Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Dale Chihuli Chandelier II
in the
Milwaukee Museum of Art

Capital Building in Madison during the Saturday Market

Thai Pavilion in Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden Madness
A poem for the day:

"P U S H"

I do not quit.
I do begin.

To live my life from far within.

To do
To be

Just what is right for me.

To live a life not based on fear.

Rather to seek out the joy present here.


I'm posting from Emy J's, a fun and comfortable coffee house and restaurant in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. I flew into Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 9th. Enjoying a 4 hour wait, I walked around the city, going from the bus station down to Lake Michigan, before walking along the shoreline to the Milwaukee Museum of Art. I was attracted to it by the amazing architecture, pictured above. Once there I was really stoked to investigate the building and it's contents.

While I chose not to go into the exhibit itself during my short stay, I did enter the atrium where there is an amazing piece by Dale Chihuly, a revered and pioneering glass artisan. It is his "Isola di San Giocomo in Palude, Chandelier II". A gigantic work of art consisting of many hundreds of pieces of individually blown and sculpted glass. It is amazing for it's uniqueness, life, color, textures, and intricacy.

From there I walked back through the city, enchanted with the brick architecture, and waterways throughout. I hopped on a "Lamers" bus, which was indeed full of somewhat lame people, and scooted on to Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

My friend Sarah met me there, and we began our week together. I'll tell you about the edges of my time here, and leave the deep rooted content for another post.

It is fall here, color at it's peak. There are hardly any hills in this part of the country, which I always pictured creating long vistas and a feeling of bigness. But lo, it is rather confining I find. The lack of topography creates a visual barrier at the next building, the next tree, and really a person can't see more than a half a mile most of the time.

But that's OK if what you are looking for is where you are. And indeed I came here to see my friend, her family, and my family in Madison.

Sarah showed me around Point as they call it. The Other Side, a fun little restaurant cafe is a hub of eclectic culture was our first stopping point. We enjoyed fine microbrew from the area, and some good food.

The next few days were a mixture of traveling to Madison, seeing the culture and sites of the city and it's dwellings, and meeting Sarah's family. I had met her mom before in Oregon, but this time I was also introduced to her grandparents, her sister, her friend Dan and her long time friend Lee Francin and her new family Shawn and daughter Olivia.
I enjoyed Madison, was glad to meet her family and friends.

My trip here is the culmination of many years of companionship with Sarah, beginning at the Single Speed World Championships in Downieville, CA.

This trip is something I've both wanted to embark on since our first meeting, and something I've feared to embark upon as it is a journey into the unknown . While Sarah and I both care for each other deeply our paths have often been filled with scree, and the hardscrabble under foot has caused a fall or two for both of us which have left scars.

That said, I was hoping to find smooth tread under foot for this week's travels. However we have again failed to agree upon the smooth path to travel, and are walking the middle ground of no path in particular stumbling over brambles, and cactus, and kicking rocks we didn't see.

Fumbling for footing is never fun, but has provided insight into ourselves and our relationship, and hopefully before the trip comes to a close, clarity and direction.

Sarah has met some great people here and I've met a few of them now too. There is a good bike scene here, just about everyone I've met is really friendly and enjoyable, and they have all been welcoming as I explore.

The week ahead will go quickly I'm sure. I've got another day or two here, then I'm off to Madison for a couple of days with my uncle Jeramiah and Aunt Nancy, and on Saturday I'm going back to Portland. As usual, I'm glad I've gone traveling, and look forward to being home again.

Where's the comments? Whatcha got for me?

1 comment:

  1. Hey Eug!
    It's Friday night so I guess I'll see you soon. I just couldn't ignore the call for comments! And since I can't seem to get you on your phone...(weird).

    So it sounds like you need to get yourself back to Oregon. We sure miss you. We had fish 'n chips at the pub tonight with a big crowd of friends. Huck had a really good day. Such a happy man.

    I want to make some grape jelly with your concords when you get home. We should have a jammin' party.

    See you soon!

    ReplyDelete