Category: Things

Friday: Fading Flowers

The rather spectacular flower arrangement arrived. We enjoyed it’s lively beauty for weeks.
Though I did not photograph it until the end of its life – its story now complete… soon to be forgotten.
“It is not what I see outside that makes my images, it is what I feel on the inside that comes out.” – Carolyn D’Alessandro

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica R8 DMR, 60 mm Macro Elmarit

A wonderful dining experience… lunch with Tanya…

What more could one ask for? Warm sunlight… the company of one’s daughter… and Cafe Corazon serving delightfully fresh and flavorful food, wonderful service and and great value in a remarkable environment.

This working class neighborhood also contains many memories… from my living in “Riverwest” as a student… and this being the neighborhood where my parents actually spent their childhood, adolescence and teens. An amazing old neighborhood where you’ll find residences, with small factory buildings and storefronts, with living quarters above, sprinkled throughout; making it easy to imagine the era when one could walk to work and pickup dinner on the way home; back in the day when neighborhoods were designed to work and “worked” very well.

The neighborhood was first settled in the 1850’s with luxury summer homes on the west bank of the Milwaukee River. As the “working” population grew and spread, from 1900 – 1920s, the neighborhood became more working class with smaller homes; much more densely populated; sprinkled with factories, bars and storefronts. Dad’s family lived in “rented flats” in or near this neighborhood from the 1920s well into the 50s. Dad’s parents were first generation immigrants (Dad was  born in 1922, the youngest, with three older sisters who survived birth and childhood).

In my university student days (1964 – 72), the rents were low; yet located close enough to the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee campus for walking and biking. The storefronts made great art studios. My first studio was about 4 blocks south of this restaurant. My first student/shared apartment about 8 blocks south.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph

Back to Alterra on the Lake for another “photo meeting.”

Saturday morning: I met with Dotty, who’d requested some consultation on the “correct use of flash” for event and location photography.

(click photographs for a larger view)

One of the many demonstration photographs, we made that morning, to support the notions of:
“1) getting the flash off the camera to properly sculpt the subject” and
“2) finding the proper balance with the existing light to preserve a natural look.”

Alterra Coffee on the Lake preserves many aspects of the old Flushing Station — including the old exposed electrical wiring. More of these museum aspects can be seen in this previous post.

Good coffee and good people watching.

Back home — I enjoyed the rhythm of my porch.

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph