The Simple Life

You're listening to Civic Media.

You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app.

Find us in your phone's app store and listen anytime, anywhere.

Coming to Northeast Wisconsin live from the Civic Media Studios and featuring TV and radio broadcast veteran John Minow along with the City of Green Bay's longest-serving mayor Jim Schmidt.

This is Minow and the Mayor.

And

here are your hosts.

John Minow and Jim

Schmitt.

Hey, thank you very much.

Welcome back, Howard.

Number two, Minow the Mayor, a special thanks to Cheese Curd Nick.

Man, is he going to be popular at the NFL Draft at the Stadium View in a couple of weeks or what?

I'm

still sorry, John.

I'm still finishing.

I'm sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

I thought you were

going

to pull the

mic

off.

Brats, burgers, cheese curds.

Yeah.

And those.

OK.

Todd, very seldom.

Like, eats during the show.

Right.

Cheesekirnick brings in those brats, and two and a half minutes later, we go to a break, I go, man, where's that broccoli?

I go, you ate that?

I go,

yeah.

I've never seen you eat in the studio before.

You can't bring food in and just leave it sit there.

No.

You know, and now there's a quiche.

It's

delicious.

But aren't those good brats?

Yes.

Wow.

is cheese cursor, it's so lightly breaded.

You know, it's not too heavy.

It's

gonna be fun.

You know, that's the key to almost everything.

Right.

I mean, the

heavy breading takes away,

I think.

Well,

it's like a fish

fry, too.

Right.

I'm not a fan of that beer-battered fish fry.

Neither.

I want it as thin as possible.

I like a light batter.

Yeah,

yeah.

And there's a lot in that cheese, boy.

That's good.

I hate to say this.

I don't like to talk about fast food places, whatever, as far as, you know, promote them.

They get enough.

I like the mom-and-pop type place enough.

But I got to be honest with you, Culver's Flounder,

Fish sandwich with a really, really light breading is a really good sandwich.

He thought of

something with that,

right?

He really is.

I've never had that.

Oh, you gotta try that.

Craig Culver, and he talks about it too.

I don't know.

That is... I mean, it's a thick piece of fish and a real thin breading.

Because sometimes you go to these fish things, and it's really... Where's

the fish?

Yeah, I know they were doing a walleye one, which I'm not a fan of, but... A walleye or not?

Well, it's okay.

It's not my favorite, but I love perch, so...

Okay.

Fish sandwich...

Covers and I think they've won some things too.

Remember they did that.

They won my I was just surprised, you know, I mean just those things My Lisa oh Lisa She won't

talk.

She won't talk.

I just

want to say thank you.

Did she actually make this case?

She did.

Yes.

Tell her I need the recipe.

I'm gonna make that this week.

Okay.

Okay, okay

You can buy a pre-made at

I don't want that I want okay Lisa make me know exactly what

happens gonna happen this

man is that

good so Michael simple life hospitality

Yes, sir.

How are you doing?

You've been doing a little traveling, checking out other.

Yeah, I was traveling.

I did some international travel with just, well, it was for a little bit of work, and then it was for just some rest and relaxation in Rome, and I went to see a friend in Sicily, and that was pretty amazing.

But yeah, we've been doing okay.

I think the one thing we're seeing in a lot of the news stories that are out there is that it's a little quiet for the draft.

And we have just started to see

in the last two weeks, our reservations starting to hit at our homes primarily around Lambeau Field.

And we're still hopeful.

Listen, we've got a great inventory of homes near the stadium and Easton Green Bay in general and in Door County.

We got a booking in Door County for one of our homes in Sturgeon Bay for that weekend.

And so we're hopeful that we still are gonna see the homes rent.

Are they renting for those higher prices we hope for?

No.

probably not.

Length of stay has gotten shortened a little bit instead of someone coming in maybe for, say, Wednesday through Sunday.

We're seeing Thursday through Saturday

kind

of scenario now.

So maybe two nights.

But like I said, we're still positive about it.

We're doing the best we can.

And I think overall, I think the draft is still going to be a great event, a great experience, great for the city, great for the state.

But we're doing what we

can do.

I was telling John, we talk about this all the time.

And it seemed like there was a little bit of a lull.

I

just want to say

that for those of us who have their ear to the ground on this.

And why is that?

But I think the information from the NFL, and it is an NFL event.

It is.

It's not like the Green Bay Packers or it's not a.

chamber event.

This

is an NFL event and maybe some of the information was

a little...

Where they dole it out is piecemeal.

Very, very piecemeal.

Very

piecemeal.

to connect the dots, because if you miss something, you miss it.

You know, you do.

And I think the hype, listen, I was here a year ago almost when we started having this conversation about the draft and talking about the excitement built around it and how many people were going to be in town and how well it did in Detroit and in Kansas City.

And we still feel the same way, you know, that it's going to be a big event.

But the hype was so high and was it oversold?

I don't know.

I'm not saying it was.

but is, you know, the number of people who are actually coming here.

Now, one thing we've heard and I've seen is that there are a lot of people who are staying outside the area.

You know, they're staying in Milwaukee, they're staying in Madison, they're staying, you know.

North of town and they're driving in for the day, you know or they're coming to town and they're staying with friends and family So Michael if I

could jump on that real quick here has there been any analytics in regards?

I love using that works.

I feel so smart Are there any analytics in regards like when you look at Detroit's in my mind I see those big drone shots of see of humanity and everything is there any analytics of like

How many of those people are within, let's say, 100 miles and then 200 miles where it's a day trip versus from all over

the country?

Yeah, there is.

And I haven't seen those numbers, although what numbers we've looked at are the percentage of homes that were rented prior to the draft.

And so Detroit was very similar last week or the week before.

I think in Detroit, only

maybe 19% of the available homes were rented.

And so we're not too far off.

I think we're a little bit below that, but still.

You know, when you look at this as a community and you look at Detroit or even Kansas City, I think Green Bay is a drive-to.

If you think about Minneapolis, Chicago, even Detroit, Des Moines, Iowa, Milwaukee, Madison, the UP, yeah, can't forget the UP.

Can't

forget those six

people.

But yeah, I mean, I think we're gonna see more and more people coming in and it could be for a day trip.

And I think the weather, I listened to the show the other day when you had Brittany on, I think that's gonna play a huge, huge factor in what days you're,

I mean, I'm gonna be here that whole week and I'm gonna be there Thursday night, Friday, Saturday, but I think it's gonna play a big factor into people deciding if they're gonna come up for it.

I think this weekend, people

are gonna decide to come up.

It's gonna be 65 degrees.

Let's go to Green

Bay.

Maybe more accurate forecast.

Right.

I will say this.

I don't think this event, people do a lot, a lot of planning for.

Let me just tell you, it's not anecdotal.

This really happened this weekend.

I was with a friend of mine who's got three boys that are, I don't know,

26, 27, 28, whatever.

And you guys coming to the draft?

Oh, yeah.

What are you doing?

We don't know.

And I said, what, do you have any concerns about it?

You know, the traffic on 94, you know, we're a little worried about that.

But where are you staying?

I think we're staying with some friends.

It was just so loose.

Like, you know, I would have my hotel.

I would have this.

I'd have reservations.

So that made me feel kind of good that there's probably a whole lot of kids like that that are 30 years old that are coming.

And they went last year and it was actually they went when it was in Chicago.

Okay, so that's how long well That's how many drafts they've been going to so anyway, I It's gonna happen.

I will say this about kids Having kids I can say this when we're gonna make a trip to Green Bay when I was a kid with my parents Man, they got that devroid motel slot locked

up your parents you

packed a cooler

Because you're not going to stop at a restaurant on your way there.

You're going to have, you know, you're lunch at a picnic table someplace.

You're going to be here this Saturday morning

at nine.

We

have to be, you know what

I mean?

These guys aren't like that.

But I just, yeah.

These kids.

No, they're not like that.

I mean, I'm even doing a Zoom call next week with my buddies from Chicago and Madison who are coming up and we're doing a Zoom call to talk about, okay, when are you getting to Madison?

Where are we meeting?

Where are we heading?

What time do we have to leave for Lambeau Field?

Do you have the passes for Stadium View?

I mean, all of that, I just love planning because it makes it so much better.

it's just so much easier and it goes smoother.

But I will say the same thing for housing.

As we started to see the reservations come in, they were coming in maybe a day last, meaning they're not staying three nights or four nights, they're staying two, so Thursday and Friday night, and then they're leaving right after Saturday.

And the amounts of the revenue as far as the nightly rates, we've had to adjust based on what's happening, based on the fact that I think all rooms are now available.

I mean, we're at Michael

Friedman's Simple Life Hospitality.

Talk about a couple of your quick places here, Michael.

So we still have available quite a few homes.

Nitchki Nook is available, which is very close to the stadium.

One of the sides of our green and gold house on True Lane is still available.

Cheesehead Hideaway, I believe, is still available.

Not sure on Stadium View, but I think it might be.

So we'll have to check on that.

And then we still have quite a few homes, just draft-only homes in Green Bay that are available, probably another six to eight of those.

and then our Dorr County properties.

And we, like I said, we did get a rental in Dorr County.

So, you know, it's, and it's someone who wants to spend a little time in Dorr County and enjoy Dorr County on top of the draft.

I hope when people come here, I don't think the, and I think the city has.

Tried and there's some pretty cool things.

We got what five bands that one that first night.

Oh, yeah at light.

You mean yeah Yeah, and then the last night then they I mean they've got three barges of fireworks, which is a lot for us You know, I mean

yeah, what

the July we only use

are they talk about a drone thing?

Are they gonna have a

drone not this one?

Okay, it's gonna be fireworks, but you know festivals putting that on and that's gonna be and then they have on Saturday it's a

It's a pretty big name.

Oh, I forgot who it is.

But anyway, they're really trying.

They've got a lot of activities going on.

I hope when people get here, they're like, okay, maybe I will stay another day.

You

know, I don't know.

I'm hoping, I mean, you know, again, I think it's one of those things.

I was in Door County yesterday and we met with some folks up there and asked them, you know, kind of what's the buzz in Door County?

And it's the same thing.

You know, we don't know, they don't know.

Like we anticipate people are gonna be coming up here.

And even the person we met with had been asked, you know, should businesses open early?

Normally we don't open till mid-May.

should we be open mid-April now because we're gonna have to see this influx of people coming up there for the weekend.

And it's a crap shoot.

We just don't

know.

And I understand the NFL owns it.

I understand that.

But we're talking about people coming from a distance away and the entertainment being a big part of it.

I'm really surprised they didn't release their headliners a month ago where somebody from Iowa might say, oh my God, you know who's playing?

We got a chance to do that and see the draft.

And see him for free.

For

free cuz there's

still a lot of things where it's gonna be like

Yeah, and I don't know you know I don't either and you know, I think because the draft is free, which is great I'm glad the NFL makes it free because I think if it was a paid-for event it would be very very challenging It's great that it's free But is that causing some someone in their mindset to be like oh, it's a free event

I

would almost prefer it be paid for because we would have

more

commitment

Right, that would be nice

you know

because we know that there is like it's free but it's there's you can buy tickets for preferred seating

exactly those

are sold off so we know there's gonna be at least 500 people

yeah and there is a

little bit

of the NFL headquarters it's like what are you gonna do where's the NFL they don't they don't care they don't care we're gonna set a quick break Michael Friedman simple life hospitality back up

this

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get started.

That was funny.

That was very funny.

We just had a moment of wow.

You ever had that like you're talking with this person who's, you know, a normal person and then you mentioned, you know, he's a, he's a, you

know, he

studies butterflies.

What?

Who does?

Oh my God.

He's an eftanologist.

Is he into the monarchs or their souls?

Okay.

Michael just now

yeah, we're

talking about say tilted Jim Jim says we got her you know a big name coming on on Saturday and I was thinking You know and on the draft headquarters the

main stage, right?

Who

was it wasn't you know?

We talked about it.

I missed that.

I don't know if I was what I don't know who was it?

Who's the big name?

Michael's yeah, who's the big name?

And Jim or that?

Wu Chen Wu Chang and

Michael goes

certainly Johnny goes well.

Yeah, that's not a big name

Michael goes

it's

huge So is

our

is that really happening I thought I thought it was dailess all

Well, I'll tell

you

just wait there's there's bookends, right?

It's the first night with with with one and the fireworks and then it's the last night Saturday with

That goes to him like midnight, which is pretty late for us So and they're both at light park with food trucks and we ain't hip.

No,

we're

not All

I'll say is if it is Wu Tang, it is okay.

Is it yeah, yeah It's probably one of the most influential music artists over the last

20 to 30 years as as it relates to And I'm not a huge hip-hop guy, but but as it relates to hip-hop reggae music I mean so influential into so many different music genres That that band it's

before the gangster rap kind

of

took

over

absolutely.

Yeah.

Yeah, so that much I know all

right So you should do an ad for us for one you should do an ad secondly do an ad for the Wu-Tang Clan?

No for the festival

Oh

Michael

Hi, this is Michael Friedman

I'm originally from Duluth, Minnesota.

Am I a Wu-Cheng

guy?

We were on the North Shore of Duluth in 1989.

Like, you can't

sleep and believe me.

If you are into, like, insane clown posse, too, and do the makeup, then I want

to... That is

true, the

insane clown posse.

That's another great band.

When

your people check in and they're checking out on Saturday, say, hey, look, you guys, did you know there's a free event tonight?

It's the last night of the draft, granted.

And that's why this is called...

the party is called Draft 8 because Saturday night is the seventh round

and the party is called

Draft 8.

The eighth round type.

Very cool.

So have them

stay another night.

I'll

do my best.

I'll do my best.

You

just no disrespect in any way shape or form but I just wouldn't have taken you as being a musical

enthusiast savante almost of the late

80s.

So I love while I grew up in the 80s so I mean that's my thing but music in general just for me I mean this isn't related to the draft but I I love all music classical country old country blues bluegrass jazz I mean I just I think music in general

It does so much for your soul, and it helps heal the mind, the body, the heart in so many different ways.

Well, we have all music to me.

We have Ace Champion on

here.

And Ace Champion goes back like 10,000 years with Chinese instruments, and he can tell you what they were designed for, which part of your body.

Oh yeah, without a doubt.

No, I mean, and I know, so all music, and you know, even like, like hardcore stuff, I love Metallica.

I love, I love Rage, Rage, I love Rage against Rage against Rage.

Rage against

the machine and then and then I also love that soft soft stuff like I'm a huge Neil Diamond fan in Barry

Manilow Don't get me started on that because both those are in my wheelhouse and I get pummeled for that for Barry Manilow the way Jim gets pummeled for Liberace.

No, I think Barry, Barry Manilow is good.

Okay, but all

right Okay, but would you

tell people on the radio if you had pneumonia no no i don't know about that that there was a there was a game on that night too wasn't there

i was dealing with a life-threatening uh pneumococcal uh pneumonia

okay that's not even a word

yeah it is it

is a word

jim

because you know why that's what george gip died of that's why i know that word

Okay, okay, and he's from the UP.

So I had that it's a respiratory disease And I was on my couch by myself with an oxygen mask and

he didn't have an oxygen mask and he took I had a mask Jim And he took a mask and he took an afghan had a mask once you call it like a blanket or a sheet He calls it an

afghan

around your death bed.

Oh my death bed took an afghan Watching Barry Mantle

concert.

There's nothing wrong.

Thank you and

The

other station

was like a playoff game

or something,

which is totally against

his grain.

Anyway, he admitted it, and I just thought that was funny.

That's all.

I have no problem admitting I'm a Barry Mallow fan.

Thank you, Michael.

I neither, but to that degree, I thought he went a little far.

It was a Christmas special, Jim.

You're right.

That's what it was.

Anyway, that was...

I'm

a big fan of Christmas specials of any genre.

I did Andy Williams.

I'll give you that.

Anyway, we have to give you the lineup for Wednesday and Saturday at Light Park here.

So you can give it to your customers

when they check

it.

I love that.

That would be great.

And then we

have the

Couple festivals that are down here.

And so we'll we'll it's a card that you can just leave in their hotel room like you do with your coffee and everything else.

So, okay,

I mean in their

house No,

Michael heading into this draft type thing.

Are you when you guys go to a city then you do this do you?

Look for not just that week.

Are you hoping for like letting them know?

Hey

You know, we got some of these places are almost like Arabian bees.

We can take care of them for you if

you want to come back

for a

game.

Yeah, I mean, this is this is unique because we have so many easier to come to the draft that it is a

Packer game.

It is it is.

And, you know, we have our Packer homes that we rent out every year for for Packer games.

And obviously so much of those types of rentals are predicated on number one, how well the team is doing.

You know, if the team hate to say it, but that's true.

It's if they suck, you know, people aren't coming.

And so

you know, from that angle, you know, we, we feel like, you know, we do pretty well during Packers season, but for us to go into other cities, it's really not our forte in the sense that we're going to go, you know, we've been asked or I've been asked by industry colleagues.

You know, do you want to rent homes out in, you know, East Rutherford, New Jersey during the World Cup next year?

And really, it's not our gig.

You know, we don't know that market for us to try and go into a market like that and do something.

But we're doing great.

You know, we're growing as a company.

We're looking to add more inventory into our county this year.

We're actually even looking at some markets outside of Wisconsin as we expand our company.

And you would hope that Green Bay

would get back to this tall ship festival,

which

the EAA, which is good,

pack a training

camp.

You don't know how good you are.

and people still come

to that, no matter what.

Those are good things that you can

bring families in.

They're expecting several thousand people for a bowling, some bowling thing and gymnastics at the rest center.

So we anticipate we're gonna do more business like that.

I'll tell

you, you gotta look into, you gotta look into the Marinette area.

They got speedboat races on the river this year, international speedboat races.

Oh, that's cool.

Quick break, Michael, can you stick around?

Sure.

I'm gonna grab another key.

Absolutely.

Right after this.

For WGBW and WISS News, I'm Lisa Hale.

A 72-year-old Appleton man is sentenced to two years in federal prison for failing to pay over a million dollars of employment taxes.

Douglas Larson owned and operated Mods International and Mods Client Services, which manufactured and installed residential and commercial buildings from shipping containers.

Court records show that over the 14 years he owned the business, he withheld employment taxes from his employees but refused to pay the money to the federal government.

Judge William Griesbach

says that the sentence would have been longer, but he took Larson's age and failing health into account.

Food insecurity is an issue in northeast Wisconsin affecting children, students and adults, but especially children, says DeLorean Walls of Brothers Helping Brothers, Wisconsin.

I get kind of emotional when I talk about that, especially with the kids when they have food.

I was talking to a teacher the other day ago.

Most children come to school because they can get a breakfast.

then if a kid gets suspended, they don't get that.

Or on a spring break, on a summer break, they don't receive that food.

As federal programs are seeing funding cuts, Wisconsin food banks are set to lose over $2 million from the U.S.

Department of Agriculture.

Wall says people can help by donating to the Packers Superfan Food Drive, which will be held at First and Goal April 23rd.

Don't feed the turkeys.

That's the message from the Appleton Police Department.

Over the past couple of years, wild turkeys have caused traffic congestion and other problems in the city.

Aggressive birds have even attacked vehicles.

Police say the feathered fiends are congregating because people are feeding them.

And while police haven't started issuing citations for feeding the gobbling gobblers, that could be next.

I'm Lisa Hale for WGBW and WISS News.

For news anytime, visit civicmedia.us.

Welcome back to Mino and the Mayor.

Join the conversation now by calling 920-264-0606.

920-264-0606.

Now, once again, John Mino and Jim Schmidt.

Hey, thank

you very much.

Welcome back.

Where's the Michael Friedman simple life hospitality and we were I've not even kidding.

We have to tell Lisa Thank you so much Lisa we were talking quiche last week and she made it for us and it's fantastic Well, I said I was

bringing in a quiche

and

then yeah,

if we thought you were making one

Yeah, that was

kind of

the way you said it.

Yeah, like you are a lot of people.

I just delegated it.

Oh, hey Yeah, well, you know and I asked after

I just had that I just had my slice

Oh my god.

It's really, really good.

It's not

spinach, bacon, mushrooms.

No mushrooms.

No mushrooms.

Spinach, bacon, cheese.

The quality of it's good.

You got a good lot of ingredients in there.

You didn't.

Sometimes you get it where it's just all egg.

You

know what I mean?

Right.

Listen, I had the idea.

I'm an idea guy.

Like some other people here sitting here.

I'm an idea guy.

I'm an idea guy.

I've

had some where you know, you could just visualize what they taste like, where you can buy like, is it just the egg yolks or the egg whites, the carton of them?

And you just kind of pour that in and cheese.

But then they add

some...

Broccoli and that's but this stuff has the real deal.

It's real.

Yeah, it's delicious I had I actually had Lisa's lasagna the other day too.

That's pretty special as well Lisa

You guys would be so proud of me though the way I eat now at restaurants and stuff So I go yesterday go risk right across street here Hagenmeister, okay had a nice chicken wrap like I always have okay, and she's what do you want first side?

So what are the options?

She's sweet potatoes, which I love sweet potato fries.

Yeah

So, sweet potato fries, chips, or regular french fries.

I said, do you have a vegetable option?

She says, we've got broccoli.

I said, all of the broccoli.

Wow.

What?

Okay.

Kudos.

All right.

Look at you.

So, I'm talking about... Look at you.

Yeah.

Isn't that something, Todd?

What would you dip it in, John?

I'm proud of you.

What would you dip it in?

I will say this.

Cheesauce?

Right.

That's what I'm saying.

Okay, Michael, you wanna just hold off here,

Mike?

I mean, we don't

have enough coming at me.

I need one more from the blind side.

Okay.

I asked her for some extra butter.

Pads of

butter.

There you go.

Okay.

Spread on that.

No, close.

Close.

You got it.

You got

it.

Butters

good.

I mean, come on, it's

broccoli.

Butters good

for you.

Yeah,

thank you.

No carbs.

Yeah,

there

you go.

So, aren't you proud of me?

I took broccoli over French fries.

That's good.

The sweet potatoes, though, that's not, out of those three,

They're actually pretty good for

it, for being a potato.

But

Broccoli's better.

Broccoli's

probably better.

But if you

had those three, that was the best

choice.

What's that new thing I said I was gonna grow?

Weed?

No, no, no.

Remember Todd?

We had that.

We had the guy on.

He was talking about this unbelievably great vegetable.

It's a root vegetable.

It's really good for you.

We had a lady on.

It's something we'd never heard of.

She said it's like a potato.

And you can like roast it.

And it's like so healthy.

It's

like a turnip.

No, it's like a turnip.

It's a root

vegetable.

Rootabaga?

Nope.

Nope, keep going.

I don't think I'd ever

heard of it before.

Fennel?

What is it?

Fennel?

No,

no.

Uh, was it Yucca?

Yes.

Thank you.

Yucca.

Yes, Yucca.

It's like a sweet potato, isn't it?

I think, I don't know.

It's a little like a potato.

I will say this, that Reggie at Caribbean Taste down in Appleton, right?

He makes that now, and he makes them into fritters.

Oh my gosh, they're so good.

Yeah, I think it is a Caribbean thing, because there's a

Peruvian restaurant in Madison that does Peruvian roasted chicken.

Who has a Peruvian restaurant?

And he does Yucca

fries.

Yucca fries.

I didn't know Peruvians had their own type of food.

Yeah.

Wow.

Yeah.

Jacob Vandenplatz says rutabaga.

No, not that.

Because we

were talking about that with the pasties.

Right.

OK.

But what a rutabaga is.

So it was something different.

But what you said, yucca.

Yeah.

This is

what it's

rutabaga.

Is it the same as rutabaga?

Yucca?

No, no, you said you said we're the beggar.

What is it?

Speaking of pasties, there's a pasty shop off of Lionville Road.

I noticed the other day when I was driving by.

Is it really?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Off of Lionville?

Yeah.

There's a pasty shop.

I've never noticed that.

Yeah, I don't know if they're any good.

Welcome to Food Chance.

We just said it on top of what we like and we don't like.

The entire

show,

the whole show.

Hey, Michael, one more.

Time, though, about simple life hospitality.

Tell

people what, you know, what you guys have to offer.

So we, you know, we're a full service vacation.

And again, I know maybe those

people aren't listening, but those people's relatives who maybe don't want somebody staying with

them for a week.

We still have homes available for the draft that are obviously available for rent, whether it's Wednesday through Sunday or just Thursday, Friday, or whatever your needs are.

We have a really nice selection of homes still available here in

Green Bay.

Immaculate,

they're great.

Yeah, they're awesome.

And they're close to Lambeau and or walking distance or a very short Uber ride.

And then we have a really beautiful selection of homes in Door County for those individuals who want to be participating in the draft, but maybe for the weekend, they want to have a little Door County experience, which I think is great.

Absolutely.

And yeah, but we're a full service vocational management firm.

We manage close to now like 150 homes, mostly in Door County.

Northwoods here in Green Bay, a couple in Florida and a couple down in Lake Geneva.

So if people are going to be going to Florida or even the Lake Geneva's or the world and things like that, can they just get on your website

and see all the different spots in the

country?

Absolutely.

Because if I was

going

to

Florida,

I

would check out your place

first

before

I

would look out.

any other.

You have a good website.

And it's improving actually.

We're in the middle of a complete website revamp.

But yeah, I mean, you can go to our website, simpleliferentals.com.

And what's nice about it too is we break it down.

So if you have pets, we have pet friendly homes, we have about 40 of those.

And it just really depends on what you're looking for budgets from a

affordable, I don't say economy, but affordable all the way up to some beautiful luxury homes down in Manitowoc.

We just picked up a beautiful home that went live yesterday in Door County that has part of a lavender farm connected to it.

So we're growing and having a lot of fun.

And be on the lookout for us too.

We are gonna grow and potentially go into other destinations throughout the U.S.

coming up in the next couple of years.

I'm gonna sound dumb probably.

What's lavender?

Yeah, what's a lavender farm?

That's Dorkoni girl lavender Dorkoni lavender right like Washington Island, Washington Island Dork lavender

That's what they're known

for.

I'm lost here.

You

didn't know that?

Is it a plant?

Yeah.

I mean, I know a smell of lavender or the color of lavender.

It's a plant.

It's like

a

whole field.

It's like a field of dandelions.

I'm going to get you some

lavender soap.

Wow, where have I been?

I don't know.

I know nothing about a lavender.

But you know what lavender smells like.

Sure.

So I'm going to get you a lavender bar of soap or some lavender body wash.

That would be nice.

Oh yeah, you like

that.

You could grow some out on your deck along with the other stuff you brought.

That's not a

bad idea.

That is not a bad idea.

But you've seen photos

or

pictures.

It's

purple.

It's like lavender color.

I mean,

it's like a poppy field of

lavender.

I literally have never seen that.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's amazing.

And I didn't know

Door County was like the capital.

Well, Washington Island.

Washington Island is the largest lavender farm or area in the Midwest.

It's incredible how big it is.

When

you go into the art galleries in Door County, there's always pictures of Washington Island.

Well, next time I go to an art gallery in Door County, I will look for that picture.

We're not holding our breaths on that one, John.

But there are a lot of those pictures.

Yeah, absolutely.

So we have some great homes and we're excited by what we're doing as a company.

And we're hoping this draft still turns out well for everyone.

And I think it will.

I really think it will.

We're remaining positive and we're doing the best we can.

And again, I'd say if you're coming up here and you have a great day and a great experience, stay an extra day and enjoy what's happening.

I'm

gonna jump on what you just said there which is exactly we because I still get it from people in from the hey, what's going on?

What's yeah, we're doing the best we can I'm giving you I'm not hold none of us are holding back any information No, we are and

a couple mistakes, and I don't know that we're gonna have a draft again, but even if we have a big event again one is Just giving out the information needs to be more consistent.

I think

the other thing is that

When they announced the draft, we talked about bringing in the ships for extra hotel rooms.

We

talked

about the EAA campgrounds.

There's a