Alex Wilson Band at Sand Creek

I "hired" myself to shoot the Alex Wilson Band a while ago-just for fun.  They were playing at the Sand Creek Brewery for an annual party-it's amazing a band this good can be seen in such a small venue in such a small town, but I'll take it.  They really are terrific and I try to catch them whenever they venture into northern or central Wisconsin.  Amazing blues and musicianship and I just love their performances.  Music is in their roots and souls.....  Shooting a band is especially fun, so when I found out they were coming to town, I asked if they'd mind me photographing them.  So the lighting isn't great in a brewery-that's not what it's set up to be-it's not a stage, it's pallets for it's a brewery for beers sake!  But, there are some lights and it's fun to have a mash tun and brew kettle for a backdrop.  The expressions the Blues bring out can be seen in their faces and how they play-Alex is especially fun to watch on his guitar, my daughter calls it "squishy face" when he really gets lost on a song.  I just want to thank the Alex and the Band for letting me capture some of feeling and expression of the gig.  (I don't know if I'm really hip enough to use that phrase).-I hope these reflect that feeling well.

http://www.alexwilsonband.com/

 

THE Rally

Wow...where do I start?  I have never been a real political person-maybe that has been a mistake?  As one of the speakers in Madison said yesterday, had we all done our job a few months ago, we wouldn't be standing at the State Capitol this day.  True that.  But we were now and I agree-something has been awakened during the past three weeks.  If one agrees with the Walker administration and state Republicans or not-there is no denying this bill is going to forever change Wisconsin in so many ways.  Some think in a good way, I for one, think it will be devastating.  I've already seen it in the quality of teachers and other state workers leaving their professions.

In any regard-that is the political side of this post, but I don't want to dwell there.  I want to just show images from the day and what struck me. The most powerful thing was how diverse the people gathered here were.  People of all walks of life, of all professions and of all jobs, that normally would never be together for one cause, but they are now.  I haven't felt too proud to be a teacher over the past three weeks with all the personal attacks against my profession, but I did this day.  People thanked me for the job I do, and I thanked them for theirs.  Firemen, cops, steamfitters, nurses, prison guards, county workers......

The first sign as we walked to the capitol-the girl and her father were proud she made this sign herself.

The state capitol building is such a massive backdrop to all that was going on this day-one that made everything happening a bit more serious and vastly important.  This guy stood up there for a long time-listening intently to each and every speaker.

"Union Thugs" imported in from.......hmmm, Sheboygan.

The procession of the Wisconsin 14 and Jesse Jackson lead by firefighters from Wisconsin and Illinois.

Honor Guard of Firefighters

The Wisconsin 14

Listening Intently to the 14

All Professions Represented

A young supporter from the "tractorcade."  It seems aspects of this bill will also have an effect of farmers in the state and they made their way to the capitol as well.

Windows to a Soul

I think when you've made enough pictures over the years, you start to realize there are subjects that keep coming back from time to time.  Windows seem to find their way into my camera for some reason.  I noticed this yesterday during a long snowshoe hike in the woods.  After an hour, I knew I'm make my way to an old farmstead buried and decaying back in the woods.  It maybe was a hundred years old, but had been updated over the years by evidence of the electric wires clinging to the side of the wall.  There were horse drawn farm implements half buried in the ground alongside frames of Model Ts.  I've made my way past this site a few times during hikes and hunting and enjoy finding old things like this.

Back to windows. Molly explored all the smells surrounding the old building as I peered to see what was inside.  I think looking through a window frame for a few moments can show what life was like on the farmstead.  I like discovering what lies inside, what the window reveals about the last days it was home to people.  Where the window is boarded up-there is a sense of wonder-what is inside?  The windows are also interesting as a composition-neat and orderly and framing something else maybe more important?.

Tenley

This is more of a diary kind of entry than a photo one-which is okay for a change.   Winter is losing it's grip each day as the sun sits higher and burns the snow down quicker.  It's a great time of year to be out-even when the temps are cold-that sun just warms the soul.  In a week or two the snow will be gone and I always think how quickly the season has passed-others would look at it as a long haul winter, but I enjoy it and want just a few more ski days.

One nice suprise was the kids being able to come home-their days of being back in Neillsville are getting fewer and fewer so it was great to hang out together . We skied, snowshoed, ate and enjoyed beverages and chasing the pups around.  As always, we made it up to Porky Point on the 'shoes and took in the view.  I managed to get a couple shots there and loved these two of Tenley on the hike.

Tenley & Gracie on Porky Point

Tenley