Again with the Biting Ants

Giacometti Rebuild

Day 19 (7/30/12)

It has been over a month since we have been out on the bike trail and over three months since I have done any building. I am so ashamed. I could make the excuse that it has been a hot busy summer but even though it has been a hot busy summer I have just been lazy. Eileen and I hit the trail last night just to peruse the area. To our surprise many of the builds were still standing, perhaps not altogether but standing none the less. The one exception was “Dangler” which has survived so much for so long. I decided it was about time to get back on the trail so this morning I took off early to do some building. It felt good to be back at it. At my first stop I was reminded of the biting ants. I can’t complain about them because it is me who is trespassing on their territory but to use an old expression of my Mom’s, “Uffamia” which I can’t find any translation for but it sure does sum up the experience. I left that one kind of half built. I will try to get back when the ants have settled down. Then it was time to rebuild “Dangler”. I was quite happy with how it turned out. I hope it continues to stand for many years to come. I rebuilt a couple more before I decided to call it a day. On my way home I ran into an elderly couple who, after I passed, asked if they could ask a question. I kind of knew what was coming but was a little worried about what to say. The elderly gent asked if I was the guy who built the cairns along the trail. I said, “I guess that depends on whether you like them or not”. It turned out that they were some of my oldest fans. I had heard from their Grandson that they enjoyed the cairns but up until now I had never met them. They said that they would even set some cairns back up that they saw tipped over.  I told them I was spending more time these days on tie builds, which is what I call my large scale pieces even though it is getting harder and harder to find ties for material. Hopefully I will be inspired to get out more. These first two were still standing after three months. Somebody may have redone the cairn on "Tripod Build".

"Tripod Build"

"Down by the Corner"

"Dangler" Rebuild

"Totem" Rebuild

New Build with Ants

Reflections of Mauthe

Day 18 (7/11-12/12)

It’s that time of year again, time for our annual overnighter at Mauthe Lake. The weather is perfect, warm during the day and cool at night, maybe too cool. We packed up everything and headed for the lake. When we got there we set up camp, got wood, had a sandwich, and hit the bike trails. It was a little warm for biking and the horseflies were pesky but we had the trails to ourselves so all was good. When we got to our favorite building spots we stopped to build cairns. Had it been a little cooler I probably would built a large scale build out of some sawed up logs along the trail but it was just too hot for that type of effort. Again we had to laugh because apparently other people have been building cairns along the trail. I guess we will never know whether we are responsible for the continued building but it is pretty cool. We messed around for a couple hours and then headed back to camp, made supper pies and headed out kayaking. The next day we got up late after having kind of a rough night, it turns out our sleeping bags which are rated for 40 degrees probably should say 70. At any rate it was nice to sleep in and take pleasure in being out in the fresh air. After making breakfast and enjoying some of the world’s best coffee we started to tear down camp and then went kayaking again. As always, the last thing we do is go for one final bike trip. We were all packed up and had the kayaks back on the Yak Hauler so we set out once again down the trails. Again we had a great time checking things out and doing some more building. After our first bike trip we had stopped by the concession stand for a shaved ice and boy did it hit the spot, so we decided to do it again and then we headed for home excited about checking out our pictures and videos.

Eileen at Camp

Build #1

Build #2

Through the trees

Camp Life

Water Build

Watching the Hawk

Down on the Boardwalk

Eileen's Stump Build

The Opening

Grant checking out the Paper

Day 17 (7/1/12)

As promised in my last post, I will do a follow up on the opening at the Urban Ecology Center. It was a beautiful warm day outside which was great for doing summer activities but bad for having people show up for an art show. It turned out to be a small but enthusiastic crowd. I was pleased to see the people who did show up though since many were totally unexpected. I had been quite worried about the talk I was supposed to give since in spite of years as a teacher I don’t really like public speaking. Since most of the people were old friends or students it went over really well. Before the artists spoke Danni Gendelman from the Urban Ecology Center spoke of their history and their purpose. Again I was reminded how proud I was being associated with this group. They are about to open another branch center in the Menomonee Valley area in September. In both cases they started at the request of residents who wanted to take their parks back. The parks had become overrun with drugs, gangs and prostitution. At first they worked out of a doublewide trailer until they could get the funds to construct their current building. Not only did they clean up the parks but now they offer environmental education and alternative activities for the youth. They were so successful at Riverside that they courted to do another on in the Menomonee Valley. They have become an inspiration and model to cities all over the U.S. For more information on the Urban Ecology Center you can check out their website at: http://urbanecologycenter.org/ or http://www.facebook.com/urbanecologycenter .  Remember, my work will be there into September.

Frank & Mary Lou

Mark & I 

Zaylia

Eileen and Sally

Fireplace Art

Rita & Z

Setup at the Urban Ecology Center

Day 16 (6/24/12)

Urban Ecology Center

It has been a very busy summer so far so I haven’t had a lot of time to get out on the bike trail and build which is unfortunate but I have been busy getting ready for a couple of art shows which is good. Several months ago an artist/gallery owner friend of mine Frank Juarez suggested that I summit my work to the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee. He felt it would be the perfect venue to show my recycled works. I decided to give it a try and was accepted. I had never been to the UEC so had no idea what to expect. At first all that I knew was that I would be with one other person and that I would have the space from July to September. I planned on getting down to Milwaukee to look at the space but it just didn’t happen so Sunday when I went to set up was the first time I saw it. The building itself is incredibly cool. It is all self sustaining with racks of solar panels and a water retention system that waters all the gardens. The main function of the UEC is to educate urban children about the environment through hands on programs. They also provide outdoor equipment such as canoes, bikes, skis, snowshoes and other assorted items for people who otherwise might not have access. I am very proud to be associated with this program. It turns out that the community room doubles as an art gallery and has very nice lighting. Again, I had no idea how much space I would have so I loaded up the back of the jeep and headed down there. It turned out I had space for about ten of my larger pieces and four small ones. It may be a little crowded but I thought it looked nice. It turns out the other artist paints in oils and combines plants and animals in an abstract form which conjures up memories from her past. The opening is this coming Sunday the 1^st of July. I will try to post some pictures from the opening.

Solar Panels

Rock climbing wall

Some of the gardens

Set up

One Wall

Norway Wall

What to do? What to do?

"Tripod"

Day 15 (6/15/12)

What to do? What to do? We are getting our house reroofed. Now anybody that knows me knows that I don’t often call in outside help but unfortunately I can’t shingle it by myself and I really didn’t have anybody I felt comfortable asking to help me. I am finding it very stressful to just sit back and watch somebody else work. What makes things worse is that I feel like I am just getting in the way if I do try to help. So Eileen and I decided to finish a rock garden that we had started last fall. She had the day off and we had planned on going camping but because of the roofers we felt we should at least be accessible. I took her to two of my favorite rock foraging spots. How lucky could a girl get? However by noon we were done and looking for another diversion. We decided on taking a trip up the bike trail. It had been nearly a month since our last trip on the trail with Chris. I feel guilty about not getting out more but with the end of the school and getting ready for two art shows I have had to devote my spare time elsewhere. We knew that since it was the middle of the day we would not get any building done but at least we would get a ride and check out what remained of our last adventure. Surprisingly, much of what we had built was still up and in many cases seemed hardly changed at all. I have to suspect that we have had some help with maintenance since even the cairns were standing on many. Since I have been doing this for five years now it is fun to see how the bike trail keeps changing. When we first started the trail had just been built and now it has had time to naturalize. It makes it harder to find building material but makes for a more scenic ride. Well, it’s time to check on the roof so we reluctantly head home hoping they are finished but knowing that they have at least one more day to go.

"Down by the corner"

"Down by the Corner"

Return to Fischer Creek

Day 14 (5/28/12)

Nate and Rita on the Bridge

Once again our Son and Daughter-in-Law called and asked if we wanted to go back to Fischer Creek Beach. The last time we had been there was on March 10^th when we had been having unseasonably warm weather. They offered us a meal so what could we do? After having a great lunch it was time to hit the beach. As usual the dogs were raring to go. It was somewhat cooler by the lake which was nice. As usual there was a plethora of stones. I was told by a friend that only a geologist or artist would get so excited over stones. Perhaps he was right but there is something about finding that special stone that keeps you looking. Eileen and I would still be looking long after others have lost interest. Because of Memorial Day there were quite a few people out combing the beach but all in all we had a great time and found some great rocks.

Rock Formation by Others

Nate finds a Chair

Down by the Corner (Redux)

Sorry about posting this a second time but I accidently deleted it the other night and wasn't able to get it back without re-posting. 

Day 13 (4/22/12)

After yesterdays celebration of Earth Day with the students it was time today to celebrate another beautiful day by hitting the bike trail. Our friend Chris had driven over from Madison to help with the Litter Pickup and Papermaking. Although no stranger to found object sculpture, having achieved his MFA in sculpture, it was Chris’s first trip to the bike trail. He had wanted to do it for a long time so with a lot of excited anticipation we were off to the trail. We had already decided to forgo stealth for the day and just build. Since our last trip to the trail somebody had come through and picked up all the telephone poles they had cut down over the winter. In doing so they also knocked down any existing sculptures. Even “Tripod” had been destroyed. They had even taken the wire that I had used to hold it together. In a way it was good because it gave us a chance at a fresh start. We started off slow. I let Chris do most of the planning so he could take ownership of the day. He took to it like a duck to water. We ended up collaborating on a couple of builds and doing some on our own while Eileen took the role of photographer. We packed a lot into our time out. As always thought it was not just about the builds, soon after starting, we followed behind a pair of Blue Birds as they preceded us down the trail. The cranes were out in full force and I still have to stop whatever I am doing and admire them when I see them, for whatever reason I find them to be one of the most magnificent of birds. It was hard to call it a day and head home but alas Chris had to head back to Madison vowing to return another day.

Tripod Rebuild

Chris adding the last stone

Chris' build

My Build

Collaborative Build

Working on Dangler