After leaving South Dakota, we headed for St Paul, Minnesota, to visit Art's cousins, Don and Joanne, and their spouses. Don was the perfect host and tour guide and made sure we had a great day in the city. We started in downtown St Paul where we were able to see St Paul Cathedral and tour the Minnesota State Capital Building. The Capital Building, built in 1906, was beautiful and had just undergone a $1,000,000 renovation on the inside. The paintings on the walls and ceilings had been discolored, cracking, and peeling, after 104 years and were brought back to their original state and hues. All through the building were magnificent marble columns and steps. After lunch we proceeded to Como Park, where there is a "free" (donations only) zoo and plant conservatory. It was hard to believe they didn't charge an admission fee since both were very nice. The zoo even had bison, polar bears, and large cats. In the afternoon, we spent some time at Joanne and Ted's home on White Bear Lake and then visited Don's wife, Bits, at their home. It was wonderful to see everyone. What an enjoyable day!
Our next destination, was Marianette, in the northeast corner of Wisconsin near the Michigan border. It was here that I reunited with an old family friend, Pat Kosuth, whom I hadn't seen in at least 36 years! Pat's mother and mine met in WWII working in a factory and became best friends. As children, Pat and I spent a lot of time together and have kept in touch over the years by letters, so it was wonderful seeing Pat in person! She showed us around the area and took us to the Prestigo Fire Museum. A disastrous fire took place in 1871 in Prestigo, Wisconsin, the same time as the great Chicago fire. The fire destroyed the whole town, spread to the Door Peninsula, and as far away as Traverse City, Michigan, killing 2400 people in it's wake! The museum had some items found after the fire, although not many were left, and also had a cemetery next door where victims of the fire were buried. Besides sightseeing, Pat also had us over to her home, and cooked us two delicious meals. By the way, Pat is a wonderful cook! We had the pleasure of meeting Molly, Pat's dog and faithful companion. I'm so glad we were able to see Pat and hope it won't be another 36 years until we meet again!
Door Peninsula is an area of land jutting out between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. It is so picturesque, with small, quaint towns, interspersed with rural areas. During the summer and fall, Door is quite busy with lots of tourists, many who come up from Chicago. Art and I stayed about a week and really explored and enjoyed the area. There are many lighthouses around the peninsula, and Art and I toured one at Cana Island which was built in 1869 and started it's light in 1870. This lighthouse still has it's original Fresnel lens, one of the few still operating since being installed. A fun event, we participated in while at Door, was attend one of the famous "fish boils", a tradition in the peninsula. The fish boil started with fisherman and loggers a long time ago and eventually became a commercial success in the 50's. The boil is cooked outside in a huge pot fueled by a wood fire. Potatoes cook first, followed by small onions, and then the white fish. Just before the end, a cup of kerosene is added to the fire to cause a "boil over", which gets rid of impurities in the mixture. We got there early and were able to sit outside and observe the process. The meal was delicious and not bland, as I had assumed!
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