I love Algoma, but…

…this is a little bit nuts! I was just checking the weather and there’s presently a 25 degree difference between Green Bay and Algoma…

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That wouldn’t be so bad if the distance weren’t only about 30 miles! I guess that’s why they call it Penguin City…

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I love my work…

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My path in life is to help thinkers use technology to become thought leaders. One of the best things about this path is that I can do it from anywhere! I choose to live in Algoma Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan about 30 miles east of Green Bay and every day on my grueling 3.3 mile commute I get to pass by the lake and admire the view. This morning’s sunrise was particularly spectacular! Inspiration like this gets my juices flowing so I can do better creative work for my clients. How can I help you?

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 Spring is my favorite time of year in Door County. Over the past 17 years, residents have engaged in a program to plant my favorite flower — daffodils — EVERYWHERE. 2.2 million to be exact. The days when they start to bloom not only please my sense of beauty, but they signal that warm weather is here to stay for just a little bit; http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wisconsins-door-county-celebrates-spring-in-style-89777112.html

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Good enough for cabin porn?

One of my favorite “eye candy” sites is Cabin Porn [follow the link if you don’t believe such a site exists!]; I submitted this cabin in Kewaunee Wisconsin…

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Wisconsin winter

This is the view on my road this morning…

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Snow day? Not so fast…

For the first time I can remember since moving to Wisconsin, the media announced the night before that schools would be closed the following day in preparation for the mother of all snowstorms!
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While it’s normally cooler by the lake in Algoma, the temperature stayed above freezing all night and none of the promised snow was delivered — except to our friends in Green Bay. Heh, heh, heh…

I really need to do this more often… Updated!

…via Instagram!
I am blessed to live an work less than 1 mile from Lake Michigan on the ‘right side’ of Wisconsin. I love the many ‘moods’ of the lake as I travel back and forth between home and work or while doing errands. Yesterday, for the first time I went to the wayside less than a mile from my home, pulled out a folding chair, put my feet up on a fence, listened to good music over the bluetooth headphones and sat and looked at the lake for half an hour. Priceless! What opportunities to ‘stop and smell the roses’ are you overlooking in your life? Need justification? Try this article on 6 reasons to cherish your alone time from Positively Positive…

A ‘course correction’…

One of the best things I get to do as e1evation, llc is to enjoy a huge quality-of-life living in rural Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan and yet get to work with some of the smartest people in the world through the magic of the Internet. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about some of the advice I dole out to my clients and then deciding to eat my own dog food. I took a walk this morning to my thinking place; the Algoma lighthouse — from my office to the breakwater, it’s one mile round trip…

In her new book “11 Rules for Creating Value in the #SocialEra, Nilofer Merchant says…

Purpose can become an alignment system.

Merchant, Nilofer (2012-09-12). 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era (Kindle Location 261). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.

I’m realigning what I do around my ‘true’ purpose; being an internet ‘mechanic’. Here’s what I came up with while I was there [another one of my epic videos where you need to close your eyes to focus on the content! I’ll keep trying.]…

Updated video…

Previous video… [go ahead — the joke’s on me!]

Questions? Feedback?

Bonus! Images from my walk to the breakwater…

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Another reason why I love Algoma…

While Northeast Wisconsin and the rest of the midwest braces for a heat wave…

Algoma, aka ‘Penguin City’, will be nice and comfortable for the 4th! Why don’t you come on over and drop huge amounts of money into our local economy? :-D

Workin’ your body weight…

David Kanigan shared this great video as part of his morning workout schedule…

It’s a great reminder for me! I live in rural Wisconsin where we don’t have health clubs or fitness centers. For years, I’ve let myself go to hell physically because the nearest YMCA is 18 miles away in Sturgeon Bay — after all, how could I workout without an elliptical machine?

Lately I’ve made a couple of important changes that are helping me quite a bit;

  • Eating mostly live or unprocessed foods [no more cheddarwurst, David!] — Brussels Sprouts ROCK!!! Try this recipe.
  • Drinking mostly water and tea, although I’m still addicted to my morning ‘red eye’ [coffee with two shots of espresso] and the occasional beer from Titletown Brewing Company in Green Bay. I don’t drink with meals — doesn’t help the digestion at all and food/beverage pairings have been the death of me; ie, cookies and milk, pizza and beer, cheddarwurst and diet soda. Some things that go together just shouldn’t go together in your body…
  • Walking every day. I used to be a runner until I had back surgery in 1990. I thought walking was for wusses — it was, the way I was doing it. I use Endomondo on my smartphone to compete against myself and walk miles in less than 14 minutes. Doing it that way, walking helps! NOT walking or exercising is for wusses. I bike, also and Endomondo has a website that shows me how all my efforts are adding up, too…
  • Yoga. Yup, Yoga. I have a couple of apps on my smartphone like Daily Yoga for Back Buildup and Sworkit that are really useful for toning my almost 54 year old body. Clients like Jackie Dumaine have been instrumental in changing my mindset around tools like yoga, too…
  • Last? I threw out my scale. In the past, I’ve lost 50lbs. three times; once using running in college, twice using Atkins. Atkins sucked for me — it was painful and the weight came back because the lifestyle is not sustainable. But, I wanted the instant gratification from the scale. This time around, I don’t let the scale tell me if I’m having a good day. I know if I’m doing the work or not and that if I do the right things, the right results will follow. I’m also not in it for a quick fix — I’m in it for the long haul; I want to live the rest of my life fit and healthy, not letting a mechanical device tell me if I’ve been good or bad.
You might be thinking to yourself at this point that I’m Captain Obvious but this stuff is just dawning on me now. David’s video got me thinking about the good decisions I’ve been making lately and the difference they are making in EVERYTHING I do and it’s encouragement to dig down deeper and do even more. Thanks, buddy! Saturday Morning Work-Out Inspiration: Workin’ your body weight… – Lead.Learn.Live..

Algoma offers fishing splendor

There are good days and bad days for salmon fishing on Lake Michigan, but the fishery is in fine shape and the fish are healthy and biting.

On the western shoreline of Lake Michigan sits the small town of Algoma, Wis. Although its population is just more than 3,000 residents, Algoma is one of the main ports for anglers wanting to experience some of the finest Great Lakes fishing you’ll find.

Located on the mouth of the Ahnapee River, thousands of fishermen from across the country come here during the open water season. Catching salmon and trout is the game they play here, and this year Lake Michigan has not disappointed.

Brothers Bryan and Brad Wiesner have lived their entire lives in the area and grew up fishing this water.

For the past nine years, the two fishermen have run charter boats for Kinn’s Sport Fishing out of Algoma.

Charter fishing is big business on Lake Michigan, and the Algoma port is one of the best to go out of for king salmon and steelhead.

With Kinn’s fleet of 10 boats in operation, it’s a seven-days-a-week job for the Wiesner brothers, as it is for most other charter boat captains on the lake.

“Between the 10 boats, we did over 1,300 trips last year out of here,” Brad said.

“It’s a job for us now, so don’t ever take a hobby and turn it into a job.”

via Wisconsin salmon bonanza: Algoma offers fishing splendor | St. Cloud TIMES | sctimes.com.

I can’t believe they write about our little Algoma way over there in St. Cloud, but I guess they do. They may even appreciate our little corner of the world more than we do sometimes! :-D

Wisconsin Recall Election Seen as Referendum

You might be thinking to yourself “Hey, what’s this political crap doing on Todd’s blog?” Well, I got my start in political blogging and stopped 3 years ago because I found it wasn’t healthy for me or my family or my business. The things I learned as a political blogger I now apply in my business practice and to the ideas I post here…

I’m going back to politics for one post simply because I feel that this recall election affects everyone in the country — not just us cheeseheads — but at the same time, I think people don’t have much bandwidth for civic issues they perceive don’t affect them. Here’s ABC’s perspective on the Wisconsin recall…

“In a battle viewed largely as a barometer for November’s showdown between President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, Wisconsin voters on Tuesday will decide whether to oust Gov. Scott Walker for what Democrats contend is an unacceptable attack on organized labor by the GOP lawmaker.

During the winter of 2011, the Badger State became locked in a standoff as Walker pushed to roll back union rights for many public employees, infuriating labor groups in the state and around the country. While the governor ultimately succeeded in signing a law that stripped most public employees of their collective bargaining rights on pensions and health care, and limited their pay increases, the backlash against Walker set the stage for this week’s recall vote.

“It’s a statement about what role we think the public sector ought to play,” said Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “There are fundamental differences between the two parties here, and they mimic the debate in Washington. Republicans want to reduce the size of government, and they view the public sector as a hindrance to job growth, while Democrats want to use the public sector to spur job growth, promote fairness and serve as a safety net. We can’t do both. Wisconsin is a swing state, and it represents a lot of the diversity we find in the country in general, so for that reason I think the recall here is a symbol of the larger argument going on.”

Recent polls show Walker leading his Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. A survey of likely voters conducted by Marquette University Law School from May 23-26 showed Walker with a 52 percent to 45 percent advantage over Barrett. But public polling can be unpredictable because of the special nature of the summertime election, and that poll came before the two opponents engaged in a heated debate Thursday night.” Get more here: Wisconsin Scott Walker Recall Election Viewed ss Referendum – ABC News.

In 2008, I stepped down from my position as 3rd Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin due in large part to bad experiences in dealing with campaigns and party officials. While I never had a bad experience with Scott personally I did have one with his campaign. Despite the bitter taste in my mouth, I’ll be voting for Scott tomorrow. For me, there is an important issue at stake; namely, from my perspective powerful forces like unions outside our state are trying to influence how we live here for their own purposes. Scott Walker promised to bring fiscal sanity back to Wisconsin and for the most part he has kept those promises. Of course people and organizations who have been feeding at the public trough are pissed but Wisconsin and the United States cannot continue handing out public monies they way they have. Scott Walker has been good for Wisconsin and the US; I encourage you to support him tomorrow…

PS Did you know this is only the third time in our nation’s history that a governor has faced a recall election?

Summer fun in Wisconsin

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Our boys actually wanted to go swimming today. After all, it IS the first Saturday of summer, right? Yikes!

This probably constitutes child abuse in some states but not in Wisconsin!

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Winter Beach Morning

Too funny! I just posted a picture from almost the same spot on my bike ride yesterday and I told Jaz, one of the commenters, that the beautiful view almost makes up for 4 months earlier! Lo and behold, my favorite Wisconsin photographer posts one of his own beautiful images of exactly what I mean…

Pops Digital via Winter Beach Morning – sepia.

It’s a great day to be a ‘gomer…

‘Gomer. That’s what they call people from Algoma. This was the treat that awaited me on my morning bike commute into the office…

Click image to enlarge… I <3 Algoma!

My baby’s back…

My wife has returned safely from Italy — thank God — and on Friday we took a little time off to head up to Door County and get reconnected…

A little wine and spirits tasting at Door County Winery and Door County Distillery and Simon Creek Winery and a little stroll at Cave Point made for a beautiful day!

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We still need to get up to Sister Bay to use our Cheesecake groupon but a high pollen count on Friday made it a little unenjoyable to be outside…

Simon Creek Winery, Door County, WI

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I’m just testing the panorama feature on my Google Nexus S. Simon Creek is a ‘must stop’ destination if you’re heading to Door County — the wines don’t suck and the winery itself is a little slice of Napa Valley in Door County…

Otterly delighted!

I’m no Bill Pevlor, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again. Today I chaperoned my son’s field trip to the Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay and there I snapped something I really like. That’s my son Mac ‘touching’ the otter and his look of delight was caught in the reflection off the glass…

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Anticipation

Anticipation | Pops Digital

Anticipation | Pops Digital.

Before I moved to Wisconsin, there were two times in my life that I witnessed a sunrise; once in Montauk, NY and once in Newport, RI. There are few things in life [for me, anyway] than witnessing a sunrise from total darkness to a glorious sun over the water. Now that I live in Algoma, I can have that pleasure every day if I like. Althought Lake Michigan doesn’t have the same salt tang as the Atlantic, the sunrises are every bit as beautiful and no one does a better job of bringing them to you than Bill Pevlor at Pops Digital…

The Truth About Your Eggs

Chickens

One of the supreme joys of living in rural Wisconsin is eating warm eggs that have been laid minutes before by your own chickens. Reading this I’m even more grateful…

“Eggs are quite possibly the world’s perfect protein source. The six grams of protein in each egg has the highest biological value—a measure of how well it supports your body’s protein needs—of any food, including beef. The yolks contain vitamin B12, deficiencies of which can cause attention, mood, and thinking problems.

Depending on where you’re getting your eggs, though, you could be getting a lot more of stuff you don’t want. First you’ll get some arsenic, added to feed to promote growth in hens but linked to various forms of cancer in people, and an extra dose of antibiotics, also used to promote growth but linked to antibiotic resistance and even obesity in people. Then add a heaping helping of salmonella. A 2010 study published in the journal Veterinary Record found that the eggs from hens confined to cages, as they often are in factory farms, had 7.77-times greater odds of harboring salmonella bacteria than eggs from non-caged hens.

You wouldn’t know that based on what’s starting to appear on egg cartons. Labels like “natural” and “cage-free” make eggs seem like they came from down on the farm, from chickens living happy lives and eating bugs. But that’s not always the case. If all you want is healthy protein, it’s time to start scrutinizing egg cartons. Following are nine of the most common egg-carton claims and what they mean for your health.” Go to the source to learn more: free range eggs | The Truth About Your Eggs | Rodale News.

PSP [Peninsula State Park] Walk


My wife and I have been ‘power walking’ and thanks to Endomondo, I know that we’ve done 92.38 miles since we started our program and did just over 50 in the month of April at a 4mph or better pace. Yesterday, we did our walk at Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek, Wisconsin one of the prettiest spots in all of Door County. Click images to enlarge and you’ll see what I mean…

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