I hope there will always be somewhere to go where they know your name, and I'm not talking about an automated voice reading it off your frequent shopper card. There are few places left where you can pick up your cup where you left it the day before and share conversation and coffee with the butcher behind the meat counter every day at the small mom and pop grocery like my dad used to do in Mercer. Doesn't really matter how big the place is.

Even though Pick 'N Save takes way too much of our money we still like shopping there. Prices are comparatively low, people know us there and we run into people we know there. It's like the small town post office, where conversation is free-flowing and eventually, it seems, you'll bump into everyone. 

P & S does what it can to cut down on aisle clogging conversation. They make narrow aisles (the most popular ones of course) even narrower with free-standing displays. The end result is there isn't room anywhere to even park a cart out of the way. On busy Saturdays you have to wait for traffic to pass before reaching for some things (if they're going to make aisles that narrow they need to make them one-way or have narrower carts).

Even though P & S has installed some self-serve check outs for smaller orders, it's still nice to talk to live checkers who know you. We've know some of the checkers going back 15 years and more. They want to know how everyone is, where my wife is when she's not with me, and they comment on how big the kids are getting (I blame that on them). When we went shopping there yesterday we didn't go to the shortest line, we went to Linda's line. I love kidding with Linda. When she gave us our whopping total I told her to catch this one and I'll get the next. I love her laugh.

They tell Linda and Sally and others not to talk so much, that their lines are too long. But I say their lines are long because people want to wait for checkers that know their names. We did.

Pick 'N Save is running a promo of a $25.00 gift card if we transfer a prescription to their new pharmacy. Don't want it. Walgreens has usually treated us fairly. Went there Friday and the pharmacist called me by name as I approached. There was no waiting. The order was ready and he was efficient and friendly. He could have been extra nice for the survey I could take for a chance to win $3000.00, but maybe the new competition in town is forcing it. Either way, as long as Walgreens continues to take care of us and acts like they know us we'll continue to do business there. 

Danny's no longer a boy. My nephew, seventeen years after he was ring bearer at our wedding, was married today.

Weddings are usually emotional for me, but especially so with Dan's because I feel I wasn't there when he was growing up. He's now a handsome young man with a bright future and a beautiful bride but I didn't know where he works or lives and didn't even know where he went to school. I last saw Dan and met his fiancee two years ago for my dad's funeral. Since bag pipers concluded both ceremonies, the funeral and Dan's wedding today, I was over-filled with emotion.

I heard a lot of great things said about my nephew by his many friends. Saw a lot of pictures of the two of them as they grew up, and even saw the wedding video which someone was nice enough to quickly edit in time for the reception.

The cakes and decorations were the most unusual I've ever seen at a wedding reception. Everything was black and white; the groomsmen wore black tuxes, the bridesmaids - black dresses with pastel ribbon waistbands. Chair covers, tablecloths, everything, black and white. Even the bride wore a white dress with black accents -- and the cake matched her dress! The groom had a cake too -- it looked just like The Nightmare Before Christmas.

No one I talked to could figure out the significance of all the black and white and spooky stuff but we were all curious. Did the couple meet on Halloween? Was The Nightmare Before Christmas their favorite movie? Finally found out she just likes the contrast of black and white. Turns out a lot of other people do too, because that's what all four in my family were wearing as well as many more we saw wearing similar.

I came away from the wedding and reception with a very good feeling. A lot of positive things were said about the goodness of love and marriage and everyone in the pews promised to support the couple in their lifelong commitment to each other.

Instead of putting off repair of the bathroom sink stopper to later, I fixed it this morning. Instead of doing it before I showered, I did it after. Instead of leaving my coffee in a safe spot, I put it where I could get to it - right next to the sink. Instead of spilling into the sink when I bumped it, coffee and cup tipped on my head. Instead of yelling, I laughed.

Instead of camping all weekend, we spent just one day. Instead of staying at one of the three other Waukesha County Parks that offer family camping; Muskego, Mukwonago or Menomonee, we chose the one that was most crowded, thus noisier, but had a lake for canoeing and was closest to home, Naga-Waukee Park.

Instead of remembering to pack canoe paddles, we made a trip home. Instead of going out on heavily-used Nagawicka Lake when it's calmest, we tried canoeing mid day. Instead of getting swamped by breakers from the speed boats, we managed to keep it upright and took only a little water over the sides. Instead of finding "No Trespassing" signs on an island we found none, and we explored it. Instead of burning gas, making waves and pulling around people on inflatable furniture, my son and I caught some fish, got a close look at the lake properties and gave our muscles a workout. Instead of giving us the same courtesy as motor boats at the landing, (it cost us as much to launch as it cost them) we were noticeably rushed to make room for trailered boats even though it took us only two minutes to get our boat out of the water.

Instead of the storms that were predicted this weekend, the weather was great. Instead of the lake being cold or weedy, the water was very nice for swimming. Instead of spending $145.00 for a night's stay in a cabin somewhere, we spent $14.50 and put up our own cabin. Instead of having all the amenities of home, we pumped our own water, used an outhouse and cooked over an open fire.

Instead of camping with his eight kids, it was tricky with just my two, my dad took us Up North to a cabin in Minocqua or Mercer to fish, boat and swim. Instead of seeing my dad today, Father's Day, I will be visiting his grave, he died two years ago yesterday. Instead of waiting, tell your dad you love him.

It's Takin the Blog for a Walk's first blogiversary and more than one hundred entries have been posted. I'd like to take this time to thank the Journal Sentinel, Community Newspapers and Mark Maley for giving me this opportunity and readers of WaukeshaNOW and Marketplace for your feedback.

This blog has allowed me to write about things I'm passionate about and has given me motivation to get out and do more. It's also been one year since I lost my weekend job and I've enjoyed all the new things I've been able to do since then and am happy to be able to write about them.

My fear in doing this was I'd run out of things to write about, maybe in winter nothing would be happening, but that hasn't been the case. Something is always going on in or around Waukesha. This weekend we're going camping so I hope to write about that. I'm really amazed by the varied offering of free or low cost things to do around here. Sometimes you have to volunteer to get into something but it's still fun and it's free.

My favorite blog is "The list of things to do before I die just got shorter" on 7/25/06. I went up in a hot air balloon for the first time (it cost me nothing because I was volunteering) and told about it as in a letter to my dad. I cried while writing it because of all the emotions I was experiencing. I called in to a radio show and talked about the flight and the letter, and later blogged about the radio show and added a link to the broadcast. Even though we only floated from one end of Waukesha to another, I got a lot of mileage out of my first balloon flight.

Thanks for reading!

There is a dingy little hole in the wall at 6th and National in the Walker's Point area of Milwaukee. It's called Coney Island Hotdogs and it's been there since July 1926. My dad used to take me there as a kid. I'd order burnt hotdogs with nothing on them and Dad would order their chili dog chili served in a bowl.

After working in the area for almost 20 years my curiosity finally got the best of me, so I struck up the courage a few years ago to find out if Coney Island was still in business. It was always dark and dirty on the outside, kind of reflecting the street it's on, and because I pack a lunch, I was in no hurry to try it again. But I found out it's still open, 10:30 to 2:00 Tuesday through Saturday, and THE SAME GUY IS RUNNING THE PLACE! Mike bought it in November of 1949 and is still selling hot dogs and hamburgers there -- 57 years now. My first dog I ordered plain and burnt and he didn't get it right, after 30 years, so now I just order with the "works" and they're delicious.

Coney Island is clean, not tidy - I swear some of the same appliances and furniture were around when my dad first brought me there. The menu is a handwritten piece of paper on the wall. You can have a hotdog, hamburger, cheeseburger, chili dog, fries and soda. They used to have floats but discontinued them. They have ketchup and mustard but no pickles.

There's been a lot of talk lately about a different gentleman still working at the age of 91. Mike turns 87 this month. He doesn't have a golden hotdog on the wall but he's as satisfied in his work as the people he feeds.

I showed up to chaperone an overnight at the Tyme Out Youth Center in Stone Bank in my PJs, slippers and Teddy Bear. I wasn't the only one. By coincidence, the gal shortening my hair Saturday was also chaperoning that night. She thought it would be fun if we showed up in our jammies, and it was.

There were 20 tenth grade boys in one room for me to help with. Many of the boys continued to talk and make noise up to an hour after the lights went out at 12:30. I felt sorry for the kids having to get up so early on a Sunday morning, (asleep by 1:30, lose and hour to daylight and up by 7:30=5 hours of sleep), but I really felt bad for Michael. Michael is the gifted musician I wrote about in a July 10th blog who's organ playing is in such high demand that he sometimes plays several churches a weekend. Today he was playing all three masses at an Elm Grove parish so he was up before 6:00 - less than four hours of sleep for him.

Because it's close-by, I visited my dad after breakfast. He's in a quiet and beautiful area. Overlooks a lake with lots of mature trees around. It was a nice morning and I noticed many deer prints in the snow and couldn't ignore the birds, especially the geese who seemed to enjoy the echo of their own honks. The only other people around were dog walkers trying to keep their balance on the icy roadway. Before saying goodbye I brushed the snow off his gravestone and said a prayer.

Dear Dad,
Thanks for showing me your new home. I knew you'd made it when I saw a Halo Delivery truck in our shop the day after you died. It's got to be good to reunite with your family and friends.

I was in heaven in a hot air balloon Saturday and it reminded me so much of you; big, bright, colorful, warm and gentle, quiet and slow. I know you must have had something to do with it.

You always had a knack for running into people from your hometown, no matter where in the world you were, so it shouldn't surprise me that you'd run into angels from Janesville too.

Jim Bushelle, Teri and Nick of the Janesville Hot Air Balloon Company are truly angels. Not only did they take us under their wings and let us help, but they patiently answered every question and showed as much enthusiasm as we did if not more.

I'm grateful for our new friends in the hot air community, a real family adventure. I'm lucky to have spent more time with my son in the last two weekends than it seems I ever have before. I've slowly glided over my fair city in the early morning, north to south, and there is no money I'd trade the memories for.

These last two weekends of crewing for Jim and Teri were unique, just like each balloon, and if it wasn't heaven...

Miss you
Brien

P.S. if you might be interested in trying ballooning in the Waukesha area give Ken Walter a shout at WIWindDancer@cs.com. Ken's the helpful, friendly organizer of Skyfest for the past 12 years who knows everyone and their balloons.

Saturday's killer sunrise competed with a rainbow and the bow won. The treasure it left behind after it dissipated was a cloud-shrouded mountain range in the sky so achingly beautiful that there was no place I'd rather be. The omen was savored as a hint of the day to come.

When a columnist, media personality or show I like signs off for the last time, I'll try to read or hear every word and savor them. There's uncertainty, emotion and feeling and I often learn more about the person or show than I ever knew before.

My 75-year-old dad passed away just before Fathers' Day exactly one year ago. I savored our last hours together. I concentrated on his look, his smell and feel. I didn't want him to leave and it upset me that he had to.

Thanks to a cousin's invite, I attended Waukesha West's 2006 graduation Saturday, June 10. There was literally one graduating senior for every day of the year. A teacher of English for over 30 years, Chris Beck, gave a humorous and thoughtful "Message to Seniors" speech. She told the story of another woman who, when asked the most important thing she learned in her 80 plus years, said "Wherever you are, be there." And again, "Wherever you are, be there.

Chris said that since some fellow students are no longer with us we should be even more aware of our own existence. She also told us to savor the moment, wherever we are.

I'm 45 years old and I've never been to a high school graduation...until now. I savored every moment.

Happy Fathers' Day!