05.05 - Day 111 - Madison
Sunday 5th May - Madison Wisconsin (Day 111)
The nights are getting later for the kids - excitement of friends and toys mixed in with later sunsets; now almost 8:30pm - and their lie-ins are longer too as a result. It’s late morning when we head off in a two car convoy into Downtown Madison, 15 minutes away.
The State Capitol building sits in the middle and a few blocks to North and South are two large lakes creating a picturesque setting. After a picnic lunch on the grass outside the State Capitol we venture inside - past the college graduates taking photos in their gowns and mortarboards with occasional popping of champagne corks - another grand building like the one in Denver. We’re also allowed up to the rooftop overlooking the town and lakes.
A few doors down is the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and whilst the upstairs galleries weren’t to our uncultured tastes the exhibits on the ground floor were very impressive - animals and objects made from thousands of bullets or shell casings, some from pencils, a sheep made out of scissors, a tree from books, a cow from leather bags.
I’m sure there’s a meaning about the objects going a full circle or reusing them to create the object which they came from - but as Kate pointed out they looked brand new rather than recycling old pieces. But visually very striking. The kids at least enjoyed doing some colouring in.
Adding to our library tally we also spent time in Madison Library from where Sienna optimistically even for her fast reading takes out a 500 page book.
3pm is time for Annie to play her weekly soccer match; her team the Flying Flamingos crushing the Tarantulas 12-4 in the grounds of a local elementary school.
As we leave that, word has gone out of the neighbourhood Whatsapp chat of an open-to-all BBQ at the local park, which, after we’ve returned home we continue to the park which is 500 metres away on one scooter, 3 bikes, 1 walking and two cars.
A couple of other families have also come down and we all grill our sausages and burgers before Seb is egging others along for a baseball game. He finds a willing companion in Walter, another 6 year old who actually plays the sport and suddenly there’s two teams of 5, the game orchestrated by Walter’s dad who happens to be a Little League Baseball Coach.
As the sun dips behind the trees the kids score a scarcely believable but apparently allowed 5 runs with the last hit of the game and I think Seb’s baseball itch is well and truly scratched. The instant friendships kids make are illustrated by Seb having us cycle home the long way so he can cycle alongside Walter.
BBQ, beers and baseball is what I assume these folk are doing every Sunday afternoon. It is when it’s not snowing, says Joe the organiser.
