savory Spoon Cooking School in Ellison Bay?  My friend Ronald and I took a wild game cooking class that was out of this world.  And the best part? The class sits down to eat the scrumptious dishes at the end.

If the weather is making you lazy, take a day and drive through one or more of Door County’s beautiful  state parks.  Even in the rain, there is nothing like a ride through the park.

Have you ever been to the Door County  Historical Museum?  Didn’t think so.  This free museum, yes free, is truly a Door County gem.  Our friend and neighbor, Mike Orthober, created a wildlife diorama that is so life like you won’t believe it.  Mike is an award winning taxidermist and artist.

wildlife diorama

Also at the museum,  check out the Pioneer Fire Company exhibit complete with old firetrucks, an antique hearse and an old jail cell.  Pretty unusual stuff, right?

Another museum located in Sturgeon Bay, is the Door County Maritime Museum who sponsors the annual Door County Lighthouse Walk that is scheduled for June 11-13.  Inside the Maritime Museum you will find the latest exhibit “GHOSTS! Haunted Lighthouses of the Great Lakes”.  That’s right, haunted lighthouses… too cool.

Still not satisfied? How about a trolley ride?  The Door County Trolley is celebrating their 10th year and we are headed to a party tonight at The Orchard’s to celebrate the fact.  The Door County Trolley offers winery tours, lighthouse tours, scenic tours and even a ghost tour.  Apparently, Door County is haven for ghosts… who knew!  Everybody loves the trolley not only for the places it can take you but also for the trolley drivers.  They are local folks who know everything about Door County and make the trip extra fun.  Congratulations AJ, on your ten year anniversary!

So, nothing to do on a rainy day?  That’s just crazy talk!

20 Years Under the Stars
American Folklore Theatre

May 28, 2010
In 1972, a 19-year-old college junior stood in the woods in Peninsula Park to listen to a group of musicians called the Heritage Ensemble, because he didn’t expect the show to be worth the 50-cent ticket price.

If Fred Heide (several years away from becoming Doc) hadn’t liked what he heard that night, there might never have been an American Folklore Theatre (AFT). But Heide became a part of Heritage Ensemble and was joined 10 years later by another 19-year-old named Fred Alley. In 1990, the two of them, with Gerald Pelrine, became co-founders of AFT.

	Bone Dance on the AFT stage.

Over the last two decades, 207 people have graced the stage and worked in the office and behind the scenes at AFT. Doc, Fred, Dave Alley, Neen Rock, Jeff Herbst, Jimmy Kaplan, Michael Christman, Laurie Flanigan, Lee Becker, Stewart Dawson, Doug Mancheski, Kaye Christman, Eric Lewis and Pam Krieger have been with AFT for a total of 205 years. The first five on the list were with Heritage Ensemble for varying lengths of time before it became AFT, and all 14 have been with the company for at least half its existence.

At the end of the 1990 season, Chan Harris, editor of the Door County Advocate, wrote of the little theater in the woods with amazing foresight: “We suspect the next 20 years will bring continued expansion and national exposure.” This summer AFT is celebrating its 20th anniversary under the stars. Its fall shows in local town halls and elsewhere began in 1992, and Door Shakespeare grew out of AFT’s workshopping a performance of A Midsommer Night’s Dreame on a Sunday night in August 1994.

The theatre has produced 44 original musicals. Most have been written “in house” by Doc, Fred, Jimmy, Lee and Laurie Flanigan (one co-authored by Jacinda Duffin). Since 2004, the Chicago-based team of Dave Hudson and Paul Libman has contributed three shows, and this summer Life on the Mississippi, collaboration by Douglas Parker and Denver Casado, will celebrate the 175th anniversary of Mark Twain’s birth and the 100th anniversary of his death. Doc and Jimmy’s beloved Belgians brought a bit of heaven to the park eight times, while Fred and Jimmy’s Lumberjacks in Love and Guys on Ice have appeared seven times each.

From a group of college students who sang in Peninsula State Park for a few weeks each summer, AFT has grown into possibly the only theater company in the country producing original musicals in both summer and fall. When Heritage Ensemble became AFT, Doc said, “We’ve done revue format shows with songs, narration and comic and dramatic monologues for 20 years. Now we’re interested in exploring other options. But we’ll never leave Door County. Why would we go when we have 300 a night breaking down the door?”

Doc couldn’t have imagined in 1990 that within five years Bone Dance would draw more than 800 people one night or that by 2009, attendance for the season would top 45,000. While AFT has been true to Doc’s vow never to leave the park, it has spread its wings to local town halls, locations all over the state and beyond. On the day in 1998 when it was announced that Guys on Ice, Fred and Jimmy’s most popular collaboration, would be moved from the Milwaukee Rep’s Stackner Cabaret to the larger Stiemke Theater for an extended run, there were so many calls that the phone system at the box office shut down. It even backed up the computer at the phone company switching office, temporarily shutting it down, as well!

The late, great, Fred Alley.

And then there was Doc and Lee’s Guys & Does, which in 2009 out-sold all previous AFT fall productions, playing to almost 10,000 people in eight weeks, with close to 3,000 more turned away. By actual count, a performance in the final week inspired 204 bursts of laughter and 20 rounds of prolonged applause. It will, of course, be back this fall.

Money has never been plentiful. After the first fall show in 1992, Fred wrote, “I still have the final budget tally for And If Elected. It shows a $30 profit.” In 1996, a brochure asking for contributions said, “AFT can not pay our bills with ticket sales alone. Our goal is to raise $100,000 in donations in the coming year. Although we get by on a shoestring budget, every so often we need a new pair of shoes.”

In recent years, despite a troublesome economy, AFT fans have been incredibly generous. Fund-raising campaigns have provided a new stage, dressing rooms and tech booth, as well as money for the New Works Fund that supports the writing and workshopping of original musicals. More than 200 volunteers also contribute to the success of every season. This summer the AFT Board is launching a new venture, publishing for national distribution shows it has produced, beginning with Guys & Does and the three Hudson-Libman musicals.

There has been hilarity on and off stage: In 1994, John Hansen, AFT’s publicity director/house manager, was engaged in a desperate search for long red underwear for Doc’s character in Belgians. Learning that a store in Sturgeon Bay had sold its last pair to a woman just driving away, John pursued her car and flagged her down. “Are you the police?” she asked. “No,” said John, “I’m with a theater company, and I need your underwear!” Who can forget Doug cavorting in a tutu or strutting his stuff as Elvis, Lee as the bumbling DNR Doug, Karen Mal as an accident-prone angel or Jeff as a slow-witted farm hand?

	Early years of the Heritage Ensemble.

And there has been tragedy. In the spring of 2001, Fred Alley, often described as the heart of AFT, was preparing to go to New York to receive the Richard Rodgers Award for The Spitfire Grill, the play he wrote with James Valcq. It included $100,000 to take the show off-Broadway that fall. On May 1, Fred, just 38, died of a heart attack while jogging near his farm home.

“It was as if the North Star had been plucked from the sky,” Doc said. “There are days when the loss of Fred threatens to crush the breath right out of me, but in the company of those who loved him, I know we will all find North together. Surely Fred would have wanted it that way.”

Besides Life on the Mississippi, the 2010 summer season will include Cheeseheads, The Musical and Bone Dance. Fred will be smiling.

This article is based on the author’s book, See You Under the Stars . . . The History of American Folklore Theatre, published this summer by AFT.

Hop-N-Stop Bus Service
Eight different bars, one small price

May 28, 2010
Kate Hastings is on a mission. Her goal? To reunite all the little towns of Door County and stop drunk driving. This may sound like a lofty aspiration. Certainly, it’s been a topic of conversation amidst the county crowd for some time.

With the help of friends and sponsors, Hastings took the risk and put her plan for the new Hop-N-Stop Bus Service in action. What started as a great idea has gone from possible, to bus-has-been-purchased, to in-operation.

	Kate Hastings is offering a new way to bar-hop in Northern Door. photo by Dan Eggert.

The dream was born of many nights bartending and watching folks who had consumed a couple too many drinks decide to drive to the next bar in the next town, some 15 minutes away.

For a short time, Hastings, 30, lived in Milwaukee and took advantage of the city’s cab service to avoid drinking and driving. When she moved back to the county, she went out to dinner, and, after sharing a bottle of wine with friends, remembered that there was no way to get home without drinking and driving. After years of kicking the Hop-N-Stop idea around in her head, she decided it was time.

“So many times I would get a call from a friend that was at the Bayside, wanting me to come and see them,” she says. “But I’d be at the Sister Bay Bowl and, having already had a few drinks, didn’t want to drive. My friends at the Bayside didn’t want to drive either. So you end up with, ‘Okay, maybe another time. Have a good night…’”

Uniting the county’s tourists and locals proves another advantage to the Hop-N-Stop bus. Hastings gives people the opportunity to branch out from their town’s bar scene. Just hop on the bus after a few drinks at Sonny’s Pizzeria and head to Sister Bay or Baileys Harbor’s sponsor sites.

Headlines Jacksonport Selects Tom Wilson for Supervisor Judge Rules in Sister Bay’s Favor in Marina Landing Suit A Few Memorial Day Activities Gibraltar Senior (and Pulse Intern) Earns Academic Honor Gibraltar Newspaper Wins Eight Awards Door County Half Marathon Results Extras e-mail this article link to a friend letter to the editor about this article print this article

“I’m in favor of it,” says Door County Sheriff Terry Vogel. “I think anytime you can reduce the chances of a person that has consumed too much alcohol getting behind the wheel, that’s great. If you can stop them from trying to drive and you have someone else doing it, that’s a wonderful thing for the county. I commend Kate.”

The bus will run on a regular schedule, much like a city bus. Bars and hotels will have schedules of when the bus is coming, along with the name and address of where it’s going, so patrons can readily access all information. It costs just $5 to board, and $20 gets you an all night pass on the Hop-N-Stop bus.

The bars currently sponsoring the Hop-N-Stop bus are: Husby’s Food and Spirits, Sister Bay Bowl, AC Tap, Cornerstone Pub, Florian II Lakeshore Rib & Steak House, Bayside, Blue Ox, Sonny’s Pizzeria and Cooper’s Corner, with more to come.

“We don’t want people to be driving drunk, and it’s part of the bar’s responsibility to stop them from doing it. This gives folks another way to get around without driving their own vehicle, and I’m all for that,” says Husby’s bar manager James Larsen.

No longer will Sister Bay and Fish Creek seem so far away from each other, and friends living in different towns can easily go to the same bars – all without driving. If there’s live music at Husby’s but you don’t want to risk driving, you don’t have to.

“We have a lot of live music,” Larsen says. “People want to come and enjoy the band, but they don’t want to drive. Personally, I’m excited to use it to go to some places I really haven’t been frequenting because of the driving factor. I think it’s going to be helpful.”

The ultimate goal, according to Hastings, is to unite the entirety of Door County in one large intermingling loop, from Sturgeon Bay all the way up to Ellison Bay.

“That’s the big dream,” Hastings says, “Eventually, I’d like to combine all the bars and all the communities into one again. So that we’re all just ‘Door Countians’ instead of from ‘Sister Bay’ or ‘Fish Creek.’”

Just remember that the Hop-N-Stop bus cannot deliver you right to your front door. It will take you back to the bar you started at, but you’ve still got to get yourself home. To that end, the Door County Safe Ride provides free rides home if you are too inebriated and home is not within walking distance.

“We are such a sprawling community that the resources I would need to get everyone to all the bars and then back home again – right now it’s almost impossible. The best I can do is get you close to home and the DC Safe Ride can take it from there,” Hastings says.

When the bus arrives, just hop on! Currently, the bus operates on Friday and Saturday nights, starting at 7 pm. and running until bar time. The Hop-N-Stop bus will expand its hours as the summer season gets underway.

“The Man of a Thousand Voices”, Rich Little will take the stage at the Door Community Auditorium on Sunday May 30 at 7 pm.  His presentation of “Jimmy Stewart: A Humorous Look at His Life” will also include at least a dozen additional impersonations.

“A lot of one-man shows, for two hours, can be boring,” Little said.  “I didn’t want to make it boring.  So I put all the other voices in it.”

In this production, Rich walks through a lifetime of “conversations”  between Jimmy Stewart and his famous friends and co-stars. Jack Benny, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Cary Grant and many others join Rich and Jimmy onstage for this delightful trip through the golden years of the silver screen.

As a kid and even today,  I adore Rich Little.  I can’t go to the show, but you can bet I am hoping to see him out and about.  Maybe he’ll stop in for coffee….  a girl can dream can’t she?

Cancellation Bulletin: Deluxe 2 queen with a balcony overlooking the water 130.00 per night!

Andy's friend Howard

]]> http://eggharborlodge.com/news/archives/1192/feed 0 http://eggharborlodge.com/news/archives/1186 http://eggharborlodge.com/news/archives/1186#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 23:33:55 +0000 Sarah http://eggharborlodge.com/news/?p=1186 The new Egg Harbor Marina is progressing nicely and will open May 1 but will not be completely finished until the middle of August.  The launch ramp may be closed due to continued construction from time to time.

Lisa Van Laanen, who owns Sommer Stad in Egg Harbor has opened a new boutique just south of Shipwrecked on Hwy G. It is in an old blacksmith shop and is fittingly called Blacksmith Clothing Company. I have yet to check it out, but it is supposed to be a bit more upscale and young… I’m young, right?  Young or not I,  can’t wait to see it.

Ann Marie Kafka (John Henry’s sister… he owns John Henry’s) opened a sandwich shop in the Chocolate Chicken building called Whatcha Have?.  There are a couple of tables, but mostly it is a to-go restaurant with hot dogs, hot and cold sandwiches, Gyros, salads… you name it.  And the best part?  Cheap, cheap, cheap!  Her Miller Meal is a Chicago dog w/ choice of fries or chips & a Miller beer for 7.50.  Take it to-go and eat it in the park next door… perfect.

Liberty Square has completely remodeled their interior… not that it needed it.  It is really beautiful and the Bistro Bar and Grill offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and beginning Memorial weekend will serve until 10pm nightly.  PS… Their caramel apple scones are to die for. They also have their Gourmet Grab-N-Go Deli- the name speaks for itself.

This weekend, I plan on taking a little tour of the village to be sure I am not missing something!  Tonight though, Joe, our youngest scored some morels so I am going home to deep fry them.  When I asked where he found them, he was like Facebook…ignore.  My own son, keeping secrets from his mom!

Shopping – Egg Harbor shops are offering a variety of special
activities and sales. Everything from food demos, live music
and trunk shows to tours, wine tasting, and factory reps.

Tent Sale – Great deals on last year’s merchandise … 50% off
and more. Check out the big white tent at Something Fishy.  (My girls and I have the Egg Harbor Girl necklaces… too cute.

Trunk Show – Patricia Shoppe’s Troll Beads trunk show,
Friday-Sunday. Buy two beads and receive a third for free!
Troll Beads representative on-site all weekend.

Demos – Stop by A Decorators Gallery for a variety of
demonstrations. See custom matting and framing. Turn your
digital photo into fine art.

Segway Test Drive – take a demo ride on the Segway.
Call for full-blown tours of Peninsula State Park: 920-376-0256

On Saturday, there will even more to do…

SATURDAY, MAY 15TH
• 7 – 8 AM
Enjoy a nature hike – Birds and Blooms – with naturalist Kathleen Harris. Peninsula State Park – meet at park headquarters.

• 9:30 – 11 AM
Fashion Show Breakfast – Landmark Resort (Egg Harbor Room) Emcee Cami   Rapson – from WBAY-TV Channel 2 in Green Bay.   For this I will channel my inner Tyra and model for the Patricia Shoppe… hope I don’t break a heel.

• 8 – 10 PM
Pub Crawl - Door County Trolley pick-up at Carrington Pub & Grill ($10)
Board games/play time – Regatta Meeting Room

• 9 PM – 1 AM
Karaoke. Hosted by Cheryl Simon. Carrington Pub & Grill

SUNDAY, MAY 16TH
• 7 – 8 AM
Village Walk – Led by Karen Peterson (Maxwells House) – meet at Harborview Park

What are we doing at Egg Harbor Lodge you ask?  Well, margaritas and snacks of course…  either on our terrace or in the office if it gets too chilly-   Friday and Saturday afternoon from 4-6 pm.  I might possibly make  Jalapeno Poppers… yum.

I don’t have activities planned for the weekend at Egg Harbor Lodge but if you are looking for R&R, great sunsets from your private balcony and maybe a cocktail or two… we have it!  And remember, we are an equal opportunity resort… men are welcome this weekend too.

wild Morels

It is Morel mushroom season in Door County and I consider myself extremely lucky to have my friend Ronald drop off these delicacies from time to time in the Spring.  Morels carry a pretty hefty price tag at the local farm markets I am told, and now the “morel hunters” are turning their hunt into cash.  Instead of handing morels out to friends and neighbors, they are taken to said markets and sold for cold, hard cash.  Today, I decided to try the hunt on my own.  Morels are supposed to be found under dead elm trees…

dead Elm tree

Hmmm… I wasn’t really sure what that type of tree looked like, so I Googled Elm tree photos to familiarize myself.  I still couldn’t  determine what was an Elm tree or any other tree for that matter.  I didn’t find one solitary Morel mushroom.  I am not giving up however.  We have had rain and the weather is going to warm up this weekend which supposedly makes good hunting.  I think I will talk Ronald into taking me hunting but even he, one of my very best friends, is reluctant to give out the secret of finding the Morels.  I will not be deterred…  my new goal… Morel Mushroom Huntress!

Anyway, the recipe for the linguine was so good, I thought I would share it…

Linguine with Clam Sauce by The Pioneer Woman Cooks

• 1 pound linguine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 ten ounce cans chopped clams, drained and juice reserved
• 3/4 cup white wine
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus lemon slices for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• Grated parmesan

1. Cook the linguine according to package directions until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and one tablespoon butter over high heat.  Add garlic and clams and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Pour in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with spoon.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until sauce is reduced.  Add remaining butter and stir to melt.

4. Reduce heat and squeeze in the lemon juice.  Sprinkle in parsley and add the cream.

5. Add salt and pepper.  Thin sauce with clam juice if needed.

6. Pour pasta into heated bowl.  Pour the sauce on straight from the skillet.  Toss to combine, and garnish with lemon slices and parmesan cheese.

Linguine with Clam Sauce

FYI… this wasn’t a “figure friendly” meal, but anything in moderation, right?

Mark’s mom taught me how to cook the basics… meat, potatoes, gravy- all of which I wouldn’t even eat before I met the Sawyer family.  She taught me how to plant a garden… to no avail.  I still can’t do it.

I am extremely thankful for both my moms…  my family has been through hell and back more than once  and without Gloria and Jean… I don’t know how we would have gotten through!

Last night, Mark and I went to JJ’s in Sister Bay for Mother’s Day. Today, my girls and I will go out for lunch and then meet our boys at the Egg Harbor baseball field for the first game of the season against Sister Bay.  It can’t any better than that, now can it?

Happy Mother’s Day everyone…