Park

Preserving a park is as important as saving a building like Mount Vernon. When you set aside of land “nature” as a place to go. I saw the first couple episodes of The National Parks: America's Best Idea by Ken Burns and from that I really couple a true appreciation for the park system and what’s behind it.

The first episode talks about Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone how John Muir became their eloquent defender. I did not know who John Muir was before I saw this. Muir’s family moved to Portage, Wisconsin from Scotland and started a farm called Fountain Lake Farm, which is a National Historic Landmark. In 1868 Muir visited Yosemite and fell in love. From that he established the Yosemite area and the Sierra as pristine lands. He is a big reason why we have parks. It is a great documentary! I think we should watch some of it.

Frederick Law Olmsted designed Lake Park. North Point Lighthouse is surrounded by two acres of land, which divided Lake Park into two sections. The park itself has not changed that much from the original design. It is obvious that Lake Park Friends are doing a lot to restore the parts of the park that is not in the best condition. The waterfall that they restore looks and sounds great. Milwaukee has so many great park areas and Lake Park is one on them.

I really enjoyed visiting North Point Lighthouse and the adjourning Keeper’s Quarters. Seeing the second lens that was used was cool. The lens is really not that big, thinking about how far the light needs to shine. I cannot see myself slopping the oil around. Going up and down the ladder and stairs. Seeing more of Keeper’s Quarters would have been nice.