A March Adventure 2022

A mid-March weekend trip took my partner and I to Hartford, Wisconsin in search of some fun and cabin fever relief. With the celebration of just-passed St. Patrick’s Day in the rear-view mirror, we set out to enjoy ourselves and make some memories. With no specific plans beyond the first night’s activity, we let the events of the weekend simply unfold before us. The highlights of this adventure turned out to be dinner at the Wissota Chophouse, an outstanding concert, some quirky antiquing, and lunch at a premier Wisconsin dining destination.

Skerryvore

The main attraction of our adventure was a Friday night concert by Skerryvore, a Scottish Celtic Rock Band, performed before an enthusiastic audience in the Ruth A. Knoll Theater at Hartford’s Schauer Arts Center.

Skerryvore is a rocky island eleven miles off the northwest coast of Scotland. It boasts a majestic 1844 lighthouse that warned mariners of this hazardous island and Scotland’s nearby coast. Skerryvore was adopted as the band’s name. Learning about the island and its lighthouse had special meaning to this old lighthouse photographer. On their web page, the U.K. Northern Lighthouse Board provides this background on the Skerryvore Lighthouse:

The name, Skerryvore, is derived from the Gaelic words “Sgeir” meaning the rock and “mhor” (“mh” is pronounced “v”) meaning big. The lighthouse was built of granite quarried on the Island of Mull during the six years from 1838 to 1844, to the design of Alan Stevenson, Engineer and constitutes an outstanding example of lighthouse engineering.

The 8-piece band performing as Skerryvore presents an exciting and unique brand of music. The band includes bass and lead guitarists, two pipers, a drummer, keyboard player, violinist, and an accordionist. Together, Skerryvore producs an eclectic,   driving sound unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced in my over fifty years of loving rock music.

Below are my photos of the concert.

• What does Skerryvore’s music sound like?
• An eclectic instrumental: Gairm A’ Chuain (Call Of The Sea)
• A heartfelt love song: Take My Hand

The Adventure Continues

Part two of our adventure started by browsing Hartford’s Jack Russell Memorial Library, since both my partner and I are avid readers. The library overlooks the mill pond in downtown Hartford.

Hen Picked Antiques and Stained Glass

Before leaving Hartford, my partner suggested a stop at Hen Picked Antiques and Stained Glass. This unique shop is located in an old church building.  The crazy variety of odds and ends offered there led to another collection of photos. The store also has a large stained glass studio. Their web page describes the establishment as follows.

Located in a historic ca. 1853 church in downtown Hartford at the corner of Church and Branch Streets, Hen Picked Antiques features an eclectic mix of antiques, collectibles, giftware and gently used home and garden décor. We also offer stained glass repairs, as well as supplies and classes. Come in and experience the beautiful craftsmanship of an era gone by. 
Bring home an heirloom that has stood the test of time or be inspired to create your own work of art.

The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern

Our March adventure concluded with lunch at The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern, a premier dining establishment in Hustisford. Having not visited this restaurant in decades, I enjoyed going back and introducing it to my partner.

The Fox & Hounds web page regales the history of this classic Wisconsin dining destination.

In 1845, the first clerk of Washington County built a quaint, one-room cabin in the wooded, rolling hills of the northern Kettle Moraine. Nearly 90 years later, Ray Wolf, an avid horseman, restored the cabin, added a basement bar and opened it to fellow equestrians. It soon became headquarters for many a fox hunt, and so the name, “Fox & Hounds” was a natural when the Wolfs opened their restaurant in 1933.

The Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern is located in Hubertus, WI. Join us at our beautiful historic restaurant & bar, two miles East of Holy Hill Wisconsin.

While there, I took a few photos to illustrate our newly-made memories.