Happy Take Your Brat To Work Day

Hoping my Madison-area friends have a good time riding to and from Brat Fest today. That was definitely one of the best times of the year to work at my old employer. Bikes, beer and brats (wimpy vegetarian Boca Brats for me), on a nice late spring afternoon.

No brats for me today, Allie and I are taking Celeste out for sushi for lunch to celebrate the end of the school year. Yep, we're now the parents of a fifth grader. Scary, exciting and fun, all at the same time.

A Good Day!

Another great day in Carlsbad. Under a cloudless sky we headed out to the beach (South Ponto). Celeste made us her interpretation of various foods using found objects.
Not very crowded
Hit Kotija Jr. in Encinitas for the best fish tacos (even if they are served on styrofoam).
Celeste had a beef taco plate. Hold the lettuce!
Cleaned up the dusty Electra fleet:
Later we had friends over for a summer Sconnie meal. Wisconsin-style brats on the grill.
Chop an onion, saute in butter:
Add cheap Milwaukee beer (be sure to take a few slugs from the can):
Let grilled brats simmer in glorious mixture for 45 min or so. Use beer/butter-soaked onions as toppings:
Yum!

Not-So Vintage Postcard/POP

I received an interesting "postcard" (to use the term loosely) from my friend Don last week.

Unlike most postcards, this one was quite large. And made of wood.

And not only is it a cool piece of Sconnie to add to the garage wall, it also spurned a conversation in the "Arts & Crafts" department where I spend 40+ glorious hours every week. See, many of you four readers know that I'm a picky eater. I'll eat poultry and fish, but no pork or beef. And I've been that picky for 20 years now.

Anyway, I was complaining to my coworkers that Allie and I have not been able to find turkey brats out in California. A dinner that we generally had about once a week in Wisconsin had been off the menu due to lack of availability.

Well, it turns out that Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad has 'em. And they're not just Turkey Store brand but made at the store. So we picked some up over last weekend. They were enormous and delicious.

So thank you Don for spurring the conversation. If you make it down to these parts the brats (and Leinies) are on me!