JEFFREY STRIKES AGAIN
When you know someone long enough, traditions begin to form over time. They grow and change, they come and go. They can fizzle out altogether, making room for anew, or they can make a glorious return, which feels something like coming home after a long hiatus. When you’ve known someone as long as I’ve known Jeffrey, we have some of each. As a kid, it was a tradition to have neighborhood basketball tournaments, dunk contests, three point shoot-outs. As young adults, it was to try and drink all of the liquor in Wisconsin. And currently, I’m pleased to report, it’s still about getting shots up (see what I did there!?). Whether it be basketballs, shot glasses or photographs, Jeff has always gone the extra mile to set me up for success, and at times, excess. And with our most recent tradition, it’s all about getting me to new and exciting spots in Milwaukee for buckets. This isn’t easy to do - I’ve been to Milwaukee at least a hundred times and he’s been my host for over half of it, so it’s impressive to say the least, that he continues to find new spots and activities for us. Last year it was kayaking down the Milwaukee river in the middle of the night, a trip that’s nearly impossible to top, and yet this year was no disappointment.
This year we hit North Shore park for some light up frisbee and Latham Park for some autumn hiking… but the crown jewel this time around is when he marched my sister and myself out to McKinley Marina on a beautiful Milwaukee night. The marina juts out to a long pathway extending out on to Lake Michgan, a place I had always been curious about because it looks so remote in photos. From the shore it is seemingly a narrow island floating in the middle of the lake, way off the shore of downtown Milwaukee. But Jeff of course knew where to park and how to get out there - and while it seemed like the perfect place to get tripled murdered, it turned out spectacular. Once again, Milwaukee from a perspective that I had never seen before. Jeffrey strikes again.
Downtown Milwaukee from McKinley Marina. 8/24/23.
The Milwaukee Museum of Art sits quietly on Lake Michigan on a late September night.
Jeff and Emily waiting patiently on the marina.
LOVE YOURS