Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Fun Times in the Madison Area - Spring Hill

This is a new place: The Winery at Spring Hill. Well, relatively new and our first time to visit. We liked the wines and loved the patio though the inside is nicely decorated with a fireplace and couches in addition to regular and tall tables... would be cozy in the winter.



The patio - along the left side there is a curved brick path with a low wall that has nice metal tables and chairs along it. 

Candid shot of me reading the menu. Looked like they had lots of good things to try, including desserts made with wine, like the merlot brownie.

We sampled all the wines, and preferred the drier ones. Here are the sweeter varieties.

Good times

6062 South Ridge Road
Geneva, Ohio 44041

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Fun Times in the Madison Area - Mini Golf / Eddie's

This post is Part 2 in my series of fun things to do in the Madison area. Today Mom, T & I played putt-putt at the world's oldest (in continuous play) miniature golf course, in Geneva on the Lake, and then had lunch at Eddie's after.

Here are some pictures of the fun:


Mom was excited to get some practice in. She plays with her red hat friends and told us she isn't very good. She played really well today! T was patient too. You can see him here, waiting his turn.


The course is really well-maintained, clean, and has cute old-fashioned features like this pergola,

and this metal loop-the-loop. I tried to get an action shot - can you see Mom's red ball making it's way up the ramp?

Thomas really liked these bowling pins. They moved up and down. I didn't get a picture, but Mom got a hole-in-one on the 9th!

Here they are on the final hole. On an 18-hole par 41 course, Mom shot a 46, I shot a 55 and Thomas a 72. 

I said it was T's first time on the course so he would probably do better subsequent times. I don't have that excuse - we used to play at this course all the time in the summer when I was in high school!

After mini golf, we had lunch at Eddie's:

Fabulous cheeseburgers and homemade fries with tunes from the 40s and 50s on the jukebox. We ate out back on "El Patio"

If you visit, remember they only take cash! 

Allison's Mini Golf
corner of Golf Road and Lake Road
Geneva on the Lake, Ohio 44041

Eddie's Grill
5377 Lake Road 
Geneva on the Lake, Ohio 44041

Monday, June 28, 2010

Fun Times in the Madison Area - Lakefront

If you're in the Madison/Geneva area, I thought we'd share a few of the places we like, starting with  Lakefront restaurant in Geneva-on-the-Lake. At the far east end of the strip, it's tag line is "Seating so close the lake, you'll think yer gonna fall in."

We sat at the table along the railing overlooking the lake, on the far left, behind the tree, and had a really nice time. 

They have local wines and beers on the menu, and our server was very friendly and attentive. We both had perch (yum):

Good times:

Lakefront Restaurant
5243 Lake Road
Geneva on the Lake, Ohio 44041

Saying Goodbye to Uncle Minnow

After the calling hours Monday night in Erie we went to the Sand Bar which is a cute beach-style bar and restaurant on Eighth at Peninsula.

We had a late dinner and at Uncle Ted's request toasted Uncle John with the most appropriate beer he could find on the menu, Dead Guy Ale. Dead Guy is brewed by Rogue, out in Oregon. 

From Rogue's website:
In the style of a German Maibock, using our proprietary Pacman ale yeast. Deep honey in color with a malty aroma and a rich hearty flavor.

8 Ingredients:
Malts: Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan.
Hops: Perle and Saaz.
Yeast & Water: Rogue's Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.

In the early 1990s Dead Guy Ale was created as a private tap sticker to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (November 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa U Betcha in Portland, Oregon. 

On Tuesday we headed back to Erie for the funeral, which was held at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul:

At the end of the funeral mass, his ashes were interred in the columbarium that's built into the cathedral. It's a little room at the front of the church on the right hand side of the altar. As usual, wikipedia can educate us:

columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns (i.e., urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains). The term comes from the Latin columba (dove) and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons; see dovecote.

Today's columbaria can be either free standing units, or part of a mausoleum or another building. Some manufacturers produce columbaria that are built entirely off-site and brought to the cemetery by a large truck. Many modern crematoria have columbaria. Fine examples of these are the columbaria in Pere Lachaise and Golders Green.
In other cases, columbaria are built into church structures. One example is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles, California), which houses a number of columbarium niches in the mausoleum built into the lower levels of the Cathedral. The construction of columbaria within churches is particularly widespread in the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. An example can be seen at the Church of St Nicolas in Old Town Square (Prague). In the Roman Catholic Church, although traditional burial is still preferred, cremation is permitted provided that the cremated remains are buried or entombed. As a result, columbaria can be found within some Catholic cemeteries.

Then we headed to the Erie Yacht Club for the wake. First though my brother and nephew traded ties outside the church. It made a cute photo:

The best part of the day was getting to spend time with all my cousins, 

and the whole family!

When we were kids, Uncle John told us all that he was the shark and we (all the cousins) were the minnows. He'd hang the boys upside down by their ankles until they cried Uncle... Uncle Shark! When they got big enough they turned the tables on him... and he became Uncle Minnow. Though I don't think they ever got ahold of his ankles, they might have thrown him in the drink. :)

We'll miss you Uncle John.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

RIP Uncle John

Once upon a time I had six uncles. Mom, had two brothers; Dad no brothers, but four married sisters. Of these six Uncles, three were named John. It's really popular in our family. (my Dad and brother also both named John.) And now the last of the Uncles John has left us. Mom's youngest brother passed away Tuesday, on his boat.

This photo was taken at my cousin Andy's wedding in September 2004.


John E. Schuler, age 68, a resident of Erie passed away unexpectedly Tuesday June 15, 2010. He was born April 17, 1942 in Erie the son of the late Theodore J. and Dorothy Wood Schuler. John was a graduate of Strong Vincent High School and received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Penn State University. For many years he worked in Industrial Sales with the A. P. Green company. John was a member of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul where he served as a lay reader and usher. John's true love was the water and he could usually be found on his boat or at the Erie Yacht club volunteering his time for some project. He taught boating safety for the Erie Power Squadron and held his Coast Guard Captain's license. John enjoyed helping with the annual MS Regatta and the "Frolic on the Bay" fundraisers. He enjoyed boating and duck hunting and had served as past president of the Northwest PA Duck Hunters Association. Besides the Erie Yacht club, John also belonged to several fraternal and social clubs including the Erie Elks lodge. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Berna Fay Schuler, who died in 2000. John is survived by his son Edward Schuler and his wife Alexandra of Erie along with a sister, Mary Ann Zoldak of Madison, Ohio, and a brother Theodore F. Schuler and his wife Maureen of Davidsonville, Md. He is further survived by his dear friend and companion, Ginger Johnson. Friends are invited to call at the John J. Quinn Funeral Home, West 9th & Liberty St. Monday from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM and are invited to attend Funeral Services Tuesday at 11:00 AM in the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul followed by entombment in their columbarium. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Erie, PO Box 395, Erie, PA 16512. 

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Fathers' Day!

A little photo tribute to my hubs and the little guy who made him a Dad

(August 1998)

(November 1998, behind the wheel of the brand new Taurus)

(February 1999, frying up a turkey in New Orleans)

(March 1999, Daddy makes everything better)

(July 1999 with Grandma)

(August 1999, Siesta Key, Florida)

(September 1999, Go Browns!)

(March 2000)

(September 2000, Corolla, North Carolina)

(November 2001, Madison, Ohio)

(November 2001, Madison, Ohio)

(November 2002, new (to us) truck

(July 2007, Cleveland Zoo)

Part 2 coming soon... time to celebrate

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Between a Heart and a Rock Place

While we drove across 4 states today I read Pat Benatar's new auto-bio: Between a Heart and a Rock Place: A Memoir
Between a Heart and a Rock Place: A Memoir


If you grew up listening to her iconic sound, this is a must read! It's an introspective and very honest look at her life and career. I was a huge fan in middle school and high school and had several of her albums (yes, on vinyl... embarrassing!). Today I wished I had all of them loaded on my ipod so I could listen along as she talked about the crafting of each one. It also made me want to check out some of her more recent songs and videos. I was really impressed with the commitment to and way she and Neil Giraldo balance work and family.

From 1991's blues jump album, the title track, True Love:



What is your favorite Pat Benatar song? I might have to do a blog post... because even narrowing it down to my top 5 favorites might be difficult!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

AXO Convention What-to-Wear Part 3

Formal night - get out your little black dress! Don't be surprised to see full-length formal gowns at Monday night's Formal dinner. Here are some photos from #AXOConv2008 to give you an idea what to expect.


AXO Convention What-to-Wear Part 2

Opening session of the National chapter meeting... photos from #AXOConv2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona





See also: 
Part 3 - formal night

AXO Convention What-to-Wear Part 1

I've seen lots of questions about shopping, what to pack and what to wear to Alpha Chi Omega Convention on Twitter and facebook, so I thought it might help to share photos. Pin attire is the standard for most of the business meetings. Here are some examples from AXO Convention 2008:






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