Summer in the City

Summer in Madison is filled with fun and adventure, so I ventured out on a Saturday morning. You don’t always see deer in the arboretum, but they are there.

It is more typical to see turkeys in the arboretum, sometimes walking down the middle of the road.

If you know where to look, there’s an eagle’s nest in the arboretum.

A tip from the native guide, get to the farmers market on the square early, before 7:00am, to avoid the crowds.

Lots of healthy vegetables but also a good place for breakfast. This morning it was cheese curds, a scone, and a beef stick.

There’s also fungi at the market.

Continuing on across the Yahara River…

We used to live on Atwood Avenue across from Olbrich Park. This is what the view looks like today.

There’s a festival wrapping up in Monona which drew entries from Europe, Latin America, and locally.

The festival honors Ho-Chunk artist Harry Whitehorse, whose own sculpture is in a park just around the bay.

Gene Delcourt, a local Madison artist, was finishing up his entry depicting a native American dancer.

Lots of families were out early enjoying the beautiful day.

Saw this sentinel monitoring beltline traffic on my way home.

Spring in Savannah

Time for a spring break road trip and Savannah, Georgia was calling. Roadtrip’s first stop though, at a national park along the way.

Mammoth Cave National Park sign.

Mammoth Cave National Park sign.

Not a big fan of caves but this one is, well, mammoth in size and worth a visit. I signed up for the history tour, which featured two of the 400+ miles of the cave that has been explored and told the story of how its features have been gradually discovered over the years.

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See you in Seattle

Our youngest son Sam lives in Seattle now, so connecting with him on the last day of my northwest vacation was the best part of the whole week.

My base of operations was the Sorrento Hotel, a 115-year old building just a few blocks down Madison Street from Sam's apartment.

My base of operations was the Sorrento Hotel, a 115-year old institution just a few blocks down Madison Street from Sam’s apartment.

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One Fine Spring Morning

I realized when I woke up this morning that plans to work in the garden today were not going to be realized, due to the 5½ inches of rain we’d seen in our rain gauge the last 2 days. So I decided to to take a hike…to the arboretum.

Dew Droplets on the bright green grass.

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3 Days & 3 Great Lakes

Two to two and a half centuries ago, the main source of income in this region was the fur trade. The town where I grew up, Prairie du Chien, was one of the main hubs of this trade. Even today, the annual Rendezvous along the shore of the Mississippi River celebrates the traders and trappers who gathered there for decades to seek their fortune. All of those furs eventually made their way by canoe to Mackinac Island, and from there to the east coast and Europe. Probably since high school I’ve wanted to visit Mackinac and explore that fur trading connection. This became the year.

Friday morning I awoke in my tent along the western shore of Lake Michigan's Green Bay, at Wells State Park.

Friday morning I awoke in my tent along the western shore of Lake Michigan’s Green Bay, at Wells State Park (Michigan DNR).

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Taliesin Times Three

Frank Lloyd Wright has been called the world’s most famous architect. There now exists, across southern Wisconsin, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, that connects some of his most famous and iconic creations. Not the least of which is his home, Taliesin, just across the Wisconsin River from Spring Green.

Drafting room, Hillside school

This was the third time I’ve stood in the drafting room at Hillside School. The first time was about 60 years ago when my dad and some of my brothers stopped in to talk with someone because one of my brothers was thinking of becoming an architect. Thirty years ago, when Taliesin started doing tours, my brother and I came on a Saturday morning for a tour. At that time we walked through the school, but not the house.

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Adding a Few More Parks

Yosemite was just one of the parks on my itinerary for this trip. Right next door are Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks, which feature great scenery and giant redwoods.

Two of the largest trees in the world are in these parks, by volume and by height. General Grant (left) is in Kings Canyon and General Sherman (right) is in Sequoia.

Two of the largest trees in the world are in these parks, by volume and by height. General Grant (left) is in Kings Canyon and General Sherman (right) is in Sequoia.

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