Moonrise illuminates the Milwaukee County Grounds

It's easy enough to look up the phases of the moon online and plan ahead to be in a place to catch it full and rising. But I'm not that organized. I was on my way home from somewhere this week when I turned onto Discovery Parkway in the County Grounds and saw it. As further good luck would have it (and I swear that's all it was) I had my camera in the car.

The question was where to stop, what to have in the foreground. While most anything would do if all I wanted was to capture the moon itself, I thought it would be symbolic to identify the location. Hence the watertower. The best place to be to get the watertower to line up with the moon was on the construction site where a new hotel is being built for Innovation Park. Hence the crane.

If I moved a dozen yards or so south I got this view of the moon through the Medical Center power plant stacks. If you know that I live within walking distance of the County Grounds it will come as no surprise when I say that I walk there often. These are not the usual kinds of images I try to use to represent what I consider a jewel in the Milwaukee County urban wilderness. But there you have it.

You can see more typical representations of the County Gounds on my Flickr album.

Full Moon Party on the Milwaukee County Grounds

Where can you hear great music and also see a simultaneous sunset/moonrise? Only one place: the County Grounds this Saturday.

Sounds on the Grounds

featuring the drumming group Fanka Foli

October 23, 4-7 pm

Moonrise at 5:58 - Sunset at 6:00

It's the last party of the fall season sponsored by the Friends of the Monarch Trail. There will be sandwiches, caramel apples, and cider for sale. The last full moon party was a blast. Even though the full moon declined to show due to cloud cover, the many people who came enjoyed the music and a sensational sunset.

Park in the County Parks administration parking lot at 9480 W. Watertown Plank Rd. If it should rain, the party will move indoors to Barb & Dick's Flowers on Watertown Plank at 124th St.
For more information go to Monarch Trail.

Moonset over Milwaukee County Grounds

If you caught my previous post you know that the weather didn't quite cooperate, as weather is wont to not do, and the full moon rise didn't materialize. So I went back to see the full moon set. Well, as you can see, it is visible, but the effect is not as dramatic as the moon rise owing to the brightness of the sky. Still, it was nice to be out on the "prairie" early in the morning. Millions of crickets (or whatever hoppy critters they were) hopped in front of me as I waded in the tall grass.

Moon set over the Eschweiler building

One of the Eschweilers at dawn
For more pictures of the still decaying historic Eschweiler buildings, click here.

Moon set over the Monarch Trail

For more pictures of the County Grounds, click here.

The Monarch Trail Summer Moon Picnic on the Milwaukee County Grounds

Here’s an event you don’t want to miss! How often do you get to see the sunset and moon rise simultaneously? Here’s your chance to see the natural phenomenon, see the county grounds before the bulldozers move in, and hear some great music. Thanks to Monarch Trail.org for the following information:


Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Join the Monarch Trail Friends for a picnic and watch the sunset and moonrise over the County Grounds.

Great Irish Music provided by: Ceol Cairde.

For more information: http://www.ceolcairde.com/

Where: The Monarch Trail - Milwaukee County Grounds, 9480 W Watertown Plank Rd. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

When: 6:00 – 8 pm, (simultaneous sunset/moonrise: 7:15 pm)

What: There will be a guided tour at 6:15 pm

Why: Due to development plans, this may be one of the last opportunities to see the moonrise and sunset in this vast open space.

Bring: Pack a picnic or snacks, and skeeto repellant

2010 will be a much better year than 2009 was to view the Monarch migration. This pre-migration event will provide information for people who would like to come out in September to see where they gather and where they roost at night.

Rain Date: We will hold a Migration launch on September 11th, same time, same place. The moon will not be attending that evening!

Keep up to date on future trail events and migration information at the Monarch Trail website.

Thanks to Dick Hansen for providing this wonderful shot of the Monarch migration.