I was recently inside of Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) and I saw this sign on the wall:
Yearly Archives: 2013
I recently had the chance to visit the Madison Public Library for the first time since it reopened the central branch. I was really impressed. I got there just before opening on a cold October morning and there was a line waiting outside. It seemed to me that quite a few of the people were homeless and were looking to get inside the warm building. Continue reading
I think these would still cost an arm and a leg. Note the large air conditioner on the roof of one of the houses. Continue reading
Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället)
I recently watched Wild Strawberries (1957, Ingmar Bergman) (Smultronstället in Swedish).
This movie is about a day in the life of Isak Borg, a doctor who is traveling from his home in Stockholm to Lund to receive an honorary degree. Throughout the day he has flashbacks and dreams of his past.
This movie reminded me quite a bit of a Christmas Carol. Continue reading
Then & Now – A Postcard of Horicon, WI 53032
On my recent trip to Delafield I found a postcard from my hometown of Horicon. It showed the downtown area circa 1914 (at least that is when it was mailed. I couldn’t stop smiling as I paid for it. I like postcards and finding one from my relatively small town is pretty rare. I decided to take a picture from about the same spot to be able to compare.
Here is the picture from 1914: Continue reading
Dear American Airlines & Young Stalin
I recently wrapped up two books that didn’t have much in common. One was Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles. The other was Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore. I thouroghly enjoyed both books.
Dear American Airlines is in the form of a letter requesting a refund while the passenger and author, Bennie, is stuck at O’Hare Airport in Chicago on the way to his estranged daughter’s wedding in LA. Continue reading
Scandinavian Fest 2013
Last weekend I tagged along with my Mom, Aunt and Grandma to visit Scandinavian fest in New Berlin, WI. It is hosted by the Nordic Council of Wisconsin. It was a good time with delicious food. I had Swedish pancakes and meatballs, Danish gris on a stick, Danish Æbleskiver and some desserts. I also bought some milk chocolate from Norway. It tasted much better than a Hershey bar. When I was studying abroad I often purchased Milka bars and this was very similar.
I got the chance to watch some folk dancing. The troupe consisted of 5 couples and they performed dances from across Scandinavia. The man introducing the songs did a good job of it. He explained that many of the dances are for 8 couples so they had to be modified for only 5. Four of the couples were older and one was younger. The man telling us about the dances made sure to give them a shout out and said they wouldn’t be able to do many of there dances if they became any smaller as modifying to 4 was just too hard. If they had 8 couples they probably would have ran out of room on the stage.
A Simple yet Memorable Decoration
When I was in Delafield I saw this house and I had to take a picture.
The decoration above the doorway looks like a sun to me. It probably didn’t cost a ton of money to put it on there but it stands out and is memorable. It also sets the tone when you are walking up to the house.
The sun thing also reminded me of Szeged, Hungary aka the City of Sunshine. I visited Szeged on my semester abroad in 2011. A random connection but sometimes it is the little things that trigger memories.
Strange sign in Middleton
Sign at Pheasant Branch
Q: Do you see anything strange about this sign?
A: The man is walking but the dog is sitting. What does it mean?