Saturday in the park

I was up in the land of milk and Honey Weiss this weekend and Saturday I had a little bit of free time to go to the 300 plus acre Irvine Park. The weather was gorgeous, and I made a bee line to an abandoned bridge towards the back of the park known to locals as the "Rumble Bridge" or the "Rumbley Bridge." For as long as I can remember, this bridge has been a place that young lovers have gone to carve their initials.















In my younger days, I had what I thought was an incredible idea. I was going to run an ad in the local paper, asking those in the city who had put their initials on the bridge to tell me the story behind them. I was then going to photograph those initials and compile all of these stories in a book. Life happened, though, and I never even started my plan. Still, eventually the bridge will be repainted and all of this rich, local history will disappear.

So after some time reminiscing, I headed through the rest of the park. I have posted many pictures of Irvine Park here over the years, but this particular Saturday I witnessed something I had never seen in person there before-a wedding.















Planning an outdoor wedding in Wisconsin is always a huge gamble, especially in May when you can get almost any weather. This young couple hit the jackpot. I left the park wondering if their initials were back on that bridge somewhere.

From The Land of Milk and Honey Weiss

Last Saturday I went out to capture some pictures of my hometown of Chippewa Falls, but events conspired against me a little. There was a harsh winter light on Saturday afternoon, and I didn't want to use it for the pictures I had in mind. I had some places in mind that would have made for great pictures in that type of light, but most of them required some walking, and the drinking I had done with my father the previous made me highly resistant to walks. So I give you two photos. One is a shot of the Leinenkugel Brewery, a staple for me. The other is of the "Rainbow Bridge" over Duncan Creek.

The Rainbow Bridge is a great subject in the fall when the leaves are at peak color, and it is also quite good early in winter before the creek freezes. I had to get this shot, though, because they are debating whether to repair or rip down this memorable bridge located just down the hill from where I spent my early childhood.