Is it a mural? May be small and on a sidewalk and not a wall, but is that all it takes to disqualify it? They brought a smile to my face, hope they bring a smile to yours today. For more grandiose artwork check out my friends on Monday Mural.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Third Ward Sidewalk Koi Pond
I was so busy looking at the stuff in the windows while strolling through the Third Ward in Milwaukee that I almost stepped on these poor fish who were just minding their own business.
Is it a mural? May be small and on a sidewalk and not a wall, but is that all it takes to disqualify it? They brought a smile to my face, hope they bring a smile to yours today. For more grandiose artwork check out my friends on Monday Mural.
Is it a mural? May be small and on a sidewalk and not a wall, but is that all it takes to disqualify it? They brought a smile to my face, hope they bring a smile to yours today. For more grandiose artwork check out my friends on Monday Mural.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Chalk it Up - This too Shall Pass
While shooting the Herons of La Crosse I turned around and found these chalked pieces of artwork on the sidewalk behind me.
Wish I knew someone artistic to convince to chalk up a quick mural, Lake Geneva would be perfect for something like that in the summer. This weekend it's a madhouse, took me 10 minutes to clear a four-way stop to park in the lot for work on Friday due to the 4th of July weekend madness. Maybe not a good time for sidewalk art with all that foot traffic.
While reading Mark's post at Box Canyon Blog I got to contemplating the balance I struggle to find between "bragging" and "whining" when writing my blog. For me the travel, the photography, and then writing about my adventures on my blog are like mental therapy. I get to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to see and do these things and then experience the joy of trying to share it with others. This, however, does not mean that I don't have boring days and even days that are just flat out bad. I've been having a particularly bad week around here...and writing my blog and reading others' blogs helps keep me grounded and looking forward to sunnier things. This bad week too shall pass.
I'm sure you all realize that even if I don't write about it often, troubles accompany me in my daily life as well as in my travels, some troubles major and some minor. Last weekend's camping trip to Kettle Moraine involved some minor troubles like noisy neighbors, sometimes the GPS makes things crazier instead of easier, bugs bite, ticks find me, and most of all I am a terrible klutz who is prone to dropping her camera and tripping over her own feet.
But, like going to the movies, I find blogland to be "escape" and I come here for the beautiful things in my life and in others' lives. It's good to remind ourselves that happiness is out there in a variety of forms and that life's traumas and dramas are just a part of it all and not the main event.
Wish I knew someone artistic to convince to chalk up a quick mural, Lake Geneva would be perfect for something like that in the summer. This weekend it's a madhouse, took me 10 minutes to clear a four-way stop to park in the lot for work on Friday due to the 4th of July weekend madness. Maybe not a good time for sidewalk art with all that foot traffic.
While reading Mark's post at Box Canyon Blog I got to contemplating the balance I struggle to find between "bragging" and "whining" when writing my blog. For me the travel, the photography, and then writing about my adventures on my blog are like mental therapy. I get to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to see and do these things and then experience the joy of trying to share it with others. This, however, does not mean that I don't have boring days and even days that are just flat out bad. I've been having a particularly bad week around here...and writing my blog and reading others' blogs helps keep me grounded and looking forward to sunnier things. This bad week too shall pass.
I'm sure you all realize that even if I don't write about it often, troubles accompany me in my daily life as well as in my travels, some troubles major and some minor. Last weekend's camping trip to Kettle Moraine involved some minor troubles like noisy neighbors, sometimes the GPS makes things crazier instead of easier, bugs bite, ticks find me, and most of all I am a terrible klutz who is prone to dropping her camera and tripping over her own feet.
But, like going to the movies, I find blogland to be "escape" and I come here for the beautiful things in my life and in others' lives. It's good to remind ourselves that happiness is out there in a variety of forms and that life's traumas and dramas are just a part of it all and not the main event.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Kohler American Club
One of our stops in Kohler was the American Club. The American Club was opened in 1918 to house single male employees in comfortable surroundings at an affordable cost. It is directly across from the Kohler Company, and now is a 5 star resort. The have some nice gardens that we stopped in to take a stroll through, though not as nice as what I expected. It would be a pretty spot though to take your coffee outside while staying in the resort. The Greenhouse is a coffee shop in the center of the garden area and there is also a nice fountain and a seating area.
Walter J. Kohler Sr., founder of The American Club and President of the Kohler Co., served as Governor of Wisconsin from 1929-1931. At that time there was a set of elevator gates emblazoned with a "W" that were in the Capitol building. Originally crafted in 1920, the gates were removed during the remodeling of the Capitol Building in 1958 and were acquired by The American Club.
The American Club sits across from the Kohler Company and we had a great view of the clock tower. I love a good clock tower, ya know. What is it about giant clocks that is so appealing? Perhaps a symbol of the fact that we all have schedules to heed, places to be, no matter what decade or location. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!
Walter J. Kohler Sr., founder of The American Club and President of the Kohler Co., served as Governor of Wisconsin from 1929-1931. At that time there was a set of elevator gates emblazoned with a "W" that were in the Capitol building. Originally crafted in 1920, the gates were removed during the remodeling of the Capitol Building in 1958 and were acquired by The American Club.
The American Club sits across from the Kohler Company and we had a great view of the clock tower. I love a good clock tower, ya know. What is it about giant clocks that is so appealing? Perhaps a symbol of the fact that we all have schedules to heed, places to be, no matter what decade or location. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Sheboygan Area Roadside Fun
One of my favorite things to do while driving around Wisconsin is look for fun roadside oddities. Here's a few from the Sheboygan area.
Oostburg is a small Dutch settlement founded in the 1840's. There were more than a few little Dutch kids and windmills scattered around town.
One of Tom Every's masterpieces, "Isis", graced the corner of the Michael Kohler Center for the Arts property. Also on the property is the facade for the old Sheboygan Public Library which was a gift from Andrew Carnegie. I've noticed plaques saying the library was dedicated by Carnegie on quite a few libraries in Wisconsin.
Another architecturally related surprise was this chimney sweep in the downtown area.
On County V just outside Kohler-Andrae heading toward Sheboygan stands this handsome fellow. When I stopped to take his picture the neighboring dachshund waddled over to make friends with me. A little further down the road is a series of panels on someone's yard fence that still has me scratching my head. I just can't see the connections. Perhaps it's as simple as "I like Keystone Cop movies and Viking tales". Any interpretations?
Oostburg is a small Dutch settlement founded in the 1840's. There were more than a few little Dutch kids and windmills scattered around town.
One of Tom Every's masterpieces, "Isis", graced the corner of the Michael Kohler Center for the Arts property. Also on the property is the facade for the old Sheboygan Public Library which was a gift from Andrew Carnegie. I've noticed plaques saying the library was dedicated by Carnegie on quite a few libraries in Wisconsin.
Another architecturally related surprise was this chimney sweep in the downtown area.
On County V just outside Kohler-Andrae heading toward Sheboygan stands this handsome fellow. When I stopped to take his picture the neighboring dachshund waddled over to make friends with me. A little further down the road is a series of panels on someone's yard fence that still has me scratching my head. I just can't see the connections. Perhaps it's as simple as "I like Keystone Cop movies and Viking tales". Any interpretations?
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Best Restroom in America
The receptionist at the Michael Kohler Center for the Arts in Sheboygan told us to make sure we checked out the "art" in the bathrooms. I wasn't allowed to take photos in the gallery, so you'll have to take my word for it, but I think the bathrooms were far more delightful than the works in the gallery. First, the Ladies' Room.
The Gents was not off limit to us so we checked that one out too.
What can I say, never had so much fun looking at toilets, not even at the Kohler Design Center!
The Outside of the Michael Kohler Center for the Arts looked like this:
There was gardens all around the building, and a garden room inside that looked out. I had to risk taking a photo in there, Katrina would not quit monkeying around.
The Gents was not off limit to us so we checked that one out too.
The Outside of the Michael Kohler Center for the Arts looked like this:
There was gardens all around the building, and a garden room inside that looked out. I had to risk taking a photo in there, Katrina would not quit monkeying around.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Bike Ride is a Snap!
Katrina took off to meet some friends in Milwaukee while we were staying at Kohler-Andrae and I took my newly healed shoulder out for a bike ride until she returned. Riding was a snap, but not as snappy as the Snapper crossing the road. Why did it cross the road? Death wish maybe, I've seen quite a few turtle-meets-vehicle deaths this summer. Maybe that means turtle populations on the rise? Or are turtles getting slower?
Just past the cranky turtle was the visitor's center and their lovely pond garden.
Okay, it's not bison and elk, but I'll take what I can get! Out of state adventures will just have to wait another month at least. We have the MN/SD border set for August, Falls of the Ohio for September and the Smokies in October, but any one of those may change if Katrina lands an out of state job. I don't know if I mentioned it yet, but she interviewed for a company that is looking to fill a position in Maine and in Connecticut. Maine in August? Bring on that blueberry pie!
Just past the cranky turtle was the visitor's center and their lovely pond garden.
From there I turned onto County V and just a short ride down the road to Neighbors for Trails area. This trail system is unusual in that bikes are allowed. Nice ride through the pine forest and the wildflower meadows.
More than flowers to see on the trail and in the park, wildlife is very happy with the comfortable summer weather we've been enjoying. Lots of rain, but I'll take that any day over the heat wave and drought we suffered through in the midwest last summer.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Milwaukee's Usinger Sausages Mural
While doing a walking architectural tour in Milwaukee last weekend I came upon a cool building for Usinger's Sausage.
As if that weren't cool enough, I noticed a mural under the overhang.
It tells the story of how Fred Usinger and his sausage making skills came to Milwaukee from Frankfurt.
Fred goes off to Frankfurt to become an apprentice sausage maker.
He worked hard, saved up his money, and came to America with his best recipes in the late 1870's.
He went to work for a widow who owned a small butcher shop in Milwaukee and within a year he married her niece and bought the widow out.
The young couple worked 16-18 hours a day (though I don't see his wife or the widow who contributed to his later fortune in the mural...hmm...) making and selling their sausages. Before long the quality of their sausages brought them fame and fortune, and they began shipping as far away as New York.
I do especially like the Milwaukee cityscape in the background of the last piece.
Fred died in 1930, but their recipes of over 70 varieties of Old World Sausages claims to be unchanged to this day. If you like sausage and don't live near Milwaukee, you can order theirs online. Linking to Monday Mural as usual.
As if that weren't cool enough, I noticed a mural under the overhang.
It tells the story of how Fred Usinger and his sausage making skills came to Milwaukee from Frankfurt.
Fred goes off to Frankfurt to become an apprentice sausage maker.
He worked hard, saved up his money, and came to America with his best recipes in the late 1870's.
He went to work for a widow who owned a small butcher shop in Milwaukee and within a year he married her niece and bought the widow out.
The young couple worked 16-18 hours a day (though I don't see his wife or the widow who contributed to his later fortune in the mural...hmm...) making and selling their sausages. Before long the quality of their sausages brought them fame and fortune, and they began shipping as far away as New York.
I do especially like the Milwaukee cityscape in the background of the last piece.
Fred died in 1930, but their recipes of over 70 varieties of Old World Sausages claims to be unchanged to this day. If you like sausage and don't live near Milwaukee, you can order theirs online. Linking to Monday Mural as usual.
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