Scenes from the Start of the Chicago to Mackinac Race

The 101st Chicago to Mackinac race started on Saturday July 18. At 333 miles, it is the "longest annual freshwater distance race". According to the website, 337 boats are participating this year and 260 of those are getting tracked by GPS. I think they start getting to Mackinac Island Michigan on Monday, but it seems they haven't had a lot of wind.

(Click on the photo collage to enlarge it)

Feathered Friends: Do These Feathers Make Me Look Fat?

Sometimes I catch birds in rather amusing poses. I'd love it to be intentional but it is the random click of the shutter that gets them just at a moment they are doing something odd-looking. When I was going through the pictures from our recent trip to Northerly Island, this particular one of a Savannah Sparrow made me laugh. And the caption "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" popped into my head.

Here is the Savannah Sparrow in a more elegant pose. More pictures of the Savannah Sparrow at Northerly Island are at my birdwatching blog, here.

Coming in for the Mackinac

The Chicago to Mackinac race is this weekend. This is the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinac, in Chicago to escort the racers.

All the Wonderful People in the Dark (in the Park)

Yesterday was the first Movies in the Park downtown. There's just something really great about sitting in the park watching a movie - especially a classic like Sunset Boulevard.

Two Views of ... The Wrigley Building

Today's "Two Views" is The Wrigley Building. The first view is the building's reflection in the Trump Tower; the second view is the real building.

State Street Bridge

Although the bridges over the Chicago River are usually referred to by the street the bridge is on, most have more formal names. For example, the official name for the "State Street Bridge", which has these two decorative designs, is "The Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge".


According to the plaque and Wikipedia, Philippine and American troops had held Bataan for 14 weeks until finally surrendering it to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. The U.S. and Filipino army recaptured the island in 1945.

Feathered Friends: AAACK! A Camera

Caught this Killdeer in mid-squawk at Northerly Island. Killdeer can be rather loud little birds and have an interesting way of running and then suddenly sitting down in some grass as if to say "You can't see me now that I'm not moving."

A few more pictures of Killdeer are at my birdwatching blog, here.