sculpture

Fermentation Fest Converges Once Again

Touring Sauk County for Fermentation Fest 2015

It’s been a full month, but I’m still sighing with warm reminiscings of our Octoberfest Brewery Tour. The culmination of this glorious trip was Fermentation Fest in Reedsburg, Wis. We couldn’t have had a more flavorful or beautiful encore to our week than this.

In case you’ve missed my incessant promotions—deservedly so—Fermentation Fest is an annual, 10-day blending of agriculture, arts, food and appreciation of the land. Initially one considers this a rather eclectic mix, but once you experience everything the festival has to offer it all melds together in the most appreciative of ways. I find it especially exciting because in designing the event guide, I have the honor of being part of the event’s promotional team.

Fermentation Fest, Reedsburg, WI

Disregarding the well-worn travelers, check out this stunning entryway to the Fermentation Fest Headquarters. The building is a historic railway station and it otherwise serves as the Reedsburg Chamber of Commerce.

Details of Fermentation Fest entryway, Reedsburg, WI

Yes, these are the details of the entryway. It’s a collage of wine corks, seeds and beans all converging to represent the delightful elements of Fermentation Fest. Imagine the work put into this!

Lucky 13: Elephant in the Room, by Erika Nelson

This year our schedule didn’t allow us to participate in any of the food fermenting classes but we instead did the 50-mile Farm/Art DTour. The weather was glorious, the scenery stunning and the art installments were divine. Lucky 13: Elephant in the Room, by Erika Nelson, celebrates the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s announcement to discontinue using elephants in circus performances.

Fermentation Fest's appreciation of the land

Monday is Wash Day, by Brenda Baker

There’s something truly heartfelt about art displayed in the middle of such beautiful land. With her Monday is Wash Day, artist Brenda Baker pays kudos to the “historical and undervalued part of rural life.” I live in the country. I hang clothes to dry. So of course, I loved the story-telling thoughtfulness of this piece.

Meandering roads in Sauk County, WIsconsin

Farm structures in Sauk County, Wisconsin

Sauk County, WI

With meandering backroads, rolling hillsides and idyllic farm scenes,  Sauk County is a magical place. When we came upon Amish children riding home from their one-room school, my heart simply melted.

Red Piano, Fermentation Fest, Reedsburg, WI

Stevens Signs, Rock Springs, WI

Flood, by Molly Rideout, Rock Springs, WI

Flood, by Molly Rideout, Rock Springs, WI

Art comes in many forms: Music, architecture and storytelling. This story, Flood, by Molly Rideout, really hits home, given our fragile state of human relations. Must history always repeat itself? Can we ever learn to love one another?

antique farm machinery, Sauk County, WIsconsin

You can’t celebrate agriculture without appreciating its heritage. Farmhenge, created by Harlan Ferstl and the McCluskey Brothers was an arrangement of new and old farm machinery pieces. The artistry of old iron is beautiful, isn’t it?

So there you have it—my favorites of the Farm/Art DTour. You can see more beautiful shots posted by some of the 20,000 festival-goers who made this year’s Fermentation Fest the biggest and best yet. Check them out here!

Our previous Octoberfest stop: Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company

Happenstances of Travel: Church, Concrete, Color and Green Bay Packers

Wisconsin Concrete Park, Phillip, WI

Yes, this is a brewery tour and yes, sampling beer is fun, but even more memorable are the people and things we see along the way. Like attending our friends’ St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in the middle of Wisconsin’s nowhere. Or happening upon this Wisconsin Concrete Park further north.

Are these happy blessings, or what?

Wisconsin Concrete Park, Phillip, WI

“Nobody knows why I made them, not even me. This work just came to me naturally. I started one day in 1948 and have been doing a few a year ever since.”

That’s what Fred Smith said when he sculpted more 230 figures on his homesteaded property back in the mid-1900s. Located just outside Phillips, the 3.5-acre site is now a public art park restored by the Wisconsin Arts Board and gifted by the Kohler Foundation to Price County. I’ve got to say walking around with these larger-than-life beings staring at you felt kind of weird, but they were fascinating nonetheless. Imagine the work and creativity Smith put into his art!

Cut wood in northern Wisconsin

One of the most noticeable observations as we traveled north was the change in occupational landscape. Fewer farms, more trees and lots of sawmills. Obviously lumbering is a way of life much more than it is in southern Wisconsin.

Ashland County, Wisconsin

Of these trees, softwood pines, birches and poplars were predominant species. Knowing this, and because colors are turning later this year, we didn’t have high expectations for autumn pizazz.

Ah, but we were pleasantly surprised!

watching Packers play in The Creamery tavern in Bayfield, WI

Of course, we needed to make it to our destination in time for a 3:30 kickoff. We pulled into Bayfield just as the Applefest parade was coming to an end. The town was a zoo! So was the Creamery tavern, one of the few venues in town carrying the Packer game. (Bayfield is obviously too close to Minnesota and its cable stations carried the wrong jersey colors—um, someone was a little frustrated!)

South Shore Brewery and Alley, Ashland, WI

South Shore Brewery and Alley, Ashland, WI

Keeping in mind our brewery agenda, we finished the game at the South Shore Brewery and Alley in nearby Ashland. Here we found enough breathing room to appreciate a Packer win, cozy ambiance and a great old building.

South Shore Brewery, Ashland, WI

The casual menu was tasty and South Shore beers were interesting. I had the Nut Brown Ale and my husband had an Altbier—both were good, but I thought they had more bitterness than I prefer. I guess I’m just a sm-o-o-o-th kinda gal!

After all this, we were more than happy to settle in. And settle in we did. Wait till you see where we stayed!

Our previous stop: Central Waters Brewing Company, Amherst. Our next stop: Bayfield.

Hot Time in Milwaukee (translate: fun)

Stratiformis in Catalano Square, Milwaukee, WI

So it seems my goddaughter and I are starting a trend. Now that she lives closer, we’ve been getting together to celebrate her birthday. We’ve done it two years in a row and each time the weather has been blazingly hot (in fact last year, our day out was the start of a record heat wave that went on forever).

Hot temps aside, once again we had a great time. I’m tickled a lovely 12-year-old is willing to spend the day with her ol’ Aunt Di!

Stratiformis, Catalano Square, Milwaukee

Our first stop was Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. This neighborhood was once the city’s manufacturing mecca. Now, after years of desertion and decay, the fascinating old warehouses have been re-purposed into an eclectic art district. We browsed a couple shops and then checked out the Stratiformis in Catalano Square. To quote my goddaughter, “Cool! What is it?!”

Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee, WI

A must-stop in this neighborhood is the Milwaukee Public Market. We did lunch here so we could each make our own selection from the multitude of vendors. There are so many good foods to choose from, we had to walk through a couple times just to see it all and decide.

cakes from Adams Bakery, Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee, WI

Yes, our made-to-order sandwiches were good, but the red velvet and carrot mini cakes were the best!

The Third Ward is really cool and all, but the place to go for a 12-year-old lady is obviously Claire’s boutique, found at almost any community mall (except the Grand Avenue:-). At Claire’s we found enough pink and purple sparkle to overload even the girliest of girls.

I have a cute picture of my goddaughter modeling some stylin’ eyeglasses, but I’ll wait until she’s older to post it (like maybe in a newspaper birthday ad:-).

 

 

 

Happy Halloween Philly-Style

Halloween decorations in Philadelphia

This week I’ve been a work slacker and a traveling bumpkin. It’s been great! And since we spent our first four days in Philadelphia, I’ve got to share some of the city’s brotherly love.

At first glance, Philly seems a bit, dare I say, course. But this is our second visit and I’m starting to see its softer side. Like Halloween, for example.

Philly seems pretty big on Halloween. Row house upon row house are decked out in orange lights, pumpkins and goblins. This fun decor, together with autumn wreaths on the doors and colorful mums on the stoops, gives these narrow-street neighborhoods a warm and cozy feel.

I found this welcoming goblin in front of a store. Isn’t it cool?

So Happy Halloween to all, Philadelphia-style!

Wrapping Up a Stunning Autumn

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, Hamilton, OH

This year we were blessed with the most stunning autumn. Warm weather, brilliant colors—October was just the best! And while I was swamped with work and sometimes bemoaned the month passing me by, I was thankful to get out several times to relish God’s beautiful creation.

Dried Milkweed, Cherokee Marsh, Madison, WI

I can always count on my son to find the good nature spots. This fall he and I hiked Korth’s Park in Lake Mills, WI, and Cherokee Marsh in Madison.

He says it’s proven no one looks at botanical photography. How can you not? Milkweeds are very cool. So are those box elder bugs, as long as they stay out of my house.

Dried milkweed, Cherokee Marsh, Madison, WI

Repitition is an art form, especially in nature. Check out the perfect alignment of this seedpod.

Sunrise at H.G. Wells State Park, Upper Peninsula Michigan

My husband and I took a circle tour of Lake Michigan, sort of, as we visited family in Michigan and Ohio. The first night we camped at J.W. Wells State Park in the Upper Peninsula. For rising early the next morning, we were rewarded with a peaceful sunrise all to ourselves.

Michigan's Mackinac Bridge

Crossing the Mighty Mack—there’s beauty in manmade repetition as well.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum

In Ohio, we couldn’t have had a better day to visit the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum. Located in Hamilton, just outside Cincinatti, this park is 265 acres of rolling hills accented by monumental sculptures.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum

Sandstone Mummy Mask, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum

Inside, in the museum, ancient sculptures are a nice contrast to the modernistic outdoor works.

Here we have a Sandstone Mummy Mask, dating from 1074-702 B.C. Isn’t he cute? I thought his smiling face would make a nice computer screen saver to start the day with each morning.

God Serapis, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum

And here we have the Roman Marble Head of the God Serapis, circa Second Century, A.D. Very stately and serious.

House in Liberty, Indiana

Southern Ohio and Indiana have different home architectural styles than we have in Wisconsin. I find them so fascinating.

Houses of this almost-row style were all along the main streets of Liberty, IN, (not a good picture, but apparently we couldn’t stop the car and get out for a better shot…ahem) The houses all looked very deep in length, although they weren’t connected or as close together as they are in large cities.

Anyone know what this style is and anything of its history?

Power lines and windmills in central Illinois

And finally, as we headed northward on Indiana’s I-65, we drove past miles and miles of windmills. This shot says it all—transmission lines running parallel to windmills. And yes, there’s even beauty in this repetition, so says my husband, the electrical lineman.

Open Art in Catalano Square

Check out this cool sculpture.

I was recently downtown in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward and came across a quiet, little park called Catalano Square. And, wow, here’s this awesome sculpture! It’s called Stratiformis and it’s by Jin Soo Kim, a nationally known, Korean-born artist (no, not the basketball player…).

I’m not up on sculpture art much. So, initially, I was thinking my family has enough junk sitting in our barns that we could easily create such a menagerie.

Then I walked closer and started taking pictures. The work and detail put into this is amazing.

According to the artist’s statement, the sculpture incorporates “sixteen knitting machines from the late 19th century, which were donated by the 92-year-old knitting factory owner from the area,” (the factory being the Reliable Knitting Works building, which had recently been sold to a developer and is now gentrified with shops and offices).

“So the sculpture became about the community, it’s people, lives, its past, present and will be an ongoing conversation to the future,” says the artist Jin Soo Kim.

Knowing this bit of history makes me like it even more. I love the eclectic atmosphere of the Third Ward today, but it’s important to remember its origins as an industrial community. I think this sculpture does just that.

Fittingly, that’s MIAD in the background—Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Stop by sometime. You can check out this great work of art and then browse through the school’s galleries.