Ma’s Day ‘04

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Ma, Stepdude, and I drove up to Lake Geneva, WI for Mother’s Day. 

Before we got there we stopped in Antioch, where Ma and Stepdude mused over the possible purchase of a lot in one of those Redacted Homes developments. Turns out there were too many hidden costs. That, and Ma brings home the bacon these days. Stepdude? He brings home the bupkis. And besides, Antioch is too far from where Ma works.

Upon reaching picturesque Lake Geneva, we stopped for a bite at—of all places—Subway. After that, it rained. But the rain passed quickly. We wandered around the old business district, which was very much alive with tourists. 

The Copper Mountain Toy Co. & Train Land Of Lake Geneva* sells, among a great many other trinkets, historical action figures of Jesus, of Moses, and of Shakespeare “with Removable Quill Pen & Book!” They also had an action figure of a coffee barista. On impulse, I purchased the three remaining Shakespeares: one as a future gift to one of my many theatrical acquaintances, one to keep sealed in its container for posterity, and one to play with. (I might, for example, pit Shakespeare against my Bill and Ted action figures.) 

We spent too much of the day burning gas to gape at all the ritzy real estate. Stepdude kept his eyes peeled for “For Sale” signs; he kept pipe-dreaming aloud about moving to Lake Geneva. And when he wasn’t doing that, he kept pointing out how THAT house or THAT ranch or THAT hillside or THAT section of lakefront looked like some other house, ranch, hillside, or lakefront in some OTHER picturesque part of the country.

We drove past what Stepdude insisted was the Wrigley Mansion [but wasn’t]. It’s big and it’s old, and, I think, inside, it’s been chopped up into condos.

We visited the library—a Frank Lloyd Wright building. A few years back, Stepdude talked one of the librarians into issuing him a library card—never mind that he lives in another state and wouldn’t ever check out a book. He buys plenty of books, but he’s never checked one out of any library. The Lake Geneva librarian gave him a card, he said, because he’s a published author. (Which is true, he is).          

We ate [dinner?] at the nearly historic Redacted Resort. Built in the early 1960s, it’s a slightly fancy, rustic, summer getaway spot… and it doesn’t seem to’ve changed much, if at all, since the Nixon Administration. Decades ago, my grand folks brought Ma and her three siblings here on a semi-regular basis. Stepdude came here for retreats back when he was still on the faculty of Redacted College.

We saw and heard and tried to ignore all the bikers on their Harleys cruising the streets of downtown Lake Geneva. They’re like human cicadas. 

The lake was full of boats—yachts, paddle wheelers, kayaks, canoes, pontoons, jet skis, rowboats, sailboats, speedboats, you name it. 

And as we drove, Ma kept saying, “Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it beautiful?”

10 May 2004

*[It’s not clear when, but this delightful toy shop has long since shuttered.]

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