Gilbert, Arizona

Got to visit downtown Gilbert, Arizona last week and was surprised to find a very cool bar/restraurant scene in the downtown area.  Definitely have to visit and explore in more detail when I am not doing a "Dry January". 

Saguaro Desert 2

Another Sonora Desert shot.

Saguaro Desert

Took a pano of the eastern portion of the Saguaro National Park when there are a lot more saguaro's/ Quite the contrast with today's freezing weather in Chicago.

Desert Color

Rare to catch any color in the Sonoran Desert besides greens, browns and tans. Also, lots of blue if you count the sky and catch a clear day--which would be very common. So, when you see yellow you are attracted right away. Probably the same effect on the insects or birds that the plant is trying to attract. Anyway, nice little shot of some desert color at the Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson.

Saguaro's spread around the Saguaro National Park

Wonderful national park on both sides of Tucson as Saguaro National Park is split to the east and west of Tucson, separated by about an hour of traffic. This shot is from the west park, although I liked the east side slightly better. You definitely get to see a lot of saguaro's at the park. It was also wonderfully quiet and that stillness is wonderful for the soul. Great town to visit and great park to visit when in town. Oh, and this is the only national park in the US seperated by a major US city. Gives two unique parks to visit.

Pole-to-pole shot from a different perspective

Flew over Sloan Park (hat tip Eric Battaglia for correcting the park's name) where the Cubs play in spring training on the way to landing in Phoenix, Arizona. I have been trying to get pole-to-pole panoramas of various ball parks around the country and this is one I was able to get without the pano!!! Only 30 days to the start of the first spring training games. Hard to believe.

Pre-Eclipse Moon

Unfortunately, I missed the full eclipse this evening, but I do like this pre-eclipse shot of the moon rising over the Sonoran Desert between Phoenix and Tucson. Got a nice shot through the clouds...

And a third shot post full eclipse as the full moon was coming back into view. I missed the blood red phase where the light from the sun gets refracted around and through the Earth's atmosphere giving the moon that red glow. The colors are also impacted by the amount of particulates in the air from pollution or volcanic activity. Well, I hope to get another chance on the next lunar eclipse which won't happen until May of 2021 and a better one in May of 2022. Oh well. Bummed.

Things You See While Up in the Air

Another shot with lots of interesting light beams fighting through the clouds.

Chicago from the air--before and after

I got the right seat and flew back to Chicago the right time of the day to get a nice shot of the lakefront of my favorite city. When you travel to Midway, the view coming from the east is going to be on the right side of the plane. If going to O'Hare from the east, you usually need to be on the left side of the plane (in the direction of travel). See what traveling each week gets you? Lots of useless knowledge. It also helps to sit ahead of the wing to get a clear view of what is coming up.

A little taste of Medina, Ohio

I got my first visit to Medina, Ohio back in March of last year and really enjoyed the area. Medina is located about 25 miles south of Cleveland and has a wonderful little downtown square with old, colorful buildings trying to survive in this internet shopping world. I wish it luck. They have a couple of bars and restaurants and a local bookstore, always a favorite of mine to visit.

Pullman Car in Red

I posted this shot before although I wasn't all that happy with it. It was a throwaway shot of some model train cars. However, I have been having some fun with this new software I bought that allows you to turn your images, using editable filters, into paintings and that gave this shot new life. The original shot out of the camera is here:

It's no great shakes and the train store was rather dark and the scene rather boring. I did some light editing, mostly sharpen and brighten it up and I published it a month or so ago as this shot:

It's an ok shot but nothing special. The new version with the enhanced filter above is more the look I was going for when I took the shot. I was thinking old time toy that a boy might love. That is how the shot looks today. Anyway, with digital photography, the shot is never done. Sometimes I go for realism. Other times fantasy. By the way, the software I used is provided by Topaz Studio and although expensive if you buy all the different programs, it is worth it if you are trying to come up with something everyday to publish!!! This particular hobby shop is located in Medina, Ohio, a cute little suburb south of Cleveland.

Daisies are the Friendliest Flower

Snow may be on the ground here in Chicago but that doesn't mean you can't post pictures shot in July.  I like to save these summer shots to remind me that summer is always just a few months away!!!

Lately, I have been in the mood to play with the editing. Did a soft focus, painterly look on the photo but then decided to take it off on the one main flower in the middle. I like the look. Just something fun to do.

OAK Brook Polo Club

This is one of my favorite shots from last July that I took at the Oak Brook Polo Club. Lots of fast action and many of the shots turned out like paintings. So, I helped a bit with the editing.

Boys of Summer (and one girl)

Members of the Oak Brook Polo Club, including a father-daughter team.  Pretty as a painting so I made it one. A co-worker is the announcer for the matches in Oak Brook and invited us to come and see the action. It was a load of fun. I was not aware that polo players use up to 6 horses in each match. That is quite a commitment. I will stick to racquetball. One racquet and a can of balls does it.

Big Wheel in Chicago

Wonderful colors happening in this view of the Chicago Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier, with reflections of some Christmas lighting on the window I was shooting through. As I said, lots going on. Still, I loved the colors and that is my thing, after all.

Queens Eye View

A low flying artistic view of Queens before touching down at LaGuardia. We must really like each other to live so close together.

Life At the Top

Always wonder what those top floors are like. These two have balconies overlooking Central Park. Nice.

A very quiet Sturgis, SD downtown

Michael and I hit Sturgis, SD, a few weeks after the infamous motorcycle rally so this is a slow time for the city.  A week later and we would have hit a big Ford Mustang rally. Oh, well. Timing is everything. I got to drive my RV down this main drag so I can say that I rode a big one down Main Street in Sturgis.

Do you know who Sturgis is named for? There were a lot of Sturgis' in the lore of the old West. The city is names after Sam Sturgis, a general in the US Army who fought and led a division of the US Army in WWI. Sam's father was a famous general and fought in the civil war and, after the war became the commander of the 7th US Cavalry, on detached duty when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and all of his men were killed in the battle of the Little Big Horn. A brother of Sam Sturgis was killed in that battle. The father took over the 7th Cavalry directly after it was reconstituted and then chased the New Percè Indians from the Yellowstone area up into Canada.

Broadus Motel, Broadus Montana

I took a picture of this place as a lark when driving through Broadus, Montana, figuring I would tease Cheryl about the quality of the accommodations that I would make available if she were ever to go on the road trip in the camper. (Let's just say that she is not a camper trip kinda person.) Turns out, after I read the review of this place online, it isn't bad. A little old but clean and the owner responds very promptly when reviews are posted on TripAdvisor.com. That's always a good sign. Anyway, Michael and I didn't stay here on our way through Montana on our cross country trip last year, but it probably wouldn't have that bad if we did!!!

Broadus, Mt, by the way is on State HWY 212 which curs some road time off of I-90 and gets a little more flavor of the west on the way from Billings, MT to Pierre, SD. You have to look for opportunities to get off the Interstate once in awhile and this cut off did that. Fun ride.

Little House on the Prairie

A very little house (or two) on the prairie. Shot while driving in South Dakota, not far from Little Big Horn. You can see how even large groups of troops and Native Americans wandering around on these prairies did not know that they were in close proximately to each other. Such a sad tragedy.

Chicago's Wrigley Building

A dappled light shot of the Wrigley Building with the old Tribune Tower in the background frame this shot taken from the Marriott hotel across the river. Got to stay there this fall to go to a concert in downtown Chicago. Wonderful view of Michigan Avenue and the river from there.

Chicago Flamingo Blue Hour

Getting down low, shooting up with a wide angle lens and keeping it open for a long time on a steady, low-to-the-ground tripod, puts this shot in the "best of" category for 2018. One of my favorite shots of the year.

New York Splash of Color

It still very sad and depressing to visit downtown Manhattan at the site of the World Trade Center. This splash of color near the 9/11 Memorial helps lighten the mood. Hopefully, it will lighten your mood at the first official work day of 2019. Can I burn a vacation day already? Likely no so on to work!!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. No, I wasn't out in downtown Chicago last night. This shot is from the summer but it is shot near Buckingham Fountain looking towards Navy Pier. Chicago might be broke, but we can shoot off fireworks like no other city.