Vista King

The M/V Vista King heads upriver after carrying a load of sightseers out to the lake for a cruise. The largest of the Milwaukee Boat Line's vessels, Vista King can carry up to 255 passengers.

Over The Airwaves

Made a stop at the Milwaukee Radio Group this evening, as I was the winner of a prize drawing in one of their stations' contests. Walking out, the antenna caught my eye against the clouds, and the result is today's photo.

Passage II

This is part of the finished portion of the Valley Passage featured a couple days ago. You can see Miller Park, State Fair Park, Hank Aaron, the Potawatomi Casino torch, and the Hiawatha.

Shuttered

The Zablocki VA Medical Center was originally one of the first three Soldiers' Homes in the country. Today, some of the original buildings are in a state of disrepair, waiting for renovation and restoration. This building, which I believe is the theatre, sits just off the Hank Aaron trail where it passes through the VA grounds.

Valley Passage

We got the bikes out and hit the Hank Aaron State Trail for a ride this evening, and stopped at the Valley Passage to check out the beautiful mural that is in progress there. The work is almost complete, so stop by and check it out!

Ciao!

Festa Italiana was this weekend, and along with the usual food and festivities, the Festa folks put on some fabulous fireworks. We headed down to the lakefront last night after dinner to catch the show, and it definitely lived up to our expectations.

Bump, Set

Bradford Beach is set to have a great time this weekend, with the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Tour making a stop. In addition to the pros, there will be an amateur tournament and reggae music festival.

Chillin'

Parts of the city hit 100 degrees today, and if you wanted to stay cool, you had two choices: stay inside an air-conditioned building, or find a place to get wet. All around town, municipal pools opened early and closed late, and splash pad locations did the same.

Get Your Pretzels Ready

This Saturday is the second edition of the Milwaukee Firkin Festival. Breweries from the area will be serving their beers for tasting, and restaurants will be there to offer food to help soak up all the good brew. These three were at last year's event, and brought their own snacks, pretzels strung up and hung around their necks.

Cold Wet Refreshing

The weather today was some of the worst heat and humidity I've had to deal with in quite some time. We decided to head down to the Milwaukee Ale House for dinner, and the ice water went down almost as well as the beer did.

Flagged

The Alliance Francaise setup a dining area next to their food booth at Bastille days, and covered the tables in wine bottles with an English word and its French translation. Made for some interesting discussion while enjoying a snack.

Happy Puppy

Millie is at Bastille Days this weekend with her friends from the French Bulldog Rescue Network, looking for humans in need of a dog. In addition, they were doing some fundraising, offering "Frenchie Kisses" for a dollar.

Lovin' It

Bastille Day was yesterday, and it was also the start of the Thirtieth Anniversary of Bastille Days, the celebration of all things French, held downtown at Cathedral Square Park. The Alliance Francaise de Milwaukee runs a food booth and shop offering reading materials and souvenirs. This year, they also have these buttons with different French phrases.

Annunciation

Designed in 1956 and completed in 1962, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church is on the northwest side of Milwaukee. One of Frank Lloyd Wright's last works, it was finished after his death. Its bright blue roof and light walls make for an eye-catching building, and the domed roof is something not seen often around here.

Don't Call It A Blimp

As the only Zeppelin in the Americas and one of two commercial aircraft of its type in the world, the Farmers Airship Eureka made a rare stop at the Timmerman Airfield in town this week. Eureka will be here for a few days, then continue her trip around the midwest, making another stop in Oshkosh for the EAA convention and airshow in a few weeks. Rides are available, but raid your piggy bank - the cost of a ticket is $375 for a trip through the clouds.

All You Need

A cold beer, the day's music schedule, and a pair of sunglasses. Everything you need to survive a day at Summerfest.

Big

The remodeled South entrance at the Maier Festival Grounds now features a large set of instruments that was relocated to the space. The guitar, drum set, and piano are a great place to arrange a meeting with friends, or just hang out in the shade of the bridge above.

Sunglasses

Another beautiful Fourth of July weekend is in the books... the weather was awesome all weekend, and it made for a chance to be with friends old and new.

July Theme Day - The Color Green

The Theme Day for July is the color Green

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

I was at a loss for a photo for today's theme, but then we took a trip down to Summerfest. At the south end of the grounds, permanent facilities have yet to be installed. Dozens of green temporary toilets are there, and it made for the perfect opportunity.