Church Interiors

Here we see some forms and shapes from inside two European churches. The copper rings are the dome of the Rock Church, Evangelical Lutheran, in Helsinki; the circles can be mesmerizing. The rack of prayer candles is from Trinity Church in Stratford, the burial place of Shakespeare, and the vertical candles highlight the flames above the rectangular rack.

Barricades & Gates

Two powerful images from my European trip in 2009 include the sandbags that today are decorative memories at the site of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin and from the dreaded Tower of London. The gate, called the Traitor's Gate, was the entry method for doomed prisoners back to the reign of Henry VIII.
Both photos show the strength and power that were intended to discourage people from testing them.

Books

After thirty-eight years as an English teacher, I still see amazing things in books. Naturally, reading a book is the best use of one, but I see beauty in form, whether arranged in ranks on shelves or whether open, teasing our eyes to look closer, to read, to learn.
By the way, both of these images are souvenirs of my visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, during the summer of 2009.
Think I will close now; I have a novel to read.

Paths

Paths of all kinds fit into out category of Form and Shape. Here the path could be the walkway cut into the woods or the arcing live wires carrying power to distant towns.

Round & Round

Whether you travel all the way to Disney World or whether you pass a working windmill on a farm just beyond the suburbs, plenty of shapes go round and round, circles and globes. My Epcot image was shot in 1988 on color slide film, then shot in digital with a modern camera and a slide holder, then processed in Photoshop.

Windows

Windows often provide a frame that gives form to an image, whether by shooting through and making the window a frame, or using reflection to put a pretty face on a building.

Form Studies

One of my ongoing collections of images is my Form Studies file. Over the years, I have found myself interested in shapes and forms, be they the straight lines of the converging railroad tracks or the multiple circles of the swimming pool lane markers seen here.
Over the next several posts we will look at various Form Studies.

From the Brown Line

From 1951 until 1956 I lived on Kenmore Avenue exactly two miles (16 blocks) south of Wrigley Field. I was enrolled in kindergarten through fourth grade at St. Vincent's Grade School, which no longer exists. The related church, though, is still a major cathedral on the north side of Chicago, and the old school building was long ago turned into a drama department building for the related university. Which University? Well, St. Vincent's name was St. Vincent DePaul.
If we walked a half-block south on Kenmore and turned left on Armitage, we were two short blocks away from the el station, on what was then called the Ravenswood Line. The station is still Armitage, of course, but Ravenswood is now the Brown Line.
I love to check the sights when the Brown Line runs through the old neighborhood, and here we see St. Vincent's and the sign on the el stop, the last shots of the day I spent on the rooftops. Cubs Win!

P.S.: Happy Shakespeare's Birthday to all.

Leaving the Rooftop

One last look at game action from the Rooftop before heading for the Red Line and the route home. The angle of view from the Sheffield skybox was quite good and the Cub rally was lots of fun. Of course being on Sheffield also got us a great look at three of the six retired number flags.

Tall Buildings

From the rear of the rooftop a look up and to the left shows a great view of the downtown skyline, one that is of course impossible inside the ballpark as the upper deck would block it out. Here we see a view of the John Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue.
Looking up and to the left gave me a great view of the largest of the high rise buildings north of the ballpark, this one on Irving Park Road and Lake Shore Drive. This one always catches my eye, as my son Eric lived there for a year fifteen years ago, a nice memory. I would park in that garage and we would walk to the ballgames.

Step to the Rear

Between innings there is plenty of time to step to the rear of the rooftop deck. A spacious area where several people appear to be visiting and not watching the ballgame. A gentle breeze cools you as you look almost straight down on the rapid transit tracks and on the rear porches of the neighbor homes east of the tracks and the ballpark.

Lots of Action

When LaTroy Hawkins was with the Cubs, he was prone up late-inning failures that sent him out of town. Now with the Brewers, he came in for the 8th inning and was touched up for 4 runs, enough for the Cubs to pull out a win. With action heating up on the field, the rooftops began to buzz with excitement and the cheers resounded together with the fans across Sheffield Ave. inside the ballpark.

Near the Numbers

My Rooftop was just north of the "Eamus Catulii" sign on the building which keeps track of how many seasons have passed since the Cubs won a division, a National League title, and the World Series. Looking to my left I saw a portion of that signage. Looking down and to the right I could see the bleachers quite clearly.

Inside the Rooftop

The food lines and the beer lines are all inside the building, of course, and the new interior is bright and airy with large flat screen televisions in every direction. Notice the BELIEVE stenciled on the wall. Look up toward the front and you can see out to the ballpark; later this area can be filled with fans watching the game.

Can You See From There?

Yes, as this stitched panorama shows, you can see much of the playing surface and you certainly can follow the game from the rooftops. Some closer looks in upcoming posts.

Up on the Roof

The second game of the season at Wrigley Field this week, I was on a mission to enjoy a game from one of the Rooftops on Sheffield Avenue. Since I go back to the distant time where people lived across the street from the ball games and could actually see a bit of the field from their apartments, I have read about the growth of these buildings and the thousands of fans who enjoy the games from there.
The result of an offering on Groupon, a wonderful Chicago web site that offers daily "group coupons" with great offers for various attractions in the city and around the area.
Waiting in line until one hour prior to the game, I grabbed a couple of shots of the building. Upcoming posts will take us literally up on the roof.

Happy Birthday Amber

Our great niece Amber celebrated her first birthday Sunday with a pizza dinner, a nice cake, and a table full of gifts. She was not eager to mess up her mash cake, but we did wind up with an attempt to blow out the candles and and bit of frosting on her nose.

The Blue Park

Joey refers to the Kelly Park climbing structure (and the entire park as well) as Blue Park. My self-portrait shadow against the springy surface of the structure will show the reason for the name.
My favorite shot of the afternoon, of course, was of big sister and little brother at the end of the day, holding hands and headed for the car.

Daredevil Duo?

As Joey approaches his third birthday, it becomes increasingly clear that having a big sister gives him a push to try new things quickly and with style. On the day Gianna first navigated the monkey bars from end to end, Joey hung freely on the rings and managed to turn a few flips with a little push.
As grandparents, we need to be prepared!

Saturday in the Park

We spent a great Saturday afternoon at Kelly Park in Wheaton, with Joey in the sand pit and Gianna climbing on the excellent play structure in these pictures. A very nice park, Kelly Park is one of their favorites and the spring sunshine attracted us for a wonderful day.

TRAVELING Magazine

The latest edition of TRAVELING Magazine is here. My one-page magazine cover with no text pages is published after every trip.
Here we see the desert sunset along with one of the AA pitching hopefuls I had highlighted earlier.
The next post will open a new subject.

Retired Numbers

The Cubs have honored six players by retiring the five numbers they wore during their Cub tenure. First of course was Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, with his #14. He was not in Mesa during my visit, but I saw all five of the other honorees. Fergie Jenkins wore #31 and Billy Williams #26 in the Fergie & Friends game and Ryne Sandberg was suited up in #23 for the Cub games before he heads off to manage the Iowa Cubs. And on the final morning, with Billy Williams in uniform working with the batters, I saw the other #31, Greg Maddux, working with the pitchers.
All I needed was Ernie to have had a full house!

Rainy Morning on the Desert

It was tempting to stay away from the ballpark on Friday, as I had to get the car back to the airport by noon to catch a flight. There was plenty of time to go to batting practice, but there was a rain falling. More than a drizzle, less than a shower, but a lot heavier than I prefer to use my camera in.
So I got moving, headed to the ballpark, and wound up with some good photos to end the trip. And I wound up with a poem as well.

MISTY DRIZZLE

Last morning in Mesa, changing plans because of a flight time change,
I step outside to walk to breakfast and see clouds, gray clouds, home clouds,
Not the wispy high-sky summertime clouds I expect above me in Arizona.
In the buffet line, I mention seeing more clouds today than ever out here,
Then plan a few photo stops while enjoying the cereal and banana.
When I walk back to the room, a misty drizzle falls, and I need no reminder
It is time to head home. Just as soon as I get to one more batting practice,
Ignoring the continuing rainfall, watch the sun come out, visit with more fans,
Collect a few dozen more photos, and grab a pair of major league foul balls.

One More Sunset

One more sunset remained before the flight home on Friday. Power lines help frame the final rays of the sun in one picture; in the other, the dark of the evening closes in on some bright desert flowers.

Lee & Soriano

A few action shots of the Cub Game at Camelback Ranch, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and one other team, generally clad in black, to remain nameless as they were not around. Ryan Dempster was tagged for a long Manny Ramirez HR and took the loss, reminding me a bit too much of the only postseason game I have ever seen in October 2008.

On the drive back to Mesa, I had to negotiate a monstrous traffic jam at a ballpark with only 13,000 fans, then I joined the Phoenix rush hour traffic. No hurry, I just listened to music and headed for dinner. The result was an "on-the-road" poem:

MY OLD FRIEND

Travel driving is a challenge when a ballgame dumps you on a five o’clock road
Leading into a strange expressway loop right downtown where you have never been.
Staying right, keeping it slow, watching for all traffic, listening to the radio.
We entered a tunnel long enough for my GPS to lose signal but the music remained,
Paul and Art saying ‘Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again,’
Fortunately the darkness was not that severe and the Toyota survived intact.

Batting Practice

When the Cubs are playing away games in the afternoon, the ballpark is open early in the morning for fans to walk in and enjoy batting practice. Few people are there and it is easy to walk down to the front row and get a good closeup look at the batters at work. After the last group has hit, the players head to the clubhouse for a bit of lunch and walk out to board a bus to drive to the game. Fans line up at a sawhorse barricade and are able to get several autographs from various players and coaches as they leave.
Here we see manager Lou Piniella talking baseball with Senior Adviser & Hall-of-Famer Billy Williams on the field. The other photo shows Hall-of-Famer Ryne Sandberg, working as a major league coach in spring training, signing autographs before jumping on the bus.
I took pictures, jumped in the rental car, and followed along. Pictures from the away game in the next post.