A Summer in Madison, Wisconsin September 12, 2005
Madison
is the city where Dick and I went to graduate school, where we met and fell in
love, and where we married. My former roommates and great friends, Judy
and Margie still live here. We figured we'd enjoy spending a warm Midwest
summer here.
After our June 1 arrival, it took four days to buy another boring but easily-sold Camry, find a furnished apartment, and settle in for three months (for those interested in more about these adventures, click here.) Where ever we've summered since we've started traveling has experienced warmer and dryer than normal weather; Madison turned out to be no exception. In 2004, the temperature never exceeded 90 degrees. This year, from the time we showed up until mid-July, daytime highs were at least in the high 80's and more often well into the 90's. This was the hottest and driest summer in memory. Fortunately, our apartment had a great air-conditioning system (and utilities included in the rent.) Despite the heat, we kept busy and enjoyed the outdoors.
Golf was, as always, a major focus. Our apartment was five minutes from two excellent, though expensive, golf courses -- University Ridge and Hawk's Landing. Both are challenging and well worth playing. But mostly we, especially Dick, spent the summer using the course's well-groomed practice areas, either in the morning coolness or the evening coolness. This summer will be remembered as "the summer Dick spent chipping and putting" -- he went nearly EVERY day! Whether the effort will lead to improved putting remains to be seen, but preliminary results are encouraging.
We played most of the local public courses as well, but the
heat limited play to early mornings.
Aside from these two courses,
I'd also recommend the Bridges in east Madison,
Pleasant View in Middleton and the
House on
the Rock course in Spring Green. The golf highlight, however, was
playing at Whistling Straits near Kohler. We played the Straits
course (which hosted the 2004 PGA) and the newer, but equally challenging,
Irish course.
When not preoccupied with little white balls, we found plenty of other ways to keep busy. Madison is a city of 300,000 surrounded by suburbs and numerous small towns of 5-10,000, like Verona, where we lived. With so many people, there are plenty of happenings and events each week. These included concerts on the Capitol Square, music, beer and brats at the Union Terrace, July 4th fireworks, American Players theater, the Vilas Zoo and the Arboretum, as well as Olbrich Gardens (where Dick and I got married). We also made several trips up to Curry Lake in the Northwoods.
One special event was a trip to
Baraboo, the
former
winter home of the
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, and current home to the Circus
World museum, for the annual Circus World parade. The route traverses the tree-lined streets of this
small town. This is an absolutely wonderful parade replete with bands,
clowns, and old, horse-drawn circus wagons carrying lions and tigers and bears,
oh my! See photos.
Before the parade we stopped at the nearby International Crane Foundation (ICF). Their wonderful, two-hour (free) tour talked about cranes, especially ICF's efforts to save the American whooping crane from extinction. The story is fascinating; read here. Fortuitously, a baby whooper had been born at ICF a week before our visit, and, for the first time in 61 years, it was going to be reared it front of the public. I took some photos of baby Silverstein (seen below with Mom - he's the skinny brown one lower right) and thought he was the cutest little guy. Soon I decided to photograph him regularly, every 10 days or so. Lucky for me the huge Ho-Chunk Casino is nearby ICF, so I could easily convince Dick to come with me on the long drive up to Baraboo. Judy and Margie and my buddy Cliff also accompanied me. They took the ICF tour while I took photos.
Photographing Silverstein provided the impetus for me to get in gear and buy a digital SLR (a Canon Digital
Rebel XT) and of course several lenses. Nowadays, instead of carrying a small
all-in-one digital, I need a suitcase to carry my camera gear! Photography also got me out to the local camera club on several occasions and
led to my taking some lessons with Gene Staven, an excellent local instructor.
It was fascinating to watch Silverstein change, week by week. Whooping cranes grow about an inch a day! Sadly, after only ten weeks Silverstein unexpectedly succumbed to a respiratory infection. Nonetheless, visiting him and taking photos kept me challenged all summer long. I've posted some photos of him and his parents. Click here.
This summer among old friends reminded me again of how wonderful it is to live near those we love. A summer with MargeJudy, Al and Judy-Judy, our extended family, was a delight.
As always, September and the changing fall colors have arrived too soon. This summer, full of friends, golf and photography, is winding down. Soon we'll start our drive to California, leaving Madison well before there's any hint of winter in the air. Dick and I still remember how cold Madison can get -- all too well!