Ingenuity, earthiness plentiful in Spooner
The quartet of teen girls was clean-cut, friendly, matter-of-fact – and the sales pitch went something like this: “We’re raising money to help buy clothes […]
Articles by Mary Bergin
Mazomanie: One of the coolest small towns
Until this month, Mazomanie was best known for being near a sandy, isolated, nude beach along the Wisconsin River. The lazing and bronzing of uninhibited […]
Siebkens: Long live Elkhart’s resort queen
The line between “quaint” and “outdated” can get pretty thin; few know this better than sisters Laurie Stecker and Lisa Sadiq. The proprietors of Siebkens […]
LEED leaders in Michigan: Hotels, museums
Before George Heartwell’s 2004 election as mayor of Grand Rapids, Mich., he was a preacher for the United Church of Christ. Evangelizing continues, but the […]
New Civil War Museum takes war personally
Think about war as an extreme intrusion that involves family as much as fight. Upheavals emerge close to home and on faraway battlefields. You and […]
True to tradition: Freistadt Alte Kameraden
The photography assignment, to capture the spirit and activity of Milwaukee’s annual German Fest, wasn’t as easy as it might sound. Lederhosen and dirndls were […]
Fonz statue upholds ‘Happy Days’ image
Two reminders: What you see in the mirror is a distortion of reality, and growing up doesn’t mean throwing away the past. Milwaukee this month […]
Finding authentic Japan in/near Rockford, Ill.
One of the great things about group travel – when done well – is that strangers sometimes become friends. Fond memories of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, when […]
Inside UP’s remote Isle Royale National Park
Our 100-passenger ferry is rocking me like a drunken, slapdash sailor, so my eyes stay closed during most of this three-hour ride. I am a […]
Rock Island: least-visited state park in Wis.
The handwritten sign says “Rock Island Café,” and the only thing on the menu is fresh berries during this time of year. The sequence begins […]
Washington Island: slow pace, rich rhythms
My borrowed bike has no gears or hand brakes, but there is little need for either. The terrain is rural and relatively flat, the traffic […]
House of Harley: a mecca, lively museum
The 80-foot towers look like boom boxes on steroids, monstrous structures of exposed galvanized steel. A sense of supremacy reigns everywhere, even in bathrooms, where […]