Locker Room

I had to descend down a long concrete stairwell, perhaps enough to cover two stories, to a football locker room. The locker room was in the dungeon of the school, and I recall it sitting even below the boiler room. It was here that we received our football equipment for seventh grade, with the coach's office and equipment storage room sharing an adjoining room. Being in the bowels of a school, the rooms lacked any natural light, and were lit with a few florescent shop type lights. The room seemed much older than the school, which was built during the baby boom era. This was the locker room for the Sacred Hearts football team. I don't think the smell of sweat that permeated the equipment from budding hormones of adolescent boys ever left the equipment or the room. The showers were located up the stairs, down a hall, and were across from the cafeteria below the gym, which was much older. The locker room, like the cafeteria had been remodeled which was evident by the green and beige tile. This small locker room served the winter sport basketball team. 

My first locker room is a distinct contrast from the Division1 locker room of the Wisconsin Badgers. A recent article in "On Wisconsin", the UW alumni magazine which my wife Toni receives, had her thick red hair shaking in disbelief. My first locker room, was generally concrete block walls and concrete floors. There may have been a few mats, but I recall the metal tipped cleats clinking on the concrete floor. There was no tap dancing. Wood benches without backs were scattered around the room. Team meetings seldom took place in the locker room, but rather were out on the practice field, which was about a 1/4 mile walk from the locker room. I would have had only about a 300' walk from my house to the practice field, as our yard, bordered most of the south side of the Sacred Hearts athletic field. The boiler, which looked like it could have been the guts of Maryann the steam engine, lumbered and cranked depending upon the days temperature. The color of the room was institutional concrete grey. No paint, no decoration, just a simple space dedicated to kids looking to play a certain sport that allowed them to keep testosterone in check. The Badger locker room is red, which is the main color for the Badgers.

Photo of part of UW Football Locker Room
Source: "On Wisconsin", fall 2024

The UW football team locker room has red appointed stuffed seating that is three feet wide that folds to reveal ventilated storage. The article does not say if they are leather or vinyl covered. Below each seat is a back lighted logo of the motion "W" that is on the helmet. Just another thing to change if they change the logo design. I guess it lets you know what team you play on after too many hits to the head. If they can recognize the logo. Above the personal space is an illuminated display (again back lit) that features the athletes picture and name and some other stuff. Overdoing Badger red, the carpet is red as well as some of the lighting, which the article describes as low-lit, and says" "The low-lit room glows Badger red." Blood red is probably an appropriate color for a football locker room, particularly for a team who has an artificial surface. The red colored rug burns, and blood from cuts, will fit right in. Low light levels may be the only similarity the Sacred Hearts locker space had to the current Badger locker room.

A trophy case is present by the UW locker room, which is placed to add extra incentive, particularly since one trophy currently sits in Iowa. By the trophy case is shared space, which makes you think you are at a spa. there are lounge chairs, televisions, pool table, sleep pods, four foot deep recovery pools, and a saltwater float tank. There is also a nutrition room.  Add the barber and it is no wonder some players spend several hours there after practice. They have their own spa. A four square court is present, but hardly now used since Covid, as the writer said it is hard to compete with a cellphone. It is one big man cave. My wife understood the need for the deep recovery pool, and possibly the saltwater pool, but thought all else was above board. I wonder if the nutrition room serves lotus drinks?  My brother-in-law, Rick, had a couple lotus drinks at the BJ (that is for Boulder Junction) coffee shop when we were with them in Boulder Junction for a week in Sept. When ordering his first lotus drink he told the clerk he was turning in his man-card. Receiving coffee the next day, she told him his coffee had the blood of 2,000 men. She did not say to him, a Norwegian, if it was the blood of 2,000 Viking warriors.

Going out on a limb, I wonder if the UW serves new age (such as lotus) drinks in the nutrition room. Does this account for the lack of productivity on the field. A loss to Alabama was not unexpected, but by 42-10, could I say the team collectively lost its man-card? The Badgers have this week off to tend to their wounds before facing USC, in a revamped Big-Ten. Badger fans are still awaiting the arrival of the promised "Air Raid" offense. What the O-Coordinator and the head coach seem to lack is the understanding that the UW has really been a run oriented team, so to go to the promised "air raid" offense requires a culture change. 

My brother Steve who coached HS football for many years said with the pass four things can happen, and three of which are not good (sack, interception, incompletion). Passing offenses offer big gain, and that is why they are so popular. Rules have been changed to benefit the passing game, so statistics that compare stats from the 1960's or 1970's (and even 1990's and later) to 2020's is playing with numbers. it is like comparing rushing yards of a 16, now 17 game season to when the seasons had 14 or less games. 

Football is big business and D1 programs compete for talent, and each team searches for its edge. Years ago, "60 Minutes" had a segment on then Alabama coach Nick Saban. Not once, not once, was there a mention of academics or academic standards at the University. The edifice complex has spread to fields, as Bama's is Nick Saban field, and Camp Randall's is Barry Alavarez field. What significant figurer in football will get the restrooms named for them? Luke Fickell Restrooms. Chris McIntosh trash enclosure. I still await a name referred to as Tax Payer Field. To me, this all shows how far college football has floated from its academic roots, and even its early roots. 

When my Dad played in the first Cotton Bowl they traveled by train, and no practice facility was provided, but they found a pasture to practice in. I have to think I would be more at home in that basement concrete locker room when I was at Sacred Hearts. I do not need much frills. Football was, and is, a tough game, and the Sacred Hearts locker room reflected the game's grit. The game has changed markedly since 1971, and in more ways than reflected in the Badger locker room. So, Badger players, get yourself a lotus drink, and sit down on your padded seat to enjoy the televisions.

Boulder

We are biking a paved trail surrounded by tall pines and lower level spruce trees. This setting provides a sense and scent of Christmas which is over three months distant, but with the weather late last it could have been less than two months distant. We were on part of the Heart of Vilas County bike trail system. The bike system, which runs from Mercer southeast to just past St Germain, meanders through forest, and wetlands, over rivers and streams and along crisp blue lakes. One would think we are in a horse drawn cart on our way to grandma's house. 

Bike trail in St Germain

We make our base in about the middle, at Boulder Junction, staying at Big Bear Hideaway that was built by my brother Joe and now sold to other operators. Each time I am in the building, I find something new to marvel at, the little noticed detailing help makes the place. What is nice about the Northwoods is the diversity of its forests. We experienced some that were predominantly pine, and another, Forest Lake trail, that was mainly hardwood--with maple as its predominant species.

Fauna along Forest Rd

The Northwoods, as it is known, draws people from much of the upper Midwest. Even people from Illinois make the journey, not to mention some from Minnesota which has its own northwoods. We arrived on the Wednesday after Labor Day, and one can tell the summer season is over, not only by the shorter days, cooler weather, but the lack of activity in the towns, and the closures of some restaurants and shops. In Boulder Junction, the two ice cream shops are closed, the last closed Saturday evening. The second staple of Wisconsin not being available is somewhat disconcerting, but the bars and taverns still seem alive, although certainly less busy. The Boulder Coffee shop seemed to do a consistent business on the morning of 9/11.  

Fallison Lake

One restaurant/bar, a few minute mosey from our lodging, had live music last Saturday evening, and the flowing beer sure made things hop in Boulder Junction. This is quite a statement given that my son and daughter-in-law significantly lowered the average age (perhaps by 15 years) of what one niece refers to as the AARP crowd. I counted about 90 people. It was music that could be well enjoyed by us older folk, John Denver, Harry Chapin, just to name a few artists. I am not a musically inclined or knowledgeable individual, but I did know a few other artists.  

Hopping AARP crowd at Aqualand restaurant

With an ability to offer more than beer, the Wisconsin Northwoods can be a great location to undertake varied outdoor activities. The day Mom Bear and I arrived, last week Wednesday, we could not check in until 3 pm, but we left early, and I got some swimming in (Nichols Lake and Jag Lake) and we did a  twelve mile bike ride on part of the new Lost Creek Loop, from Nichols Lake to the Jag Lake state forest group camp. While others hiked, me and my bad feet moseyed along from varied parking lots to a falls, hiking a total of three miles while visiting water falls along the Black River in the Upper Peninsula, near Bessemer. We had intermittent rain that morning, and we were fortunate to fit the falls in without much affect by the rain. Late that afternoon, we biked the full 14 mile Lost Creek Loop. Showing the unreliability of weather apps, three showed the rain had stopped, but we had half the ride in rain. I suspect the cars that went by wondered what was wrong with us. Heck, on Tuesday the chance of rain was 6% and that chance of course struck us a few times. 

Part of a Black River waterfall

A few days the weather was in the low 70's which allowed both swimming, and biking, and, even for me, some hiking. That is the odd thing about early September. In the north it is a shoulder season in early September. When weather is decent, the lake water still is sufficient in which to swim, and the biking is nice in 60 and the 70 temperatures. Friday the temps were in the low 50's and struggled to the low 60's in the sun on Saturday. There is much to explore, and the paved bike paths provide an opportunity for many. The popularity of E-bikes sure makes it a must do for many seasoned citizens. Biking is just one of many activities one is able to enjoy in Vilas County.

Enjoying the Fallison Lake Trail
(Courtesy of Andrew Hovel)

I do not fish, and many see the north as best for those who like to fish. Vilas County, where we spent most of our time, is said to have the largest concentration of freshwater lakes in the world (although different government units define lake differently). Hence, it is an attraction for those who like to fish. Past trips we have noticed many females, those wayward females, in large groups biking, which makes me wonder if their spouses or partners are off fishing while the ladies get in some cardio. Many fish for Muskies, which I hear takes a great deal of patience. My oldest brother was a Muskie fisherman, and tied and sold lures for that species. He probably had less patience than me, so I often wondered how he was so successful. It must have been the lures.

Me with Marty, Boulder Junction

(photo courtesy of Toni Hovel)

One thing I like about these small towns in the kitsch of a fiberglass figure. One town has a loon, Boulder Junction has Marty the Muskie, and St Germain has some French guy along Hwy 70, slightly east of 155. Each claim a mascot. 

Me and Marty, closeup 

(photo courtesy of Toni Hovel)

While the Wisconsin north woods is known for its lakes, and woods, success breeds problems. I have written about one problem I noticed a few years ago in Vilas County, which you can read about here. I believe vacation rentals are a large part of the cause, as it certainly is not agriculture. With vacation rentals, cottages are used many weeks during the year, rather than perhaps four or five. I think, for the health of the waters, it is time for a sewage treatment plant to be considered for the lakes with many dwellings. Sewage treatments plants have helped clean or keep clean a number of lakes clean . 

The lakes and woods are what draw people to the north woods, and humans have a capacity to destroy that which they value. Hence, some intervention is needed, before the lakes become cesspools not favorable to the recreation purposes so desired.

By Fallison Lake
(Courtesy of Gena or Andrew)

The Northwoods has an ability to strike your senses, from the scent of pine needles, to the sight of a lake within a forest. The sound of water lapping against the shore, or a small brook all delight. IN providing a delight to your senses, it delights your soul, and helps your well being. 

Unless otherwise noted, all photos by author.

Futbol

If I had titled this post as "Football" most, if not all, readers would have linked it to American football. This post is about what the rest of the world know as futbol (with a diacritical accent mark above the u), also known as football, or here in the US as soccer. When my boys were in grade school they played soccer for a few years. I actually coached our younger sons team for a couple years. But, I am not writing about second graders playing soccer, but men in their athletic prime playing the "beautiful game". My wife and I attended our first professional soccer game in St Paul, MN on the evening of August 24. It was a great futbol game. We, and my sister and her husband, were invited up by my son and his wife to see a game. The game did not disappoint.

Outside view of Allianz Field before game

The final score was 3 to 2 in favor of visiting Seattle, as opposed to the Minnesota United Loons. Not to be outdone by the NFL, there professional season, for 2024 started in February and the regular season goes to early October. My first thought was that the February and March games would tend to be played at southern locations. I was wrong. Of the nine games, one in February and eight in March, six were played at the Allianz Field in St Paul. Allianz is an outdoor stadium, but has a translucent canopy that extends over much of the seating area. As would be expected in a northern climate where temperatures in February and March can be well below freezing, the field is heated. Playing in cold weather requires other accommodations, such as heating in restrooms, luxury boxes and the concession booths. When the Vikings played a season at the Univ of Minnesota Stadium while their new structure was being built, they had to make accommodations for playing in cold weather as the stadium was built as a three season venue, which generally sees is last game around Thanksgiving time, meaning it lacked proper heating for the winter. 

Field before game

Allianz stadium, opened in April 2019, it took two years and four months to construct. The game attendance was 19,751 (Loons website), although the stadiums listed capacity is 19,600 (Loons website). I am not sure where all the people were, because although the game was well attended, I did see empty seats. 

The attendees were engaged, and the UW students would be proud, or perhaps perturbed, that they have a play on one of the UW student chants X-rated chants at UW football games. My clean ears and mind took awhile, with a question to my son, to have figured it out.  If I was a regular at a UW football attendee, I may well have figured it our right away. At certain corner kicks, why only corner kicks, I don't know why, the fans stand and wave a scarf. Well most do, a woman in the row in front of us and a bit to the right had a scarf but did not wave it. Her male partner was rather enthusiastic about waving his with his left hand and arm, so perhaps she thought he was doing it for the both of them. On  the other hand if she waves with her right, maybe the arms would have become intertwined. She should have been on his left side as the seat to her left was vacant. 

Scarf waving, but for the woman

What was not vacant was the drum playing. Several people, perhaps 12 or more were gathered on a concourse over looking the field end and played their drums. Not any particular tune of which I was aware, but the sound added to the experience. I have to say, when watching the Vikings play, hearing their skol horn is not a delightful sound. It may be because they scored. Because soccer seldom stops play, the drum sound was almost continuous. 

The most unique aspect of this event was not the game, not the sound, not the stadium, but the fact that I found myself rooting for a team from Minnesota. I attended a Minnesota Twins game several years ago in Minneapolis, but more for the enjoyment than to root for a team. But, here I found myself rooting for the Loons. Was it old age? Have I become less suspicious of Minnesota, the Wisconsin rival to the west? I think it is the fact that Minnesota has the Loons, and Wisconsin lacks professional soccer, although Madison has a semi-pro team in the Flamingos. The neat thing was watching players who likely have played against the best soccer player in the world--the left footed Lionel Messi. Messi now plays for Miami, formally known as "Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami"  I am sure if the Loons were playing Inter Miami CF, the stadium would have been more than sold out, and people would have arrived early to watch the match. I think it is great that Messi, in the twilight of his career (he is 37), plays in the US, and by doing so likely takes the game in this nation to a whole other level. Too bad, the US Men's national team did not do better at the Paris Olympics

Game attendees

Soccer is an international game, and the next world cup, in 2026, will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Minneapolis, along with Chicago and Vancouver, dropped out of consideration of being a host city due to the international federation (FIFA) not wishing to discuss financials. Hence, the only Midwest location is Kansas City. The international nature of the game, makes for diverse team rosters. 

US football rosters have few international athletes. But, the differences are remarkable for games that share the same name variation. First, in football the clock counts down, in soccer it counts up. In soccer extra time is added for certain stoppages, this does not occur in football. In football there are plays with downtime in between, in soccer there are plays, but the game keeps moving.

Years ago, I was working at a KC bottle toss game at a festival. Working with me were the then head coach of Sun Prairie High School's football team, and another man who I do not recall. I was in my early twenties, and found their conversation of the expected effect on high school football, where the coach was afraid of declining numbers, and a decline in quality. I do not think high school football has been negatively impacted. Boys soccer and football share the same season in Wisconsin interscholastic high school athletics. 

Allianz Field

The point is that football is still king in the United States. In my opinion the NFL and college football are getting too big for their own good. As i write this, the Packers are expected to play The Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Palo, Brazil, the first NFL game in South America. In fact, showing the hubris of the NFL, the color green is banned at the stadium in which they are playing as it is the color of the teams biggest rival. (Do you know why purple is the Viking's color? If you had been choking for 60 years you would be purple too.) The way I look at it, in rooting for the Minnesota United Loons, I was rooting for an underdog. Which they probably were, as in their division they were in 9th position, to Seattle's 7th place. Futbol is a dynamic game to watch, although watching a March game at Allianz Field could be rather cold.

Rubbed Off

If my work as a planner for over 35 years taught me anything, it was that development, more often than not, is controversial. Particularly when near existing development. In most cases, the development would end up occurring anyway. Good plans can help to ameliorate the negative effects of a development. You have to follow your plans and ordinances. Yet, people still have a mantra of being a NIMBY, Not in My Backyard. There are times when NIMBYism can be useful.  A few issues in McFarland have been generating a great deal of controversy. My wife has been active on some of the issues, and one in particular I think my discourses on planning over the years was actually absorbed or rubbed off on her.

I always thought my discourses were, if I was lucky, going in one ear and out the other, or perhaps bouncing off like a pickle ball. To my surprise she paid some attention, which pays dividends in her activity on the McFarland Community Facebook page.  The project she in which she is what the village terms a "commercial development" projected for the east side of the village near Siggelkow Road. In town, much of Siggelkow is primarily a residential street, albeit four lanes for a good section, the section shared with Madison. In part it serves as a dividing line between McFarland and Madison. As a former planner, terminology can be both truly expressive of a use, but also euphemistic. For example, the commercial development they are talking about is not retail or service, but rather a large warehouse. Both fall under "commercial" in the Standard Industrial Classification Code (US Treasury Dept), but that is a wide range. I believe when most people her commercial they think of retail, restaurants and small service sector, like a bike repair or computer repair business. People have been asking for more commercial in McFarland, and this is how the village board responds. I don't think it is the commercial the lay population was looking for. Another example, is how the term business park came into use rather than industrial park; industrial tends to have a negative connotation, business a more favorable connotation. 

When most people think of commercial a 790,000 sq ft warehouse with 79 semi-truck docks would not fit their definition. So it is that the village leaders use the term commercial to describe this use. The better description would be warehouse, but they keep it broad and use a less obnoxious term to make it more palatable. This 18 plus acre building would be located on a 69 acre site, with an additional 167 acres available for industrial and business uses. One person, who has studied this, indicates that the east section of Siggelkow would see 50 to 100 semitruck trips a day. Apparently according to the developer, Interstate Partners, over 500 semi trips are estimated each day. This is based on a similar facility in Sun Prairie. The developer seemed proud of the semi traffic number as if more semis means more revenue for a village.

From TID 7 Project Plan
purple is color used for industrial, 
but the plan calls it business park
In my mind, business park is an entity,
Industrial, commercial, warehouses, etc are uses
This shows the euphemisms at play

One former village board member, which I believe was attempting to justify the decision for such a large use in the village, noted that there is no way to predict how some one will travel. The wife, rightly wrote back that it occurs all the time by traffic studies which estimate not only number of trips but their distribution of direction on to main streets. The study may not say how I, as an individual will travel, but it will say what a subdivision of 20 homes will produce in terms of trips (about 200) and how they will be distributed. The larger and more broad based, the more likely to have better accuracy. She properly noted that the 50 to 100 semi truck trips noted by that one man would have a negative effect on the single family homes adjoining Siggelkow Rd. Now, I do not know where the guy got his numbers, or if the village had a traffic study accomplished, but if not it should have been required, first at the large scale level when planning a business park and second at the micro-level with this one use, and how it integrates into the larger picture. 

The powers that be like to point out the tax base that will be generated and that people in the village say more commercial is needed. The issue is whether the use is the right place. In fact, the village may be better off with a light industrial development than a large warehouse as the warehouse produces more truck traffic. To benefit the development, the village is looking to create a Tax Increment District (TID).

With a TID, one needs to weigh negative impacts against its benefits. Generally, the test is that the development would not otherwise have happened but for the TID. TID's will typically take 12 to the maximum 20 years to pay off. I have long questioned whether a municipality ever earns back its payment as it provides services for the life of the TID which are subsidized by the other taxpayers. In basic, a TID is a defined geographic area (district) and any additional tax revenue (tax increment) from the date of creation goes to that defined geographic area. For example, say a municipality has a 200 acre TID created, and put in streets, sewer, water, storm water, and private utilities to serve that development. Perhaps they also granted a land write-down or other method to entice a specific development. Let us say they issued bonds, for the cost of those improvements in the amount of $20 million, and for twenty years to pay for those expenses. A couple new buildings are built, and in year 3, as an example, the tax base has grown from its base by $20 million. If the mill rate is $20 per $1,000 valuation, the district receives $400,000 to put to its expenses and debt. So it goes, until all costs, including debt, are paid. Sounds good, right? So what is the problem? The problem is that development pays for police, fire, road maintenance (snow plowing) or other municipal services on the base amount (predevelopment amount) for the life of the TID, other than what was the value at creation. And, more often than not such development happens on farmland, which has a low value, as it is based on production of corn not on its relationship to factors such as an urban area. Hence, if it takes twenty years to pay the debt off, that means for twenty years the vast majority of costs are been borne by the other taxpayers. It is a taxpayer subsidy to the TID area. Or, corporate welfare. Further, within that twenty years there are added maintenance costs, street sealing as one example, that costs more than a typical annual of snow plowing and street sweeping. In fact, by the end of twenty years, the roads may already, or be close to, a milling up and repaving the streets. My residential cul-de-sac was repaved after about 30 year, so you can imagine the need for a street that sees a great deal of semi traffic.

Further, there will be added costs outside the TID. Road repair, if not expansion may well be required. Semitruck's do more damage to a roadway than several cars. The Asphalt Institute estimates the damage of one five axle truck is equivalent to 1,750 to 2,950 passenger cars (midpoint is 1350)! Another source has the road stress of a truck to a car being 10,000 to 1. A different source, indicates that eighteen wheelers cause 99% of the damage and pay only about 38% of the cost for repair. 

The decision on whether or not to allow a TID is by the local municipality and the joint review board--comprised of municipal member, school district member, vo-tech member, county member, and an at large person recommended by the municipality and voted on the four members. I served on several joint review boards in my time with Fitchburg. 

It is nice to see my wife so engaged, and that my words of many years did not bounce off like butter in a hot Teflon coated pan. As for me, this was my life for a long time, and at this point, I need not be so engaged. With my words having rubbed off, and her added ideas, she made a formidable argument against the warehouse and the TID. 

Marl Lake

It is one of the twenty-two interconnected lakes making up the Waupaca Chain-o-Lakes. Marl Lake is also at the top of the chain. But, its most impressive aspect is the deep blue-green water. As one writer on WI River Trips noted, "the water quality is clear throughout the chain and near perfect on the upper lakes". The upper chain is also enhanced by the fact that they are small lakes (in surface area), meaning the main use of the smaller water bodies is by silent sport enthusiasts, paddling and swimming. The spring fed lakes, per the River Trips article, are often termed the finest set of lakes in Wisconsin. Marl Lake is only 14 acres of surface area, but is 60' deep. 

Marl Lake, from pier at Whispering Pines Park

On a recent camping trip at Hartman Creek State Park, we biked from the campground to the state Whispering Pines Park located adjacent to Marl Lake on three different days. From the entry of the Hartman Creek Campground, it is a short 2.5 mile bike ride, on varied and diverse surfaces from pavement to dirt can take one from the campground to the Whispering Pines Park and Marl Lake, nestled below towering pines at the head of the Waupaca Chain-o-Lakes.  A number of homes are about a third of the lake shore, but the Pope State Natural area adjoins the side opposite the homes, and add in the Whispering Pines Park, and the vast majority of adjoining land is public, which provides the forest view. The Pope State Natural area stands in contrast to the almost fully developed shoreline of some of the lakes, particularly those larger lakes in the lower chain. Cabins built at a time before public access was really a concern, have morphed to large homes in many cases. Hence, there is little public access to the chain, and for use, only two boat landings exist on the six small upper chain lakes. A tragedy of the commons, so to speak. The Whispering Pines area was privately owned although it served as a public park; it was later deeded to the state. The lack of access to much of the system means those few places of access, like Whispering Pines, get significant use. Marl Lake also has a boat launch, one of two on the six lakes on the upper chain.

After our first visit this year to Marl Lake, on a Monday afternoon, we then biked northeasterly on Whispering Pines Road and then mainly south on County Q to Scoopers Ice Cream Shop, where we both had a nice sized single scoop dish of Cedar Crest Ice Cream. After enjoying a delicious treat of Wisconsin made ice cream, we then biked back to the campground. We also visited Marl Lake on Tuesday morning about 9:30 am and were pleased to have it to ourselves for about 20 minutes or so. Wednesday we arrived 15 minutes earlier and some joggers were part way through their jog and jumped in the water a few times. Then the traffic really hit. 

Tuesday morning photo of the lake bottom
before the crowds hit

Part of the problem with access, are not just homes, but also geology--the lakes are glacial kettles and are spring fed, with no outlet. Marl Lake is connected to Hartman Lake by a small creek, that is never really navigable. Given the nature of glacial kettles, many of the lakes have steep sides, including Marl Lake. The steep sides limit access, but many homes are built at the top of the slope. Glacial kettles are formed when a block of ice breaks off the glacier and gets buried with debris. Insulated from warming weather, the buried ice will eventually melt forming a kettle. However, it is not the kettle that makes this lake unique so much as the underlying geology. 

Marl Lake is not only the name of the lake, but the name is derived from a type of lake, mainly described by the sediments that are on the bottom of the lake. Marl is a geologic condition mainly due to limestone. What occurs is that the springs bring in calcium carbonate from the limestone, and when dissolved these minerals they "bind-up" dissolved nutrients such as phosphorus which otherwise can lead to excessive algae growth (Marl Lake plaque).  This leads to the intense blue and green color when plants and algae suitable for hardwater "create a stream of calcium carbonate particles during the day due to photosynthesis and the particles drop to the bottom of the lake." During the day, the water and these particles absorb all the light rays from the sun, "except for the blue-green light which is reflected back and this gives the lake its startling color"--that blue green. The color is not evident during the cold weather months when the plants are inactive. In the winter it is just another lake color. The 1914 report noted that "Also, the color of the water is the same as that of typical marl lakes, being a greenish blue in the shallow water and a darker green in the deep water." The color is related to the plant growth and the sun reflection or absorption. 

Looking at lake bottom from end of pier, notice 
how the water color becomes more green in deeper water

Marl Lake is a small water craft haven. Kayakers, canoeists and now paddle boarders will put in and paddle the upper chain. Many will stop at the dock along Marl Lake, scattering their water craft along the shore, or tying them in the water to the dock such that they dominate the landscape. It gets heavy use. There is no beach at Whispering Pines, just a fishing dock, with a sign that no swimming activities are recommended, but many swim. The water is about 3' deep just off the edge of the land, and over 8 feet deep at the end of the pier. The T-shaped pier is a fancy for sunbathers. I think I counted 12 water craft at one time pulled up on shore or tied in the water by the dock. No dogs are allowed, but that does not stop people from letting their dog run free on the dock and near shore. After we departed Wednesday morning, I went swimming at the beach at Hartman Creek and noted that there were as many people on the dock or shore at Whispering Pines as at all of the 350 foot length of the Hartman Creek beach. 

Plaque at the Marl Lake, by bike rack
I took much of the geology and water color in
the post from this plaque

To get there, many drive, a good number arrive on watercraft, and a few (like us) bike. One family group split it up with some arriving by water craft and others by car and had lunch at the picnic area on top of the slope. Another group had three wooden homemade water craft--two canoes, and a kayak. Of course, you get also sorts of people like the older gentleman who said the water was warmer in the top 3" than below. He must have said it five or six times, such that when he left, some swimmers, although swimming activities are not recommended, were making fun of his constant comments about the top 3" of the water. Of course, the water is generally cold what you would expect--it is a spring fed 60' deep lake. In fact, I find the water in Hartman Lake rather cold and wonder if it is colder than some lakes I swam in up north in June and July. 

Marl Lake is a gem within the waterway and ecosystem of Wisconsin. Sanitary sewer system for the homes along the lake shore I am sure has assisted water quality in the region. The marl, with its high calcium carbonate, was once mined out of the lakes and deposited on farm land in the region, as a fertilizer. People have learned much over time, and luckily, the mining does not seem to have damaged the lake.

When I walk in the water by the dock I do not sink, but the surface is somewhat spongy. The consistency of the lake bed, at that location, is like walking on a bike path made of crushed limestone on top of a sponge. If I get several feet away from the dock I can sink a foot or more in the limestone colored "muck." It is almost difficult to pull your foot out. Limestone gives us building material, forms caves, and gives us hard water. It also gives us the unique color of the marl lakes, due to the interplay of minerals in the water, the algae and plant growth, and the sun. We then marvel at nature's creation of color and its interplay in our viewshed.

Time Passed

It was a partly cloudy and warm morning, with a welcome strong wind that helped to dissipate the heat. I was on a gravel road looking northwest up a gentle slope of predominantly corn to a highpoint. On that highpoint, a good half mile distant from where I stood I saw a farmstead surrounded by tall evergreens and deciduous trees. The interplay of sun and shadow, as the clouds passed the sun to my back, provided a metaphor for life in this generally non-descript area of Iowa. An area that time seemed to have passed by. 

View of A. Pitzenberger Farm, 1 Aug 2024

I was looking at land my great great grandfather, Andreas Pitzenberger, an immigrant from Austria, had purchased from the US Government in 1859. I turned around, and with some struggle I could make out the two steeples of the Catholic Church in St Lucas Iowa. Founded in 1855, the parish likely was attended by Andreas and his family, although the present church was constructed in 1914. I was taken back in time, to a different age. As I looked to the farmstead, on that warm first day of August, with the wind whipping the pages in a binder that had maps and other family information, I imagined what Andreas would have been doing on a Thursday morning over 160 years ago. His crops growing, I pondered whether he was tending a garden, or contemplating the harvest of his Irish Potatoes (1860 IA Ag census). Had he, I also wondered, planted some of those trees as a break to the strong Iowa winds which to this day continue to sweep over the Iowa prairie? Standing there as the corn swayed in a melodic manner I got a look into a time long past. A time of hard and difficult back-extensive work, but also with a sense of fulfilling purpose for an immigrant people cultivating life in a foreign land.

Top portion of A Ptizelberger Land Patent
from US, 1859.  Source: BLM

A couple weeks ago, the wife and I took a trip to Winneshiek Co, Iowa. Thursday, August 1, we spent about six hours doing what I refer to as a genealogical tour of the locations of my Pitzenberger side of the family. I should say, I spent, she spent the six hours being bored. Winneshiek County is located in northeast Iowa, its north line borders Minnesota, and it is the second Iowa county west of the Mississippi River. Much of it is part of the driftless area, which they take great pride to present. This may be one of the only areas of significant topographic relief in Iowa, so well that they should take pride in its undulating topography. This post is not to discuss my genealogy tour and what we did and see, as much as the cultural and social geography present in the area. I had mixed emotions. Sad for the people who struggled and toil, today, with this land to make a living in ventures which always seem to be on the edge due to economics and weather. Sad to see an area that time seems to have forgot. Yet, there was also some relief to see a part of the area of my ancestors still little touched by modernity and sprawled development. 

Part of farmstead discussed above. 1 Aug 2024

When I look at my Hovel line ancestral village of Ratiborova Lhota, Bohemia (family traced back to at least 1585) and compare the Cadaster mapping of the first part of the 1800's to air photos of today one notices little change. It almost seems that way for the 140 to 150 years of these towns. We spent Wednesday afternoon in Decorah, the county seat, and the night at a hotel in everywhere USA in Decorah. Decorah had the requisite fast food and Kwik Star (Kwik Trip brand) convenience store. Thursday we headed southwest to Spillville, which has two defining features: St Wenceslaus Catholic Church, the oldest Czech Catholic Church in the nation, and the Bily Clock museum. After meeting Michael Klimesh, a local historian and our guide of the varied places of my ancestors, we made our way through Ft Atkinson, IA, to farmland east and south formerly owned  by my ancestors. Andreas' farm had a Fort Atkinson mailing address. We then went to St Lucas, a few miles from the Andreas Pitzenberger farm, to Festina where my great grandparents had a general store, and where my grandma was married. We then headed home.

The area we mainly travelled was south of the County seat of Decorah, and in the southern part of Winneshiek Co. Michael Klemish, provided commentary on various historical and genealogical aspects present. Michael is Czech, with a bit of Swiss, and has a great knowledge of the area and is highly involved with some historical societies for which he does varied research. Spillville is Czech, even to this day, while St Lucas, Fort Atkinson and Festina are known for their German settlers and heritage which still run deep. In moving to Iowa, the Pitzenberger's moved to a location with a socio-demographic/economic group similar to what that they had left. The culture of the area was centered on the Catholic Churches which sprung up regularly over about a ten year or so time span in these rural communities. This was not uncommon in the US and today they remain as quilt squares in what is a decidedly unique American quilt. The culture was not so much a melting pot as a  stew with certain cultural features remaining, not unlike chunks of carrot and celery in a stew. 

Our Lady of Seven Dolors Church, Festina, IA
1 Aug 2024

While its physical geography mimics part of western Dane Co, its cultural geography is different. Dane County, regardless of attempts to control, is ever present with sprawl which is gobbling up good farm land as if it were a never ending story. All in the measure of "economic development." When comparing southern Winneshiek to Dane County, it is a tale of two very different places. Dane Co, for example, in just over three years grew by about 14,000 persons, with Fitchburg and Sun Prairie being the fastest growing cities. By comparison, Winneshiek's total population is 19,974. The towns I noted have had little population change over the past 140 years. 

Pitzenberger Communities, population table

Yet there are some similarities, parts of northern Dane Co were also settled by Germans, with Dane and Roxbury or Pine Bluff being the Dane Co version of, say, Festina. The difference is temporal, how time has changed Dane Co much more so than Winneshiek or Fayette Co. (St Lucas is just across the southern border of Winneshiek in Fayette Co.) The former parochial school in St Lucas is now home to the German American Museum and Library. An amazing venture considering how small the town is, but yet this is a clear expression of their values. Further evincing pride of place, the former St Lucas parochial school is being reroofed back to cedar shingles, its original roof style. New windows, will at some point, come to replace the plywood now covering many window openings. There is a resilience and a commitment to the past showing that time can have a preserving effect.

These towns have been affected by the economic revolution and the change in the time-space continuum. As an example, in early years Spillville once had four mills located along Turkey River. None exist today. Products were grown and in many cases processed locally as transportation was by horse and cart, and in some cases rail. My great grandfather Martin Hovel, however, used to take wheat from his farm near Manly, IA to McGregor, IA, across the river from Prairie du Chien for processing with a horse drawn cart. This is a 116 mile trip one way by current roads. Perhaps his wheat was bound by barge to some large urban center for processing in order to feed the growing urban population. 

Mathias and Teresia Pitzenberger
Tombstone, 1 Aug 2024

Spillville, as rural as it was then and today, was home to Anton Dvorak during the summer of 1893. It must have been a place to make his creativity run as during his Spillville summer, he "composed two of his most celebrated and enduring works." (IA PBS) It was the birds, the rolling water of the Turkey River, the wind in the trees that drove his imagination as he walked the river bank.

Rural can be determined by population density, but I believe rural can also be explained based on cultural features, or in this case lack thereof. After leaving Decorah we did not see a Culver's restaurant until Prairie du Chien, WI. Further, after leaving Decorah we saw only one Kwik Star in Postville, IA. Postville is said to be the most highly diverse town in the nation, its major industry a processing plant for kosher meats, has drawn to this once German enclave, Hasidic Jews, Hispanic and now Somali immigrants. Kwik Star (Kwik Trip) and Culver's are two current Midwest cultural icons which are mainstays of suburban sprawl. Suburbia and scattered rural home sites are not highly present in this area of Winneshiek Co. 

Table Comparing Dane Co, WI
to Winneshiek Co, IA

There are a few scattered homes in Winneshiek, but not near as many as in Wisconsin. In Dane County, it is hard to find a farm without at least one or more non-farm homes built at its edge, in a woodlot or a hilltop, proving the adage that the definition of an environmentalist is one who already as their house in the woods. Hilltops, in this part of Iowa, were not for a wealthy persons house, but a woods or cornfield. My wife, taking time out of being bored, commented that she had never seen so much corn in her life. Few restaurants existed, and if they were present they were local. The main businesses seemed to be mechanics and welders. We had lunch at a bar in Festina in which the most valuable piece of equipment was the big screen television playing the Olympics. As my wife said, it is not a bar for a lady. The ladies restroom was denoted with word "Peaches" on the door, and the men's with the word "Bananas".  Of the three towns and the hamlet, Spillville has the largest population, but we did not see a restaurant in that town, although Fort Atkinson has a restaurant called "The Fort". Spillville, being Czech must have a bar or more. 

St Wenceslaus Steeple, Spillville, IA
1 Aug 2024

It appeared that sewerage treatment for the communities is handled by treatment lagoons. Spillville's sits next to a park where one can camp. St Lucas had large dumpsters which residents would deposit their recyclables and garbage. In Spillville, garbage is picked up. It is not like they are without some, what we in the planning world called urban services.

These communities were created in a time before the car became famous, a mode of transportation that  has lessened the space-time continuum. The internal combustion engine also affected the developments of these towns so that it seems as if time has passed by. At about five to six miles apart the towns became small mercantile centers for the farmers. Festina already had a general store when my great grandfather Mathias Pitzenberger and his wife, Theresia, opened their store in 1890. Demand for goods was increasing as the rural area was dominate in 1890. The mercantile trade area must have been rather small, and certainly not the population it takes today too be supported. For some reason these small general stores make me think of Oleson's General Store in "Little House on the Prairie." Similarities are evidenced in rural Bohemia or even Forest County, WI with former small logging or mining towns spread about six to seven miles apart on Hwy 8. Foot and horse travel was the basis for much of the nation's original settlement pattern. Railroads then brought another.

Andreas and Maria Pitzenberger
Tombstone, 1 Aug 2024

Winneshiek Co. was first settled in its northeast section by Yankees who then moved and made room for Norwegians. German and Czech Catholics settled in the south and portions of the western parts of the county. The heritage is evident in the Catholic churches and related cemeteries. The area is heavily Czech by Spillville, and German by St Lucas, Festina, and Fort Atkinson. Spillville has St Wenceslaus Catholic Church, which is Czech, and a Catholic church for the Germans just outside of town toward Ft Atkinson. It is said that all the graves in the Our Lady of Seven Dolors cemetery in Festina have German surnames. Looking at Spillville its iron crosses and names give credence to a heavily Czech population, not to mention a dealer of the iron crosses lived in Spillville. When one walks the main path that splits the Seven Dolors cemetery into two parts, one side by the path contains the graves of premature born babies, or infants who died, a testament to the fragility of life. Each of the community's Catholic Churches also, for a time, had a school associated with it. The one in Spillville, now named St Theresia of Calcutta (originally St Wenceslaus school, it was renamed by a priest who did not care what the parishioners thought, and a year later he was gone but his chosen name lives on) is still operating. The language used in the Festina parish school was high German until the advent of WWI when it switched to English. My grandma Pitzenberger spoke both German (high) and English. Her mom, Teresia Kamen from Bohemia, spoke Czech, but given the time, dominance by the Austro-Hungarian Empire with German as its language, likely may have known German, and her father, from Austria, would have spoken German. 

Part of St Wenceslaus Cemetery, Spillville, IA 1 Aug 2024

The defining characteristic of Winneshiek County is farmland. Being in the driftless area of Iowa the hills and valleys and small towns are reminiscent of the rural area south and east of LaCrosse, WI. Both off the beaten path, although more so in Iowa than the area south of LaCrosse. In Dane County, WI, on the other hand, too often farmland is viewed as holding land for development, yet Dane Co is one of the largest agricultural production counties in WI. Dane County's farmland value is said to be less than that in Winneshiek Co, where they seem to understand that good farmland is important to their agricultural lifestyle. Nationally, the agricultural lifestyle has been disappearing since about 1910 to 1920. Farms are often operated by mega farmers. It is said Bill Gates is the largest owner of farmland in the US. Chinese investors, however owns more than Gates does. Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan once said that we value things we like and important to us. Iowa, quite literally, values farmland as important. I doubt Ray Kinsella would plow under Iowa corn to make a baseball field today.

The intelligentsia and elites in the nation often seem to discount people in our nation's rural areas. The elites view them as parochial, out of touch, if not deplorable. The values and way of life of the rural cohort are downplayed if not degraded. I have to say, I looked somewhat out of place at the bar in Festina. No area is static, but it seems that these small towns are close. And, change that is occurring, depopulation in many cases, is not good. Time may have passed by these small Iowa communities in terms of service and retail icons (Culver's and Kwik Trip) so common in everyplace America. Their small, old downtowns, now predominantly empty or with many former storefronts now put to noncommercial uses, harken to an age when business was along a main street, and where people walked rather than drove. When persons valued a locally owned shop tended by a merchant who was a neighbor. These old values represent an America that is long past. These values are as fleeting as the wind over the corn growing on the sloped fields of Iowa's driftless area. 

Shorts

Summer weather brings about wearing of shorts. Distressed jeans, where there are tears in the thighs and knees when purchased seem to still be an "in-thing", and I have written about how my distress in jeans comes about naturally, that is through wear, not requiring to be bought that way. I have had to depart with another pair of shorts this summer, meaning, I may need to buy some for next year.

Left leg side.

The shorts I had to throw away, as my wife said they were not worth patching again (I counted four patch spots) were actually pants I used to wear for work and as they aged and worn for too much for work, the wife made into shorts. My seamstress has decided on her own accord, without consultation with the client, that enough was enough. I guess that counts as an executive decision on her part. 

Right leg side

Shorts tend to be longer now then when I was a teenager. Today, they often hang below the knee. What occurs, is that when bending down the shorts get caught on the knee, the fabric wears and then you get a hole, or rip in the fabric. It begins small and then can get bigger, when not properly attended to early, and then they don't pass the Land Girl test and need to get thrown out. I wonder if the added length is purposeful for the shorts to wear out earlier and then need to buy more. A sort of planned obsolescence. 

Land Girl has taken my advice and shortened some of my daily wear shorts hoping that will solve the problem, so they may be at the knee, but not below it. We will see if my theory is correct, that long shorts wear out faster due to bending and kneeling down.

Left back pocke

The first known shorts were likely worn by the Nepalese army in the 1880's. Over time styles and trends have changed. I have a number of cargo shorts, with tons of pockets. Cargo shorts may be out of style, but I really don't know. I kind of like them. I am told that my style is 20 to 30 years out of date. That makes me say that I am a head of style, because my style will be back in. One example, when a teenager, fifty years ago, I wore horn rim glasses, which are now back in style. They were not so much back then. I tended to break a good number of eye wear (as they are now referred to instead of glasses) frames, and my parents wanted a pair that was more durable. Hence, I ended up with horned rim glasses. I don't think they survived my breakage capabilities. Land Girl is constantly surprised at my ability to break something (like her new water bottle).

Top part of front

Apparently, whether glasses (eye wear) or shorts, things I wear and use are not meant to last. The wife says I am too rough on items. I am not sure how I can be rough on shorts, but my activity apparently does have a deleterious effect on the fabric of pants, shorts and even some shirts. As I write this I have a holes and stains on a UW Bookstore T-Shirt I obtained at the start of the 2012 fall term when one of our kids went to the University of Wisconsin. I guess that too will go to the trash or to be used as a rag. Clothes wear out, and at times they are hard to part with.