BENICIA, CA: Art, History, and Small Town Charm on the Carquinez Strait

Benicia, California. Former Rail Ferry Depot

Recently, on a sunny afternoon in late August, I drove with friends from our house in Oakland for an afternoon visit to the small town of Benicia, California, located on the Carquinez Strait at the north end of San Francisco Bay. Once a military outpost, and for a brief time the capitol of California, the town is now known for its arts community and for its restaurants and antique shops.

Looking east from the parking area toward Mount Diablo (elevation 3948 feet)

The motivation for our trip was an event called “Paint Out”, a community art celebration and competition for plein air (open air) painters.

Plein Air painting by Susan Street

During the day the artists spread out around town with their paints and easels and set themselves at work depicting various local scenes. We spotted one artist painting a floral scene after we parked our car near the bayside park and later saw others painting views of the water and bridge. Then at 3:00 all the artists brought their work to a central gallery, where the art was exhibited, judges awarded prizes and refreshments were available to everybody.

Blown glass vase at Lindsay Art Glass

While we waited for the exhibit to open, we wandered along First Street, browsing in some of the many antique and gift shops and visiting an amazing blown glass gallery, Lindsay Art Glass.

Looking west from Benicia toward the 101 Bridge and San Francisco Bay

Although I had passed the exit for Benicia from the 101 Freeway many times, this was my first visit. I remember reading about the Carquinez Strait (which connects San Francisco Bay with the Sacramento River delta) in 1985, when a young grey whale swam into San Francisco Bay on his annual migration up the coast, and mistakenly headed inland instead of back out to sea. Dubbed “Humphrey the Wrong-Way Whale” his journey was watched by millions both in person and on television until he finally turned around and safely made it back to the Pacific.

The Arsenal

For many years Benicia was a U.S. Army post. The beautiful Arsenal building from the former Army Base is now offices and art galleries. Benicia also still has some elegant Victorian homes from its early days. A trip to Benicia is a pleasant day's outing from Oakland or San Francisco and a nice escape from the hurly burly of city life. I plan to go back!

MADISON, WISCONSIN: The State Capitol and Monona Terrace

Capital building, Madison, Wisconsin

The last time I used the word “isthmus” was in fourth grade geography. Then I went to Madison, Wisconsin, where the local alternative weekly newspaper is called The Isthmus after the narrow strip of land between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona where the downtown is located. (Two other lakes, Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa, make Madison the “City of Four Lakes.”) The trip was partly for work, but Art and I also had time to visit with relatives, who gave us a tour of the city.

Madison is a city of parks and lakes

We started with a drive around the lakes and to a nature center. It was March, so the leaves had not yet come out on the trees, but it was a beautiful sunny day. We then went to the University of Wisconsin campus for a visit to the Student Union and a brief stop at the Wisconsin Historical Society for a look at its impressive high-ceilinged reading room.

Wisconsin Historical Society

After lunch we went to the Capitol building, with its classic architecture and beautifully decorated dome.

Looking up at the dome of the capital building

On the second floor, we stopped to have our picture taken with the statue of Robert M. La Follette, a former governor of Wisconsin and United States Senator from 1906 to 1925.

On the second floor of the capital building, posing in front of the bust of Robert M. La Follette

Our final stop was at Monona Terrace, Madison’s large community and convention center overlooking Lake Monona.

Inside Monona Terrace

It opened in 1997 but was originally conceived by architect Frank Lloyd Wright nearly sixty years ago. Although it was not constructed until long after his death, it includes elements of his original design. I had forgotten Wright’s connection with Wisconsin. Madison is just 30 miles from Taliesen, in Spring Green, Wisconsin, which was Wright’s home and studio from 1928 to his death in 1959.

Pedro E. Guerrero's photographs documented Wright's public works and private life

When Frank Lloyd Wright was 72 he met a young photographer, Pedro E. Guerrero. Guerrero had a remarkable ability to catch light and space in his pictures, perfectly reflecting Wright’s Prairie style. Pedro, known to Wright as “Pete”, spent the next twenty years photographing both the works and life of the architect. A number of these are displayed inside Monona Terrace in a fascinating permanent exhibit.

Wright's Romeo and Juliet Windmill, Spring Green, Wisconsin, photograph by Pedro Guerrero. The windmill was designed by Wright in 1897 for his aunts Jane and Nell Lloyd James who ran the Hillside Home School. In 1940, Wright installed a speaker connected to a record player to broadcast Bach and Beethoven to the apprentices working outside.

Although our visit to Madison was short, it was particularly meaningful for me because of my Midwest roots. I grew up in Minnesota, but I spent my summers in northern Wisconsin at Camp Bovey near Solon Springs. This is where I learned to love nature and watching wild animals, topics I often write about in my books. As a child I also traveled every year to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Michigan, to visit my grandparents and cousins. Wisconsin has many memories for me. Now I have some new ones.