Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Last summer I took an unexpected trip to Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  It was my first experience in the mid-west and everything about it felt uniquely “American”.  Given that I’m a South Texas native accustomed to semiarid ranch country and TexMex culture, the sights and sounds of Wisconsin were altogether foreign.  Even though I went to college in the picturesque Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia, Wisconsin felt as though it embodied precisely what I envision America to look like on a charming postcard.  The countryside was alive with cows grazing on green rolling hills and bright red barns.  I had the odd pleasure of eating a fried cheese curd for the first time and felt mesmerized by Lake Michigan’s beauty.

One Saturday morning I decided to take a drive around Sheboygan to see what characters and scenery I could find.  While driving along a small cliff that overlooked Lake Michigan I found an attractive white house with an older gentleman sitting on the front porch.  I stopped the car and went over to the man and introduced myself.  He explained that he had lived in the home for 80 years.  He left for a few years to serve in the military but after finding his bride, he moved straight back into his childhood house.

Shortly after his cheerful wife appeared on the front porch and treated me, a complete stranger with a camera, with equal kindness.  When I inquired about the “going ons” of Sheboygan she quickly identified herself as being an “exotic” Indiana native.  She gave me a quick tour of their property and invited me to homemade pie that was baking in the oven (sadly I didn’t have enough time to stay and enjoy this delicacy).  When I stepped out on their back porch I was happy to find the vast Lake Michigan glistening under the sun.  My familiarity with Lake Austin and Lake Casa Blanca made Lake Michigan seem unreal.  It felt as though I was looking at a tropical aquamarine ocean.