Wisconsin in January

1239 miles and staying at the home of David and Ann Wright, Amherst, Wisconsin.

This is the second winter I have been retired, and to be honest, I get really bored and antsy during January and February.  I think it's the lack of daylight.  I can always find things to do during most of the year, but these two months drive me crazy.  On a side note, I just read a column by Timothy Egan in the New York Times where he maintains that writers are more creative in Seattle in the winter.  He said that because winters are so dark and dreary there, writers have nothing else to do then but write.  Unfortunately, I'm not an author.  :-)

Anyway, Zoey and I decided to escape for a brief road trip to refresh our spirits with close friends who are a hoot to hang out with.  While Wisconsin may be the wrong direction to get warm or find increased daylight, Dave and Ann did promise a roaring fire, a stocked fridge, intellectual stimulation, and a ton of laughs.  So here I am!

I decided to travel light and not bring the truck camper.  We over nighted at my sister Mary Ann and her husband Eric's home in East Lansing Michigan.  Their place is about the halfway point.  Zoey and I arrived in Amherst about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon the 9th.  We took the long route, traveling south of Lake Erie instead of going through Canada (I was traveling with a case of wine and didn't want to deal with customs) and then driving north of Lake Michigan instead of south (I didn't want to deal with Chicago traffic).

The drive was especially pretty along the north shore of Lake Michigan.  The beach was snow covered and the ice was starting to build up along the shore line.  Zoey and I stopped a couple times for short walks.

Amherst, Wisconsin is a really neat town.  Stevens Point is about ten miles away and is the home of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  So Amherst is essentially a small town suburb, with shopping and academia only a short drive away.  The Central Waters Brewing Company is just a couple miles down the road.

On Thursday, Ann and I took Zoey for a walk at a nearby recreation area called Skunk Lake.  Dave's brother, "Crow" joined us with his Black Lab, Buddy.  The trail was packed enough so that we did not need snowshoes.  Zoey ran wild and got thoroughly exhausted.  She, as well as I, needed the exercise and fresh air after two long days of traveling.

Later that evening I went with Dave and Ann to a practice session of Irish music with a group of local musician friends.  It was a real treat to watch, listen and join in the conversation.

I guess that's all for now.  More later............