In May of 1986, I finally figured out that I didn’t know diddly squat about anything so after five years of living and working in Central America, I packed my bags and came looking for an education. I really didn’t know where to go but I flew in to Chicago and then at the last minute decided to take a bus to Madison, Wisconsin and check out the University of Wisconsin. The bus dropped me off in front of Memorial Union. I pulled my life’s possessions – a backpack and a cardboard box which was falling apart – out of the bus and sprawled out on the steps of Memorial Union to plan my next step in life.

A few minutes after I sat down, some klutz nearly tripped over my life’s possessions. He regained his balance to look up at the homeless person. ‘Mike??’, he said. My long-time best friend Dan York seemed destined to find me when I needed some help figuring out what to do with my life. Dan was working on his PhD and he and his wife, Margaret, were living in Madison. I decided that I liked Madison as well and a few months later I got accepted into grad school and remained in Madison for the next four years.

There’s no better place to spend a summer afternoon than on the terrace of Memorial Union on the University of Wisconsin campus. We met our long-time friends, Dan and Margaret, there for some beer and brats and a chance to catch up after not having seen each for many years. 

Joseph has in his mind that he’s going to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison after he finishes high school in a year and a half. The UW is one of the world’s best universities and my alma mater so I’d be thrilled if he attended. Joseph also knows that Playboy magazine once named UW-Madison as the US’s best party school. So mom and dad aren’t quite convinced about Joseph’s intentions and unless he can convince us otherwise he’ll most likely do his uni studies in Australia. 

Joseph checked out Bascom Hall, one of the many picturesque spots on the UW campus. 

I had one job hazard while I worked with the Department of Agricultural Journalism. We were just around the block from Babcock Hall, where the best ice cream in Wisconsin is made. The hall is named for Stephen Babcock who revolutionised the global dairy industry with his butterfat test in 1890. There’s no way I’d allow my family to pass through Madison without stopping for ice cream at Babcock Hall. 

According the Joseph, the capitol building in Madison is the second largest in the nation – just a tad smaller than the national capitol. I’ll take his word for it. Cindy had never been to the Capitol so we stopped and had a walk through. 

I had forgotten how ornate the interior of the Wisconsin State Capitol is. 

A security guard helped out some visitors with their photos.