summer solstice

summer solstice

June 19, 2013

This week Katney picked "summer solstice."    Check out my  pals for their interpretations on this theme: Fishing Guy, Katney, Imac and Lew.

I'm hobbling along with a possibly broken toe.  Over the weekend, we had a four-family squirt-gun fight.  The host family provided an arsenal of Super Soakers for everyone.  I was not too stuffy to join in the contest.  Most of the moms opted out, but all of the dads were in.  Somehow, I jammed my toes into the turf real hard, and that took me out of the action, but I was still able to get some fair shots from the safety zone.  This was with my point-n-shoot... I would not risk the DSLR in this mayhem.  I had other pics, but the girl with the red bucket gave me the most amusing pics, I think.

Let us not forget from whence we came.

Strong colors on a warm, sunny day.

gnostic tollbooth

The pic here looks more like Fall to me, but it was taken on Saturday. I liked the rich colors that remain in the leaves and the reflected light in the water.

.

Driving up to Wisconsin Saturday, we passed a few toll booths. I don't know whether people give them a rough time about the prices, but my observations of human nature suggests that there are grumbles-a-plenty from lots of travelers. I sympathize with people who are frustrated at the ever-increasing fees from a charge that was initially supposed to be temporary, but the person inside that spacious, luxurious and stimulating booth is not the person who decided to overcharge us. I see no reason to take our frustrations out on them.

.

When I greeted the attendant at the first booth, I reported that the vehicle in front of me had a bumper sticker from a rival sports team and asked whether the vehicle was penalized with a doubled fee. The attendant smiled and said, "Yep, got it." I like how he played along, and my passengers laughed.

.

Nothing clever or snappy sprang to mind at the next booth, but I greeted the attendant with a big smile and enthusiastic, "Hi, Robert!" Normally, the attendant echoes back some of that cheer with a simple "Have a nice day," accompanied by a freshly cracked smile. He said something different. He said, "What's the word?" No one told me that I had to be ready with "the word." I thought all I had to do was hand him a couple of bucks. Now there's a PASSWORD, too?!! What an odd greeting. What's next, a secret handshake? That's too much pressure. I couldn't think a quick to answer that. On the way back to Illinois, I was so afraid of not knowing the secret password, that I just stuck to a perfunctory, "Hello."

peace like a river

Last week's photo seminar was located at the University of Chicago, and the building sat right alongside the Chicago River. There were lots of tourists down below and nonstop boat tours.

.

I have always loved Chicago, but I am not too keen on heavy congestion, and traffic jams, which is why I like this view. We have skyscrapers, but we have an element of elbow room as well. We are not bumper to bumper on the river, and the tall buildings graciously yield a compromise with the horizon down below. The blues and greens have an earthy serenity that offers a mental sanctuary from the busy rush and stressful deadlines.

.

I quickly snapped this photo during a brief "bio break" and hurried back to my seat, where I had to crawl over knees, camera bags and sponsor literature. (laughing) Oh well... at least I have the picture, right?

de colores

[click on any image to enlarge]

Seeing baby goslings on private property, I asked and was given permission to roam their lot for a good photography location. I zoomed in pretty good, and paid so much attention to sharpness, that I did not notice until later, that the color of the water came out different. It was after 5PM, and the water looked bluish with the sun coming from my left. But when I switched positions, and the sun was at my back, the water was green. Why do you suppose that is?

silver sliver

There is a small bridge on a street near my home. It is easy to drive past it and not notice the scenery, but when the sky is hazy and uninteresting, the light shows off in the reflections. Here, it looks like the stream is liquid mercury. The photo does not do it justice, because the light was so bright all around that I was squinting, and the light was intense, coming from the stream or creek or whatever it is.

.

I was delighted to have captured this, because a local resident looked at the print and said, "Ooh, where's that at?" "Pinecrest," I said. The other person's jaw dropped. Yes, there is a lot of beauty all around us, especially if we train our eyes to find it.