what may be in 2015

In the summer of 2014, an entire paper mill disappeared in Whiting, Wisconsin.

There's just a lot of level ground now (but the dam remains on the Wisconsin River, just out of sight)

Recent news is the pending sale of NewPage Corp. to Verso Paper Corp. (Yes, the big NewPage mill (former Consolidated Paper) in Wisconsin Rapids.) And the NewPage mill in Biron, Wisconsin, might be sold to Catalyst Paper Corp. of Canada. Below is a 2007 picture of Biron. A few years ago, it was rumored this one was the least efficient of the 4 NewPage mills in the Wisconsin valley, as calculated by the bean counters. But it remained in operation, and the Whiting Mill instead was closed and razed. Biron has this pulp mill and paper mill, like Whiting had, except Biron is more compact. Still too big to model full-size, except maybe in N-scale?

And it won't matter much in 2015 to me, if the train traffic stays the same. They can receive 15-20 cars a day. Picture-wise, I wouldn't expect much to look different after the sale.

For my own projects in 2015, I am advancing with my Flambeau Paper history project of 1897 - 1922. Last Summer's vacation to the Black Hills Central yielded some information about a similar sister locomotive of the Flambeau No. 2. My work probably won't be officially published as a book, its just a history hobby that no one knows much about. Maybe the Price County Historical Society would become interested in promoting something. Rich Peters has been very helpful reporting more information. I haven't been there myself since the last century, and the railroad I am writing about was started in the century before that.

. . . And i see my other free web host (the old NextGen) is doing poorly. I will have to reload some of my favorite pages.

For other projects this year, I don't think I will take up drone / quadcopter aerial photography yet.

I haven't gone into helium balloon aerial photography for wind-less days. Too much expense for what it is worth to me.

As the kite people say, the wind is free (if you can wait for it)

I don't have many plans for any one particular place this year for kite aerial photography, maybe Appleton downtown by the marina and small papermill, and the Butte des Morts walking trail across the water. I will do some Wisconsin River rocks pictures, with the aid of the inflatable canoe. La Crosse would be nice, too, but we don't go there every year. I have thought about the big drawbridge (inoperative) of the CNW / UP, south of Packwaukee.

Looking back at old picture files, I seem to have taken the most aerials in 2006-2007. I seem to do fewer now, and wait for better weather.