Al fresco season blew into Wisconsin on a charcoal-scented cloud this weekend and we all — traveling troubadours, weekend skippers, ATV drivers, backyard barbecuers, Timber Rattler tailgaters, cabin cleaners and Midwest munchers — dusted off our picnic tables and bellied up with glee.
Food tastes better when you can eat it outside. Music sounds sweeter too. Fresh air breathes life into all those sleepy gardens and in the gardeners too.
Tasty signs pop up along the highway — fresh asparagus and rhubarb — and let you know that Farmers Markets are right around the corner.
We stopped by our friend Lee Bergsbakken’s farm to pick up some asparagus, sunflower oil and popcorn Saturday afternoon and two of the three made it onto our front porch table that night.
We also popped into Primal Eats Friday night and heard some good music from Severio Mancieri, a Duluth-based singer and guitar player who braved a little rain to play a three-hour set. I enjoyed a hearty booyah and the whole unique experience there.
Saturday afternoon we had lunch at the Lighthouse, where we could sit outside and watch boats come through the channel from the Wolf River to Shawano Lake. Two Eagles provided extra entertainment as they swooped and dove directly overhead.
I’m so very grateful for Al Fresco season, and the promise of all that summer fun ahead. I’m also grateful for the people I got to hang with this weekend, and for everyone who calls me mom.
