It was one of those lazy days… and Essie was relishing it.
Hank stopped by the store and literally swept her off her feet. “You and I,” he said. “Are going fishing.”
With picnic basket in had, Hank presented a crooked arm and Essie comfortable grabbed hold.
“Don’t you two go gettin’ in any trouble,” hollered Deb from the back room.
“We can’t hear you,” yelled Hank as the pair stepped out the open door and walked down Barton Avenue.
Hank’s dog trailed behind. He minded well …. “Just still haven’t figured out a name,” said Hank.
“I’m going to dash into Small Town Bait & Tackle and pick up some worms. I’ll be out in a jif,” he said.
Essie stood by the stoop. She watched the dog sniff the crack at the side of the building and scratch at a wayward beetle.
Hank popped out of the store and down the steps with a container of sawdust and grubs. He lifted the lid of the picnic basket and ….
“Hank Raymond don’t you dare,” said Essie in her outside voice. It quite startled the dog … but it was the reaction Hank was looking for.
“Psych,” he said. “I figured you wanted to carry them. Why didn’t you just ask.”
That teasing. She could stand it – but at the same time, she didn’t hate it either. She actually found it charming but gosh she’d never admit it.
“I’ll carry the cane pole and you manage the rest,” she said.
Essie snatched the poles, put her hand on her straw hat, checked traffic and sprinted across Barton Avenue.
She was halfway across the railroad tracks behind the Barton Roller Mill before Hank crossed the road.
Standing at the edge of the Milwaukee River in the shade by the dam, Essie waited, her blue dress fluttering softly in the wind.
“Looks like you’re lollygagging,” she said as he slowly approached, the dog at his heels.
“We’re in no hurry. The fish will still be there,” he said. “I’ll swap ya.”
Essie turned over the fishing poles and Hank set down the basket. He put unfurled a blanket for Essie to sit on and she pulled up a log. “I’d rather perch,” she said brushing off her ‘Daniel Boone chair’ – as she called it.
Hank set to work on his line and talked about picnics from his past. “We had a woven picnic hamper and it would be filled with baked beans, deviled eggs, hamburger pie and full of ginger beer,” he said. “We’d bring this big setup along and end up eating on the hood of the car.”
He smiled at the memory, shook his head and threw his line in the water.
Essie sat and stared as the suns brilliance hit the water. It was a comfortable silence and a golden afternoon relaxing by the river above the Barton Dam.
Maverick Tattoos finds its groove in Barton
The team at Maverick Tattoos, 1727 Barton Avenue, is spreading the love of Barton.
“We all live close to here and it just feels right,” said owner Manders Baker. “There’s foot traffic but not too many people and it’s just very family friendly.”
Baker has been a tattoo artist six years. She opened her shop Oct. 23, 2015. “Since I was 10 years old I was telling my parents this is what I wanted to do,” she said.
Maverick Tattoos is well lit and extremely open. Other artists include Georgiana Abfall-Reichard and Daniel Trainor.
“Each one of us has our own style,” said Baker. “Daniel is great with portraits and has a comic-book flare.”
HBBA Brat Fry around the corner
The next HBBA brat fry will be Saturday, June 18 at West Bend Glass Block on North Main Street.
Build. Boost & Buy in Barton – – Shop these local businesses
         Wisconsin House Woodworks
         Albiero Plumbing
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Bob’s Main Street Auto & Towing
Joker’s 5 Bar & Grill, 1642 Barton Avenue
Do Your Hair Justice
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Play’n for Pennies – Resale and Consignment
The Sign Shop of West Bend, 1624 Schmidt Road All exterior signage including Banners, Yard Signs, Sandblasted, Illuminated and Monument.
Interior signage including, Engraved, Way finding, and  Room Identification Decals include: Corporate branding, Security, Serialized, Safety/Warning/ OEM decals, and Control Panels.
Vehicles graphics for Corporate, City, and County fleets, Recreational and Personal Vehicles, and also Window Decals identifying business name, and hours of operation.
West Bend Glass Block, 1527 N. Main Street
Photos courtesy Amanda Baker – Maverick Tattoos, 1727 Barton Avenue