Wild Women Series: Mary Dougherty

Spend your St. Patrick’s eve with Mary Dougherty Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m., her talk, “Following the Bread Crumb Trail and Ending Up Exactly Where You Belong,” an hour of photography, poetry (not her own) and storytelling. This is the third in a series of Wild Women talks at The Spot, located at 116 14th Ave. East in Ashland.

Mary is the mother of five, former co-owner of the Good Thyme Restaurant, current CAFO fighter and creator of Words for Water, a community photography project to raise awareness about water, and the author of a future cookbook, to be published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press in 2017.

Mary moved from St. Paul to Bayfield in 2007 and soon opened a restaurant. In the process of living the dream, she discovered that dreams can be "a real pain the neck" and that restaurant life wasn't all it was cracked up to be. After five years, she sold her share in the restaurant to focus on raising her five children and rediscovered the intense beauty of this region through photography.

It was following the bread crumbs of poetry, photos, friends, family, dogs, meals around her table and wild places that she found herself exactly where she needed to be. She says she’s learned there is no “it" in life, there's only what's next and if our words and actions are filtered through honesty, bravery and compassion, all will be well. Even if we don't believe it.

"It's been a helluva journey but it certainly has not been boring or linear,” she said.

This event is free and open to the public. The Spot will be serving Guinness for this event, as well as Irish-theme drinks.