Memorial Day Parade in Monona 2009

Every parade I've ever been to has featured the guys that paint a face on their great big beer bellies and jiggle while "Colonel Bogey's March" plays on the loudspeaker. And the crowds just love them.

I went to the Taste of Madison today and I'm just stuffed!

But not as stuffed as this guy.

Piepalooza!

Time for another Piepalooza at the Fork & Spoon Cafe.

Restaurants from around the city donate pies to the event, which benefits the REAP Food Group.

A ticket lets you try two slices of pie. I had a slice of breakfast pie, which is pretty much what it sounds like: it's got some eggs, some bacon, some cheese and I don't know what else. And for dessert I had raspberry rhubarb. My Darling B tried a slice of cheese pie and a slice of something loaded with chocolate and caramel and all kinds of whipped cream.

Art Fair On The Square!

Come gawk at the trinkets with me!

If I could afford to buy just one piece at the Art Fair On The Square, I'd want to take home one of these amazing little cigar boxes.

The guy who makes spooky-looking people cast in resin was back again this year.

This all-white cast was even spookier for not being painted to look real.

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.

A Taste of Madison

It looks just like Art Fair On The Square
except there's no art and lots of food.
I didn't think about that until after I'd looked through these snapshots
and realized I didn't see any food.
Next time, I'll mare sure to get a few snaps of the food.

Besides food, there's also lots of music.
There are stages set up on MLK Blvd, East Wash, Wisconsin Ave, and State Street,
and you can hear the band at every one of the stages from anywhere on the square.
I know I'm going to sound like a crusty old fart when I say this, but
couldn't they turn the volume down to the point where you'd hear just the band
that's in front of you?

This guy's Italian.
Both my sons tell me so.
Or, if he's not Italian, he's singing Italian songs.
He's absolutely, positively not singing Spanish songs.
No way.
I'm a dummy for even deigning to argue with them about it.
So tune in to La Movida at 1480 AM in the Madison area
to listen to all the best Italian music programming.

Mad City Rail Show '07

Some of the models are big enough to climb into and drive!

Mad City Rail Show '07

I'm a big fan of steam locomotives, even when they're this small.

Mad City Rail Show '07

Some of the most eye-catching models weren't even part of a model rail layout.