Funny how that happens....

We had that wine tasting I was talking about last Saturday. It was a blast and what a success! twenty seven people managed to find their way to our door in the mid-afternoon hours of a first snow, cold rain, sunny patches sort of saturday. The wine importer, a wonderful Italian gentleman, gave us all a history lesson on the different regions of Italy and the wines that they import from each. We moved north to south, and enjoyed four appetiser courses to complement each two wines to sample a total of eight wines. The wines were fabulous, the sales were brisk and a good time was had by all; funny how that happend... I learned to drink wine on the Nebish road, sipping a little Annie Green Springs like all the other northwoods kids did in the seventies...that girl would have grinned at this adult me who sniffs and swishes and cleanses her palette. I look around and wonder what all these sophisticated adults would think if they knew of my humble beginnings. I suspect I am not the only one in the room who dabbled in Boones Farm Strawberry Hill and Old Style beer before my conversion to a little more of a "pinky up" artisan craft consumer. Funny how that happens! My husband, the beer geek, is a learner. When a thing catches his interest, he endeavors to become thuroughly informed on it. In college, his biggest challenge in doing research papers was in learning when to stop learning and start writing. Even later in military courses, I remember offering to type his paper on the Battle of the Bulge, only to sit up all night with him as he found just one more twist or turn or critical piece to the puzzle that would explain the who, what, where, when and why of that fated time. With every new revelation, the editing would begin again...I finally typed, "and the good guys eventually won, THE END!", and went to bed, leaving him to his own devices. This tenacity makes him a great beer geek who I don't always fully appreciate. I just know what I like. The Aqualand Ale House benefits from his deep desire to know- funny how that happens. People are beginning to understand that we are craft beer people, and so today, during the course of a meeting at my other full time job in Wisconsin Dells, a client told me of a place in town that has the extremely hard to obtain "Game of Thrones" beer on tap. So after work my husband, (who is headed to a distributors, meet the brewers meeting tomorrow) and I ventured down to a well kept secret tavern that dabbles in craft beer, though many of their regulars are sipping Busch from a can while the special taps sit idle. The beer was cool tasty and I smiled remembering how my client had left the meeting by saying, "see you later Kalessi." I love imagining that I am the dragon girl of beer! Funny how that happened! This weekend we will participate in the Boulder Jct haunted halloween walk. I have never been a big fan of scaring or being scared, but have thrown my effort into writing the story of our haunted tableau, painting a back drop and building some creepy fish guy monster fin/hands, made with old dish washing gloves, duct tape, cheesecloth and spraypaint...I am crazy to help finish setting the scene,dipping into my secret desire to do stage sets someday. If someone had told me a year ago that owning a business in the small town of my childhood would find me making fish monster hands within a year, I would have doubted it could be so...so funny how it happened. These are just some random thoughts I am having tonight while I also think that I can hardly wait to see what funny thing will happen next...

Wine by Design

We are determined to try a wine tasting event. After a first attempt, we feel more ready this time and we are working harder to let you know about the event so you can reserve some time. With the artisan, little guy movement that is being celebrated everywhere, bringing an artisan wine event to the Aqualand Ale House seems like a good idea- a great way to offer something new and fun to our new friends and Ale House family. After being found by a wine guy who is the direct importer of a line of small batch artisanal, non-sulfite/low sulfite organic Italian wines, we are excited about the offerings we have selected. With the holiday season looming, what a great opportunity to find gift wines, celebratory wines, classics and something different, something new. Besides all this very important stuff though, I am excited because I am going to use this as a first experiment in bringing one of the skills from my other life to the Ale House- decorating! I love to theme a table, setting a mood for a special event. I confess I have spent considerable spare time all my life prowling thrift shops, antique shops auctions, garage sales and okay- yes, I have been known to be on a first name basis with a dump guy or two. I once fell into a dumpster behind Cambridge Pottery's retail shop in Cambridge, Wisconsin. You would not believe the great stuff I got though and as you can see, eventually I did get out. My favorite souvenir from our trip to Paris is a bit of bric-brac that I pulled out of a trash can as we walked along Rue de St. Germaine...I know I'm hopeless. The plan is to play around with setting the table for our wine tasting attendees- splurging into my stash of vintage table cloths (I have over 60) and candling up the joint. I may grab a thing or two from the basement, the woods and may even spelunk for a conversation piece or two in my Dad's shed, which is a treasure trove of things you may never have known you needed (what- do I hear some muttering about the apple not falling far from the tree?)...Sometime when you are in the Ale House dining room, take a look up into the dormer that faces highway K. The goofy deer mount located there is one my dad lent us and has a strangely lop-sided rack. But mostly, I love his eyes- they are blue and buggy, looking crazily at you from wherever you move in the room. You can see that he wants to rear up and can almost imagine his nostrils flare...thanks Dad!? :) The wine event, like everything involved in birthing the Aqualand Ale House, feels meant to be- I am looking forward to seeing friends and enjoying what feels like it could be more of a dinner party than a night a work. My collecting and stage setting began at a very young age. I started off building little fairy houses under the princess pine in the play forest beneath the big pines in our yard on county K near Aqualand. I spent a decent amount of time outside just waitng for Peter Pan, though I could creep myself out when I thought about what Tinker Bell would do if she found out about Peter's love for me. (Similar to his brief infatuation with Wendy, but much stronger since I already believed I lived in Never Neverland). Then as an adolescent, Mom and Dad decided that we needed a little more family togetherness and for several summers we spent evenings after supper driving down the old railroad grades, which were not yet all bermed shut in the 1960s, looking along the grade in the ditches for old treasures, bottles, crocks and who knew what else. We dug at old logging camp sites too, using the old camp maps. Once we had our destination, it was easy to discern from the grassy bump footprint of the old foundations where the kitchen dumps had been. This was where we would dig with hoes and long-handled gardening tines, working our way beneath leaves and needles to uncover bits and pieces left by a generation gone by. The other place we found goodies was actually in the latrine pits- long since cleansed by years of snow and rain, it was clear evidence of the other activity the guys participated in at the camps where alcohol was not allowed but the two-holer provided a semi-private spot to sneak a sip(yes, sip, smart alecs). It also offered a great way to dispose of the evidence of transgressions when the bottle was empty. I could be known to wander around the whole site, constantly surprised by the random and completely undamaged cast-offs that were just laying exposed in the forest. What if I bring out a few old bottles for the wine tasting- of course I have hung onto a few. We can enjoy our tasting, which we intend to compliment with chef Darren's appetizer pairings in the atmosphere decorated into a something more like home and less like business. As we head towards the season of snuggling and sipping, visiting and leisure, gifting and hugs, come and join us as we venture into this new territory of celebrating the artisan, the craftsman- the little guy! RSVP today and plan to join us on October 19th. Space is limited to a maximum of 30 for this event, so please sign up today! there will be a small cost, but we promise to pour on the special for our premiere event, which runs from 4 to 5:30 on Saturday. More details will be posted on our facebook page, in the FYI, on the radio and on our sign out front. See you soon! (and don't tell Wendy where I am okay?!)

Fall always reminds me of fall at Aqualand. The busy season was done and the visitors were mostly folks out to see the fall colors, special tour groups and parents with kids not old enough yet for school. My sisters and I were always the first ones on and the last ones off the school bus. We got dropped off at Aqualand, where we would pilfer a little caramel corn, (which was bagged and sold in small packs to feed the geese), maybe talk Grandpa into buying us a soda pop and just settle in to chat about the day. I remember volunteering one fall to bring in pollywogs and snails for my classroom's new aquarium. First I stopped at the Musky pond, where I knew the snails lived clinging to the rocks that lined it's rim. I stuck my hand in to scoop a few out and was startled at a swift grazing along my knuckles. Pulling my hand back quickly, I looked into the pond and straight into the eyes of a hungry muskie who must have thought my fingers looked tasty.  Wow! I had my snails and I got out of there quick. Next I headed towards the deer forest, where there were pollywogs by the swarm. This late in the season, their legs were beginning grow and they would be cool to watch as they finished their development. I skipped along the path in my special new poncho. Mom had sewn it for me along with most of the rest of my new school clothes. It was red corduroy and I wore my prized possession, a Donny Osmond Fan Club pin on the lapel. Inspired by my Mom's collection of movie star autographed photos, I had written to the Osmonds and had gotten not only an autographed photo, but this pin as well. The other extremely exciting thing about my new school outfit was that the ugly black or brown lace up corrective shoes I had always had to wear for my flat feet had been replaced this year with the latest in corrective shoe styling- the buckle version. I felt so much more with it, sophisticated and hip that year. Arriving at my destination, I crouched down at the edge of the shore, leaned forward and reached to grab a fist full of the black 'wogs that were swimming there in a group. Suddenly, I felt a push against my back, and I caught my fall by plunging my hands and about half my poncho into the pond water, dropping my catch. Something was pushing me, very hard as if to shove me head first into the chilly pond. I turned my head back and could just make out the six point buck in velvet treating my red-caped back as a thing to charge, like el torro. His rounded velvet horns were not sharp, and he hadn't taken a running start, just determinedly leaned into my exposed end. I don't know if it was the color, the stranger, though many people walked among these tame deer every day,or the low target at the edge of the pond but he was pushing against me with all his might. The only way out was to jump a few steps into the pond water and dodge around him, which I did. I ran back to the gift shop in tears, for both my poncho and my brand new shoes seemed ruined now. I don't even remember the rest of the story, other than that dad helped me go and fetch the pollywogs. But I remember that cold pond water, that red poncho and those first cool shoes. When I smell the crisp air of fall I remember the feeling of being snapped at by a muskie, pushed by a buck and the humiliation of my pride. I remember the feeling of Aqualand and all the animals as the zoo yawned before a long winter's nap. In those last weeks before shut down, I harvested.  Gathering pine cones, pretty grasses and dropped feathers was easy now that there were many less visitors to compete with.

Putting plastic on the shelves of giftwares, moving the exotic birds to warm winter quarters, shutting off the water and draining the tanks.  Lights off and Aqualand was ready for the rest of the time, the time others never saw when we still fed everyday, cleaned and watered and attended to the needs of our wildlife family.  Time was spent re-painting signs, building new enclosures, parts and pieces.  The coffee break moved to the work shop- the ultimate man cave, where neighbors stopped to sit on five gallon pails and broken spoked chairs, talking of hunting, fishing, wood gathering and football. 

Fall is beautiful isn't it?  To me it seems to be hinting towards the wild, dark night of winter in the northwoods, where people are the vulnerable ones, and the weather, wild animals and woods rule supreme. Grab at the sunny warm days, celebrate the colors, sounds, smells and tastes-  and speaking of taste, enjoy some company and the wonderful taste of fall craft beer at the new form of Aqualand where the muskies don't bite and the deer don't use you as target practice... :)

Counting the Cost

tonight I had wine with my girlfriends for the first time since early last spring. It was such a blessing, such a wonderful reunion. It reminded me of the night last April when my husband and I sat with our close friends and wept a little as we said goodbye- knowing that everything was about to change. We knew then that we would miss the weddings of two of their sons, both like sons to us also. We would miss two other weddings, a family reunion and anything and everything that we would normally make a priority in the course of a typical summer. Family and friends have always been such a priority. But opening a business just in time for the summer season in northern Wisconsin meant a lot of sacrifices would need to be made in order to really make things go. We walked away from many things in walking towards the summer and the Aqualand Ale House. People didn't understand, people thought we were crazy. In some ways, people felt we were letting them down. Our unavailability for certain times and certain things meant that some would question us, some would feel short changed. But we discovered some wonderful things this summer. Those who love us best came to visit, sitting patiently when we jumped up from even a short conversation to take care of the thing we saw that needed to be done. They cheered us on, took a trip to an area that would not normally be on their radar. These friends were the wind beneath our wings (yes, hummingthe song a bit as I type). Our staff became our friends. We looked out for each other, cared for each other and knew that someone had our back no matter what each busy day might bring. By summer's end we were a well-oiled machine of service. But by far, the best surprise were the loyal friends we made of so many of our guests. By Labor Day weekend I was overwhelmed to realize I recognized so many- as people entered the Ale House so many remembered my name and entered waving, "Hi Sue", as they joined us for a meal and a beer. I met old friends of the family, family members of locals whose families had been friends to my father and mother, my grandfather. I loved hearing people share their memories of Aqualand. I loved even more when folks asked after my parents, my sisters. But when I overheard someone mention "Pat Wilsie" I always stopped to shake their hand. These were the ones who personally knew my grandfather, and since he passed away in 1977, I knew this was a special memory that I wanted to hear more about. We opened the Aqualand Ale House for several reasons. On the one hand, Dick needed a business to run as had always been his dream. On the other hand, I needed to get a bigger footprint in the North Woods, from whence my strength has always come. Our interest in and love for the craft beer industry was just a piece of a bigger picture of our strong belief in the cultural significance of the small businesses and the artisan crafts. As the big guys gobble up small towns, there is a growing surge of support for the anti- big guys, and we hope to be chief among these. We hope to bring jobs to this small, tourist focused town. We hope to give visitors another reason to come and to stay in Boulder Jct for a day or a weekend just like Grandpa did so many years ago when he opened the original Aqualand. Moving into the fall and winter season, we hope to be a light in the darkness of winter, encouraging folks to know that within our walls are warm friendship, warm food and warm hearts. No one needs to fear being ignored for we are all in this together. We hope the winter brings music, conversation, laughter and community. Winter can be long in northern Wisconsin so lets stick together. Every book club, ladies night out, holiday party, birthday party, celebration amongst friends, business lunch or dinner will be wlecome. Bring your friend and your cribbage board and stay the evening with us- I will play the winner... :) Cheer on the Packers, order ahead and we will make sure your favorites are on hand. We plan to bring in our old tinny piano, so if you play piano, sing or something else and just want to share the night, you are welcome to put out the jar. We hope we become a light in the darkness, a friend in the cold, a reason to get and celebrate whatever the season brings. We love you all-we have your back and we feel very blessed to have found each and every one of you!

Bittersweet

Labor Day weekend symbolized many things for me at the Aqualand Ale House. My husband, the main thrust behind the Aqualand Ale House since it's opening in May, took his first weekend off to attend an annual Army buddies reunion. This meant our son Dan and I had to be on duty to resolve every issue that the holiday Thursday through Sunday might hold. The biggest changing of the guard this weekend was saying goodbye, good wishes and much love, to our remaining student staff members and to our awesome chef John, who is headed onward towards his dream of a four year hospitality degree this fall at UW Stout- our own alma mater. We welcome some great new faces, but cannot help but look backwards to those who helped us birth this baby known as the Aqualand Ale House. Like soldiers in the trenches during time of war become very close very quickly, we have become fast friends and family with our original cast of characters. It has been a successful summer- we are humbled by all our many new friends. I quickly noticed this weekend how many of the faces are familiar to me now. A wave and a nod, a "heh" and "how are you", were as commonplace this weekend as initial conversations and new acquaintances. Many of our new friends were disappointed that they would not get a chance to say goodbye to my husband before heading south for the winter, or, in the case of many camp counselors, back to school and on to other lives. By Sunday I carried with me many names, notes and good wishes to pass on to my pony-tailed prince when he came home. Our staff had said early goodbyes to him, but it was bittersweet to be his proxy in those last minutes, during the last glances, hugs and stray moments where we all had "something in our eye". We had opted to be closed on Labor Day proper, and my son and I drove home late after closing so that I could have a true day off with my just returned spouse- a day that would be the sum total of our personal summer vacation. Monday was spent visiting some other folks taps, trying some other friends food, and napping, hot tubbing, napping again and sitting together on our porch swing for the first time of this most busy summer of our lives, recapping the highlights of our new life. This morning, fall could be sensed in the air. A cooler night was followed by a cool day. While I couldn't do it this weekend, today we definitely saw that it was time to tap Oktoberfest- at least one of the three specials that my husband has already gathered in addition to Pumpkin Ale and Dead Guy Ale- all fantastic treats for our very first Colorama season. I found myself looking forward; full of energy for planning a special fall event. Our kick off and the first of what we hope will be regular tasting events. A Chilean wine tasting we are planning for September 12th was the catalyst for a new Pinterest page full of decorating ideas, invitations and props. I love the fall in Northern Wisconsin- I love Boulder Jct and I love decorating for a party. I think that for this first special event with our new staff and a new season, I will choose to decorate with bittersweet- as a nod to those who we know we will miss who are off to new or other places,as a symbol of this season of harvest, and to be an early bit of orange inspired by the turning of the maples, oaks and tamarack. I hope those of you who travel north regularly, those who call the north home and those who are planning your very first trip will grab your flannel and come raise a glass with us from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 12th. My husband and sons will post official invitations and notices within the next few days, but I just cannot contain myself- I am excited to try some new events and so I am spilling the news early- We need to have you RSVP for this one, so we know how much wine and snacks to have on hand. If you want a seat at the table, which will be under the canopy of the breezeway between the Ale House and Frog House, which will be embellished with little white lights and deck heaters, a fire bowl, miscellaneous decorations and some very good wine, let me know- I would love to have the table filled with friends before my husband can even blink an eye! A bittersweet season, maybe, but still there is nothing better than Northwoods air when it begins to bite and the harvest moon peeks pregnantly atop the pines. Come toast it with us- Please say you will!

drag race to snail's pace

It has been a while since I have posted. I knew there was a storm coming, I knew that all of you were coming, and you did. Ths last month has been one of rapid acceleration of our business, both in terms of customers and responsibilities. As we have found both ourselves and our staff completely overwhelmed at times, we have also been asked over and over in the last month, "Please tell me will you stay open this winter?" Peppered in between this question is as always the fond, fond stories of Aqualand memories the rare soul who remembers Uncle Pat- my grandfather. Through the drag race, I have grown in respect for servers and restauranteurs everywhere. I wonder if the average customer understands how incredibly difficult it is to put on a smile and try your very best to give them the very best experience you can, in flavors, atmosphere and friendship day after day while the line gets longer and the kids get rowdier. Inevitably something goes wrong, as it will no matter how hard you try to think of everything and no matter how hard you try to police details behind the scene. You feel personally crushed, you appologize and do your best to make things right. In our busiest and best month, we also got our first down-ticked rating ruining our perfect Yelp Score, (though I am pretty sure if enough friends rate us well, that can be overcome). It has been so quirky. I have had people ask me why we charge so much for our beer, and why don't we offer fried food? Then the very next guy thanks me for the quality of our beer and our fresh ingedient, uniquely flavored meals. What a crazy roller coaster- highest of highs and lowest of lows. The failures make us determined to try harder, the successes make us determined to get more of the same. Another thing I have discovered is that there is a zone that you access when the place is humming. There is an energy of souls that when combined create a warmth like none other- and this seems to happen every day. There is a joy in the experience of tasting a great craft beer that feels like you have been on this quest, crossing the desert and mountain in search of that unique brewing story. Then you found out a little-known and totally obscure mad beer scientist sent a keg of nirvana to the Aqualand Ale House and you just found it. You turn to the folk at the next stools and advise them to try it too and wait for the cheer as everyone smiles together in the joy of a shared moment of flavor discovery. We have tried to provide that in both our menu and our beer. I think from what the majority of you say, we are providing that for you. But fall is coming. The pace of business is slowing, and we wonder what is wise- where to go next. As we watch the snails pace come, we have determined that we will continue to try to drill into that very special, very unique brew. We may need to do more private "beer runs" to the brewers that as so small they don't have formal distribution. We will have to coax our distributors to give us the limited stock of the most unusual, and the best small batch stuff on their list. This weekend is our first experiment in testing our fall model. We will offer four Founder's Beers on tap on Saturday, in an atmosphere complimented by live music and food specials. Representatives for the Founder's brand will be on hand to answer your questions and tell their story. Most importantly, there is a super special, limited batch keg that will be tapped- the only one of it's kind in the entire north woods region. It is our hope that each weekend this fall and winter we can do the same- something special, something unique that will be an experience to share together. I have a feeling that we will become a micro- society in Boulder Junction this fall. A support group, a gathering of friends united to celebrate the little guys, the artisans, the craftsmen of food and beverage. We are working through the plans for a special addition to our kitchen. Already purchased, the wood-fired oven that we have been storing all summer is ready to be installed before the snow flies. We have set a goal of have this cooking option for new menu items consisting of hot, hearty winter fare to satisfy the local and visiting cold, lonely, hungry and thirsty. Our fireplace will be lit for the first time Labor Day weekend- our beer garden work will begin as well and though we don't expect this to be fully constructed until next summer, we hope to add a gas fired open flame fire pit this fall and we expect to have some special outdoor winter events as well. There are all those great winter beers to be tried as we don our flannels, Stormy Kromer hats and Joan of Ark sorrels. We just found a groove and now we are finding out it is time to switch speeds. It is our goal to help you stop and enjoy the slower journey with us- here's to quieter, deeper days, more extremes of hot and cold, dark and light, and most importantly, here's to friends who will be on the journey with us!

Day Dreaming...

One of the most interesting things about starting the Aqualand Ale House is seeing the differences in who we thought we would be and who we are becoming.
We thought that we would draw a craft beer enthusiast that may want to have some supper while they enjoy a brew.  Thanks to Chef John and his kitchen staff, we have instead become a destination for a great fresh ingredients meal also.  We are finding that our customer enjoys a great atmosphere, thanks to the architecture of the original building and the tweaking of the interior that my training and experience in my other work has given me the ability to pull together. I think artisan craft and microbrew all come to mind when describing us, but we have become so much more than that. 

I think this is a double edged sword.  While we love the reputation that we are quickly gaining with foodies, we don't want to lose sight of the core message that the best of the craft beers can be sampled on a daily basis- on temperature and fresh.  We want to make the art of craft and the message of the little guy central to an experiential sampling of great flavors.

As we complete our first year at high season, we are already day dreaming about what comes next.  We know for sure there will be a beer garden by the time we open in the spring-  exactly what that means is in process, but we have plans....We designed our model around a specialty oven, but ran out of time to expedite the project of building it in.  This too will be a focus during the quieter season of fall.

Beyond that, we are playing the, "Where do we see ourselves in 5 years" game.  We have always set goals as a couple, as a family and now as small business owners, it only makes sense to evaluate our goals in the same way.  The rules to this process are, 1. Express your deepest day dreams-  nothing is off the table; 2. Throw out lots of ideas, the notion here is that you are looking for possibilities, not limiting anything- including expectations. 3. Listen well to each other regardless of how ridiculous the other's ideas may sound at first blush- I cannot tell you how often my husband's hair-brained ideas have been exactly where we have found our path leading. 4. Close your eyes and imagine a day in that life then decide how that feels vs. how another five year away life feels. 5. Write everything down and say a prayer. Step away for a while and then come back and discuss any new thoughts that have come to you in to exercise of processing all the ideas just thrown around. 
6. Re-visit and break the same process down in a 3 year span, then a 1 year span.
7. Write one year actions that move in the directions of the 3 and 5 year goals, recognizing that you cannot move up the clock, but you can move firmly in a specific direction.

We love finding our written lists from the past years.  It gives us a chance to look back and see where we thought we were going vs. where we actually went.

The Aqualand Ale House is a baby, but we are day dreaming already about where we will be going next. 

Keep watching and stay tuned.  One thing we don't do is settle. Another thing we do not know is how to stop moving forward. Step one has been so great, so many people have offered helpful suggestions and ideas on things we can add to enhance the experience further.  We know this is because everyone wants us to succeed. It has been a great first season and we look forward to a great next step in the adventure.

Thanks All!