Adieu to Madison...and Bonjour to More Cheesecakes!

Hi everyone!
We are officially done with Madison. We had our 2 school shows today, and they went well. The venue was BEAUTIFUL! I did forget to snap a picture of it, but I have found it on line at the website for the OVERTURE CENTER (which is where we performed.) Both of our shows were great - we had good audiences and just a few 'incidents' here and there. What incidents, you ask? Well - our first show, I'm going to be honest, was NOT a banner one for me. I knocked Tara's golden ticket out of her hand, the propeller fell OFF my Augustus hat when we were in the factory, and SOMEHOW, while falling into the vat of chocolate, I had a little split in the seat of my pants. THANK GOODNESS it wasn't when I wave my butt for all the kids to see! There would have been complete pandemonium in that theater! But regardless...we got through that show. And the second show, the only real 'incident' was when Tara decided that she was going to try and SKIP the entire Mike Teavee scene and just go straight to the finale! She normally comes off from the Oompa number, grabs the big TV with Jackie and then walks it on stage. And then at the end of the show, she comes off from the LAST Oompa number, and walks back on stage to move one of the set pieces into it's final place. WELL...Jackie stood waiting at the TV, I stood waiting behind the platform while Tara kind of wandered around on stage for a second, looking complete lost. Finally, I whispered, 'TARA. TELEVISION.' And we were BACK on course. But I would say that after 80-some performances, that was Tara's first mistake, so she's golden!
The rest of the day was a couple of extra hours in Madison, with all of us walking around State Street for one last romp...and then the drive NORTHWEST to Eau Claire. We don't actually perform here in Eau Claire...just a stop over on our way to Grand Rapids, Minnesota tomorrow. (And yes...you read that right...Grand Rapids, MINNESOTA. Please don't ask if I mean Michigan. Because I don't.) (There was some SNAP in that last statement...my apologies.)
Jackie and I headed to have lunch at a mexican restaurant on State Street called FRIDA'S - named after and decorated for the artist Frida Kahlo. We were joined a little later by Tara, Andrew and Eric...and I think everyone had a nice time. The food was good - and all my stars aligned for a CHEESECAKE ENTRY! It was a return to our Tulsa-days, and the dish was called FRIED CHIMI CHEESECAKE. The presentation was stunning...the cheesecake was good...and the final picture and resort are below.

Looked great...tasted good...earns a high 6 on the MASE. The fried Tulsa Cheesecake put THIS concoction to shame.

And upon our arrival here to Eau Claire, we headed to the hotel restaurant and bar, called the Green Mill, established in 1935, and to my SURPRISE, there was a cheesecake on the menu that we decided we had to try. This one was the SKYSCRAPER CHEESECAKE, and per Kelly, our bartender friend with the insider tips, she promised it was a tall piece-o-cake. Again, presentation was stellar...the cheesecake was fair...and the final picture and report are below.

Tall? Yes. (Although Kelly, Bartender, said she was surprised...most of the time the pieces are TALLER. Scandal!) Good looking? You betcha. As good as it looks? NOT even close. This entry scores a 5 on the MASE...which could be due to the core of the piece being frozen. Who does that?

Tomorrow...290 miles of FUN...with high possibilities of snow/wintery mix and high winds.
My DVD player is charged...the DVD's are lined up and ready for viewing...and sadly, we are ready to wave good-bye to the great state of Wisconsin. Thanks for the cheese...and a ton of fun!
CHEERS!
Gussy


Tara and Jackie enjoy lunch and time together at Frida's Mexican Restaurant. Frida looks on in the background...


Part of the gang at the Green Milll, Established 1935, tonight...raising their glasses to the magic and hospitality of Wisconsin!


So...this has nothing to do with much of anything listed above...BUT, I had to show you that I bought the follow up to A Million Little Pieces - because I loved the first book so much. I got to my hotel here in Eau Claire today, checked my email, and my friend, Shanna Doak at WSB, told me she was reading this. WELL, I ran RIGHT to Borders, found the book and picked it up! (And it was 30% off. CHRISTMAS MIRACLES ABOUND!) I started it tonight, and the first page is very good. Report to follow.....