The Honey Man

This gentleman selling honey at the Waukesha Farmer's Market stood so still and quiet that I thought he was meditating, which fit right in with the peace sign on his shirt. Then suddenly he reached over and turned the page - he was reading a book hidden behind the honey jars!

Smoke Bush City Limits

While at the Waukesha Farmer's Market a few weeks ago, I came across this beautiful specimen of Cotinus coggygria - or the 'Royal Purple Smoke Tree." It was growing along the banks of the Fox River which borders the area of the market.  (Since they don't grow wild around here, it was no doubt cultivated by the city.) They are also known as a 'smokebush' and usually have these pretty fluffy flowers in mid-summer - and fortunately, do quite well here in the upper midwest.

Clearwing Sphinx Hummingbird Moth

This little guy was visiting a floral booth during our recent trip to the Waukesha Farmer's Market. At first, someone said, "Oh, no - a wasp!"  Then someone else chimed in, "No, it's a hummingbird!"  But upon further inspection, we realized it was a Clearwing Sphinx Moth, also known as a hummingbird moth. My camera could not quite capture the wings because of their constant high-speed motion, but you can see its long beak-like tongue as it drinks flower nectar (below).  It also has a cousin in these parts called White-Lined Sphinx (or Hawk) Moth.

Mushroom Tree

A moss covered tree trunk full of mini-shelf mushrooms on a trail at Lapham Peak in Waukesha County.

Waukesha Shops

The open mall area in downtown Waukesha features lots of cute little shops. A favorite is "Coffee & Beans" for an alternative to the big java chains. :-)

Just Kidding

One of the many shops in downtown Waukesha is a fun spot simply called the 'Joke Shop.' A great place for Halloween and other party items, it shows an array of wares in their front window (below.)

Allo Chocolate

Every Saturday morning during the warmer months of the year Waukesha has a farmer's market. I didn't have my camera on me when we walked through this week, but afterwards we stopped by the car and I picked it up before we wandered around the shops in the old-fashioned downtown area. 'Allo Chocolate' is one of the local establishments that we visited. Trying to choose something from all their options (see below) was a difficult, yet delicious, decision. (We ultimately chose a Macadamia Nut Truffle and a Mint Meltaway.) We will be back!