Big Guns

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Six Inch Armstrong Rapid Fire Gun
Fort DeSoto
St. Petersburg, Florida

A not so well know park around St. Pete Florida is Fort DeSoto. The fort is located on an island called Mullet Key at the entrance to Tampa Bay. This large park has a well preserved fort from the Spanish American War with the only 12 inch seacoast rifled mortars in the United States. Four of the seacoast mortars are on display, along with two of the above pictured Six Inch Armstrong Rapid Fire Guns.

One of the best beaches in America is located on the north end of the island. Plenty of sand and water are available for leisure activities, along with miles of walking paths and long fishing piers. A small museum displays several period uniforms and items of everyday military life on the island.

A great view of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay can be found on top of the sand covered fort, so it's worth the climb up 50 stairs.

Lunar Eclipse

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Lunar Eclipse
4:30 am August 28, 2007

Got up a bit early to witness a full lunar eclipse in the southwestern sky. At 4:00 am, I noticed a shadow at the top of the moon but I waited 30 minutes until more of the moon was covered before I grabbed the camera. Here you can see the moon is 3/4 immersed in the earth's umbra or shadow.

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Lunar Eclipse
5:00 am August 28, 2007

In the second photograph, you can see how the moon turns red when most of the light is shaded by the Earth. Some light from the sun is scattered by Earth's atmosphere, so the moon does not appear completely dark - it takes on a coppery brown color when fully immersed in the earth's umbra.

Unfortunately, the setting moon dropped out of site behind some trees so I began to move the camera, but not before clouds began to obscure the view.

I'll just have to wait for the next lunar eclipse six months from now on February 20-21.

Soaring Osprey

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An Osprey flying over Lake Tarpon

An Osprey is seen here gliding along Salmon Bay on Lake Tarpon. These majestic birds seem to have taken a liking to Anderson Park, Tarpon Springs, Florida. We saw at least four flying and hunting during our short walk through the park.

It's Vintage Transportation Day!

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Hanging around the Chattanooga Choo Choo

Here's a photo of the Chattanooga Choo Choo Holiday Inn around 1978. These old cars are used as guest rooms, and the interiors are quite opulent. This part of the Hotel takes on the feel of an old train station and you can almost hear Mack Gordon and Henry Warren's famous 1941 song by the same name.
The song, featured in the movie "Sun Valley Serenade," depicts traveling from New York to Chattanooga, but was inspired by a trip on a small wood burning 2-6-0 type engine from the Cincinnati Southern Railroad. Back then, most trains traveling south passed through the super hub of Chattanooga Tennessee.

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Small Steam Engine
Hawthorn Melody Farms 1965

A small amusement park steam engine is shown above pulling kids and adults alike in Vernon Hills, Illinois at the former Hawthorn Melody Park. The 75 acre amusement park was built and run by Hawthorn Melody Dairy. The park later became the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens and is open to the public today.

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NASA Tour Bus 1971

During the height of the space race, we visited Cape Canaveral to tour the space museum and the launching pads of the Saturn rockets. I can remember traveling on this bus and wanting the tour to be over so I could check out the exhibits and the gift shop. We still have our plastic astronaut figures we purchased there - my kids play with them almost everyday. I can still remember picking them out of a barrel in the gift shop.

Warning!

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Sign along Trail

I remember this sign from a while back, the first time I visited Anderson Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It's at the beginning of the trail that leads along the shore of Salmon Bay, part of Lake Tarpon. This trail winds around the heavily wooded shore of the lake, but has several man made peninsulas that are used for picnic tables. The area is raised about 12 inches off of the surface of the water using railroad ties, so I guess the alligators can't climb it, or don't want to. We kept an eye out for any gators that were hiding around the trail and the entrance to the picnic areas. We were able to spot a few alligators that were quite close - about 3 feet from shore - but they were only about 4 or 5 feet long.

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Just Hanging Around the Shore

I wouldn't be concerned with the alligators if I didn't have the kids with me. I'm too big to be considered a food source, but they might think differently about the kids.

Glistening in the Sun

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Blue Dasher Dragonfly

A male Blue Dasher Dragonfly rests on a stick over the water in a Cypress swamp near Tarpon Springs, Florida.
The swamp and nearby lake were teaming with wildlife in June when we visited.

Blue Dasher dragonflies rarely sit still, they are almost constantly patrolling for prey, females and other insects invading their space. Reaching speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, dragonflies are among the fastest insects alive; they can travel up to 80 miles in a single day.

Harmless to humans, the dragonfly cannot bite or sting people, but they are deadly to other insects and very beneficial to the ecology.

I was lucky this guy sat still for a few seconds.

Do Not Feed the Animals

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These guys were hungry!

A little fun at Anderson County Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida. This park sits along the shore of Lake Tarpon, and is home to lots of wildlife. Alligators, osprey, turtles, egrets, cranes, and countless other animals and insects can be seen while walking along the trails.

How's this for a big grasshopper?
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This is one of my favorite places in Florida to spend a couple of hours. The trails go right along the shore of the lake so many alligators can be seen hunting in the shallows, then it goes inland through a small bald cypress swamp.

AND IT'S FREE!

Birthday Party

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Blowing out Eight Candles

Christopher is 8!
Here he is at his birthday party last weekend getting ready to blow out the candles. Of course, Danny had to run up and blow one out before anyone!

Have a great birthday!

Big Run Wolf Ranch

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A Rare Arctic Wolf

The Big Run Wolf Ranch held an open house last Saturday. A rather large crowd gathered to see the collection of wolves, lynx, raccoons, skunk, horses and bear. There were opportunities to pet some of the animals and even take a photograph with a wolf pup.

The newest addition to the family is the little Cougar. Only a few weeks old, his first public introduction went over well as the people all moved in closer to get a good look at the little guy.

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New Baby Cougar

Normally closed to the public, the Big Run Wolf Ranch has several open houses a year where the public can view the animals and talk to owner John Basile, a licensed animal handler and educator.

CN Tracks, Lockport

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CN Railroad Tracks
Lockport

Who says parallel lines never meet?! In the case of this railroad track, I can clearly see them touching!

This track runs next to the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal and needs to be crossed when entering from Lockport's Dellwood Park.

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Maintenance Truck

While crossing a railroad culvert over Fraction Creek at the point where it empties into the I and M Canal, I was careful to be aware of trains since there is only about two feet of concrete between the tracks and the 12 foot drop into the creekbed! I heard a soft noise, looked up and the maintenance truck appeared. I've heard stories of some railroad workers who don't like to see people on the tracks, so I prepared for him to stop and tell me to get lost. But, he simply waved and passed by.

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close up of tracks, ties, baseplate and spikes

Looking through the creek just under and around the tracks, I found lots of railroad spikes and quite a few discarded baseplates, most likely from recent maintenance as the tracks appeared to be in excellent condition.

St. James of the Sag

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St. James of the Sag Church and Cemetery
Built in 1833

The oldest Church in the Chicago Archdiocese, St. James of the Sag Bridge gets the latter part of it's name from it's location close to the Calumet Sag Channel near the intersection of IL 171 and 107th Street, close to Rt. 83. The church is said to have been founded by Irish immigrants settling in the area while working on the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

This church is commonly called "Monk's Castle" by local teens because legend has it if you trespass at night - especially on Halloween, the monks will make you kneel on ball bearings, broom handles or salt (depending upon who tells the tale) in prayer all night.

There were never any monks at this church, but the architecture, old cemetery, and remote wooded location make this a perfect target for urban legend. The church and cemetery are said to be haunted. An article about the first recorded haunting was printed in the Chicago Tribune on September 30, 1897.

Crib Barn at Sunset

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Orland Crib Barn
Orland Park, Illinois

Queens Anne Lace set against the silhouette of an abandoned crib barn at sunset. The overgrown grass and weeds prevented us from entering the barn as we've done in the past. This is one of our favorite barns - probably because it's close and we're able to get into it without getting shot!

Fraction Creek Ravine

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Fraction Creek
Dellwood Park, Lockport, Illinois

Fraction creek is a small stream that feeds part of the Historic I and M Canal in Lockport, Illinois.
Glacial meltwater cut deep canyons in the limestone in this area, creating a picturesque ravine that is rare in this part of the country. Not far away is Dellwood Dam, a Dam created by the Chicago and Joliet Electric Railroad in 1906 as a way of attracting ridership. The Dam held back waters from Fraction Creek creating a swimming hole deep enough for local swimmers. A boathouse, dance hall, and other attractions were also built at this site. The ruins of the dam and boathouses are still evident, IL 171 is directly overhead.

Wonder

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I Wonder what's out there...

Danny looking out over Lake Michigan from the Mt. Baldy National Lakeshore near Michigan City, Indiana.

LaPorte County Courthouse

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Night view of the LaPorte County, Indiana Courthouse

St. Augustine Lighthouse

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St. Augustine Light

Built of Alabama brick and Pennsylvania iron, the lighthouse was completed in 1874 and a keepers house was added just two years later. Originally the lamp was fueled by oil, but it was eventually converted to electricity. In 1955, the light became fully automated and a live-in keeper was no longer necessary.

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Climbing to the top of the lighthouse
St. Augustine, Florida

A view of the stairs leading to the top of the 165 foot tall lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida. There are 219 steps to get to the top, with a few landings on the way up. It must have been an ordeal to carry the bucket of oil (needed to keep the original lamp lit) all the way to the top.

The view is great from the top, and there is a nice, cool breeze.

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View from the top of the lighthouse

Fatso Stove

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Fatso Cast Iron Stove
Farmhouse in Pioneer Village
Lockport, Illinois

This one speaks for itself, a kitchen stove named Fatso. I guess that's what you'll become if you buy a Fatso stove.

Corn Tassel

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Cornfield
Walkerton, Indiana

The corn tassels are the male flowers of the corn plant. Seen high atop the cornstalk usually in July in this part of the country.

The female parts are the corn silk located on the ear of corn. Each pollinated strand of corn silk will produce a single kernel on the ear of corn.

Symerton Illinois Train Station

The Wabash Depot from Symerton, Illinois was built in 1881 to serve the railroad line running from Chicago to Decatur, IL.
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Symerton, Illinois Train Station 1881

This building was moved to Lockport, Illinios and is on display at the Will County Historical Society's Frontier Village located along the I and M Canal. It's open for tours on the weekends, and last weekend a very helpful and friendly man dressed in period costume showed us around the interior of the building.

The depot was designed as a one person operation. The station agent sat at a desk along the bay window (where he could see down the track) and manned the telegraph machine. He was also responsible for ticket sales, baggage and just about everything else at the depot - talk about full service!

Illinois and Michigan Canal Lock Number 1

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Lock Number 1
I and M Canal
Lockport, Illinois

View of the first lock on the Illinois and Michigan Canal (I and M Canal). This waterway is just under 100 miles long and links the Chicago River to the Illinois River using an ancient Indian portage path. The I and M Canal ultimately makes it possible to travel from New England to Louisiana and beyond via the St. Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes, IM Canal and the Mississippi River.

Completed in 1848, the I and M Canal helped make Chicago an important port city.

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Lock Number 1
I and M Canal
This area originally had two gates that would close filling up the lock to the next level of the river

The I and M Canal is now part of the National Heritage Corridor and is open to the public. The original mule towpath exists today as a walking/bike path. Mules were used to pull barges along the length of the canal.