Cabela's #3 - Wild Cabela

Well, I'm sad to say this is the last post in the series, save for the poll results. If you've been reading the other Cabela posts so far, I'm guessing that some of you have no idea what you're about to see/read - unless you've been to Cabela's previously.

In a nutshell, Cabela's has tens of hundreds of stuffed animals on display, for the most part in their "natural habitat". Not only that, but they have a very large, impressive aquarium in the store. As was the case with everything, they take pride in how this is displayed and do it really well. I'll leave it to the pics -


Is that a warthog I see before me!?!


Elk, eek!


Is that Marty Moose? Boo!
(note, it's in the middle of a babbling brook... yeah, still in the store)

But, let's take a detour to Africa, shall we?

Is that a tusk in your pocket...?


Poh widdle zeebwa.
(Uhhh, I don't think male lions hunt with the pride)

And finally, a quick jump to the chilly North Pole

Hello, Mr. Polar Bear. Nice to meet you. Don't eat me.

Wait, don't forget the Aquarium. This is one of those walk-thru deals with fish on both sides. For anyone expecting a little aquarium, this goes to 11.


I don't care what the in-store policeman said, I did NOT sink this boat.

Final thought - I'm not sure with all these posts that my actual admiration and astonishment came through for what Cabela's has made? If anyone in SE WI or Northern IL needs something to do (hopefully with the kids) in fall, winter, or early spring - this could easily be an outing that will last the whole day. Not only can you help the sagging-like-an-old-lady economy, but you'd also pick up some bargains and learn a little too. Portabella!!

Cabela's #2 - An Ode to Camo

As I made my way to the store, thinking about how I could make a post out of the trip, the idea came up to take as many pics as I could on the camo offerings. I kind of thought it might get boring taking pics of shirts, jackets, etc. But, lucky for all of us, Cabela's didn't let me down here either. They had waaay more stuff in camo than I would have thought. I'm starting at the normal stuff, then getting into the more unique items. Here we go - cam-O!

Here's the "normal" stuff - hunting gear, shoes, etc.



They also have some middle-of-the-road items, not common to me, but probably common to many of the shoppers:

The camo-coated ATV - braaap, braaaap!

And the matching full-face camo helmet - safety first!

Camo-coated rifles

Camo Crocs - I know, you've been looking for them - I'll UPS them to you.

And to end this section, a camo-covered huntin' dog coat.
Man's best friend has got to be as hard to find as you.
(I'm not sure, the dog could be fake or an actual stuffed huntin' dog)


And now a few items I had no idea existed until my trip:


You're thinking, "Silent Spin Seat, great - what is it?" This covers ANY 5-gal bucket and turns it into an instant, silent-rotating, seat cover. I believe it's aimed at ice fishermen (and women). This also begs the question - "Why would I need a silent, camo-covered, seat to fish? Can they see me or my seat? Can they hear me turning on my bucket?" I did not find the answers on this trip.


The camo wallet section. Now, this could be up in the middle-of-the-road section, but think about it for a minute - why would you need a camo wallet? Are you taking it out in front of potential game? And what happens if you drop it in the woods - how do you find it? I think hunter orange would be a better wallet color.

And last but not least in An Ode to Camo - the camo wall plate/light switch cover.

For all the budding North Woods interior desingers out there that need one, or dozens, to complete their lodge. This is the two-switch version, but have no fear, single switch versions are also available.

Please let me know how you like this section - if I get enough positive feedback, I'd love to go hunt for more abnormal items, with pleasure.

Cabela's #1 - Orientation

Before we just jump right in to the more specific posts, we're all gonna need a little orientation. I know this b/c upon entry into the store, it took me at least 30 min to figure out what all was in there and where it was situated.

I'm not kidding. This place is like a two-level IKEA, but much longer and wider, with depts that include, and probably are not limited to:
Men's, women's and kid's clothing sections, each it's own and big
Men's women's and kid's shoe section
Camo, real trouble when kids hide in the clothes racks
Customer service, a BIG counter
Hunting, something to dress a deer for you today?
Fishing, need an ice fishing hut?
Power sports, yes - actual boats and ATVs for purchase, like an auto dealership

Truck/ATV accessories

Gun library, not for research like a library, but kind of

Gun dept, including gun safes as big as a bear (I know b/c I could compare both in the store... more later)

Bows & arrows, incl a shooting range

Camping, incl knives
Optics, like binoculars, etc
a real-life General store, want some homemade fudge samples or Foxworthy Jerky?

Grizzly Bear Diner, you gotta stop for a meal here b/c you stay so long
Bargain Bin, reminded me of REI's returns area
Home furnishings, need a deer motif throw pillow?
Watches, jewelery & leather goods, need a fishing watch?
Kid's toys, good luck getting them out of here
plus at least 3 arcade-like areas, one full-on Six Flags-like shooting range (all take tokens only)
Conference center
and whatever other dept(s) I'm forgetting...

Does it seem like I'm making it up or that it would be too much to take in? Well, this is no joke and it literally took me 2 hours to make my way, fairly quickly, through the whole store. I made it out with only two purchases, a soft shell jacket at half price and a small keychain/knife/bottle opener. I thought I owed it to Cabela's to buy something for all the time I was there, and all the posts they're now providing.

If you ever plan to visit me, Cabela's, or SE WI, please let me know so I can go with on your trip.

Port-A-Bell-A !!!

I suspect I'm not the only one that watches or has at least seen some Will & Grace episodes? Well, as you may know, often when "Jack McFarland" [played by IL native, Sean Hayes] would enter or leave Will's apartment he would often have something non-sensical, yet very clever to say as a salutation. For example, I believe I remember something like "Blip-blap-bloop!" or when he had too much caffeine and went off for sometime explaining his day, high on life. There was also one where he made his exit simply by singing out the word 'portabella', as in the mushroom.

This is what, I guess, I was singing in my head as I made my way, on a snowy Friday afternoon, to Cabela's. Instead of port-a-bell-aaaaa, I was saying ca-bell-aaa's.

For those that don't know, Cabela's is bacically the IKEA of outdoor sports. It's literally and figuratively a big force here in SE WI. Being a big fan of unique retail spaces, I had to check it out. This is the intro to a 3-part post on Cabela's. The posts will be broken into:
1. Orientation
2. An Ode to Camo
3. Wild Cabela

Please check back this week for all the posts and the poll that will be related.

"Do work!"

No big deal - thought I would show what cube-land at work looks like. It's neat and orderly as you would expect from me. I don't mind it most of the time.

The Great Debate!

For longer than I can now remember, a good friend and I have had a rager of a debate regarding two often used terms; "halfsies" and "splitsies". These get used alot, (oops, two words)... a lot as restaurant eating is pretty common in, uh, the whole world.

Even as a little kid, we used to use these two terms when going out with the family. Having 7 kids makes these terms very helpful. I could almost get two dinners or desserts of a simple, quick, word with one of my siblings. We used the terms all the time. Of course it's only natural that I now use these terms when going out with friends. In fact, I may overuse them as I tend to eat larger quantities of food when dining out than I normally do, and the items on the menu always look so good! I like being able to try more than one dish; Halfsies and Splitsies make this possible with great results, even with friends.

So, the debate has been in full-form for at least a couple of years now, but I can't remember exactly over what dish or restaurant it all started at. The issue is that we cannot come to consensus on the meaning of the terms. Here are the two options:

Option 1 -
Halfsies = Almost literally cutting a dish in half, each person getting one half of a full meal.
Splitsies = Two people splitting two dishes, each person getting two halves.

Option 2 -
Halfsies = Two people giving each other half of their dish, each person getting two halves.
Splitsies = Two people splitting one dish, each person getting one half of a full meal.

Now honestly, it's been so long since the debate got underway that I can't truly remember which option I have been behind the whole time, writing them down has only confused me further.

What I need everyone to do this week is to use the Poll, over there on the left <<<, to indicate which option they believe is correct. In the meantime, I'll do some Googling to see if there is a truly definitive answer on the subject.

Vote early and vote often. This debate needs to be put to rest.

[If the definitions I've proposed confuse anyone, READ GEORGE'S COMMENT FOR A DIFFERENT SPIN on them]

Results, Poll #5, Jean Washing.

The results of the denim poll are in and it appears we're all pretty clean. However, you might get a surprise:

2 people wash them after each wearing - Yikes, I wear jeans alot. Maybe they have free laundry?
9 people wash them about every 3-5 wearings - seems reasonable and is by far the majority.
1 person washes them about every 12 wearings - I mean, gold miners used to beat the heck out of Levi's.
1 person washes them only after a long long time. It's hard for me to say how long I actually go b/w washings, but I usually try to get them all done in one load at least once a quarter... like clockwork.

The next poll will be tied directly to a posting, but it should all make sense.
Up very soon this week.