Return of the Eagles

Another sign that spring is just around the corner: After being absent most of the winter due to area rivers and lakes being froze over, American Bald Eagles have recently returned to the La Crosse area while on their way to nesting areas farther north. I took the above photo on March 14 as three eagles rested on an ice floe in the Mississippi River off Riverside Park in La Crosse . . . providing an easier than usual view of them as they tend to keep in the distance by perching in treetops or circling high in the sky.

Hurray! Back On My Bicycle!

On Tuesday, March 11, after two months of using the city bus service to get to and from work I was finally able to use my bicycle again. It sure felt good to “be in the saddle” and the streets were clear and dry (see attached photo looking north on Sixth Street from Division Street) so safety was not an issue. January and February were not bicycle friendly in La Crosse due to what seemed an endless cycle of snow and subzero temperatures, turning the city’s side streets (where I ride 99 percent of the time to escape annoying auto traffic) into narrow ice skating rinks. Not owning a car by choice (Egad! How unAmerican!) I’m glad I have the option of city bus service when the weather is too crappy for bicycling but the bus takes me twice as long (30 minutes) to get to work compared to bicycling. The added time is due to having to wait for the bus followed by its indirect route to the downtown area. None of that with my bicycle as there is no waiting involved and I can make a beeline for downtown. Plus, the exercise of pedaling has to be better for me compared to sitting in a bus seat. And not to bash the bus service further but bicycling also allows me to come and go when I want without paying attention to the bus schedule . . . especially in the evening when the buses run on a hourly schedule. In short, I am one happy camper now that spring is just around the corner with the promise of decent bicycling conditions. Oh, I forgot to mention that besides saving time, bicycling also saves me $2.50 in daily bus fare . . . money that I can now spend on candy and comics.

Singing the Winter Blues

It's been a long time since I've experienced a winter like the current one. It seems like we've been in one endless cycle of snow and zero temps since December 1. The photo with this blog was taken this past Sunday of my neighbor lady shoveling her sidewalk during whiteout conditions as Mother Nature dumped more snow on La Crosse. Now everywhere I look I see nothing but white, white, white due to huge piles of snow smothering the landscape. I want spring with temps above 50-degrees, green trees and chirping birds. Speaking of birds, I've rarely seen a bird in the past couple weeks and want to feast my eyes on a Robin soon to give me hope that spring is just around the corner. Yes, wonderful spring: when I can ride my bike again and not have to dress like Nanook of the North when I venture outside. Hope "springs" eternal.

From Auction Block to City Block

Last summer I went to the Harry Viner auction in La Crosse and while looking at the various items to be sold off I spotted a Peerless Beer sign for Ed's Cigar Store (see photo at left). Peerless Beer was the signature brew made by La Crosse Breweries (the former Michel Brewery) which closed in 1956. A check of La Crosse city directories found that Ed's Cigar Store was run by Edward Langhofer from about 1954 to 1958 at 323 Main St. in downtown La Crosse. I thought the sign was cool in relation to La Crosse's business history so I snapped a photo of it and went on my way, not giving it much more thought. Several months later I was surprised to see what had to be the same sign (see photo at right) gracing Shooter's Bar at 120 Third St. S. in downtown La Crosse with Shooter's replacing the Ed's Cigar Store part of the sign. I find it somewhat odd to use a beer that was last made over 50 years ago to advertise one's business but I suppose Shooter's owner is a history or brew buff and wanted to bring the sign back to life. Being a local history buff myself, I tip my hat his way for showcasing a bygone part of La Crosse's history and not letting it collect dust in storage as it had been doing.

Love

While riding a city bus to work this week I overheard the following exchange between a "special needs" man about 30-years-old and the bus driver:

Man: "My Mom wants to commit me to a hospital but she still loves me, right?"
Driver: "Yes, I'm sure she stills loves you."
Man: "That's good to hear. Thanks."

I don't know if the driver knew the man but I thought it was nice of him to give the guy positive feedback on a touchy subject.

Old Wards Auto Center Being Razed

Razing began this week of the old Montgomery Wards auto center building on the northeast corner of Third and Vine streets in downtown La Crosse. Erected in 1965, the one-story brick building (0f ho-hum architectural value) served as Wards auto center until 1986 when Wards packed its bags and left La Crosse. In more recent years the building has served as the Huber Center for La Crosse County and is being removed to make room for a $29 million La Crosse County Jail expansion. Hard to imagine now but during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century this site was home to a Northwestern Railroad passenger depot with steam trains chugging in and out of La Crosse. Unfortunately, there are very few photos of the depot and the train activity once common on this corner.

All Day Fog

On Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, La Crosse experienced an all-day fog, a rare occurrence in my memory. The city will often have foggy mornings with the fog burning off by 9 or 10 a.m. but an all-day fog is very unusual. I took a walk in the fog with my camera and enjoyed it much as the misty conditions gave the city a surreal appearance and feeling (see photo for example) as if La Crosse had been dropped into Bavaria. Even better, the fog muted sounds - especially that of traffic so walking near busy streets was not nearly annoying as it normally is.