Beer Made Milwaukee Famous & Mader's Makes It A Great Place to Enjoy It

Famous folks of all stripes have visited Mader's in Milwaukee including this humble traveler.

Although my photo will not likely reside alongside such glitterati as JFK, Liberace and Bono (a gallery lines the hallway en route to the restroom), I believe that I enjoyed a selection of beers from Munich to local microbreweries as much as any guest past or future.

Indeed, this was the first time I have been served authentic German beer from a stein commemorating an American institution's founding.

The Crowning Glory of Christmas Cheer

Christmas at my sister's is always filled with fits of laughter, spectacular food and gingerbread creations.

When the kids were little we had raucous competitions in gingerbread house building and decorating. These days, two are out of the house and one is looking forward to departing soon. That means my sister and niece undertake their design/build plans with no restrictive time limits (and creative, detail-oriented glee).

This year's project was truly a team effort. Niece Emily constructed the beautifully detailed 'nilla roof, wafer by wafer, while her mother brought the structure to life with painstakingly applied bits of candy flair.

The crowning glory was the sweetly swifted "snow" covered roof.

Manhattan in Chicago

Every few years, I like to drive (rather than fly) to my sister's place in Ohio for Christmas. While I have driven straight through before (about 10 hours) I wisely planned a stop in Chicago on the way there and another in Milwaukee on the return trip.

My adventure began with a fit, then a start – I dropped my keys in the snow while shoveling a path to my garage. A search through the fluffy stuff proved futile. No worries, I dug out my back-up set of keys and hit the road.

The remainder of the day's travel was pleasant, at least it was for me. Other drivers were not as skilled in navigating the icy I-94 through Wisconsin. I can't recall seeing more cars rolled onto their roofs in the ditch; slid in, sure, but rolled? I proceeded with caution and blew into the Windy City unscathed (this time).

I generally stay along Michigan Avenue, but this time explored the more diverse neighborhood of the Loop. My favorite stop was Fleming's where I enjoyed an exquisite Manhattan in the heart of Chicago.

I saw Grandma dancing with Santa

This Christmas is the first for my grandparents in their new home, an assisted living place that they have grown to appreciate. Grandma Rose enjoys dancing with the singing Santa in the lobby.

Best of all, Santa has a selection of Christmas tunes allowing Grandma to rock around the clock when she chooses.

Results of the IKEA adventure

Happy Days returned again in 1933

Seventy five years ago today, prohibition ended after a 13-year run. Finance won out over temperance in the midst of the Great Depression.

The Government saw an opportunity to boost sagging tax revenues. When it outlawed alcohol with the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, it eliminated a lucrative source of income.

Happy days returned again on December 5, 1933: The people could once again legally imbibe and the Government began acquiring the funds to expand its programs.

Crazy, nutty and a sense of IKEA humor

The Christmas shopping season brings out the best in shoppers and purveyors alike.

I got a wild hair to visit IKEA at the Mall of America on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Having searched in vain all common sense choices (garden centers) for greenery pots for my front steps, I thought, why not IKEA?

Low and behold, I found just the right containers! An added bonus was learning that IKEA is crazy about low prices.

Never thought the Swedes got too worked up about anything. However, a visit to the IKEA Madness section of their website proved me wrong. For the historical perspective, view the charming story of how a boy from the "woods of southern Sweden" created a retail force in 36 countries.