It was 82 degrees yesterday afternoon in Madison. I went outside in shorts and a t-shirt for the first time since September. I slept in clothes and with bedding that were not made of flannel or wool. We had the windows open. I took off my jacket when I went outside. It will be 60 degrees during my run this morning. I think the forecast in heaven is 76 with a slight breeze.
I can't think of a better way to enjoy vacation and Easter weekend than with beautiful warm weather. Our trip the last two days was a lot of fun. The Jelly Belly tour was a little lame because we rode in a golf cart "train" around the warehouse and watched videos about the candy making process. But the store was fun, and we both got bags of our own jelly bean mixes. I got some of my favorite flavor (Island Punch), but other notables that made it in the bag were honey, cantaloupe, kiwi, and pomegranate.
After we got up to Sheboygan, we visited the Kohler Art Center. It was small and full of modern art (not my favorite). I think the best exhibit was the work from the local high schoolers. Then we walked the entirety of downtown Sheboygan and dined on wood fire pizza (a Sheboygan specialty according to Yelp). Unfortunately that was the sum total of fun things to do in Sheboygan (other than sit around under an overpass, which seemed to be the local middle school hangout).
Yesterday morning we went out to Kohler for the factory tour. This definitely made the trip worthwhile. We were right down on the production floor and saw the ceramic work, brass work, and iron being cast and enameled. While items that are "mass produced" were done by machines (including one that could make a 5-foot long bathtub every 30 seconds), much of it was done by humans (including a > $10,000 whirlpool tub). Stay in school, kids. Factory work is DULL. Maybe growing up in Sheboygan prepares you for that.
Back in the design center, we saw the future of sexy bathroom fixtures. Evidently the personal urinal, the car wash shower, and the self-cleaning toilet (as in, it self cleans YOU) are all the rage.
We made it home in the early afternoon with enough time for a gym trip before it closed for the weekend, Maundy Thursday service, and a trip to Menards for garden supplies. We picked up fertilizer, an onion set, and some spinach seeds to round out our cold weather collection of carrots and lettuce.
Well, I need to get ready to do my long run here before it gets too much later. I LOVE vacation!
