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Autumn 2004 – volume 2 issue 3

Publisher

Brad Massey

Editor

David Eliot

Associate Editors

Sara Massey, Madeline Johnson

Photography Director

Dan Eggert

Contributing Photographers

Roger Kuhns, Nicholas “Butch” McCartney

Artist/Illustrator

Seth Wessler

Contributing Editors

Laura J. Beck, Vinni Chomeau, Myles Dannhausen, Jr., Mariah Goode, Melissa Jankowski, Madeline Johnson, Mary Johnson, Roger Kuhns, Megan O’Meara, Sam Perlman, Courtney Skare, Edward Warner

Door County Living magazine is published three times

annually by:

Door County Living, Inc.,

P.O. Box 606, Ephraim, WI 542 II .

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Door County Living is available free of charge at select locations on the Door Peninsula. Why not have it delivered directly to your door? To order an annual subscription, please send $16.00 to Subscription- Door County Living, P.O. Box 606, Ephraim, WI 54211. To change your address or inquire about the status of your subscription, please contact us in writing at the address above, or by e-mail at: [email protected]

No portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission by the publisher. ©2004 Door County Living, Inc. All rights reserved.

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In this issue

  • Fireside Dining at Alexander’s

    Alexander’s, located at the Hotel Du Nord on the north side of Sister Bay, is open year-round. Beginning at the end of October, Alexander’s serves dinner on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 5:00 p.m. to close, and brunch on Sundays. Chef and owner Bruce Alexander changes his menu toward the end of October to reflect […]

  • A Weekend of Tasteful Delights

    Tucked in amongst the fish boils, supper clubs and brat fries that are the typical dinner fare in Northeast Wisconsin are numerous opportunities for adventurous and educated palates to do some pretty serious eating. For four weekends in December and January, the quiet Door County town of Fish Creek is transformed into the center of […]

  • Fall Golf: A Loosely Held Secret

    As the sun begins its angled dip into the southern sky and the county recoils from its congested towns and frantic pace, a new season with an entirely different feel descends upon the peninsula. Northern Wisconsin has long been known for its -annual display of outstanding fall colors. October weekends swell with families fully aware […]

  • Thankful For the Artist’s Life: Three Anniversaries

    Nobody said that living the artist’s life would be easy – but for the owners of three local galleries, remembering the struggles of” creating” their own incomes in a tourist-driven economy has almost faded into the realm of the insignificant. All seem to agree that chasing after their passion comes with rewards that far outweigh […]

  • Mike McCartney: A Dog’s Best Friend

    Just like most talented people who enjoy what they do for a living, Mike McCartney will tell you that his job is easy. He is able to sit in a studio overlooking a beautiful, pristine setting in the middle of the county while he draws and creates caricature after caricature. His unmistakable style has become […]

  • Donna Brown: The Artist as Philosopher

    Plato considered “art” to be nonsense, a form of play not to be taken seriously. Aristotle, writing a generation after Plato, saw things differently. He saw “art” as a means of understanding and comprehension. He saw it as a way of widening the mind’s access to the world. It may be play, but it is […]

  • The Cosy Transformation from Bustle to Nestle

    Door County in autumn smells like freshly brewed coffee tickled by the sweet bay breeze. Adorned by a cozy scarf and cotton knit poncho, I sit at a coffee shop and enjoy the comforting bliss of the nonchalant after-season, the post Labor Day sigh, the oncoming off-season for renewal and refreshment. Sitting outside, the cedar […]

  • Horseshoe Bay Cave

    A Subterranean Exploration: Caves of the County

    We often think of the earth we walk upon as solid and unchanging. Nothing could be further from the truth in Door County. Caves, sinkholes, open joints and fractures are everywhere in the carbonate rocks of the Door Peninsula. Bedrock here is known as the Silurian-aged Niagara Dolomite. Born from warm sub-equatorial waters 425 million […]

  • A Jacksonport Tradition: The Polar Bear Swim

    Winter in Door County brings to mind cross-country skiing, sledding, ice skating and…swimming in Lake Michigan? Usually swimming in the lake is reserved for the summer months, but an exception is made on New Year’s Day as hundreds of people start their year off with a swim in Lake Michigan. If you are up to […]

  • Gliding Through Door County Winters

    Being a year round resident in Door County, I’m often asked by visitors how I survive the winter. My answer is the same that a Norwegian or Swedish person may have given over 5,000 years ago: I ski. In Norway and Sweden cross-country skis were an essential survival tool used for hunting in deep snow. […]

  • A Profile of Local “Tech Guru” Rick Gordon

    As the “wizard” behind Door County Computer (affectionately known as “Ricknet”), Rick Gordon will most likely never be able to retire. If he continues to follow his natural tendencies, he’ll simply allow himself to intuitively gravitate toward whatever attracts and keeps his interest. Gordon admits he doesn’t function well if he does the same thing […]

  • An Appleton Icon Retires to the Door

    I’ve known Rik for over 20 years, having first met him when dating his oldest son. Our families are still close, and he officiated  at both my brother’s wedding and mine. We joke that he saved my dad’s life on the golf course years ago by yelling at my dad to “Duck, Terry!” – my […]

  • Fall Decorating Made Easy

    Fall is here, and winter is just around the corner. Here are some simple tips for quickly and inexpensively giving your home a cozy new look as the temperature begins to drop: Create a feeling of warmth with some new pillows and throws for existing furniture using warm, rich colors and fabrics with lots of […]

  • An Uncommon Renovation

    What is a real Door County style home? It becomes more difficult to define every day, as one homeowner will tell you it’ s their small cottage or while another might point to a farmhouse on a winding county trunk road. An ad in a magazine might tell you it’s a log home or a water-view […]

  • Rock Island: The Untrammeled Frontier

    As the passenger ferry “Karfi” pulls up to the break-wall at Rock Island, I’m cold, drenched and reminded just how much this place feels like the outer edge of all known civilization. Barring the sound of Karfi’s engine and the monumental stone boathouse on the shore, I could be Jean Nicolet stumbling onto this untrammeled […]