Back to the 50s

I was born during the 1955 August heat wave at St. Marys Hospital in Mad City, Wisconsin. According to my Grandma Cripps, the first 3 weeks of my life were spent in a baby buggy, in the shade.

My Great-Grandfather was the Chief of Police of Waunakee at the time. He was the only full-time policeman for the whole town. The other cop, Hank, was part-time policeman/part-time garbage man. (What a concept that city council had back in the fifties.) I spent the next five years of my life in Wisconson (still have the accent) before my dad went into the Army and never looked back at the farm.

With a wife and five kids in tow off we went and my formative years were spent in Colorado, Germany and Washington State. Us kids wanted California and sang "California Here I Come" all across the United States but you go where your dads Army tells you to go.

My dads mom, Grandma Lil, ran "Lil's Cafe" in Madison, near the University of Wisconsin campus, around the 50s. It burned down a couple of times but she kept rebuilding it. It was a hot spot. My running a restaurant dream comes from my Grandma Lil.

Heres to the 50's!