I'm a writer and historian who takes photographs. That's one reason you'll often find lengthy descriptions accompanying some of my photographs. I hope you'll take the time to read what I've written, as well as to click on the links I sometimes include in my commentaries.

 

I'm writing a history of Madison Central High School (1854-1969). From 1908 until 1969, the high school was housed in a Cass Gilbert-designed building on Wisconsin Avenue. Cass Gilbert is the architect who also designed the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D. C. and the Woolworth Building in New York City.

 

After the school closed in 1969, the building was used for for several years by MATC, which opted to demolish it in 1986 to make room for a parking lot. The only vestige of Gilbert's building is the arch on Wisconsin Avenue, a wonderful photo of which appears in Aaron Kraus's Flickr photostream.

 

If you're interested in learning more about Madison Central High School and its history and alumni (including cartoonist Donald Trachte, U.S. Senator Wayne Morse, and artist Georgia O'Keeffe), you may want to visit my Madison Central High School History blog.

 

To paraphrase Sally Field, "They like me!" -- or at least I've managed to acquire a bit of "interestingness"

 

Who knows how Flickr determines "interestingness" and decides your photograph(s) should be posted on Explore? Probably only the person who developed the algorithm.

 

What I do know, is I finally made the effort to explore what these gray badges were all about and make one of my own. I had no idea any of my photos had been on Explore. I guess I just assumed I'd know when it happened because my views counts would register in triple digits.Not.

 

Interestingly, my most popular (and most "interesting") photo hasn't made Explore.

 

 

1. "Máquina" at night, 2. St. Norbert's Church steeple reflected in a window of the Dorf Haus restaurant, 3. Roman Candle Pizza in Middleton, 4. Stars, stripes, sequins, and a bit of bare belly for the Fourth of July, 5. A gutted red telephone box at Evermor Sculpture Park, 6. It's in Madison, Wisconsin (not Austin, Texas), 7. Blatz Beer Sign above the Ohio Tavern in Madison, Wisconsin, 8. Popeye Spinach wasn't served at our Easter dinner,

 

9. CowParade Wisconsin: Rear view of "Ballerina Munchkin Cow", 10. Grave Marker at Forest Hill Cemetery for John Riley, better known to most Madisonians as the window washer named Snowball, 11. Up on the roof, 12. Scene from Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona

  

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