Years ago, we stumbled upon an orchard near the Bong Rec Area and every autumn, we'd make the drive down to get apples, cider and, sometimes, hickory nuts and to get into that fall feeling.
We'd be hard pressed to tell you the name of the place (Brightonwoods Orchard) or where exactly it's located (Highway B -- a state rustic road -- north of 142 in Burlington), but we know how to get there and we know that they have a great variety of rare apples.
Although you can't pick your own, you can wander the orchards, which is fun, and there's also a winery (AeppelTreow) there now that makes wine from apples and other fruits.
This autumn we made our first jaunt there with our son and it looks like the tradition will now continue (after a brief hiatus last year). He loved the tree house, wandering through the rows of pumpkins and drinking apple cider samples from a cup like a big boy.
And, of course, we now have two bags full of mixed apples -- dang, we can never remember which are which (although I know from sampling that I like the Empires best -- and a gallon of amazing cider in the fridge. Sure, it's 85 in the shade, but it still feels like fall.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
