Half and Half

The Columbia Yacht Club is getting a little restorative work. Looks like they are about half done. At least with the priming for eventual re-painting stage.

When Whales Fly

And then, in the middle of the Wednesday night storm, a spouting whale went flying across the sky. Of course, no one else saw it -- everyone was in their basements because the air raid (storm warning) sirens were going off in the Loop.

OK so maybe it does take a bit of imagination to see the whale.

Sunset Competition

So after I commented about the sunsets and clouds on the east side of Lake Michigan, I guess Mother Nature was trying to show me that she could produce some interesting sunsets and cloud formations on the west side of Lake Michigan, too. This sunset and storm cloud was brought to you by yet another strong winded, sky-streaking lightning, cats-and-dogs raining storm that knocked down trees, flooded suburbs and generally created havoc in the Chicagoland area.

What's Blooming?

Treated myself to a macro lens and went over to Millennium Park's Lurie Garden to practice. I think I'm going to have fun with this lens.

Pale Coneflower

Ornamental Allium

Betony

Another View

Same Friday night sunset as yesterday, but this one was taken a little earlier. It was so interesting to watch the colors change.

Storm-sponsored Sunset

Chicago got hit with some severe thunder storms on Friday night. I was on the other side of the lake. While the storms went south of us, the edges of the storm treated us to an amazing sunset.

As of 6:28am CDT today , it's officially summer. Happy Summer Solstice everyone!

She&Him ... and Everyone Else in Chicago

One of the best things about Chicago in the summer is the opportunity to go to free music concerts. There are street fairs, radio-sponsored mid-day concerts, and various music series at my favorite venue, Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

On Monday, as part of the Downtown Sounds series, the performers were She&Him. Well, She and Him and every other Chicagoan seemed to show up. I'd never seen the Pritzker Pavilion at standing-room only capacity. The crowd around us seemed to be generally well-behaved and the sound system did allow a great listening experience whether you were on the grass or off in the sidelines.

Welcome Summer!

Obligatory Blackhawks Reference

OK. Confession time. I'm not a hockey fan. I'm more a fan of summertime sports and those sports that typically don't involve major dental reconstruction work. This time of year, the only ice I'm interested in is that which is in my umbrella drink. But that's me. The rest of Chicago, however, is in the midst of a severe case of Stanley Cup Fever. Apparently it has been 49 years since Chicago won a Stanley Cup and the long-suffering Hawks fans ...

Wait a minute!

49 years is "long-suffering"?!?

I'm a Cubs fan.

One hundred and one years is long-suffering.

You're just scratching the surface of long-suffering

at 49 years!

Oh. Sorry. Back to the subject.

... the "long suffering" Hawks fans are lighting up the buildings in hopes of bringing the cup to Chicago.

Playing Hooky?

Since the schools aren't out yet, these kids must be playing hooky to enjoy a nice day.

June Theme Day: Funny Signs

It is the first of the month and that means Theme Day at City Daily Photo. This month's theme, chosen by vote of all CDP participants, is Funny Signs.

I almost didn't have a funny sign for this post. But then we saw this one while biking in Michigan this weekend.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the Funny Signs Theme Day.