Hibiscus

The oppressive heat has been good for at least a few things around here - one of them being our coral hibiscus.  (As long as I remember to water it once - sometimes twice - per day.)

Pewaukee's Finest

Our boys (and girls!) in blue kept an eye on things during Pewaukee's recent "Taste of Lake Country" festival held down by the beach. In case of a lakefront incident or accident, they also had one of these cute "beach-buggies" on hand.

Here are a few of them chatting with one of the police commissioners attending the event. (Hi, Bill!) 

Another Mississippi River Sunset

Taken looking northwest over the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from Riverside Park.  The clouds look like they are boiling up a storm.

Check all Skywatch Friday photo entries here.

The Back Steps

The backyard steps of this big, green house face the parking lot of the assisted living home where my mother used to live. The big pot of red geraniums reminds me of her, since she was an expert at over-wintering them every year at our old house.

She would have been 96 years old this month. Happy Birthday, Mom.

Theme Day: Numbers

1 Corinthians 13: My nephew had this verse tattooed on his body earlier this spring.  Pretty bold, but a nice sentiment!

See other entries in City Daily Photo's "Theme Day" for August here.

Northern Lights

A week or so ago, in the midst of our dry spell, the sunset illuminated the clouds in such a way that it reminded me of the undulating northern lights (which we also see around here from time to time.) It was during the Colorado wildfires and so I wondered - even though we are nearly a thousand miles east of there - if that might have had some effect on the atmosphere.

Farmer's Market Sunflowers

During a recent trip to the Farmer's Market in Madison, Wisconsin, there were numerous vendors selling lots of sunflowers.  This booth had quite a beautiful display.  I thought the contrast with the black and white overlay gave the flower colors a little boost!

Piano Lessons

Wauwatosa is the Native American term for firefly, so many things and places in Tosa have the word "firefly" within them.  This cute piano studio, located in a refurbished house on Harwood Ave., has a rusty water pump out front cleverly sporting the shop's sign.

Peter Piper Bartolotta

Another grand Victorian-Gothic style building in the Village of Wauwatosa houses the esteemed "Ristorante Bartolotta." Built of cream city brick, this is the flagship location for the Bartolotta restaurant group and is hands-down my favorite place for a special meal in the Milwaukee area. Their Pappardelle Braised Duck Ragu is fabulous!

For decades, it was the "Peter Piper Pancake House" - the type of restaurant you might see featured in Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network.  A great story about this place is that it was a local haunt of the old Tosa eccentric, Abe Austin, Jr.!

Ace Hardware

The Ace Hardware store in the village of Wauwatosa is celebrating its 91st year in business in this beautiful old gothic stone building. The inside brings you back to simpler times, and while walking through narrow aisles, the oak plank wooden floors creak with every step. They just don't build 'em like this any more!