A collection of eclectic people share their Wisconsin lives – including an Argyle couple with an impressive toy train collection and a Lac du Flambeau man who shares his tradition of birchbark canoe building.
First up in this episode, Buck Guthrie shares the story of how he never lost his boyhood love of toy trains. In fact, Guthrie’s love grew until his hobby could only be housed in a barn. His wife Jan explains that he often spirits off household appliances to strip down for parts to creatively furnish and power his train landscape. Hear Jan Guthrie explain just how her husband Buck built several of the elements used for their toy train display.
Next, when Wayne Valliere was a young boy growing up in northern Wisconsin, his grandmother said to him, “Your grandfathers are written throughout history, and I challenge you and your brothers to think, what will your grandchildren say about you someday?” Valliere was inspired to retain and pass on his Native American traditions and culture to young people in his community. One of the ways he does that is by teaching them how to craft traditional birchbark canoes. Follow Wayne Valliere’s journey of work on a canoe.
Then, Wisconsin Life catches up with Patrick Rothfuss. With his unruly hair and bushy, long beard, Rothfuss may look the part that some imagine a fantasy author would play. But the Stevens Point-based author of popular Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy of novels has a decidedly real-world outlook, organizing his fellow authors to create an international non-profit that champions sustainability.
Also featured is Sturgeon Bay artist Miles Amorelli. Years after dropping out of high school, Amorelli eventually found his way – and his niche – by creating large sculptures from recycled metal. Watch as Miles Amorelli shares more of his unique creations.
Finally, Wisconsin Life discovers how James P. Roberts combines his love of cycling and reading into one hobby. Roberts made it his mission to bike throughout Madison to create a map of all the Little Free Libraries throughout the city. He curates his map by revisiting each free-standing mini literary center during an annual eight-day cycling tour of the city.
