travel

As an ex Badger and outdoor writer, I am a real sucker for these kinds of anthologies. This one was particularly attractive, because I knew many of the writers, having written for Chuck Petrie's Wisconsin Sportsman Magazine once upon a distant time and having worked at a Madison radio station with "Pappa Hambone," the radio stage name for the late George Vukelich. The book did not dissappoint. The stories were well chosen to cover the spectrum of activities and seasons in Wisconsin. I was especially touched by "Christmas at Bridge Pool," the contribution by Papa Hambone. That story alone is worth the price of the book. It provide new inspiration for me to continue as an outdoor writer, now living in far off (but much warmer) northern California. Wisconsin Seasons is well worth the time.

A perfect book to enjoy whether you have an evening or just 15 minutes to take a mental vacation. Here are selections from 29 writers who explored fishing, hunting and roaming Wisconsin in all seasons. The book takes you through a year in the outdoors with short selections from some of the state's best-known journalists from the 1950s through the present. Best bets include Justin Isherwood's "They Wore Plaid," Tom Davis's "The Toothsome Pike-Perch," Bill Stokes, "To Shoot a Musky" and Dan Small's "The Day The Ice Went Out." Two classic man-and-his-dog stories in Jay Reed's "Thor" and Dion Henderson's "Brute's Christmas." A fine way to get a taste from the deep well of each of these author's works.