Audrey

A beautiful one-hour drive west of Madison leads to Taliesin, Frank LLoyd Wright’s home, studio, and architecture school. Audrey and I loved the extensive four-hour walking tour, which visits many buildings on the property. We saw the studio, dining hall, and auditorium; the eclectic windmill; his sister’s house; the “barn;” and Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and personal studio. Our guide was great. with lots of information and stories. His home and property were a constant experiment, and one of the subthemes of the tour was all the preservation work now necessary because much was not built to last. Or as the tour guide said, “it was build to Wright’s code, not modern code.” He was particularly uninterested in gutters, as they ruined the lines–but would protect the foundation. They experimented with lots of plywood, because it was inexpensive and readily available. ...

In July, the fields of Wisconsin are filled with flowers. We’re delighted to have Lucy visiting with us from LA. Last night we watched fireworks all around Lake Monona. Today we went to a dog park and had a great hike among these lovely flowers. Click any photo for larger images

The Orrin Evans Quartet took the stage of the Madison Jazz Festival on a beautiful evening at 7 pm. Audrey and I packed a picnic dinner, including fresh sugar peas from the morning farmer’s market. The terrace was packed with people, most with plastic pitchers of beer, in most various states of disattention to the music. Which was unfortunate as Evans led a blazing, innovative set with super talented musicians. ...

A hot tip led us to Madison’s Yahara River for the annual Fools’ Flotilla. This boat parade flowed down the river between Madison’s two lakes on a beautiful Sunday morning. The end destination was the Marquette Neighborhood Association’s Waterfront Festival. Good zany fun. Click any picture for bigger images

San Franciso-based Train rolled into Madison, Wisconsin—and Audrey and I enjoyed our fourth show from the 1990s pop-rock band. We’re temporarily based in Madison while Audrey works here on Voter Protection. The concert venue was just a 10 minute walk from our apartment—Madison is very walkable town. And we enjoyed a pre-concert gathering at the adjacent glass apartment tower, where Audrey’s new colleagues have a beautiful apartment. Their balcony looked over the concert venue and had a beautiful view across both of the lakes that surround the Madison isthmus. ...