Echo's Turn

 

Echo showing off his soccer skills while on defense. 

Northern Lights from Naperville

 

For the second time in Naperville (and we have been here for over 25 years), I got to see the northern lights put on a display from my front stoop. It was just around 11:30pm and I started heading up to bed when I decided to step outside one last time to see if the reported display could be seen from my light polluted sky. After about 10 minutes of getting dark adapted, I started wondering if I was imaging splotches of red here and there in the sky. Took out the camera and I caught this one rather spectacular display, visual to the naked eye. The camera, with a 20 second shot, gets to see much more color than the naked eye can see but this vertical column was naked eye visible. So, quite fun to get to see this display.

If it continues into tonight, I might have to get my lazy self to a darker sky west of the city to see the display in darker light. We shall see!!!

Some Red on a London grey day

 

One must have a touch of color. London 2024. 

Big Ben and Westminster Palace

 

Just your classic tourist shot of the clock tower (Big Ben) and the Palace of Westminster, taken from the Thames River. Checking off a lot of names in that sentence.   

Travel Book Shop

 

While in London, one stop that was high on our list was the Travel Book Shop on Portobello Road. The store, as I am sure many are aware, is where the Hugh Grant character met the Julia Roberts character in the movie, Notting Hill, which is one of our favorite rom-coms of all time. We stopped at the store in 2006 during our last trip to London and what a disappointment to find that it has been turned into a tourist and trinket shop, although, as the Hugh Grant character himself admitted in Notting Hill, the fictional store didn't sell many travel books even back then. So, the store failed and just the facade remains as a tourist trap. Below is the picture from our recent trip with all the sad tourist stuff and one taken in way back in 2006 with me from 18 years ago, taken from the exact same spot: 

Just sad that the store didn't survive. 

 

Tower Bridge, London

 

It has been forever since we have had a chance to travel out of the country. But, we did it with a quick visit to London over 4 days last week. Long flights but enjoyable, if way too short, trip. We have been to London before but way back in 2006. Got lucky with the two red buses on the bridge. 

Tipsoo Lake, Mount Rainer National Park

 

This is a shot of the beautiful Tipsoo Lake in Mount Rainer National Park. Wonderful area with trails for hiking and picnic benches for families to enjoy the view. This shot takes in Mount Rainer which dominates everything when the trees part to give a view. Hat tip to Sam Wroblewski for telling me about this viewpoint!!!