I Wish I Was There

The Wolves, performed by Bon Iver during their Coachella set.



Opening for Radiohead no less. Even better was an absolutely electric and literally spine-tingling version of Blood Bank, but that hasn't been posted. Yet anyway.

Foggy Morning At Double Drumlin Farm

We were very fortunate to be able to spend some time (although not nearly enough) with our friends the VonHubens during our Wisconsin trip.

A few morning shots from the prairie before the fog burned off.

prairie and the neighbor's horse
one of many native plant gardens

purple cone flowers (echinacea)

black-eyed susans

one of the hens
artistically-stacked firewood
the neighbor's horse - again
the house

Thanks VonHubens!

Green Lake 2011 - Poor Attempts At Dear Photograph

After spending some time perusing dearphotograph.com a few months ago, I decided that the trip to Green Lake would be a great opportunity to try out the technique where one holds up a vintage photo in the same setting. Little did I realize how difficult it could be to get everything to line up properly. Oh well, even if the photos turned out terribly, it was still an interesting and challenging exercise. Here goes...

mom, winter '69-'70 (pregnant with me at the time)

grandpa & grandma, early 70s

cousins, mid-70s (Kimmy, me, Jeff, Dan)

me, with fish, late-70s

puppy Kasey, Taffy and Kimmy, 1985
brother Dan & Hot Wheels, 1985
Kasey, 1987

Green Lake 2011 In Photos

Some photos and a couple of videos from our recent trip to my favorite place on Earth - Green Lake, WI. A big thank you to the Mangins for letting us stay at a place that means so much to me and my family.









And the videos, swimming under the pier with a GoPro HD camera:

Bon Iver Teaser

I. Want. It. Now.

Untitled from Bon Iver on Vimeo.

Texans Trying To Pronounce Wisconsin City Names

(thanks to Eric B. for the tip!)

Vintage Lake Geneva Postcards

Today you're getting a two-fer. Why? Because these two have never been mailed and have boring, blank backsides.

Both are from Wisconsin's second deepest natural lake, Lake Geneva. Sitting just across the border from Illinois in South Eastern, WI, the Lake Geneva area has been the "Newport of the West" for generations, with many Chicago business leaders calling this lapis jewel home during the summer months. Families such as Wrigley, Sears, Swift, Harris, Pinkerton and Schwinn all have or once had mansions on its shores.

Plenty of summer camps also existed on the shores of Lake Geneva, including Olivet Camp as featured below.
I've spent many days playing on or around Lake Geneva, but I don't know the lake's natural and man-made features as well as I know those on Green Lake. However, I'm pretty sure this camp was on the north shore, towards the western edge of the lake. I like the canoe and other boats pictured, along with the oh-so-modest bathing suits.

A few camps are identified on the next Lake Geneva postcard, but not the Olivet Camp.
My great grandparents had a place near the Harvard Club in the southwest part of the lake. My Great Grandpa Finer built a stout field stone cottage a few hundred feet from the shore, a great place for my dad to experience growing up, spending summers sailing and swimming. The home still stands, I'll have to get my mom to send me a couple of shots of the place.

Lake House Lust

So my boss was cruising the World Wide Innerwebs this morning and stumbled upon this gem.
Not only is it an award-winning masterpiece...
...so elegantly blending in with the rolling Wisconsin landscape...
...but it is also on my beloved Green Lake.
Named The Camouflage House because of the way that the natural-colored panels were harmoniously integrated into the façade by pixelating and distilling autumn hues.
Having practically memorized every home on the lake over 30+ years of recreating on it's clear, spring-fed waters, I'm surprised I wasn't familiar with this home until now.
I discovered that it is located on the south shore of Norwegian Bay. And based on this photo...
...it appears that it's on the western edge of Norwegian Bay. Which really makes sense if the builder didn't demolish an existing structure. See, this part of Norwegian Bay is quite shallow - shallow enough that many lake-goers anchor on the sand bar to enjoy the waist-deep waters. One of only a few places on the deep, dark lake that accommodates those not looking to constantly tread water. The shallowness of the water can also makes the lot less-desirable to those with piers and motorboats as the pier length has to be sufficient in order to properly launch and store said boat. Therefore, it could have stood vacant through Green Lake's development. But that's pure speculation.
And though my favorite Green Lake property is quite evident to anyone who really knows me, this home is definitely one of my favorites. I hope to see it in person (from the lake of course) one of these summers.
Photos and information from this link and this link. Architect - Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee.