How I spent my summer vacation

My wife Ellen and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on July 4.

Guys, if you get married on a holiday, you’ll never forget it.

We have spent most of our anniversaries at my parents’ house in Perry, Mo., but we generally will go away for the “big” ones (20, 25, 30, etc.). We jumped in a car and headed to Springfield, Ill.

Then I asked her if she wanted to go to the Wisconsin Dells or Indianapolis. She said The Dells.

Neither of us had ever been there, but after spending a few days there, it’s basically The Lake of the Ozarks with a few exceptions:

1. Lower humidity.
2. Less crowded.
3. No idiots in speedboats.

We stayed at a lovely and reasonably priced resort. We walked “The Strip” and bought plenty of T-shirts. We had lots of good food and drink.

Our big anniversary dinner was at a place called Ishnala Supper Club in Lake Delton, Wisc. They don’t take reservations, and when you show up, expect to wait at least 90 minutes, which is fine because they have three bars sitting on a beautiful lake. The time passes quickly.

I had an incredible prime rib, and Ellen had chicken cordon bleu. It was a fabulous meal.

On the way back, we took a detour to New Glarus Brewing Company for some Spotted Cow beer and merch. New Glarus is about the size of Pittsfield and in the middle of the country among rolling hills.

The trip was very relaxing. A much needed week off after a crazy, busy time here at Muddy River. I’d like to thank my teammates for keeping an eye on the shop and thank my wife for putting up with me for more than 30 years.

Back to work.

J. Robert Gough is the publisher/general manager of Muddy River News LLC. His wife, Ellen, is a special education teacher with the Quincy Public Schools.