By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
It’s New Year’s Eve and, rather than making a list of resolutions, I’d like to share a list of wishes that I have for you (and for me). So here goes…
I wish you strength and longevity. And, like an old one-room schoolhouse, I wish you the ability to withstand the storms of life and to be thought of fondly by those who have gained knowledge in your presence.
I wish you inner knowing and courage, like the first wildflowers to push through the snow and leaf litter after a long, cold winter.
I wish you ease and flow in your life. Like water when it encounters a boulder in its path, may you relax and flow around your obstacles rather than push against them.
I wish you happiness and confidence….even on bad hair days. 😊
As you travel the paths of your life, I wish you time for contemplation and the ability to notice all the beautiful things that surround you.
If you’re feeling trapped or a prisoner of the negativity that surrounds you, I wish you freedom.
Today and every day, I wish you playfulness and unconditional love.
If you’ve been holding back your talents, your ideas, or your dreams, my wish for you is that you allow yourself to blossom in all your glory.
Most of all, I wish you transformation. Let the new year be the year that you emerge from your cocoon to be all that you were born to be, to remember that change is good, and that life is a dance. Like a butterfly that appears to dance as it lights upon a flower, let’s awaken to a sense of lightness and joy.
May the coming year bring you unexpected blessings and miracles, big and small.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
A Christmas Ride
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
A couple years ago, we published a blog post about a Halloween Truck that we were lucky enough to find. And we were even more blessed to meet the owners of this truck, who were very kind to us. They told us to come back at Christmas time to see the truck decorated for Christmas.
Weather conditions that Christmas weren’t ideal, so we didn’t make it there until January 3rd, but we were lucky to find the truck with a lighted tree in the back. The Halloween truck had been driven by a ghoulish-looking man. If you look closely at the back window of the Christmas truck, you’ll get a hint of who was driving then.
Well, it was none other than dear old Santa Claus. And I almost thought I heard him singing, “Oh what fun it is to ride in an antique pickup truck!”
Wherever, whenever, and however you celebrate the holiday season, I wish you love and joy!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Holidays and Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
A couple years ago, we published a blog post about a Halloween Truck that we were lucky enough to find. And we were even more blessed to meet the owners of this truck, who were very kind to us. They told us to come back at Christmas time to see the truck decorated for Christmas.
Weather conditions that Christmas weren’t ideal, so we didn’t make it there until January 3rd, but we were lucky to find the truck with a lighted tree in the back. The Halloween truck had been driven by a ghoulish-looking man. If you look closely at the back window of the Christmas truck, you’ll get a hint of who was driving then.
Well, it was none other than dear old Santa Claus. And I almost thought I heard him singing, “Oh what fun it is to ride in an antique pickup truck!”
Wherever, whenever, and however you celebrate the holiday season, I wish you love and joy!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Holidays and Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
The Town That Time Forgot – Cooksville, Wisconsin
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
This past summer, the town of Cooksville celebrated their 175th anniversary. The whole town is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the second district in Wisconsin to be listed. (The first was Mineral Point.)
One of the main buildings in the historic district is the General Store that was built circa 1846. It is believed to be the oldest general store in Wisconsin.
The store building was built, and is owned, by Waucoma Masonic Lodge No. 90, which meets on the second floor above the retail space. In all the years we’ve visited the store, we were unaware of this fact, and never noticed the globe light with the faded masonic symbol on it.
Cooksville and Waucoma were two towns adjacent to each other. The two villages were settled by people from New England, New York, the British Isles, and later, Norway. The combined villages became known as Cooksville because of the post office’s location. The planned railroad bypassed the town and instead went to Edgerton and Stoughton, and Cooksville became “the town that time forgot.”
The town was set up like a traditional New England town with a public square or commons. The original one-room school was built about 1850 and was made of brick. It sat on the commons but because of structural problems and its small size, it was replaced by the current wood frame building, with its bell tower and two entry doors. The two doors, one for girls and one for boys, were a traditional New England-Puritanical design.
When all of the rural schools were consolidated in 1961, the Cooksville School closed. The following year, the Cooksville Community Center was organized, and still uses the building today.
Behind the school, the old witch’s hat merry-go-round still stands.
The town also includes two churches. The first is the Cooksville Congregational Church, which no longer has an active congregation but can be used for weddings and events. The architecture of the church, including the cupola and spires, had been altered over the years, but were restored to their original glory. It is “the little brown church on the corner,” since it sits at the intersection of highways 59 and 138.
The second church is the Cooksville Lutheran Church, which still has an active congregation and recently celebrated their 125th anniversary.
Included in the historic district are many of the old brick houses in town. Outside one of these old brick houses we found this gate with bells on it. We had never seen this before and thought it was cute.
Over the years, Cooksville had many blacksmith shops. The only one remaining is the William Graves Blacksmith Shop. It was built around 1886 and was attached to the Blackman-Graves house. By the 1960’s the house was in ruins and finally collapsed in 2000, and the attached pink-cream brick blacksmith shop was also badly deteriorated.
But in 2010, the mostly collapsed building was faithfully reconstructed on the original site using the salvaged original pink-cream brick. It is now the only historic “blacksmith shop” in the village.
If you find yourself near Stoughton or Edgerton, it’s worth the short drive to Cooksville to check out this historic town. And don’t forget to stop at the general store for a cool drink, an ice cream cone, or some baking supplies.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
This past summer, the town of Cooksville celebrated their 175th anniversary. The whole town is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the second district in Wisconsin to be listed. (The first was Mineral Point.)
One of the main buildings in the historic district is the General Store that was built circa 1846. It is believed to be the oldest general store in Wisconsin.
The store building was built, and is owned, by Waucoma Masonic Lodge No. 90, which meets on the second floor above the retail space. In all the years we’ve visited the store, we were unaware of this fact, and never noticed the globe light with the faded masonic symbol on it.
Cooksville and Waucoma were two towns adjacent to each other. The two villages were settled by people from New England, New York, the British Isles, and later, Norway. The combined villages became known as Cooksville because of the post office’s location. The planned railroad bypassed the town and instead went to Edgerton and Stoughton, and Cooksville became “the town that time forgot.”
The town was set up like a traditional New England town with a public square or commons. The original one-room school was built about 1850 and was made of brick. It sat on the commons but because of structural problems and its small size, it was replaced by the current wood frame building, with its bell tower and two entry doors. The two doors, one for girls and one for boys, were a traditional New England-Puritanical design.
When all of the rural schools were consolidated in 1961, the Cooksville School closed. The following year, the Cooksville Community Center was organized, and still uses the building today.
Behind the school, the old witch’s hat merry-go-round still stands.
The town also includes two churches. The first is the Cooksville Congregational Church, which no longer has an active congregation but can be used for weddings and events. The architecture of the church, including the cupola and spires, had been altered over the years, but were restored to their original glory. It is “the little brown church on the corner,” since it sits at the intersection of highways 59 and 138.
The second church is the Cooksville Lutheran Church, which still has an active congregation and recently celebrated their 125th anniversary.
Included in the historic district are many of the old brick houses in town. Outside one of these old brick houses we found this gate with bells on it. We had never seen this before and thought it was cute.
Over the years, Cooksville had many blacksmith shops. The only one remaining is the William Graves Blacksmith Shop. It was built around 1886 and was attached to the Blackman-Graves house. By the 1960’s the house was in ruins and finally collapsed in 2000, and the attached pink-cream brick blacksmith shop was also badly deteriorated.
But in 2010, the mostly collapsed building was faithfully reconstructed on the original site using the salvaged original pink-cream brick. It is now the only historic “blacksmith shop” in the village.
If you find yourself near Stoughton or Edgerton, it’s worth the short drive to Cooksville to check out this historic town. And don’t forget to stop at the general store for a cool drink, an ice cream cone, or some baking supplies.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)