Local differences

Maybe it's because I work in power that I notice things like this, but I have been stunned by the tree trimming that goes in Madison around electrical lines.

In Seattle, the mature maples lining 26th Avenue were completely interwoven with the power lines, and I often wondered whether that might present a problem during a storm or even just as the tree dropped branches. Here in Madison, the trees are trimmed so far back from the lines, it looks like there's a force field around them. It creates some Suessian tree shapes and also allows me to record some pictures of the fall colors.

Speaking of spectacles in the neighborhood, our house is still without siding! While this makes it very easy for us to identify our digs to new friends we meet at the park ("we live in the house on the corner covered in Tyvek") it's gotten kind of embarrassing that it's still in the same shape. It's been almost 3 months since the old siding came down off the house. We have reason to believe that siders will come to cover the Tyvek this week, so here's a pic of the house we've been living in:

Note: We really do love the inside of the house. We're just hoping that the outside gets wrapped up before the snow flies.