Wausau

Well, I'm back. Wisconsin is definitely a beautiful state, and gets better as you go further north. Judging from the parts I passed through, Wausau itself is one of the nicer cities its size I've seen. I crossed what seemed to be two small rivers - one featuring a low dam that created the effect of a rather cool waterfall, the other dotted with small grassy "islands" which either indicated it is really shallow or perhaps has some sort of old levy underneath it. The city also had more variety than Quincy...just passing in I saw a Japanese place, which Quincy most certainly does not have, and the business district in general looked cultured and inviting when viewed by the standards of the urban milieu of the midwestern U.S.

The gathering was also cool, and I met a lot of interesting people there, as well as getting to see Joe, whom I played quiz bowl with for three years. Jordan's mother was the driving personality behind the evening - she had apparently spent days preparing an array of sub sandwiches, dips, cheeses, and the like, all of which were wolfed down by the assembled crowd with plenty to spare. (She actually seems to have a lot of artistic energy and talent - the entryway featured a painting she did herself, there was a fairly cool garden behind the house, and she's now playing with bonzai trees.) All in all, it was a fun way to spend the day, even if I was drawn into staying far longer than I meant to.