I’ll Have a Cherry Coke, Make it a Double!

Lous Soda Fountain

Lou's Soda Fountain

Who out there in blogland remembers the soda fountain?

I do! I do!

The soda fountain was part of Americana from the turn of the 20th Century to the 1970s. In the early 1920s, nearly every respectable (and profit-seeking) pharmacist owned a combination drugstore/soda fountain. Prohibition, which became law in 1919, apparently was a huge catalyst in making the soda fountain popular. With the closing of all the bars, the soda fountain became the place to go for socializing.

After prohibition was repealed, the soda fountain still played a major role in society. It was the place for teenagers to see and be seen. I was on the tail end of the soda fountain phenomenon. By the time I had a spare dime and was old enough to be on my own in a fairly big town, the soda fountain was nearly extinct. It still was a meeting place for my junior high school friends and me to slurp fountain cherry or vanilla cokes and a few of the retired folk in the community still gathered for an early, early supper of grilled cheese or egg salad sandwiches, a slice or two of tomato, topped off with a strong cup of coffee and conversation.

Soda fountains were no match for the fast food joints that began to appear at every street corner nor for the vending machines that dropped a cold soda into your hands with no waiting or tipping necessary. I can’t think of a single soda fountain remaining in Madison, nor in my hometown in Illinois, for that matter.

Too bad. I loved sitting up at the counter, twirling back and forth on those metal seats, chatting (ahem . . flirting) with the soda jerk, or sitting at a back table with a few friends, going over the minutia of the day. And just imagine – there were no iPods, cell phones, or laptops in sight. Only people talking to each other, face to face.

Flamingo Cow in a Field

Check out the Flamingos!

Check out the Pink Flamingos on this Cow!

Not every day one comes upon a green, flamingo painted cow standing in a Wisconsin farm field.

So I guess today would be the day!

Cattleya Orchids

Cattelya Orchids

Cattelya Orchids

Another of the many orchid specimens from the Bolz Conservatory in Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison. This orchid is of the Cattletya species and is grown natively from Costa Rica to tropical South America, though I am happy to get the privilege of seeing it in our hot house (or greenhouse) in our cold city. The cattelya orchids can be found in almost any color except black or blue. I rather like lavendar orchids. This one is no exception.

Winter Bouquet

. . .Like a Painting

All that Remains . . .

We have all seen things of nearly unimaginable wonder. Have we captured these wonders in a way that we can share our awe with others? If not, we relegate these moments to the realm of memory. Or even worse, they are forgotten, and for all purposes they cease to exist.

Leopard on a Stick

See the Leopard?

See the Leopard?

There’s just something about living in Wisconsin and realizing it is only the first third of January, and winter is going to hang around for a few more months. . .made me want to post this set of photos. Just for the fun of it, I guess. This is the Zuzu Cafe (cool name, yes?) across the street from the Vilas Zoo in Madison. I find the leopard on a stick a rather endearing thing. You can’t see this just anywhere!
Now Can You See the Leopard on the Stick?

See the Leopard on a Stick?

And I love the yellows and blues. It’s a challenge to find much color in the city. There’s a lot of snow, which has taken on a nasty gray tinge, so any color I see these days I consider good color.

I was tempted, just a bit, to name the top photo “The Red Shovel” or even “A Study in Primary Colors” but I had to go with “Leopard on a Stick.”  Just had to. . .