Madison Journals

Where I live...

A May 2009 trip to Madison by flyingscot4

Show bill Photo - Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Quote: Madison, Wisconsin is not just a city, but our state capitol, the home of the University of Wisconsin, a city of research, the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, and the city with Wisconsin's most diverse population. The terrain is beautiful, with lovely rolling hills, beautiful farmland and some very quaint towns.

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Overview of "Where I Live..."

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"Where I Live" is not a physical house as much as it is an area of Wisconsin, the south central part. Around me are Madison, Monroe, New Glarus, Stoughton, Janesville, Beloit, Baraboo, Portage, and Wisconsin Dells, as well as many other villages and towns. There are many beautiful state parks as well as numerous local and county parks. With the exception of Madison, my part of Wisconsin is quite traditional and politically conservative. The area is a melting pot of Germans, Norwegians, Scots, Irish, Swiss, Native American, and other nationalities who have been here for generations.Madison, with a population of about a quarter million people, is the second largest city in Wiscons...Read More

"Where I Live" is not a physical house as much as it is an area of Wisconsin, the south central part. Around me are Madison, Monroe, New Glarus, Stoughton, Janesville, Beloit, Baraboo, Portage, and Wisconsin Dells, as well as many other villages and towns. There are many beautiful state parks as well as numerous local and county parks. With the exception of Madison, my part of Wisconsin is quite traditional and politically conservative. The area is a melting pot of Germans, Norwegians, Scots, Irish, Swiss, Native American, and other nationalities who have been here for generations.

Madison, with a population of about a quarter million people, is the second largest city in Wisconsin. Milwaukee, the state's largest city is on the shore of Lake Michigan and about 90 miles directly east of Madison. The Milwaukee area was my home for most of my life. I came to the Madison area about 10 years ago.

Much of southeast Wisconsin is relatively flat with kettles, moraines, drumlins, and other land formations. People visiting the Milwaukee area and going no farther are convinced that Wisconsin is much like Illinois (we affectionately call Illinois residents Flatlanders). Other than that small, southeast corner of the state, Wisconsin is hilly, scenic land with beautiful lakes and rivers. It is also home to some of the most beautiful farm land in the world. Although we are losing farmland at an alarming rate, the family farm is still alive and well in our state.

This journal, while about the area in which I live, is more about who my neighbors are. I don't mean next door or across the street, or about individuals, but about the diverse population of my area, and the heritages that are found here.

I will also review a few of my favorite small town, out-of-the-way restaurants in this part of the state. They may not be gourmet or avant garde, but the staffs and owners are very hospitable and appreciative of your business. The food offered is excellent, very filling, and reasonable and the locations are are a leisurely drive through the countryside.

The journal is also about progress and the cost of embracing the new while allowing the old traditions to fade into memory. Some places and people are making valiant attempts at keeping the old family and cultural traditions alive and they are doing a great job of it. Specifically, Stoughton (Norwegian), Monroe, (German/Swiss), New Glarus (Swiss), come to mind when I think of towns and communities which are working hard to keep their heritages alive and I will write reviews about them in the future.

I'm going to begin on a less positive note. There are many wonderful customs and traditions that my generation enjoyed that are scarcely thought of today. I will start with The Circus.

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Circus World Museum

Attraction | ""Ain't That A Shame...""

Quote:

First, a little editorializing and a walk down memory lane...Sunday, May 24, 2009 was a glorious day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the temperature was just perfect (70 degrees), and there was a mild breeze. It was a day that was meant to jog my memory and transport me to a much earlier time. But later, after thinking about the day, it was also very sobering, almost sad.My father loved three activities above all else. He was a nut about parades, circuses, and baseball. His father was a 33rd Degree Mason (York Right) and if there was a parade within 15 miles, he was watching it or marching in it. I watched grandpa quite a few times with my dad. I c...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 27, 2009

Circus World Museum
550 Water Street
Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913
(608) 356-8341

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About the Writer

flyingscot4
Kingsport, Tennessee

"I have been wandering around Europe since I was stationed in Nürnberg, Germany in the early 1960's...."
24 journals
1978 photos
49 reviews

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