Author Archives: MilwaukeeSnow

About MilwaukeeSnow

Dr. Jeffrey Filipiak, Milwaukee's Ambassador of Snow, loves winter, Milwaukee, and environmental history! He has taught college courses on topics including history, writing, environmental ethics, food studies, the Great Lakes, and sustainability. You can contact him at ambassadorofsnow@gmail.com.

Watching the snow: images of beauty I find in shadow patterns

Posted on February 13, 2014

Perhaps the leading theme of my snow photographs is the patterns I try to capture. What shadows are trees casting? There are so many different arrangements of branches, snow drifts, brush, and other things that keep recreating new patterns to … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations, Photo Gallery | 2 Comments

Walk Across Lake Winnebago: impressions from my first time crossing the ice

Posted on February 3, 2014

This is one of the more unusual Wisconsin winter activities I have heard of. Hundreds of people covering the width of Lake Winnebago by walking across it? I was excited to try this out the year I heard about it… … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Observations | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Value of patience during Winter

Posted on January 29, 2014

Winter is a season that rewards patience. Those who are impatient are more likely to get frustrated – and less likely to appreciate what the season has to offer. What are some of the situations in which patience is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Leave a comment

Culture of Cold at Packer games: Lambeau fans and Cold Weather

Posted on January 27, 2014

I went to two Packer games this season, on December 22 vs. Pittsburgh and the January 4 playoff game vs. San Francisco. Few other events get as many people outside for as long in the cold as Packer games do. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

January 25 and 26: Great Weekend for Winter Celebrations!

Posted on January 22, 2014

Taking time out to get outdoors is an important part of winter appreciation. Here’s a great chance to enjoy winter with others who are ready to celebrate it too! Make some happy winter memories 🙂 Get out while the sun … Continue reading →

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Appreciating darkness during winter

Posted on January 22, 2014

I plan to spend some time during the rest of this winter appreciating what winter nights have to offer. I have been reading “Let there be night: testimony on behalf of the night,” edited by Paul Bogard, an interesting book … Continue reading →

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Winter in 2014: re-introducing the MilwaukeeSnow page

Posted on January 4, 2014

I wanted to welcome readers back, to the 4th winter of my project to increase appreciation of what winter has to offer in Milwaukee and Wisconsin! We are approaching a period of bitter cold, when patience with winter may be … Continue reading →

Posted in Questions and surveys, Reflections | Leave a comment

Return to Winter: Minor Adventures, and Our Limits Transgressed

Posted on December 24, 2013

Winter weather has been back in Wisconsin for a while now! Now that the season has formally become, it feels like time to think about what I feel as I once again have the chance to get out in the … Continue reading →

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Loving my place, and the Wildness that comes to it

Posted on March 9, 2013

In his influential essay “The Trouble with Wilderness,” historian William Cronon worried that environmentalists thought too much about the idea of wilderness – which he felt directed their attention away from other places, and made it difficult for them to … Continue reading →

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Snapshots: viewing snowy landscapes from buses

Posted on March 8, 2013

Front yards of homes present themselves as largely sheets of white. Perhaps the backyards show more use, but the front yards had few footsteps in them. The cleared-off parts, driveways and sidewalks, are a small part of the landscape. (Businesses … Continue reading →

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