Category Archives: Milwaukee

Intersections: old/new, vertical/horizontal

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

I attended a party/dinner downtown last night with my husband, and as he paid for our parking, I noticed the interesting juxtaposition of lines at the spot where a parking garage met an old office building. Night colors are always off … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Milwaukee | Tagged parking garage, Parking structure, vertical and horizontal lines | Leave a comment

Lake Michigan, January

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

An old friend lives on Prospect Avenue, high on the bluffs overlooking Milwaukee’s lakefront. I visited her today with another friend. The day was gray, frigid and quite breezy. But I pulled off my gloves and braved the wind—only for a minute—to … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Nature, Science | Tagged Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, Milwaukee lakefront, steam devil | 2 Comments

That winter quality of light

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

People who brave winter in the North know what I’m talking about: the strangely bluish quality of cold air and golden flash of low-angled sunlight. When we say we appreciate the change of seasons, this “quality of light” is almost always … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, Nature, Science | Tagged winter sunlight, winter trees | 3 Comments

Christmas shopping in “The Village”

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

I don’t like shopping malls at Christmas. Too crowded. Too many harried people with too many gifts to buy and too little time. My husband and my younger daughter don’t mind all that. In fact, for years now they’ve had an annual … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Books and reading, History, Life, Milwaukee, Travel | Tagged boutiques, Christmas shopping, downtown storefronts, historic preservation, living history, old-fashioned Christmas, shop local, traditions | 2 Comments

Urban gray fox

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

This fox was hanging around the parking lot at my doctor’s office yesterday. There’s something spooky about a wild animal that doesn’t have an appropriate level of wariness around humans. The fox stared at us for a long time (somewhat balefully, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Nature, Science | Tagged fox, gray fox, gray fox image, wild animal | Leave a comment

Random thoughts on time, nostalgia and the human experience

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

This photo taken on my way to work doesn’t do it justice. but the sun looked really eerie here, like a science fiction movie. As you can see, the light was directed upward, while the ground below was in shadows. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Life, Milwaukee, Science, Teaching | Tagged existentialism, Grohmann Museum, horses, humans and technology, nostalgia, philosophy of technology, technology, time, time measurement, Victorian railroads, work | 2 Comments

The Art of the Fire Escape (Milwaukee’s City Hall)

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

I had to walk past City Hall to a dentist’s appointment yesterday. For months (actually, years off and on!) the Market Street shortcut behind City Hall has been blocked off by scaffolding erected to preserve/shore up the nearly 120-year-old structure. I almost … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Art, Life, Milwaukee, Nature, Science, Technology | Tagged architecture, City Hall, fire escape, historic preservation, iconic architecture, Lake Emily, Milwaukee, Milwaukee City Hall, Northwestern Mutual Life | 1 Comment

Red Arrow “Slice of Ice” (plus “Hank” the Dog)

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

The “Slice of Ice” skating rink at Red Arrow Park in downtown Milwaukee is nearly ready for skaters. It opens for the season tomorrow (Thursday, December 4) at 4:00. Yesterday I noticed that the rink’s cement had been covered by … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, News, Popular culture | Tagged Downtown Milwaukee, Hank T. Dog, Hank the Dog, Hank the Dog Christmas ornament, ice skating, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Brewers mascot, public Christmas trees, Red Arrow Park, Slice of Ice skating rink, Starbucks | 2 Comments

The Northern Soul Project – Streaming 24/7 Northern Soul Radio (Post #4)

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

A quick post to share my latest Northern Soul find: a radio station that streams classic Northern Soul music online, ad free, 24/7. A partnership between San Francisco radio station KALW (91.7FM) and National Public Radio, “The Mix: Northern Soul … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Learning, Milwaukee, Music, Popular culture, Writing, blogging | Tagged blog series, blogging, KALW 91.7FM, lifelong learning, Motown, National Public Radio, Northern soul, Northern Soul music, radio station, San Francisco radio station, streaming online radio, WMSE 91.7FM | 1 Comment

Cloudy Windows

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Here’s a picture I took this morning around 10:15 while walking to the Red Arrow Starbucks. Not a dramatic image in itself. But if you click on the top half of the building to enlarge it, the reflected clouds start to … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Art, Milwaukee | Tagged m.c. escher, Magritte, office building windows, office building with cloud reflections | 2 Comments