Moon over Lake Monona

Lake Monona
Originally uploaded by thechrisproject.

"Taken at the end of Few street."

Yes, but he could've been a Packer

Heard on the local NPR news this a.m.: in reporting President Gerald Ford's death, the first biographical bit mentioned was not the unprecedented manner in which he took office, nor that he pardoned Nixon. The first thing you learned from NPR this morning about Ford was that he was a star football player that turned down an opportunity to join the Green Bay Packers.

Northern Lights revisited

Earth, Wind, and Sky
Originally uploaded by WisDoc.

"Taken from the shores of Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin. I had been trying to photograph the Aurora Borealis a few nights ago, but it was very windy and the clouds rolled in and covered up the view. I was about to head home, but I stayed and snapped a few long exposure shots of the clouds quickly moving as well as the waves rolling towards the shore."

Misty Lake Monona

Misty Monona 2
Originally uploaded by thechrisproject.

What did you give for Xmas?

From Inhabitat:

"Christmas is a great day for traditions. Some families make a giant turkey, some roast chestnuts, while others tear open presents with grandma at the crack of dawn. This year, allow me to suggest a new tradition: Giving Back For Christmas. What better day to be thankful for the gifts you received, then give back to the world. There are so many ways to give- from volunteering at your local soup kitchen to hauling a trunkload of clothes and unused housewares to the Goodwill, to making a monetary donation to a worthy cause. Even the smallest actions can make a difference. So, in the words of my proactive father, 'Just do something.' Here are some suggested volunteer opportunites, charitable organizations, and ways to donate"

[Full article linked to title above.]

Why I love Madison, (reason #498)

"Now, with the shuttering of this McDonald's and the one on the Capitol Square, there's not much corporate quick food available on State Street. Wendy's, Hardees, Pizza Hut and Burger King have all left the area."

[Full article from the Wisconsin State Journal linked to title above.]

Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis
Originally uploaded by Ting-Li Lin.

Northern Lights in Madison, 12/14/06

Redbird at Cafe Carpe

We went to see Redbird (which features 3 of our favorite artists: Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault, and Peter Mulvey) at the tiny Cafe Carpe in Ft. Atkinson, WI last weekend. I have been a fan of Peter Mulvey's since his album Deep Blue in 1997, and discovered Kris Delmhorst probably not too long after, as they were both among many fine singer-songwriters in the Boston music scene I was following. Susan and I discovered Jeffrey Foucault when he opened for Peter Mulvey a few years ago. Now Kris is married to Jeffrey. And Peter lives here in Wisconsin (having returned from Boston).

Go figure.

Anyway, the show found them relaxed in comfortable environs and amongst many friends. We sat this close, but you couldn't really be much farther away in this room. There was lots of holiday silliness; their goal was to play only songs they hadn't played before.

Kris covered the Cars' "You Might Think," and the singalong to the bridge ("you kept it goin'/ 'til the sun went down/ you kept it... goin'") was priceless. But my favorite was her cover of Wilco's "Jesus, etc.," which caused me to pull out Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for a listen the very next day.

Listen to a recent story about Kris on NPR's "All Things Considered" here... the vocals on the opening sample cause the breath to catch in my throat...