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.

Madison’s Hilton Monona Terrace Offers Green Travel Package

The Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, just off the Capitol Square, offers a Travel Green package as part of its commitment to reduce their impact on the environment.

The package will be available January 1 through January 31, 2009, and may be extended. Features include a King size room for two guests, a bottle of True Earth White or Red Organic Wine, and breakfast in the Olive Restaurant. The offer also includes the book “It’s Easy Being Green,” by Chrissy Trask, a handbook for earth-friendly living and a canvas shopping bag.

For further information, contact the Hilton at 608-255-5100.

Travel Green Wisconsin GreenGuide Score: 56

Checklist Highlights/Innovative Practices:
— Organic and local food products purchased
— ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and computers
— programmable set-back thermostat and light/movement sensors for lighting

Website – www.hiltonmadison.com

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.

Olbrich Gardens Offers a “Greener” Experience

Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Madison’s East side provides a welcome diversion from snow and ice during Wisconsin’s winter months. Olbrich is well known for their outside gardens, but in winter, visitors can enjoy the indoor Bolz Conservatory, with 10,000 square feet of display space.

The conservatory is a glass pyramid, rising to a 50 foot center, and provides a tropical paradise filled with green foliage, bright orchids and flowering plants, waterfalls and koi ponds, even free flying birds. Pathways wind throughout the space, up and over bridges, along flowing streams, and on tiered paths that allow for a view of the entire conservatory. When it’s snowing outside, it makes a spectacular indoor walk. The temperature is always kept between 65˚ and 80˚F so be sure and dress accordingly.

Bolz Conservatory has an exhibit running currently through January 5, 2009 called Yesterday’s Plants, Today’s Energy. The exhibit presents information on the formation of coal from prehistoric ferns and mosses–plants that grew 290 million years ago to provide energy for us today. The exhibit shows the many steps it takes to turn plant material into coal over millions of years. It also makes the point that these fossil fuels will not be available for tomorrow’s energy needs, and discusses the need for alternative energy sources.

It is just one of the many educational programs Olbrich Gardens offers to inform the public about environmental issues.

The Conservatory is open from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday through Saturday, and from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Admission is free to Olbrich Botanical Members and children 5 and under. Free admission is also available to the general public on Wednesdays and Saturday morning from 10 am til noon. Otherwise, admission is $1. For further information, call the gardens at 608-246-4550.

Travel Green Wisconsin Green Guide Score – 83

Green Highlights and innovative practices

— Promotes sustainable Midwest gardening practices through example and education programs

— Staff Green Team tracks projects that have a positive impact on the environment

–Leaves are recycled into mulch for the gardens and public use, showcased in an educational campaign that promotes the energy-saving benefits of this practice

–Award-winning renovated Garver Cottage maintains historic architecture while applying principles of sustainable design

Website — http://www.olbrich.org/

Photo and article by Bo Mackison, who spends many wintry days snug in the tropical gardens in the Conservatory. To see more Wisconsin photos, including the Winter Gallery, visit Seeded Earth Photography. Photo “Red Coil Plant, Bolz Conservatory” © 2008 all rights reserved.

Lakefront Brewery Brews Green Beer All Year ‘Round

The City of Milwaukee has a heritage of brewing and beer. While many of the old names have faded, the Lakefront Brewery has grown and is adding to Milwaukee’s proud tradition. And to add a little extra color to their beer, Lakefront Brewery is a participating business in the Travel Green Wisconsin program. Ah, definitely a greener kind of beer!

There are several things to know about the Lakefront Brewery. First, it’s not on the lakefront. It’s actually on the Milwaukee River just north of downtown. Second, the beers I’ve sampled have all been highly enjoyable and wonderfully unique – they even brew a gluten-free beer! – and I’d buy them all again (and have). Third, Lakefront Brewery has “The Tour.”

I’ve stopped at many a brewery tour – from Milwaukee’s Miller to Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Tyranena Brewery in Lake Mills Wisconsin, Cooperstown Brewery in New York, and many in between – but this brewery’s tour is a hoot and well worth the trip. Even if you don’t like beer, you’ll still enjoy the show, but it helps if you at least appreciate the stuff.

Our tour guide was a mild mannered 4th grade teacher by day and a comedic, brash cheerleader and part time Laverne & Shirley imitator on the weekends. This tour starts the right way – with a visit to the tasting room. You bring your cup along and refill midway so as not to be high and dry at the end of the tour.

You find out all the basic things about beer on this tour, including definitions of words like wort and fermentation. However, the high tech graphics (laminated hand made signs), fermentation tanks painted with images of The Three Stooges, the tour guide’s rendition of Laverne & Shirley choreography, and most importantly, the refillable beer cup, make this tour “The Tour.” You see the real brewing operation in all its gory (or glory), and it’s one grand adventure. They also have the original beer mug from old County Stadium – take your photo holding the handle. Finally the gift shop, a 9’x12′ cubby, has some great shirts and other beer paraphernalia.

Travel Green Wisconsin Green Guide Score – 53

Green highlights and innovative practices
— Uses organic malt and hops
— Renewable energy is purchased through WE Energies
— Used grains and hops are sent to a worm farmer and turned into compost
— Water that is run through a heat exchanger to cool boiled beer is reused for the next batch of beer
— Products are purchased in bulk and reusable goods are used instead of disposable ones

Website — http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/

Photo and article by Bo Mackison, a Madison area writer and photographer, who often accompanies her husband on travels throughout Wisconsin, and makes frequent stops to tour microbreweries at his suggestion. To see more Wisconsin photography, visit the Seeded Earth Photography gallery. Photo “Larry’s Mug on the Tank” ©2008 all rights reserved.

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.

Wired! Black Crowned Crane

The International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI maintains a collection of captive cranes, including several black crowned cranes, which helps their work in crane preservation: captive breeding and reintroduction into the wild. Their work also demonstrates endangered species management for the public, and facilitates breeding and education information elsewhere in the United States and abroad. It is the only place in the world where you can see all 15 crane species.

Black Crowned Crane

When I visited the Crane Foundation earlier this month, this crane was especially interested in my camera, and made several attempts to get a little too close. Maybe I didn’t ask for the appropriate model release!

The Black Crowned Crane is indigenous to the Sahel region of Africa. The ICF in coordination with Wetlands International has coordinated a conservation plan for these birds. There are approximately 40,000 Black Crowned Cranes in existence, and their numbers are declining.

The most serious threats to this crane species are illegal capture for the pet industry. An ancient tradition in West Africa to keep domesticated cranes in the household compounds persists to this day. But an additional threat is an intensified international trade in the birds in the last 30 years. Also degradation of the species’ habitat – the wetlands and grasslands of West Africa due to drought, destruction of tree cover and overgrazing – is a factor in their declining numbers.

A regional African program has been set up to provide alternative income opportunities for crane traders and for distribution of community-based information and conservation methods in Nigeria and the Sudan.

The Crane Foundation is currently in a re-building program, and many of the exhibits are closed. The new exhibits will open next spring.