Rhinelander County Fair

While in Rhinelander we had the chance to go to their County Fair. The photos speak for themselves, although I should explain the one at the Indian Camp.

The man sitting on the floor is explaining to us how to make fire using a piece of metal and a flint stone. Well, we learned that it's not the stone that gives off the sparkles, but it's the stone that makes little particles-sparkles come off the metal, and these in return light the fire. He did it in front of our eyes and it looked like pure magic, but it was true.

(L)

S'mores in Lake Crescent

While in Wisconsin we discovered one more culinary wonder of North America, the s'more! What, you never heard of it? The description will make your stomach sick, but trying it is addictive. We were introduced to s'more-making by our American friends in Rhinelander. What a treat!

A s'more is a strange concoction (coallition?) of marshmallows (on top), chocolate pieces (in the middle) and graham crackers (in the bottom).

You must roast your marshmallows on the fire to make the real thing, but I suppose a stove at home will also do the trick. Once you eat one, you will ask for more, because the combination of these ingredients is actually quite endearing to the palate.

It is unclear who first created this treat, but apparently the earliest s'more recipe can be found in the Girl Scouts of America handbook of 1927. S'more stands for "some more", as in "give me some more". So it sounds like "I want s'more!"

(L)

Meet the Hodag!

Rhinelander (population 7,547 in July 2009) is the home of the Hodag, that mythical monster of incongruous aspect and terrible fangs, that haunts the days and nights of Rhinelander's fishermen (and women, I guess, too). The beast is a marketing device for the town, but there's actually a history behind it (more below).

At first I thought the town had been settled by early German immigrants (i.e. the lands of the river Rhine), but then I realised that it was named after Frederic W. Rhinelander of New York, who was president of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Road in the 1870's. This was part of a bid by the "town founders" (the Brown brothers) to induce the railroad to extend a spur to that location to further their lumbering business. Ultimately (after over ten years of negotiations) the railroad line from present-day Monico to Rhinelander was completed in 1882, jump starting the development of Rhinelander as the commercial hub of the region (which it remains today). The white pine trees that made it so famous and rich in the 19th century were all gone by the 1920's (yep, another example of human cupidity and stupidity at work), but since then the trees have been regrown (another example of people's intelligence at work) and are now again a source of beauty and income (tourists).

The history behind the Hodag (as presented to us by Rhinelander's Visitors' Center):

In 1986, Rhinelander pionner and timber cruiser Gene Shepard claimed to have snapped a picture of a ferocious Hodag just before the beast sprang on him from a white pine log. The camera caught the most horrible sight: a hairy animal with white horns and menacing tusks. Shepard later admitted that the Hodag was a hoax but it stayed since then in the locals' imagination and is now the town's mascot. When something strange happens in Rhinelander people say, "It was the Hodag!".

(L)

Rhinelander - heartland of conservative America

I wish I could write that these are fake, but the photos are true. I bought the pins (5 Dollars) at the Rhinelander County Fair, at the Republican Party's booth (there was no Democratic equivalent). I suppose that makes me a contributor to the Republican Party...

The lady who sold them to me said, "you chose the best ones!". You would think that she was spitting fire from her mouth, and rolling her eyes as if possessed, or biting her nails in despair, or jumping up and down in anger, or doing a mad dance of sorts, but no, this lady was soft-spoken and neatly dressed, with beautiful white hair, blue eyes full of longing, and a nice, if supercilious, smile on her lips. That's the thing that disconcerts me every time I meet rabidly intolerant conservatives, they are just like you and me. That's scary don't you think?

Now, our friend Becky, who does not espouse the views expressed in these pins, told me to make sure to say that this is not how all Americans think. But a few do. Too many for my taste, if you ask me. Do they also think that we "liberals" are just like them? Do they also feel disconcerted by how kindly, how nicely we look and behave? Does that make them think twice, when they say that my family is not a real family, and that our love is not real love? Or do they look at us and fail to see the humanity inside, and couldn't wait for the moment to aim and get a good shot?

You know what gives me hope? One of the nice ladies selling these pins at the booth, had hosted four AFS exchange students before; from Brazil, the Philippines, Costa Rica and Italy. She spoke of them with fondness. She had even tried to learn Portuguese. I was an AFS exchange student myself. AFS (American Field Service), stands for tolerance, intercultural learning, peace and understanding. That's why for more than 50 years it has been promoting high-school student exchanges around the globe. Because if we get to know each other we will come to the realisation that our dreams and frustrations are very much the same, and that together we have a better chance of achieving the former and overcoming the latter. AFS is an original American institution. It started here, and it now belongs to and in the world.

If you really want to know the truth, AFS saved my life, in the sense that it gave it a much greater meaning and a direction. I wouldn't be in this "place" today had it not been for AFS and my student exchange year in Belgium, and all the wonderful kids and adults I met along the way. So, as I talked to that lady about our common AFS experience, I saw hope for a world of more tolerance, less extremism, more union and less division. And her smile was really nice, there is no doubt about that.

(L)

The Emperor's New Suit

At the end of July, Georgie and I went to the theatre. The company was the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The play was based on Andersen's classic 19th century tale of an Emperor who is fooled by tricksters to wear an invisible suit that only the very smart are supposed to see.

The music and the staging were quite good, but the story had been too much adapted to modern times. I suppose I'm a bit of a purist, and the eco-friendly, gender-affirming, politically-correct elements introduced in the play, ruined it a little for me. I like the original best, in all its simplicity of mocking the vain and the stupid. Would contemporary audiences not get it? Must we make everything palatable to what we suppose to be children's sensitivities? I don't think so. Children recognise quality when they see it, even when slightly politically incorrect.

Georgie enjoyed the music and the lights (my favourites too), but sometimes got a bit lost in the (unnecessary) complexity of the plot. But it was a fun afternoon.

At the end of the play we took photos with some of the apocryphal elements in the cast.

(L)

Days of summer in Rhinelander

Between August 1 and 7, we went to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. We spent the week with Aunt Becky and Uncle Ed on the shores of Lake Crescent, in a beautiful house that they rented. Mosquito bites aside (Georgie and I were particularly favoured by the lady-mosquitoes...), the place was perfect.

The water was 26°C (I know, it sounds unreal; it was certainly a first for any of us!), and it felt like swimming in soothing rain. I loved the pine trees, because they reminded me of Rinchoa, where I grew up. You should have been there to smell the fresh grass in the evening.

We also met The Kramers, and a lot of other friends, who had seen Georgie when she was a one-month old baby, before we came to Chicago to bring her home. We had long talks about politics with Dennis, in particular about the EU, many evenings after dinner. His son Nathan, and Nathan's wife Gail, lived in Oregon in a sort of Mongolian Yurt, out in the woods. They were interesting and fun to meet.

The best part of the week was spending time with Becky and Ed. Our long conversations in the house, our puzzle-making evenings, our just being together.

(L)

Homesick

We have started to feel homesick. I still much rather prefer the Portuguese word saudades. What do we miss from Brussels? Here is a list in no particular order:

- the little shops in our neighbourhood, all within walking distance;
- the taste of European muffins;
- the full-fat yogurt;
- the toys (Georgie misses them a lot);
- taking the tram to go downtown;
- the inexpensive and accessible medical care (Jarl spent more than 2000 USD to have one of his teeth repaired and the job needs some finishing touches when we get back home);
- the French and the "Tower of Babble" in the streets;
- the bread;
- the choice in sparkling water;
- our friends;
- BBC Worldservice Radio;
- drinking from porcelain cups when having coffee or tea outside the house;

(L, J, G)

photo credits: Antonio (Antonio sent us these photos by e-mail; he took them from another friend's house and thought we would enjoy the new angle on our building in Brussels; our building is the one on the right-hand side of the photos with 5 floors, 4 of which are in red brick and the top floor is in white tiles)