Not So blue, Blue Moon

Friday[s Moon is just short of full so a full moon is in store for tonight and it is a Blue Moon as well, the last until 2020. Now, the Blue Moon isn't blue, it just means that it is the second moon of the month. I could make it blue, but that is not how it looks in the sky:

A model GIF

This series of shots is of the model Kayla, taken at the 2018 WPPI conference in Las Vegas. I got a chance to shot a bunch of models in a series of photo booths to try out new equipment and lighting. In this case, I was using a beauty dish and constant lighting. I decided to turn this into a GIF as I never did that before. Quite easy actually, although if you are going to do a proper GIF, you should keep the camera level.

Chicago Cultural Center Tiffany Dome

Stepped in to the Chicago Cultural Center (the old Chicago Public Library) to get out of the cold this past winter and saw the Tiffany Dome, restored back in 2008 in all its splendor. This glass dome, the largest in the world, has 30,000 individual pieces of glass. It was evening so no sun shining through but worth a stop to take a look anyway.

Classic Train Store, Medina, Ohio

You don't know how a store like this survives when ToyRUs are closing all over American but here is a classic train store in Medina, Ohio (outside of Cleveland) and it is still open. A throwback to an older style of play. Ormandy Trains and Toys. Even funnier is that they barely have an internet presence. Not surprising as some of these toy trains on display might have been there for dozens of years.

The Beetles

Which was your favorite? I always liked Paul (the middle one) best. Ha. I would freak out if I saw any of these in real life. There is a favorite quote of mine, possibly apocryphal, from biologist J.B.S. Haladen. He is supposed to have said, "The Creator, if He exists, has "an inordinate fondness for beetles".  That always makes me smile and reminds me how little I know about nature. For example, there are about 250,000 different types plants on this planet. However, there are 350,000 different types of beetles. Creationists may have some explanation for this diversity but it is far more easily explained by natural selection (and by the fact that the Beetle is very a resilient creature).  Anyway this display had hundreds of different beetle types and is worth the price of admission alone to the Hayden Butterfly Center in Houston. Yuck.  

Medina, Ohio

Got to visit a small town on the outskirts of Cleveland a couple of weeks ago, Medina, Ohio. Quite a nice town square with some wonderful old buildings.

A sight never seen before....

Here is a sight never seen before. That's because the old low-rise General Growth building is being torn down (you can see a corner of it left) and for now you can see the buildings behind and to the side of it, at least until next year. That is because another disgusting 52 story monstrosity of a steel and glass building is going to be built on the site.  I did not recall that the old building was originally called the Morton Salt Building and almost got a historic designation, which would have prevented the new building from being built. The old building probably wasn't functional in this new modern world. The new building will be occupied by Bank of America as the lead tenant. Change is the only constant.

Still green, really, really green...

A couple days after St. Patrick's Day still finds the river green. Really, really green.

White Tree Nymph

The White Tree Nymph or Rice Paper Butterfly is apparently very popular at butterfly centers and that was true for the Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston as they were everywhere, including on you if you stood still long enough.

IRT Pro Stop In Lombard

Got to see an excellent semifinal match at the IRT Pro Stop at the Glass Court in Lombard, Illinois. Bobby Horn is in the foreground going to get a ball off the back wall with Daniel De La Rosa looking on. David went on to win the match and play in the finals where he lost to Andrea Parilla. Fun times.

Here is another shot.

Great Morman's Get Busy

Yes, this is what you think it is. I saw these two when I walked into the Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston. The funny thing is that they were in the same position an hour later when I left to catch my flight home. Hmmm....no rush in nature. According to a nearby sign, this type of butterfly is common to southern Asia and Australia.

Freemont Street

Freemont Street in Downtown Vegas is always a cool place to take pictures. Lots of nighttime colors and interesting, mostly intoxicated, people to shoot. I have a love/hate relationship with Vegas. I always want to go but as soon as I am there, I usually want to leave. Strange, no?

Sunset at Red Rocks

Sunset comes quick in the hills.

Clio and Eckhart visit

Clio, Eckhart, Anthony and Stephanie came over for a weekend of play and although it was colder out than it looked, we got outside for some play time. 

Red Rocks Area near Las Vegas

Another shot from the Red Rocks area in Las Vegas. One day I will stay out at the Red Rocks Casino and do a bike trip around the 12 mile loop road in this area. That would be a cool trip. Who is in for a trip like that?

Red Rocks Pano

Caught a wonderfully clear day at the Red Rocks just outside of Las Vegas last week. Beautiful light graced the hills just prior to sunset. The area always takes your breathe away.

Not so hard....oh wait

That doesn't look so hard. That guy is basically just walking at a slight incline. Oh, wait....

....never mind.

The Road to Vegas

The road to Vegas looks like it goes right through the Red Rocks. I should have stayed until dusk. Might get a nice shot of the lights of the strip from this spot. Goal for another trip!!!

Scenic Red Rock Loop

This is definitely not New York. While I enjoyed my month of New York shots, it is time for some more recent work. This shot was taken last week, literally just 15 minutes from my last appointment on the outskirts of Las Vegas to the Red Rock Canyon scenic area, a place that every visitor to the strip should see at least once, if not on every trip. The late afternoon sun made the colors pop without the need for any Photoshop magic. This area is so beautiful, it takes your breath away. Of course, I forgot to throw a change of clothes into the rental car so I hit the 13 mile scenic drive in suit and dress shoes but many of the views can be seen as here, right off the roadway. Great place to visit on a trip to Vegas.