Madison Daily Photo

signing off

2007-10-18T20:54:00.001-05:00

It's probably no surprise to anyone that I haven't had the time to maintain this blog for some time now & I feel like it's time to sign off. I've enjoyed doing this so much - it really made me realise how much I love photography (and how much I have to learn) and the City Daily Photo community is unique & amazing. I've loved looking at your Daily Photoblogs & will continue to do so.

Thanks to all of you who visited my blog, thanks for all of your comments & encouragement. - Chris

condo

2007-09-25T07:53:00.000-05:00

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of condominiums popping up all over Madison, particularly 'high end' ones. I don't know anyone who lives in any of them as they all seem to be prohibitively expensive (and I don't think too many of them are at 100% occupancy either), but I particularly like the balconies on this one. It's right on the lakefront too, so imagine the view you get for all those dollars...

it's alive!!

2007-09-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

A chenille tree - also known as a snake tree - in full glory at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

I hope to start posting again regularly...I've fallen out of my daily posting for one reason and another - and now family obligations and an upcoming vacation mean I might be on and off for the next couple of weeks again...Thanks to Neva for your supportive e-mail this morning & to my sister-in-law who was getting worried that I hadn't posted a photo in a while :)

experiencing technical difficulties

2007-09-02T19:41:00.000-05:00

I must apologise for my posting being so spotty & sporadic lately - along with a long weekend away with friends I'm also having trouble with my camera, i.e. it won't open. So, until I get it into the camera repair shop I'm out of action. Back as soon as possible.

(British visitors over 30 to this site most probably remember this picture - it's the old test card the BBC would put up when programmes were off the air.)

capitol lights

2007-08-30T12:40:00.000-05:00

This is one of the lamplights at an entrance to the state capitol. I love the old-worldliness of them - I'm not sure how old they are but I would guess they've been around since the capitol was built in 1906.

on the move

2007-08-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

This house has been dug up from the foundation & placed on wheels - off to where? This was taken about half a block away from a major construction site on the main thoroughfare into Madison (East Washington) where a huge condominium project is under way. Out with the old, in with the new.

orton park festival

2007-08-27T09:14:00.000-05:00

Another summer weekend, another summer festival in Madison. This past weekend was the Orton Park Festival - a big, beautiful park on the eastside is host to a 3 day festival of food, music & merriment. On Saturday morning we took our kids to see David Landau, a local musician & storyteller. He can really get the kids dancing & his whole performance is cute enough to keep the parents entertained too. It was a good start to a beautiful sunny weekend, a welcome respite from all the rain.

weekend market

2007-08-25T11:14:00.000-05:00

It's kind of hard to overstate what an event the Saturday Farmer's Market is. Throngs of people start their shopping at 6:00AM (mostly restaurant suppliers that early) and keep on shopping until 2:00.

Here's a view from the steps of the capitol of the ever-shuffling crowds, going very slowly counter-clockwise around the capitol square. Definitely not the place to shop if you're in a hurry, but what a place to slow down and take in the view.

cosmos

2007-08-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

A vibrant cosmos from my garden to send you all on your merry way to a good weekend.

bubbles

2007-08-22T11:54:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the Willy Street Coop , our local natural foods cooperative, threw its annual membership party. They close off the parking lot, set up a massive grill for brats (regular and tofurkey, a culinary oddity if ever there was one, but remarkably tasty), watermelon, pasta salad, cookies and lots and lots of beer and soda - all free for members. One of the staffers climbed onto the roof and set up a bubble station much to the amusement of all the kids below.

I would have taken more photos of this fun gathering but I was having too much fun enjoying my free tofurkey brat & beer...

wobbly reflection

2007-08-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

The state capitol reflected in the windows of the glass bank across the street.

uh oh, another sunset...

2007-08-20T08:03:00.000-05:00

...but at least this one is in Madison :)

I couldn't resist taking yet another sunset photo. This one was so stunning that we pulled the car over to the side of the road so I could take a photo. To the right it looks like tendrils, hair, waves, something spectacular.

sunset

2007-08-19T10:20:00.000-05:00

One last up north photo - a beautiful sunset over Lake Superior - and then back to Madison photos on Monday.

rain

2007-08-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

Finally, a surplus of rain. July was extremely dry - verging on drought conditions - while August has had more that it's fair share. The only downside - here come the mosquitos...

brrrr!

2007-08-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

My husband about to take a refreshing dip into Lake Superior, still chilly in the middle of August.

butterfly

2007-08-15T07:26:00.000-05:00

A butterfly resting on the sand at our favorite northwoods swimming hole, Lake Jackman.

up nort' roads

2007-08-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

This is the road that leads to the family cabin in Oulu, Wisconsin. Just keep walking for 8 miles or so and you'll land in Lake Superior. My husband's family bought 80 acres of land up here with some friends in the 1960's and I don't believe it has changed much since then. Perfect.

home again

2007-08-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

It took a long time for me to resettle back home after our trip up to the woods & start posting again. So, here's my wake up view from the last day of our vacation...early morning sunrise over the treeline.

going up to the northwoods

2007-07-26T11:04:00.000-05:00

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach..." - Henry David Thoreau

This will be my deck view for the next week or so - we're off to the great northwoods of Wisconsin for a few days of doing nothing much besides swimming in the lake, reading, napping, eating and drinking. What could be better? I'll start posting again on August 6th 'see' you then!

forward!

2007-07-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

Scene of a billion tourist photos at the capitol square, here is the Forward statue which is meant to represent a female figure standing upon the prow of a boat (which I didn't know until I researched the history of the statue.) This was built in 1893 by a female sculptor, Jean Pond Miner, an unusual honor for a woman in those days.

maxwell street

2007-07-24T14:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was Maxwell Street Days; all the stores on State Street pile all of their sales onto the sidewalk for the whole 6 block stretch of State Street for 3 days. This is a pretty sedate view from the capitol - further down towards the University end of State Street it gets quite boisterous, with vendors yelling through bullhorns and a lot of the ethnic restaurants bring their grills outside. It's an event - you shouldn't go here if you have an aversion to crowds and/or shopping!

gates of heaven

2007-07-23T14:55:00.000-05:00

A beautiful little temple right on the shores of Lake Mendota. It has quite a colourful history, which is detailed in the second photo. And what a great name for a house of worship...

paddle & portage (and the 100th post!)

2007-07-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

Now, this event is about as 'Madison' as Madison can get - a quick canoe around Lake Mendota (well, it seems quick when you're sitting on the grass watching the action in comfort) - then...

...they run up the hill to the capitol with the canoes on their heads...

...where a huge crowd wait waiting for them, clapping and cheering them on. Around the capitol square, then down the hill into Lake Monona and a quick paddle around there. Phew! I'm exhausted just writing about it. My husband did the paddle & portage a few years ago and had a blast.

My own little achievement isn't nearly quite so arduous or sweat inducing, but today marks the 100th post of Madison Daily Photo, so I give myself a little pat on the back and thank you all for your visits & comments!

madison skyline

2007-07-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

..one from the archives as it has been a long & busy day...

Here's the Madison skyline as taken from Lake Monona - my first attempt at using the infinity mode on my camera.

In the foreground you can see the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Monona Terrace (which celebrated it's 10 anniversary yesterday with a big party for the city on the rooftop.) Most of the buildings behind that are state government offices & of course, the big dome on the right is the State Capitol building. Lots of lush green trees all around there too.

sailing

2007-07-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

There have been a lot of posts on other Daily Photo websites of sailing & boats - it's the height of summer (for most of us) and it seems a lot of us live near water, so I'm throwing my hat in the ring too. This boat, of course, has a Wisconsin flavor to it - this is the Dairy State after all - and has been decorated as a cow.
This was taken at the Union Terrace where you can rent boats & canoes to take out on the lake. It's a busy place this time of year.