Hey yall, Boone here. Many of you probably felt the pre-winter frustration this past Friday. Here in Madison, WI we only received around 2 inches of snow. That was bad enough. However, back in Osseo, WI, they received a whopping 16 1/2 inches. If you had ever wondered, “How much snow does it take to stop the United States Postal Service?” I would like to assure you…that it takes 16 1/2 inches.

I am just not ready for winter…yet. 

The snow was perfect for snowman mass production, but it is not going to stick around. My guess, it will be December before we see snow with lasting effects.

Friday’s storm just caught me off guard. Especially since my new Bimmer still has its performance Summer tires on it. This is the first car I have owned with rear wheel drive and Friday’s dumping was my first experience with rear wheel and snow. How was my experience? Lets just say, I want my snow tires on before the next snow storm hits.

Drive safe and wish me luck!

This November, Boone and I took some of our friends to one of our favorite Madison activities: Badger football! We got up early, had breakfast at Mickey’s and drinks at the Oakcrest/Lucky’s, then got front row seats for the game. The student section was in great form as usual and the Badgers creamed NW. Despite a little sun burn, the day was perfect and everyone is looking forward to doing it again next season. Go Bucky!

 

Boone here. Today’s Food for thought:

Is it sad that a large determining factor of me buying a new car, is that it have A cup holder?

Yeah, thats what I thought too. 

That being said, I have finally thrown in the Probe Towel. As some of you might have known, I bought Mike Van Hamert’s 95 Ford Probe a little over a year ago. She has been a great car. However, cest la vie. It was time for an upgrade.

My replacement: a 2001 BMW 325i. This is an unbeliveably sweet machine. She is black with black leather interior and is in perfect shape. I havent had time to take too many pictures just yet. But, a few are featured below. Stay tuned for detials.

 

Well, Halloween has come and gone, and in Madison that usually means two things: riots and a party thrown by the two of us. Luckly, there weren’t any riots but there was a party! We had a few friends come into town and a few friends from town join us at our place for drinks and games. Then we went out to one of our favorite places, the Claddagh Irish Pub, to show off our costumes. A good time was had by all and costume of the night goes to our friend (and wedding photographer) Matt. He already looked like the Big JC without the robe and crown, but with those two things, it was scary.

Boone and I recently when on our first drive with the Madison Mini Cooper club. It was pouring outside and Boone thought that it might be cancelled but when we got to the meeting spot, eight other adorable MINIs were lined up and ready to go. They found the most windy, twisty, fun roads they possibly could and, despite the weather, we took them pretty fast. We ended with dinner at this tiny seafood and steak place (the food was good!) and then headed home to put Ace to bed. It was great to see some other Mini owners and to get some driving tips from them.

For those of you who didnt catch my last post about my new Yamaha XJ550 motorcylcle, I ran out of gas while out for a cruise. However, I have good news. Now I have gas. I mean, I filled the gas tank and she now purrs like Katie our Kitten. I was even adventureous enough to ride the bike when I returned the gas can to my Friend Jeff Clark at his new condo.

Since my last motorcycle post, I have gotten a new drivers side mirror and purchased another helmet (AFX, Jet Black). Sencing my biker-gang tendancies, my parents contrubited to my new hobby and bought me a motorcycle jacket. Yes, I am pretty bad ass now. Moral of the story: I am getting much more comfortable on my Yamaha XJ550 and will soon be out cruising again

Boone here. After taking Friday off last week, my parents and I packed up and drove up to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. We had a great time. (Jess would have liked to come, but she had publishing to finish at work.) Our road trip led us to the upper-most northern point of Michigan, the Kewenaw Peninsula. We even visited the Calumet Air Force Base where my dad was stationed when he was in the Air Force. The long drive also gave us a chance to check out the fall colors and as it turned out, the UP’s color change was in its prime.

The Scenery up there was awesome and, as usual, Lake Superior was…Superior. Even though we didn’t do any swimming, my dad and I had fun playing on the strange shore rocks.

A few souviners and 2 states later we were ready to head home. It was a great mini vacation and some quality time with my parents.

   

Boo Mimes, Hooray Pictures!

Boone here. I finally took some pictures of my Yamaha XJ550 Maxim motorcycle that I recently purchased. The lighting in these photos is not the best, but it is a garage. What did you expect? If you read my first motorcycle diaries post, my second trip was much much smoother. I felt comfortable on the bike, turning was a breeze, and everything was going quite swimmingly. That is, until I ran out of gas and had to push my bike home….uphill. I don’t want to talk about it.

Stay tuned for more motorcycle tales.

Madison, Wisconsin now has a “Cow Parade” going on throughout the city. There are 101 different cow sculptures uniquely painted by local artists. The majority of the artwork relates to Wisconsin, cows/farming, or Madison specifically. Some artists even manage to tie in all three themes. Jess and I went around this past weekend and had our picture taken with ALL of them. Yes, All of them. Actually, thats not true. We did miss 8 of the cows. 3 are touring Wisconsin and are not yet in Madison, and 5 were “out to pasture” for repair. We will post more pictures of our Cow Excursion, but for now, here are two of our favorites. We hope you enjoy.

Yes, Yes. I just bought a new motorcycle. Well, its not new. Its actually a 1982 Yamaha XJ550 Maxim. I bought it from a friend I work with at Netconcepts. The bike is black on black and is in great shape. It needs a few newer parts but its almost as old as I am, what would you expect. It is Motorcycle, not a Crotch Rocket (sorry Anish). I have not taken any photos of it yet, but here is a picture I found online if you are curious to check it out. I will be sure to post pictures once I have taken them. I drove it for the first time last week. Who ever said “Its like riding a bike” has never ridden a motorcycle for the first time. Do you remember the scene in the “Italian Job” where Seth Green rolls up on that yellow bike of his….yeah, it was a lot like that. Me and my bad self toured the suburbs and tried not to fall over.

I will more than likely take it out again this weekend and I am certain that it will go smother this time. Heck, you know what they say…”Its like riding a bike.”