Takin' the Blog for a Walk

Finally, after talking for at least ten years about it, a Les Paul museum exhibit will open this June 21st. The 3000 sq. foot exhibit will be a hands-on aural monument to his unbelievable, talented life. I'm so glad the 92 year old Les Paul will be able to participate in the grand opening.

This museum "seemed to make a lot of sense," Paul's business manager said. "Les is intimately involved with this. He has the connection: This is his home." 

Les Paul called this location the "perfect place," and he feels a "special bond" to the area.

Unfortunately, today's Journal Sentinel wasn't reporting the opening of The Les Paul Experience at the Wauk. County Museum. The news was about a Discovery World exhibit at the lakefront in Milwaukee. While "the Waukesha group's efforts have languished despite years of fund-raising," and is "still working on getting it's act together," Discovery World staffers approached Paul about their exhibit just this year. 

While donations for the Waukesha exhibit have totaled one million dollars or less, Discovery World opened in 2006 with more than $50 million in support, mostly from Michael Cudahy.

One step in the right direction is Wauk. County Historical Society's applying for a million dollar federal National Foundation for the Humanities grant. If the grant is granted it will have to be matched 3 to 1. To raise an additional 3 million won't be easy but maybe with the increase interest generated by Discovery World... 

In the mean time, Waukesha's exhibit could open as early as 2010, when Les Paul is 94! 

Plenty of bargains at the St. William rummage sale, 440 N Moreland Blvd.. The sale will run 8:00 till 6:00 this Thursday, May 1st, through Saturday, May 3rd. I've already previewed some of the items and it looks like it will be a good one. For best selection get there early. For best price show up Saturday.

Also, it's not too early to reserve a time for a blood donation. St. William's is hosting a Monday, May 12th BloodCenter of Wisconsin blood dirive at the parish between 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. They're accepting platelets or whole blood. Call 547-2763 x203 to make an appt.. 

Couple weeks ago my kids told me about some large fish they'd seen in a small pool of water on their way home from school. The fish were supposedly living in a little puddle at the outlet of a culvert. A million questions ran through my head. What kind were they? How did they get there? Where were they through winter? What did they live on? How long were they there? Are they anywhere as large as I was told?

But when I went to see for myself the water was too cloudy, though my son saw one. I imagined there was an undercut to the bank and the fish had a secret spot that didn't freeze over in winter.

In the days that followed I'd get updates from my son. "Saw the fish today Dad," or "saw another dead fish today." I went for another look and saw nothing but muddy water.

Sir Fido and I took another look at the puddle today and the water was clear. The last fish had died. But so many unanswered questions. I didn't see any undercut to the bank. The fish couldn't have survived winter in a foot or two of water fozen solid. I found a dead one that must have swam down the ditch a ways with the last bit of rain. It was about two feet long - I'm not kidding - and I have the pictures to prove it.

Tracing the ditch upstream I noticed a steady trickle of water. The source of the water just seemed to be runoff from a wooded hill. Further investigation found what could be a spring nearby that with spring flooding could have connected with the ditch. I'm starting to get a picture of fish that lived in a small, above-freezing spring, feeding off worms and such until they got too big for the spring. 

The species of fish is not one I recognize so I looked it up. They were bowfins. Bowfins? How? Who knows? 

So where's the ditch? In the area of Summit View Elementary.

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Am adding another picture because Scorpgirl didn't believe me when I said it was about two feet long. I didn't want to add it cause it's kind of gross... my shoe, not the fish.

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I was enjoying a quiet walk in the woods at Retzer Nature Center today. It felt good to slow down and notice things that were buried under snow not that long ago. So many shades of green... It would have been a lot quieter had it not been for the howling wind and squeeks of bending trees rubbing against one another. I had stopped to listen to all the sounds and moments later heard something unexpected. A dead pine tree came crashing down in the area I had just come from.

It was the Earth Day Extravaganza at Retzer, one of my very favorite times to be there. The weather had been nicer other years and it kept the crowd down, but plenty of people still enjoyed the day's free activities.

After lounging in the comfortable planetarium chairs for the "Journey to the Stars" show, I joined many others for Ken Lonnquist's concert. Ken is not only a good singer, songwriter and musician, but he also involves and interacts with the audience in a unique way. He had whale songs and earth songs. Recycling, ridiculous and rhyming songs. After he sang a song about photosynthesis, one of the kids, who happened to be dressed in a "caped crusader" outfit, became "Photosynthesis Boy" for the rest of the concert.    

Every performer has stage presence, but with Ken half the entertainment was watching him interact with the kids. He ad-libbed unique rhyming songs for the kids and not only made funny animal sounds but made us repeat them. Ken seemed to really be in his element -- comfortable around crowds and nature. I'd recommend seeing him if ever there's another chance.

Before stopping for a couple toasted marshmallows I wandered the woods. I guess I never realized that the headwaters of Brandy Brook is in Retzer. Brandy Brook runs to Pebble Creek which joins the Fox River. The Fox River begins near Menomonee Falls and joins the Illinois river before heading to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.

I also never realized what an odd feeling it is to look up at swaying 100 foot tall pines while stumbling forward through the woods. Try it sometime.       

It's probably no coincidence that International TV Turn-Off Week coincides with Earthweek. Even so, I wasn't going to let a little thing like that stop me from watching one of my favorite shows, American Idol. Besides live performances by the final six talented singers, Tuesday was also the 38th anniversary of the founding of Earth Day.

It turns out that the two best performers Tuesday were in the bottom two Wednesday. I didn't want to see either Syesha or Carly leave and was hoping for a recount. It's clear it's a popularity contest, but it's also clear that at this point they're all very talented.

The one that was eliminated, Carly, performed the hottest version of Jesus Christ Superstar I've ever heard. Her smiles proved she was really enjoying it. The judges were as thrilled by the performance as she was. Carly probably put more into that one song than any singer before her. She leaves on a high note, a very high note.

I guess if I didn't vote I can't complain that she didn't win.  

I used to hear from people who saw my blog in Waukesha Marketplace. Many people from church would compliment me on my writing. But because Marketplace is no longer carrying the blogs all I hear now is they haven't seen anything from me lately. Hey, get a computer!

I was OK with giving away my quality writing for free, but what I didn't like was not getting the Marketplace just because I was a Journal Sentinel subscriber. That's why I was so looking forward to the introduction of the paper version of WaukeshaNOW just two Thursday's ago. WaukeshaNOW the publication, included inside the Thursday Journal Sentinel, promises to be more substantial and newsy than the Marketplace "shopper." I regularly see the WestAllisNOW paper so I knew what to expect.

I was looking forward to the WaukeshaNOW paper because I'd be hearing from different people and because it'd be available at newsstands which Marketplace wasn't.

If you live in the city and subscribe to the Journal Sentinel you should be looking for your WaukeshaNOW in Thursday's paper. If everything goes right that is. The first Thursday it came out I didn't get it and called to get it. Last Thursday I again didn't get it, called and received another complete paper -- without WaukeshaNOW inside. Finally got it the next day.

If you get the paper let me know how you like it. If you're a subscriber and don't get WaukeshaNOW on Thursdays call 414-224-2222.

I have to compare yesterday's crane count to fishing. Sometimes you don't see any, but the day is never wasted. Plus, a bad day of crane counting is still better than a good day at work.

The weather wasn't too cold for the start of Earth Week and the 5:30 a.m. start of the Annual Midwest Crane Count, though a few raindrops fell. My son accompanied me and we saw lots of deer, some turkeys and even a bluebird. We hiked around in the woods and saw the sunrise together. Even though we didn't see any cranes, hanging out in nature is not something we do enough of and the day wasn't wasted. Today, the same son would have gone canoeing with me down the Fox if I hadn't totalled the canoe earlier and if the Wauk. Parks canoe trip hadn't been cancelled due to the danger of high water.

Because I used to work weekends, and because of the coordinator's ACT tests last year, yesterday was the first time we were able to get together with others for breakfast after the count at the Machine Shed. Sara and her family were there as were several other counters, including first time Waukesha counter Kathy, who used to count in Central Wisconsin. It was interesting to hear how long the others have been doing the count, where they count, how many they saw, and why they are doing it. Sara, our coordinator, has parlayed her experience and devotion into a $5000.00 scholarship to Northland College in Ashland and will continue to lead our count from there as she increases her knowledge of the natural world.

There's a nice front page article in today's Sunday Journal Sentinel on the quest to reintroduce a second migratory population of whooping cranes in North America. Whooping cranes are the rarest cranes in the world and what we're doing in our count somehow helps in their reintroduction. Wherever sandhill cranes live, so whooping cranes can. By noting shifts in sandhill populations due to food, development or whatever, we are also helping tell the International Crane Foundation how successful their efforts at reintroduction could be. We're not just counting sandhill cranes any more. Sure, we're watching for a rare whooper, but we're also watching for leg bands, radio collars, and certain behavior... Are cranes exhibiting mating behavior or are they all males?  Are they guarding their territory or are they passing through? It all means something to someone. Getting out in nature on an early morning means a lot to me. 

It wasn't a good week for mayoral footwear. On Monday, Crocs Inc. lowered it's first-quarter forecast based on lower sales of the odd clogs and expenses related to a plant closure. By Tuesday the price of shares had dropped 43%, for a combined drop of 73% so far this year. Shares are now somewhere around the $10.00 mark.

Also this week, Japan instructed Crocs to change the design of the rubber sandals. Their Trade Ministry has issued a warning based on multiple complaints of the footwear becoming stuck in escalators.

Crocs Inc. is closing it's Canadian plant to concentrate production at lower-cost facilities. I think what this means is we'll probably be seeing a lot more "Made in China" labels.

in honor of the first national Poem in Your Pocket Day:

The last snow of the season was blowing,

Or maybe it was just dust.

Had yet to see a film at the new theater,

So it was going to be Saturday, or bust.

Nim's Island was sold out,

So we were in no hurry.

Dr. Seuss was our second choice,

Starting at three-thirty.

Now everyone knows the story,

Of when Horton hears a Who.

But when no one believed Horton,

He didn't know what to do.

The largest animal in the forest,

Protecting a speck of dust.

Though his friends all turned against him,

To guard it with his life he must.

They wanted to teach him a lesson,

And toss the speck into oil.

So they heated up the beezlenut juice,

And brought it to a boil.

The speck was saved of course,

When the quiet Who made a noise.

A kangaroo heard the sound,

And changed the cries to joys.

There's a moral here somewhere,

It wasn't wasted on me at all.

You can still cry at G movies,

And a "person's a person no matter how small."

Now that the snow is gone, (it is gone now isn't it?) all that remains is the soggy, rotting leaves by the curb and in the street. I see many people have been moving the decomposing mess from the terrace into the street to keep the grass from dying.

You'd think there'd come a time when the city would no longer be responsible for cleaning up the leaf mess from the fall. At some point you'd think homeowners would want to clean it up themselves instead of creating another flood hazard by shoving it into the street. 

This is one problem we've never had at our house. Even though we have large trees in and around our yard, we don't rake. I grind up the leaves with a mower and leave them to fertilize the lawn. Granted we don't have the world's greatest lawn, but at least we don't have to worry about chemical exposure when I fertilize.  

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When there's not a lot of difference between the water levels above and below the dam... When there's barely two feet of clearance under the bridges... When the dragonfly takes a drink from the Fox you know it's at flood stage. Amazing what one week and a couple inches of rain can do.

Our fateful canoe trip was just one week ago. Even though the Fox was wild, compared to what it is now, it was mild.

We took a look last night at where the canoe should have been, but the water level was probably twice what it was there last week. If a canoe was down under the bridge there somewhere it was in trouble.

I talked to the police and the DNR about the canoe last Monday. There didn't seem to be a big worry that it was there, but eventually we'd have to retrieve it. No problem, just wait for the level to go down, tie a rope around it and haul it out with pulleys. I'm in no hurry to get it back, I already cancelled our place with the Wauk. Cty. Parks outing on the 20th.

No matter when we fish it out it isn't going to be fun, and it's going to be awhile if the rain doesn't stop. 

Got a strange email from someone yesterday. I almost didn't click the link. For some reason I thought Sarah was providing a link to my own blog. "Is this yours" is all she asked. Yeah, of course. Why would I need a link to my own blog?

After spending too much time thinking about it, I clicked the link and found Darryl Enriquez' story about an unclaimed canoe at the police station. Is it mine? It had to be! Why is it unclaimed? Surely the police had a record of my phone call?

First thing this morning I stopped at the station and inquired. Even though it "was in pretty rough shape" and was going to be "thrown away," I wanted to see it and salvage what I could if it was mine.

It was mine.

Thank you to whoever reported the canoe in the river. Thanks very much to whoever saved me the trouble and risk of retrieving it myself. And thanks to Darryl for bringing it to our attention and Sarah for bringing it to my attention.

Now, anyone know where I can buy a few rolls of duct tape?

I'm uncomfortable admitting this, especially to Mom. So Mom, if you're reading just skip this one, OK? 

Saturday I wrote a little about kayakers seen by the dam that morning. Well, Sunday was a nice day for a boat ride too. Have to get in shape for the Waukesha County Parks canoe outing on the 20th and all.

I've paddled from the dam upstream and from Sunset Drive to the dam, but until Sunday never started at the dam and went downstream. My son and I did the same thing the kayakers did: parked a vehicle by Fox River Park and put in just below the dam after parking next to the State Office Building. I just hope the kayakers didn't do the same thing we did.

I was pretty sure we'd have fun and adventure on the raging Fox. The only danger I anticipated was low bridges, and if we would have looked a few of them over it wouldn't have been as challenging. A kayaker mentioned they had to duck for some bridge and, even though canoes ride higher, I thought we'd be OK. As soon as we got out of the city the river would widen and calm down.

Onlookers at the dam surely thought we must be crazy. Thank goodness we didn't get trapped in the dangerous currents of the waterfall and have to be rescued before we ever got started. Now that would have been embarrassing!

We slipped under the Barstow bridge with no problem. Waved to people on the shore not used to seeing canoes this time of year. Passed the first pedestrian bridge and the bear family. Smiled and waved some more and passed the second pedestrian bridge. Didn't really have to worry too much about rocks, even though we couldn't see them through the rapids because they were covered by so much water. Some of the same rocks in summer are high and dry.

About two minutes into our trip we were done. The canoe was done. A bridge ate it. The bridge under the State Bank as a matter of fact. It's there now, held fast to the support by tons of snowmelt pouring over it. The bridge wasn't too low, we just ran out of time in the swift current to decide if we were going to pass right or left of the support. It didn't help that it was dark and we both wore sunglasses.

I hate admitting I screwed up, but if you don't know me by now... We hit the support sideways and immediately filled with water. Cold water. It's no more than waist deep there, but did I hear someone say dangerous? We were fortunate in that we had time to stand up and think before moving. I did not want to make the Freeman and wanted to move before someone called the fire dept. - or before the legs got too numb to safely stumble out. The closest shore was hardly 30 feet away - through the fastest moving part of the channel. We decided we'd walk the extra 150 feet if it meant not being swept downstream.

We had left the canoe without even trying to save anything. Even the seat cushion is still there - held in place by the force of the icy water.

My son summed it up best. "We could have done several things different, but in the end we did the right thing."

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I know, it doesn't make sense. Same could be said for many of my posts. (But you didn't hear it from me!)

Had a long day yesterday. Rode the bus to work but missed the usual one and caught the next a few minutes later. I definitely didn't want to drive through opening day traffic in the afternoon. Making the earlier bus would have meant missing the opportunity to help the sight-impared person I found stumbling in the wrong direction on Sixth St. near Clybourn. 

I watched David as I grew nearer and it was clear he had no sight at all. Even though I made no sound, he spoke to me as I approached. I could've just turned him around and continued on to work, now with less time to get there because of missing the first bus. I stayed to walk with him, as most people hopefully would. I saw things from his perspective, which was real eye-opening so to speak. The sidewalk had large construction signs blocking the middle. Odd-shaped intersections with right turn traffic islands and no buttons for walk signals. Trees and lamp poles were abundant with an occasional bus shelter or parked car to avoid. He was staying at the Ramada so wasn't totally familiar with the path we were on. He was heading to a UWM campus near Sixth and State for a conference.

As luck would have it, one of the vehicles we worked to avoid was a UWM courtesy vehicle. I thought if ever there was a perfect use for such a thing it would be this. I hooked David up with it and they were happy to help.

Because I made a couple St. Vincent home visits after work, I didn't get home until probably 7:30, thirteen hours after I left. As soon as I walked in the door I was informed of a minor emergency. I rushed off to Waukesha Memorial with a family member after just one cold slice of pizza for dinner. They took great care of us, as they always do, and we arrived back home about 11:00 p.m. Everyone's fine. Tired, but fine. TGIF

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The snowmelt-engorged Fox appears to be receding. The high water marks on the flower petals tell me the dragonfly was never in danger, though the lilly pad still is under.

Second nice Saturday in a row, and several brave kayakers were putting in just below the dam with plans to paddle to Hwy. H, near Fox River Park today.

If you're wondering who the fool was that was getting too close to the top of the dam in his canoe last Saturday evening... Well, let's just say I know the dude.

I ran into Edward before leaving the dam and held him in my hands. Edward is a 20 or so year old box turtle from Pennsylvania who's owner, a knowledgeable and friendly young woman, brought him down to the plaza for a little sun and exercise. What an interesting pet to take out for a walk.