Madison Daily Photo

signing off

2007-10-18T20:54:00.001-05:00

It's probably no surprise to anyone that I haven't had the time to maintain this blog for some time now & I feel like it's time to sign off. I've enjoyed doing this so much - it really made me realise how much I love photography (and how much I have to learn) and the City Daily Photo community is unique & amazing. I've loved looking at your Daily Photoblogs & will continue to do so.

Thanks to all of you who visited my blog, thanks for all of your comments & encouragement. - Chris

condo

2007-09-25T07:53:00.000-05:00

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of condominiums popping up all over Madison, particularly 'high end' ones. I don't know anyone who lives in any of them as they all seem to be prohibitively expensive (and I don't think too many of them are at 100% occupancy either), but I particularly like the balconies on this one. It's right on the lakefront too, so imagine the view you get for all those dollars...

it's alive!!

2007-09-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

A chenille tree - also known as a snake tree - in full glory at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

I hope to start posting again regularly...I've fallen out of my daily posting for one reason and another - and now family obligations and an upcoming vacation mean I might be on and off for the next couple of weeks again...Thanks to Neva for your supportive e-mail this morning & to my sister-in-law who was getting worried that I hadn't posted a photo in a while :)

experiencing technical difficulties

2007-09-02T19:41:00.000-05:00

I must apologise for my posting being so spotty & sporadic lately - along with a long weekend away with friends I'm also having trouble with my camera, i.e. it won't open. So, until I get it into the camera repair shop I'm out of action. Back as soon as possible.

(British visitors over 30 to this site most probably remember this picture - it's the old test card the BBC would put up when programmes were off the air.)

capitol lights

2007-08-30T12:40:00.000-05:00

This is one of the lamplights at an entrance to the state capitol. I love the old-worldliness of them - I'm not sure how old they are but I would guess they've been around since the capitol was built in 1906.

on the move

2007-08-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

This house has been dug up from the foundation & placed on wheels - off to where? This was taken about half a block away from a major construction site on the main thoroughfare into Madison (East Washington) where a huge condominium project is under way. Out with the old, in with the new.

orton park festival

2007-08-27T09:14:00.000-05:00

Another summer weekend, another summer festival in Madison. This past weekend was the Orton Park Festival - a big, beautiful park on the eastside is host to a 3 day festival of food, music & merriment. On Saturday morning we took our kids to see David Landau, a local musician & storyteller. He can really get the kids dancing & his whole performance is cute enough to keep the parents entertained too. It was a good start to a beautiful sunny weekend, a welcome respite from all the rain.

weekend market

2007-08-25T11:14:00.000-05:00

It's kind of hard to overstate what an event the Saturday Farmer's Market is. Throngs of people start their shopping at 6:00AM (mostly restaurant suppliers that early) and keep on shopping until 2:00.

Here's a view from the steps of the capitol of the ever-shuffling crowds, going very slowly counter-clockwise around the capitol square. Definitely not the place to shop if you're in a hurry, but what a place to slow down and take in the view.

cosmos

2007-08-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

A vibrant cosmos from my garden to send you all on your merry way to a good weekend.

bubbles

2007-08-22T11:54:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the Willy Street Coop , our local natural foods cooperative, threw its annual membership party. They close off the parking lot, set up a massive grill for brats (regular and tofurkey, a culinary oddity if ever there was one, but remarkably tasty), watermelon, pasta salad, cookies and lots and lots of beer and soda - all free for members. One of the staffers climbed onto the roof and set up a bubble station much to the amusement of all the kids below.

I would have taken more photos of this fun gathering but I was having too much fun enjoying my free tofurkey brat & beer...

wobbly reflection

2007-08-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

The state capitol reflected in the windows of the glass bank across the street.

uh oh, another sunset...

2007-08-20T08:03:00.000-05:00

...but at least this one is in Madison :)

I couldn't resist taking yet another sunset photo. This one was so stunning that we pulled the car over to the side of the road so I could take a photo. To the right it looks like tendrils, hair, waves, something spectacular.

sunset

2007-08-19T10:20:00.000-05:00

One last up north photo - a beautiful sunset over Lake Superior - and then back to Madison photos on Monday.

rain

2007-08-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

Finally, a surplus of rain. July was extremely dry - verging on drought conditions - while August has had more that it's fair share. The only downside - here come the mosquitos...

brrrr!

2007-08-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

My husband about to take a refreshing dip into Lake Superior, still chilly in the middle of August.

butterfly

2007-08-15T07:26:00.000-05:00

A butterfly resting on the sand at our favorite northwoods swimming hole, Lake Jackman.

up nort' roads

2007-08-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

This is the road that leads to the family cabin in Oulu, Wisconsin. Just keep walking for 8 miles or so and you'll land in Lake Superior. My husband's family bought 80 acres of land up here with some friends in the 1960's and I don't believe it has changed much since then. Perfect.

home again

2007-08-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

It took a long time for me to resettle back home after our trip up to the woods & start posting again. So, here's my wake up view from the last day of our vacation...early morning sunrise over the treeline.

going up to the northwoods

2007-07-26T11:04:00.000-05:00

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach..." - Henry David Thoreau

This will be my deck view for the next week or so - we're off to the great northwoods of Wisconsin for a few days of doing nothing much besides swimming in the lake, reading, napping, eating and drinking. What could be better? I'll start posting again on August 6th 'see' you then!

forward!

2007-07-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

Scene of a billion tourist photos at the capitol square, here is the Forward statue which is meant to represent a female figure standing upon the prow of a boat (which I didn't know until I researched the history of the statue.) This was built in 1893 by a female sculptor, Jean Pond Miner, an unusual honor for a woman in those days.

maxwell street

2007-07-24T14:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was Maxwell Street Days; all the stores on State Street pile all of their sales onto the sidewalk for the whole 6 block stretch of State Street for 3 days. This is a pretty sedate view from the capitol - further down towards the University end of State Street it gets quite boisterous, with vendors yelling through bullhorns and a lot of the ethnic restaurants bring their grills outside. It's an event - you shouldn't go here if you have an aversion to crowds and/or shopping!

gates of heaven

2007-07-23T14:55:00.000-05:00

A beautiful little temple right on the shores of Lake Mendota. It has quite a colourful history, which is detailed in the second photo. And what a great name for a house of worship...

paddle & portage (and the 100th post!)

2007-07-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

Now, this event is about as 'Madison' as Madison can get - a quick canoe around Lake Mendota (well, it seems quick when you're sitting on the grass watching the action in comfort) - then...

...they run up the hill to the capitol with the canoes on their heads...

...where a huge crowd wait waiting for them, clapping and cheering them on. Around the capitol square, then down the hill into Lake Monona and a quick paddle around there. Phew! I'm exhausted just writing about it. My husband did the paddle & portage a few years ago and had a blast.

My own little achievement isn't nearly quite so arduous or sweat inducing, but today marks the 100th post of Madison Daily Photo, so I give myself a little pat on the back and thank you all for your visits & comments!

madison skyline

2007-07-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

..one from the archives as it has been a long & busy day...

Here's the Madison skyline as taken from Lake Monona - my first attempt at using the infinity mode on my camera.

In the foreground you can see the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Monona Terrace (which celebrated it's 10 anniversary yesterday with a big party for the city on the rooftop.) Most of the buildings behind that are state government offices & of course, the big dome on the right is the State Capitol building. Lots of lush green trees all around there too.

sailing

2007-07-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

There have been a lot of posts on other Daily Photo websites of sailing & boats - it's the height of summer (for most of us) and it seems a lot of us live near water, so I'm throwing my hat in the ring too. This boat, of course, has a Wisconsin flavor to it - this is the Dairy State after all - and has been decorated as a cow.
This was taken at the Union Terrace where you can rent boats & canoes to take out on the lake. It's a busy place this time of year.

sister city

2007-07-19T15:28:00.000-05:00

I saw this planted in a garden close to city hall. Madison is twinned with 10 sister cities all over the world: Ainaro, East Timor; Arcatao, El Salvador; Bac Giang, Vietnam; Camaguey, Cuba; Cusco, Peru; Freiberg, Germany; Managua, Nicaragua; Obihiro, Japan; Mantova, Italy and Vilnius, Lithuania. There was a plan a while ago to twin Madison with Rafah in the Palestinian Territories, but I believe it was shelved. Too political.

Do you know your sister cities?

courthouse

2007-07-18T07:18:00.000-05:00

This is the old Dane County courthouse - a fancy new one has been built on the other side of the capitol. This one looks quite dated in comparison - what do you think the spiral red neon dagger means??

downtown library

2007-07-17T07:31:00.000-05:00

This is the central branch of Madison Public Library, just one block away from the capitol square & next door to the Overture Center. This was built during the cold war & has a nuclear fallout shelter in the basement. I am a huge fan of Madison's library system - for a city this size (250,000+) it has a remarkably thorough collection & commonly has wait lists for books & movies in the hundreds (the new Harry Potter book has over 1,000 people waiting for 150 copies!)

la fete de marquette

2007-07-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

Never one to miss an opportunity to throw a party, Madison hosted La Fete de Marquette this past weekend to celebrate Bastille Day. All the bands playing over three days come from various French speaking parts of the world, from New Orleans to Africa, France to Montreal. The performer in the middle is Tani Diakite and the Malian Blues Band - amazing drumming band that really had the crowd moving. Lots of good food, cold beer & hot weather made for a classic Madison summertime festival.

Do you see the mini Eiffel Tower in the top photo?

I'm down & out with a cold and totally forgot to post yesterday so I'm putting up 3 photos today to make up for it :)

driving up east washington

2007-07-14T11:26:00.000-05:00

I went up to the annual Art Fair on the Square this morning - over 500 artists from all over the US displaying their work for sale all around the capitol square - hoping to get some good photos for Madison Daily Photo. Instead I sat in heavy traffic for about 20 minutes, so - never one to look a gift horse in the mouth - I got a good photo from my traffic jam of the State Capitol building seen as you drive into Madison up East Washington Avenue. The glass building on the left houses a bank and a few other companies. I love the yellow Mini in front of me - the car I would love to have with an unlimited budget!

overture center

2007-07-13T07:51:00.000-05:00

This is the Overture Center for the Arts in the heart of Madison's downtown. A Cesar Pelli designed building, this replaced the old Civic Center and, as you can see, the original facade was kept intact while the rest of the building was basically built around it. Overture changed the face of this part of downtown Madison - an entire city block was razed to make way for it.
I've only been to a couple of events here - for the most part tickets are not cheap and Overture is still fighting it's 'elitist' reputation. Despite being billed as a community arts center I think it's still out of reach for a good many people. On the bright side, there are some good free art galleries in there.

cool house

2007-07-12T07:33:00.000-05:00

I was visting a friend on the west side of town yesterday & couldn't help but notice this house when we were out on a walk. It's not a very 'Wisconsin' type house - I think it's almost Mediterranean in influence, which you don't see too often in Madison. Lots of good detail when you enlarge the photo & you can have a good look at the garden too.

coneflowers

2007-07-11T07:33:00.000-05:00

My garden is full of purple coneflowers right now, a natural butterfly attractor. I tried to be like Abe and get some beautiful shots of monarchs resting gently on the coneflower leaves, but no luck and almost got myself stung by a bee in the process.

hitching a ride

2007-07-10T07:46:00.000-05:00

I came out of the house the other morning ready to run some errands when who do I see on top of my car? It's my early morning visitor again, one of the hawks who lives in the tree three doors down. This time he -or she? The female hawks are usually bigger than the males - wasn't nearly so shy and I had to open up a door and slam it shut so she'd fly away.

It would have been cool to have her along for the ride though...

the old lady & the shoe

2007-07-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

A slide at Vilas Park modelled after the Old Lady & The Shoe children's nursery rhyme.

flowers at the market

2007-07-08T15:29:00.000-05:00

Snapdragons & lilies in full bloom. We got all of our wedding flowers from the Farmers' Market 6 years ago & I still remember them when we go to the market today. How could you beat those for beauty?

raging grannies for peace

2007-07-07T12:27:00.000-05:00

Easily the best photo title of my blog...here's the raging grannies for peace. They gather at the Saturday Farmer's Market downtown and sing war protest songs. Every voice counts.

polar bear

2007-07-06T08:01:00.000-05:00

Here's one of the polar bears at the Henry Vilas zoo. It was a hot, hot day and he was just trying to stay in the shade. There's a swimming pool below & occasionally he'd take a dip, then back up to the shade.

a surprise on a country walk

2007-07-05T07:44:00.000-05:00

Not something you see every day - a horse on the path below. It was quite a surprise.

independence day

2007-07-04T06:51:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July!

I posted a picture of this cow back in April when she was all ready for Easter. Now she's a picture of cow patriotism on this most American of holidays.

patriotic rooster

2007-07-03T09:35:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the 4th of July - America's Independence Day & the flags are flying. Here's a preview of some red, white & blue before tomorrow's post.

rural life

2007-07-02T07:57:00.000-05:00

We spent this past weekend at the cabin of some good friends of ours about 2 hours west of Madison. This is the view from the top of the hill that the cabin sits on...the farm below is an Amish farm as nearly all of the farms in that area are. It's like stepping out of normal life for a few days, seeing the Amish families riding along the gravel roads in their horse drawn carts and the massive work horses pulling the ploughs through their fields. Life has a different rhythm there.

july 1st - theme day

2007-07-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

As always, the first day of the month is Theme Day for City Daily Photo blogs. This month's theme is the colour red & I have photographed a classic Wisconsin scene - the red barn. I think originally barns were painted red because that was the cheapest colour but now they're red because...well, they just are.

There are 100 other Daily Photo blogs participating in this month's theme day - please take a moment to visit at least a couple of them
Shanghai, China - Mumbai, India - New York City (NY), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Hamburg, Germany - Stayton (OR), USA - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Hyde, UK - Oslo, Norway - Brookville (OH), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Joplin (MO), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Selma (AL), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Chandler (AZ), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Seattle (WA), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Evry, France - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Grenoble, France - http://www.twincitiesdailyphoto.com" target="_new">Cottage Grove (MN), USA Greenville (SC), USA - Hilo (HI), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - La Antigua, Guatemala - Brisbane (QLD), Australia - Singapore, Singapore - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hong Kong, China - Sequim (WA), USA - Paderborn, Germany - Saarbrücken, Germany - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Tenerife, Spain - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Sydney, Australia - Naples (FL), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Mainz, Germany - Toruń, Poland - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - North Bay (ON), Canada - Jakarta, Indonesia - Montréal (QC), Canada - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Baziège, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - New York (NY), USA - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Sharon (CT), USA - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Villigen, Switzerland - Chicago (IL), USA - Torquay, UK - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Paris, France - Seoul, Korea - Manila, Philippines - Milano, Italy - Austin (TX), USA - Chennai, India - Madrid, Spain - Seoul, South Korea - Wailea (HI), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada - Ajaccio, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia - Budapest, Hungary - Moscow, Russia - Auckland, New Zealand - Torino, Italy

back off

2007-06-29T07:33:00.000-05:00

I guess I got a little too close for comfort for this duck. I was trying to take some photos of the lakefront when I spotted her & she gave me a very stern warning. Point taken.

orpheum

2007-06-28T07:26:00.000-05:00

A very hot & humid day - all those grey clouds held the promise of rain but didn't deliver. I took this photo on State Street yesterday - this is the Orpheum Theatre, a beautifully restored old cinema. The lobby houses an excellent restaurant, the cinema shows a good mix of films (mostly independent) and they also host a lot of music and community events. If you enlarge the photo you can see the billboard says "Divorce Your Car" - 5 people ceremoniously dumped their cars at the Orpheum this week and resolved to use public transportation (gasp!) and the Community Car service which I postedhttp://madisondailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/04/earth-day-preview.html about a couple of months ago.

summer bounty

2007-06-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

A scene from the Farmers' Market - so much to choose from right now & it's all delicious. This is what I wait for all winter long...

lakeside sculpture

2007-06-26T08:26:00.000-05:00

I don't know anything about the story behind this sculpture but I've always liked it. The scale is hard to see in the photo but it's rather big & is right next to the boat launch.

mad city ski team

2007-06-25T08:32:00.000-05:00

Last night we went down to Lake Monona to watch the Mad City Ski Team - a local group of waterskiers who put on a show for free every Sunday evening in the summer. It's pretty amazing. I like the ducks in the foreground of the top photo - they were completely unpeturbed by all the action going on in their lake.

capitol view

2007-06-24T09:52:00.000-05:00

The dome of the capitol viewed through the fountain on the rooftop of Monona Terrace.

lazy morning

2007-06-23T06:21:00.000-05:00

Bruce the cat takes a break from his exhausting routine of eating and sleeping to take a nap on the back of the couch in the sunshine.
Perfect photo for a lazy weekend.

monona terrace

2007-06-22T07:47:00.000-05:00

I've been remiss in not posting a photo of Monona Terrace in my two months of Madison Daily Photo. A Frank Lloyd Wright designed building on the shores of Lake Monona, it's a big part of the Madison landscape. However, you probably need a boat to get a really good view from the middle of the lake so I just went up to the rooftop and got a nice pic of the walkway.
If I ever run into a friendly boat owner I'll get the lake view.

the longest day

2007-06-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

Today is the summer solstice. Even though it has been hot & humid in these parts for a few weeks now, today we slide into summer while our friends in the southern hemisphere welcome winter.
I went out last night to get a photo of one of the most beautiful sunsets in recent memory - the last sunset of spring.

monty's blue plate diner

2007-06-20T07:51:00.000-05:00

A Madison institution, here's Monty's - a local diner that serves up the most amazing dessert case, comfort food & breakfast all day. Take a look at the menu & revel in the glory. They make an amazing vegetarian meatloaf that hits all the spots as far as comfort food goes.

What do you look for in comfort food?

blue lantern tripod

2007-06-19T07:50:00.000-05:00

If you were to take a walk in my neighborhood on the eastside, it wouldn't take too long before you ran into a Sid Boyum sculpture. Sid was a local artist who could also best be described as a local eccentric. When he died in the 90's a lot of his sculptures, which had been living in his front & back gardens, were placed around the eastside. An original, to be sure.

sitting pretty

2007-06-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

An innovative way to display your flower arrangement, wouldn't you say?

cloud invaders

2007-06-17T14:46:00.000-05:00

We were driving home along the Monona lakefront last night looking for a sinking sailboat that had made the local news (DP research, you know.) No sign of the sailboat, but this massive cloud formation was hard to miss. It was a relatively clear, blue sky except for this behemoth.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially to my husband, Alex, who is the best papa in the world to our two little boys. We love you!

bike path

2007-06-16T15:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry it took so long to post today. I had a rare night out last night & things are moving rather slowly today, aided in part by lots of tea and naps.

Madison has miles & miles of bike paths throughout the city & out into the country, all of which are superbly maintained and even snow ploughed in the winter for the hardy souls who bike all year round. We're also home to Trek Bikes, the company that made Lance Armstrong's bikes for the Tour de France.
Speaking of Trek, that's my sweet Trek in the foreground :)

heatwave

2007-06-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

It's hot! Really, really hot - in the 80's, getting into the 90's. There are some good beaches in Madison (although they are sometimes closed due to too much bacteria in the lakes) and a great public swimming pool but in my neighborhood we head over to the east side YMCA to the JackSplash. I think it's just meant for children but in this heatwave you see plenty of grown ups running through the sprinklers, and why not??

farmer's market

2007-06-14T07:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's photo was taken at the eastside farmer's market - here's a scene of that market from across the street. The main market in Madison is held every Saturday from April through November on the capital square, but smaller neighborhood markets like this one are also thriving. I'm glad I live in a town that supports this kind of community.

p.s. this is also the site of Madison's future 'Central Park' - try enlarging the photo to read the signs.

'tis the season...

2007-06-13T07:33:00.000-05:00

...strawberry season, that is. There is possibly nothing finer right now than fresh summer strawberries. This was taken at the Tuesday Eastside Farmer's Market, one of the many smaller markets that has sprung up over the last few years.

I love making strawberry shortcake this time of year - what's your favourite way to prepare fresh strawberries?

into the rose garden

2007-06-12T07:51:00.000-05:00

At the botanical gardens again. This is the view from the top of the tower in the rose gardens.

I need to get outside with my camera again in the next few days so if anyone has any requests for photos of Madison leave me a comment & I'll do my best to oblige!

bridge #3

2007-06-11T07:43:00.000-05:00

There are many small treasures to be found at the botanical gardens - I really enjoy seeing the small details that go together to form the complete picture of this amazing place. All of the railings & most of the bridges are made of wrought iron which is not very common here. This is the bridge that leads to the Thai garden. I'll post more photos from there soon.

weekend at the beach

2007-06-10T09:14:00.000-05:00

This is the south shore of Lake Mendota, taken from the Tenney Park locks. The Yahara River flows between the two big lakes in Madison (Mendota & Monona) and the locks here are the gateway to Mendota.

from the caboose

2007-06-09T08:23:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we took our train-obsessed 3 year old to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum to take a train ride through the countryside - quite the rarity in this country. This railway has been preserved by some very dedicated volunteers & it was quite an eye-opener to see the old railway carriages still in operation. A grand time was had by all.

satchmo

2007-06-08T07:44:00.000-05:00

This is the side of New Orleans Take-Out a local cafe that serves up some excellent Creole food. Having never been to New Orleans I can't vouch for it's authenticity, but they do make some great po boy sandwiches.

If I remember this story correctly, the owner was getting tired of his building being 'tagged' by graffiti all the time, so he got one of the kids to spray-paint a mural of Louis Armstrong. It worked - no more graffiti.

a walk in the woods

2007-06-07T07:26:00.000-05:00

A lovely winding trail that led quite unexpectedly to a pet cemetery.

stormy weather

2007-06-06T08:29:00.000-05:00

We've been having non-stop rain, dark skies & chilly evenings as of late. Looking at some of the other DP sites in the midwest I can see we're not alone. Madison received more rain in the first 3 days of June than we did in the entire month of May! It's all good for the garden, but not so good for the cabin fever...

Many thanks to everyone who posted comments yesterday about my dog - I appreciate your kind words & thoughts so much.

charlie

2007-06-05T07:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had to say a tearful goodbye to our dog Charlie. A red heeler/Australian cattle dog, she has been part of our family for many years, but the light in her eyes had gone out in the last few days and we knew it was time for her to go. She was truly unique, a feisty redhead full of personality & a worthy nemesis to Bruce the cat. A cattle dog with no cattle to herd, she made do with making sure the cat stayed in line & chased the occasional coyote in her youth. We will miss her so much.

guess the object

2007-06-04T07:19:00.000-05:00

I'll send a postcard to anyone who can identify this piece of equipment.

oh i wish i were an oscar mayer wiener...

2007-06-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

American viewers might recognize the song title, might even recognize this vehicle - - this is an actual moving working vehicle called the Wienermobile. Shaped like a hotdog (Oscar Mayer is the company that makes hot dogs, bologna & various other 'meat' products), you often see this driving around Madison. Local superstition says bad luck falls upon anyone driving next to it...

stuck on you

2007-06-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure this is a dragonfly - someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I read that a massive outbreak of cicadas was about to happen in the midwest, but I don't think I could tell a cicada from a dragonfly. Either way, this winged creature was on my screen window early one morning & didn't even twitch as I snapped a few photos.

june 1st - theme day

2007-06-01T09:37:00.000-05:00

The first day of every month is a theme day - this month's theme is "The view from your room."

This was taken a couple of nights ago when I was woken up by my dog scratching to be let out. I'm not normally awake at 1:00AM but in this case I'm kind of glad I was. When I saw the moon nestled between the trees I knew this was my theme day photo! It's kind of fuzzy, but I still like it.

Now go & look out some other windows around the world - here are the other Daily Photo blogs participating in this month's theme day:

Seattle (WA), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Toruń, Poland - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Vantaa, Finland - Madison (WI), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Cleveland (OH), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - http://www.twincitiesdailyphoto.com" target="_new">Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Omaha (NE), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stockholm, Sweden - Grenoble, France - Lubbock (TX), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Hyde, UK - Joplin (MO), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Kansas City (MO), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Manila, Philippines - Sydney, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - London, UK - Chandler (AZ), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Singapore, Singapore - Hamburg, Germany - Sydney, Australia - Tenerife, Spain - Moscow, Russia - Lyon, France - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Evry, France - Hayle, UK - Mumbai, India - Kitakami, Japan - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - La Antigua, Guatemala - Paderborn, Germany - San Diego (CA), USA - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Madrid, Spain - Lyon, France - Selma (AL), USA - Shanghai, China - Baziège, France - Cologne (NRW), Germany - North Bay (ON), Canada - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Stayton (OR), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Hong Kong, China - Trier, Germany - Joensuu, Finland - Paris, France - Greenville (SC), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Cork, Ireland - Bastia, France - Vancouver, Canada - Brookville (OH), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Mainz, Germany - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Torino, Italy - Montréal (QC), Canada

noooooooo!!!!

2007-05-31T08:11:00.000-05:00

Massive glitch on my computer - I've lost all my photos! We'll be back to regularly scheduled programming once my resident IT expert (the husband) comes home from work tonight.

union chairs

2007-05-30T07:59:00.000-05:00

Anyone who is familiar with Madison knows how iconic the chairs at the Union Terrace are, so much so that a giant one was made & put on display at the Terrace. They're not exactly the most comfortable chairs, but when you can actually find a free table with a few of these around it, it makes for a happy day.

summer kick off

2007-05-29T07:43:00.000-05:00

There was no finer place to be this long Memorial Day weekend - the unofficial beginning of summer - than the Wisconsin Union Terrace. Located on the shores of Lake Mendota and the heart of the university, this playground is home to boat & canoe rentals. But, really, this is the best place in town to get a cold beer, take a seat and people watch.

memorial day 2007

2007-05-28T07:21:00.000-05:00

Enough said.

bratfest

2007-05-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to Bratfest, billed as the World's Largest Brat Festival. The brats in this case are bratwurst, not small annoying children. I feel safe in saying this is definitely an "Only in Wisconsin" moment - this giant truck has been turned into a large barbecue grilling sausages for the masses all day long. The record for most brats consumed was set in 2004 with a grand total of 189,432 brats consumed over 4 days! (To be fair, this is all for charity, not total gluttony...)

through the looking fence

2007-05-26T09:17:00.000-05:00

Still obsessing over this week's season finale of "Lost" (called Through the Looking Glass) I'm naming this one in the same spirit.

This was taken looking through one of the beautiful wrought iron fences at the botanical gardens.

bird on a wire

2007-05-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

This is a mourning dove - both Wisconsin's state symbol of peace and target of mourning dove hunting season. How the two go together is beyond me, but it certainly has been a controversial topic.

bridge #2

2007-05-24T07:25:00.000-05:00

Just something about a bridge & trees reflecting on the river has me whipping out my camera in no time.

take a deep breath

2007-05-23T07:32:00.000-05:00

Here's the bagpipers pausing for breath during the Syttende Mai parade. This is not an instrument for a smoker - it takes some serious lung power to play those babies.

Can you see the camels behind them? Yes - camels, bagpipes, fire engines, horses, clowns, tractors, high school marching bands - this was a big parade for a little town.

parade

2007-05-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

Another photo from the Syttende Mai parade.

syttende mai

2007-05-21T07:37:00.000-05:00

This weekend we headed down to my husband's hometown of Stoughton for the annual Syttende Mai celebrations. Syttende Mai (17th May) celebrates Norway's independence from Sweden. This is a HUGE deal in Stoughton - way bigger than the 4th of July when the U.S. celebrates independence from my people. The weekend culminates in a massive parade down Main Street, which I'll post some pictures of later on in the week. Here today is Maddie, dressed in a traditional Norwegian dress, under one of the hundreds of Norwegian flags flying over this little Scandinavian outpost in Wisconsin.

ready for action

2007-05-20T08:11:00.000-05:00

The spring weather is being very Wisconsinish - temperatures bouncing from the 80's to the 60's and back again. In the meantime, these canoes are ready & waiting should anyone want to take a trip down the river. Still too cold for me.

P.S. My site tracker just clicked over to 1,000 hits - this is a huge deal for me! Thanks to everyone who has visited in the month that I've been doing this - I never expected to get so much feedback!

oriental poppies

2007-05-19T08:36:00.000-05:00

Probably my favourite spring flower - nothing beats them for sheer drama & colour. Happy weekend everyone!

spring showers

2007-05-18T07:35:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about living in the midwest is the crazy weather. We're not exactly in Tornado Alley (although they can get pretty close) but we do get the most dramatic thunderstorms. The day before yesterday the temperature dropped quite quickly, then the sky turned about 5 different shades of gray. This was taken from my car window on my way home - as an ever growing number of my photos are :)

madeleine

2007-05-17T08:38:00.000-05:00

Today I am following the example of Lynn in Cheltenham and posting a photo of Madeleine McCann, the three year old British girl who was abducted in Portugal two weeks ago.

Although I shudder at the circumstances surrounding her kidnapping - she and her siblings were left alone sleeping at their holiday villa while their parents dined at a nearby restaurant - surely this is every parent's worst nightmare.

She could be anywhere in the world by now, so I feel a certain responsibility (if that's the right word) as a member of this global City Daily Photo community to post her photo.

green wave

2007-05-16T07:35:00.000-05:00

The spirea are in full bloom in Madison now - this road has one after the other as far as you can see. My clever husband pointed out that it looks like a green wave, hence the title. (He's handy to have around sometimes.)

bleeding hearts

2007-05-15T07:44:00.000-05:00

Easily the most dramatic looking flower in my garden right now.

willy street

2007-05-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

The photo I posted on Mother's Day was taken on Williamson Street (known locally as Willy Street), a very eclectic neighborhood on Madison's east side. When I first came to Madison it was pretty run down and not the safest part of town, but these days $300,000 condos sit next to tattoo parlors and the natural foods co-op.
These signs are hanging from lampposts up & down the street - I kind of like how the symbols represent everything Willy Street is and aspires to be.

mama didn't raise no fool...

2007-05-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

Today is Mother's Day in the U.S.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas & grandmas reading this - and if you have a mama you can call on the phone - do it! Call your mother & tell her you love her (fool.)

Madison tidbit: this was taken on the side of a coffee shop called Mother Fools (get it?) and they have given over one wall of their building to local graffiti artists. They change it every month & this one recently went up for Mother's Day. The perfect photo for today.

passing through

2007-05-12T06:23:00.000-05:00

I went down to the lake one evening hoping for a couple of good sunset shots (which Chris and Deb in Minneapolis have turned into an art form) but, wouldn't you know, the muse didn't strike. Walking home I looked up to see this plane flying over far above me & that was my photo.
Can you see the UFO lurking in the background?

tree art

2007-05-11T07:06:00.000-05:00

Well, why not? Shouldn't trees get all dressed up once in a while??

--Now the question is, will Kate in St. Paul post a picture of a tree today - lately we've been posting very similar photos because great minds think alike ;)

playtime

2007-05-10T07:25:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I started this blog was I wanted to start taking photos of something other than my children...and then I see this amazing statue outside our natural food co-op. It was one of those 'pull the car over to the side of the road' moments - I just love the fluidity (real word?) and movement in this statue and, of course, it makes me think of my children playing.

The light & the angle are a little funky (I was gingerly stepping through the co-op's garden to take the photo) but I hope you can see at least some of the detail. (Try viewing it large.)

street music

2007-05-09T07:20:00.000-05:00

The guy on the left is playing a washboard - they drew a good size crowd with this music. Very interesting sound.
I was thinking this would be a good future 'theme day' - I think most cities have someone playing music somewhere, don't they?!

high rise work

2007-05-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

I spotted these two window washers while walking around the farmer's market this weekend - I can't imagine this is a good line of work for those with vertigo, but could this be the dream job for rock climbers who don't like chatty co-workers?

temple doorway

2007-05-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

I'm so knocked out by the colours & detail in this doorway. This is at Deer Park Buddhist Center in the town of Oregon just outside Madison. The Dalai Lama has been a frequent visitor here & will return next spring for the blessing of the new temple at Deer Park. (Thanks to father-in-law Steve for sending me this photo to post today!)

bee season

2007-05-06T08:46:00.000-05:00

The Farmer's Market has started up again & will run through November - it is held every Saturday and draws thousands of people each week. This guy & his honey has been at the market for as long as I can remember & he's always wearing his beehive hat.
Has anyone heard about the mysterious bee disappearance? One quarter of America's honeybees have disappeared - just gone. Conspiracy theorists abound!

bridge #1

2007-05-05T07:36:00.000-05:00

With so many lakes in Madison and the Yahara River running in between them we have a lot of bridges so expect a few bridge photos - here's #1. Note the trees are still pretty bare in this part of the world - spring takes a long time to get here but when it does you can't help but be impressed.

hello dalai

2007-05-04T07:53:00.000-05:00

Sorry, couldn't resist the pun - the Dalai Lama is in town! Obviously I would have loved to get close enough to take a photo of him for today but the chances of that are about zero, so instead you get a shot of the city county building flying the Tibetan flag. I know, it's an ugly building (and a less than thrilling photo.)