Door County Scenes

All over America, it’s county fair time! County fairs are a slice of Americana that have seen few changes over the two hundred–plus years they have existed in the United States. Oh, some things have been added through the years to attract folks with more adventurous tastes—such as mechanized rides and any number of weird and wonderful “foods-on-a-stick”—but by and large, the county fair remains an exhibition of local agricultural excellence and a celebration of rural life. It’s a time for farm wives to “up” their game for baking, canning, quilting, and floral competitions, while their husbands gather to discuss the weather, crops, and livestock, and admire the latest in farm machinery. 4–H kids proudly show off the cows, chickens, and pigs they’ve so carefully raised over the year for their big moment before the judges’ eyes. It’s a time to renew old friendships and catch up with longtime neighbors. And, finally, before the day ends with the boom and falling glitter of fireworks, it’s a time to enjoy homegrown musical entertainment under the stars.

The door opens with a merry jingle and you are immediately assailed with choices—cake cone, cookie cone, waffle cone, or dish? Mint chip, Door County cherry, chocolate chunk, or island coconut? A sundae, a float, a malt, shake, or ice cream soda? Or maybe you’d like an ice cream sandwich instead? Eating inside or out? The ordering line is long simply because each decision must be carefully considered. Finally, decision made, you head out cone in hand, until—SPLAT! Oh no! Your flavor-of-choice has rolled off the cone and hit the sidewalk, catching the hungry eye of a passing dachshund!

     Now really, wasn’t life simpler when the choices were just chocolate or vanilla in a dish?

The Door County Ice Cream Factory and Sandwich Shoppe was the inspiration for this painting. I am an inveterate ice cream aficionado and the Door County Ice Cream Factory is my absolute favorite in Door County!

The hardy men and women who fish the waters of Door County daily face the challenges of weather, climate, and man, as well as the ever-present threats of invasive species, disease, and over-fishing (and the occasional mermaid practicing her own form of "catch and release"). Using a variety of traps and net arrangements (in this instance, a gill net), devices that have been used for centuries, they plumb the depths of the inland waters to bring their hard-won harvest to our tables. These are the folks who are ultimately responsible for the famous Door County fish boils, the smoked salmon sold and savored throughout the county and beyond, and the bounty of lake perch available at Friday night fish fries throughout Wisconsin.

There was a time, not long ago, when farm stands dotted well-traveled roads and quiet lanes of the upper Midwest countryside. Built and stocked by the farm family, these small structures provided farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as seasonal flowers and decorations and, sometimes, even cider, homemade jams, and pies, for their customers. A simple pleasure for an urban or suburban family was a drive through the autumn countryside to enjoy the fall colors and find the crispest apples and the illusive "perfect" pumpkin.

     As more farmers travel to farmers' markets in cities and small towns to sell their harvest, the roadside farm stands are gradually disappearing. A closed-for-the-season roadside stand on the edge of a cherry orchard in southern Door County was the inspiration for this painting. I took a lot of artistic liberty with this image, beginning by turning the cherry orchard into an apple orchard. Nonetheless, I believe I captured the essence of the farm stand and the way of life that still supports the concept of "farm fresh."

Have you ever started the day with one plan or one activity in mind and then found yourself in a spot so delightful that you wished you had made an alternate or more flexible plan? I'm afraid that's exactly what was on the mind of these two cyclists who began their day enthusiastically biking the trails through Peninsula State Park. Enthusiastically, that is, until they happened upon the beach at Nicolet Bay. The earlier clouds had lifted, and everyone was enjoying the water and the sand . . . except our tired, sweaty bikers, who had to be satisfied with looking on!

Fishing is probably the oldest and most enduring reason to celebrate the waters of Door County. Today's sport fishermen are very conscious of sharing the thrill of the catch with fishermen of the future and are invested in "catch and release." Sometimes they are "encouraged" in this ethos by helpful mermaids. (And, yes! There are mermaids in the waters of Door County. Sources reveal they have been occasionally spotted on the rocks below Sherwood Point Lighthouse.)

The fish varieties captured in "Catch and Release" are yellow perch, largemouth bass, bowfin, channel catfish, sturgeon, crayfish, trout-perch, round whitefish, bluegill, pumpkinseed, spottail shiner, longnose gar, and lake trout.

As a kid, I always looked forward to days spent at the beach in Ephraim. My anticipation had little to do with the sparks of sun dancing off the reflected blues of Eagle Harbor or the backdrop of the quaint village with its pristine white church steeples poking out of the trees and the wide-porched hotels reminiscent of another era. Being a kid, I was much more interested in playing on the inviting stretch of beach, wading in the sandy shallows, and swimming in the deeper water.

    For kids today, those charms remain. Sandcastles are still built 'though some more extravagantly than in the past. Floating is accomplished—not just with the body—but with a wide variety of colorful, inflated forms. For big kids, there's kayaking, canoeing, and windsurfing. For those less actively inclined, the beach is wonderful for reading, snoozing, or watching all the surrounding activity.

    For a perfect beach day, no place does it better than Door County . . . but do keep an eye out for those pesky gulls!

Door County's Cave Point, located on the peninsula's "quiet side," is a spot well-known for blustery winds and turbulent waves. Over time, these conditions have created the rock formations that give the area its name and provide the variety of recreational activities to be found in that little county park.

    Whatever the weather conditions, Cave Point is a favorite destination of photographers, while trails and cliffs provide opportunities for hikers and climbers. The rocky beaches give rise to amazing cairns—casually constructed or carefully engineered by sure-footed visitors. Limestone ledges above deep, (sometimes) quiet pools invite daredevils to jump or dive. The caves created by the wave action, as well as shipwrecks visible in the clear waters of Lake Michigan, beckon kayakers to explore and discover. No matter the season, Cave Point affords many diversions for the adventurous!

I discovered this L–shaped stone, shingle-and-board barn along a back road in southernmost Door County. Shingling is typical of the old barns in Door County. The open side of the "L" faced Lake Michigan, but for my purposes, I chose to place it on the other side of the peninsula with the waters of Green Bay as the backdrop. Somewhat weathered though not crumbling, the barn appeared no longer used for livestock. It was notable for its huge sets of sliding doors. Since the surrounding land is still being worked, it is possible that the barn is used currently for the storage of farm equipment. Only the base remained of what must have been a large windmill.

     Surely this had been a dairy farm at one time, so I made the "girls" the heart of this Wisconsin farm's story. Having been an amused observer of bovine activity at farms near my home in rural southeastern Wisconsin over the years, I included some of their seemingly mindless activities in my painting.

     Notice the boy with the loaded milk cart scrambling to meet the Pleck's Dairy truck, a 1936 Ford. Pleck's Ice Cream and Dairy Co. was a fixture in Sturgeon Bay during the first half of the twentieth century.