NORB'S COOP NOW OFFICIALLY PART OF WRITE ON!

Coop Open House invitation, artwork by Emmet Johns.

Washington Island, Door County -

We'll step afield today for a slightly broader look at the writing scene in Door County which seems to be not only alive and well, but gaining a bit of momentum with the Island Literary Festival now heading into its third year, and an ambitious but solid effort to provide writing opportunities at the newly organized Write On! Door County.   And of course, there are many other efforts, such as the ongoing classes offered at the Clearing, plus quiet, independent efforts ranging from creative writing to journalism within peninsula and island shores.

Making connections with fellow writers was also in mind when Steve Schwandt and I drove to the open house and dedication of Norbert Blei's coop, moved not long ago to a field near Juddville. On that Saturday afternoon we joined a crowd of folks who came to hear music, poetry and prose readings - some of it Norb's, some by students of his classes - and to visit, and to walk the grounds and view the conceptual plans for future Write On! facilities.  Of course, we inspected the coop, his writing shack of many years that now seems spacious and empty without his piles of materials, and without Norb at his command center.

With Charlie Calkins inside Norb's Coop.

We met Charlie Calkins, a good friend of Norb's and a collector/dealer of early Wisconsin books and maps.  Charlie and Norb's son, Christopher, took on the task of cleaning out the coop with its decades of accumulated magazine and newspaper clippings, books and associated materials, and artworks, before a crew moved the coop from the Blei Europe Bay property to its new location at Write On! near Juddville.

We took a trip down memory lane with Charlie, the times we had met Norb in his coop, standing room only for a visitor of one, because of the material stacks that narrowed to a single aisle of about 18 inches that led to his desk, where nearly all of his writing and communications took place.   There was the 'Norb Blei Rolodex', the accumulated phone numbers with names and addresses taped to his desktop, at his fingertips for phoning or addressing notes.  And although the walls today are pretty much bare, his many clippings, photos and artworks that were thumbtacked to the walls, now removed since the clean-up, left behind a telltale patchwork of lighter, fresh rectangles against otherwise darkened cedar boards.

Many of the readers at the mic that afternoon were former students of Norb's from his writing classes over the years.   Outdoors it was chilly, breezy and overcast, and standing still in one spot was good practice, I thought, for our upcoming trip to Iceland where June temperatures hover between 40-50 F daily.  But in the hour and a half we were there, we managed to renew acquaintance with many friends, bought a copy of Soundings (a poetry collection representing works by many of Norb's former students), and viewed an architect's rendering for the landscaping and future home of Write On!

Another connection made with last Saturday's activities in Juddville leads into mention of the first Norbert Blei Literary Award, a writing contest now underway.  Poets and writers are encouraged to submit entries over the next several months.   An excellent panel of judges will read submissions, with the winners to be announced during the Washington Island Literary Festival in September.

This festival, now in its third year, will be held over three days, Sept. 18-19-20.  This timing is several weekends earlier than the first two years, in order to better coincide with fall colors and what we hope will be more pleasant, welcoming island weather.

Here is the announcement for the first Norbert Blei Literary Award.  Good luck to those who wish to provide an entry!   -  Dick Purinton

BLEI LITERARY AWARD ANNOUNCED BY THE 

                                              WASHINGTON ISLAND LITERARY FESTIVAL

The Norbert Blei Literary Award to honor the late renowned Door County author Norbert Blei has been created and the first entries in short story and poetry will be due July 1, the Washington Island Literary Festival Committee announced this month.

“As a teacher Norbert Blei was dedicated to nurturing the writing talent of others and we feel that this literary award will not only honor his memory but also keep alive many of the goals of his Cross Roads press, which sought to recognize talented writers by publishing their work,” said Elizabeth Wallman, co-chairperson of the Washington Island Literary Festival..

A $250 prize for both the winning short story and poetry will be awarded, with the winners given an opportunity to read their work at the festival, which will be held September 18-20 at the Trueblood Performing Arts Center and other locales on Washington Island.

Judges will include Jean Feraca, author and retired host of Wisconsin Public Radio and Judith Barisonzi, author and retired professor of University of Wisconsin Colleges.

The theme of this year’s Washington Island Literary Festival is “Spirit of Place: Literature of the Land and Sea,” and will include Outside Magazine writer Hampton Sides, author of “In the Kingdom of Ice,” Lin Enger, author of “The High Divide,” Danielle Sosin, author of “The Long Shining Waters,” and many other Midwest authors and poets.

All writers are invited to enter the contest.  For more information and guidelines, visit http://truebloodpac.com/norbert-blei-literary-award/.       For more information or to register for the Washington Island Literary Festival, see  http://truebloodpac.com/3rd-annual-washington-island-literary-festival/.

New coop on edge of Write On! meadow.

CATCH-UP TIME

Still, cool morning on Detroit Harbor

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

The air is decidedly fall air.  Cool days with high pressure, and ever cooler nights.  Time to get caught up with items at work and at home, including some loose ends with this blog.

A few days prior to the Labor Day weekend I swept cobwebs off the Moby Dick and ferried Jim and Kathleen Morris to Detroit Island where they met Dr. Rod Johnson and his friend, mason and all-around handy assistant Dave Schmelzer.  Rod lives on the tip of Detroit Island known as Richter's Point where at the turn of the last century there was a fishing village of considerable activity.  A number of fish tugs moored there and their owners had cottages and sheds nearby, and a place to process fish.  At one time, according to Rod, there was a small railway to move the net boxes and the carriers of fish from the dock to a concrete block processing building.    In the ensuing century, the wooden structures have fallen in and rotted to the ground, but certain of the cement buildings and revetments are still there, even after some vigorous bulldozing by Ed Anderson as he began to develop lots on Detroit Island in the 1950s.

Rod, who has spent summers for the past 25 years on Richter Point, east of the Ferry Dock, moors his steel ketch to the old fishing dock.  Underneath that dock - or should we say, a major underpinning for that dock - is a cast-off boiler from a steam-powered tug, along with other cast iron parts.   While rummaging on the beach years back, Rod uncovered a cast iron piece that must have also come from a steam tug.   When asked my opinion, I thought the piece he showed me was a steam engine, but then I waffled and thought it could be a steam-powered water pump.  The only identifying marks are on a small brass plate:  5 x 3 1/2 x 5 1/2, which must refer to the bore sizes of the twin pistons.

Jim and Kathleen Morris with Dr. Rod Johnson.
Dave Schmelzer in background.

This will likely be an easy challenge for any steam engine buff out there, so let's hear from you!

Kathleen is the Director for the Jackson Harbor Fishing Museum, and following Rod's offer to donate this piece of old machinery, she and husband Jim (who came alone to handle lines and help move the piece from shore to pontoon boat) joined me to inspect this piece.   Rod estimated it might weigh in excess of 400 pounds.   The four of us wheeled it across planks spanning the difference to the Moby Dick's deck, where we took a few photos to remember the occasion.  (photo shows the piece alongside the Jackson Harbor museum.)

Motorcycle Trip Shortened

I've often thought that planning and looking forward to a trip is almost as good as the trip itself.  In the case of a planned motorcycle trip to North and South Dakota, which we began September 6, the morning following Labor Day, planning proved to be the primary reward.

After 415 miles that first day - perhaps a bit long of a ride - Mary Jo experienced vertigo before we

Steam engine, or steam powered
water pump?

checked out from our hotel, about 15 miles northwest of Minneapolis.  After recuperating for the remainder of the morning, and being hesitant to continue on, much less get back on the motorcycle again, we turned around and returned as far as Wausau, then home the following day.  There will be other opportunities, we think, to make this trip, even if by car.

A bonus, of sorts, is that when we arrived home the weather was quite nice, and with Mary Jo still not feeling 100%, I rededicated my efforts at painting our house.   In the next five days I pretty much completed that task, with only storm windows and a small amount of trim left to do.  This was a good project to put behind me as I think more about having to pick up fallen leaves at our home on Main Road...still for sale, still without serious interest from a buyer.  

Big Tree Search Continues 

Still fresh from a trip to Plum Island where we sought large hemlocks to measure, and found a Door County champion, I motored over to Detroit Island late one afternoon with friend Steve Schwandt.  I knew of a cedar not far from the boat landing, near the graveled road that winds its way southeastward through the island.  At one time, we had property near this tree, adjacent to WDNR land where the tree actually grows.   

Using my rough estimations and measurements, this cedar does not appear to be the largest in Door County, but it might be within the top five measured trees on a list kept current by Roy Lukes.  This tree, which appears quite healthy, owes its girth to the unusual slant of the trunk, and the fact its location is inland and well-protected from brutal winds that can pound the shoreline.  Steve Schwandt, who is 6'5", gives a good comparison of size standing next to the tree.

  - Dick Purinton