Walking to the Beach

Volleyball - Chicago  2017

Uncle Sam, Volleyball - Chicago  2017

We were able to walk from our hotel to a beach on Lake Michigan. We passed some fancy townhomes before we came to a pedestrian underpass leading to some volleyball players.

As long as we're on the subject of volleyball, check out an earlier shot: Pismo Beach #2.

Flowers, Residence - Chicago  2017

Lakeview Sightems

W Eddy St - Chicago  2017

Park - Chicago  2017

Walking around the Wrigley Field vicinity, in the Lakeview neighborhood.

Stroller - Chicago  2017

Wrigley Field! - 2

Cubs Fans - Chicago  2017

Cubs Gear - Chicago  2017

So there was going to be an actual game that day! We didn't go, but we got to see a lot of local color.

If anyone does want to attend, be sure to leave your brooms at home:

Wrigley Prohibitions - Chicago  2017

Monday Horse Blogging

Horse Cookies - Marin County  2015

Examining Tuffy's Feet - Marin County  2015

Hanna and Hali taking care of Tuffy.

Wrigley Field! - 1

Addison Station, Wrigley Field - Chicago  2017

Subway Entrance - Chicago  2017

We wanted to take a train somewhere, and we wanted to visit Wrigley Field. Both wishes fulfilled in one trip!

Eventually the train became elevated, giving us some interesting Chicago sightems:

DePaul Soccer - Chicago  2017

Buildings from Train - Chicago  2017

Field Museum - 2

Field Museum, Main Hall - Chicago  2017

Lakota Figure (Field Museum) - Chicago  2017

On display downstairs was "the largest, most extensive and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found." 

It's due to be moved, however: "The T-Rex will be placed on the second floor with a new exhibit dedicated to her. Filling her space in Stanley Field Hall will be a cast of a skeleton of a Patagotitan, the largest dinosaur ever discovered. Sue will be moved in February 2018 and will be gone for about a year while the new exhibit is prepared."  - Wikipedia

Lakota figure artist is Rhonda Holy Bear. "Holy Bear’s artwork consists of intricately carved and beaded Native American figures that depict life on the Plains in the nineteenth century."

Field Museum - 1

Field Museum Entrance - Chicago  2017

Field Museum Exhibits - Chicago  2017

Two iPhone panoramas, one going up, the other sideways.

We visited the Field Museum early in the morning. As I recall, it was pretty hot that day; luckily, the bus was able to deliver us right to the front entrance.

Frontera Grill

Frontera Grill Entrance - Chicago  2017

Frontera Grill Ceviche - Chicago  2017

A Rick Bayless restaurant.

We thought that the food was good, but once again, the noise level was much too loud to conduct a normal conversation. (As it was at the Bohemian House.)

Maybe it starts with the music turned up way too loud. Then people have to raise their voices, way too loud. Eventually there is a feedback loop of loudness. Is this some sort of scheme to increase table turnover? Makes it hard to concentrate on the food; we certainly didn't want to linger.

Chicago Bean

Cloud Gate - Chicago  2017

Cloud Gate, Self Portrait - Chicago  2017

. . . officially known as "Cloud Gate."

Luckily, Mike had an Olympus 14-150 mm lens attached to his EM-10, so he could stand way back and still get a self-portrait.

Architectural Tour

Train - Chicago  2017

Kids - Chicago  2017

We took an architectural tour on a boat that travelled up and down the Chicago River. Our guide was very informative, but a lot of her information zipped past Mike, as he was mainly interested in the pictorial possibilities along the way.

At one point the boat was reflected in a building's slanted glass wall. Mike (and Hali and Dan) can be seen in the first full square at the bottom left:

Boat Reflection - Chicago  2017

Boat Reflection Crop - Chicago  2017

November 22, 2017 update:

Shown below is a copy of the uncorrected file of the top photo. I used an Olympus digital camera with a 14-150mm zoom lens, pointed up. Perspective correction - straightening out the vertical lines - was done using Photoshop's Camera Raw.

Train - Chicago  2017 (uncorrected)

Monday Horse Blogging

Tuffy Stopping - Marin County  2013

Coming to a screeching halt, in early morning light.

Taken with an Olympus EPL5, 7:30 in the morning in May.

Bohemian House

Dish at Bohemian House - Chicago  2017

Bohemian House Menu - Chicago  2017

Our first Chicago dinner: at Bohemian House. The food was very good, but the (non-live) music was bad: not appropriate to the venue and way too loud.

Pizza

Labriola - Chicago  2017

For our first Chicago lunch, deep-dish pizza at Labriola. Pretty good!

Farewell to Wisconsin

Bobby Nelson - Wisconsin  2017

House - Chicago  2017

"Really the place to go."

As we drove back from Milwaukee to Chicago we stopped and got some cheese and summer sausage.

In getting to the airport to return the rental car we somehow missed the correct exit and wound up on a nice residential street. Finally the airport, and a taxi into downtown Chicago.

Milwaukee Sightems - 2

Fear (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

Eat All The Chicken, Self Portrait (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

View of the Milwaukee Bucks sports area through an alleyway.

Enigmatic sign near Honeypie restaurant.

Honeypie

Honeypie (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

North 32 (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

We had dinner at Honeypie. Very good, but the best thing was their Pork Fries*:

"Back to the pork fries though.  There was this one weekend where my girlfriend and I had pork fries for dinner on a Friday and then I went back alone on a Saturday for more.  I was ashamed to tell her, so when I get back to her place, I stash the leftover fries in the back of the fridge.  When I wake up the next morning, I discover the empty carton in the trash.  The visual clue triggers a vague recollection of the night before, of me on the edge of the bed, in my boxer shorts, shoveling cold fries into my mouth, in the dark.  'Did I really do that?' I wonder, 'am I really that man?'  I take a stack of junk mail and cover the empty container in the trash, in hopes she won't notice--in hopes that she won't discover what her boyfriend is really like."

______

Afterwards, a short walk on the semi-deserted street.

*(Shredded BBQ pork, fries, cheese sauce, pickled jalapenos, green onions, bacon)

Hi Fi

Hi Fi (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

Hi Fi (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

So we didn't eat here, but Mike was able to get afternoon and night pix.

Top photo taken with an Olympus E-PL7 and a 25mm lens. Bottom taken with an iPhone.

Monday Horse Blogging

Hanna, Tuffy's Nose - Marin County  2013

Continuing with the Tuffy theme: Hanna, very interested in Tuffy's wrinkly nose.

Flowers (Retzer Preserve)

Black-Eyed Susans (Retzer Preserve) - Wisconsin  2017

Flowers (Retzer Preserve) - Wisconsin  2017

Taken September 13th of this year with an Olympus EM-10 and a 14-150mm zoom lens.

Leon's

Leon's (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

Frozen custard. Wow!

Pretty good, but somewhat similar to Costco's frozen yogurt.

Milwaukee Sightems - 1

Tacos (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

Own the Future (Milwaukee) - Wisconsin  2017

Seen on one of our early morning coffee excursions.

Retzer Nature Center

Tree (Retzer Nature Center) - Wisconsin  2017

Queen Anne's Lace (Retzer Nature Center) - Wisconsin  2017

We hadn't planned to go there, but Mike spied a sign on the highway and we all decided to visit.

We ended up having about an hour's worth of impromptu hiking. Very nice!

Madison Sightems

Capitol Building (Madison) - Wisconsin  2017

Students (University of Wisconsin, Madison) - Wisconsin  2017

iPhone photos taken while blundering around Madison.