Rebecca Sprague

Saturday, July 25, 2009

9:30 am Coffee Hour & refreshments

10:00 am Membership Meeting; Program to follow

"Sailing on the Inland Lakes"

Presentation by Dr. Charles Hajinian

Dr. Charles Hajinian is a historian for the Nagawicka Lake Yacht Club. This is the right season to join us in his presentation about the history of sailing from 1902. We will journey through the joy of using the inland lakes for sailing and forming yacht clubs in the Oconomowoc area. Enjoy and learn about the types of sail boats and the rules and regulations of a regatta through a slide show presentation. This program promises to be interesting and ties in nicely with the new Sailing & Yacht Club Sports

The Oconomowoc Area Historical Society & Museum is located at 103 W. Jefferson St. in Oconomowoc, across from Roosevelt field. At the downtown Four Corners, go south on Main St., straight to Jefferson St.

Public is invited and encouraged to come!

www.oconomowochistoricalsociety.com

I'm an empty nester. My son lives in Sarasota, Florida so it's rare that he comes home for a visit. Usually we visit him in the wintertime. So the last time he came him, I asked him for a day to do something with family, and he picked the Milwaukee Zoo.

We have always been big supporters of the Zoo. And Milwaukee has one of the best.

A little bit of trivia here: the reindeer from the Milwaukee Zoo were featured in a short scene of "Road to Utopia" with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. And driving those reindeer, playing Santa, was my great, great uncle, Walter Klassy, who worked at the Milwaukee Zoo(but with the reptiles).

So if you're looking for something to do...don't forget the Zoo.

In July 2006, St. Clare Catholic Church in North Lake and St. John Catholic Church in Monches, merged to become Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Church in North Lake was designed by Alexander Eschweiler in 1917 and expanded in the 1930's. The result is a beautiful lannon stone church, with very few changes over the years (new paint, pews, and floor covering).

If you are looking for an older church experience, visit Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church in North Lake, right on Hwy. 83.

Mass on Saturday is at 4:30 pm (this is a NEW time). Sunday: 7:30, 9:00 and 10:30 am.

Handicap accessible on the side door. Parking on the side and in the back.

Friday, June 5, was a beautiful day for the Fowler Lake walk. It's about a 40 minute walk around the lake. (Unless my sister is walking with us- then it's 50 minutes.)

We started at Memorial Park, off Lac LaBelle. Do you ever notice the historical marker there? I didn't.

So we started to go counter-clockwise around the lake, starting on the Lac LaBelle side. Gorgeous homes are everywhere. My sister is a nut for gargoyles, and there are a few of them guarding a home.

Now you know why it takes us so long to walk around. After the bridge,we cross the street and walk on the east side of the road, where the houses are on Fowler Lake. It's a nice walk, you get to meet your fellow walkers (everyone greets one another - for the most part). It's like taking a tour of historic homes.

So if you are ever in Oconomowoc, with time to spare from shopping downtown, try the Fowler Lake walk. We might not have Fonzie(like the Riverwalk in Milwaukee) but we have gargoyles!

If there was a lake in our "lake country area" west of Milwaukee that I would call unaffordable, it would be Pine Lake. Are there any cottages left on this lake? I don't think so. There are historic mansions, 1970's mansions, and newer mansions - but cottages?

I sold a 1970's-mansion on a beautiful private, park-like setting a couple of years back. From the outside it looked like Romanesque architecture, but the inside - still 1970's style. It took quite a while to sell at it's 2+ million pricetag and dated interior, but finally the right couple bought it. And what are they doing? Rehabbing it. The value of property/lake frontage on Pine Lake is so high, it's nothing to spend $1 million to upgrade.

My parents have a home on Pine Lake and every year is a new project. New sun room, expanded kitchen, more windows. Will it help when they decide to sell? Who knows. Ask me in a few years.