The Walker House

Dan wrote this on June 1: Summer’s here, so thank you for taking a break from sun and fun to spend a few minutes with us at the Walker House. Just 45 days ago, we were brushing snow from our car windshields, and today we’re dropping the tops from our convertibles and working on our tans. Wow, it happens fast! Dan wrote this on July 10: Yes, it happens real fast. On June 5, I woke up after a good night’s sleep, and experienced so much pain in the left knee (on a scale of 10, it was a 15) that I couldn’t walk or stand up. I remained on my back for two weeks with only Vicodin capable of easing the excruciating pain. Today, the physical therapists at the hospital are teaching me to stand up and to walk again. The news is not all bad. I did lose (a much needed) 15 lbs. Kathy, Bobbie Jo, and my two families (blood and Walker House) pulled me through the pain tunnel until I got to the other end. My love for the Walker House flourished and provided a necessary impetus to get back to work. I miss being part of the team that prepares lavish meals for guests. So, there it is…it does happen that fast. Oh, I almost forgot. Here’s the medical diagnosis and prescription. Diagnosis: Large meniscus tear, arthritis, tendonitis, possible bone bruise. Prescription: Don’t know yet. Doing physical therapy to undo all the bad things I did to myself by staying in bed for two weeks in June (like not getting up and using my leg muscles in some way). Remember the baby learning to walk—that’s me. As to the real problems, like the meniscus tear, we’re waiting to do an assessment after the therapy. Back to the Newsletter You probably won’t see Dan trekking along High Street yet, but you will be able to take in lots of fun events in Mineral Point this weekend. It’s summer, and the place is just hopping. Goings-On-About-Town July 19 at the Opera House: Trapper Schoepp Band. August 3-4: Gallery Night Weekend. August 7-10:Paint the Point. August 9:Jamm

New Lodging Booking System: We have a new automated booking system for lodging, and it’s brought to us through Webervations. Booking rooms with us now takes only seconds. Simply visit our lodging page, click on “Check Availability,” and choose when you’d like to stay. We are excited to make planning your stay at the Walker House even easier than before. Can’t wait to meet you at the Walker House! -Jessica https://www.webervations.com/magic-scripts/resbook.asp?memberid=TheWalkerHouse

'Happy Monday Everyone! Here are some updates to bring everyone up to speed on what's new at the Walker House. Events: It’s all hands on deck. We’re welcoming lodging guests almost every day, and they’re exploring inside the Walker House (the 42 rooms, the fossils in the stones, the caves in the Pub, and lots more) when it’s hot and humid outside, and they’re relaxing on the patios when it cools down. The back patio with its stones and rock garden in full bloom has the look and feel of a patio in Provence, France. It’s uncanny. We’re also cooking for all kinds of events. In a 24- hour period the other day, we taught a cooking class for 4-H kids, prepared ribs and chicken for Pat’s Flavors of Wisconsin Bicycle Tour, served up breakfast for the bicyclists before they took off for Galena, and catered sweets and fruit plates for a Cummins Service Award event. Storms and Windows and A/Cs: 16/16 A/Cs and 5/5 central air units. Despite the intense heat and humidity, we stayed cool at the Walker House, thanks to our high-powered units. We even heard one woman say, “It’s freezing in there.” Well, it’s true that when it’s 98 degrees outside with high humidity an inside temp of 74 degrees does feel pretty chilly. 25/100 windows. Yup, we’re up 3 windows this week. It would have been 4, but one window came slamming down so hard after we pushed it open that we had a little “oopsie”. Back to the repair shop we went…. 34/50 storms. No change. I guess the fellas prefer to work on storms when it’s zero outside. Enjoy our slideshow for you to view the changes we've been working on :)

Welcome and Thank You for catching up on our Walker House news. Spring blossoms, and our activities grow, and so let's get to them. Goings-On-About-Town -Wednesday: 5-6:30pm: Free Community Meal at the Mineral Point UCC Church. -Friday: Music by Helen Avakian and Dave Irwin at the Gray Dog. -Saturday: Yoga with Will Harris at the High Barre. -Sunday: Zumba with Jodi at the High Barre. The Walker House -Storms/Windows: Storm windows are holding strong at 34/50, but we rehabilitated 7 six-on-six windows. The count now climbs from 0 to 7/100. We've encountered 2 surprises so far. Most glass panes are sitting directly on the wood of the frames. A big No-No, because air and moisture migrate behind the glass and start deteriorating the wood. We're sealing the interior side of the glass on all 4 sides with a tiny bead of silicone caulk, and on the exterior side we're re-glazing the glass. A second surprise--positive this time--concerns the glass itself. Would you believe that we're finding panes of glass manufactured over 100 years ago? The telltale signs are unmistakable: wavy glass with spider web nodules and streaks in it. -Cummins: We prepared 5+ dozen take-out meals for the hardworking people at Cummins a few days ago, and we're honored to do it. One worker told us that he works from 5am to 3pm. That's a long time to work with only one meal break. What did he order from the Walker House? Beef pasty, Baby Back Ribs, Coleslaw, and Cheesy Potatoes. Mmm, I'm getting hungry. - Projects: Something old and something new. We held an old-fashioned firewood cutting, hauling, and stacking bee at the Walker House--almost one cord of firewood (see photo below). We're ready for the 5 weddings now. Yup, weddings. The brides and grooms want to sit and chat (and enjoy s'mores) around a campfire after the reception dinner. And here's the something new; it's an invention from our workshop. We've wanted a table base with no corne

VALENTINE

WALKER HOUSE NEWS! Thank you for "visiting" with us on this cold February day. Kathy's grandfather, who edited the Portland (Maine) Press Herald for decades, wrote about February as the "Brat" of the calendar. True to its name, February has been quite "bratty," producing -10 degree temps, snowstorms, driving rain, dense fog, freezing rain, and, oh yes, a few bright sunny days warm enough to wear shorts (I swear I did for 2 hours). We bragged up our Italian-themed Valentine's event for the CARE-A-Van folks in the last newsletter. See photos below. Here's a peek at what's happening in Mineral Point and the Walker House this week. Goings-On-About-Town The Dog is back! Ted and Lynnea are cooking up a storm at the Gray Dog Deli after an almost 2-month long renovation break, and it's good to have them back. We stopped by on their re-opening day to celebrate Bobbie Jo's birthday, and we loved loved loved the delicious food prepared by Ted, the special attention from Lynnea, and the new layout. Friday: Gray Dog Deli - Live music from the Cruddy Buddies. Stop by for some rockin' beats and great harmonies. Saturday: Singer/Songwriter Eric Joseph performs at the Esperanza Wine Bar. Get ready to move at the High Barre Movement Studio (https://www.thehighbarre.net/). Saturday: Flow class Sunday: Zumba class The Walker House Walker House University Mission Dan says: To serve as a local, national, and international center where risk-takers and people with expertise share their knowledge and experiences with vested and engaged learning partners. Kathy says: If you've got something to say that will improve the lives of other people in some way, come talk to me. I'll ask 2 questions: What do you know? Who's interested? Business Model Dan says: Three steps constitute the University business model: -Step 1: Risk-Takers and People with Expertise The faculty at Walker House University comprises the risk-takers an

GREETINGS FROM THE WALKER HOUSE! Welcome and Thank You for reading about our life at The Walker House. Our heads have locked on the cold weather. We heard someone say, “The coldest streak in 125 years.” President Trump said, “We could use a little global warming.” Worried like everyone else, we asked a city engineer here in Mineral Point if we should run the water overnight to avoid a frozen service pipe entering The Walker House. He didn’t think it was necessary, but he warned us that the frost had already reached three feet below ground level. What’s a person to do? Have a party, in fact several parties. We hosted the first party on New Year’s Eve for our workers. What could we cook for the people who cook for everyone else throughout the year? We prepared for them an item that has become a specialty of the House, slow-cooked baby back ribs smothered in our homemade barbeque sauce. We added three sides: Walker House salad and two exotic rices, Brown Basmati rice and Jasmine rice. Then, we played games (see photo below), concluding the evening with holiday games and three rousing games of spoons (yes, we please easily). On Tuesday we got to work preparing the House and lots of food for more parties over the weekend, all the parties for one large family gathering staying at The Walker House Friday through Sunday. The gathering began on Friday night with a pizza party in the Pub in front of a roaring wood fire in the fireplace. The organizers, Theresa and Brian, set the tone for the weekend when they told us to keep the room keys. “We’re family,” they said, “and so no one will lock any doors. We’re here to visit with one another…and to play games, lots of card games and board games.” And that’s how the weekend went. Plenty of visiting, eating and drinking, and game playing. Thirty of the 50 stayed in The Walker House lodging rooms, and didn’t go outside until Sunday noon. We heard chatter, laughter, cooing of a newborn, pitter-patter of small fee

Ho-Ho-Ho and Merry Christmas to everyone from all of us at the Walker House. Wow, we’ve been rocking at the Walker House with holiday celebrations nearly every day. At the beginning of the week, 15 Care-A-Van riders enjoyed a Christmas feast (honey-baked ham, roast beef with gravy, cheesy potatoes, corn, butternut squash, freshly baked baguettes from our Bakery, pecan pie à la mode) and a visit from Santa Claus. Santa flew into the Banquet Room and surprised everyone with hearty “ho-ho-hos” and big bags filled with gifts for the guests. “He” even led the guests in singing Christmas carols and sharing favorite Christmas memories. (Can you recognize in the photo below our own Bobbie Jo hidden in the Santa uniform?) At mid-week, groups from Lands’ End took a few hours off from their busy work days to exchange gifts and share a meal together at the Walker House. We were washing dishes near the end of one event, and we could hear roaring laughter from the Banquet Room as each person was opening a gift in front of the group. Gosh, it’s nice to hear that kind of laughter from people who work so hard and so closely with one another. They obviously care a lot about each other. After two hours, BAM, they were out the door heading back to Lands’ End and work. At the end of the week, Ubersox brought 100 employees and the live rock band Menace to the Walker House to celebrate a big business year and the life of a beloved employee. The tributes to Peewee brought the group to laughter at some points and to sobs at others, but one thing was immensely clear: they all loved that man. The evening ended with a rousing rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” that brought even Mike and Gina to the dance floor. And the Madrigal Dinner Theater events on Friday and Sunday for 200+ guests were pure magic…brass band, awesome singers in Renaissance costumes, delightful dramatic/humorous readings, 5-course meal topped with a royal-raspberry-lemon-curd tart, and, imagine this:

Welcome and thank you for “visiting” with us again this week. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….” From our window at Walker House West, we can see down High Street, and it’s a Christmas scene straight from Currier and Ives or Norman Rockwell. The nineteenth-century-like lampposts with look-a-like oil lamps atop them are twinkling in the twilight. Garland is coiling up each lamppost and forming a circle with sparkling Christmas bulbs around the street light and a big red bow across the garland. If we let our eyes wander down the street some more, they come to rest on the colored lights in the shape of a 30-foot Christmas tree on the hill beyond High Street and a blow-up Santa at the base of the tree. Only one more thing would make the scene perfect for Christmas, and today we have it. SNOW! Not enough to trouble anyone, but just enough to cover most things white. As George Bailey might say, “It’s a wonderful life” (remember Jimmy Stewart in the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life?) Now if we hear tingling bells, we just might believe an angel earned its wings. “Ah, this young generation won’t amount to much. They’re spoiled, afraid of hard work, glued to their cell phones.” We hear these comments from some of our Walker House guests from time to time. Anyone who thinks this way should see a local high school musical. We just did. This year it was Shrek, and it was awesome and lots of fun. More to the point, the kids themselves not only did a great job but seemed to enjoy putting on the show and working together. Between the actors/actresses, set designers, all the backstage people, pit orchestra musicians, and all the others, more than three dozen people worked together to produce Shrek for three performances over one weekend. It had to be a labor of love because, two weeks before curtain time, rehearsals were lasting until 9pm, and the week before opening night until midnight for some performers. And come 6 or 7am the next morning, the kids

Welcome again to our little part of the world at The Walker House. The holiday parties are swinging in full force at The Walker House, and it’s wonderful, even exhilarating, to see so many people hugging, laughing, talking, and listening intently. We try to plan and serve each party as if it’s the first and only party of the season for us. And then we do it over again…it’s like Christmas day every two or three days. Dan and Kathy had to split up more than usual this past week. Kathy and the ladies hosted the holiday parties, and Dan took the men into the woods to continue the lumberjacking work. He and the crew hauled about three dozen logs to The Walker House to be milled into lumber later in the week, and he wanted to share this little reflection. Forty years ago a State forester came to our woods by Yellowstone Lake to assess the maturity of the trees there. About half of them—over a thousand—were ready to be harvested, he claimed. Dan: What happens if we don’t harvest them? Do they keep growing? Forester: No! They start decaying. You know, the wind knocks a branch off, and insects enter the tree from the wound and start weakening it. Next thing you know a strong wind breaks more branches, and soon you have a big broken toothpick left. Hmm…I knew what needed to be done, but I couldn’t bring myself to cut down hundreds of 75-150 year old black walnuts, white oaks, cherries, burr oaks, and others. They were living, sacred things that had become important parts of my life. I would watch the leaves flicker in a breeze, and in a wind I’d see the crown of a tree sway back and forth as if to show off its flexibility and strength. I would rub my hand against the bark and put my cheek against the trunk, and memorize the texture and feel of each species. Dan: No way. I won’t cut them down. Four decades later I came back and knocked down three trees, a strong mature one, another in its death throes, and a dead one. But before I pulled the starter cord

Welcome and Thank You for checking the goings-on at the Walker House. Another full house and a bunch of private group dinners this past week. At one dinner we served pepperoni pizza, roast beef and gravy, vegetarian pasty, baby back ribs, and of course our famous appetizers, salad, bakery buns, cheesy potatoes, grilled veggies, and dessert. What a blast! Our grilled veggies are starting to move into the spotlight. We grill colored peppers, red onions, zucchini, and broccoli for about an hour on low heat and then season with EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), garlic, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Mmm, Mmm, Mmm! Bright sun, breezy, temps in the 70s…the weather could not have been any better for the Fall Art Tour on Friday and Saturday. By the look of the crowded sidewalks on High Street, hundreds of visitors took advantage of the balmy weather to visit Mineral Point (and they all seemed to wind up eventually at Tony’s Tap Bar & Grill to celebrate its 10th anniversary with music and free food). The Fall Art Tour may be over, but there’s still a lot of excitement coming up in Mineral Point and the Walker House for Halloween weekend. Goings-On-About Town • Friday: Legends of the Point at Pendarvis Historic Site. Tommyknockers! Giants! Beasts! Bring your flashlight, grab your treasure map, hike the Mine Hill, listen to the legends, and gather clues to unlock the secret code word for your prize. Enjoy a bonfire with s’mores & hot apple cider. $5/person; $20/family (4 or more) • Saturday: The Kiwanis Club and the Library team up with a Halloween Costume Contest and Free Library Movie at 10:00 a.m. • Sunday: The community is invited to an evening gathering to meet and greet the visitors from Redruth, Cornwall, at a potluck supper. • Tuesday (Halloween): Halloween Parade down High Street. Dress in costume, then go out trick or treating around town or on the campus of Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts. THE WALKER HOUSE Storm Count: 14/50 storm windows insta

THE WALKER HOUSE IS BURSTING WITH COLOR AND BEAUTY! Thank you Mary Palzkill, Carole Cassidy, Verna Pilling, and Julee Reynolds for putting in the hard work to create a flower masterpiece! We are so grateful for your talents.

WALKER HOUSE WEST LODGING UNIT IS UP AND RUNNING! PRIVATE BATH AND FULLY-STOCKED PERSONAL KITCHEN. Queen bed, foyer, bedroom, sitting room, kitchen, bathroom. Contact us at [email protected] to find out more details and to see if we have any specials. The Walker House has expanded by purchasing the commercial building at 318 High Street in the center of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, only yards away from the Saturday Farmer’s Market, two city parks, four restaurants, four bars, two churches, and all the niceties of a small town like post office, medical clinic, pharmacy, variety store, and more. For entertainment, you can leave Walker House West five minutes before curtain time and still arrive early at the Opera House, the Friday night shindig at the Grey Dog, the wine bar, and more than six galleries. It’s the perfect location. A federal style brick building constructed in 1863, Walker House West has three levels covering almost 5,000 sq. ft. You park your vehicle in the building’s off-street private driveway, and then enter the building through the street-level locked door for lodgers. You have to climb a bit, 19 stairs, and your home away from home is right in front of you. Unlock the door, and step into the small foyer, where you can leave your keys on the table and hang your clothes in the closet. It’s relaxing time…take off your shoes (it’s all carpeted), and try the Queen bed or sofa while you munch on some homemade gourmet cookies and enjoy a hot cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

THE WALKER HOUSE BACK PATIO IS BURSTING WITH DAFFODILS! What a delight it was this evening to sit on the back patio and eat dinner while watching all the beautiful daffodils dance to the beat of a light wind. Soft music was provided by the backyard songbirds. What a perfect spot to create a poem about Spring! Spring... Mother Nature yawning stretching rising from her snow-white bed. Daffodils pushing through sun-drenched earth. Robins flaunting plump red breasts. Trees bursting with pink and white blossoms. Hearts hoping for fresh beginnings second chances… love. ~kv 2017

THE ADDAMS FAMILY STOPS AT THE WALKER HOUSE! The Mineral Point High School Musical Cast and Miss Ashley McHugh and Matt Nevers celebrated their successful run of the musical comedy "The Addams Family" with a pizza party at the Walker House on Sunday, April 30th. They were warmed by a crackling fire in the Pub fireplace, Walker House pizza (cheese, pepperoni, chicken barbeque, and Hawaiian), lively conversation, and the presentation of awards. What a wonderful, talented, and polite group of young people they are! Congratulations on the successful show!

HAPPY STAFF AT THE WALKER HOUSE! Two of our staff from the Hodan Center, Jodi Mosley and Brookie Chandler, are pretty happy about their first time serving guests at a Walker House event! Look at those smiles! Jodi and Brookie did a great job according to us and our guests, and they look forward to participating in more events. And that lovely woman, looking pretty darned serious as she sautees some fresh veggies, is the seasoned Carole Cassidy! Don't worry, Carole's smile is as big and bright as the sun...when she's not tending to veggies!

THE WALKER HOUSE AND FARMERS SAVINGS BANK CREATE MAGIC TOGETHER! On January 28, Farmers Savings Bank celebrated the holidays and the beginning of the bank's 100th year at a gala dinner at the Walker House. Guests enjoyed delicious food and drink, and much laughter and lively conversation. The highlight of the evening was the spectacular 100th year cake created by the Walker House baker, Lisa Govier. Her creativity and imagination always add extra layers of delight to the cakes she creates. Thanks, Lisa! And a big shout out to our wonderful and talented staff who participated in this special event, all of whom we consider dear friends and part of the family. Thank you Carole Cassidy, Mary and Ted Palzkill, Verna and Tom Pilling, Joel Gosse, Stephanie Wilson, Grant Rose, Bobbie Jo Canon, Mae Lubbe, Falisha Foreman, and Billy Carrington! We are grateful for all that you do to make the Walker House special.

70th WALKER HOUSE OWNER BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION! Kathy will turn 70 on January 22, but a group of her friends celebrated a few days early with a surprise birthday party! Bobbie Jo Canon hosted the party at her apartment, and was helped by Carole Cassidy, Mary Palzkill, and Verna Pilling. Other guests included Dan, her best buddy and love for 49 years, Lisa Govier and her husband, Bill (Lisa is the Walker House Baker and Head Chef, and she created a beautiful and delicious chocolate cake with strawberry filling for the occasion), Billy Carrington (pizza cutter extraordinaire), and Ted Palzkill (the best pizza eater). Lots of fun, laughter, love, and good food was had by all. ~A note from Kathy: Thank you, Dan and my dear friends, for making me feel young at heart on my 70th. You're the best!

WALKER HOUSE NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY! Several of our employees joined us for a New Year's Eve Dinner Party, and we topped off the meal with 5 or 6 wild games of Spoons! We hope we didn't bother the neighbors with the roars of laughter and good cheer! Dan (with the help of Billy Carrington) cooked the salmon, and Kathy made a big batch of shrimp-veggie stir fry for all to enjoy. We were also treated to special appetizers and dessert from Verna and Tom Pilling, Ted and Mary Palzkill, Lisa and Bill Govier, Carole Cassidy, Bobbie Jo Canon, and Billy Carrington. And, we were also treated to two special guests--our new dentist at Mineral Point Family Dentistry (Dr. Matt Hoftiezer) and his sweet and lovely finacee, Ann. What a wonderful night! We are so blessed! HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

THE SPIRIT OF ROLAND SARDESON IS ALIVE AND WELL AT THE WALKER HOUSE! When we first bought the Walker House back in 2012, Roland graciously and generously taught us some tuckpointing skills and advised us on the right materials and tools to help create magic on stone walls (he even donated a few of his tools, and some "local" sand mixed with white type N mortar). We have since passed on Roland's "magic tuck" to some of our employees, especially Ted Palzkill., who is creating beauty on the recently uncovered stone wall on the south wall of the Pub. Ted is working extra hard on the project, because he wants to honor Roland's talent. Thanks, Tedster! We're sure Roland would be proud!

THE WALKER HOUSE HOSTS THE WAGNER FAMILY HOLIDAY PARTY. The Wagner family enjoyed much joy, good cheer, and genuine fun at the Walker House on December 18 at their annual holiday party. It was a pleasure and a blessing for the Walker House family to be a part of this very special event. Merry Christmas to all!