Category Archives: Life

Three Views of the Val. Blatz Brewing Bottle House (MSOE Campus Center)

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

Light changes the appearance of things, as shown in these photos I took yesterday. What initially caught my eye was the gleam that obliterated detail as sunlight hit the stone tiles above the windows. (Update: I noticed a few days later, … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Life, Milwaukee, News, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Kindness of Strangers: Lost and Found

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

Some kind soul found this necklace and placed it in a spot where its owner might be more likely to find it. When my daughter lost her favorite stuffed animal in the grocery store years ago, someone did the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Carved in Stone . . .

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

. . . is no guarantee of permanence, as you can see. The carpenters’ union apparently found another home, and their building eventually became a place of support for a new group of people.

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Dontre Hamilton: “Rest in Power”

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

In making the wide circuit back to my office after running an errand on the other side of campus, I decided to swing through Red Arrow Park to pick up a sandwich for lunch at Starbucks. And this is what … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Milwaukee, News | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

He came to the fork in the road . . . and took it. RIP, Yogi Berra.

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

America’s greatest living philosopher is no more. He died yesterday at the age of 90. The New York Times ran a beautiful obit, which you can read here. Yogi Berra the baseball player was phenomenal, one of the very best catchers … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, News, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Better Than Brownies (#tbt)

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

In the “First Course” column of yesterday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel food section, editor Nancy Stohs ran a story about a brownie recipe from “Miss Petey” that was so popular with readers that it was published several times over the years, its first … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, History, Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The American West or What I did on summer vacation (Take 2)

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

A wonderful post by my friend Sally, in which she visits an old-time saloon in a small Montana town, left behind to vanish almost completely when the railroad abandoned its tracks, to report a cow on the road separated by … Continue reading →

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After the line went dead

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

It took only a few seconds for me to figure out what function this alcove most likely used to serve. But a few years from now, there will be young adults who have no memory of pay phones.

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History in the Women’s Room

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

I had an appointment in an older downtown Milwaukee office building yesterday and stopped in the women’s room on my way out. While washing my hands, I noticed this old machine for dispensing “feminine hygiene” products hanging on the wall. Meds Tampons were … Continue reading →

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Little Free Library (#2)

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

A couple years ago—hard to believe I’ve been blogging that long!—I wrote a post on the Little Free Library phenomenon.  (Here’s the link to that post if you’d like to read it: https://katherinewikoff.com/2012/06/29/little-free-library/) I’ve been meaning to follow up that post … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Books and reading, Life, Little Free Library, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments