Monthly Archives: June 2018

The Nature of Impermanence

Posted on June 29, 2018 by JohnMatel

Burning Doubt I will never beat the feeling of dread when I see my scorched trees after a fire. They are not burned, but the heat plumes rose more than thirty feet. Science and experience tell me that things will … Continue reading →

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Jury Duty

Posted on June 27, 2018 by JohnMatel

Why anybody avoids jury duty is beyond me. We finished out case today & it was a great and uplifting experience. It might have been worse with a more difficult case or a less happy outcome, but I think most … Continue reading →

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Brookings: Improving water infrastructure and promoting a more inclusive economy

Posted on June 21, 2018 by JohnMatel

Rode down to Brookings for a program on the water workforce, see below. Getting my bike fixed and some of the parts replaced saves at least ten minutes of ride-time, as the energy formerly turned into friction heat and sideways … Continue reading →

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Wisconsin and Land Grant Universities

Posted on June 21, 2018 by JohnMatel

One of the best pieces of legislation ever enacted was the Morrill Act of 1862 that created the land grant colleges. As with most successful developments, this was both a continuation and a break with tradition. Universities had been elite … Continue reading →

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A Landscape of Memory

Posted on June 20, 2018 by JohnMatel

I would have preferred a sunny day, but the rain was where I wanted to go when I wanted to be there, so I shared my walk with the raindrops.  It did not rain the whole time, anyway, and it … Continue reading →

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A June Day in Milwaukee

Posted on June 19, 2018 by JohnMatel

Kashube Park with Christine Matel Milewski, Mary Karshna Robertson & Dicky Karshna Milwaukee River going into Lake Michigan Bay View Beach Drinking beer at Humboldt Park Beer Garden Leon’s Frozen Custard 27th Street   South Shore beer garden Milwaukee from … Continue reading →

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Milwaukee Sewage Plant

Posted on June 19, 2018 by JohnMatel

You didn’t need a weather vane or even to hold your finger to the wind to know which way the wind was blowing when we lived near Lake Michigan in Milwaukee. An east wind blowing in from the Lake brought … Continue reading →

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Old World Wisconsin

Posted on June 18, 2018 by JohnMatel

Wisconsin was demographically more like Mitteleuropa than middle America in the late 19th Century.  The majority of the population was immigrants or their children.  The biggest ethnic group was German, but there were lots of Norwegian, Swedes, Poles, Fins and … Continue reading →

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Impermanence

Posted on June 17, 2018 by JohnMatel

I wish I did not go, but I am glad I went.  I took much less joy in my trip to Mauthe Lake because of all the dead ash trees all along the road on the way up and then … Continue reading →

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Forest Visit June 2018

Posted on June 15, 2018 by JohnMatel

Went down to the farms to look at the thinning and burning.  Besides just being in my forests and checking on those things, my goal was to try to get rid of some of the ailanthus.  It is an endless … Continue reading →

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