Wisconsin Alphabet

A is for Apples – Ripened and Round

B is for Barn – No Walls to be Found

C is for Chicken – A Scrap Metal Creature

D is for Dome – a Capitol Feature

E is for Elephant, at Milwaukee’s Zoo

F is for Freezing, and Ice Fishing, Too

G is for Goats; the Roof is their Dinner

H is for Harley, Our Blue Ribbon Winner.

I is for Ice Cream, a Treat at the Fair

J is for Junk, Piled High Everywhere

K is for Kale, Cabbage’s Kin

L is for Lady, the Snow Makes Her Grin

M is for Mailbox, Smashed by a Plow

N is for Nest, Tucked in a Bough

O is for Orchids, Botanical Treasures

P is for Pots, All Sizes and Measures

Q’s for Queen Anne’s Lace, White Flowers She Wears

R is for Rivalry, the Packers and Bears

S is for Sailing, Sunset is Nigh

T is for Trees, and a Train Rushing By

U’s for Umbrella, May Apples’ Rendition

V is for Vane, a Cow with a Vision

W’s for Wiener-mobile, An Icon that’s True

X is for eXercise, on a Bike with a View

Y is for Yellow, as Bright as the Sun

Z is for ZZZZs; My Work Here is Done.

It’s a Wrap on the Alphabet, the End of the Year.
Here’s to a Holiday Season, Filled with Good Cheer.

Bo Mackison is a writer and photographer from the Madison area who wasn’t busy enough during the Holiday Season, so she wrote an epic alphabet rhyme using 26 of the 9,000 photos she shot during 2008. To see more of her photos, visit her gallery at Seeded Earth Photography.

Take a Hike on the Shortest Day of the Year

This year the Winter Solstice is on Sunday, December 21st. This day has the distinction of being the shortest day of the year and also the longest night of the year. In Wisconsin, once we pass the 21st, we have the pleasure of seeing each day get a bit longer as each night grows a bit shorter.

I have always loved Dr. Seuss’s take on the passing of time:

“How did it get so late so soon?
Its night before its afternoon.
December is here before its June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?”
Dr. Seuss

The University of Madison – Arboretum is offering a special hike on the late afternoon/evening on Sunday. You can join the staff for a walk, presumably to watch the sun set. The hike is from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. However the weather forecast is predicting a fairly heavy cloud cover and light snows on Sunday, with highs about 17˚F, so you may not see much of a sunset. But if you bundle up – don’t forget your long underwear, mittens, and a snug hat – you’ll still have a great time. Dusk is a great time to see animals and birds, so be sure to keep your eyes and ears open.

The Arboretum is located just north of the Beltline (Highway 12) off the Seminole Road exit. There is a second entrance to the Arboretum, near St. Mary’s Medical Center, located at the intersections of North Wingra Drive and South Mills Street. A map from Google maps shows both entrances.

For further information, contact the Arboretum’s staff at (608) 263-7888 or check the Arboretum’s website.

On Sunday, Bo Mackison will be celebrating the return to lengthening days – every daylight minute counts. She plans to be at the Arboretum to take some wintry photographs. You can also see more of her winter photography in the Winter Gallery at Seeded Earth Photography website.

Photograph “Winter Freeze” © 2008 Bo Mackison, all rights reserved.

A “Green” Holiday Tour at the Governor’s Residence

“I’m very happy to share the beauty of the Governor’s Residence [with the public] at this special time of year,” First Lady Jessica Doyle said as she greeted my daughter and me on our arrival at Wisconsin’s Executive Residence for the Holiday Public Tours. We toured the entrance hall, the formal dining room, reception room, living room, library, and sunroom, all decorated in traditional holiday style with poinsettias, wreaths and greenery.

However, the tour was not only special because the mansion was beautifully decorated for the season. While the six Fraser firs do add much greenery to the main rooms, they are not the only things that are “green” these days in the Governor’s home. The Executive Residence is now certified as a Travel Green Wisconsin site, and Vicki Heymann, Residence Director, gave details of the many changes the mansion has made to save energy, including new practices in holiday decorating.

One of the easiest ways to save energy – changing light bulbs to compact fluorescents and replacing tree lights with LEDs – have made a dramatic difference in the mansion’s electricity bills. Heymann reports that there has been over a thousand dollars savings in the last year.

The trees, six stately firs, are each decorated in a theme with a connection to Wisconsin.

“Buon Natale” highlights Wisconsin’s Italian heritage and is located in the dining room. It features ornaments of fruit, angels and candles and was created by the Italian Community Center of Milwaukee.

The “Tribute to our Troops” tree in the reception room honors Wisconsin men and women who have served or are serving overseas in the military. Families and friends have contributed over 150 ornaments to the tree, many featuring photographs of their loved ones.

Two trees decorate the living room. The “Bright Star” tree is decorated with ornaments made by 4th graders throughout the state. The ornaments depict many of Wisconsin’s more famous citizens including magician Harry Houdini, Olympic skater Eric Heiden, and Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar.

The “Made in Wisconsin” tree features original ornaments made by Wisconsin companies created to showcase their products and services.

In the Library, the “Deck the Hall” tree celebrates higher education in Wisconsin. Students in many of these schools contributed ornaments to honor some of their proudest accomplishments.

Finally, the “Giving Tree” occupies the sunroom. This tree has ornaments created by many of the charitable organizations that give to their communities and fellow citizens year round.

The Governor’s Residence is a truly lovely place to visit. The home was originally built in the 1920s and acquired by the state in 1949. The home, which has been home to 13 governors, is elegant, but in a simple and warm way. There are many items displayed in the rooms that give the home a Wisconsin flavor: the library holds books written by Wisconsin authors; an intricate musical instrument, a reed mouth organ called the Qeef, given to Governor Doyle on behalf of the Hmong community in Milwaukee rests on a library mantel; green and rust-colored stained glass art, crafted and donated by Eau Claire resident Steve Immerman, provides a visual connection from the exterior gardens to the interior living space.

This is definitely a place to put on your “to see” list, and the Holiday Tour provides a perfect opportunity with the bonus of visiting the mansion while it is dressed for the holidays.

The tour is free, but all visitors are encouraged to bring new or gently used children’s books that will be donated to state literacy programs.

The remaining schedule for the Holiday Tour is:

Tuesday, December 9, noon – 2 pm
Thursday, December 11, 10 am – noon
Saturday, December 13, noon – 2pm
Tuesday, December 16, noon – 2 pm
Thursday, December 18, noon – 2 pm
Saturday, December 20, noon – 2 pm

Tours are also offered on Thursdays from April through August.

The mansion is located on the northeastern shores of Lake Mendota in Maple Bluff. The address is 99 Cambridge Avenue. Enter through the main entrance. For further information or directions to the Governor’s Residence call 608-246-5501.

Travel Green Wisconsin Green Guide Score – 83

Checklist Highlights / Innovative Best Practices

–100% of light bulbs have been replaced with compact fluorescents and LED Christmas lights are used
— A recycling program is in place
— Local Wisconsin products and biodegradable products are purchased whenever possible
— Yard waste is composted; garden flowers are used for decorations in the mansion when possible; herbs and produce grown in vegetable gardens
–Staff and visitors are educated on how the Executive Residence is improving its environmental impact

Website: http://jessicadoyle.wi.gov/section.asp?linkid=440&locid=71

Photos and article by Bo Mackison who frequently travels throughout the state of Wisconsin, and loves to discover “green” places. See more Wisconsin photographs at Seeded Earth Photography. All photos © 2008 all rights reserved.

Singing…in the Cave

I did something tonight I’ve never done before. I attended a concert underground in a barely lit cave. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a cave concert, go. It was captivating. Cave of the Mounds, located just west of Mount Horeb, offers holiday concerts this weekend only. The Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville did the singing honors on Friday night, and they were wonderful. An all male a capella choir, their voices harmonized beautifully. Cave acoustics are phenomenal.

I spoke with several of the singers after the concert and they all agreed singing in a cave is a great experience. “The acoustics are perfect; we can hear each other with perfect clarity. The only thing we have to remember is not to project. We have to sing much softer,” said one member, a junior majoring in music education. There are 28 men in the fraternity, and 16 sang at the cave concert. About half of the men are studying music, the others are majoring, as one singer said, “in more practical majors.” The young man I spoke with continued. “I’m majoring in construction management. But I’ll be a big financial supporter of the arts.”

The concerts continue on Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7. The cave, a National Natural Landmark, is also open daily for tours. Winter weekend tours leave on the hour from 10 am until 4 pm. One tour is given on weekdays at 2 pm. Call (608) 437-3038 to confirm times. (Spring hours go into effect March 15.) The tours last about an hour. It’s a pleasant place for a family adventure, especially as the weather turns frigid in Wisconsin. The temperature of the cave is always a rather balmy 50˚F.

Last 2008 Farmers Market on the Square, But it’s Not Really Over

We went to the Dane County Farmers’ Market early this morning. Rewarded for our efforts, we came home with the quintessential cheese curds made that very morning, a colorful mix of purple, yellow, blue, and white potatoes, ground emu meat, and parsley pine-nut pesto. A good haul, but it wasn’t a pleasant stroll around the Capitol Square as usual. After all, we’re in the second week of November – it was cold and snow flurries were spewing from the gray clouds. It only makes sense that this is the last market on the Square for 2008. But wait!

Unlike in the earliest years of the market, this doesn’t mean the end of Saturday morning forays to visit the farmers and survey their goodies. The market moves inside next week, none too soon for my way of thinking. After all, while I love the market, I’m not fond of getting frozen fingers checking out the produce.

The indoors market opens next Saturday, November 15, and continues weekly through December 20th. The hours are shorter than in the summer – from 7:30 am to noon. It is held at the Monona Terrace, just a few blocks east of the summer location.

There is plenty of variety available, even in the colder months. Fruits such as apples and pears are available, plus apple cider, and apple and pear butters. Stored vegetables will include carrots, garlic, potatoes, and turnips. There are a few fresh vegetables – chard, greens, kale, lettuce, radishes, spinach and tomatoes. Meat varieties are almost endless. There are your standards found in any meat section, plus bison, emu and ostrich.

Plenty of offerings to keep my Saturday mornings booked for the foreseeable future.

Potato, Potato, Potato

Looking for great food, a fun place to explore, and a menu featuring the best of the Midwest, plus other food favorites from the open road. Look no further than Motor, the restaurant at the Harley Davidson Museum located just south of downtown Milwaukee. We made plans to visit the museum in August, but by the time we drove to Milwaukee from Madison, we were hungry. After checking out the menu at the Motor, we just had to check out a few of their specials before walking through the museum. And we were really glad we did.

The menu was full of unusual offerings, but we couldn’t make it past the “starter” menu. I was fascinated by the Reuben “Potato, Potato, Potato” Pancakes. The menu describes them as “a deli in a single bite, with slow-simmered corned beef piled on gas cap-sized potato pancakes, plus Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, chives and Russian dressing.” They were totally yummy. The meat was piled thick and lean, the dressing tangy, and the potato pancakes done to a crispy perfection.

When I spoke to the manager, he explained the unusual offering. The menu was created by members of Harley, and they wanted to include potato pancakes on their menu. What better than to combine the pancakes with Reuben ingredients. The name comes from the sound a Harley seems to make as it rumbles. You know – “potato, potato, potato.” Just like an engine pu-pu-pu-purring.

To complete our lunch, we had the Italian Sausage Flatbread. I think it is one of the finest flatbreads I have ever eaten. The crust was thin, properly crusty, and topped high with fire-roasted peppers, extra-virgin olive oil, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and topped with fresh basil. The Italian sausage was spicy enough to satisfy my husband’s adventurous taste buds, yet didn’t start any unwanted fires on mine.

We explored the museum after our meal. What a great way to walk off a few calories. Filled with Harleys and Harley memorabilia of all kinds, it is a fun visit whether you are a Harley rider, aficionado, or just a casual fan.

Motor is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 AM to 9 PM (10 PM for the bar) and Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 11 PM (bar til 1 AM). There is also a cafe on the site open from 7 AM to 7 PM Sunday through Thursday and 8 AM to 7 PM on Friday and Saturday. The museum’s hours are 9 AM through 6 PM everyday, with extended hours to 8 PM on Wednesdays, through the end of October. See the website for winter hours after November 1, directions, and further information.

–Bo Mackison is a Madison area photographer and writer. She travels throughout the state of Wisconsin, taking photographs, enjoying good food, and visiting fun places. See her photographs of Wisconsin at Seeded Earth Photography.

Crane Fest and Cranberries

Cranes and cranberries. Two great reasons for me to take a day trip to Necedah to attend the Crane Fest this weekend. On Saturday, the whooping cranes were flying early in the morning, practicing behind their “foster mom” ultralight airplane, and showing off for the crowd that gathered to watch their wing formations. Then in the afternoon, it was the cranberries turn to attract attention.

Cranberries are nearly ready for harvesting in central Wisconsin. We toured the Cranberry Creek Cranberry Farm just north of Necedah, and got a close up view of acres and acres of commercial cranberry marshes. The cranberries are planted in 4 acre beds which are laser leveled so there are absolutely no low spots that might collect water. The plants flower in late June-early July. (The flower resembles the head of the Sandhill crane from which the name cranberry is derived.) The plants bloom for 3 to 4 weeks and are pollinated by commercial honeybees. Soon after, the berries begin to develop and the cranberries ripen in 75 to 100 days.

The harvest is planned for the first week in October. The beds will be flooded to raise the cranberries for picking and then a circular beater will move through the plants to remove the berries from the vines. The cranberries are then pumped out of the bed, cleaned, and packed into semi-trucks and taken to a nearby processing plant. It’s really an elaborate process, but the berries look great right now.

I’ve been spiking my drinking water with cranberry juice instead of lemons for the last year. Seems like the least I can do to support the cranberry growers. After all, they are number one in the country.

A Frank Lloyd Wright Treasure for Rent

The Seth Peterson Cottage sits on a bluff overlooking Mirror Lake near Lake Delton, Wisconsin. It was one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last commissions, and was completed in 1959, the year of Wright’s death. Very little was published about this building when it was originally constructed. However, when the building was rehabbed in the late 1980s, the work was acclaimed as one of Wright’s most architecturally significant designs.

The cottage features a combined living room/dining room with a central fireplace, a tiny kitchen, a small bedroom and bath. The main room feels amazingly large since it features a sloped roof. The room’s height measures only 6 feet 8 inches at the wall behind the sofa, but rises to 12 feet on the opposite wall of windows.

This cottage, tucked in a quiet spot in Mirror Lake State Park is open to the public for tours on the second Sunday of each month, and can also be rented for overnight use . Although the cottage is booked months in advance, it is a popular destination for Frank Lloyd Wright admirers who want to actually “reside” for a day or two in a Frank Lloyd Wright home.

— Bo Mackison is a writer and photographer from the Madison area, and a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. She recently discovered the Seth Peterson Cottage and plans on spending a winter’s night there in early 2009. Visit her galleries at Seeded Earth Photography to see more Wisconsin photos.

Heirloom Gardening at Old World Wisconsin

I love gardens. All kinds of gardens. Flower gardens, community gardens, butterfly gardens. And a recent visit to Old World Wisconsin near Eagle, Wisconsin sparked an interest in yet another type of garden – the heirloom garden.

Old World Wisconsin , one of the ten Wisconsin Historical Society’s sites throughout the state, sprawls on nearly 600 acres of rolling countryside in the Kettle Moraine area, about 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee and 55 miles east of Madison. It features a slice of life out-of-doors museum re-creation with working farms and settlements established by immigrants to Wisconsin in the mid- to late-1800s.

It was a perfect summer’s day when I went exploring last week-end. Old World is a great place to go when you want to both get in a little outdoor exercise and visit a museum. Though there is tram service to the various areas, I chose to walk the paths and managed to add nearly 4 miles to my pocket pedometer. And I discovered my favorite parts were outside, too – the thirteen heirloom gardens that sported colorful flowers and vegetables, and looked like paintings right out of the 19th Century. All of the gardens in the museum are typical of those found in the historical period from the 1850s through the 1890s.

Heirloom gardens use only plants that are cultivars that were commonly grown before large scale agricultural practices were introduced. Most vegetable plants have kept their traits through open-pollination and fruits are propagated by grafts and cuttings. Often these varieties have become less prevalent because plants are now chosen for their consistency, their hardiness to tolerate shipping and storage, and their tolerance to drought or pests. Though necessary qualities, these plants may not be the best nutritionally or taste the finest.

In the last decade, the heirloom gardening movement has been increasing. The gardens at Old World Wisconsin provide some mighty incentive. The vegetables and fruits I sampled tasted great and the gardening techniques were quaintly fascinating.

— Bo Mackison is a Madison area photographer and writer who has always loved history and gardening, and now loves historical heirloom gardens, too. Visit her galleries at Seeded Earth Photography to see more Wisconsin photos.

The Blocking – A Photographic Response

I received a creative response from a WisconsinNative reader and photographer to a question in my last post regarding art in Milwaukee. Marty Knippel sent me a photograph to make his point regarding the steel orange sculpture, The Calling, and its potential conflict with the extra-ordinary view of Calatrava’s architectural sculpture known to most Milwaukeeans as the Milwaukee Art Museum.

In his photograph titled The Blocking, Marty gives his succinct opinion. Behind his close-up photograph of the sculpture, The Calling, are the barely visible wings of the Art Museum.

What do you think?