Madison Farmers' Market

After all of our adventures earlier this month, we got to take another more local trip this past weekend. Ray had a conference in Madison, Wisconsin and I joined him so I could explore while he wrote code. On Saturday my friend Emily met me and we went to the farmers market that rings the capitol building in the center of town.



If you haven't noticed, I love going to farmer's markets. It is always interesting and inspiring to see the things that people grow and make; the foods that are unique to the place and the vegetables that are grown in many places but always look so gorgeous piled on tables, glowing on a sunny day.



Since we were in Wisconsin there was, of course, lots of cheese and cheese curds, also ears of corn piled high, maple syrup and honey, tempting baked goods, and radiant bouquets of flowers. We also saw someone selling gourds in all shapes and sizes, baskets of beautiful portabello mushrooms, varieties of herbs and grains.



I love farmers' markets for their because they are an ideal place to shop for food in the summer. I think I enjoy them even more because a visit to the market is a chance for a leisurely stroll on a summer day and I am always delighted to see the people that gather at the market to find their favorite foods, connect with farmers, and enjoy being outside. Everyone comes for their own reasons but I get a sense of community and shared experience around food which I do not find at the grocery store or a restaurant. So much hard work goes into the produce and products that farmers bring and each market seems like a small celebration of the day, the place, and the bounty that of the season.

This Week

After four days away, I've been catching up on things in the studio. So here are some photos our trip the the north woods and boundary waters of Minnesota.

We skied on lakes in bright sun, dusk, clouds and snow. We saw eagles on an island and wolves at a preserve. We lounged and read by the wood stove and tried out the sauna.

If you ever have a chance to try dog sledding, you should. It was an amazing experience to learn about and travel with such hard working, happy dogs. Despite my worry about all the things that could go wrong and the fear that I was no match for six dogs that just wanted to run, driving the sled was amazingly fun.

I hope you're finding wondrous adventures, too!

We spent an evening at the Minnesota State Fair this week. It was a lovely summer night, perfect for riding our bikes over to the fairgrounds. Last year was the first time we went and we got to see the butter sculptures, animals, horse antics and feel overwhelmed by how many people were there.

This time it was slightly less crowded. We walked around, took in the sights and ate. No deep fried cookie dough, but we did have some corn on the cob, fried cheese curds and apple pie! This afternoon we're leaving to go camping for a couple of days. I'm loving the chance to enjoy more summer activities. I hope you get a chance, too!