Life in the 21st century has numerous milestones. Among these are graduations from high school and college, buying our first car, having our first child or first grandchild, turning 40 or turning 65. Among the least heralded of milestones, yet one of the most unusual, is watching the odometer in your car turn over 200,000 miles. This is a moment to treasure that most of … Continue reading Toyota Highlander Turns over 200,000 Miles
After returning from vacation back in August, I discovered a small plant growing in the small flower bed next to my driveway. Nestled among the dead rose bushes, the stalk-like plant had leaves that looked like corn. Thinking it was another weed, I ignored it for a couple weeks during which time it grew some two feet. It sprouted seeds at the top and spread … Continue reading Mystery Millet Grows in Janesville
Four of my photographs of Oaxaca will be on exhibit during September, 2011 at the Fiskum Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. They are part of a larger show entitled, “Viva Oaxaca.” Most of the art featured in the show was produced by the student participants in a workshop in monotype techniques taught by Professor Max White in Oaxaca during July, 2011. In addition to … Continue reading Shameless Self-promotion – Viva Oaxaca Show
These two photos were taken three days ago in my front yard. I had to look up the name of the butterfly, and I still don’t know what kind of flowers these are. After 37 years of teaching college, I still don’t know very much about lots of things. Click on the photos once for larger size, twice for full resolution. Continue reading Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly and Flowers – Two Snapshots
Congratulations to Professors Max White and Michael Flanagan, two University of Wisconsin-Whitewater faculty who just completed the third round of workshops for artists in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico. Each of the workshops lasted two weeks and culminated in a show on August 5, 2011 at La Mano Mágica, a studio and gallery in the city of Oaxaca. Student participants in the workshops were professional artists or … Continue reading UW-Whitewater Artists Deliver Third Round of Workshops in Oaxaca
In an earlier post I noted that for me the photos I take while traveling tend to fall into one of three categories. These are: Subjects seen in the tourist destination, but not seen at home; Subjects seen at home, but not expected to be seen in the tourist destination; and, Subjects that are expected to be seen both at home and in the tourist … Continue reading On Tourism Photography – Oaxaca, Mexico
American culture loves the spectacular. One of the best examples is the Gateway Arch at St. Louis, Missouri. Spectacular in both concept and execution, the arch is a marvelous piece of public art as well as a spectacular object on the landscape. Last weekend I was there with my friend Georgia. The photo above is a snapshot from the top. Continue reading A View of St. Louis from the Arch
I saw Paul Ryan, my congressman, on television recently. He was explaining to a constituent that his plan to privatize Medicare would lower health care costs because private insurers would compete in an open market for the health care dollar, thus driving costs down. I’m a bit confused about this because I thought that the competitive marketplace he described was, in fact, the kind of … Continue reading Paul Ryan on How to Lower Medical Costs
Governor Scott Walker’s move to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in Wisconsin was just his opening salvo. His full budget proposal for the coming biennium, if passed as proposed, will reduce aid to education at all levels, seniors, Medicaid and special state sponsored medical care for the indigent. Regardless of the merits of these cuts, there can be no doubt that one of … Continue reading Walker Takes Aim at Immigrant Students
Finally, in southern Wisconsin, our seven days of spring have arrived. Continue reading Tulips and Daffodils in My Front Yard
Here in southern Wisconsin we are anxiously awaiting our annual seven days of spring. We have cool summers, beautiful falls, and frigid, interminable winters. Spring, a season on the calendar, in actuality barely exists. Except for about seven glorious days, we move from winter straight into summer. During the months of April and May, flowers and blooming plants struggle to fulfill their genetic destinies, only … Continue reading Wisconsin Spring
Yesterday, Saturday, February 26, 2011, between 70,000 and 100,000 people (according to official estimates) gathered at the Wisconsin state capitol to protest Governor Walker’s Budget “Repair” Bill that will strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. It has been suggested by some that the demonstrators were rowdy hooligans, ne’er-do-wells, and anarchist hippie hold-overs from the 1960’s. I can’t vouch for the absence of ne’er-do-wells, … Continue reading Faces of Protest
Snapshots 