Rural Wisconsin’s answer to John Gurda, Jerry Apps is as an articulate, reasonable-minded spokesperson for the history and value of a particular place. Apps’ latest book is a collaboration with his son Steve, a selection from the father’s journal entries dating back to the 1960s illustrated by the son’s photography. The focus is on the central Wisconsin farm Jerry and his wife, Ruth, purchased in 1966. Although the land was exhausted when they arrived, the past 50 years have seen the property restored to its prior condition by rooting out non-native plants and encouraging the return of pines and prairie. Steve’s photos catch a glimpse of the place’s beauty through the changing seasons.
