Jeanne Wilkinson: August Adventures

August has been full of swimming, politics and family...

Frank in his element...

The Three Graces on Tilden Beach (strangers to us)...

...and the weird super-tan dude with 6-pack abs and a huge boom box

who, when not rushing down to get a better look at the Three Graces, ramps up his tunes

and makes stupid comments about everyone he sees.

Even the Painted People get into the action - here is Ms. White in a swim shot.

Finally on my way out of NYC, crossing over the long bridge...

and then over Lake Erie...

Drifting by the ominous square cloud...

Obsessively watching the baggage guy who seems to be ignoring my bag...

Finally landing in Wisconsin, flying over the green fields...

...which feed the green lakes of Madison.

This lake-turning-into-swamp situation is probably not on the radar of Governor Scott Walker who is more interested in continuing to erode the democratic underpinnings of the state, taking away people's right to collective bargaining, destroying the middle class and giving away the state's resources to the lowest bidder. Here's forbes.com on the latter:

"[Wisc. Senate Bill 11 says] that the State of Wisconsin can sell or contract out management of state-owned heating, cooling and power plants without the requirement that bids for such a sale or leasing be solicited so as to maximize what the government can pocket through such an arrangement. Put another way, the state can pick who they want and make whatever deal they want without anyone else having a chance to bid on the deal."

Wisconsin, you will remember, just had a number of recall elections which changed the balance of their senate from 19 Republicans and 14 Democrats to 17 and 16 respectively. There is concern that Waukesha County tampered with vote numbers, giving the vote to the Republican.

While the world as we know it falls apart, we will eat, drink and be merry.