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.

Fish Boil – A Door County Tradition

I have a suspicion that if you mention “fish boil” anywhere in the United States, except Wisconsin, you will see some odd expressions, but the traditional Door County Fish Boil is wildly popular in this northern Wisconsin vacation destination. The main ingredient – thick steaks of delicate, freshly caught whitefish from the surrounding waters of Lake Michigan – make dinner an occasion for many a visitor. This is especially true when the fish is prepared in a huge black kettle amidst a fiery blaze. When a member of the Boil Over Crew sounds the dinner bell, it is the signal for the “boil over” and that is the signal that it will soon be time to eat.

For the uninitiated, a fish boil begins with a kettle of hot salted water perched atop a wood fire. The boil master drops one steel basket of potatoes and onions into the boiling water, and a second basket of fresh whitefish goes into the steaming cauldron a few minutes later. When everything is nearly ready, kerosene is added to the fire and a huge flame erupts, causing the water to boil over the top. Hence, a “boil over.” The hot flames cause the water to boil over the sides of the kettle, removing fish oil that has collected on the surface during the cooking process.

As you can see in the photo, the crew then lifts the baskets from the heat, lets the water drain, and the ingredients are presented to the hungry crowd with a generous drizzle of butter and hearty slices of bread. And to make the event an even grander foodie experience, the meal is finished off with a slice of Door County cherry pie.

Yum!

— Bo Mackison is a Madison area photographer and writer who camps in Door County as often as she can. Visit her photo gallery at Seeded Earth Photography to see more Door County photographs. Photograph “Fish Boil-Over” © 2008 by Bo Mackison. All rights reserved