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!

Lamp Posts

These signs were displayed from the area lamp-posts in the quaint downtown village of Wauwatosa. During our recent afternoon walk we visited a number of cute shops, photos of which I'll be posting throughout the week.  

Peace Sign

We spent a recent Saturday afternoon walking through the quaint shops of the Wauwatosa Village. This sign was posted on the door of "French Country Pine & Design" on Underwood Ave.  The point is that Wisconsin recently enacted an open carry firearms law... and while few people actually do so, many would rather not see it at all.

Below is the storefront of this cute shop which offers lots of whimsical design accents.

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.

Bright Bikes

These two cute bicycles were parked outside our local Starbucks on a pleasant day earlier this spring.  Love the color and they look pretty comfy, too!

Fireworks!

One of the splendid fireworks displayed over Pewaukee Lake on the Fourth of July. So many communities around here in southeast Wisconsin had their celebrations canceled because of the near draught conditions and increased chance of fire.  However, since Pewaukee shoots theirs over the lake, they were allowed to continue.

'29 Chevy

A very nice old black '29 Chevy from the car show mentioned the other day. Reminds me of those old gangster movies!

Car Show

Recently there was an old collector's car show in the parking lot of the Seven Seas restaurant in Delafield. While certainly not the oldest model there, this bright blue Ford Mustang caught my eye!

Gator Guard?

This "faux" alligator is just guarding a friend's pool and keeping the birds at bay.  Well, that was the initial plan.  She says they're too smart - since the gator never moves, they just ignore it now.  Still - at first glance - kind of a scary image!

Breakfast!

Every so often, we go out for breakfast at The Crossings, a cute little diner located where Pewaukee meets Waukesha meets Brookfield... at the intersection of Hwy M and Redford Rd. and the railroad tracks. It's only been around for a few years, but already has a loyal following. My "usual" is the Greek Gyros Omelet, loaded with feta, lamb, and tomatoes, served with a side of Tzatziki sauce. Highly recommended!