We live in a pretty nice city. It offers so much in such a little space. I spent last Friday celebrating the very little spaces that most people don't see even though some are in plain view. Our first stop was the lake front. We took some lawn chairs and sat on the bluff just cooling off. They don't call Lake Michigan one of the Great Lakes for nothing. She was curious about what else was along the lake shore so I took her on the nickel tour.
We sat on the South Shore fishing docks and listened to the sail boats sway in their berths while a few guys were fishing near us. It also has a great view of down town and the Lake Express Ferry. You can also see our first wind turbine on the lake shore from here.
A bit further north and you are in the Port of Milwaukee. There happened to be a freighter in the docks at the time as well as another on the river side off loading next winter's salt. This area along the river is not one of the beauty spots of the city, but it is home to Milwaukee's smallest park.
Kaszube's Park is dedicated to the original Polish fishing village that occupied Jone's Island. The Kazube's never owned the land and were evicted so the land could be used for larger commercial operations of shipping. It is also home of the sewage treatment plant.
I took her around to the other side of the river to see some of the most run-down pieces of real estate right near the fresh water research institute which is really growing at our local university. We watched our ship leave port and took a trip down to the boat launch which will get you to all three rivers feeding into the lake near this point.
A summer evening becomes complete when you stop for custard at Leon's. The place almost always has a line. We enjoyed a strawberry sundae under the glow of the neon canopy. If you find yourself in Milwaukee, a trip to Leon's, especially at night, is a step back in time.
With our lives so busy lately it was so good to slow down and take some time to be with my daughter. She is already planning on a similar tour with one of her friends to share the local spots that make big cities great places to be.
We celebrated Arbor Day on Friday. The fourth Friday in April has been set aside to celebrate the importance of trees. There were celebrations in each district in Milwaukee, some earlier this week, many on Arbor Day. Some were big with the Mayor and other dignitaries present. Some were small with parents and children watching, for the first time, a tree planted for their future enjoyment.
I had the pleasure of attending five of those celebrations with different schools and libraries on our side of town. The teachers and kids do a great job of putting together their own special programs. There is singing at some, poetry at others, and proclamations read from the mayor designating this day as Arbor Day.
Our Forestry Department employees put in a lot of hard work to get the trees in the ground ahead of the celebrations. Some of the kids were able to watch as the trees went in the ground from their school windows. The kids do a ceremonial planting by mulching and watering the trees which have been planted for them.
Even though the things they do are more ceremony than function, they learn about the trees and their importance in our environment. They know that the air they breathe is because the trees turn the carbon dioxide around them into oxygen for them. They appreciate the shade and learn to climb the trees that have been planted years before they were born. They will enjoy the colorful leaves in autumn as they play on their school grounds.
After all the ceremonies, the kids are given a spruce tree to take home and plant themselves. It is great to see the smiles and laughter. The kids enjoyed on a sunny day made perfect for Arbor Day.
