Caterpillar

Not sure what type of butterfly or moth this tan furry caterpillar will turn into - but he sure was cute and fuzzy. Reminded me of a muppet! :-)

Parker Pears

Our neighbors have a beautiful "Parker Pear" tree in their front yard. It's healthy and compact and each year in early autumn bears these gorgeous juicy, red fruits. The only challenge is keeping the bees at bay while picking them!

Gothic Autumn

As you drive east on Cass Street in downtown La Crosse, toward the Mississippi River Bridge, you will pass this very old gothic mansion. The chill in the air and the changing color of the leaves lent an eerie feel to its presence on this early autumn afternoon. One can almost imagine Norman Bates peaking out from one of the upper windows!

Two Towers Sunset

The reflective glass of the two bank towers on Hwy. 45 and Good Hope Road in Milwaukee often displays a colorful sunset photo opportunity. This was taken as I was leaving work one evening. The Hilton Garden Inn is in the foreground.

Birdhouse Gourds

We also came across a table of "birdhouse" gourds (v. Lagenaria) at the Madison Farmer's Market. These are grown to make pretty, decorative dwellings for your feathered friends. Simply use a large drill bit to create an opening, add other embellishments, and hang from a tree or hook. It will last a season or so outdoors before weather and use breaks it down. You can also just use it as a display piece indoors. (Example shown below is from ParkSeed.com.)

Candina's

The austere decor of this small shop in Madison, just across from the Capitol building, belies the delicious truth within its display cases: chocolate truffles locally made in Verona, Wisconsin! Decadent and elegant, Candina's offers decidedly adult varieties, with flavors like champagne, ginger, hazelnut, jasmine, espresso, chai, and elderflower. I bought a small sampler box of the latter, and found it to be a deep chocolate laced with a bright citrusy flavor. Excellent!

Capitol Steps

The state capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin, looms large and lovely on this beautiful late summer morning. Each Saturday, Capitol Square is teeming with vendors and thousands of people searching for the freshest produce and flowers around. Also, being the home to our state government, there are also scores of booths touting any social and political statement you may (or may not) subscribe to!

The photo below shows a close-up of the dome, topped by Daniel Chester French's elegant gilded bronze statue, "Wisconsin."

Farmer's Market Veggies

The selection is always overwhelming at the Saturday morning farmer's market around Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin. This vendor had a variety of gorgeous looking produce on his tables.

Conveniently, this post fits in nicely with City Daily Photo's September Theme Day of "Open Air Markets."

Bagpiper

This Scottish Piper was entertaining the crowd at Saturday's farmer's market in Madison, Wisconsin. However, I didn't notice the look of disdain he was giving me while I took his photo until I was working on it PhotoShop!

We often make the pleasant drive over to our state capital to take advantage of the seasonal harvest, which is now in full swing. Watch for more pictures of our visit during the next few days.

Macro Geranium

I finally got a new camera. Much better than my old Canon Powershot A710 - but small enough so that I can still carry it in my pocket or crossbody bag during my walks and hikes. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 and I love it! Above is a sample from the first set of photos I took with it. It's a close-up/macro night shot of a single geranium flower taken during a light rain. Especially like the fact I could get such nice detail without any elaborate settings.