08.21.17 Art and Architecture (Wisconsin - Part 2)

Kerry's butterfly

**We now return to our regularly scheduled programming**

We didn't JUST eat pie for week - Kerry also toured me around south central Wisconsin to see some wonderful sights.

Before we went to Hubbard Avenue for our first slice, we had a wonderful morning at the Vinery Stained Glass Studio taking a fused glass class.  Since going to the Corning Museum of Glass last summer, and recently spending time at Salado Glassworks, I've become more and more interested in learning about glass and with an eye towards incorporating it into my jewelry.

With our finished garden stakes

For over than 30 years, the Vinery has offered art glass supplies and classes in Madison.  Kerry had taken classes there already, including a fused glass class where she made a butterfly garden stake.  As luck would have it - there was another garden stake class scheduled for the first weekend I was there - so we signed up.

We had a great time creating our floral stakes - two each.  We decided that we would each keep one of our own, and swap one - as keepsakes from our week together. When we picked them up - we were delighted to see that our designs were being featured on the the flyer for the next class!

Our next "art" outing  was a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's home and architecture school at Taliesin.  Wright's family had deep roots in Spring Green, Wisconsin, which is only about an hour from Madison, so Kerry signed us up for a half day tour of the campus - which included both the school he built and the home where he lived most of his tumultuous life.




We got there early, giving me time to wander through the gift shop in the visitors center where I spotted, among other things, some lovely glass earrings (it was clear fused glass was going to be a theme for this trip).






I was further intrigued when I turned the earring card over and learned that the artists - both immigrants - create their work using both original art and recycled glass.

Earrings from Momo Glassworks

We took the tour - which I highly recommend if you are ever in the area - and we returned to the visitors center. Without much more hemming and hawing, I decided that I needed this pair of earrings, and that they would make a wonderful souvenir.

In addition to traipsing through the buildings at Taliesin, we walked off our many slices of pie on a number of other outings...

We spent a wonderful day in the artists community of Mineral Point where we wandered in and out of delightful shops (and maybe did a little holiday shopping - but of course - I can't post pictures of those purchases here).

One of the many gorgeous restored
wagons at the Circus World Museum

As I mentioned in my previous post, Baraboo was the home of the Ringling Brothers, and while there, we visited the Circus World Museum.  There was plenty to walk around and see, including  their wonderful collection of restored circus wagons and an hour long one ring show under their big top!


On our way home - after our pie - we stopped at Wollersheim Winery for a tour and tasting (and of course, more cheese).










We spent the last day before the guys rolled in from their week in Iowa exploring downtown Madison - including another Frank Lloyd Wright landmark - Monona Terrace, with beautiful gardens facing the state capitol and a rooftop cafe overlooking Lake Monona.

It was a wonderful week - and I have some lovely mementos of my trip - but more than any trinket I could pack up and bring home, I am grateful for the time with my college roommate and friend of more than 30 years.  We picked up - talking, laughing, cooking and eating - right where we left off when we were much younger...and we don't plan to wait nearly so long to do it again.

Until next time.