Girls Trip!!!! – The Bradleys in Texas

While I sit here recuperating from cataract surgery on my right eye, I figure it’s about time to get a post out before they make me completely blind!! Joking aside, the surgery went quite well and my doctor is quite pleased with the progress so far. One down, one to go. But enough about my eyes. It’s time to get on about our GIRLS TRIP.

Back on May 4th, I flew to Detroit to meet up with my sister, Melon (NO, Melon is not her given name; it’s Mary-Rose. Melon was just a nickname that my Dad bestowed on her at a young age. Don’t ask me why, but it just stuck and I’ve called her that ever since). Anyway, from there we rented a car and headed out on a roadtrip to Wisconsin. We stayed in Milwaukee. You may recall from a prior post back in 2021 that Trace and I went to Milwaukee and all around southern Wisconsin. I really loved it and Melon had never been, so we decided it would be a reasonable road-trip to take from Detroit.

Now I know, y’all are saying, “Why Milwaukee?? What the heck is there in Milwaukee??” Well, let me ask back, “Have you ever been there?” Melon and I both agree that it is an absolutely charming city! It’s so clean and well kept up. It sits right on Lake Michigan and there’s lots of parks right along the lake. There’s also all these little neighborhoods and enclaves of ethnic groups: great food and as I mentioned before, it is the “frozen custard capital of the USA”. We spent almost a week there, and took some day-trips around the area. Let me tell you, I’d go back in a heartbeat, given the opportunity. But let me show you what I mean in pictures. I took a boatload of them. Here is a modest sampling.

Did I mention that Milwaukee sits right on Lake Michigan? Sandy beaches and then nothing but water to the horizon — they don’t call them “Great Lakes” for nothing!

One of the many resorts that sit right on the lake. There is something so calming and peaceful about hanging out on the water. The developers cash in on that!!

This is one of the many lighthouses that line the Lake Michigan shoreline. Here’s a tidbit of trivia for you: the state of Michigan as more lighthouses than any other state in the union.

This is one of a countless number of marinas that line the Lake Michigan shoreline. That’s a thing if you live around the Great Lakes, you just have to have a boat!

One of our first stops as we got into town was to the Sip-n-Purr Cafe. This is a hangout for cats trying to get adopted. And the best part is that we were able to go in and play with them. Melon and I both LOVE cats, so this place was a no-brainer for us. I love to take photos of the kitties and was lucky enough to capture this one in a full yawn (at least I think it was a yawn)!

This is a picture of Melon with the “Bronze Fonz” (aka Arthur Fonzarelli of Happy Days fame).

Believe it or not this old building is part of the original Pabst Brewery, built right around the mid-1800’s. Today, the Pabst Company headquarters is in San Antonio, TX. Pabst Brewing Company today brews about 20+ different beers including Schlitz, Strohs, Old Milwaukee, and Pearl. This building is now a museum (and event center) that houses some of the original furniture and machinery from the original brewery.

Ok, so I had to include this picture. At a cafe that we frequented for breakfast, called the Golden Nest Cafe, they actually use robots, to help the wait staff. The kitchen loads it up with the food trays, and then enters the table number into the robot. Then the robot comes right to the table and the waiter/waitress then hands out the food. Now ain’t that cool??? Incidentally, the food there was FANTASTIC!!!!!

On one of the days, Melon and I went to Madison. It’s the capital of Wisconsin and also home to the University of Wisconsin. It’s a unique town in that the downtown (and capitol building) are on an isthmus between two lakes, Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. Much like its neighbors, Minnesota and Michigan, Wisconsin has a boatload of inland lakes. You probably can’t drive for 20 minutes in any direction without running into some lake.

Here’s Melon with the University of Wisconsin Badger. While badgers are supposed to be vicious, this one is considered a “Class Act”.

So, one evening we visited a place called the Safe House. It’s a spy-themed bar. The entrance is down this alley and above the entrance is a sign that reads “International Exports, Ltd.”. In order to gain entrance into the place, you have to know the password. If you don’t know the password, they make you do all these crazy things like hopping on one foot or swinging your arms like a mad person, all the while folks inside are watching you through closed circuit televisions. Thankfully, the tour guide we had the day before told us what the password was and we got right in. The whole place is like a maze of rooms with secret passages and all this “spy memorabilia”. It was really a bazarre and fun place to spend an evening.

Another interesting display at the Safe House

One of the really cool items in the Safe House was an actual hunk from the former Berlin Wall. Having spent a hunk of my military time in Berlin before the wall came tumbling down, I found this display fascinating.

Well, there we are! This picture was taken just after we enjoyed a fabulous dinner of German cuisine at Mader’s German Restaurant. I apologize for the quality of this picture. Our waiter took the picture and didn’t really hold the iPhone steady.

This is a rather unusual looking lighthouse up near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which is up the coast a ways from Milwaukee. It looked like some guys were fishing off the lighthouse pier. And judging from the number of seagulls around, I would guess that the fishing was good.

So now the next several pictures are of this place called the Basilica of St. Josephat. This picture is actually a picture of a picture. We visited the Basilica during the daytime. This was a picture of the Basilica as it is lit up at night. From the outside this church looks quite ordinary, big, but ordinary. But don’t let the outside fool you. This is the MOST beautiful church that I have EVER stepped foot in! And I have been to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome!!

This is the view as you walk into the basilica. I swear the pictures do not do it justice. It took my breath away. A little history on this beautiful church. It was built around the turn of the century (that would be the 20th century) by Polish immigrants that settled in Milwaukee. These immigrants would literally work their day jobs, then would come to help build the church during their off-hours. These people mortgaged their homes to help pay for materials. They even melted down their gold jewelry (including their wedding rings) to provide gold for the sanctuary. They even salvaged materials from the Chicago Post Office and Customs House that was being razed. It is quite a remarkable story.

“In the Catholic Church, basilica status is reserved for the largest, most beautiful, and most historically important churches.”

The detail in these stained glass windows is phenomenal. The color is so vibrant. All of the stained glass windows were imported from Innsbruck, Austria.

This is a view looking up into the dome. All the windows in the dome are stained glass windows.

Check out the detail in this baptismal fountain.

This is a better close-up of the sanctuary.

Well, there you have it. Judge for yourself whether Wisconsin and Milwaukee are worth taking a trip to. Good food, great scenery, interesting bars, and plenty to do and see tell me it’s a great place to visit. I know that I will definitely go back.