Morning Lights

A swirl of freshly-furrowed earth and a blank wall ... all that's left of St. Raphael's cathedral.

And now for your enjoyment, a bear's head.

If the license plate you get from the DMV is offensive to you in some way, you can ask them to issue you another one.

I wonder if there's a similar policy if you see a license plate that's offensive to you? Can you call the DMV and have them remove it from the car?

Declaration chalked on the library at the University of Wisconsin

Not exactly sure what they're declaring, though. Their name is Butts and they're married? They're married and they have butts? Their butts are married?

Keep it simple, please, I'm from Illinois.

Seen at an auction: A selection of books for the pious ...

... and a selection of books no library should be without.

A reading from the New Catechism of The Steam Engine, First Book of Baldwin, Chapter 1, Verse 1-10

A portrait of Matthias Baldwin, patron saint of steam engineering.

From the Catechism, a hymn in the key of steam.

The Dane County Farmer's Market on capital square is home to inspiring artists ...

... and aspiring artists

Looking up Johnson from State street.

Radio Orpheum

Grace Episcopal church spire

Early morning sun on the Jackman Building, downtown Madison

See if you can kick it right between the uprights ...

Monona's Sylvan Shores

I took a walk this morning to see if I could find out who was playing their stereo loud enough to wake me at six-thirty. I ended up on the shore of Lake Monona at Frostwoods Park, where the sun was just beginning to shine down on this idyllic early-morning scene. This is what they pay the big bucks to wake up to.

All the noise, by the way, was coming from the Monona Terrace, where the Iron Man was getting underway. From the opposite shore of the lake I could just make out a couple thousand people teeming across the terrace. The near-calm on the lake must have been perfect for carrying the sound all the way to Monona, five miles away, where I could clearly hear the announcer and the background music.

“A Silly Bug For You”

Spotted on Owen Road, this matt-black Baja Bug.

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

But not as stuffed as this guy.

Just another good reason to be a fireman

You get to be a card-carrying, sticker-sporting FOOL.

Lunchtime on State Street

YWCA Cafeteria

On Carroll Street between Mifflin and Dayton.

Ivy-Covered Halls

Madison Area Technical College on Carroll Street, downtown Madison.

A Little Bit Of Heaven at the End of State Street

The front window of Paul's Book Store, just one block short of Library Mall.

Say It Ain't So!

"Is that tree turning already?" I asked My Darling B as we sipped our java on the sofa this morning. "That can't be right."

B's been telling me over and over again how Fall is coming early this year. "It's the cool nights," she says. If that's so, this tree's in for one hell of a shock when the Dog Days of August bring ninety-degree weather this week.

I snapped a photo of this same tree when it began turning last year -- on September 9th, three weeks from today.

My Darling B is a huge fan of garlic, so I knew she'd like to see a photo of this shirt.

She liked it so much that now I'll have to find a shirt like this.

Hellooo Monona!

This old Willys was in the parking lot at the Monona farmer's market last weekend.

I've never seen one like it before, but knew as soon as I caught sight of it that it was my kind of car.

Great Taste of the Midwest '08

You know how you can tell when you're at the best beer festival anywhere? When they have a bubbler (that's a water fountain for you non-Wisconsin residents, poor saps) that's plumbed to dispense beer! I'll bet this was the most-photographed beer tap at the festival.

Attendance, as always, was impressive:

Eye-catching t-shirts from year's Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival:

Why?

Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward put on a great show at the Barrymore last night, but this is the second show I've been to at this venue where a singer with a phenomenal voice was lost in the instrumentals because the sound man couldn't find the right balance. I'm sure the rest of the band's talented, but why even bother to give Zooey a microphone if you're not going to let us hear her?

The same thing happened when Suzanne Vega came to town. When she sang a capella or accompanied herself on acoustic guitar the show was magical, but when the rest of the band came out the sound man cranked up the volume until Suzanne's voice was so distant she might as well have been in Chicago.

And I'm not necessarily blaming the Barrymore. For all I know, the bands bring their own sound engineers. The Leo Kottke / Leon Redbone show was possibly the most enjoyable concert experience I've ever had, so I know it can be done. To the other guys: Louder is not better.

The Book in the Window

at the corner of Baldwin and Willy Street.

Seen at the farmer's market ...

Seen At The Hardware Store

There truly is a product for everything, and this one was on sale at the local Ace Hardware store, right in front of the checkout counter where God and everybody could see it.

Sunday Morning On The Yahara

Boats on the river between Upper Mud Lake and Squaw Bay, as seen from Bridge Street in Monona.

Spot the Chicken

Can't see it?

Wait, I'll get a little closer ...













See it now?
















How about now?

The thick cables fastening its legs to the ground suggest that perhaps the owner has had some trouble with vandals in the recent past.