I hopped on an electric bike for a 20 minute ride to the historical Frank Lloyd Wright Unitarian Universalist meeting house in Madison. The guided tour was wonderful and the best story was about how it was built. Frank LLoyd Wright was a member of the church so they could afford the architect but not his plans. The church members had to carry the stones from the quarry to the church by themselves, working every weekend for six months. At the time the church membership was 35 families. ...

On a beautiful fall Saturday, my colleague David from the University joined me for one of Wisconsin’s classic hikes: Devil’s Lake. This state park is about an hour’s drive from Madison. David drove us in his new plug-in Prius and it was a crisp, sunny October day. We did not climb up the hard way, as shown in the picture below. But it was a steep climb up nicely placed rock “stairs” held together with concrete. The bluffs rise about 500 feet from the level of the lake. ...

While in Kansas City for a conference, I explored the 18th & Vine “jazz district” with two colleagues. We travelled seven minutes away from the conference hotel, yet this area was a world away from the downtown conference in authenticity. We had arrived in the real Kansas City. Once in the right district, we decided to walk two blocks to a local joint, Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque. Quoting from their site: “Arthur Bryant, the legendary King of Ribs, is the most renowned ‘barbequer’ in history. He created a unique sauce and style that has attracted the likes of former Presidents Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama to his restaurant.” ...

I ventured 20 miles south from Madison to the sturdy town of Stoughton to catch virtuoso guitar player Fareed Haque. I learned of the show because Madison has a community radio station, WORT, and earlier in the week they interviewed Fareed. On the strength of what I heard on the radio, I decided to check it out. The 1901 Stoughton Opera House is a historical gem. It’s set at one end of main street, and Stoughton has a classic midwest mainstreet look. I wandered in to the building and earnest greeters in white shirts and black pants let me know that the opera house was upstairs. Up a steep staircase I went, soon arriving in a restored auditorium with a balcony, boxes, and golden oak seating. ...

From Madison, I took a day trip to Iowa. Specifically, the town of Decorah, to visit Melissa Koch. I worked closely with Melissa about a decade ago at SRI International, and now she runs the wonderful Bed and Breakfast on Broadway with her husband, son, and dog. She’s cracked the code of the perfect small town life. We started with a tour of the 1910, 5-bedroom inn. I enjoyed the period living room and main guest rooms upstairs. But then Melissa invited me up a narrow set of stairs to the top floor. It opened onto an amazing suite, with a turreted tower as the perfect reading room. What an amazing space! I’ll be back. Click any picture for bigger images. ...