The (wet) Dog Days of Summer

Holy buckets o’ rain!

My morning commute was the only time since Friday night that I didn’t need an umbrella – I’m sure you noticed the sheets of rain coming down all weekend! As a result, I was forced to cancel my plans for Saturday and Sunday – Zoo Ala Carte and Irish Fest – two highly anticipated events.

These events are primarily held outdoors, so the rain definitely discouraged many from attending. On the other hand, I know a couple of people that didn’t let the rain hold them back (this is why I love Milwaukeeans). I admire those who braved the sloppy weather to spend the day on the Summerfest grounds or at the Zoo with the sea lions.

As for me, I guess there’s always next summer.

I didn’t mind staying in all weekend (mainly because I’ve been feeling under the weather); I don’t mind being a homebody either – curling up on the sofa to read or watch a movie, staying indoors to cook or catch-up on chores. At the same time, I hate to waste a summer weekend; especially when autumn is fast approaching and winter is coming around the corner. Lets face it people, we just don’t get a ton of hot, sunny days.

Mother Nature’s non-stop rain was not only a huge disappointment for me and my friends, but it raked havoc on the entire state of Wisconsin all weekend.

Over the last few weeks we’ve been experiencing “the dog days of summer,” so the whole state desperately needed the wet weather… but certainly not this much.

The weekend thunderstorms dropped up to 12 inches of rain in southwestern Wisconsin, forcing evacuations, washing out roads and bridges and triggering mudslides.

Governor Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency in Crawford, Richland and Vernon counties, where he planned to tour affected communities today. He ordered emergency management to lead the state's response efforts, and directed all state agencies to assist the affected communities, according to TMJ4 News this morning.

A little closer to home, Kenosha County also reported rain damage – highway 50 (just off Interstate 94) had severe flooding overnight. The Des Plaines River rose over the banks and into a nearby mobile home park. The bottom half of the homes are still submerged in water.

Additionally, my parent’s house on Green Lake is flooded. West Bend reported getting at least 10 inches of rain, 6 inches in only two hours! My dad said he woke up this morning to find about three feet of water in their backyard (it was up to his knees). He spent all day digging trenches in the mud to drain the standing water into the lake.

Mother Nature didn’t forget Milwaukee either. Here we were hit with constant rain over Saturday and Sunday night. Scattered rain will continue into the beginning of this week; still we are fortunate the weather isn’t as bad here as in surrounding cities.

Even though the rain put a damper on most of the activities this weekend, I took the opportunity to take the Miller Lite Cruise on the Edelweiss Friday night, and then went to the Brewers game on Sunday afternoon as a going away outing for a friend moving to New York.

I will blog about the Edelweiss a little later in the week since I have another friend coming into town tonight. I’ve been a bit preoccupied with getting things ready for her visit and hope the rain will let-up, otherwise the plans I had for us will need a lot of readjusting.

You never can depend on the weather, especially in the Midwest (a unique and sometimes annoying quality about living in Wisconsin). Let’s hope the rain passes soon so we can continue to enjoy the summer and the many events still to come.

Stay dry folks!

Comments

[Don Quixote]

rain rain go away...

[Amanda]

You're right that autumn in fast approaching. This week I can especially feel it coming.

[Eric]

As much as I hate the foggy weather because it makes everything gloomy, I love driving downtown in it. I like how the building seem to dissapear 2/3s up. Must be neat to have an office on the top floor of the US bank building.

[Teri]

I go to Zoo Ala Carte every year. This year I was debating whether or not I wanted to risk getting stuck in the rain, but a friend of mine never went and really wanted to go. The two of us got to the zoo around 11am and had about two hours to walk around before the rain came. By 1pm we had to buy ponchos and our feet were soaked, but we stuck it out and spent the day there until 6pm. Besides being drenched for the majority of it, we still had fun. I don't blame you or anyone else for choosing not to go though.

[Scott]

Shorts and sweatshirts, a very common look in the northwest.

I made it out to Irish Fest on Saturday and had a good time despite the weather. In fact i think it was the perfect weather for the Irish, and probably ducks. I lucked out because I was under a tent most of the time, but I ran into many people who soaking wet and making the best of it.

As a bartender there I gave people two options:

1. I pointed to where the coffee was so that they could warm up a bit.

2. I advised them to drink more beer so that they wouldn't care about being wet and cold.

There were no takers for option 1.

Hopefully things will clear up a bit soon though, as dry weather does make for a better time.

[Melanie]

Can't wait to hear what you have to say about the Edelweiss. As for me I like to avoid the rain as much as possible.

[KarenC]

Teri and Scott- Both of you are awesome! Boy, I feel like a big baby for staying in all weekend...

[Danny California]

"You never can depend on the weather, especially in the Midwest (a sometimes annoying quality about living in Wisconsin)."

You really are a big baby if you have to complain about the weather in Milwaukee. Aren't you supposed to have enthusiasm for this city, not annoyance?

[KarenC]

Hi Danny-
If you’re going to quote someone, please make sure you use their actual quote (especially when it’s on the same page as your misquote). Additionally, I don’t think I was being negative about Milwaukee… at all. The weather is headlining news right now. It’s affecting people in Milwaukee and those in areas around it. It’s reality. Furthermore, the reason I didn’t put on my rain boots and poncho to brave the weather was because (as noted) I was feeling under the weather. I think that’s a legitimate reason. :)

[TommyBoy]

When are you going to post something on the Edelweiss? I'm thinking of having an event with them but have not done the Edelweiss before.

Are there other dinner type cruises in Milwaukee?

[KarenC]

Tommy Boy-
My post on the Edelweiss should be up tonight. Unfortunately, I didn’t do the dining cruise since $65 is a bit out of my price range right now. But, you certainly get your money’s worth – a 3-course gourmet dinner with 2 hours of sightseeing – it’s a great idea and something I’d love to do, but I’ll have to budget for it. Check out http://www.edelweissboats.com/cruise_offerings.php for more info on the dining cruises.

Also, you might want to look into Milwaukee’s other two vessels, the Iroquois and the Voyageur, part of the Milwaukee Boat Line. Both offer sightseeing, but the Voyageur has a salon that seats up to eighty people for a formal meal and it has a full service bar. It’d be ideal for cocktail receptions or corporate events. Since I’m not sure what you’re looking for, I’d recommend going to their site http://www.mkeboat.com.

I hope that helps.