September 2019 in Pictures

“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October.” ― Peggy Toney Horton

Doors Open Milwaukee 2019

“Well, I'm a regular visitor here, but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers were coming here as early as the late 1600s to trade with the Native Americans… Actually, it's pronounced mill-e-wah-que which is Algonquin for the good land." - Alice Cooper, Wayne’s World

This year, during Doors Open Milwaukee, we stayed a bit off the beaten path since we hit most of the major attractions last year. See photos from last year in gallery below.

The Mackie Building and 100 East Wisconsin Building

The Milwaukee Ladybugs, 100 East, and City Hall

The Chase Bank building with Carlos Rolón’s glowing floral cube in the lobby and 365º views of Milwaukee from the 16th floor:

Looking South | The Third Ward

Looking East

Looking North

Looking West

Visiting my cousin Frank’s Sadler Art Gallery in the Marshall Building in the Third Ward

Feeling melancholic at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center

Feeling nostalgic on on the rooftop of the Catholic Financial Life building (aka Catholic Knights) where I lived in Grad School

Marquette campus looking south and the Court House in the foreground looking east

The Pabst Mansion

Cheers to Doors Open Milwaukee!

Links I Love • September 2019

“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes.” - Wade Boggs

• Travel:

  • This New Google Maps Tool Will Make Remembering Your Trips So Much Easier - I’m not sure how I didn’t know about this before, but I’m eager to try it in NYC and Paris next month!

  • I’ve been thinking of doing something like this for a long time. I would create customized Google Maps and even offer my services as tour guide!

  • Behind the Curtain at the Paris Opera - Such a magnificent theatre!

  • How to Spot a Good Baguette - My advice: Go to Paris!

• Books, Movies, and Art:

  • 17 Movies Set in the Fall to Watch With a Warm and Spicy Latte - I’ve seen 14/17! I love numbers 1, 2, 3, 10, 13, and 14 (hate the meme in this article though).

  • A Look Back at 1930s Paris, Through the Lens of Legendary Photographer Brassaï - Awesome photos!

  • 10 Novels Set in the Great State of Wisconsin - I’ve only read one book on this list — Little House in the Big Woods, but could also add a few: Paris by the Book (set in Milwaukee and Paris), Vintage (set in Madison), Seventeenth Summer (set in Fond du Lac), and the Patricia Skalka Door County mysteries.

  • The Legendary Paris Theatre Closes Its Doors After 71 Years in New York (This makes me sad.)

  • World on Fire: Here's Everything We Know About the New World War II-era Period Drama - I’m eager for this series to start on PBS.

• Let’s go shopping!:

  • Why Does Everything Smell, So Peacefully, of Lavender? Lavender is everywhere these days, but I’ve loved the fragrance and taste of lavender since I first visited Provence in 1994.

  • The 100 Best Notebooks, As Tested by Strategist Editors From spiral-bound to linen-clad to 1950s-era. This Learning Coach may specialize in technology, but I still love a good notebook (and a great pen)!

  • The latest “It Bag” in the City of Light has a pedigree that goes back generations - I love my Numéro 6 and I get so many compliments on it.

Currently • September 2019

“There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from the other.” ― Laini Taylor

This September, here’s what I’ve been…

READING:

• The Gown: An enthralling historical novel about Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding gown and the fascinating women who made it.

• Lilac Girls: I’m a bit over the whole WWII female resistance genre, but ok, one more: “Based on a true story of a New York socialite who championed a group of concentration camp survivors known as the Rabbits, this acclaimed debut novel reveals a story of love, redemption, and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades.”

LISTENING TO:

• The Midnight in Paris soundtrack: I close my eyes and I almost feel like I’m in Paris. I especially love the music of Cole Porter and I’m eager to learn more about Harry Connick, Jr.’s Celebration of Cole Porter coming to Broadway in December.

• George Winston’s Autumn: I have listened to Autumn every fall since I was a student at Marquette, and I’m still amazed how just one piano can evoke the sounds of season. I’m even more amazed that this album is nearly forty years old!

WATCHING:

• Fake or Fortune (Netflix): We loved this series in which journalist Fiona Bruce teams up with art expert Philip Mould to investigate art mysteries and provenance. Thanks to Julie O. for the recommendation! I only wish there were more episodes available in the U.S.

• Traitors (Netflix): The premise: A British civil servant agrees to spy on her own government for the Americans in the aftermath of WWII; The Good: 1940’s history, music, and fashion; The Bad: everything else — the acting, gratuitous sex and violence, the characters, the Season 1 finale. I doubt that there will be a Season 2, but if there is, we won’t be watching.

• The Bookshop (Prime): It’s 1959 in a small English town where Florence Green decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop. At first, this film reminded me of Chocolat but with books; however, the ending… well, you decide!

• Anne with an E (Netflix): I was initially quite leery about another adaptation of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. I really love the books as well as the original 1985 PBS mini-series (which I fondly remember watching with my dad). Megan Fallows is the face of Anne in my mind and I must admit to a teenage crush on Gilbert Blythe (as portrayed by Jonathan Crombie who, like my dear dad, is no longer with us). When Anne with an E first appeared in my Netflix queue, I resisted watching it; yet, eventually, curiosity and a lack of quality television compelled me to give the newer version of Anne a chance. I must admit that this grittier, somewhat more realistic, Canadian production has me once again enraptured with Anne’s story. Bonus: Eric is enjoying it too.

• Downton Abbey Movie: “Excitement is high at Downton Abbey when the Crawley family learns that King George V and Queen Mary are coming to visit. But trouble soon arises when Mrs. Patmore, Daisy and the rest of the servants learn that the king and queen travel with their own chefs and attendants -- setting the stage for an impromptu scheme and other shenanigans.” I was so eager to see this and I wasn’t disappointed — the grandeur of Highclere Castle, the costumes, the properly snarky witticisms…I loved it all! Before you go, here is a great recap of the series.

ENJOYING:

• The return to “normal”:

  • Although my coaching role requires me to be at school throughout the summer, the pace and responsibilities are quite different than during the regular school year. I do enjoy the more flexible schedule and quiet halls, but there is something about la rentrée that is always exciting. This year, there are fewer unknowns despite the massive building referendum that makes navigating the campus a challenge. One unexpected addition to my work this year includes helping a French family acclimate to Pewaukee. The three children speak almost no English so it is my pleasure to advocate for them. It is especially gratifying when I walk into the kindergarten classroom and my little friend’s face lights up because he can freely express himself without the use of the Google Translator app.

  • Miss Piper (and her Mom and Dad) suffered quite an ordeal at the end of August. What seemed like a simple infection escalated into a life threatening condition that included a weekend in ICU and major surgery (along with a major bill). It is hard to believe how sick Piper was and how fast she recovered. I’m stunned by how much better she is — she has so much (too much?) energy, her fur is healthy (no more crazy shedding), and her eyes and colors are so much brighter; she’s a lot sassier too ;-) She will require special considerations going forward, but what princess isn’t high-maintenance?!

• The first signs of Fall: I love the cool nights and misty mornings, the return of football and cozy sweaters, the fragrance of wet leaves, apples, and cinnamon, and the subtle dulling of the leaves before they burst with color next month.

PLANNING:

• A weekend in NYC (October 3-6): I’m so honored and excited to have been invited to the Google Certified Innovators NYC Energizer. It has been three years since my last Google get-together and almost eight years since was last in NYC. I intend to make the most of my long weekend. Are there any “must dos” that you would suggest? Here are some things I have planned:

  • Explore Chelsea, the High Line, and Greenwich Village (The Google offices are in Chelsea.)

  • A visit to the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center

  • Breakfast at Tiffany’s

  • Wicked on Broadway

  • A stroll in Central Park

  • A visit with old friends

• A week in Paris (October 16-23): This time it’s a couples’ trip, so the dynamic has changed as well as the weather (we hope!). Although we intend to relax and enjoy the amazing apartment that we rented, we do have several things planned:

  • Strolls down the Champs-Élysées, in the Latin Quarter, up in Montmartre, in the Tuileries and Luxembourg Gardens, in the Palais Royal, and along the Rue de Rivoli,

  • Check on the damage and restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral

  • Step upon Point Zéro (if we can!)

  • Visit with French friends

  • Watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle

  • Make a lovely lunch with fresh ingredients from the market on the Avenue President Wilson

  • Watch the Packers on Sunday at WOS in the Latin Quarter

  • Stop for wine, lunch, and coffee in cafés, tea and macarons at Ladurée, and choux at Odette

  • Browse in book shops

  • Enjoy a dinner cruise on the Seine just like Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant in Charade

  • Take in the view from a rooftop terrace

  • Sip cocktails at the Hemingway Bar in the Ritz

September has been a LONG and busy month and I’m so eager for the October adventures to begin!

Autumn 2019 Bucket List

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

I 💛 fall too and there’s so much that I want to do!

• Enjoy the fall colors here at home, up north, in Central Park, and in the Luxembourg Gardens (✓-)

• Decorate with white pumpkins, mums, and fall-scented candles (✓)

• Wear cozy sweaters, scarves, and boots (with pants and skirts, of course!) (✓)

• Enjoy the Wine and Harvest Festival in Cedarburg (✓)

• Explore and take pictures during Doors Open Milwaukee - September 28th (✓)

• Spend the first weekend in October in New York City (✓)

  • Discover Chelsea and Greenwich Village (✓)

  • Visit the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center (✓)

  • Learn new things at the Google Offices

  • Have Breakfast at Tiffany’s (✓)

  • See Wicked on Broadway (✓)

  • Stroll in Central Park (✓)

  • Visit old friends (✓)

• Have a bon fire in the back yard and roast marshmallows

• Drink hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick (✓)

• Go to Ladies' Night Out in Delafield with friends

• Watch Packers games (including the 10/20 game at WOS Bar in Paris!) (✓)

• Spend a week in Paris in October with Eric and Nan + Mark (✓)

  • Stroll down the Champs-Élysées, in the Latin Quarter, up in Montmartre, in the Tuileries and Luxembourg Gardens, in the Palais Royal, and along the Rue de Rivoli (✓)

  • Check on Notre Dame (✓)

  • Hope to step upon Point Zéro (Sadly, you can’t get near Point Zéro)

  • Visit with French friends (✓)

  • Watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle (✓)

  • Make a lovely lunch with fresh ingredients from the market on the Avenue President Wilson (✓)

  • Stop for wine, lunch, and coffee in cafés (✓)

  • Stop for tea and macarons at Ladurée and choux at Odette (✓)

  • Browse in book shops (✓)

  • Enjoy a dinner cruise on the Seine just like Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant in Charade (✓)

  • Sip cocktails at the Hemingway Bar in the Ritz (✓)

• Take a walk in the morning fog (✓)

• Make butternut squash soup, chili, and wild rice soup (✓)

• Cuddle with Piper by the fire (✓)

• Spend a weekend in Door County

• Buy Macintosh apples from Wood's in Fish Creek

• Shop at the Farmer's Market

• Go to the Delafield Halloween festivities

• Pick out pumpkins and carve jack-o-lanterns

• Roast pumpkin seeds

• Listen to Halloween Party Radio on Pandora (✓)

• Watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (✓)

• See A Modern Vision: European Masterworks exhibits at the Milwaukee Art Museum

• Take lots of photos (✓)

Ironically, I did really enjoy the colors in Paris and New York, but not in Wisconsin. We didn’t make it to Sturgeon Bay before it snowed — on October 31st! At home, I was just beginning to notice the leaves changing when we returned from Paris, but again, the Halloween snow quickly put an end to that. Oh well, next year….

International Day of Peace

“Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth.” - Menachem Begin