Wisconsin Roadtrip - June

Well, I've been back from a Wisconsin roadtrip over a week and finally edited the photos and put together the trip video. You can see the video by clicking here. A lot was packed into the 10 days.

First of all this was a trip with my dear friend Jill. She flew to Minneapolis where we started our driving adventure.

First stop - Madison, Wisconsin. Jill is from Madison. We visited the house she was raised in. The current owners had just sold the house and by chance, the lady of the house was there when we stopped. She graciously let us walk through the house so Jill could see it. Turns out she and her husband had bought the house from Jill's parents!

We went to the University of Wisconsin - Madison campus and met an old friend of Jill's and hung at the student Union. We spent the night in Madison. In the morning I took a run along Lake Mendota and through the campus. After that we went to the huge farmer's market that surrounds the Wisconsin capitol building. We went in the building briefly. It was a very hot day.

From Madison, we drove to Milwaukee. There we met friends that Jill knew from 35 years ago, Shannon and Will! Destination was the James Taylor concert at Summer Fest. Sheryl Crow opened for James in the ginormous American Insurance venue...23,000 James Taylor fans.

Spent the night in Milwaukee. Left for Door County, Wisconsin in the morning and stopped at another childhood friend of Jill's who has a house on the lake (Lake Michigan). Made it to Sister Bay in Door County for a week's stay at the Liberty Lodge.

The video covers the Door County portion of the adventure pretty well. But in brief and in no particular order we ... 1) took the ferry to Washington Island where we saw lavender fields, a really weird building that someone told us was a Scandinavian church?, and visited a rock beach. 2) sat out at Newton State Park (a dark sky location) to see the stars, however, the moon was so bright the stars weren't all that visible. 3) went to Cave Point County Park to see the waves (not too wavy) but saw what turned out to be a duck with all its baby ducks tucked under her wings...you had to see it. It was cool. 4) strolled in Ellison Bluff County Park where Jill and I had been a winter ago. 5) ate and drank a lot 6) went to the world premiere of a play at Peninsula Players Theater 7) listened to steel pan music at Birch Creek Conservatory 7) ate and drank a lot 8) it was crazy smoky (Canadian fires) most of the time but had a few days of clear air 9) hung out at a beach on the Lake Michigan side (beautiful) 9) drove across Door County (it is the peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan) every which way you possibly could. 10) saw some beautiful sunsets. 11) and have a mentioned that we ate and drank a lot?!

After we dropped Shannon and Will off at the Green Bay airport, Jill and I drove straight back to Minneapolis. I've basically been sleeping ever since.

The weird building. It has serpents and scary things.

It also has these strange goad gargoyles.

Annual Spring Green, Wisconsin American Players Theatre trip

It has taken me nearly a week to recover from this Year's Spring Green trip. I am getting old.

I drove from Door County to Tomah, Wisconsin to meet friends on their way to Spring Green. Tomah is the traditional stop for lunch and groceries.

The Spring Valley Inn has had a bit of a refresh with cleaned up landscaping and best of all, new mattresses.

Spring Valley Inn

enjoying the new mattresses

Saturday morning we drove to Madison to attend a Wisconsin public radio program called "What Do Ya Kmow". It is an interview and kind of game show. Dave got to be on air as he asked the host, Michael Feldman, where to get quarters for the parking garage. Michael gave Dave quarters. It was lots of fun.

We toured the farmers' market surrounding the capitol building and had lunch at a brew pub.

the gang with capitol building

David giving the quarters back to Michael Feldman.

We saw "The Importance of Being Ernst" this year. It was a beautiful, evening and a fun show. The start of the third act had to compete with a pair of whip-poor-wills sing into the woods.

picnic at APT

While I was away, I asked friends Martha and Kay to stop by my house to pick raspberries and currants and to weather the potted plants. Martha captured this photograph of Frankie.