museums

Brodhead Wisconsin Highlights

Travel

Brodhead, Wisconsin is a small town located in the southern part of Wisconsin. If daytripping in the area, be sure to head to Brodhead to take in a few of the must-sees. Among these are the Kelch Aviation Museum, the Brodhead Historical Society Museum/Depot, and of course what trip to Wisconsin would be complete without sampling some local cheese. A great place to sample cheese being the award winning Decatur Cheese Dairy.

A recent trip to Wisconsin brought us to the Kelch Aviation Museum in Brodhead, Wisconsin. This was a spur of the moment stop on our way to find cheese and one of the highlights of our trip. The museum is small but mighty.

After walking in the door, we were greeted by a friendly docent who gave us the history of the museum and some interesting facts about the planes and pilots who flew the crafts. I was especially interested in the mail planes and their pilots’ facinating history. The museum focuses on planes of the 20’s and 30’s. Double wingers everywhere. The museum also showcased a few cars and a firetruck from the town. The docent teased that they did not have to worry about fires as the fire department would be sure to get there quickly as they were displaying one of their antique trucks.

The back doors of the museum were opened so that we could look out onto the grass landing strip of the airport. While no planes were coming in, it was nice to feel the fresh air and have a chance to see the area outside the museum. The docent told us that if we came back the next morning, they would be having a pancake breakfast. Planes were scheduled to be coming in for the event. However tempting that sounded, it did not fit into our trip agenda. Maybe next time.

The museum is not open every day, so be sure to check the website for current hours. The Kelch Aviation Museum is free and they even have postcards that they will mail, all for free (a little publicity for the museum—smart). My husband did add a nice stash into the donation box. It was well worth it. For more information: https://www.kelchmuseum.org/

After leaving the museum, a stop at the Decatur Cheese Dairy is an absolute must. While they no longer give tours of the dairy, they have a wonderful little store that sells cheese, cheese curds (in all flavors), and the best grilled cheese sandwhiches in a variety of cheese options with a special sauce. I had never heard of special sauce on a grilled cheese sandwhich before. The nice woman offered to put mine on the side. It was delicious. While I didn’t get the full recipe of the secret sauce, I did manage to find out that it contains mayo and mustard.

Be patient if going to the Decatur Cheese Dairy. The lines were out the door for service, but it was well worth the wait and the lines moved swiftly. There are tables outside to enjoy your purchases. For more information: https://decaturdairy.com/

While we did not make it to the Brodhead Historical Society Museum on this trip, we have been there before. The museum is located in the old Milwaukee Road Depot. Inside the museum are many interesting historical photographs and items showcasing the history of the area. Two of my favorite exhibits included vintage broom making equipment and cheese making displays. Just outside the museum is a locomotive and caboose that is partially opened to peak inside. For more information: http://www.brodheadhistory.org/depot-museum/

Brodhead also boasts of hiking, outdoor activities, parks, and a covered bridge. A very enjoyable day can be spent in Brodhead, Wisconsin. As always, Happy Travels!

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A Day at the Petersen Automobile Museum

Travel

Los Angeles is home to many museums of all types. The Petersen Automobile Museum is one for car buffs and curious minds alike. It is a three story museum showcasing exhibits of vehicles of different categories and it makes for an interesting day out.

This is the third time I have been to the Petersen. The only complaint I have is that one used to go to the museum and see more cars for the admission. Now, the first floor is devoted to “the vault”. In order to get into “the vault”, one must pay extra. Other museums have done this as well, such as the San Diego Automotive museum. It always makes me feel a bit jipped though. Why can’t everyone see all the displays for the same price (that is already enough money)? Well, needless to say, we did not pay the extra to visit “the vault”, however, we still had a nice time.

There were so many wonderful vehicles at the museum. I like the unique cars or cars with different features. I very much enjoyed the three wheeled Electric Shopper of the 1960’s. A car designed for a shopper, now that’s my idea of fun! I also thought the 1993 Isdera Commendatore 1121 (only one of left) was interesting, with the side-view mirror mounted on the roof, visible to the driver through a transparent panel.

Electric Shopper

I am including the following Harley Davidson for Melie. (I hope you read this!) I saw this and know that you like to post woman motorcyclists. I found this interesting….

So, if you like automobiles and other vehicles and are in or around LA, why not stop by the Petersen and take in some car history. You may learn a thing or two, as did I. Who knew they used to make a hair dryer that worked in the car! Genious!

Car Hair Dryer

As always, Happy Driving!

Fashion Redux 2020 at the San Diego History Center via Zoom

Travel
image: http://www.sandiegohistorycenter.org

Museums are closed now due to Covid-19, however, many museums are finding unique ways to allow the public to view their exhibits. Now might be a good time to ‘visit’ a museum anywhere in the world on-line. Some are even offering on-line classes and speaker presentations.

I signed-up to be included in a Zoom live-webinar for the San Diego History Center’s exhibit Fashion Redux 2020. While it would have been nice to see the exhibit in person, this was the next best thing. Fashion Redux 2020 is an exhibit featuring the designs of San Diego Mesa College fashion students that are based on and inspired by fashion from the collection at the San Diego History Center. The exhibit is now in it’s 9th year. This year’s era of choice was the 1970’s. The students researched the period and the clothing worn at that time and tried to make it relevant for today. The top four designs were chosen to be in the exhibit. During the live-webinar, the winning designers were asked questions about their designs and how they came to be and their design styles. Their professor from Mesa College was one of the speakers who questioned the students and gave information on their assignment.

The webinar began with a brief history of the museum and it’s collection. I found this very interesting. The fashion collection at the San Diego History Center is quite large and was donated by individuals living in San Diego. They (as most museums do) loan pieces from their collection to other museums. One such piece that has gone out for loan is the Bloomer Ensemble dating 1850. According to the museum’s archieve expert, the Bloomer Ensemble (which belonged to Anna Gunn Marston of San Diego) is the only existing piece of it’s kind. It had a very important significance to the change in women’s clothing, giving women more freedom of movement.

Bloomer Ensemble
Silk taffeta and glazed cotton, c. 1850
Very rare example, descended through the Anna Gunn Marston family of San Diego.
Gift of Elizabeth Bacon, 87.64.1 (photo and description from: http://www.sandiegohistorycenter.org)

So, while one may not be able to visit a museum in person at the moment, this is a great chance to enjoy an on-line experience. I am glad my daughter and I attended the on-line webinar. This year’s student designers were incredible and I learned a little fashion history as well. The webinar is eventually to be posted on the museum’s wesite and youtube as well. Be sure to check out the museum’s website for more information on the current exhibit at: http://www.sandiegohistorycenter.org).