Wandering Water Street

On Saturday Manyu and I drove a friend’s teenage son to Decorah, Iowa so he could retake his ACT exam. I am not sure why he couldn’t retake the exam in La Crosse or why he couldn’t drive himself to Decorah, but I didn’t ask and had nothing else planned for the day. I...

Two Cranes and a Wedding

I am skeptical of omens. Even though I am convinced that some events in life cannot be explained logically, I almost always see coincidence where others find symbolism. Having said that, something happened last week that I am choosing to remember as an omen....

Clams on the Move

A niece and nephew on Manyu’s side of the family visited last week. One of them is an influencer living in Los Angeles. The other manages a UN refugee camp in South Sudan. If I knew how two kids from the same family ended up with such different careers, I’d write...

A Rare Sighting

On Friday I drove to Dyckesville, a small lakefront community northeast of Green Bay. There’s a bar, a church, an ice cream stand, and a bowling alley. It is also where my mom lives. There is no best way to get from La Crosse to Dyckesville. Depending on my mood, I...

Homelessness in La Crosse

On my first bike ride since recovering from COVID I discovered that a new tent city had popped up along the main bike trail in the La Crosse River Marsh. There have long been homeless people living in the marsh, but until recently their encampments were tucked back in...
Steven Simpson