More than woods and wine
By John McCarthy '78
Reprinted from the Boynton Society Newsletter, a publication for supporters of Björklunden vid Sjön.
My daughter asked, "Do they have cable?" As she thinks I am Satan incarnate for not having cable at our house, every opportunity to lock onto "the beam," as Kerouac so appropriately dubbed it, is exploited vigorously. When I explained that they didn't even have television, she really began to wonder what this "Björklunden" place was. Would she take me on my word that there aren't any sharks in Lake Michigan?
We had fallen victim to the Mark Breseman Marketing Machine — and thankfully so. Björklunden had been on my list for some time, but how to work-in such a luxury? Take a week for myself, just to relax — away from everything — dabbling in education, not for professional gains but simply for fun? How decadent/extravagant could that be? Wait a second. What if my daughter could take a theatre class? What if she were in a safe place with the offspring of like-minded people, in the woods of Door County, with the hard work of Lawrence students to care for us?
The formula was right. We were off to Lawrence-by-the-lake: me for Woods in the Morning, Wine in the Afternoon and she for The Magic of Theatre.
The theatre class turned out great. Liz Thomas, director of the Open Door Children's Theatre and a gifted instructor who actively pursues the strengths of each child, had approximately ten children, evenly distributed in age. They met every morning from nine to noon and concluded with a play on Friday, just before lunch. The class chose the play's topic, wrote the script, improvised costumes, and put on a play that was great fun for the parents and kids.
Nick "Doc" Maravolo, professor of biology at Lawrence, drawing from his undergraduate course repertoire, gave his all for our eclectic group of woods and wine enthusiasts. His anecdotes about rescuing students from the middle of swamps (not to be confused with meadows, bogs, or marshes) were positively hilarious. He also offered the history of the various properties visited on daily field trips. In all, Doc, demonstrating his passion for knowledge, provides a great hiatus from the dog-eat-dog world.
I was pleased to run into my rugby partner, David Hines '76, and my photography pal, Nancy Gazzola Hines '76, with their three children. It was also fun to go buy some kitchen utensils from Julie Skinner Frater '77, a successful shop merchant just across the peninsula in Fish Creek. The bond that Lawrence provides should not be taken for granted. Catching up with old friends and forging new ones couldn't take place under better circumstances.
Believe it or not, there is a vintner right near Björklunden, making premium wines with Sonoma grapes. When I first heard this, I thought he must be crazy. However, on a field trip, I saw the vacationers streaming through the tasting room. Having well-heeled Chicagoans walking out with cases of his product keeps the winery very busy. It is safe to call their "Reserves," produced right up the county road from Björklunden, "fine wine." With the help of Doc's class, I now have a vocabulary for what I saw and tasted and can offer a discerning opinion. I can even speak extemporaneously on the wines of France after having to do a "report" for the class. If a "report" sounds too stressful, please understand two things: It did not involve PowerPoint, and it was rewarded with a tasting.
The "woods" portion of my class involved exploring the northern boreal forest, the central Wisconsin Tension Zone Forest, Lake Michigan beach forests, and the transitions between them all. The daily field trip format is quite pleasant. For the officebound (as in bondage), spending the bulk of the day out-of-doors is a treat. I loved Door County years ago, and I love it still.
I can say that Doc's objective was met. We were supposed to come away with an understanding of what and why the habitat is where it is, but also why it is there now. As with most of what I learned at Lawrence, I was given a perspective that facilitates an inquiring mind. Veritas est Sylvania!
I've come to expect Lawrence to do things right. Björklunden does not disappoint. Having college students wait on you daily for a week was easy to adjust to. My daughter quickly learned all she had to do was ask for something. However, more to the point, the lodge and grounds, right down to the mountain bikes for all to use, were simply fantastic. I felt as if I really had gotten away from it all, if just for a week. As for my daughter, it was nice to see that the issue of cable, let alone television, didn't come up once. She was too busy having fun. Perhaps the best indicator of success was her request to schedule again next year.
John McCarthy '78 is national sales manager for Applied Precision, a manufacturer of metrology instruments used by the semiconductor industry. He lives in Seattle with his ten-year-old daughter, Erin Mitchell.