Wisconsin

We drove to a campground near Lone Rock, WI, on the Wisconsin River.  There was a big campground in Spring Green, but it had reviews saying it was filled with people who like to get drunk and stay up late.  Our campground was quiet, but very buggy.  We hooked up with Helen and Bill and old friends from Bob's childhood in Madison for dinner on Wednesday night.  On the 4th of July, we all (20 people) met to canoe 10 miles on the Wisconsin River.  Due to all the rain, the river was flooding and there were very few sandbars (the preferred place to stop and eat lunch because of the lack of mosquitoes).  We found an island and stopped for lunch and a swim and           continued on.  The only wild
 life we saw was lots of turtles.  They are quite shy and plop in the water as soon as they hear paddles.  Bob and I were leading the flotilla (we tend to paddle hard and fast).  It was a great way to spend a warm day.  In the evening we went to dinner with Chuck, Ann, Bill and Helen (the Burton contingent) at the restaurant in the Taliesen Visitor Center (the only free-standing restaurant Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed).  It was quiet, overlooked the Wisconsin River, and the food was delicious.







On July 5th Ann, Bob and I took the estate tour (4 hours) of Taliesen.  It was led by a 75-year old guide who had been an actress and had been a guide for 15 years.  She was extremely knowledgeable.  It started at this Unity Church (Unitarian) that Wright designed when he was 19.  In the graveyard next to this chuch he is buried, along with Mahmeh Borthwick (his lover), 7 of his 8 children, his mother and various other Lloyds (who owned most of this valley).  Wright died at Taliesen West and was shipped home and buried in a plain wood casket here.  After over 25 years his fourth wife's family disinterred him and brought what remains were left to Taliesen West to be cremated and buried beside her.  The Lloyds had left Wales because they were persecuted for their Unitarian beliefs.





The next stop was Hillside School (which Wright designed for his two aunts who developed a boarding school on the site).  It was built in 1902.  It is now the site of the architecture school at Taliesen.  There are only 11 apprentices there now.  The studio is to the right of this building (which is a two story meeting room with a floating second floor and a cafeteria in the back).  The studio has a very unusual roof that was built so that the light is the same at all times of the day.


The tour includes 1 1/2 miles of walking.  From Hillside we walked up to Romeo and Juliet (the water tower seen behind this house.  Romeo is the tall part with the windmill on top and Juliet has a balcony and is where the water was stored.  Wright designed this for his aunt's school.  Scattered around Romeo and Juliet are three houses for his aunts.





We continued on to the farm, in Wright's characteristic red (made from ground sandstone mixed with paint).  The roads at Taliesen all curve around, following the hills.  Wright wanted people to walk or ride their horses to Taliesen.








We walked up to Taliesen, which does not sit on the top of a hill.  It was a favorite place of Wrights and is in the center of this photo.  The house surrounds three sides of the hill.  There is the living area (which has burned twice), the studio (separated by a breezeway and saved from burning), and the farm.  They are constantly working on restoration on this 100 year old site.  It is truly a remarkable place and it was great to see it after seeing Taliesen West a few years ago.





July 6 was the wedding day of Julia Burton, Bob's first cousin once removed (but really our niece) and Steve Voelker at Hillside Event site.  They were married under this Catalba Tree by a Unitarian Minister from Madison.  It was a beautiful ceremony.  It was followed by hors deuvers, Oregon Pinot Noir, Wisconsin beer and a dinner catered by a caterer who specializes in local foods.  We all ate under a tent-like structure.




We adjourned to a pavilion for dancing to a Madison bluegrass band.  They were great to listen and dance to.  The cake was served with little ceremony (everyone just took a piece, including the bride and groom).  There was a bus that took people back and forth to the hotel so we didn't need to drive.  We finally left around 10 p.m., tired and bitten by mosquitoes.


































We left early Sunday morning for Saugatuck, MI where Julia's parents have a house on Lake Michigan.