Up early, I pull out my hoodie and step out into the gravel path that swoops by the front door of the Brisbane House. Diane, Barbara and I are here for a long weekend and though we explored the surroundings yesterday afternoon, I know all too well that each place has a special vibe at different hours of the day. What does this old estate feel like on a cloudy and a somewhat cooler early May morning?
I noted earlier that the house was built by a man who moved here with his family because he could not tolerate the slavery of his southern home state. I had seen a picture of a card he wrote on my night stand upstairs (the card was sent by Brisbane along with a donation to the Armistad cause -- read about the famous case of the slaves dramatic mutiny here). He ended his message with "yours in the cause of human rights." The Brisbane House has been restored to reflect this first owner's commitment to equality.
(plaque at the entrance to the house)
Outside, the grass is wet. We had some rain. We may well have some more this afternoon or evening. We'd heard from one of the daughters (would you believe it -- Barbara, Diane and I all have daughters and only daughters. Given that my closest Polish friend Bee also has only daughters, you'd think I pick my friends this way on purpose. Or in the alternative that women my age only gave birth do daughters. Neither of which of course is true) -- she wrote that this is morel season and that we should keep an eye out for these delicious mushrooms that tend to grow by the roots of oak or elm trees. I have already spotted asparagus in the farmette fields and indeed, Barbara picked some spears here as well, but morels are a whole step up in the culinary world of local spring wonders.
I keep my eye out for morels. And, I listen to the birds!
In one early morning minute, I record on my Merlin bird App: a Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown-Headed Cowbird, House Wren, Blue Jay, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, Black-capped Chickadee, Mourning Dove!
Eventually my two friends join me downstairs and once again I sit back as they fix a breakfast. The Brisbane hosts have left us a raspberry Racine Kringle (such a Wisconsin pastry treat!). We've brought with us berries and granola. We're set.
And now for an outing: it's a cloudy Saturday, with a slight threat of rain. Weather that requires a hoodie, though not anything much warmer than that. We know that there's a farmers market in downtown Spring Green, though the calendar tells us that they are still on a "winter market." Spring Green, by the way, is the next town over from Arena, With a population of under 2000, it's not a bustling place. Nonetheless, it has the amenities of a much larger place (several bakeries, several spots to get good coffee, a bookstore, a dry goods store called Nina's (!), and a few other places we may check out), likely because of the area's in season attractions (the Frank Lloyd Wright stuff, the theater, the River).
The market is indeed small. In a parking lot, it must have no more than half a dozen vendors, a handful of shoppers and a lonely guitarist playing music to, well, probably the vendors. The scale of operations is well exemplified by this stand:
As we walk along the main drag, we pass Nina's -- a store that has a little of everything. One of us is on the lookout for a short sleeved shirt (it's going to be hot tomorrow!), but it seems that most stuff here is very large and still seasonally inappropriate. Perhaps they were expecting a cooler Spring.
I ask the clerk if she is the Nina of the store. She tells us that Nina was the grandmother of her husband. She had opened the store back in 1916. It's been in the family ever since. "We dont have any children" -- she tells me -- "so I dont know what will happen to Nina's after we're done with it!"
I tell her I am a Nina, though not quite interested in purchasing the property. She answers -- "A Nina? well then you get a free postcard of our store!"
Do all Ninas brag about their names in this way? I sheepishly take it. It may be the only postcard I'll ever see with a Nina store on it.
The bookstore is next on our list. It's a nice one!
There's a cafe inside, but we dont pause quite yet. Instead, we look at books about birds, because I have this new found lightbulb that I can now be a bird person!
(a Rose-breasted Grosbeak!)
Next is Convivia -- a store whose theme I cant quite figure out. Some tableware, a few wines with beautiful labels, pasta and spaghetti sauces, beautiful doormats and... coffee.
This is where we decide to change our evening dinner plans. We were going to come back to Spring Green to try one of its recommended restaurants, but here's the thing: it's supposed to maybe possibly rain/storm tonight and, more importantly, we are all of an age where staying home and eating food there is actually fun and (arguably) more fun than going out. So, I buy this -- almost everything we need for a supper!
And now we retreat and seek out one of the cross streets. More coffee shops! And places that (rather randomly) also sell Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese (a Wisconsin cheese of great repute) and Potters Crackers (another local favorite). We stock up.
Next -- the Spring Green General Store. It too has a coffee shop! What's a person to do?!
Actually, a favorite place for a pause over caffeine turns out to be at the tiniest place of them all. Nectar Batch-made Bakery. We must have spent a solid two hours there, sampling this cookie, that aronia berry fruit crumble... And lots of coffee!
(And lots of very cute stickers!)
On the walk back to the car: look what's blooming in Spring Green: crabs and lilac!
And now we are home, reviewing our joys in life. Seriously. I brought it up.
Afternoon bird watch (again, from a one minute recording): Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Easter Towhee, Brown-headed Cowbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow.
Dinner? You know what it is! The pasta, the wine, leftover salad. Deliciously prepared, served and cleaned up by my two friends. Tell me I'm not on a vacation!!
And again we talk birds. Do you know that you can track what birds are migrating over your county on this very night? We found this for Iowa County (where we are) -- click here. So much information out there on birds! Perhaps we are helping gather data with our bird apps! How utterly fascinating!
A quiet night. Lots of birds, high up in the sky and no storms thus far. And a very warm day tomorrow, as our getaway continues.
with love...
