An excerpt of this column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, February 13, 2012.
I love America. From stem to stern and tip to toe, I heart this big cauldron of diversity, dysfunction and determination. I especially like Wisconsin. I’ve lived in different parts of the country – Chicago, Miami and a brief stint in New Orleans – but our great state keeps pulling me back. I was reminded why on a recent road trip to Florida.
An excerpt of this column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, December 11, 2011
It was the summer of 2007 and we were on our way out for martinis, driving downtown, when we passed the majestic building at dusk. There was a for sale sign in the yard. I slowed down. “Wow, she’s gorgeous.”
An excerpt of this column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, October 16, 2011
Almost four years ago I wrote a column about moving to Kenosha, and while the piece wasn’t entirely flattering, I did try to accentuate the positive. I moved here for love and since then have settled in, despite my constructive bullet points.
This column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, September, 18, 2011.
After a challenging summer, we knew we had to get away before the weather changed. Something cheap and relatively close. Beth booked a trip down the mighty Wisconsin River from Sauk City to Spring Green, a 25 mile canoeing adventure over two days through the Driftless Area created during the last glacial period. All the provisions we would need had to fit inside a canoe, which meant Beth couldn’t bring a suitcase full of shoes.
This guy greeted us at the door and offered candy.
This column originally appeared as a special to the Kenosha News, Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis, November, 14, 2010.
When the email came in I knew right away Beth would want to go. It was addressed to a group of friends, and below the “Are you guys in?” message was a link to a Wisconsin paranormal research group website. We were being invited to spend the night of October 30 in a haunted mansion in Janesville, learning about the tools and methodologies used by professional ghost hunters, and then spending the rest of the night and the morning hunting for ghosts on our own.