Las Vegas Secret Concoction

I'm busy preparing a secret concoction for New Year's Eve tonight....or not. This is something they sell in Vegas. I'm not sure what it is but it is colorful.

About To Get Iced

Looking through my shots for the year this one has to stand out for its timing. Sammy, my niece, is about to get a surprise "ice bucket" of her own, well before the ice bucket challenge craze took off later in the year. On this vacation, if you weren't watching you would find yourself with a bucketful of ice as Sammy is about to discover. I had nothing to do with the planning. I just had a camera nearby.

Two Boats

I saw this as a painting when I took this shot last fall in Marblehead. It took until yesterday to get a piece of software (Topaz Impressions) that could produce what I saw. Two row boats in Marblehead Harbor.

Final Christmas Shots #2

Last year we were making real snowmen. This year we were going out with sweaters so the only snowmen were on the Christmas tree.

Some final Christmas Shots #1

Some final Christmas shots as the season winds down.

Anticipation

I'm not expecting to get much sleep tomorrow morning with a 6 year old in the house.

Creepy Heads in New York City

Would you buy a hat off of one of these heads? I didn't think so. Kinda creepy.

Macy's Christmas Window

The Christmas windows of Macy's don't have the impact they once did. But they still can be beautiful. This one certainly is.....

When Buildings Had Names

Love the north side architecture and when architects had the courage to put names on buildings without selling naming rights. This building was part of a Romanesque revival that came to Chicago after the Chicago Fire. This building was a music school and also a German Beer Hall at one time. Now is part commercial and residential on Armitage Avenue.

Marblehead Walking Path

It was a beautiful early morning to go for a walk prior to heading out to work in Marblehead, Mass earlier this fall.

Hermosa Beach Surfer

I keep shooting this statue because each time I see it, I am in different light. This time, shooting into the sun, he can out in a beautiful golden glow.

Under the El

Saw light and shadow and thought this shot under the elevated tracks near Armitage was worth a try.

Places to Go, People to See

Lots of places to get to from New York City's Penn Station. Not a famous as the larger Grand Central Station. More of a workman's train station with commutes to/from New Jersey and up Long Island. But you can also get to Boston and Washington.

NYC Fun Traveling

Isn't travel fun? Hit NYC last week and landed in a monsoon of a northeaster. This was a winter mis of sleet, snow and rain. Oh well, it could always be worse....

Empire State Building at night

New York is a very photogenic city. Then again, I don't often find myself walking around downtown Chicago at night. In New York, if I don't have a dinner, I have to go walk somewhere to find something to eat. Bring and camera and you will find a shot.

Portillio's in living color

Sometimes, when you look for color, it hits you close to home. No need to travel the country this time out. This is the Portillo's near the Woodfield Mall and it is a shock of color when you walk through the door. No need for fancy color filters with this shot.

The colors that I see on Armitage Avenue

Sometimes you get in the mood to jack up the colors, but this is what I see when I walk along Armitage Avenue. I see these old buildings in all their glory. Buildings so proud, they have names on them. What do you see?

Trumped Up Trump Building

Hyper Trumped Tower. I don't see what all the fuss was about with the size of the building name.

Mike's Camera bites the dust

We had some time to kill between meetings in Denver and I saw from my "Around Me' app that a camera store was near by. Looks like I got there too late. This place never would have closed if it was located near me in Naperville.

Dramatic Flatiron Building

Drama abounds in this picture of the Flatiron Building in New York City from last winter.