Takin' the Blog for a Walk

A friend from work has the habit of reading the day's death notices. Today he pointed out that a real Santa and an imitation Santa had died.

Henry Kraus Jr. was also known as "Santa" for the joy he brought to children while playing Santa at the Boston Store and throughout Ozaukee County. He died Nov. 30th at 91 years old. Two sisters preceding him in death were sisters. He was survived by fourteen grandchildren.

Santa La Porte also died Nov. 30th at 91 years old. She was also survived by fourteen grandchildren. She was the sister-in-law of Joe La Porte, former alderman, supervisor and mayor of Waukesha. 

While many folks were elbowing their way through Black Friday crowds, I went downtown Waukesha for a little peace and quiet. We don't have stores here that sell big screen TVs or the latest toy must-have, so it's no surprise that lines didn't start forming in the Thursday night cold. No surprise that most, if not all, downtown Waukesha stores opened at their regular hours instead of 5:00 a.m.. 

The first place I visited could have used, no, needed more people. I was only the second person visiting in the hour and a half since they had opened at 7:00. The blood drive had been advertised for months, many stores had the notice in their windows. The notice was in the papers, WaukeshaNOW and on a thousand fliers handed out at the Christmas Parade sponsored by the Blood Center of Wisconsin.

It was the first time I've donated on a bus. The bus was brought in because of the low numbers of appointments. Maybe if the bus was brought in earlier, a week earlier, the numbers wouldn't have been as low. For lack of a driver, the Blood Center bus wasn't in the Christmas Parade it sponsored. Blood drive signage on the bus in the parade may have helped the numbers.

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Sunday's weather for the Waukesha Christmas Parade was chilly but not unbearable, if you were dressed for it. A very large, appreciative crowd turned out for it and tossed candy was flowing.

The guy with the whistle who rides inside and outside that huge wheel is always a crowd-pleaser. But the entry that got the most and loudest cheers was none other than my friend, Ken Walter, with WindDancer Balloon Promotions. Ken rode in the wicker basket at the back of his chase vehicle and warmed up the air with 20 foot bursts of propane-fueled flame. The crowd went wild.

The downtown street lights aren't the best for parade watching on a late November afternoon, but with Rudolf  Ken lighting the way for Santa there's sure to be enjoyment for all the boys and girls.

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"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is 'thank you,' it will be enough." Meister Eckhart.

I thought this was an appropriate quote for the day before Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.

I'm thankful to have a job, a family and a home. Thankful we live in a friendly, welcoming, lively and helpful community. Thankful gas prices have come down! Thankful we don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from or the quality of the food.

I'm thankful for the dedicated and generous volunteers and donors who made the annual HOPE Thanksgiving Dinner and Auction fundraiser for Cooperating Congregations a success.

I'm thankful for my parish, St. William, and it's pastor, Rev. Leonard Barbian, who is retiring next year after 10 years at St. William and 44 years as a priest.

I'm thankful for all those who gave to our recent clothing and Caps for Kids drive. You filled up the truck! Also thankful to parishioners who so generously give to the St. Vincent food pantry regularly or whenever there is need.

Thankful for the great group of people we had last weekend for confirmation retreat at beautiful Camp Whitcomb-Mason in Hartland. And the weather wasn't too bad either.

Very thankful to have many friends who lift me up and hold me there.

feel free to add your own thanks giving 

Dolly Parton slept in our garage!

Monday, while Milwaukee was shoveling out from it's whopping 1" snowstorm, Dolly was performing at the Riverside. Sounds like she put on a pretty good show too. I wonder how many people were late because of the roads. Took me 2 hours to get home Monday.

Now why would Parton sleep in our garage, when she could stay virtually anywhere in the city?

I've mentioned before we're just a block or so from the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee. We lease garage space to the hotel.

Dolly's three tour buses were parked in our garage while she was in town. While her band and crew had reserved 50 rooms at the beautiful new boutique hotel, Dolly slept on her custom bus. In our garage.  

This is concert season in Waukesha when we can look forward to decent, affordable music expertly performed by students of our universities and high schools. Last December I bemoaned missing the annual Christmas at Carroll, the best Christmas concert ever. I'm not going to let that happen again! The concert is Dec. 6th and 7th, so I have plenty of time to get tickets.

A little closer to home, and all free, are UWW's concerts, the first of which is tomorrow, Nov. 17th. The Hand Bell Choir and Brass Ensemble performs tomorrow at 7:30 in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Jazz Ensemble performs in the dining area Wed. the 19th at 7:30, and Symphonic Band, Friday the 21st, in the theatre.

In December, UWW has two concerts planned: The Choral and String Concert is Dec. 5th and 7:30 and the Christmas Concert is Dec. 15th at 7:30, both in the theatre or just outside it.

feel free to comment below with concerts you'll be attending or would like advertised

Today is America Recycles Day so I visited the Waukesha County Materials Recycling Facility to see what was going on at the open house.

A year and a half ago I had my first tour of the facility and enjoyed it so much that I returned for more. Maybe it was because our small group was the last of the day - we weren't feeling rushed - but we asked so many questions that I had to ask yet one more: Has anyone asked more questions than us?  answer: YES! You get a group of 30 cubscouts and there's no end to the questions.

We were fortunate that our tour leader had all the answers. No surprise considering our leader was none other than Waukesha's champion recycler, Recycle Raccoon. He wasn't easy to recognize though, as he was disguised as a woman.

Analiese told us they see more newspapers in plastic when it's raining, but they'd prefer the paper to be wet than with those machine-clogging bags. They also get a lot of TV remotes in with the papers. I wonder why?

We talked at length about acceptable plastics #1 and #2 because it took a while to sink in. Or maybe because the average consumer doesn't know the difference between blow molded and injection molded plastic. So we're told all bottles #1 and #2 are OK. Only bottles. What about jugs or plastic coffee cans? It's a gray area that doesn't really have to be perfect because they can have some mixed in. Plus, that's why there are sorters. Blow molded is recyclable, injection molded is not.

After being reassured that the blue plastic recycling bins being handing out were recycled and recyclable, I helped myself to one. When I'm ready to give up on my old, broken bin all I have to do is put it out with other recyclables and they'll collect it for recycling.

Speaking of recycling: Next weekend, Nov. 22nd and 23rd, St. Vincent de Paul will be collecting used clothing and other fabric at St. William, 440 N. Moreland, for a "Bundle Sunday." This is a perfect opportunity to get rid of clothes, sheets, etc., that are no longer useable. Anything not resellable in the thrift store will be bundled and sold to fabric recyclers to support the good that St. Vincent does. 

The Navy's first Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom (LCS-1), was commissioned in Milwaukee today following the Veteran's Day Parade. Built in Marinette Wisconsin, it is the first ship commissioned in Milw. and the Navy's fastest ship.

Littoral ships are designed to defend coastal waters and rivers from mines, submarines and surface attacks. They have turbines instead of propellers and have a relatively shallow draft. The Freedom is unique in that it can be quickly outfitted with different modules, depending on the mission, making it efficiently flexible for multiple tasks.

The Freedom's unique features didn't come without great cost however. Much controversy surrounded the project as costs doubled, halting production on the remaining vessels. The final figure on this one is in the neighborhood of 600 million dollars.

It wasn't a total breakdown of Freedom, but my company had the opportunity to work on Freedom this week. They contacted us because of our experience with transport refrigeration. Their cold plate freezer was acting up so we showed up to replace the Copeland compressor. Our guys told us they had to pass a background check and a search to work on the ship. When they forgot to bring the dehydrator with them, I thought they'd never be let back on with the grenade-looking device.

All in all it was fun to see and read about such a unique ship in Milwaukee.

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Years from now when my grandkids are regularly electing women or minority presidents, and the occasional minority woman president, I'll remind them that I voted in this historic election.  

Does it make me feel old when my son votes for the first time or when I can help elect a president younger than myself? Not when I can still work 19 hours straight. From 6:00 a.m. yesterday to 1:00 a.m. today I helped make sure every vote in Waukesha was counted as a poll worker for the 4th Aldermanic District at Hawthorne Elementary.

As the main person working new registrations, name and address changes, I was better able to see first hand the desire to make a difference. The first time voters and those who couldn't tell you the last time they voted. The blind and the frail who knew what their one vote could mean. Those unwilling to give up even after being directed to the wrong polling place - several times.

 Like Honest Abe, the last president to come from Illinois who did so much 140 years ago to make Obama's win possible today, a single write-in vote for "an honest man" said it all. While many write-ins are ridiculous and just slow down the poll workers, I felt at least the "an honest man" vote was probably cast with some good thought and feeling.  

Could go on about how I didn't find out myself who won until 1:00 a.m. this morning, even though I was at the polls. Could talk about how easy it was to get our many questions answered by Waukesha's newest City Clerk, Gina. Would mention how surprised I was to not see long lines except in the morning. I'd write more but it's late and I've had only 4 hours sleep in the last two days. 

Thanks for voting. It was good to see.

One week ago I commented here that I'd love to take our rented Chevy HHR on a trip before turning it in. The Toyota was done Friday but we haven't picked it up yet. Son and I left with the HHR for Glendale Heights, IL, early Saturday for an open house at UTI, Universal Technical Institute, his probable school after graduation.

The 110 mile trip wasn't too bad. We didn't have an Illinois map and I didn't know where we were going, which made me nervous, but son had a borrowed GPS and hopefully knew how to use it. (We missed just one turn.)

Gas in Illinois was anywhere from 20 to 70 cents more per gallon than in Wisconsin, even though they also charge tolls.

You can find cigarettes in IL $9.40 a carton tax included, cheaper than in WI.

We looked at apartments while there and noted rents are probably $100.00 to $200.00 a month higher than you'd find in Waukesha for the equivalent.

We measured time and mileage between here and the Racine shop I'll be driving to next year. Thirty-five miles and forty-five minutes either via Hwy. 164 or I-94, on dry pavement, during daylight, and not during rush hour. (I'm currently driving 3 miles to catch a bus to Downtown Milw.)

We'll be turning in the rental soon but at least got in the trip I was hoping to take. Glad we didn't have to take the Toyota down.

During the last presidential elections Waukesha County was known for what?

Highest percentage of electors voting Republican?

Last county in state to submit results?

Highest campaign contributions per capita?

Highest turnout of voters in the country?

Most right-ins for Al Gore?

Highest percentage of absentee votes?

I've been hearing about a predicted turnout next Tuesday of anywhere from 75% to 80% of eligible voters. Seems really high to me, but there is a lot of interest this year, for many reasons. Last night at City Hall we were told by County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus that Waukesha County had the nation's highest voter turnout in 2004 - 96.8%. And it's expected to be even higher this year!

Please, please, please... if we lose the highest voter title by one voter... don't be that one. If you don't like waiting in long lines, City Hall is open for absentee voting until Monday night. Thousands in Waukesha already have voted.

Here's something you probably didn't know: you can vote more than once. That's right, you can vote more than once, it just can't be counted more than once. You can vote at the polls on Tuesday if you already voted absentee. If you change your mind after voting absentee, just show up before your ballot is logged into the poll books and go ahead and vote again.

Finally: polls are official "public places" and anyone is free to observe. If you're curious about the tallying process, or just want to see how alert someone looks after a 16 hour shift, be sure to drop in after the polls close at 8:00. I'm sure they'd be sooo happy to see you. 

If you're over 50, pregnant, a healthcare worker, or in a high risk group you can get your flu shot at St. William this weekend. Anyone concerned about their health can get a shot. And while you're there check out the huge Annual Craft Fair where over 50 exhibitors will be demonstrating and displaying their unique and beautiful wares. (Bring your appetite for the bakery and hot, juicy, turkey sandwiches.)

The Fall Blood Drive at St. William will be Monday, Nov. 10th, from 3:30 to 7:30 in the Parish Hall. We really need your help with this one. Every 2 seconds someone needs blood. 17 year olds can donate (or 16 with permission.) No upper age limit to donate. If you get a flu shot you can still donate, there is no waiting period. Call Kathy at 547-2763 x203 with questions.

Flu shots are 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1st, and 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Sun., Nov. 2nd.

Christian Women's Craft Fair is Sat. Nov. 1st, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

A little snow cloud passed over Waukesha around 2:30 this afternoon. I couldn't believe it. More peletized than flaky because it was well above freezing, but definitely snow and not hail or sleet. It was white but not solid. It didn't stick or last long and was soon replaced by light rain, but it made me wonder. Are we in for a long winter?

How was your week? Mine seemed generous. People were unusually generous toward me. A coworker friend gave us Halloween candy after I took a desk to his house after work. Another coworker gave me a denim patch to repair the new pair of jeans I ripped on a sharp corner while moving the desk. A different coworker gave me a jar of peanut butter he got from one of his customers -- a five pound jar of peanut butter!

I received my free copy of The Great Gatsby, this year's Waukesha Big Read selection, Friday after "Lunch with Gatsby," a book discussion moderated by former mayor Carol Lombardi. I was the last to arrive, which I'd like to blame on the conflicting start times I read about in the papers. I learned a lot about the novel and it's hidden messages and meanings and can't wait to read it. The book turned out to be quite an appropriate selection for this year; many similar market conditions from the novel's 1920's setting are mirrored in today's economy. 

Also picked up a nice large pumpkin at the St. Vincent De Paul Store on East Main St. -- free. There is usually bakery there free for the taking, and occasionally produce. It's available to anyone, no questions asked. I saw the lone pumpkin there on the floor and had to ask about it because I knew we weren't buying one this year. Someone had brought in several extras they had and mine was the last of that load. The price was right. Thanks mystery donor.

Candy, peanut butter, a patch, book, pumpkin, it's been one of those weeks. 

Also picked up a rental car for the week while ours is being repaired. Though the beautiful, dark red Chevy HHR wasn't exactly free, we're paying only $5.00 more per day versus what insurance will cover. It's a pleasure to drive, is almost new with just 5000 miles on it, roomy inside, comfortable and great on gas. I'd love to own it or at least take it on a trip. Premier can take their time fixing the Toyota.

**************** 10/27 addendum ******************

Thanks to Vince on Ch. 6, am informed the snow we saw yesterday was graupel. It's formed when rime, frozen moisture droplets, sticks to snow. Sometimes it's a light coating and sometimes, like Sunday, it's so covering the flake you can't even tell the original shape. Because the shape is most often pelletized it becomes an avalanche hazard, acting as billions of tiny ball bearings.

.more pictures from my fantastic balloon flight last Saturday.

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The Wisconsin Balloon Group's annual picnic was Saturday afternoon, and I was invited.

I crewed for one of five balloons launching from a driving range in Richfield that morning. I enjoyed it a lot because the weather was great, if cool, and colors are spectacular this time of year, even for crew members. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a familiar couple there for a ride.

Last week we got our balloon set up in Monches with passengers in basket ready to launch when we discovered an issue with the equipment. I felt sorry for the passengers because we scrubbed a flight they probably had been looking forward to for quite a while. Everything was perfect about the morning; fall colors, weather, good crew. Unfortunately, I knew, they probably wouldn't be going up until next year - long after these fall colors had faded from memory.

That's why I was so thrilled to see the couple again so soon. Not only did they get to still see the colors, the weather still great, but launching with four other balloons made it even more interesting. They also were closer to home in Richfield and saw many more familiar sights than they would have in Monches.

Many pilots brought their balloons to the picnic for a possible evening launch. Jim from Janesville was there with Yellow Fever, and we talked about my very first flight two years ago with him. He mentioned his difficulty finding good crew after a couple of them shipped off to Iraq. He also bemoaned losing his GM job at the end of this year.

After filling up on roast pork I was invited to take a ride on Free Spirit, Rod's balloon. It would be my first ride this year and third over all. I jumped at the chance. The colors would look great with my new camera.

The pre-launch was rather breezy and we bounced around even with several additional people holding the basket down. We took a bucket of golf balls with us for a ball drop contest and hoped no one on the ground would get hit with either the balls or the empty bucket. The ball drop was a Team Challenge to help raise funds to find a cure for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The winner of the contest would get a balloon ride. A fellow crew member has Crohn's disease and was terribly ill before a treatment was found for her. Doing much better now, she is now training to be a pilot herself and shared this ride with Rod and myself. 

It's a smaller world from a balloon. I didn't want to go to the picnic in Jackson if I had to drive, yet one of the first things I saw from the air was the Milwaukee skyline. A different perspective. Crossing Big Cedar Lake as if a pond. Hearing people yell but almost too small to see. We were the envy of the birds.

Of the five balloons to launch we were probably the last to land, in an alfalfa field. Still a little breezy, we had a good hit and rode the basket like a wild fair ride as it skipped across the field. Today our chase crew, and my camera, had a decent work out.

Having just hit a deer Friday, the ad seemed to speak to me; Another Wisconsin Season Begins    Oh Deer! Did One Just Hit You?   A large buck pictured to the left of the wording; Come to Goff's For: Free Drive Thru Estimates, Extended hours, Insurance Claim Assistance, Prompt Delivery

I didn't have a problem with the ad until I drove to two of the closest Goff's locations after work to find both closed at the normal time. Called next day to learn hours haven't been extended at all. "We have a lot of ads out there." They didn't know which ad I was referring to.

"Maybe it refers to extended hours compared to other body shops in the area?" Pretty deceiving isn't it, especially when that can be quickly disproven with a couple quick phone calls?

Even though the Toyota is ten years old with over 98000 miles, we've chosen to keep collision and comprehensive insurance. It's paying off. The estimate we received from the body shop just down Grandview from us, Premier Body and Paint, Inc., is for $2000.00. We will be using them once we get the check. They estimated the damage after hours on Saturday afternoon.

The good news is I've gone 17,345 days without hitting a deer. Bad news is the streak ended this morning.

I drove through Pebble Valley today, which I never do, because I had the time, which I never have. I opened at work today so left a little early to make sure to catch the bus. I always take Northview to Meadowbrook but had a couple extra minutes to take the scenic route. Unfortunately for the deer and the Toyota, the scenic route includes lots of pretty wildlife. If you live around Pebble Valley Park and heard tires screech around 6:30 and a gunshot around 7:00 you have me to thank.

I'm fortunate that my life doesn't include a lot of really bad things, so when I hit a beautiful doe while travelling around 30 on Pebble Valley Road I had to ask myself, "What do I do? What do I do? God, what do I do?"  I've never hit a deer before. Not even hunting. The one time I went gun hunting for deer I fell out of a tree and broke an ankle.

So what do you do when no one's around, you're fine and the car's OK, but the deer you just hit is sitting up on the terrace where it landed looking at you? You know the legs are broken, but without internal injuries you know it could suffer a long time. The doe is just a few feet from the car and you know any movement from you will cause the deer to struggle. Do you pull out your pocket knife to end it's misery, get bit by the deer but make it to work on time - though disheveled - only to find after work that you've made the papers?

After saying a short prayer to do the right thing I slowly pulled away. It immediately struggled to get up but couldn't. A few minutes later at the bus stop I borrowed a kind person's cell and I called 911 to report what I'd done.

After work I went back the same route to see evidence, maybe learn what happened, find the missing Toyota emblem. Because this happened in a residential area next to a park I easily overheard kids still talking about it. I asked what they knew and admitted what I'd done. They directed me to talk to neighbors across the street who they said knew all about it. Because the neighbors were just arriving home I just wandered over, didn't even have to ring the bell. They heard the tires screech and also called the police. They weren't home when it was put down but estimate it was between 7:00 and 7:15.

For all but one of the parties involved there is not such a bad ending. The Toyota wasn't too badly damaged and is fully insured. The neighbor I talked to called a friend who came over and took the deer for meat. I feel I did the right thing and I know Waukesha Police did the right thing. 

Tonight I missed my first bus heading back to Waukesha by just a minute. I spent a few minutes in the Grand Ave. Mall waiting for the next one to arrive. It was raining and I haven't been there in a while. I missed the next one by a minute or two because I stayed in the mall too long. There is a third choice for me, the last one of the night going to my stop, but not arriving for another hour. I waited.

I arrived home two and a half hours after I left work 20 miles away. I was gone from home 13 hours today for an 8-1/2 hour workday.

Riding the bus has good and bad points. I can sleep, read, visit or listen to a personal sterio. It's inexpensive and good for the environment. I sometimes have to fight the weather while waiting for it, but don't have to put up with stress of the daily traffic jam or multiple trips to the gas station.

Point is I'll miss my bus ride to Milwaukee and all the friends I've made when my commute switches to Racine in January. My company is closing it's Walker's Point location after 90 years in the area. Another victim of the economy. I'll be driving every day and twice as far - not something I'm looking forward to. I guess it beats trying to find alternate work in this economy, but just barely. 

And just when I was really appreciating working and exploring Downtown.

Late for The Fall Crawl, I thought all the good Artful Bowls might be taken. With 500 bowls at the start, there were still plenty of beautiful ones to choose from. Mine was lovingly made and signed by Ginger from Waukesha South.

Community members create all these wonderful works of pottery which are sold to raise money for Art Links, a studio serving adults with disabilities (many of the bowls were made by them). After purchase the bowls are filled with a soup choice or, new this year, ice cream donated by local restaurants. Though it would have been nice to be lured into a variety of shops with the offer of different soups or ice creams at each, I can see where it might've been a little messy or expensive. I enjoyed one warm bowl of vegetable and took advantage of the complimentary bowl wash.

I ate at a table already occupied by a mature couple. Their name tags told me they were helping with ACAP (Adaptive Community Approach Program), and their ice cream told me they were about done for the night. Turns out I was talking to the parents of a certain former county executive. Parents of a community-minded individual giving back to the community themselves as volunteers is a good reflection on them. They're likely a main reason Dan is as successful as he is. 

Speaking of parents of good kids... After soup at Art Links I walked up Main to see what else was going on, stopping at Martha Merrell's. Noticed a little display still up from a recent book signing. The last name looked familiar, yet just unusual enough to be rather unique to this area. The author, Bob Kascht, is from Waukesha and I wondered if he is the dad of Retzer's naturalist. Norm thought he was, but paging through the book we couldn't find mention or see a single picture of Larry. I bought the book. He is.

The book Good Genes, Luck, Lots of Prayers is a fairly humorous memoir of Mr. Kascht's life on the farm, as a doctor and everything in between. It's interesting to me because it gives a little background to a gentleman I greatly admire, Larry, and was written with much help from a Waukesha teacher I admire, Jackie. I haven't finished the book yet, but already know that dad has as much appreciation of nature as son.

Besides good parents raising good kids, another connection between these two sets of parents? Bob's son is a naturalist at Retzer and ACAP, of which Dan's mom is president, does a lot of volunteering at Retzer - they made the yummy caramel apples for Apple Harvest Festival.

Before heading home I wanted to check out the new art supply store at 375 W Main, Masterpiece Art Supply. There I found interesting tools, art kits and such, as well as donated items for the silent auction to support five art crawls a year. The mayor and his lovely wife were in attendance as was new, abstract photographer, Jennifer Anderson. She displays a mastery of her SLR digital camera and offers a wide variety of some of the least expensive, most beautifully framed artwork in the city. It was a pleasure meeting her and I'll be looking forward to seeing her work in a gallery someday soon.

Mom stopped in by me the other day and offered a ride home. Curious timing, I'd just used my last bus ticket that morning and hadn't bought more because they were out. Because she hadn't seen inside the new hotel yet, we wandered the block and a half to the Iron Horse after I was done with work at 5:00.

I wanted to tell her all about it, but kept quiet when told we could hook up with an official tour. The hotel rooms themselves were something I didn't get to see during my brief previous tour, so I was anxious to get started. We sat at the bar sipping a couple drinks, trying to be patient. She thought it still smelled too strongly of varnish. I said if they just allowed smoking, after a while no one would notice the varnish.

It wasn't long before a lovely waitress balancing plates of food appeared. She carried small Kobe beef burgers topped with crab meat she called "sliders" and bowls of popcorn shrimp mixed with kettlecorn popcorn. Caught in a trap! Lured by a tour, we'd be talked into buying expensive food we didn't want while waiting for the "free" tour to start. 

Even though I've never tasted Kobe beef, I didn't even want to know what they were charging. Couldn't afford it. Mom did want to know, however, and the answer was it was all free. Not only was the burger among the best I've tasted, but in a few minutes someone else arrived with a large bowl of fancy potato chips made with truffle oil and parmesan cheese. I'm more of a Ruffle oil chip kind of guy, but if the price is right... Oh, and what is truffle oil and what's it doing on potato chips?

We speculated the food was free because they were looking for a little word-of-mouth advertising - a little mouth-watering advertising. Maybe they were just getting the kitchen up and running in preparation for tomorrow's full opening of "Branded". Either way, I detected no difference in chips with truffle oil, and will just stick to Ruffles with French onion.

The tour wasn't a letdown after our little meal. We stopped in the library and were told guests could remove books for free and replace them with something different - on the honor system. Surprising considering some of the offerings. The seven of us then went downstairs to see the 100 year old boiler room where the 36 person hot tub is going to be and some large original paintings.

Later exiting the elevator at one of the upper floors, zebra-striped carpeting, and the story behind it, greeted us. The room we toured had a single luxurious queen-sized bed with an animal hide covering the bench at the foot of it. The bathroom shower had a very large rain head as well as a conventional. The shower was encircled by glass - so much so that anyone in the bedroom could see silhouettes through the opaque glass of the person showering. We were told all rooms don't share this feature.

Mom and I enjoyed a surprisingly good, and well-nourished, tour. Everything in the building seems compatible with a pleasant stay. If only we had an extra few hundred dollars lying around...