Going Back

On street corners all over downtown there is art like this.  The building in the background is the old high school.  It has new life as the Washington Pavilion - more about that below.

A foggy, wet day for a walk.  How did I miss all this majesty when I was growing up?

The Carnegie Library now houses government offices.  The building has a rounded backside.  

Window Detail

My dad's alma mater, I can imagine him going through these doors.  The high school building is in use today as an art gallery, orchestra hall and a science center with an IMAX Theatre

A downtown fire station, historical markers tell about the time Teddy Roosevelt came to town to campaign.  There's a tower on the other side - wonder what that was used for?

The Pettigrew Museum

The museum entrance - petrified wood

One of the many Quartzite stairways at Terrace Park.

The rock used for these buildings is native Sioux Quartzite.  I took all this extraordinary architecture in my hometown for granted growing up.  Now, I am proud of this city's historical preservation of these landmark buildings.  Even on a gray day their beauty shines through.

Travels

We decided to head north on the motorcycle.

Books and Expresso in Washburn

I never tire of seeing the colors of autumn, so beautiful all the way up to Lake Superior, Bayfield and Madeline Island and all the way back to LaCrosse.

A riot of color before the grim grays of winter.  Just have to feast on it while it's here.

The Lagoon at Town Park on Madeline Island.  Superior just on the other side of this lagoon was rolling with wind and waves, here was calm and quiet.  

Two guys in a canoe were on their way to go fishing.

A Great Gray Owl

What a site, we were riding our rented bikes down the road to the park he/she landed on a fence post right in front of us --- letting us admire, turning her/his head all ways. 

Off the ferry and ready to head home. 

Driftless 2013

The Driftless Art Festival happened this past weekend.  I've been anticipating and preparing, the weekend finally arrived.

Making lists, checking them twice, taking out all the work, cataloging.

Good we remembered to get that 'booth' shot.

All arranged - whew!  My daughter helped both days, she wore 4 or 5 of the vests over the time - have to say she looked lovely in anything she tried on.   My husband helped with the set up and provided great support - thanks honey!  That dog with out-stretched arms is for you!

It was a great weekend, we even had rain on Sunday morning which made my day along with all the wonderful people supporting art and artists at this terrific fair.

Today

The photo of this great bus wasn't taken today.  It would make a most excellent traveling studio. Found it sitting at the re-cycling center where we deposit whatever we can keep from the landfill as we head home after vacation.  Hmmm - at the re-cycling center, waiting to be recycled?

The bumper sticker says 'honk if parts are falling off'

Haha......

Look at those whitewall tires!

            

Processing...

marking Today

                       

Summertime field of Bluestem

A web fresh and dewy

flowers on the street

Construction and De-construction

cloth making

colors and textures

Love these action pictures 

A random sampling of what's in the studio and out in the yard.  Taking the shingles off the garage and the little screen house.  Hope you are having a happy summer and not getting too bit up by the vicious, rapacious, little mean spirited bugs that are populating my neighborhood.

Old School Geometry

There's a school in my neighborhood that is about to be torn down.  A crew is disassembling the place. It's been there since 1955 but now they say it needs fixing and that's too expensive.  The solution is to build new.  I know there are advantages to building new, better energy efficiency, state of the art classrooms and all that.   I'm hoping they put old-fashioned blackboards into the new school classrooms instead of those awful white boards and that they don't carpet the floors.   I am lamenting it's demise.  Artistry and craftsmanship is evident, apparent time and thought was put into styling this building.  New schools don't have that same vitality or soul. This post is a record of this place, dedicated to those who built it and inhabited the hallways over the years.

It's coming down so, of course, the kids got to decorate the walls and the floors.

Inset tile on the risers.

The geometry of straight lines and symmetry attracts and inspires me.

Prairie Reppweaves have geometric lines and symmetry --- like the tiled walls of the school.