Steampunk Town: Baraboo, Wisconsin

While the small population and faint scent of cow droppings may indicate otherwise, the town of Baraboo, Wisconsin contains a remarkable amount of steampunk. To begin with, it's the birthplace of that great bastion of whimsy and horror--the circus. The Ringling Brothers started out in a field just outside of town. While most local circus-related attractions are geared towards the very young and the very old, circus history is certainly something worth thinking about the next time you don a striped corset and mini top hat.

But the real steampunk is housed in Dr. Evermor's Art Park, a massive collection of scrap metal sculptures designed by artists Tom and Eleanor Every. The highlight of the park is the Forevertron, a massive futuristic sculpture made from recycled industrial machinery. I even got a chance to meet one of the artists, who are often on site. Although, at Lady Eleanor's personal request, I will not violate copyright by posting pictures here, you can find a few at the official site, and, to be honest, two dimensions really can't convey the sheer scale and detail of the artwork.

I'm Back!

            Imagine, if you will, the dieselpunk Land of Cars. Its main industry is auto production, so factories are everywhere, the society is divided between executives and workers, and everything is owned by either General Motors or Ford.

            However, the Land of Cars has recently had a strange apocalypse in which the majority of its population has mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind houses, possessions, and, of course, cars. The remaining people now live amidst the abandonment and decay.

            What we have left is modern day Detroit, Michigan, where I spent the last week volunteering with  Cass Community Social Services.While I could—and probably will—write on for days about all the stuff I did and people I met there, I’ll start with something fairly simple: this statue I found in a park by the riverfront. Doesn't it look like it just landed from outer space?