Portland Union Station

Portland Union Station had a nice look to it as we walked by. Looks like they have a subtle message to make us want to go by train. Go figure.

A Tutu, a Cowboy Hat and Boots---Keeping Portland Weird

A Marlboro Man smoking with a pink tutu, with a cowboy hat and boots. Do I know why? No. Glad he is on the other side of the fence. At the Oregon Brewers Festival in Portland

Lots of Construction along the Chicago River

My commute to work sees lots of construction along the Chicago River. I have never seen so many buildings going up all along the west bank of the river.

Green Sliver of Light along the Chicago River

You wish the water was blue but at least it is clean without junk flowing through it. Saw this interesting beam of light and thought it would make an interesting picture. Not sure if it is all the interesting, but here it is.....

The Cobbler's tools

Walking around Marblehead last fall saw these shoemaker tools. Reminded me of my grandfather who was the neighborhood shoemaker (Sam the Shoemaker). So, I grew up around these tools of trade and use to play with them all the time.

Blackhawk in Nashville

I didn't think of it at the time (back in 2012) but this Indianhead statute in front of a random smoke shop in Nashville looks very much like the Blackhawk Indian the Chicago Blackhawk's jersey.

Cats found a friend

When you see two cats staring intently you know something interesting is outside. I'm sure they would have loved to have invited him in.

Las Vegas Cartoon View

As the sun was setting, Las Vegas took on a cartoon-ish view. So, I helped it out a bit. From my trip in April of this year.

White Daffodils

Since we are on a flower theme, here are some White Daffodils also from the Morman Beehive House Heritage Gardens in Salt Lake City.

In need of some Yellow Daffodils

The area around the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City has some wonderful gardens. If you find yourself in need of some yellow, these Yellow Daffodils fit the bill.

Miami Beach Summer Scene

Miami Beach had a 1960's summer feel to it when I visited earlier in the year. So I took the shot but this is how I saw it.

Downtown Chicago Tourist Boat Race

It's summer in Chicago and that means tourists. These three boats on the Chicago River participated in the annual Downtown Chicago Boat Race....ok, not really but it would be interesting to go 3 wide on the river.

Shreveport Red River Tree

The Red River runs through Shreveport and it was still running near historic highs this July. I thought the vines along the tree made an interesting shot.

Interesting Combination of Signs?

From a trip to Seattle. I thought the combination of signs was....interesting....

Backyard Visitor

A Downy Woodpecker visited the tree just outside our yard and gave me a chance to catch a view with my 70-200mm lens. Small, bird that makes a lot of pecking noise as it goes up a tree.

Lots of Fireworks

Had lots of fun trying to get good shots of the recent 4th of July fireworks show. Luckily, I brought my 70-200 as we were pretty far from the launch point. Like how they turned out. Here is another:

Naperville Fireworks

The key to getting good fireworks shots is preparation and equipment. Get in a good spot is the first step but shooting with an cellphone is not going to work. Have to keep the shutter open to get the long streaks. And this shot, because I was far away, I used a 70-200 telephoto at 1.6 seconds with a mid-level aperture of f8. I kept the ISO or film speed low at 250. Yesterday, at the White Sox fireworks show, I used a faster shutter speed and a faster ISO as I didn't have a tripod. You can get good shots that way, but I like this shot with the light trail better. Lastly, software helps to pull the shot out as the chips we use don't see the scene as the human eye sees it.

Happy 4th and a White Sox Winner

Nice fireworks display at US Cellular Field after a rare 1-0 win for the Chicago White Sox.

Fourth Street Reflection

I liked the reflection of the sign on the glass building. Nice of them to give you a way to read the sign backwards.

Louisville's 4th Street Live

Well, early on a Tuesday evening its not very crowded, but a nice concept to try to get people downtown. I bet it draws pretty good on weekends.

How to find a good bar band in Nashville

I used to look for the pretty lead singer. Now I know to look for the grungy, disheveled bearded old guys. Musicians that look this bad have to be good---and they were. This was at the Tin Roof.