Chicago at Dusk

click to enlarge

Chicago at Dusk

An evening view of the Chicago Skyline from the 5th level of U.S. Cellular Field. I still want to call it Comiskey Park...........

Chris' First Game

click to enlarge

Chris' First Game

Chris earned two free Chicago White Sox baseball tickets from school last year, so he finally attended his first major league baseball game.



He had a great time, even though our seats were practically in the next county.

Here's the view we had:

Marblehead Lighthouse Take 2

click to enlarge

Marblehead Lighthouse

On our way to Cleveland, the weather was rainy and overcast. Our first visit to the Marblehead Lighthouse was nice, but gray. We decided right then that on our return trip we would make our way back to this lighthouse if the weather improved. It did!

We arrived around 9:00 am, but the lighthouse and museum didn't open until 1:00pm, so we didn't have enough time to wait around for a tour. Too bad, since this is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes.

We'll just have to pass by again.

Fairport Harbor Lighthouse

click to enlarge

Fairport Harbor Lighthouse

Just a short distance across the Grand River from Headlands Beach State Park is the old Fairport Harbor Lighthouse.

Built in 1871 to replace the original lighthouse, the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse stands 60 feet tall, and is made from Berea Sandstone.
The lighthouse stood watch over Lake Erie for 100 years- from 1825 to 1925 until a new lighthouse and foghouse were built on the west Fairport breakwater.



The original third order Fresnel lens is now on display in the former keeper's house which is now a small museum - the first lighthouse museum in the United States.

This lighthouse was also featured on the Travel Channel's Haunted Lighthouses - a ghost cat has been seen roaming around the keeper's house. Years after people began seeing the ghost cat, a mummified cat was found by construction workers in the crawl space beneath the keeper's house. This cat must have belonged to one of the original lighthouse keepers, found it's way below and couldn't get out. It may be the ghost cat everyone has seen walking through the house. It's now on display in the museum.

Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light

click to enlarge

Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light

Built in 1925 to replace the original (on shore) Fairport Harbor Light , this steel clad lighthouse marks the entrance to the Grand River, in the small village of Fairport Harbor, Ohio.

It stands 42 feet tall, and has a forth order Fresnel lens. Getting out to the lighthouse isn't too difficult, but the breakwater is far from even, so you have to do a bit of rock climbing.

A landing place of French explorer LaSalle, Fairport Harbor overlooks two historic lighthouses, and one of the finest beaches on Lake Erie - the Headlands. Just 30 miles east of Cleveland, it's a world away from city life.

Still Shining Bright

click to enlarge

Still Shining Bright

The oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, the Marblehead light has been featured on postage stamps and license plates.


Built on the rocky shore of Lake Erie, of brick and limestone quarried from the site, the lighthouse was built in 1821 in just 11 weeks, at a cost of $7200. It was the only light around Sandusky Bay for many years. The original light came from 13 whale oil lamps and reflectors!

Vermilion Lighthouse

click to enlarge

Vermilion Lighthouse

The original Vermilion Lighthouse on the Vermilion River in Ohio was built in 1877 of cast iron from civil war cannons. The lighthouse was dismantled and shipped away in 1929 to Buffalo NY, and ultimately, decades later, it was found working on Lake Ontario!

This is a working replica of the lighthouse, and it still acts as an aid to navigation along Lake Erie marking the entrance to the Vermilion River.

You'll shoot your eye out!

The house used in the movie A Christmas Story. We visited it today while in Cleveland!

What a Place for a Picnic

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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

click to enlarge

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!