Sunday in Madison

Sunday, July 7, 2013 – Sunday in Madison 

No, this is NOT me sitting on the Union Terrace!

Ahh, Sunday in Madison.  What to do?  The possibilities are endless.  A true Badger would sit out on the Union Terrace with a pitcher (or two or three) of beer.  However, in my case, that’s not likely to happen since I tried my first – and only – beer at the Memorial Union in the fall of freshman year and found myself slowly sliding under the table.  So let’s think of other activities.  A walk up Bascom Hill might be nice.  A visit to one of Madison’s many museums – the Veterans Museum, the State Historical Society, the University’s Chazen Museum of Art, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art are all within walking distance.  But it’s still early, and I’m trying to restrain my tendency towards hyperactivity.  So I’ll start with a cup of Tazo “passion” tea (a tisane described as an exuberant herbal infusion) and a leisurely look at Madison’s unique newspaper, TheOnion.   

You can also read The Onion online.

Later – 

Wisconsin calls itself America’s Dairyland, so it seems somehow sacrilegious to be snacking on Dutch cheese, but that’s exactly what I did for my second breakfast.  I was in Trader Joe’s on Saturday (yes, they have one in Madison!) and I couldn’t resist picking up a few essentials.  Our mini-fridge is now stocked with the above-mentioned cheese, plus a container of hummus, a bag of sugar snap peas and a carton of soymilk.  I have not forgotten my vow to try cheese curds, however. 

After the snack, I start my solo walk up Bascom Hill.  It’s strange to be back in the heart of campus again, especially as it’s deserted on this Sunday morning.  During the school year, crowds of students would be trudging up the steep incline on their way to classes.  When the warm finally turned warm after the long winter, they’d be sprawled out on the large grassy expanse, soaking in the spring sunshine.  Funny, I’d forgotten about that statue of Abe Lincoln at the top, but I recognize the building where I took my introductory zoology class.  (I wrote a research paper on the breeding habits of penguins.)  

Bascom Hall and Abe Lincoln sit at the top of Bascom Hill.

It’s reassuring to see the hill and the buildings intact, and to know that they survived my absence.  It’s sort of like when you think of a long-ago lover that you haven’t seen or heard from in years.  You don’t want to renew the relationship, but you want to believe that the person is alive and well.   

 

On the far side of the hill, I confront Van Hise Hall, the high-rise building where I struggled through 17^th and 18^th century French literature.  The street directly in front of me leads to Babcock Hall, where I could get more of that incredible ice cream.  But instead, I turn left, then left again, onto University Avenue.  As I expected, there’s a lot of new construction, but I soon find a familiar building – old, rosy red Lathrop Hall.  This is where I took my one and only physical education class while at the university.  “Fundies” (Fundamentals of Movement) fulfilled the graduation requirement.  I still remember the instructor complimenting me when I was lying on the floor, practicing a relaxation technique.  That was the extent of my college athletic career.   In retrospect, that relaxation technique is one of the most valuable things I learned during my four years of undergraduate study. 

I’m glad I did this walk alone.  I didn’t want anything or anyone to intrude with the experience of stepping back in time.  Did I mention how strange this was?  This walk stimulated tiny bits and pieces of visual memories that are buried so deep in my brain that I’m not sure if they’re real or just images from dreams.  But now I see I didn’t just conjure them up out of my imagination.  These places actually exist. 

After the campus walk, I was ready to pull myself back to 2013.  Elliott and I took a leisurely stroll up State Street to the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art where we saw a very interesting photography show.  While I appreciate digital technology, I marvel at the subtlety that photographers can achieve in their black and white silver gelatin prints.  One of the photographers whose work impressed me is the late Robert Frank.  (He was featured in a show at the National Gallery of Art a few years ago.)  I was also very impressed with the color prints of the contemporary photographer Richard Misrach.  The museum had an awesome shop.  Unfortunately, my luggage is so tightly packed that there isn’t room for a single additional item.  

You see some strange sights on State Street.

As I mentioned, you see some strange sights on State Street.

We didn’t linger on State Street because of the heat and humidity.  I sipped another iced tea as we walked back to the hotel.  It was my second of the day.  This is part of my new summer weight loss program called “Fill Up with Fluids.”  The goal is to lose ten pounds before the wedding – and to stay hydrated at the same time.