Overcast brings cold, gray days back to Madison.




A barren oak tree on the lawn of the capitol. Grace Episcopal in the background.

Derelect pump house and vaneless windmill, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.

Genna's bar in the early morning hours




... still decorated for Christmas.

"He said the sun rose ... he said it sang to him."



Madison sees sunlight two days in a row.

I haven't blogged all week because the sun's been gone for almost three weeks now, giving me no fresh opportunities to look for new outdoor shots worth publishing. I piddle around with indoor shots, but this is the best I've come up with.

There's nobody to play with and nothing to eat, so Boo curls up in her nest on the quilt for an afternoon's nap.

Front entrance to the Baskerville building on Hamilton St.

(This is a hand-held shot, although I had to take about a half-dozen snaps to get it, and hold my breath each time. I've learned a new setting on my digital camera that lets me take photos at night. )

The Lamb building on the 100 block of State Street, home to Michelangelo's, the finest coffee shop in downtown Madison.

Wouldn't it be heaven to live in an apartent over a great coffee shop? Especially an apartment with leaded, stained-glass bay windows.

Maybe someday...

(The back entrance to the same building.)

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Madison O-Folk!

There is nobody more content than a cat in a lap.

Time to share a few more photos of the interior of Taylor's antique store, on Carroll Street in capital square (next to Shakespeare's book store). I wandered in today to see the newly-arranged selection of trinkets and baubles. The assortment is dizzying.

The shop resembles nothing so much as your very rich aunt's eclectic collection of mementos and knick-knacks, spanning 180 years and overflowing from every showcase, dresser-drawer and shelf in her thirteen-room Victorian mansion. You can visit the shop every day of the week and find something new each day.

Their specialty is maps, which explains the globes and framed prints on the walls.

Taylor's on North Carroll Street in downtown Madison has decorated their front window with a dizzying display of old-time toys. It's more than I can do justice to in a few snapshots, but perhaps I can capture a tiny bit of the fun to be had looking in the window.

A close-up of a few of the items in the window: clowns on top of the merry-go-round, marionettes hanging in the background, the detail from a carnival bench ...

... a shooting gallery, a marble-in-the-cups game, a pinball table, and a wonderful assortment of circus posters.

The seal of the state of Wisconsin, embossed in brass on the doors of the capital building; a special treat for a loyal viewer of our page.

Snow falling on capital square, at about three o'clock this afternoon.

I went for a walk through the 'mansion district' once again. Most of the old piles have fallen on hard times, their rooms now parceled out as flats to students. The landlords certainly aren't much interested in preserving the character of the buildings, as evidenced by the cartoonish color of this lost mansion. Pink?

If you're on your way to the periodicals section of Madision Central Public Library and you happen to glance up the stairway ...

More about this display.