Category Archives: Milwaukee

Signs of Spring

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

You know it’s spring in Milwaukee when lawns throughout the city are taken over by these lovely carpets of blue flowers. Scilla siberica (Siberian squill) is their official name. They make me so happy! Apparently, though, this pretty flower is considered “invasive” because it … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, Nature | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ghost Sign

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

I’m fascinated by old signs that have long outlived their usefulness. The resolution in this photo isn’t very sharp—I took it with my iPhone while sitting at the Juneau and Old World Third Street stoplight—but it pulls together several eras in … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Art, History, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Norman Rockwell’s The Bookworm Redux

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

There’s a special gallery two doors away from my office in the Grohmann Museum that houses a collection of paintings by a 19th-century German painter, Carl Spitzweg. On the wall outside that gallery is a painting by American painter Norman … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books and reading, History, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Grohmann Museum Rooftop Garden, February

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

If I have a small class, I’ll occasionally take my students up to the rooftop sculpture garden on a warm spring day. We carry benches from all corners to sit together for discussion. To keep track of our time, we need merely glance over … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Art, Life, Milwaukee, Photography, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Handy Perch

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff
Posted in Art, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged | 2 Comments

Tic-Tac-Toe Office Windows

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

That’s what all the different light-fixture patterns inside all the window squares put me in mind of, anyway 🙂

Posted in architecture, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Approaching “Lake Effect” Snow

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

A high-pressure system to our north is causing a strong breeze to come in from the northeast. As the cold Canadian air crosses over the warmer water of Lake Michigan, it is picking up moisture, forming it into dark clouds … Continue reading →

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

Menomonee River, early morning January

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

I had an appointment that took me along the Menomonee River Parkway early this morning, and as the sight of morning winter sunlight on the snow beside the river is one rarely glimpsed in the normal course of my daily … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

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

Storm’s Coming

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

Taken with my iPhone on a mid-morning Starbucks run. The brief, sunny break between today’s rainy weather systems appears to be ending. Lucky for me that my break between classes coincided with the blue sky 😄

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