Is Old the New ... New?

Every now and then I stumble across something on the internet that is sooo much fun to use to play with my pictures.  Last time it was that whole black, white and color thing.  This time it was that whole retro picture thing.  (Have faith, if I get interested in it again, there might be a picture to painting post!)  Now, I'm not the greatest at editing, nor am I a part of that instragram fad, my phone isn't smart enough.  But I did find something fun on the Internets.  I guess the new fad is new to old or vice versa.  I enjoy playing around with it.

International Gardens

As I mentioned it is an early spring in Eastern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.  As a snow lover this saddens me, but I also love spring.  New life, flowers, rain, the list goes on and on!  Well, I finally made it to a park, just as spring was making its appearance!  I got in the big old truck, (my baby is in the shop).  I headed into La Crosse and went to Riverside Park.  I had planned to find a spot, draw some knots, take some pictures of the river and be done with it.  But alas that was not meant to be.

Photowalk- La Crosse on Historic Downtown Days

Last Saturday, I went to Historic Downtown Days in La Crosse Wi, with my cousin Susie.  It was defineatly smaller than I was expecting.  Sure there was some games and such at Cameron park, but half of the particiapting stores were spread throughout downtown La Crosse, it wasn't orgainzed well.  I used it as an excuse to take pictures.  That was fun.  It was a gorgeous day for a walk.  La Crosse is nice because it is an old River city.  Someday, maybe I'll walk down and take pictures of the big old river houses.  I adore them, probably cause I grew up in one, even if it was in a different town.  This post is going to be more focused on downtown La Crosse.

Come Hell or High Water!

View from Science Museum in St. Paul

So the Mississippi is rising!  Not that is anything new, but it is always an exciting, tense time along The River.  The Mississippi is amazing.  I don't know how to explain the hold it has.  It is fun to watch the cycles, how it lives and breathes.  The frozen winter fishermen, the eagles and ice chunks in the early spring, the flooding of spring and summer, the low water of the fall.  Never ending cycle.  Always fun to watch.

It was a wet summer, fall, and winter.  Needless to say this ended up with some massive flooding in the following spring.  Which came early (or so it seems).  But it is not fully here yet, there is still some possible snow a coming.  It kinda snuck up on me, the flooding did.  You expect the river to rise in the spring, you count on it, you comment and you move on.  But every 8 or so years you get a big one.  1993, 2001... and we've had some good ones for the last few summers.  This last set of pictures is crappy cell phone ones cause I hadn't planned on heading down to the river.

Riverside Park La Crosse Wi

The grade between La Crescent and La Crosse

 

House on the Rock

So I went to the House on the Rock today in Wisconsin.  Honestly I am not sure how I felt about it.  Part of it was really cool and amazing artwork, woodwork, and design.  Then there was the creepy (really the only word I can think of that fits) parts.  The collections, the mechanical musical things.  And then there was the carousel and whale.  I really don't know about it, cause they both fit the dichotomy of the house.

It is overwhelming.  The sheer size alone, and then add the thousands of items, the long twisting pathways and it is almost inconceivable to soak it all in. There are parts that you could stay in for hours and not see everything, and parts that you want to run through and just glance at everything.

The house was apparently but to stick it to Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is in a Japanese style.  The pathways twist and turn though the house.  It is actually very amazing.  The infinity room sticks out over the rocks and bluff face.  The sides were all windows and it got narrower and narrower until it came to a spot where you could look down.  I am not sure what held it up, cause it sure don't look like anything is.  And every gust of wind could be felt.  But the view was amazing!




The pathways continued winding and we entered the collection's part of the house... It was more museum than house, but I am sure it is technically a house... There was the street of yesteryear, which ended with a big ole calliope.  This was kinda cool, the street was filled with shops and and toys, Faberge eggs (apparently there is real and fake stuff all mixed together).  A bunch of mechanical musical things, and those old timey/carnival games.



 
Then went entered the sea room, this had a ridiculously large and I mean room sized whale fighting an octopus.  Yeah, I was confused too...

Then we went to another room with cars, trains, some sign in German telling the idiots not to touch but look at the pretty lights.  And of course a little cafe.  Continuing on, we saw a bunch of doll houses and and dolls, and then there was the carosul, the largest apparently, and there is not one horse on it.  Then we entered what I believe was supposed to be a giant still.  Once again, I am not really sure why.  There was a mini world tour, a doll carousel, and a really creepy circus section.


 









So yeah, not sure how I felt about it, but I honestly can't say I am planning on going back anytime soon.

Wild Thing: Eagles--You Know the Bald Ones!

Ok, so my days are off, and I totally thought yesterday was Monday, at least in relation to having a blog post up and running.  This one is about Eagles.  You know the bald ones, they are an endangered species and the national bird and somewhat rare to see.  Well, where I live in South Eastern Minnesota they are really common, so much so that as a youngster I had to remind myself that they are endangered.  A good day on the river and you'll see 20 in the 30 miles between Winona and La Crosse... and if you go further down the river you can add about 20 more to that.



 

 
Now don't get me wrong, it is still really exciting to see them... hell, when I was in 1st grade we went to see the bridge removal in Wabasha (so about 1991ish) and everybody but me got distacted by a soaring eagle.  And most of them missed the bridge falling, but not me!  I knew what I was there to see.  I remember the eagle too, but the bridge was way cooler.  So they are common in some areas and my little corner of the world is one.

I have gotten really good at spotting them over the years.  You'd think that bright white head would stick out like a sore thumb, it does, sometimes.  Sometimes it is the lack of a head that you notice, like when the sky is all gray and cloudy.  They have honkin' nests, and last count was something like 12-16 nests between Winona and La Crosse (on the MN side).... WOW!!!!  They like to hang out at the dams come winter time, it is the broken ice that brings them in.  Many eagles winter in the La Crosse area.

And if you cross the grade from La Crescent to La Crosse at the right time you can sometimes see over 100 eagles at once.  Many are adults but there are some juveniles.  Even with out the white head, the babies still have that eagle shape.  Which is where all the pictures came from.