We got up with the alarm for the first time in 3 weeks. We were meeting Mary and Sara at the Park and Ride at Olin-Turville Park to take one car to the Square for the Farmer’s Market.
We met up at 9:00 and drove past Lake Monona. We could see a lot of fishermen on the lake. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water– 80 degrees, sunny, with a light breeze off the lake.
We parked in the parking garage and were on the Square by 9:30. Walking up to the Square, we notice these unusual looking bikes and kid carriers.
This bike had a helmet attached to it. Upon closer examination, it was a purple colander with a strap. Only in Madison!
As we walked toward the Square, we got a glimpse of the Capitol.
It is one of the prettiest state capitols I’ve seen.
Miss Forward stands atop the Capitol dome in all her golden splendor.
Sara, Mary, Bob, and I slowly made our way around the Farmer’s Market checking out all the fresh produce and homemade products all the vendors had to offer.
The outdoor cafes were filled with people enjoying the day.
Bob found some kohlrabi that he wanted to check out. We had some at dinner last night and he wanted to know what they looked like.
These were ground cherry tomatoes. They grow on a low bush and when they are ripe, they fall to the ground. To eat them, you peel off the thin brown wrapper and eat the sweet fruit inside.
We saw cauliflower in 4 colors–white, yellow green, and purple.
Looking down State St., we could see hoards of people.
This guy was selling honey. We loved his beehive hat!
There were lots of unusual veggies that I had never seen or heard of before and lots of beautiful fresh cut flowers for sale.
Sara bought some cheese bread, apparently a much sought-after product and very tasty. Bob and I got some sweet corn and fresh squeaky cheese curds.
I bought a delicious apple dumpling for Bob and I to share for breakfast. That was delicious and it didn’t last long. We spent over an hour making our way around the Square.
It wasn’t as crowded as I remembered it to be. It was so enjoyable just walking along, checking out the produce, and talking.
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We walked around the Capitol on the inner circle to get a look at all the Bucky statues. Bucky on Parade is a free public art event featuring 85 life-size Bucky Badger statues throughout Madison and Dane County. Local and regional artists transformed these Bucky statues into unique works of art. Each one has a different theme. There were 85 Bucky statues in all around town.
 This Bucky is made out of pennies. |
After we went full-circle, we walked into the Capitol rotunda. Looking up, the inside of the capitol dome is spectacular.
Standing in the rotunda, we spotted two more Bucky statues. One had a Veterans theme. The other one represented local businesses throughout the state.
Mary and I took the elevator up to the 4th floor where we took the stairs up to the observation deck in the Capitol dome. Out on the observation deck, the views were spectacular. The streets radiate out from the Capitol at the center in all directions.
 Monona Bay |
Bob and Sara waited for us below.
Mary and I also checked out the rotunda viewing area while we were up there. Standing there, you could see all the way down to the floors below.
We left there and walked back to the parking garage and drove back to the Park and Ride. Mary rode with us back to her house.
She wanted us to transport a box of Christmas ornaments to Florida for her so she would have them there. We had room in the truck so it wasn’t a problem. From there, we stopped at Woodman’s Market to pickup a few groceries.
This was my neighborhood grocery store and I shopped here many times over the 20 years we lived in Middleton. The pedestrian bridge over the Beltline had been redone since we had lived here. It was quite a work of art.
After shopping, our last stop was to see our old homestead. The area around us had grown up a lot. The house looked the same, which is comforting to see. The older lady who bought our house is taking good care of it.
The trees had grown up a lot, but the backyard still looked the same.
I planted those trees from seedlings that I got on Arbor Day one year. Wow! How they had grown.
From there, we went straight back to the campground for a little time at the pool and sitting outside with Auggie. It was a very pleasant afternoon.
Our dinner plans with our friends fell through, so we had chicken on the grill tonight. Auggie and I took our evening walk as the sun went down. We had such a great time with Bob’s sisters on the Square today. Thanks, Mary and Sara!
