Sprout

The weatherman reported today that this month was the 10th driest March on record. That hasn't stopped the plants from sprouting, like the perennials in our yard shown here.

Mall Bunny

One photo that many of us have buried in our childhood albums is the traditional spring trip to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny. Tonight, I got the chance to see him in his natural habitat at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa.

Back In Season

The West Side Harlequins Rugby club is ready to start the Spring season, and will be playing the UW-Whitewater team this Saturday. The location is TBA, so check the Harlequins' website for more information.

Home and Garden Show

Today was the final day of the 86th Realtors Home and Garden Show at State Fair Park. Contractors and vendors displayed their services and wares in a variety of formats, including some great displays of landscaping and patio entertainment spaces. This photo is of a large computer-controlled fountain, which featured water and lights that changed with music. Nice, but I don't think it will fit in our relatively small yard.

Hank Aaron State Trail

The Hank Aaron State Trail starts at the lakefront and runs through the Menomonee River Valley, and past Miller Park. The trail intersects with other trail systems in the city, and allows hikers and bikers to explore the county, area, and across the state.

Bridge Out

The State Department of Transportation has closed one of the bridges in the Zoo Interchange, one of the most frequently traveled stretches of road in the state. In addition to that bridge, a number of side streets have been closed to accommodate the detours that are required to keep traffic flowing smoothly. Living near the interchange, I have a feeling that my usual routine will be disrupted until the temporary replacement bridge opens in late May.

Frozen Beach

At tonight's Admirals game, a corporate challenge was held, where two teams from different companies tried to push a giant beach ball into each others end of the ice. Fun to watch, but it looked like a lot of hard work.

Ducklings

Ducks in the parks are displaying all the signs of spring, and I suppose that means we'll see more ducklings like these two, caught in action at the lakefront last summer, soon.

Goodbye to a Friend

Milwaukee and Marquette University lost a good friend this week. Today, a memorial service for Joseph Zilber was held at the university. The Marquette alum, real estate magnate, and philanthropist was remembered and honored for the many good works he has done. A residence hall on campus was recently opened, and there are many buildings in town with his and his wife's names. In a recording played at the ceremony, he urged the community to continue his work.

Winter's Last Gasp

Saturday's nasty weather was hopefully the last of winter. Cold and blustery, with early sleet and snow made it feel like winter was coming back. The weatherman reports that we're 14 inches of snow below our average for the season, and hopefully it will stay that way.

3rd Month Madness

Today, I was at the Bradley Center for two games of the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The first game (shown here) featured teams from "The" Ohio State University and Georgia Tech. Ohio State won 75-66, and advances to the next round.

Street Seen

Today, we had the chance to go to the Milwaukee Art Museum and walk through the latest special exhibit. "Street Seen: The Psychological Gesture in American Photography, 1940–1959" is a moving collection of photos from an era when photography came of age in America. I highly recommend spending a few hours at the museum and seeing these great works.

Beer is Food

...and like food, it comes in many different sizes, shapes, flavors and textures. Wherever and however you enjoy, do so responsibly this weekend. Happy Spring!

Upsetting

At many eating and drinking establishments around town, the televisions were tuned to the Marquette game, which resulted in the hometown Golden Eagles being upset by the Washington Huskies. The full range of emotions were experienced over the course of the game, and unfortunately the last emotion was disappointment.

Hanging

Yes, I know the buds haven't opened yet, but I wanted something green for St. Patrick's Day that wasn't a beer or a leprechaun. It's probably a good thing that the trees are bare, since there's a chance we're going to get some snow this weekend.

Railbirds

These gulls were hanging out on an old railroad structure just off Erie Street.

Overhead

The later sunset gives me a chance to get out and catch some of the evening light before sunset. The cluster of overhead power lines near our house against the clear blue sky is today's photo.

Barricade

I didn't get a chance to see any of the St. Patrick's Day parades in town this weekend, but I did come across some of the leftovers this afternoon. Barricades that were used to block off the parade route were sitting disassembled and (apparently) waiting to be picked up.

Bouquet

A trip to the Show Dome at the Mitchell Park Domes offered this variety of pinks, purples, and a little bit of yellow. With the snow almost gone, I'm looking forward to getting out and getting some shots of the daffodils soon.

Wash Day

The grey dreary weather got me thinking of photos from warmer times. This shot from last August shows one of the Budweiser Clydesdales getting his daily wash at the State Fair. The horses really seem to enjoy their time under the hose, especially when it's warm out.

Blog Day - The Tenin Technique

Eric Tenin is considered the "godfather" of the City Daily Photo community. As publisher of Paris Daily Photo, he's been at it for the five years now, and I can attest to the grind that a daily blog can be at times. The CDP community has declared today a Blog Day in his honor, and challenged everyone to come up with a photo using one of Eric's favorite perspectives.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The snow is almost gone, but there are still a few stalwart piles here and there. I'm excited to see the green grass peeking through in spots, and with temperatures next week forecast in the 50's, it should only get better from here.

Magic Carpet

Last week, I showed you the outside of the skywalk over Wisconsin Avenue. Today's photo is of the inside of that same passage. As nice as it's been the last few days, I think people are probably opting to take the outside route when crossing the street.

Bedrock

Underneath the soil in much of the area is layers of limestone, which can be seen in and around steep hillsides. The stone is quarried for landscaping, construction, and many other purposes.

Hart Attack

Corey Hart hit his second home run in three days this afternoon, helping to lead the Brewers past the Seattle Mariners. Milwaukee and Seattle will always be linked in baseball, as the franchise now at Miller Park played one year (1969) in Seattle as the Pilots before being moved to Milwaukee.

Not Quite a Robin

The singing of the birds in the trees has been gradually getting more prominent, bringing us another sound of spring - the roar of motorcycles. I've seen a few out and about over the last week.

Floating

I bought my Summerfest tickets today, and I took one more trip through last year's pictures. This little guy was airborne with joy bouncing on the splashpad. Let's hope that the weather's the same this year... the warm weather lately has sure got Spring Fever started!

Diagonal

Like the skywalk earlier this week, this bridge runs over Wisconsin Avenue. The connection between Boston Store and the Reuss Federal Building runs at a strange angle over the street.

Grand Avenue

Back in the day, the Grand Avenue Mall was filled with people shopping in the many stores that were there. I stopped in earlier this week, and the emptiness of both the storefronts and the walkways was almost haunting.

Public Service Building

Built at the beginning of the 20th Century, the Public Service Building on Michigan Street was designed to be a streetcar terminal and the offices of the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company. The company is now known as WE Energies, and the building is still used as the company's headquarters.

Plankinton Arcade

John Plankinton was born in Delaware in 1820, and moved to Milwaukee in 1844. He was a meatpacker, partnering with (at times) Armour and Cudahy. He also held political office. The Plankinton Arcade, built in 1906, is now part of the Grand Avenue mall downtown.

March Theme Day - Passageway

The March Theme Day is Passageway

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

This skywalk reaches across Wisconsin Avenue between the Hilton hotel and the Midwest Center, home to conventions and trade shows. There are a number of these indoor street crossings in town, making it easy to get from one building to another in inclement weather. With various connections, you can go quite a distance without ever leaving the great indoors.