What did I do this past summer? Enough. Well, enough to compose a post about it. And, even if this particular retrospective is a bit late, I’m going to list my favorite adventures, sheer black and white testimony, of another summer worth living.
I wrote that last sentence with a little pause; I had been confined to my house, for a period of two weeks, due to COVID this past summer. Yet, most, if not all, of my adventures were worth recounting. The following features are a collection of my ultimate favorites from this year.
Koehler–Andrea State Park
I’ll start off with a classic summer endeavor: beach going. And my first choice, pulling it from the ranks of many Wisconsin sandy havens, is a state park set on Lake Michigan’s western border.
The Koehler- Andre State Park is a 988 acre recreational site. It’s littered with giant grassy sand dunes, ones in which, with the aid of a boardwalk, can be hiked among the sands.
Two Door County Beaches
My second entry, much like my first, highlights beaches. Conversely, when compared to the vast scale of a State Park, these tiny pieces of shoreline offer differing experiences. Whether it be amidst the cooling lakeshore breezes, this breezy scene set in a secluded break in a forest, or a reprieve from ninety degree temps, smack dab in the middle of a vibrant town, these cater to varying moods.
I’ve detailed these experiences, a one day beach adventure, and the extreme disparities of these two parks. They were literally within ten miles from one another, only on opposite shores of the Door Peninsula.
Milwaukee’s Brewery District
Stepping away from beaches, but not Lake Michigan’s shore, well, the lake can’t be seen from this particular attraction, but the proud metropolis, a buzzing setting that harbors my chosen spot, certainly graces those blue waters. I’m speaking of Milwaukee’s Brewery District and, more to the point, the remnants of the Pabst Brewery. With some as old as mid nineteenth century, these structures tell the story of one of the oldest beer factories in America.
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Another highlight of this summer, as I step away from Wisconsin for a bit, would be my mini vacation to Minneapolis. There, we visited the George Floyd Memorial, meandered the Mall of America, took in Mill Ruins Park and enjoyed a few other sights. The one, and this kind of surprised me, but the one that lives with me most, aside from George Floyd’s memorial, would be the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
This seemingly rustic piece of land, dotted with creative artistic works, had set the tone for a fun afternoon. I’ll remember this place for quite some time.
Beyond Van Gogh
Finally, keeping on the same topic, that is the topic of artistic mastery, Heidi and I immersed ourselves in Vincent Van Gogh’s brilliant renderings. In an enormous room, where walls and towers displayed the Dutch painter’s creations, we were lost in a fantastical world, an alternate place in which a tormented mind found solace.
Those are my highlights from this year. Like I had mentioned, there were plenty of other escapades to remember. But these, the ones that you have just read, are memories I’ll cherish well after 2021 becomes a recent part of history.
Safe Travels!
Chris Writing Anything 