10 Things from Birthday Madison Trip*

 

We stayed in Verona on Friday night.  Here are ten memories, starting with above.

1. We left in the morning, stopped in Dodgeville for lunch (the Cook's Room). The walk we always do first at Governor Dodge is the White Oak Trail.  Here's an action shot of Jennie descending from the iconic bluff at the top of the trail.
2. A big part of the enjoyableness of the trail is the flora.  Here some bronze Sharp Lobed Hepatica.  
3. At the Cook's Room (and other Wisco places) there are ads like this:  this is our family, this is our story, would you support us and buy some.... milk, cheese, apples, etc.
4. Quick swim at Cox Hollow Lake.  The beach was pretty busy, despite this picture, which I chose to show the vista: sloping lawn to the beach, bluffs rising above lake, boat on lake... nature's refreshment for the eyes.
5. The Cook's Room "Wisconsin Ham Sandwich"
6. We had dinner at Lallande on my birthday.  It was a really good.  We sat at the "kitchen bar" tables and watched the cooks and chef do their thing -- just as fun and interesting as when we did the same in Burlington at the Hen in Pot (?)
7. We visited the westside farmers market -- which we both liked more than the big downtown one.  Everyone there was shopping for their week's groceries, not there just to experience the scene.  There was a band playing folksy music under a tent, lots of beautiful veggies, Alice Good coffee.  We bought a watermelon to bring to Todd's lake house and sweet corn.
8. Went to a couple regular places: Alice Good coffee on Saturday morning, Willy Street Co-op (though the westside one) for bread, coffee, picnic lunch, beer for Todd's lake house
9. We ate a picnic outside Willy Street - black bean salad, really squeaky cheese (not refridgerated yet?), crackers.
10. We went back to Kismet books in Verona.  I bought Robert Macfarlane's Is a River Alive and a book about Urban hiking in Madison