Songs of the Advent and Christmas Season at Franciscans Downtown!  For whom peaceful stillness encompassed everything and the night in its swift course was half spent. Your all powerful word from heaven’s royal throne leapt into the doomed land.   (Wisdom 18:14-15)Join us at Franciscans Downtown for a celebration of Advent as we prepare for the Christmas Season1000 Main Street, Stevens Point, WI Saturday, December 16, 2017 – 12:00 NoonOrganist Bill Weinmann will lead singers and readers in Lessons and Carols of this holy season that draw us deeper into the great mystery of what it means to be human beings fully alive in the God who loves us endlessly and came to live among us.Lunch provided by Graffitis, and conversation will follow immediately. The program is free and open to the publi... 12/03/2017

December 2017 Movies at Franciscans DowntownFree and Open to the Public at 1000 Main Street, Stevens Point, Wednesdays, 1:00 p.m.: Dec. 6: Sukhavati. Words of Joseph Campbell with exquisite images of humankind's "one great story." Dec. 13: Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home. Kirk and crew bend time and space to save Earth and renew friendship. Dec. 20: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The car that drives, flies, and floats takes us on a magical adventure. Dec. 27: Big History, episode 17. Everything we know about science and history is connected in one grand narrative of the universe and humanity.  For more information contact: Fr. Placid Stroik, OFM, placidstroik@yahoo.com, 201-663-1652 12/03/2017

Looking for a great place to donate some time and money this Christmas Season, Franciscans Downtown is in need of assistance this year.  Due Fr Placid's illness this fall we are behind in our annual fundraising so we do need to increase donations this month. All of your donations go toward a great cause helping our community, with zero going toward salaries or other non essential expenses. Send all donations to; Fr Placid Stroik, OFM Assumption BVM Province 201-663-1652 PlacidStroik@yahoo.com Holy Family Rectory 2411 S. Alverno Road Manitowoc, WI 54220-9340   Franciscans Downtown, A Ministry of Presence; Reflection, Conversation, and Refreshment "A place of Gospel Refreshment; Rest and Conversation on the stories of our lives."   Franciscans Downtown, is not only a place that I like to... 12/03/2017

On this Frigid Winter Night, I am Thankful for...  A warm bed for all.As I drove home tonight shivering in my truck with the temp at 15 degrees, and expected to be below zero by morning, my thoughts went to how happy I am to know that my homeless friends will all be safe and alive in a warm church basement through the night.Just over a week ago we reopened our warming shelter in Stevens Point at the Frame Presbyterian Church.So happy that the kind parishioners at Frame have opened their doors and their hearts to the people in most need of a warm bed on our cold winter nights.Some of the faces are the same as last year, and many are new, with several new volunteers and several new guests.Always a pleasure to get to know all of these people on the two nights each week that I am blessed to... 11/09/2017

Wisconsin River Fall Bike Ride  (part two)A little more of Jack and my bike ride in Riverside park in Stevens Point and thought that you might enjoy seeing another part of the great city of Stevens Point.We both enjoyed the exercise, scenery, and solitude of a park during a quiet time in the middle of the week, but Jack especially enjoyed the many ducks.  It’s that time of year when the ducks are getting ready to head south for the winter, with only a few more days or possibly weeks before it starts to ice up around here.Enjoy the video and the photos!      10/22/2017

Wisconsin River Fall Bike Ride  (part one)Its a beautiful fall day in Stevens Point today and perfect for a ride along the river on the Green Circle Trail.For those who don't have the time, take a look at a video of my friend Jack and I enjoying a ride along the river in Riverside park in the downtown are of Stevens Point.We both enjoyed the exercise, scenery, and solitude of a park during a quiet time in the middle of the week, but Jack especially enjoyed the many ducks.  It’s that time of year when the ducks are getting ready to head south for the winter, with only a few more days or possibly weeks before it starts to ice up around here.   10/22/2017

Stevens Point Mural Series; Kozy Kitchen Home Cooking! This mural is also not one of the city sponsored murals, but it still is very interesting  with a good times type flaire to it. The longest running restaurant in Stevens Point, at the corner of Third and Clark streets, is called “Painting the Town”. Over the years, thousands of "locals" and visitors enjoyed a fine home cooked meal at the Cozy. This mural was painted by local artist Greg Luedtke. Notice the cute girl in this picture, thats my loving wife Sally out for an early morning bike ride. 10/01/2017

Meade Park, a "Cant Miss" Attraction on Stevens Point's West Side  Great view of the Wisconsin River, Riverside Park and Downtown.  One of my Son Josh's favorite parks due to the top class disc golf course.  Also a favorite of parents with small children with a Deluxe Playground area.  Adjoins the Green Circle Trail  And much more including a ball field and tennis courts.  As a bonus, if you would like to live near this fine park, it is only about a block away from our nice Cottage Style home on W Pearl St.          View Meade Park, Stevens Point, Wisconsin in a larger map Zoom in for some great views of the many attractions in this park including the playground, tennis courts, ball diamond, disc golf and more.        09/30/2017

Stevens Point's Green Circle Trail, a Local Emerald Treasure   As I have mentioned before, Stevens Point has always been a great place for biking.  With very few high traffic bottlenecks, level terrain and ample shops and attractions close to any part of town that you live in.   In 1996, the city added another unique attraction when they developed the Green Circle Trail which helped to join together many of the natural areas in and around the city especially concentrating along the Wisconsin and Plover rivers and all of the great scenery associated with them.   This not only gives us access to some great scenery but it also joins together all the area of town while making for a great Saturday of biking. 09/30/2017

Riding the Logs Down Wisconsins First Highway, "The Riverman of the Wisconsin River" Mural   Being a great fan of local art, I often enjoy riding my bike through the downtown area of Stevenst Point where many small and large murals are painted depicting our history. This gem is located on the corner of Water and Clark Streets,  in Downtown Stevens Point. The Riverman Mural is a tribute to Stevens Point's strong logging heritage.  Logging was one of the first large industries to build our state and today it still is, though we no longer use river power to move these important resources from the woods to the mills.   This is the first of the  series of murals and wasCompleted in September 2004.                 This is also the first of many murals that I will be featuring in the next few... 09/30/2017

Welcome Back 2017 UWSP Students –Take a hike down to Belts Ice Cream No visit to Point is complete without sharing some fun at Belts, as long as the snow is not too deep. Belts is the place to enjoy a huge ice cream and enjoy some time with friends and family. So take an afternoon off before classes get to busy and enjoy a hike and a huge cone or other tasty treat.                               More Welcome Back to Uwsp Tour Posts     Check out the UWSP Student Rentals Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/StevensPointStudentRentals/  08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 - Communication Arts Center  This is the Communication Arts Center, which not only houses the UWSP Pointer Newspaper (where I used to write a very long time ago), the campus radio station and TV studio, but it also graduates many fine communication students every year.  Comm degrees come with an emphasis in several areas including Public Relations, Advertising, Mass Media, and Interpersonal/organizational.  There of course are many distinguished graduates of this college including Bob Crane (Forester) and Terry Porter (NBA player and coach) I hope you enjoyed our series on UWSP (the rest of the series is listed below), when considering off campus housing I hope that you will give us a call to see what we can do to help find a nice home for you.  More Welc... 08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 - Your Best Hangout, The Library  This is the place that all serious students should be familiar with.  When I first arrived at UWSP over 30 years ago my favorite place here was the natural history museum on the ground floor.  I soon discovered that my grades were to survive I would need to use this place as a way to hide from my friends and the distractions that kept me from studying before the big exams.  My best study place was a private study room on the fifth floor which was private for a while until a few of my friends discovered where I was hiding and they came here to study too, luckily visiting was limited by noise rules in the library.  More Welcome Back to Uwsp Tour Posts     Check out the UWSP Student Rentals Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.... 08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 - Enjoy some Culture at the Fine Arts Center I am not a very artistic person but I do enjoy other people's art, so I never miss an opportunity to wander through this building on campus.      The Exhibits change often and there is always something to see and enjoy.     More Welcome Back to Uwsp Tour Posts     Check out the UWSP Student Rentals Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/StevensPointStudentRentals/  08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 - Science Building & Paper Science Center     Possibly the largest building on campus and the home of UWSP's world renowned Paper Science Lab.Paper Science students nearly live here and other Natural Resource spend a fair amount of time here during their first 2 years of school.   More Welcome Back to Uwsp Tour Posts     Check out the UWSP Student Rentals Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/StevensPointStudentRentals/   08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 - Enjoying the CNR Mural   Just before I started attending UWSP in 1981 I had the pleasure of watching a group of art students assembling and installing the big Natural Resource Mural on the south side of the College of Natural Resources.   It is a fascinating computer generated mural of several natural history type scenes all made up of little ceramic tiles with various natural resource related images including wildlife, trees, water molecules, paper machines, surveying equip and many other natural resource images.   Stop by spend some time enjoying the simplicity and complexity of this impressive work of art and engineering.    (Above is the far away view from across the sundial.)(Below are a few up close and personal images of tiles within the mural.) ... 08/27/2017

Welcome Back 2017 UWSP Students - Inspiration at the Wisconsin Forestry Hall of Fame   The Forestry Hall of Fame is a pleasant place to stop for a rest or a place to visit with a friend while traveling through the College of Natural Resources at UWSP.     I like stopping by here to read a little about the movers and shakers of the past.  Over the years I have had the opportunity to benefit from the forests and companies that these great men have started and I am happy to see them honored here at such a fine College of Natural Resources.     I hope that by the end of my career that I will have accomplished enough to justify putting my plaque on the wall here.                   More Welcome Back to Uwsp Tour Posts     Check out the UWSP Student Rentals Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.co... 08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 - The College of Natural Resources (CNR)   The College of Natural resources was founded in 1970 and is a multi-disciplinary college concentrating on all facets of natural resource management including Forestry, Wildlife, Waters and Soils and many sub disciplines that go with these.UWSP CNR graduates of are well known throughout the United States and beyond as some of the finest managers of Forests and Natural Resources.      Even if you are not in one of these majors there are still plenty of reasons to take a shortcut through here.     The terrarium      The alligator     The eagle     The Forestry Hall of fame     The stairway murals     The big mural on the south wall     The cool carving in the west lobby    UWSP's College of Natural Resources has als... 08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 - Relax, Study or Dine at the DUC  When I was at UWSP this was known as the UC or University center, but more recently somebody thought it would be a good idea to put a very attractive addition on the front with several stores and of course let the current students pay a pile of extra cash.  Along with this new addition, came a new name, it is now known as the Lee Sherman Dreyfuss University Center, at first this was shortened to the LSD-UC, but someone thought that it might look a little strange to have LSD in the name of the new addition so it was shortened a little more to the DUC or "duck", which is an ok name for a university center with so many wildlife majors around.  This is a great place to spend some time, great for meetings, relaxing, eating lu... 08/27/2017

Welcome Back UWSP Students 2017 a Wealth of Art on campus   Like many Universities, UWSP has a wealth of art.  Today I mainly took pictures of some of the outdoor art.  You can find art in several buildings including the College of Fine arts, the Library, and the University Center.  You can also find it scattered around campus along the sidewalks and on the side of the CNR building just north of the sundial.  Some of this outdoor art is spectacular and some of is less about art and more about p.t. Barnum salesmanship (a sucker born every day) (like those chunks of rusty iron outside of the library).  This one could be a case of good salesmanship in that it is basically a big rock on a pile of dirt, but something about it strikes me in a good way, maybe it is all the foliage planted arou... 08/27/2017