Sparkly

Autumn Sunrise

October Sunrise. There are still a few boats in the harbor. Have to credit the optimists that hold out for those last late Autumn lazy boating days.

Rain on the Horizon

Had to interrupt "Color Week" for this photo of Thursday's sunrise. The little areas of rain along the horizon were pretty cool.

Another Sunrise

Summer Solstice

Happy Summer! It's the longest day of the year. Get out and enjoy - whatever the weather.

Watercolor Sunrise

A Little Late

So, for the past two years in early March, there's been a sunrise with vibrant blue, pink and orange colors (here's proof from 2009 and from 2010).

But I hadn't seen that sunrise yet this year.

I've decided that I didn't oversleep and miss it earlier this month. I've decided it's just a little late in showing up this year (as Spring is a little late settling into Chicago this year).

Autumn Sunrise

Temperature-wise, Winter has been here for awhile. Astronomically, it is still Autumn.

30 Minutes Difference

It's so interesting to watch the light change as the sun rises.

7:05 am - November 2, 2010

7:35 am - November 2, 2010

Autumn Sunrise

Thursday's sunrise included a jagged layer of clouds at the horizon. I'm thinking that was probably the weather front that came through that dropped our temperatures by about 20 degrees again (no worries -- we're supposed to be back in the 70s early next before another thermometer plunge.)

Never Get Tired of This

I never get tired of the sunrises. They are just all so very different.

August 25, 2010

August 30, 2010

September 3, 2010

(Uh-Oh! This one has an "autumn" look to it)

Fog Rolls In ...

Time to quote Carl Sandburg again:

"The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over the harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on."

I wasn't going to post another sunrise series (since I posted one on Sunday) but this morning's sunrise was pretty cool. Along with the sun came a fog bank rolling in from the North. First it looked (to me) like sand dunes taking over the lake and Navy Pier. In the last one it almost looks like a giant wave crashing over a tiny Navy Pier sand castle.

To see a winter Fog Attack that I posted a while ago: Click here

All Sunrises are Different

Three Days, Three Sunrises: August 3, 4, 5

Flattened

To me, it appeared that something was flattening the sun a little this morning. It wasn't its usual oval shape as it can over the horizon. Some atmospheric optical illusion made it look more square. Square or oval, it was lovely.

April Sunrise

The sun just peeking through the morning clouds yesterday.

Same Time Last Year

Must be something about early March and the almost Spring conditions that brings out some pretty sunrises. Purely coincidentally, I posted a sunrise photo last year on March 3, too. The sky looks springlike but, as you can see, the marina is still full of ice and snow. And, they are predicting 50 degree temperatures for later in the week (which was the same forecast for "later in the week" last year, too, according to my 2009 post).

Winter Rising

Yesterday's sunrise over Lake Michigan. Interesting clouds and lovely colors.

Sunrise ... Moonrise

After several cloudy mornings and evening, it was finally clear for some sky photos.

Tuesday's Sunrise

Monday's Moonrise over Navy Pier

Two views of ... Ohio Street Beach

The Ohio Street Beach is nicknamed "The Playpen" and, on summer weekend afternoons, attracts a lot of boaters who anchor out and socialize. On a recent weekend there were way more than the usual number of boaters there and the boats were rafting up (tying themselves together) in long chains. Clearly, to draw that many boats (and it wasn't really one of the prime summer weather days) it was an organized event. Had to do a little internet searching to figure out what was going on. Turns out it was the 9th Annual "Boat Party" sponsored by Chicago Scene Magazine. It's quite the wild party, apparently, having been described by the New York Times (no less) as "a ticket to Girls Gone Wild come to life". The local newspaper described it, more sedately, as "a floating Mardi Gras". The Chicago Police Department and Coast Guard boats do patrol the area to make sure things don't get too wild.

But that's the weekend. During the week, it is a much more serene spot, well-suited for overnight anchoring by cruising boaters or even "staycationers".

Ohio Street Beach - Weekend Boat Party
Wide View

Ohio Street Beach - Quiet Weekday Morning

Late Summer Sunrise

I don't need a calendar to tell me that summer has hit its peak and we're moving into meteorological Autumn. This sunrise looks very different than the peak summer sunrises we've had. Not sure why the prism showed up in the picture - help, anybody? - but left it in because I didn't want to crop out the Chicago Harbor Light and the gold tipped clouds