A beautiful day in downtown Chicago

Although the green color of the river ruins the view somewhat, it was a beautiful day in downtown Chicago yesterday. Great day for a walk during lunch.

The green color of the river bothers me in this shot. What if the color of the river was blue?

Doesn't look natural but I like it better.

Wrigley Field Pole-to-Pole

Realized this past year that I haven't been to Wrigley Field since starting my pole-to-pole project so I had a hometown Major League Stadium that I could check off the list with a visit to Wrigley Field. The problem is that I don't particularly like Wrigley Field as a venue to watch baseball. I do like a lot of the changes that have made to the stadium but it is old, the seats are small and the rows are narrow. Food is tucked away underneath the stadium and the bathrooms, while remodeled somewhat, are still among the worst in baseball, according to a recent survey. However, my White Sox were showing up to play the Cubs at Wrigley Field and I saw a perfect opportunity to go and watch my favorite team and get the pole-to-pole shot at the same time. I even asked Cheryl to come and after some moaning about hating baseball (what?) she decided to tag along. We had good weather, rare for this spring, and a White Sox winner. The Cubs took game two for a split of this initial 2 game series so we will get a second chance to see them again at Guaranteed Rate Field later this summer.

So, the net result was I got my shot and Cheryl even enjoyed the game. Not bad for a random Wednesday in June.

Marilyn Monroe in Springfield, Mass

One of the municipal buildings in Springfield, Massachusetts had paintings of famous artists including the Beatles, Elvis and a variety of other actor and singers. I had fun, touching up and adjusting the pictures as the light at night was a funky green/blue from the street lights and the paintings have various wear and tear marks on them. The original is below. I even think the wide angle lens on my camera, standing so close to the picture, distorted Marilyn's face a bit so I thinned it out. Anyway, looks better to me but this is some other artist's vision. It is a well done painting.

Abbey Road in Springfield Mural

It must be weird when you are so disinterested and jaded that all you can think of to do for an album cover is just step outside the studio and walk across the road, it still becomes an iconic symbol of....well something. Nicely painted mural in downtown Springfield, Mass. One of my earliest memories is the weekend that John Kennedy was shot and then the Ed Sullivan show, so the Beatles are a huge part of my life.

John

Found on a building in Springfield, Mass.

Boston Copley Center Area

A little dreamy filter on a nice day in Boston.

Three Towers in Springfield Mass

Three towers in view in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Say Yes to the Dress, man style

I don't think I have the legs to pull it off. Maybe there are a lot of Scotsmen in Annapolis, Maryland?

South Haven Lighthouse

Can you see the lighthouse? I don't think they turn on the lights anymore. This is basically at lunchtime about a week ago. The weather got colder and with more and more fog as you moved closer to the lake. It was late May on the calendar but the water temperature was still just 53 degrees. Rain also washed over the beach, giving just a small strip of sand above the water level. Cold and rainy. That has been the trend so far this Spring. Hopefully, the weather pattern is starting to change.

Old-time Reads

Ok, who has read these books? I don't know for sure, but I wonder if a lifetime of reading started with the Hardy Boy series? Still remember the joy of getting a new Hardy Boys book to read. Still have my collection, although they are falling apart (along with the owner).