Always Interesting

Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio (July 16, 2016) Oak Park, IL

On this beautiful morning I did an Encore visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in Oak Park. This was my fourth trip to a Wright inspired property and my second to his Oak Park Home and Studio where perhaps America’s best-known and greatest architect lived and worked.

Wright was a farm boy who grew up in central Wisconsin. He studied architecture in Chicago, first with Joseph Lyman Silsbee and later he studied and worked for renowned architect Louis Sullivan.

Wright lived in this home from 1889 until 1909. In 1895 he made a major addition to the house and in 1898 the studio was added. In 1911 the studio was remodeled.

The home was built in Oak Park on a large prominent lot in the neighborhood where other Wright designed homes had been built. Wright’s home and studio were located on the corner of the aptly named Chicago and Forrest Avenues. Some of the Wright homes nearby are known as “bootlegged” homes. They were designed without the knowledge and in violation of Wright’s employment agreement with Sullivan.  Overall there are 25 Wright homes in Oak Park and another 5 in nearby River Forrest.

The property is a prime example of Wright’s Prairie School of architecture. What first strikes you is home’s setback from the street and the unique roof shingles. Before the advent of the environmental movement Wright understood and applied concepts of the integrity of the environment. The building is in harmony with nature employing natural materials along with a multitude of natural light. Throughout the house wood trim and colored glass are used as decorative elements. Within the home are many examples of built in furnishing so often found in Wright homes.

Wright saw this particular property as a laboratory to experiment ant tryout his ideas. I found the use of the octagon shape very intriguing, particularly in the drafting room and in Wright’s library that later became his office.

Elements I loved –

The Inglenook – the small recess next to a fireplace near the home’s entrance, where family members or guests could gather. The unique feature of the Wright designed Inglenook was you could see into other areas of the home through wall openings.

Wright established a lending library in the home for his neighbors.

Factoid of the visit – John Lloyd Wright, Wright’s second son, is the inventor of the children’s toy, “Lincoln Logs.”

The site has over 150,000 visitors per year.

New Swiss Colony

America’s Swiss Colony  (July 15, 2016) New Glarus, WI

Continuing our tripping through enchanted rural Wisconsin, Susan and I stopped in the Village of New Glarus. New Glarus is 28 miles southwest of Madison.

Our first stop was to buy a case of Spotted Cow beer (in bottles) for our beer imbibing family and friends in South Dakota and Illinois. “Spotted Cow” is sold only in Wisconsin and bootlegged by travellers like Coors was from Colorado and Oklahoma to Texas, in the day. Time did not allow a tour that is offered of New Glarus Brewing Company that brews “Spotted Cow” in New Glarus.

Our next stop was at the Swiss Historical Village Museum (admission $9.00) a very nice locally supported history museum of the area. Reasonable reporting dictates me to say this, though it is likely pointless given their origins; the Museum building and grounds (like the entire Village of New Glarus) were orderly, clean, and looked freshly painted.

Many of the buildings in New Glarus are in the “Chalet” style. Flower boxes with red geraniums and Swiss flags seemed to be everywhere.

New Glarus’ original settlers immigrated to America in 1845 from the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Glarus is one of the 26 Cantons (States) in the Swiss Confederation. Their trip to the New World was the All American Story of coming to the New World for a better life.

The economy of Glarus had tanked in the early 1840s and many of its citizens could not make a living there. The political leaders in Glarus decided that America beckoned as a land of opportunity and a resettlement program was enacted for their Swiss brothers and sisters to come to America. The Glarus government decided on using their treasury to relocate some of those willing to seek opportunity in America. Two land agents (lawyers) were sent as advance men to secure land.

The 203 Swiss coming to American couldn’t wait for the agents to make the arrangements and left for America without knowing their ultimate destination. Three of the travelers died during the voyage but were replaced by three births. The travelers made their way to St. Louis where they determined the Swiss land agents had been there and had headed up River to Galena, Illinois. In Galena they learned land had been purchased in Wisconsin Territory along the Sugar River about 100 km from Galena in South Central Wisconsin.

In August 1845, 108 of the settlers arrived in site by foot or wagon. A portion of the group dropped out along the way deciding to go it on their own elsewhere while others waited until the next spring to arrive in the new Swiss colony.

The 1200 acres that were purchased for $1000 was divided into 20 acre plots and sold by the Glarus government to the settlers for $1.25 per acre. This amount was paid back in full in later years. Eventually the thrifty Swiss acquired nearly 30,000 acres in the area. A town was established and named, not surprisingly New Glarus.

Traditionally the Glarners (name for Glarus residents) were textile workers but in Wisconsin initially they became either lead miners or farmers. One of the attractions of the area was that the topography approximated Glarus, a valley set among gently rolling hills with intense forestation.

A relationship of some co dependence developed between Old Glarus and New Glarus. Soon after the Colony’s establishment more Swiss brothers began to arrive in Wisconsin for the economic opportunity. In 1861 the town of Glarus experienced a devastating fire. When news reached Wisconsin, nearly $20,000 was immediately sent to help the Swiss.

New Glarus was inhabited almost entirely by the previous Swiss nationals and their progeny, yet 98 served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

(Not related to my visit to New Glarus but of immense interest to me) For understanding of the high armed force participation, check out the Iron Brigade of the West in the Army of the Potomac and the Irish Brigade.  Ask yourself why ethnic immigrants and Midwesterners were such brave and fierce combatants with such a high participation rate in the Civil War?

After the Civil War, agriculture prospered in New Glarus as the land found its highest and best employed in the dairy industry. Swiss ingenuity developed their dairy marketing through value added agriculture by making cheese. Surprise – Swiss Cheese!

What makes this factoid even more interesting is the cheese making in New Glarus was the beginning of Wisconsin’s cheese making industry. The success in New Glarus prompted Wisconsin’s claim at America’s Dairy land.  

After looking over the very clean town and its chocolate shops, restaurants, bars, and gift shops, Susan and I settled on a very average lunch at Toffler’s Pub and Grill. I did have a pretty good bratwurst from Ruef’s Meat Market in New Glarus.

You can buy Spotted Cow just about everywhere as long as you are in Wisconsin, you don’t have to be in New Glarus. If you are in the area

New Glarus is worth the stop.

The Mustard Museum - the Condimental Divide

(July 15, 2016) Middleton, WI

I have become enchanted with Wisconsin. Since my little girl went off to the Windy City to attend College a generation ago, I have routinely raced across the Badger State looking at the beautiful scenery at seventy five miles an hour; rarely stopping for more than a sandwich, milk shake, to fill up the car, or buy a lottery ticket. Fall’s changing colors in the Mississippi River valley near La Crosse are gorgeous at high speed and are always a marvel.

Over the generation on the many trips to see my daughter and family I did slow down for stops at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin Dells, Grandparents University at University of Wisconsin in Madison, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Estate, home, and studio in Spring Green.

On this mini–vaca Susan and I stopped for dinner and overnight in Wisconsin’s Capital City, Madison. We had a pub dinner at Great Dane Brew Pub starting with Wisconsin cheese curds; Susan had the Chicken Pot Pie (she reports “not very good”) and I had the Smothered and Covered Fried Chicken (wonderful, yummy, and too much!) The menu described the Fried Chicken as: hand breaded fried chicken breast cutlets topped with shrimp, Andouille sausage, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and tomatoes, in a Cajun butter sauce. Served with jalapeno cheddar mashed potatoes and market vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower).

In the morning we headed out to the National Mustard Museum in Middleton. Middleton is a suburb of Madison perhaps twenty minutes from downtown Madison, the State Capitol and the Goliath University of Wisconsin. 

The founder and curator of the museum is Barry Levenson who wanted to assemble the world’s largest collection of mustard. My Grandma Rosenthal’s maiden name was Levenson; maybe we are cousins?

We arrived at about 10:00am, the museum’s opening time and parked right across the street. The Mustard Museum is unique, informative, whimsical, and tourist trap combined. Inevitably all museum exhibits end in the gift shop, not exactly at the NMM. You walk in the front door and you are in the museum shop (there is no admission). The entire first floor is shop and mustard tasting station. Surprisingly the enterprise must be profitable, there were five or six employee/docents working the institution.

Down the stairs and into the basement I descended to see the exhibits and learn about the mustard seed and its progenies. There was several exhibit panels explaining the planting, growing, harvesting, and processing of the mustard seed. The exhibits are very neat, well organized and well presented. Canada is the world’s number one producer of mustard.

I learned Mustard is referenced in the New Testament, Book of Matthew 13:31-32

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

I particularly liked learning mustard’s spicy cousin is the horseradish. I am not sure I understand the nuances or biology of a root versus a seed but I’ll take their word for it.

Besides a small makeshift theatre that presented mustard videos, there was an extensive collection of prepared mustards (almost 600 products). There was a collection of mustards from each state and many many foreign countries. One of the more interesting collections were the mustard pots or serving pieces that are filled with the mostly yellow condiment and placed on the dining room table. Many were sterling silver or porcelain not glass or plastic.

A factoid I enjoyed was reading about the merger of the mustard preparation businesses of Maurice Grey and Auguste Poupon in Dijon, France in the 19^th century. Who knew?

After about an hour of perusing the museum, I went to the mustard tasting station to sample mustards and make a purchase to give the museum some token financial support. I was asked what my preference was and I said, “I like spicy, I’m a Texan.” The mustard maven said, “You’re in Wisconsin.” Defensively I replied to give me something “spicy” and is the best for bratwurst. After several spoonfuls of mustard I settled on Kelly’s Gourmet Stoneground Mustard with a horseradish bite. It is really good on brats but now I wish I would have looked for something for those fried salami sandwiches. (Maybe on my next trip?)

The Museum was very touristy; an interesting enterprise on several levels and it did cut the mustard.

I liked it.