Lake Tahoe Night View

Shooting at night with a mirrorless DSLR camera isn't the best set up, especially with just an arm rest for a slightly stable platform, but you make do with what you have. It was enough to get a peak at the nighttime sky to the west along Lake Tahoe near the Hyatt Incline Village. Definitely, a place to revisit in the future.

Hyatt Incline Village

Some hotel windows give you views of rooftops. Some give you this. I was fortunate enough to spend about 18 hours at the Hyatt Incline Village, right off of Lake Tahoe this past week. Unfortunately, got in at 6pm and left the following day by noon, but got in enough with just this view to want to come back one day as a tourist, rather than for a work trip. Definitely, on the list of places to revisit!!!

Truckee River

Beautiful day to travel over the Donner Pass. Much better in August than in deep winter. Even in a car, the pass can be scary. Not this day....

Lake Tahoe a definite "10"

I've always heard this was one of the world's most beautiful spots and now I have to agree. Mountains, beach, water, golf (not for me, this time), hiking, running, biking, eating and drinking....it has it all. Too bad my trip here is less than 24 hours (and I have no swimming, biking, hiking, clothes etc.) but another time.....Beautiful.

NYC Construction Set

You would think the men and women of the New York City construction set liked color with all their colorful scaffolding. This building to be will be located just off of the start of the High Line park in Chelsea.

Getting "Hi" in New York City

I finally caught enough time in New York City to get "Hi". Walking the High Line, that is. What an amazing example of urban renewal. The High Line is a converted park above the streets of New York City on some abandoned elevated train tracks from about 29th street and 10th Avenue down to about 10th street. I am sure these tracks were an eyesore to the adjacent buildings which were rundown apartments and empty factories. The city, through neighborhood lobbying, turned this area into an upper walkway and viola!!! a park is born with unbelievable implications to the surrounding areas. Now, buildings are being rehabilitated and this whole area is experiencing an urban revival. I got a chance to walk part of the Hi Line and it is crowded but a wonderful additional to the neighborhood. New York never ceases to amaze me.

Grand Old Lady

This building, Grand Central Station in New York, always amazes me. Maybe it is because it is sort of a maze, with train tracks running off in all different directions. So far, I have always figured out where to go although when walking into the place, you feel like you are totally lost and in a foreign country. But then you see a Starbucks a pizza place and a hot dog stand an you know all will eventually be well.

Staycation Shots

I spent a bunch of time in my recent vacation sitting in my backyard trying to catch up on some reading. This rose sits right over my shoulder and took the new Nikon D810 for a close up shot with a cheap 50mm lens. Nice color in this cooler than normal late summer weather.

On the Vine

Grapes being grown in southern Illinois getting close to harvest time.

Who Needs Napa Valley?

Who knew that Southern Illinois was such a wine mecca? One thing is for certain, you won't die of thirst in Southern Illinois. How come we don't get beer signs like that?

Blue Sky Winery

The Blue Sky Winery is aptly named. It happens to be located directly at the center point of an upcoming solar eclipse that will occur in southern Illinois. Great name for a great location. I am not a wine drinker but the wines were excellent and I did pick up a couple of bottles. Hope to see this place again during the solar eclipse in August 2017. I expect to see blue skies overhead...

Hairy Woodpecker

It is amazing the number of bird species that come to visit when you sit outside and read for a couple of hours. Ok, I haven't had time to do that but still heard some soft pecking and turned around and saw what turned out to be a Hairy Woodpecker, a bird which I have never seen before, much less in my own backyard. Since I was still trying to get shots of our local Cardinal, I had a camera and hand and got this shot. Cool.

What Bird? Black Headed Gosbeak

Saw this beautiful bird on a tree in our backyard but I couldn't identify it based on the What Bird websites on the internet. Finally found a good match with a Black Headed Gosbeak. Beautiful colors on that bird. My new favorite.

San Fernando Cathedral

Europe doesn't have a lock on all the interesting old cathedral's. This one, San Fernando Cathedral, holds the dead of the soldiers  of the Alamo conflict as well as being one of the oldest churches in the state of Texas.

I hate it when....

I hate it when everyone is staring at me when I eat....at San Antonio Buckhead's. That is just one wall of heads. There are three others in this place just like that. Creepy.

I almost forgot

When you go to San Antonio you have to remember The Alamo. Its just a small mission type building that had some walls built around it. Not very defensible, especially with 3,000 from San Anna's army camped outside.

Another View of the San Antonio River Walk

The colors always come out as the sun sets. This is another view of the San Diego River Walk. Naperville has a great River Walk but nothing like this.

San Antonio Riverwalk at Night

San Antinio has it going on at night with restaurants galore on the Riverwalk. Great area to hang out and eat along the river.

On Take Off

Since small electronics are allowed to be on during take off and landing, it is much easier to get shots out of airplane windows. So, here is downtown Chicago on take off to the south out of O'Hare. Great view of the city as you take off. Mostly, I am sitting in the aisle seats. I should pick window seats more often.

Elvis Is Alive

Elvis is alive and well and came to Davern's Tavern earlier in the year to give a performance.