Enjoying the Gulf of Mexico here in Florida. Today we saw a waterspout got some pics to share later.
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Dunedin FL
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Safety harbor FL
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Enjoying the Gulf of Mexico.
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Rusty Barn

click to enlarge

Barn along I and M Canal
Utica, Illinois

I'll need to find out if this barn was around during the useful days of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. It looks old, but perhaps not old enough to have been used by canal workers. Either way, the deteriorating building and the duck weed covered canal offer a glance at history. Both are quite obsolete yet look great together.

Pearl Crescent

click to enlarge

Pearl Crescent on Christopher's toe.

Last time we were at Mt. Baldy, this little butterfly decided to hitch a ride on Chris' big toe. He wouldn't fly off for anything. After about five minutes, I picked him off and released him into the dunes full of wildflowers.

Red Sun

click to enlarge

Sun Set
May 24th 2008

Right after the sun slipped below the horizon, the clouds lit up with a bright, fiery red tone. Not quite a sun dog, but similar I think.

It certainly made the end of the day interesting.

Rowboat

click to enlarge

Lifeguard Rowboat
Lake Michigan
Chicago, Illinois

Madwagon

click to enlarge

Madwagon Cruiser

Memorial Day on Lake Michigan in Chicago was pretty crowded. Lots of families out grilling, picnicking and playing along the beach at Montrose Point.

The bike path was loaded with cyclists, this one decided to have a break and take in some of the sites and sun of spring.

Resting

click to enlarge

Sleeping Babies

A walk along the paths at the Little Red Schoolhouse are always interesting. Plants and animals are everywhere and sometimes you can get quite close to them. Saturday was no exception. These little geese were sleeping next to their mother on the shore of a little pond.

They don't look too comfortable laying on the hard limestone, but I guess their down feathers add a bit of cushion to the hard ground.

click to enlarge

Now That's Cozy!

This one found a better place for a nap. Talk about a down comforter!

Backlit Tulips

click to enlarge

Tulip

Sometimes you just have to lay down on the ground and check out the view of the flowers.

Catkins

click to enlarge

Birch Tree Catkins
Lake Katherine

A walk through the garden paths of Lake Katherine in Palos, IL lets one focus on nature of all kinds. Wildlife lives among the diverse plant life, and they are all rather used to people walking around, so photos are fairly easy to obtain.

Spring is a great time to visit, the plants are beginning to grow and become colorful. It's not yet time for the formal gardens, but the spring bulbs are blooming.

Beavers, ducks, geese, blackbirds, robins, great blue heron, green heron and snakes are just the beginning of the wildlife you can find if you look around.

click to enlarge

Fuzzy Babies
Lake Katherine

The geese and ducks are beginning to raise families, and soon the lake and waterfall area will be filled with young water birds.

Tulip Time Festival

click to enlarge

Tulips in Holland, Michigan

It's May, and that means May Flowers! Well, tulips anyway, and Holland, Michigan is the place to see tulips. The annual Tulip Time festival is underway in Holland, Michigan and you're sure to see your fill of tulips - over 6 million!

click to enlarge

Holland, Michigan Tulips

In addition to the millions of tulips, the festival hosts entertainment and crafts. The Dutch dancers called the Klompen dancers gave demonstrations of their dancing as well as their traditional, handmade clothes and of course, wooden shoes.

click to enlarge

Klompen Dancers Lining Up

click to enlarge

Klompen Dancers
Holland, Michigan

The Klompen dance demonstrations took place on Central Street, and ended just before the rain arrived. We didn't get to see all we wished, but the hours we spent there were well worth the drive.

Chicago

click to enlarge

State Street
Spring 2008

It was supposed to rain all day, but it turned out to be rather nice. For once the weather cooperated with a photo shoot!

Hamming it up

click to enlarge

Tiger
Brookfield Zoo

Spring is a great time to see all of the animals at the zoo. Some animals need to be kept indoors all winter and once they come outside, they are very happy. The lion and the tiger were outside and active last weekend. Usually they are asleep somewhere where you can only see part of them, but not on Saturday.

This tiger was perched up on the rocks where he surveyed all who strolled by. At one point he looked over toward me and my camera, looked right into the lens and stuck his tongue out!

Thanks a lot!

Tulip Time!

click to enlarge

Tulip Garden
Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois

A walk through Chicago's Brookfield Zoo in the spring unveils lots of interesting things. First, the flowering bulbs are everywhere. These tulips were blooming in a small garden off the south gate of the zoo. Lots of other colorful gardens were taking shape too.

Some of the animals that have been locked up inside all winter are now outside. The lion, leopard, camels and tiger were all active on Saturday! They usually sleep quite a bit in the summer, but they were happy to be outside and soaking in the sunshine.

Anchor Rode

click to enlarge

Anchor Rode and Shank
Navy Pier, Chicago

This 8 ton anchor belonged to the USS Chicago and now sits on Chicago's Navy Pier.

click to enlarge


It's amazing a boat could float with such a heavy item aboard, but what's even more amazing is how this anchor could be raised and lowered as needed. I guess 8 tons is feather light compared to the ship's displacement of 13, 600 tons!

Commissioned in 1945, the USS Chicago was the third ship to use this name. The current is a submarine still serving the country. The ship was classified as a heavy cruiser with a length of 674 feet and a beam (width) of 70 feet. In World War II, the ship engaged in battle off the coast of Japan targeting warehouses and oil tanks.

In 1964, the USS Chicago was recommissioned as a guided missile cruiser and served in the seas during the Vietnam War.

The ship was turned into scrap in 1992, after a failed attempt by the city of Chicago to have it towed to Navy Pier as a memorial and museum. At the very least, the anchor was saved, placed on display at Navy Pier, and dedicated on November 11, 1995.

Ever Changing

click to enlarge

Indiana Dunes
Michigan City, Indiana

Emptying into Lake Michigan, this small stream carries all kinds of minerals and tannins toward one of the great lakes. The mouth of this stream seems to change every week as the waves from the lake and the erosion from the stream move the sand and form different patterns and channels to the lake.

Glowing Shadow

click to enlarge

Floating Leaf and Shadow

I thought this was interesting when I saw it the other day. This old leaf was floating in a slow stream and casting a shadow on the bottom - pretty normal. But as I looked at the shadow, the reflection of the sunlight on the water's surface was outlining the shadow. Pretty much like sunlit waves and ripples casting white reflections on the bottom of a pool.

Spring Morning

click to enlarge

Small Stream Entering Lake Michigan
Michigan City, Indiana

A small stream ends it's journey through the Indiana sand dunes at the shore of Lake Michigan. I'll certainly have to explore this area a lot more!