What a Place for a Picnic

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What a Place for a Picnic

120 feet above Lake Michigan is the perfect place for a picnic! At least that's what someone thought - or they just wanted somewhere to sit and watch the 4th of July fireworks. This park picnic bench was carried up a 120 feet tall sand dune - no stairs, all loose sand!

I'm hoping they carried it up piece by piece and assembled it there, but knowing college kids, I'll bet a group of guys carried it up the steepest part of the dunes.

Either way, it's a great spot to stop, rest and have some lunch. I hope the Park Service doesn't remove it.

Mt. Baldy Panoramic

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Mt. Baldy Panoramic

After the climb up the 120 foot tall sand dune, we were treated to a view of Lake Michigan and the Indiana countryside. It's interesting to see the horizon here - on the right is the lake, and on the left the woods -quite a contrast between the two sides of the dune. It's one of the best places to see the biologic progression from beach to old forest and every stage in between - all within a short walk.

Here's a not so dramatic 360 degree panoramic view from the top. It's much more dramatic in person.

Almost to the Top

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Almost to the Top

The boys helped each other climb to the top of Mt. Baldy, the 120 foot tall sand dune in Michigan City, Indiana. It's a lot more difficult than you think, the steep angle, and loose sand keep you from making quick progress - you slide back a step for every few you take.


You get a great view of Lake MIchigan, and the woods from the top. This dune is living, so it's moving about 4 feet a year and burying the woods. Some of the trees are beginning to show stress by yellowing so early in the year.

The Boys At the Beach

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The Boys At the Beach

You never know what you're going to find washed up on the shore of Lake Michigan, I've seen everything from glass, to boat fenders, trash to fishing nets, and Frisbees to Conch shells.
One thing you're guaranteed to find is driftwood, and it's amazing how the waves move it around the beach from day to day. You can find little twigs and entire 35 foot long, 2 foot diameter tree trunks!

Always interesting.

St. Augustine Lighthouse 360 Panoramic View

During our trip to Florida, we stopped once again at the St. Augustine lighthouse. Temperatures were right around 100 degrees, so the climb up to the top was a little difficult for those who didn't enjoy the heat and humidity. After a few flights of stairs, you notice a cooling breeze, this is created by the hot air rising inside the tower; the cooler air rushes in to compensate for the rising hot air.

Once at the top, we were treated to a great view of the Atlantic and the surrounding St. Augustine area.

I created a 360 degree panoramic image from 17 photographs (one taken by each railing post on the tower). Click on the link below and once the image loads, click inside the image and drag the mouse left or right to move around.

http://thomas.gill.staff.noctrl.edu/panos/st_augustine.html

Kintzel Ditch Panoramic View

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Kintzel Ditch Panoramic View

Following a punishing winter, the dune northeast of Kintzel Ditch was difficult if not impossible to climb from the beach. The normal slope to the shore was cut by waves to a point where there was a 10 foot or taller vertical wall of sand before the slope began.

A few months of erosion by wind and gravity created a few "ramps" of sand to the beach, so once again I was able to climb up the dune and capture the view. This is a panoramic view made from 12 separate photographs (the stitching is unfortunately evident at the horizon, but I don't like to alter images any more than stitching).

The last time I was on this dune was in January, and the temperature outside was minus 3! It's nice to be able to stand and look out at the water without shivering.

An Evening at the County Fair

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An Evening at the County Fair

Friday evening at the LaPorte County Fair.

The second to the last day, and the weather was great. I haven't seen such a crowd in years! So many great barns full of animals, and crafts, it took about three hours just to walk past them all.

The LaPorte County Fair is Indiana's oldest county fair.

Peaceful

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Peaceful

There's nothing like allowing nature to create the photograph for you. I was just lucky enough to be there to press the shutter release.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Florida Dunes

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Florida Dunes

Far different than the dunes along the beaches of Lake Michigan, the Florida dunes were built by Sea Oats. Tall sand dunes are not a common, natural site in Florida, but to preserve the beaches and prevent erosion, Sea Oats have been planted. Many other native plants then begin to take hold, and the dunes grow taller.

This small dune is at the extreme north end of Fort DeSoto, and sits between the Gulf of Mexico, and Mullet Key Bayou. Dense mangroves hold in the sand along the bayou shore.

Rays Caressing the Horizon

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Rays Caressing the Horizon

An evening storm passes by Michigan City, Indiana, but creates some excellent sunbeams across the waters of Lake Michigan.

Crown Fountain

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Millenium Park

One of the newest Chicago landmarks in Millennium Park, the Crown Fountain just as an afternoon rain moved into the downtown area.

Southern Pacific 4449 Steam Locomotive

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Southern Pacific 4449 Steam Locomotive

Thanks to Jim and Janet, we found out that the Southern Pacific 4449 steam locomotive was going to pass through Naperville on Saturday. The kids have never seen a full scale, operating steam engine, so I thought it would be a great thing for them to see.

As we arrived, we saw hundreds of people already waiting for the train to pass by. We arrived about 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled time the train was supposed to pass by, but it was held up and our wait was about an hour and a half.

What a difference from the four or five diesels that passed before it!

Sandy Toad

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Sandy Toad

After dinner last night, we decided to drive out to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for a bit of fun until sunset. Week nights are not crowded at all - even at the popular beaches.

We came across several small toads under a log right at the waters edge. When the waves moved the log, they jumped out and into the high surf. Mike and Chris ran after one and finally caught up with it several hundred feed down the beach. It was getting pounded by the surf, so they basically rescued it.

Afterward, we found all the others basking in the sun covered with sand. The wind kept blowing tiny grains of sand onto their wet bodies; making it difficult for them to clear their eyes.

Heading onto the Lake

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Heading onto the Lake

Paddling into the lower lake on a warm summer evening. Earlier in the day, the winds were a bit too high to comfortably paddle the mile across the lake. After dinner, the winds died down and we were able to paddle to the upper lake and back.

The kids look forward to jumping out of the canoe a few hundred feet from shore and swimming back to the house. Of course John swims most of the length of the lake then back home.

Sailing to St. Joseph

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Sailing to St. Joseph

Following an afternoon of sailing on Lake Michigan, this boater heads up the St. Joseph River toward the marina. The St. Joseph, Michigan lighthouses clearly mark the entrance to the harbor.

Called "range lights", these two lights help boaters find the entrance to the harbor. Move your boat until the two lights line up vertically (line up the taller light with the shorter light) and head directly toward them to find the harbor in poor weather or darkness.

Thursday Night at the Green Mill

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Little Brown Jug

For the past twelve years, Alan Gresik and the Swing Shift Orchestra has performed to standing room only crowds at the Green Mill Jazz Club in Chicago's uptown neighborhood. Playing "true" vintage swing from the 1930's and 1940's, this 15 piece orchestra plays original scores of music from the Balaban and Katz Theater Orchestra collection of 26,000 songs. The show is conducted like a 1930's radio show, complete with announcers and live commercials.

Alan Gresik talks to his band between numbers



Christina Pawlowski signing at the Green Mill

Couple this with the historic venue of the Green Mill Jazz Club - a small lounge once part-owned by the infamous Al Capone, and you've got an evening straight out of the 1940's. You can't get more authentic that this. Get ready for a night of music, the show runs from 9 pm until 1am - and you're not going to leave early.

Al Capone's favorite Booth

Watching the Current

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Watching the Current

Mike was watching the fast rip current that developed between Fort DeSoto's North Beach and Shell Key (in the distance). The changing tides create very fast currents here that can be dangerous. If you look closely at the large version of the photo, right along shore is sand colored water that is moving way faster than I can run. It reminded me of rapids in a river.

We dropped some palm fronds into the water and watched as they floated toward the Gulf, got sucked under by two whirlpools, and surfaced about 30 seconds later several yards out in the Gulf of Mexico.

I think it was a good demonstration for the boys. Whenever we go to the beach in Florida or Lake Michigan, I look for rip tides and show them the signs and indicators so they will be aware of the dangers. I also quiz them every time - if they're caught in a rip current, the way to get out is to swim parallel to the beach until they're out of the current, then swim back to shore.

In this unusual case, they would have to swim toward the sand where Mike is standing until they were out in the Gulf, then they would need to swim parallel to the beach.

They all got it right!

Gulf Fritillary

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Gulf Fritillary

I found this bright orange butterfly on an early morning walk along the Gulf of Mexico in Treasure Island, Florida. The sun had just come up and was highlighting the flowers on a small Sea Oats-covered dune.

It's a Gulf Fritillary, and is pretty commonly seen from Argentina to the southern United State.

They are often seen migrating over the Gulf of Mexico - hence the name Gulf Fritillary.

The Heavens Shining Down

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The Heavens Shining Down

Just when you think the sunset is going to be obscured by clouds, and the evening will be boring, nature shows how interesting a cloudy evening can be. Some small storms cells moved over Lake Michigan on Sunday evening, creating a beautiful collection of sun beams in the western sky.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Porter County

Pier 60 at Sunset

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Pier 60 at Sunset

Danny was excited to go out onto "Big Pier 60" as it used to be called. Now it's just Pier 60, and loaded with vendors and street performers.

The sun was setting and a storm was approaching from the north, but it didn't discourage anyone from spending time along the Gulf of Mexico.

We managed to get back to our car before the storm came in. It got really windy, but after we drove the 14 miles to our hotel, it never rained on us.