The numbers are in...

...and Madison now has an estimated 285,300 residents as of 1 July 2024, up from 281,162 on that date in 2023.

Milwaukee also gained people - just under 500 - a small to bump up to 563,531. Good news but the Cream City is still has about 14,000 fewer Milwaukeeans than it did in 2020.

It's weird to see that Madison now has half the population of Milwaukee. (Dane County has about 63% of the population of Milwaukee County.) While there may be a small town somewhere in Wisconsin that had a greater percentage gain, it sure looks like Madison's addition of 4,138 folks is the largest in number in the state.

We're going to have a festival!

The summer festival season kicks off this weekend with WORTstock.

In about the month the festivities continue with the Marquette Waterfront Festival.

I discovered a few days ago that the Sessions at McPike Park have morphed into Sessions at Garver Feed Mill.

What happened? Garver is closer to home so it has at least one advantage. But all the sessions got squeezed into a few days in June as opposed to being spread out across the summer.

Still we get Iris DeMent, Cash Box Kings, The Waco Brothers, and many more. 

ADDENDUM:

I see that the line-up for Fête de Marquette has been announced.

Some fine music to be had. I discovered Southern Avenue a couple months ago while down a Youtube rabbit hole so it's neat that they'll be here.

15 May

The day began all bucolic.

 And then came the storms. It got Biblical there for a minute or two with all that hail.

R.I.P. Rue Bourre

I was thinking earlier this morning that today would be a good day to grab lunch at Rue Bourre. There's just something about hot weather that makes me hunger for gumbo. And so I was saddened to see that it is no more.

To quote Darth Vader, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

But their gumbo was just so tasty! Not fair!

Well, all the best to Ms. Nethken-Ulrich and her family.

Still life with still life of cat and cat

Sam Adams takes me to Funkytown

I recently sampled this brew:

1984 Pale Lager is a collaboration between the venerable Sam Adams, founded in 1984, and Funkytown Brewing, founded in 2021, the latter of which was wholly unfamiliar to me until I investigated on the interwebs.

Funkytown is a black-owned brewery in Chicago and this beer appears to be available only in Chicagoland.

The can notes that it was brewed with steam beer yeast along with a combo of Motueka and Tettnang hops. Motueka is a variety from New Zealand and they gave a citrus flavor to the brew that was lemon-lime, to my taste.

I thought it was good. The fruity flavors weren't overpowering and the result was a very refreshing brew on a hot spring day.

Since I'd never heard of Funkytown, I checked out their website. I was happy to see some nods to the brewery's hometown in beer names - Summertime Chi and Gym Shoe Weather. How about Dibs Doppelbock for a late winter seasonal? Bungalow Brown Ale?

The loneliest street drain in Madison

Since I've started using the bus stop at Sheboygan and Eau Claire Avenues, I walk by this section of curb.

At first I figured that it was leftover from when the new Hill Farms state office building and its parking ramp were constructed but I see it in Google street views from prior to this. Presumably it was left there when the American Red Cross building was erected. But why leave this section? Would removing the street drain have caused problems that were best avoided by just leaving it in place?

I've got wood...

...aged beer.

This is tasty stuff. It's nice to see a helles(?) given a twist that doesn't involve fruity-tasting hops.

Prelude to the afternoon of a bunny

 

 

Whenever I see scenes like this, the opening of "The Last Human Gateway" by IQ plays in my head - that flute-like synth melody with the drone in the background.

Back to the (Chicago Botanic) Garden

Yesterday was a fine day to wander the Chicago Botanic Garden. The sun shone all day but it remained temperate. And so I put my mother in my car and headed north.

It has been many years since I had been there.

Trillia were seen in the oak woodland. This reminded me that I should take a stroll around Heritage Sanctuary.

(Ian Anderson voice) Walking on Isle of Evening. Scots pine growing! 

The flowers were gorgeous throughout the grounds. Made me jealous of folks with green thumbs.

Grodziskie: The Thirst Slaker

The lilacs are in bloom and the lawn has been mowed. This brew tastes wonderful! Light and smoky and refreshing and smoky. It has slaked my thirst with its smoky goodness.

I finally found some of Dovetail's heretofore elusive and smoky Grodziskie last weekend down in Geneva. Perhaps some will make its way up here. The gent at Harley's said they were to receive their Pilsner, however.

New tunes

Thanks for the new tunes, MadCity Music. Also thanks to Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson, and Valerie June.

Obey your Ribmaster

A couple months or so ago I noticed that the Ribmasters truck had set up shop in the lot of the Citgo on the 200 block of Cottage Grove Road. I made a mental note to try out their food which remained merely an aspiration until just recently.

At first I tried to catch them at lunchtime when I was working from home but they were never open. And so I tried my luck one day at dinnertime. They were open for business!

Walking up to the truck I saw wisps of smoke rising from the smoker which made me think of Phillip Jeffries in season 3 of Twin Peaks.

 "It's smoky in here."

I ordered rib tips for the Frau.

And a brisket sandwich with fries for myself.

Oops. I ended up with brisket smothered fries. Well, I just had to build the sandwich myself.

The brisket was average to good, depending on the bite. I liked the rib tips more as they had a really nice smoky taste. I was told that the beans were good while I felt the fries needed more time in the fryer. Brown those puppies up! The biggest gripe was that the rib tips were a bit too salty. Still quite edible for me but too much for the Frau. A big plus for me was that the meat was not drowning in sauce.

I shall definitely try them again. The gentleman said that he was going to try to be open every night for dinner when the weather warmed.

If you get a meal there, look out for the hidden doughnuts.

I take up your challenge, Mr. Kooks

I first saw this stuff in the fancy new ethnic foods aisle at Woodmans a couple months back.

Although temptation settled upon me immediately, I didn't buy a jar, at first. Too hot for my Frau, I figured any meal cooked with this stuff would be mine alone and so I hemmed and hawed. And then a couple weeks back I threw caution to the wind and bought a jar along with some chicken. Would a ghost pepper miasma engulf my kitchen as I cooked?

It tasted like Chicken Tikka Masala but hotter.

Much hotter.

This stuff was very, very spicy but wasn't quite deadly. It did make me sweat a bit and I was very, very happy to have had ice cream for dessert but I didn't breath fire. Nice flavor and some rather intense heat. Good stuff!

Dilla's universe is transformation

Speaking of changes, I found out recently that Shermann "Dilla" Thomas was laid off by Com Ed last fall but rebounded by landing a job at the DuSable Black History Museum.

I am planning on doing another one of his tours this summer. Chatham? Englewood?

He also started a new show on Youtube called You Don’t Know Chi! Here's the first episode:

Scenes From a Spring Walk

Seen this morning.

I wonder if it's the same drake I've seen hanging out on our roof previously. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've seen one relaxing on the peak.

My neighbors' tree looks gorgeous.

A wabbit scurried out of the grass on one of those islands.

It took me several visits but...

...I eventually noticed that Haight's Mobile Maintenance is housed in a pair of Trachte buildings.

I think there's a small shed in back too but a fence obscured most of it.

Ghost sign, interior, Madison

I wonder if the rest of it is visible upstairs.

Giggling like I was 12

Well played, Music Box Theatre.

Coming soon, 2 May 2025

Seen before The Shrouds at AMC in Fitchburg.

My friend described this one as the sequel to Tár.

The last 2 were commercials, i.e. - no MPAA band.

Neil Peart, Stoic?

So I was reading some Marcus Aurelius as one does and came across this bit:

And of course this made me think of "Tom Sawyer" and its famous line:

"He knows changes aren’t permanent –
But change is"

Happy Beltane 2025!