Roof of Grass

Over the past couple of days I have heard multiple people mention Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. No one mentions the food, but they all mention the goats. That's right, your eyes are not deceiving you. When talking about this specific restaurant, all discuss the goats. After inviting several former colleagues to follow me through this blog, one friend gave me a list of things to see while in Door County. Guess the first recommendation on her list? You got it, the goats.

Now, the idea of goats walking on a flat sodded roof did not seem that far-fetched to me. My mom and I cried through multiple episodes of "Little House on the Prairie" when I was in elementary school and I remember a time that the Ingalls lived in a sod hut. Goats on a roof seemed feasible. In preparing for today, I did a little internet research and discovered that the goats in reference would have to be hybrids of mammal and fowl in order to find their way to the promised land of roofs. In addition, they would need to have hydraulic legs in order to maintain any sense of being level. The roof tops peak like a typical house, thus the creatures have to negotiate exactly where to put their four appendages in order to have the necessary balance for the grazing mode. Of course, they are a relative of the mountain goat, so I should not be surprised. Also, a starway to "heaven" exists, thus enabling the roof mowers to easily ascend to their destination. Each evening, the attractions return to Earth, board a truck and return to their barn only to start the show all over again the following day. The website documents only a couple of falls over the past 50 years and no injuries. That's a pretty impressive record.

In the morning rain storm, I directed my car to this Al Johnson's. I had to see for myself and the Swedish pancakes and meatballs were rather enticing.

A dumping of large spheres of water kept me from carefully perusing the roof, but I got a sinking feeling that I was not to benefit from a skyward bi-hooved appearance. Meeking, I mentioned the lack of the horned critters presence to my waitress. She asked me if I would really want to be out in the rain for a few hours because the goats did not value inclement weather. She also shared that the roof had been recently resodded and needed time to get established prior to facing the relentless teeth of the herd. :( Maybe I'll get a first hand view at the end of the month.

Just to feed your curiosity, the Swedish pancakes and meatballs were superb. Check out their website. The Scandinavian beauty was my server. The arm under the plate and tray is covered with a Viking flourished tattoo.

www.aljohnsons.com