Taking it easy in Wisconsin

 

It was a long ride to the Madison, Wisconsin, area; we arrived at my brother's apartment on Thursday afternoon.  Our route had taken us through Niagara Falls (both US and Canadian sides), across Ontario and Michigan, and on the fast ferry across Lake Michigan.  We took some wrong turns here and there, and it was nice to be in an air-conditioned car during a rather long heat wave for the north country. 

We found my brother, Axel, in pretty good shape, considering his ordeal this past year.  He is adapting well to having only half a foot, living in the hospital or rehab center most of the year, and now settling into a new, 55+ apartment in a suburb.  He can't really walk without his walker or cane, but he does manage to get around without help in his apartment.

We found Middleton to have a very cozy, inviting downtown with the historical features we enjoy.  The National Mustard Museum is small and silly, but we just had to visit it.  The gift shop was as goofy as the rest of the place.   Yesterday we took Axel to a doctor's appointment and did a little shopping, with a stop for lunch.  In the evening we took a dinner cruise on Lake Mendota, the largest of the lakes in the Madison area.

Today we are on our own and taking it easy as Axel attends a wedding.  After a trip to a farmer's market, the museum, and lunch, we attended an interesting book fair.  Groups and individuals could set up tables on the grounds of the Capital Brewery and sell mostly used books.  There was no fee to participate, and the sellers could keep whatever they earned.  There were authors, community groups, and people who just wanted to thin their collections.   Paul bought two books, and I just looked and thought about how we could organize something like this in Barre.