On Wisconsin

We left Michigan with the sweet taste of the “kitchen sink” in our mouths. A stop at Dutch Oven Shops in Alanson was a confectionery joy. We were torn with which newly discovered cookie to try but could not resist one called the "kitchen sink". The saleswoman, whose family lived in Grass Valley, was most encouraging.
The view along the bottom of the Upper Peninsula was of more sand dunes and the lake trying on various shades of blue with white cap accents. While the Michigan side of Lake Michigan was lined with some very elegant homes and charming vacation villages, the Wisconsin side seems more natural but less attractive so far.
Wisconsin did offer great comfort at Simon’s in Little Chute where we browsed the refrigerator cases overflowing with 100 variations of cheese. The deli makes a yummy three-cheese sandwich that goes way beyond the white bread and American cheese of our youth. Anna Lee took a chance just to savor the treat.
We were reaching our limit on wind and rain and decided to seek a better climate, instead we found fog. Yet who would have thought that Sheboygan would offer brightness and entertainment. (Anyone who remembers the old line about Sheboygan, please send it. We are going nuts trying to remember it.)
We took a wrong turn looking for a place to eat and saw that the lot of Highland House was full, a good sign. The decor was banana, orange, lime, teal, and grape, a homage to the wonderful southwest cuisine. Happy and full we headed to the Kohler Arts Center. Yes, that Kohler of plumbing.
His family home was next to a Carnegie Library. This facade is all that remains of the original library.

It is now home to an excellent contemporary art museum. Its claim to fame is that has the best bathrooms in the United States. The two men’s and two women’s are wonderfully decorated. These photos will speak for themselves. Can you tell which are the men's and which are the women's???










































































The family one has tiles of drawings of people who were involved with the museum. The artist asked them to write a secret about themselves; then he drew a profile of the writer sight unseen. The children’s is lined with tile paintings by children from the resident pre-school. We were lucky to have a personal tour by one of the guards who also took us into the private rooms of the original home.

Most of you know Jerry is less than fond of contemporary art. He rated this museum as high quality and very well done. Even his few criticisms were mild. The current exhibit, Beyond Words, was thoughtful and insightful. It dealt with the future of books, the literal meaning of some books, and the social implication of our words.

The fog had lifted (both emotionally and literally) when we exited the museum so we drove through the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The hills and pots (holes) are the result of the last glacial age, the Wisconsin.

We topped off the day in a little restaurant in Fond du Lac with one of the best Italian meals we have had.