The Bee House

A long time ago, an older structure stood the test of time and waited for someone to notice.  It was an old rickety thing that housed mice, racoons, and squirrels.  Sometimes a wasp's nest would form.  An old gnarly Black Walnut tree grew next to it. 

The old gnarly black walnut tree that still stands on the property reminding me of my childhood.

This small building would pass onto generations of people. But it stood quiet....dark....eery.  As a child, I always had goosebumps walking around the place.  I'd run down the dyke to drop something off in the cellar with Grandpa who would inevitably run into some snarling rodent making a home around the parameter of the building for warmth during the winter months.  But before it became a storage unit, it was a place for something much more important......honey.  And it made lots of it.

In the 1920's, the Sladky Bee House became a 28 by 12 foot, 1 ½ story, building that was erected by Frank and Julia Sladky to house their beehives and honey collecting equipment.

The beehives were kept in the vaulted cellar during the winter.

Insulation between the cellar ceiling and the first floor was sawdust

gathered from the Holly Mill in Shoto. The honey was rendered on the first

floor and the attic was used for storage. The Sladky Honey was sold for

many years to people from Shoto, Manitowoc, Two Rivers and all the

surrounding areas. The Sladky Bee House, as it became known as, was

donated to the Pinecreast Historical Village by Dorothy and the late Bill

W, and was moved in 1988 to Pinecrest Village. It was opened to the

public in July 1990. Frank and Julia Sladky was Dorothy Krause's

great-aunt and uncle. And they were remembered by my mother.

Pic found on this website and not my own

What resurrected the bee house? Sadly, my Grandpa died in the late 80's at the young age of 57.  My grandmother no longer could care for the two large properties (which included the dyke) by herself.  She didn't want to get rid of the bee house but she didn't want to live in the same place that held all of the family memories of the past.  Instead, the Pinecrest Historical Society came and did an investigation on the property which included research on the authenticity of the building. After the work was done, the aged building would have to be carefully taken apart and brought back to the Pinecrest grounds where it would undergo the restoration process.

This is one awesome lady! I present to you(drum rolls) my Grandma:) She taught me a lot about vegetable gardening and the art of eating a GOOD kohlrabi, radish, or cherry tomato. Today she is remarried with 3 dogs and a husband.  They still live on the land where the bee house once stood with that black walnet tree next to their driveway. Grandma still makes that great rye bread with caraway seeds along with her infamous eggs and bacon. And during this visit....her chex mix!!!:)

Several months would pass and it would be added to their collection of historical buildings at their museum/village.  We were there watching my proud Grandmother cut that red ribbon.  Today, when she speaks about that old bee house, her eyes light up as she recalls all the memories that went with it.  And in a way the bee house will preserve her own memory after she's gone for future generations of people.

For more information on Pinecrest, you can click here.

People live. They breathe. And they die. Nothing signifies the passage of time like an old building passed from one generation to the next in a family.  The older I get; the more appreciation I have for the past.  Today others can walk through these old buildings and relive life as it was over a century ago.

 A special "thank you" goes out to Pinecrest.  These pics are courtesy of the Manitowoc County Historical Society and Mike Maher for sharing these recent pictures of the old Sladky bee house.  It truly is a remarkable building and I'm glad it's there today for people to enjoy.  They've done a great job fixing it up and seeing these shots make me smile.  It is a little house with a big personality.

This summer, we'll be heading back to Pinecrest and several historical places to discover Wisconsin and some of her old world charm.  Pinecrest is also located on some wonderfully restored and beautiful prairie land.  We'll be exploring traditional gardens and the places that surround them.  It's a series that I look forward to sharing with you all, but we'll have to wait until summer as it will be a bit warmer...and greener:)  More tomorrow....

The Dyke

I know. I know.  This title to the blog sounds wrong, but it's actually the right word to use.  This was an old stomping ground for me as a child and it has all of the magic that I think a garden should have! The above pic shows the entrance to the dyke.  There is a wishing well, curvy trees, a frozen river, and a wetlands area right next to it.  In the States, apparently "dike" is used, but I learned this European spelling in school which today is still used..."dyke".  In fact, Wisconsin has a town called "Dyckesville." Oh, the fun people have with this town's name:) But what is a "dyke"? It's a ditch or a water filled drainage trench.  It can also be a levee natural, artificial slope or wall that regulates water levels.  Today I take you to my Grandma's place that is both artificial and not.

This space is truly amazing.  As children, we would run up and down this path.  One side was a wooded river shore and the other was a swampy area that filled up during rains or times of excess water on the river.  There are times when the "swamp" is full and in times of drought, there may be just a trickle or stream of water entering the area. Either way, this area is off limits for construction as the city protects these important environmental spaces.  The East and West Twin rivers have been known to overflow and flood large tracts of lands.

This series of shoots today and tomorrow will speak about the history and magic here.  My Grandma still lives here with her husband and they built a house overlooking this large tract of land. The wildlife here is incredible!!!  You'll find turtles, waterfowl, turkeys, deer, rodents, hawks(mostly Cooper Hawks).  In fact during that day, we spotted one in the sky.  What I loved most about this space as a child growing up was how close everything was to nature.  We ice skated on the river, chased fireflys in summer, fished off the river banks, gardened near the woods, and watched all kinds of critters cross our paths.

My nephew runs through the trees.  There are a lot of older structures here that still remain intact after years of harsh weather.  There are things my Grandfather built 20 years ago that remind me of his presence like the bird house below.  Birds today continue to use these little shelters to protect themselves from the extreme cold.

And when it's time for lunch, they come out in the numbers and feast on the birdseed and berries offered....but always clinging to the branches and brush nearby as they aware of the hawks and other critters nearby.  The shot below was one of the most difficult of this series to get.

The dyke stretches between two properties.  If you are quiet, a deer may pass your way....or a rabbit....or maybe a skunk.  But don't confuse the smells of the wild skunk cabbage that grows nearby the river with that of the real deal:)

The temps on this day were moderate and not freezing so birds were out feeding freely. If it drops below the 20's, the birds will at times disappear....especially if the wind is wicked cold!  Today it was "warmer" with snow flurries.

All you have to do is look closely and you'll see......

....that this walk is full of wonder and history. 

I remember running the fields as a kid, picking the apples and pears off the trees, watching snapping turtles surface up and down the river bank......sometimes coming up on the lawn to lay eggs!!!  Some of these turtles were HUGE!

So while this land is protected and maintained by both my Grandmother and her husband, I wonder who will take over this space when they can't do it anymore.  I worry about its future.  I worry about the Black Walnut Tree that has provided generations of walnuts for many people.  It's old and gnarly.  Will someone cut it down?  My mom's first dog Dixie was buried here.

Look closely at the well again and you'll notice a little visitor.  Three deer currently reside in the marsh near the dyke and call it home.

The river flows along the dyke until it reaches the dam near one of the highways.  This area has become a special place for salmon and crawfish as well as a sanctuary for birds to hang out.

I don't know how long I'll have to appreciate this area, but I visit it every year when I get the chance.  No matter the season, it's always lovely to return and get lost in the memory.  Tomorrow I'll extend this discussion with an addition to this property that will give you a little background on my mom's side of the family.  The dyke was just one of the many special things to inhabit the property.  We'll explore the "Beehouse" that once existed on this land.  Do any of you have a special place from childhood?  A secret garden perhaps?

An old wood burner for brush and garbage.

The old Black Walnut tree

The thicket of woods in the marsh

In the dead winter, skating is possible, but as you can see there are still open pockets of water on the river.

While a breezy green in summer, this patch of woods looks quite lovely this time of year.