MarioCake!

Inspired by the Toadstool Cafe at Universal Studios Hollywood, we tried to recreate the Mt. Beanpole Cake.

The cake with happy patrons

We looked for recipes for thin layers. The cake alternates layers of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry with a matcha mousse on top to give it a grassy look (and flavor, if you ask me). We couldn't recreate the star coin (which was edible) but did keep the flagpole from our visit to the park.

We used a recipe from home for the slim layers of cake. We made a light cream for in between the layers. Mixing matcha into the cream made a nice, grass-colored layer for the top of the cake. 

Double stirring!

Laying out the layers

Cutting blocks like it's Minecraft

Assembling the mountain

Adding some "grass"

The flag we saved from the cafe

It was pretty tasty, but maybe not worth all the work.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 14 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 14 story and art by Tatsuya Endo

A new chance for Anya to get in good with her target, Damian, happens with the announcement of a school dance. Damian still has complete disdain for her, so she will need to be clever (not her strong suit) and persuasive (also not her strong suit). Her father, the spy Loid Forger, helps out too disguised as a server during the party. The story gets sidetracked halfway through as some back story (also involving dancing) is provided for Mr. Henderson, the strict and elegant headmaster of the school.

The comedy is strong and fun with Anya and Damian, a lot of the usual whimsical nonsense that this series excels at. The shift to the headmaster's youth provides interesting character development, though he has been a side character so far. His story has almost no humor which makes this volume read like a farce suddenly turned into a melodrama. The writing is good but it is not what a reader is used to in Spy x Family.

Recommended--if you are a fan of the series, you are probably locked in by now like me.

Movie Review: The Wrong Man (1956)

The Wrong Man (1956) directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Henry Fonda stars a Manny Balestrero, a night club musician. Manny has a loving wife (Vera Miles) and two children. They live in a New York City apartment and struggle to make ends meet. Manny goes to their local insurance agency to borrow money on his wife's life insurance policy. The ladies in the office think he is the guy that has robbed them twice in the last year though they don't confront him. They do make a report to the police, who go to his house and pick him up just before he gets home for dinner. A bit of circumstantial evidence gets Manny thrown in jail, starting a long and torturous situation where he tries to prove his innocence and keep his family together.

The plot is based on a true story (they even film in the actual night club) from 1953. Manny's experience is very harrowing, especially as he does not fully understand the events going on around him. Hitchcock downplays his usual visual extravagance, making the film feel more like a documentary. Bernard Herrmann's score is also more muted to fit the tone. Fonda is reliably good in his role. Vera Miles is also good as the wife, who has her own difficulties to get through. Even though he is innocent, he endures a lot of hardship as the legal system slowly grinds through its process. His personal integrity is admirable but the unfortunate possibility of the system going wrong is disheartening and makes for a lot of hard-hitting drama.

Recommended.

This movie is discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast #364--check it out!

Trip from Minnesota Summer 2025

We had plenty of adventures on our way home from Granny and Grandpa's house in Minnesota. The first day we drove to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where we stayed the night and went to Wisco's for dinner. The restaurant features local flavors and local brews. I had Surly Brewing Company's This Beer Is Niiice, a golden ale that was refreshing. I paired it with the Charred Chicken Bowl from their "Scontrees" menu. That's not "scones" plus "trees;" it is the last half of the state name substituted in for the first syllable of "entrees." Pretty clever, huh? It was a delightful meal.

A satisfying beer!

We got up the next morning and drove to Wisconsin Dells where an uncle was able to get us day passes to Kalahari Water Park, a combination indoor and outdoor water park with lots of slides, two lazy rivers and plenty of other water fun. Some of the slides were really fun, some took a bit of a hit on my back. Those were the "extreme" slides where riders don't use a raft or tube--riders cross their ankles and hold their hands behind their heads. My daughter rode them but her swimsuit is practically a UV t-shirt for the top so she had a layer between her and the surface of the ride. She didn't get dinged up like I did.

Other rides (with rafts or floating rings) were more fun for me. We did a lot of walking up stairs all day. Too bad my wife was not wearing her Fitbit at the waterpark!

The entrance

The lobby

Wave pool and slides

More of the wave pool

"Extreme" slides

Hot tub and lazy river

The resort does have an outdoor water park which is not open all year because they are located in Wisconsin. It had some fun slides (including one where you wound up in what looks like roulette wheel) but waiting in line in the sunshine was not my favorite.

The outdoor park

We spent almost the whole day there, leaving just before dinner time. We went to The Fudgery nearby for ice cream to tide us over until dinner in our next stop: Whitewater, Wisconsin.

The Fudgery

Driving further south, we stopped at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana. It's a large farm and museum with a convention center. Everything is top of the line. 

Main building at Fair Oaks Farms

We ate lunch there. Since they are a farm, they had a lot of emphasis on cheese and dairy products. I got the 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich and beef chili topped with cheese and sour cream. It was delightful. I also had a local root beer, Triple XXX Root Beer. I am still puzzled why there is three Xs and the word "Triple" before them. Is it supposed to be six or nine?

Lunch!

The transport between farm locations also uses "farm fresh" products 

Another building in walking distance has an indoor high ropes course. Three of us signed up for it but only one of us made full use of all the levels.

High ropes course

Did I really stand like that?

Crossing confidently

Hanging hopefully

Resting...restfully?

Our next stop was Indianapolis where we met our niece to catch up. We went out to a ramen shop and did some geocaching. We had a lot of fun and took no pictures.

The next day was the mad rush to finally make it home. We spent about ten hours driving, with some short stops for gas, food, and geocaching.

Book Review: Fright Favorites by David J. Skal

Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond by David J. Skal

This non-comprehensive list provides thirty-one horror films that would make a sort of "daily devotional" for October. The book is published in part by Turner Classic Movies and features films from the silent era (Nosferatu) all the way to the 2010s (Get Out). Each film is described in a few pages, both the plot and the cultural impact, along with pictures from the film and from the production (posters and behind-the-scenes photos). Each film as a sidebar "if you liked this, you might also enjoy...", for example, after discussing Beetlejuice, they recommend Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow.

The descriptions are entertaining, involving stories about the productions that you may or may not have heard before. For movie fans, especially horror fans, this is a fun read. I've seen all the main recommendations except for Mystery of the Wax Museum, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and Hocus Pocus. I guess I have some catching up to do.

Mildly recommended.

Minnesota Trip Summer 2025

Once we got to Granny and Grandpa's house we relaxed and didn't do anything. Haha!

We drove down to visit with my wife's cousin and played Puttshack minigolf. It was fun and high tech. The balls had chips in them. The tees would scan the chip and put the player's name on a screen over the hole. The score was kept automatically, so it must have had some sort of motion sensor technology. The hole detected when the ball came in too. Each hole had some theme and tricks. For example, the trivia hole had two paths, True or False, based on the question that appeared on the screen when the ball was detected by the tee. Most of the questions were Wisconsin-centric, making it easier for the home players. We were good sports about it and helped each other out. 

The players

Too young for beer pong?

Putting

Drummer's hole

The scoring was odd. A hole in one was (I think) 60 points, with possible bonus points based on the particular hole. Par 2 was 50 points, par 3 was 40, etc. So a higher score is better. Each course of the many courses is nine holes and players can do one set of nine or multiple sets. We did two sets, so eighteen holes, though our score was not cumulative.

My nemesis--where are the guard rails?!?

A wide shot

My wife and I went dancing at Wabasha Street Caves. The caves have a colorful history too detailed to relay here, but it does involve gangsters and Prohibition. The venue has tours now and is rentable for weddings, corporate gatherings, etc. We went to the Thursday night swing dance which was a lot of fun.

Doesn't look like caves, does it?

Tables by the entrance

The dance floor forms an L with the stage for the band in the corner of the L.

Dance floor and stage

The other part of the dance floor

Westwind Swing Band

The next main tunnel has the bar area (parallel to the long leg of the L), which had some overflow dancers and free water and other beverages. 

Less populated bar area

I saw another area that seemed like a third cave behind the bar wall but it was blocked off for maintenance. I am not sure how extensive the caves run. Maybe we will do a tour on a future trip.

I went on a geocaching run with Grandpa and we also hit up Thunder Brothers Brewery in Isanti, a small brewery that had some nice ales on offer. I had the Cumulus Cream Ale which was delightful.

Thunder Brothers

While at the house, the cats longed for a little wander outside.

Maybe there are mice in the garden?

Hoping for something to chase!

Our cousin visited with her toddler son. We saw a lot of his walking around and interacting with everyone, including one of the cats! My kids made him a hat but it turned out to be too small (and the wrong season). He was not too keen on wearing it, but that's okay. He's so cute!

Cousins!

Staring contest

Cat loses

On the swing

We went out on their canoe and kayak to explore their lake.

Kayak in tall rice

Getting out

Our boat

Awesome flower

It was a fun and refreshing time at Granny and Grandpa's house.