West Bluff – An Autumn Journey

West Bluff, Devils Lake State Park

West Bluff, Devils Lake State Park © 2013 Bo Mackison

“Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world through the body and the body through the world.” ~ Rebecca Solnit

There is something about hiking in a natural setting that is grounding and restorative.

The pounding of city pavement is an altogether different experience than walking upon earthen paths, climbing rocks dispersed in the last glacial age*, scrambling along boulders that eventually dammed glacial flow and created the lake I hiked along. (Devils Lake, the central feature of Devils Lake State Park in south central Wisconsin.)

In an age where many of us take our cars to get just about anywhere, and the average American walks 1.6 miles a week, mostly in malls, grocery stores and walking back and forth from parking lots to buildings. it is easy to forget that a day spent in nature is not only rejuvenating, it is a basic human need.

I am, by choice, a slow walker.

I do not get pleasure from counting steps and computing miles. But I do know I need to walk every day in the natural world, even if I am only walking through a nearby nature conservancy,  along a path in a prairie restoration, even in the neighborhood park, a place filled with the recreational amenities of a neighborhood — playground, ball field, basketball hoops — but also open spaces and fields of grasses.

I take my time on these walks.

This is not aerobic exercise, but an exercise for my senses. I see a forest in shades of yellow, gold, orange, red, purple and every color of green and brown imaginable. The wind picks up and blows cool against my face. The sun passes in and out of colors, forcing me to perform an awkward dance of sorts while walking the paths — coat on, coat off, coat on again.

I pick up leaves of oaks and maples, the textures soft and pliable, their colors brilliant and mottled with specks of decay. I kick the piles of leaves at my feet and I gaze at the faraway countryside from the top of the bluffs, land quilted in peak autumn colors – a few farm fields, patches of hardwood forests, prairies, and rolling hills.

A smorgasbord for the senses.

*Wisconsin Glacier – 110,000 to 12,000 years ago. Not only did its receding create the lake that I hiked around, it also created such notable features as the Great Lakes, Long Island, Cape Cod, and Niagara Falls.

Seth’s Cottage

Seth Peterson Cottage, Mirror Lake, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Seth Peterson Cottage © 2011 Bo Mackison

I have visited the Seth Peterson Cottage, the last commission that Frank Lloyd Wright did before his death in 1958. (There are tours of the small cottage every second Sunday of the month in the afternoon.)

And ever since I went and toured this cozy, secluded cottage that stands on the bluffs overlooking Mirror Lake, I’ve had a deep desire to spend the night there. (The cottage is one of only a handful of Wright designed buildings available for public rental.)

Last week I listened to a show on Wisconsin Public Radio regarding the activities planned for this year in honor of Wright’s home in Wisconsin. Taliesin is reaching the century mark. And the conversation about Wright’s houses rekindled my dream of staying in Seth’s Cottage. What better way to commemorate this Wright year? But when I went to the site to check on availability, there was only one night available – the next evening — or the cottage wasn’t available until mid-November.

I made some hasty arrangements and then made my reservation.

I was going to spend a whole day and night at the Seth Peterson Cottage. A mini-Wright retreat in the woods, on a bluff, above a lake–in a Wright designed cottage. Yes!

Entrance to Seth Peterson Cottage, Mirror Lake, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Seth’s Cottage Entrance © 2011 Bo Mackison

I’m sharing the photos I took of the cottage when it was nearly dark because these are the kinds of photographs you can only get if you spend the night. I have taken many of the cottage’s exterior and interior during daylight hours while I’ve been on the tours. Those were taken a few years ago when I was a true novice with the camera. This time I spent quite a few hours photographing the cottage, both the inside and outside, in daylight and at night. I had the huge advantage of being able to set up my shots, and I was able to use a tripod and long shutter speeds without interfering with a tour in progress.

What a dream come true!

Interior, Dining Area of Seth Peterson Cottage, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Dining in the Cottage © 2011 Bo Mackison

The cottage was designed to include much in a very small space. The bedroom is small but very functional with built ins and closets. The dining and living area is almost spacious. When dining, one can gaze out at Mirror Lake and watch the water fowl. In better weather–it was drizzly and in the 40s–the lake is popular with canoeists and kayakers, too. There is an outside porch for relaxing and outdoor eating. The flagstone floor has a radiant heating system underneath the surface and the floor is toasty warm for bare feet. Nice touch!

View from Entrance,  Seth Peterson Cottage, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

From the Front Door to the Back Door – A View © 2011 Bo Mackison

Wright knew how to make the most of lighting and windows, and the cottage has plenty of both. The western exposure is a wall of windows set on a short stone base. The rear wall also has windows and insures a great view of the lake and the wildlife.

Central Fireplace at  Seth Peterson Cottage,  Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Central Fireplace at Cottage © 2011 Bo Mackison

He also employed stone in his exterior design and in the mammoth, central fireplace. The kitchen walls, located immediately behind the fireplace, are also entirely of stone. Modern appliances complement the warmth of the small alcove.

Seth Peterson never lived in the cottage he talked Frank Lloyd Wright into designing for him when Wright was 90 years old. Seth committed suicide before its completion, and the home was sold and finished by another party. In 1966 the state of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources acquired the building and property as a part of the adjoining Mirror Lake State Park, but due to its remote location, the building fell into disrepair.

In 1989 a non-profit group formed to save the building which was in near ruins. After much fund-raising, the cottage was fully restored. It has received numerous architectural awards and recommendations for the stunning rehabilitation. The mission of the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy is one of preservation and education. But even more, it is one of opportunity, for it provides the opportunity to experience this unique building in an intimate setting, perhaps the exact setting Mr. Wright himself envisioned.

As I sat in front of the fire on my first afternoon there, I wrote and sketched in my journal. It was a serene experience. Silent, except for the pop and sizzle of the wood fire, the scratching of my pen upon my journal pages, and occasional chatter from the squirrels and birds nearby.

I wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to hear a quiet voice whisper in my ear — “Welcome to Seth’s Cottage, Bo.”

And I might just have replied, “Why, thank you, Mr. Wright.”

~~~ I’ll share a few daylight photos and some journal entries written while staying there in a future post. I am back home after spending the first part of 2011 in Arizona. This is my first “explore” since returning to the Midwest.

Wired! Black Crowned Crane

The International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI maintains a collection of captive cranes, including several black crowned cranes, which helps their work in crane preservation: captive breeding and reintroduction into the wild. Their work also demonstrates endangered species management for the public, and facilitates breeding and education information elsewhere in the United States and abroad. It is the only place in the world where you can see all 15 crane species.

Black Crowned Crane

Black Crowned Crane © 2008

When I visited the Crane Foundation earlier this month, this crane was especially interested in my camera, and made several attempts to get a little too close. Maybe I didn’t ask for the appropriate model release!

The Black Crowned Crane is indigenous to the Sahel region of Africa. The ICF in coordination with Wetlands International has coordinated a conservation plan for these birds. There are approximately 40,000 Black Crowned Cranes in existence, and their numbers are declining.

The most serious threats to this crane species are illegal capture for the pet industry. An ancient tradition in West Africa to keep domesticated cranes in the household compounds persists to this day. But an additional threat is an intensified international trade in the birds in the last 30 years. Also degradation of the species’ habitat – the wetlands and grasslands of West Africa due to drought, destruction of tree cover and overgrazing – is a factor in their declining numbers.

A regional African program has been set up to provide alternative income opportunities for crane traders and for distribution of community-based information and conservation methods in Nigeria and the Sudan.

Showin’ of the Green?

Showin' of the Green?

Hmmm. No. No green here. Sure, I know it’s St. Paddy’s Day, but the truth is – I live in Wisconsin. You know, Wisconsin. W-I-S-C-O-N-S-I-N!  You got it. Yeah, up north. If you live in most of the good ol’ US of A,  you think I live somewhere near the Arctic Circle. Ha!

Now some of you folk may have green, and your land may be wearing it proudly too, but I don’t see green ’round these parts. We’ve got your basic white – that’s the snow – and your basic brown – that’s where some of the snow has melted and turned into mud – but sorry, no green.

Guess if you really want to see some green ’round here, you’ll need to check out the local pubs. You’ll find all the green you’ll want to be seein’ in there. All those crazy shamrock decorations and lil’ Leprechauns, those mugs of green beer, and if you hang around til evenin’, all those green faces, too. For me, it’s back to life in the burrow as usual.

You go on now. Have a happy St. Paddy’s.  Have a root beer for me.

from your friendly Black Prairie Dog,

Simon

The Non-Conformist

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Gazing Upwards © 2007

Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity. ~ Christopher Morley

Love that, in a mass of autumn trees in oranges and yellows, there is one tree still holding out for a few more days of summer. Photo taken at Devil’s Lake State Park near Baraboo, Wisconsin on a perfect late October day