Mary Louise Eklund

Category: Travel

  • We Went To the County Fair, All The Animals Were There

    We Went To the County Fair, All The Animals Were There

    Kenosha, Wisconsin
    My view of the road with the top down

    Saturday was a beautiful clear day. The weather was pleasant and we planned to head out to the country fair. We’ve lived in Kenosha eight years now. We have never gone to the county fair. Where I grew up south of the Mason Dixon fairs were fall things to attend say in September or early October. Here they are things to do in August. To many times they just passed us by because we never thought of it until it was too late.

    On this glorious day we put the top down on Mike’s Mustang and headed out from the lake toward the west end of the county. We’re not too familiar with this area of the county tending to be lake people you see. We spent some time driving about in the general area of the fair feeling our way there. Luckily we did find it. Despite our theorizing they kept packing it up and moving it when we got close.

    There was one downside. I didn’t get to take my trusty Nikon with me. I’d forgotten to charge the batter D’oh! So I took my small Olympus which I hadn’t used in so long I didn’t notice the white balance was set off for a sunny day. Also the Olympus only has the damn LED screen that’s useless in the bright sun. Yet another reason I shall prefer an SLR or at least require a viewfinder. So excuse some of the pictures harsh contrasts. The Nikon is charged now. I’ve reset the Olympus after re-familiarizing myself with the setting. Oh and I’m eyeballing one of these Agfaphoto cameras. I’m thinking Christmas list for this red baby right here.

    It was pretty much like the Greene County fairs I grew up attending. The only difference was the fields were flat and we were glad to have a cool day instead of hoping for a warm one. We paid our fee and set about taking in the sights from displays, to livestock, to demonstrations, to contest winners, to concerts and finally the midway. It was classic Americana of a county fair.

    Kenosha County Fair, Wisconsin
    Our local newspaper’s mascot

    Back to a great day at the fair, I made many pictures. I’ve broken them up into two posts. This one is centered on my favorite part – the animals. The next post will the other stuff. Come and enjoy the sights with me. (There’s more on Flickr just click on any photo to hop over there and surf until you’re content.)

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  • Wistful Remembering of A Childhood Promise

    Wistful Remembering of A Childhood Promise

    I laughed at this video. I smiled when Curiosity landed and Mission Control celebrated but it was bittersweet for me, accompanied with a sigh of regret. You see when I was a child I felt I was promised manned space travel. Ya know boldly going to other places, not just going out to the back yard to float around for a bit.

    I adore Bobak Ferdowsi but he can’t remember watching men repeatedly land on the moon. He’s only 32. I watched his mission team celebrate and thought most of them didn’t see that first hand. Men going to some thing in space is either history and science fiction for them.

    I get it. I know it’s better to do it this way. More cost effective to scope it out with robots and all.  Yet, I was raised on Capt. Kirk and watching moon landings. Honestly you can’t tell me if we’d pushed as hard to go to another planet as we did to beat the Russians to the moon that we wouldn’t have been there by now.  I mean we already had our natural satellite under our belt in just a few years. I honestly thought we’d be launching to go to other planet’s moons from our own by now.

    As a kid I bought those dreams that National Geographic published of lush paintings showing what space colonies would look like. Something happened on the way to that place, just like it did for Allentown. We never quite got there. Instead we grew up, we became practical, and put our money in more earthly pursuits. I won’t even debate what ones were worthy of it and what ones weren’t.  We did it, it’s done. I know that’s how life goes. You turn right to pay the mortgage when you could have turned left following the dream while living in a tent by the side of the road. I don’t fault NASA for it. Heck I don’t fault us for it. We made choices for good, bad, or indifferent.

    NASAN Goddard Flickr
    Spacewalking Astronaut John Grunsfeld from NASA Goddard Photo and Video’s stream. Used under license granted by Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution license

    It’s just that when I watched those who never crowded three classes into a classroom, dropped the blackout blinds, and watched a the only large black and white TV in that end of the school pick up a snowy picture of people walking on rocks that were NOT ON THIS EARTH… celebrate seeing their remote car do it I felt cheated. Cheated by growing up, cheated by being an adult, cheated of going off this planet to another, cheated of a childhood promise. It was just a wistful sigh for what the 7 year old me thought space travel would be when I was closing in on half a century on this planet.

    I watched the younger Mission Control celebrate thinking they can’t even imagine just imagine how hard my 7 year old heart beat with excitement to see a HUMAN do it. They don’t know. They can’t get it. They never believed that promise of  “this is just the start – in your life time we’ll…” never set foot off this planet again. No, that was not what they were telling me, but I wish they had. Because then, maybe then I could feel the same thrill Bobak felt.

    I’ll have to settle for the enjoyment of watching them celebrate wildly.  Don’t get me wrong I read every article I see on what Curiosity is doing.  I love the images and jokes made from them.  I’ll still breathlessly follow Space X and NASA hoping that maybe I’ll see another human, this one now as much younger than me as the astronauts I watched were older than me, go somewhere in space. I firmly believe we can to do it. We can solve those problems of deep space travel.  I know we can because I have a Dick Tracy tv-phone crossed with Star Trek tricorder in my purse right now. I still believe the promises, I just don’t think I’ll live to see them fulfilled. So now I’m hoping for a holodeck here on earth.

  • Back To School Yet Again

    Back To School Yet Again

    Kindergarten school picture

    Back to school was always an exciting time for me. For most of my life I welcomed it. It was a time to get to see people of my own age on a regular basis. Living out where we did I didn’t see my friends as much as I wanted in the Summer. I envied city kids on TV who could walk out there door and BOOM! there were their friends and in a short walk together they could be at school. For me to see friends it took planning. The trip home from school was over an hour on the crowded school bus as it wound in out of tiny country lanes to drop off a person here and there.

    Class Picture
    That’s me back row second from left. I have on the light shirt and have shoulder length hair.

    College for me was an exciting time in the big town of Knoxville. Going home to puny Greeneville paled in comparison. Heck there wasn’t even a midnight showing of Rocky Horror! GASP! Most of my high school friends didn’t go to UTK like I did.  I’d made a whole new set of friends (and a boyfriend that became my husband) that didn’t just scatter across the state for the summer but the world. Once I moved into an apartment I went to summer school in college. Honestly I liked that better than regular quarters. It was smaller classes and closer knit group but I was also an upper classman by then so who knows.

    Junior Yr High School picture

    Then my next school experience was at Western Michigan University. It was different this time – I was working and paying my own way. I loved it. I liked the organization of it. I liked learning new things. Heck I even like the stuff of school pens, paper, books, and such. I went from the social aspect being the strongest attraction to learning being the big attraction.

    Photo with diploma

    From there life has been a series of seminars, self teaching, parenting a school age child, on-line classes, and supporting Mike’s various graduate degree processes (he’s gotten three so far). I think I turned to writing because I love the research it takes to write fiction well. I like learning new things then exploring them in my writing.

    Blue dress in yard at Kalamazoo

    Now it’s time for my new experience. I’m taking an on-line class on how to use WordPress. I know I use it regularly here but I feel I under use it immensely. I know there are many resources out there to learn how to use it but they haven’t quite fit my need. I love the structure of school learning, remember? I want one lesson to build on the other. I’ve tried books but never found one that worked well for me either moved WAY TOO SLOW or WAY TOO FAST. Finally I looked about at local schools and found that University of Wisconsin Parkside offered two on-line classes, WordPress 101 and 102. Looking them over 101 starts out basic (how to set up a blog on WordPress, got that check) but ended past my knowledge. That’s where I started it moves fairly fast looking at the syllabus. My first week starts – TODAY!

    Me today my photo

    I am looking forward to getting more out of WordPress and spiffing things up around here. Making the place more my own, kinda like I did in a dorm room or college apartment. But this means a few things for you dear reader… you might experience some assignment posts. Don’t worry they’ll not be painful, nothing required on your end but a look-see, and there will be NO POP QUIZ at the end of them. Next my new routine posts might not be daily now, depends on the workload. I’d like to keep Comic Comments daily until my backlog of arcs has been worked through but, I’m making no guarantees here until I see how class fits into other required life things. I’d like to get no lower than three a week on those. Photo posts are up in the air, I’m getting slim on new photos and have to get out there to get more of them. So again it depends – I’d like to stay at least weekly on those.

    There you go I’m going back to school today. I’ve got a new notebook, new pens, new paper, my computer, and my blog. I’m set to learn!

  • Michael, Michael How Does Your Garden Grow?

    Michael, Michael How Does Your Garden Grow?

    Mike's garden

    I’m not a gardener, never have been, never will be. It’s just not in me. I find it miserable work. Though I enjoy the fruits of the labor be they flowers, vegetables, or fruit. If I had to do it I would. Mike on the other hand finds it relaxing. He likes to garden and looks forward to it. It’s beyond me just like my comic book hobby is beyond him. He appreciates it makes me happy. I appreciate produce and flowers.

    basket full of tomatoes of various sizes

    Join me as I checked in on Mike’s garden. It’s coming along fine. The kritters enjoyed watching me take photos of the garden. Except Rappy, she slept in the sun. Can’t say I blame her.

    How in the heck Mike gets in there to bring in the harvests he does is beyond me. I think of gardens as being measured in portions of an acre with nice wide rows not a jungle where if you step wrong you crush your next harvest. It’s his garden done his way. Left to me, I’d be living in a condo but it makes him happy. So there for the dense garden makes me happy.

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  • Milwaukee Lake Shore Parks Watch the Skies

    Milwaukee Lake Shore Parks Watch the Skies

    Three planes make smoke loop in sky

    On Sunday Mike and I went to the Milwaukee Air Show. It’s held out over Lake Michigan. It’s free you just have to stake a seat in one of the many beaches or parks along the lake shore in Milwaukee. We chose to pay for parking it was convenient and the money went to the parks that were hosting the event. We chose to sit near the marina and watch the planes over the masts of the sailboats.

    It started at 10am. However we didn’t wake until 9am, having an aversion to setting alarms on the weekends. We had flopped into bed pleasantly exhausted from the picnic, zoo viewing, and car shopping (still haven’t bought). Needless to say we didn’t hop in the car straight from bed to race the hour to Milwaukee. Instead we got ready quickly and got up there after it started. When we spotted the loop in the air there we knew we were getting close.

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    On the drive in we passed the skyline and the Art museum. I started spotting planes and enjoy the parks. I’d not been down to the parks on the lake shore they were beautiful on the way in and out. I can see why they are gold medal winners. If you visit Milwaukee in Spring or Fall (too hot in Summer and OOH SNOW ick in Winter) take drive down and visit the parks. Maybe enjoy a stroll there after taking in the Art Museum!

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    We saw the water walker. It’s an apparatus where you have jets of water pumped down and they lift you up. There’s photos of it after the jump and a few more on my Flickr. Mike had read about it in the Sunday paper. You can rent it by the hour. Interesting to watch that’s for sure not sure I’d want to do it. It looks hard to keep balance to me. Then again I’m not known for coordination, that’s why they didn’t name me Grace.

    It was a great day on lake enjoying beautiful weather, watching planes, and relaxing. Enjoy the photos of the day, you can click on one and be taken to my Flickr account where there are more for the browsing.

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  • Lunch With The Animals

    Lunch With The Animals

    Racine Zoological Gardens, Racine, Wisconsin

    Saturday Mike’s employer (he’s a reservist) had their annual company picnic at the Racine zoo. It was a lovely day for it. Clear, sunny, not too hot, great weather for a picnic. The zoo sits right on the shore of Lake Michigan so we added the lake breezes as a bonus.

    Racine Zoological Gardens, Racine, Wisconsin

    The great thing about this picnic is we didn’t have to haul food and tend it. We just showed up and were treated to a great meal and then walked it off looking at the sights and animals of the zoo. Join me for a photo tour. If you want more click an image to be taken to my Flickr account and you surf images there until your heart is content.

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  • A Walk In Time Down Gay Street

    A Walk In Time Down Gay Street

    Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee

    I grew up with Knoxville, Tennessee being one of the big towns.  If we wanted something and we couldn’t get it in town (Greeneville, Tennessee)  one of the big towns to go for it would be Knoxville.  We went there to do back to school shopping.  We went there for Spring clothes shopping.  We went there for concerts.  We went there for just released movies. It was the big town with more to offer.

    In my day the place we went was West Towne Mall.  Near that was a the hip cool place to get record albums (yep talkin’ vinyl here) the day they were released, Cats Records.  Couldn’t get albums until a week maybe two after release in Greeneville.  Just like movies you had wait for them to be out a bit to make it down the pipeline to Greeneville.

    Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee

    Back in my grandmother’s day the hub of action in Knoxville was downtown.  Gay Street was where it happened. That’s where her daddy took her shopping and where she went shopping with my Papaw in tow.

    I have a photo of them made by a street photographer on Gay Street. We think it was the mid to late 1930s when this was taken. In those days a street photographer made your picture then tried to sell it to you.  Kinda like what we see at amusement parks today but then it was in busy places, like Gay Street.

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  • Library Park in Kenosha From Books to Homes.

    Library Park in Kenosha From Books to Homes.

    Library Park, Kenosha, Wisconsin
    Gilbert m Simmons Memorial Library #74000093 on the National Register of Historic Places. It designed by Daniel H. Burnham and built as a donation to the city by Z G Simmons. It was dedicated May 30, 1900 to the memory of his son Gilbert M. Simmons.

    Back in the early Spring Rappy (my greyhound) and I went to Library Park to make pictures. You see Library Park is one of the locations on the National Register of Historic Places in Kenosha. The library the Gilbert M. Simmons Memorial Library was added back in 1974. The Library Park Historic District including the library, historic homes, and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church was added to the register in 1988. Library Park itself was added in 2000.

    You can read about each home in more detail on this flyer by Kenosha Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. I’ll give just a small blurb in the comments on each photo. You can take a virtual tour of the interior of the library here at Kenosha Public Library website. Oh and hear a librarian tell of her encounters with ghosts in Simmons Library here on YouTube.

    Now that I have information from the Kenosha History Center I see I missed some important homes and building in that historic district.  I’ll go back some time soon and make it another post.  Enjoy an sunny but cold early Spring day in the park.

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  • Kenosha History Center

    Kenosha History Center

    Kenosha History Center, Simmons Island, Kenosha Wisconsin

    Saturday when I had the pleasure of the Pike River Rendezvous and the tour of the Kenosha Light Station I went around the corner to the Kenosha History Center. It’s a wonderful small museum dedicated to the history of the Kenosha, earlier called Southport, community.

    The Center has a collection of things related to life in Kenosha. There’s everything from cars once made here to toys played with by children growing up here. I too had a Mrs. Beasley doll like the one one display. I enjoyed my stroll through the museum as one of a few people that had found this gem.

    Kenosha History Center, Simmons Island, Kenosha Wisconsin

    I was surprised more people weren’t stopping by the Center. First off, it’s free – they ask for a small donations if you are able but if not that’s fine. It was air conditions and on a hot day it was nice to come in and cool off. It had indoor plumbing bathrooms which beat the port-a-pottys at the Rendezvous all to pieces. (I will only use a portlet in case of emergency.) It was just a block from the Rendezvous and half a block from the Light Station. But the final reason was it was very interesting to see how the community developed from the time period of the Rendezvous to today.

    I made pictures as I do when I go places. I do apologize for the warm coloring of some but it’s the type of lighting used in the museum to preserve the artifacts combined with the no flash photography rule. I’m always appreciative of museums that allow photos and understand why flash photography is out. Don’t want to fade the color of the objects. Textiles are especially vulnerable to that. That also accounts for the grain in the photos due to the higher the ISO. (The more light sensitive the higher the ISO. The higher the ISO, the more noise to picture ratio on single pixels. Eh, what I refer to as grain which is a throw back to silver grains in the higher ASA films back in the day when I did my own darkroom work.)

    Sit back and enjoy a tour of a few things that caught my eye.

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  • Restoring the Keeper of the Light

    Restoring the Keeper of the Light

    Kenosha Light Station, Simmons Island, Kenosha Wisconsin
    Kenosha Light Station, National Register of Historic Places #90000995

    Saturday when I attended the Pike River Rendezvous the Kenosha History Center was having a fund raiser for the restoration of the Simmons Island lighthouse. I made a donation and toured the  keeper’s house as well as a bit of the lighthouse. The house is completely restored downstairs. Upstairs is in process with one room is complete.

    I didn’t go all the way up in the lighthouse. The deck up there was closed so there’s not much to see at the top. It was extremely hot so I just went up part way and enjoyed the wonderful wrought iron stairs in there. Why don’t we make every day things beautiful any more? Like stairs and warehouses?

    The lighthouse and the keeper’s house were built by the federal government in 1866. It is 74 feet above lake level. The light only operated for 40 years but light keepers lived in the house until the 1940s. There are other harbor lights they tended and posted weather warning flags on this lighthouse. It is being currently being renovated. It’s funded by donations and grants. It was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1990.

    Kenosha Light Station, Simmons Island, Kenosha Wisconsin

    Enjoy the tour after the jump. Until next time!

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