Saturday, September 29, 2007

Bike the Barns 2007


I volunteered to wash dishes at the Vermont Valley farm, the lunch stop on this year's Bike the Barns bicycle benefit. 350 cyclist signed up to ride 30 kilometers across the countryside west of Madison in support of CSAs, or community-supported agriculture ("local farmers" in other words). It's been a long, long time since I've washed that many dishes.

Friday, September 28, 2007


I pass this East Wilson Street building every morning on the way to work,
and every day I've wondered why there's a sign that says "toast" on the door.

I tried googling it, but all I could find were restaurants.

So I simply barged in yesterday and asked the guy behind the desk inside.
He said the sign is the logo of Square Toast, a computer system sales company.
When I apologized for interrupting with my stupid question,
they said they get quite a few people dropping in to ask.

And now we know.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

The Marina's one of the newest condos in downtown Madison.
Hugely swank, just off the shore of Lake Monona,
an apartment there sells for gazillions.

I admit, it's got some Jetson-esque qualities I like...


... but overall, it's a box, and I don't like boxes.
I like the corrugated siding even less.

Once again, it's that tree:


Oddly, this is the only tree on our street to so gloriously burst into autumn colors.
Odd, because there are a lot of maples in our neighborhood.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The cathedral rectory of St. Raphael's has stood empty for as long as I've lived here
... since July '05, anyway.

The design is clearly meant to evoke a cathedral's wide apse flanked by narrow galleries.


The brassy screen across the front keeps the entrance shady and cool
without blocking out light.


I don't know what this architectural style is called,
but the American 1960's was lousy with clerestory windows and these plain, clean lines,
particularly public buildings and institutions like this.


Slender columns soar over the entrance.


A heap of rubble at the back door betrays
the rectory's either undergoing renovation
or not long for this world.


This crowd of about 100 students
marched up State Street to the steps of the capital
during the noon hour to protest the treatment of the Jena 6.

Monday, September 24, 2007

The Suhr Building's distinctive prow marks it as one of the city's "flatirons"
a term that gets overused. I like "wedgie" myself.

As unusual as its shape may be,
the old wedgies are getting lost in the growing skyline of our fair city.


Even with its sandstone flanks glowingly lit by the noonday sun,
the Suhr tends to shrink under the towering Tenney building.


But on her own, she still stands out as obviously very special.


As usual, it's the details that make all the difference.
This little sprout is shooting up from the cornice,
barely visible in the photo above.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

It's that tree again ...


Click on the keyword "autum" below
to see the tree go from mostly green
to red & gold