Fall Arrives

Driftless Wisconsin

The fall season arrived officially on September 22, but fall colors arrive on their own time. I am out on the Kickapoo River to survey for a deadfall removal project. I am in the front of the canoe, mapping and fidgeting with my GPS locator. Then I look up and...

Spring is a state of mind in Driftless Wisconsin

Driftless Wisconsin

If you’re like me, spring arrives first as a state of mind rather than a season. With two months still to go on the calendar, my mind wandered into the boating season with a trip to Cabela’s in Prairie du Chien to look at depth finders for my boat. Ice on the...

Christmas Traditions in Driftless Wisconsin

Driftless Wisconsin, Driftless Wisconsin Events

My memories of Christmas begin with lutefisk and lefse, the Norwegian feast my mother made each year to celebrate my father’s Scandinavian heritage. The smell of lutefisk – a cod cured in lye – wafting through the house on Christmas Eve sent me in the opposite...

Getting ready for winter and the holidays in Driftless Wisconsin

Driftless Wisconsin

“Hey John, how ya doing?” I asked a friend we met along the hiking trail out at the park. “I just bought my LP gas for 60 cents cheaper than last year,” he offered. In these parts, “how you doing?” means how are things stacking up for the winter. As in firewood, LP...

New Experiences in Driftless Wisconsin

Driftless Wisconsin

Our new golden retriever, Fargo, has a tail-wagging enthusiasm for all things new. Which for a 12-week-old puppy, amounts to just about anything appearing before his nose. This includes Christmas tree ornaments, house plants, shoe laces – especially those attached...