Foggy, Misty Morning

Our day on the Tall Ship Windy was mostly foggy. Still an enjoyable cruise but not including any great Chicago skyline shots. Here we see the Grand Ballroom at the east end of Navy Pier shrouded in the mist. The other photo, at the breakfront, was a bit clearer as we look at the traditional lighthouse.

Tall Ship Windy

Last week we went down to Navy Pier, plunked down two coupons, and picked up two tickets to a cruise on the Tall Ship Windy. Well, not a coupon, actually, but a Groupon.

Of those not in on the secret, it is no longer a secret. If you join at groupon.com you will get a nice email each day offering an event, a sale, a ticket. I attended a Cub game from a rooftop on my first Groupon trip, and this week we enjoyed an hour on Lake Michigan on the four-masted tall ship.

Here we see the Windy coming in to the dock to pick us up, and then us leaving the dock for our visit. We will look at the sights in the next few posts.

Or They May Scare Back

Having seen the Polar Bear rearing up on the distant window, I just had to scurry around to that side and see if he would return. Patience, of course, is a hallmark of photography and it paid off handsomely.

Notice the marks on the glass as the huge bear dominates the view of the window.

Make a note of it: you must get to Brookfield Zoo to see the new Bear Wilderness. Along with all the other features that are there to be seen.

Do Not Scare the Bears

The Polar Bear began to pace, moving back and forth around the pen, and a times rearing up on his hind legs to paw at a full-length window across the way from me. Look closely at the window and see several paw prints all over the glass.
Here he is seen at the window and walking away, hopefully not having been frightened by the young boy in blue!

For Cub Fans

The star of our show, the child of the parents we saw in the previous post, was in the third pen when I first saw him. In his pond, the had interest in a log and as he worked at it, we found eventually that some kind of treat had been tucked into the log for him. Proud of himself, he enjoyed his little snack before climbing out to dry off.

We will see him on dry land in the next post.

Momma and Poppa Bear

The Polar Bear pair found in a second area are the parents of the huge cub we have not yet seen. Looking every inch the equal of the Polar Bear stars of numerous animated Coke commercials, they walk about the area and then locate a comfortable area to rest.

The new exhibit area I saw them in is interesting in that one of the bears was resting in an area he could be seen from outside though not clearly. But walking into the underwater viewing area, I looked back and saw him well-framed as if I was looking out from inside his lair!

500th Post

My 500th post completes my look at the Brookfield Zoo Grizzlies. As we turn from these imposing specimens to the trio of Polar Bears, I was struck with a Chicago Bear analysis. These grizzlies remind me of the football linemen, large athletes with power and grace, overshadowed in some viewers minds by the backs and receivers and linebackers.

The Polar Bears, my equivalent of these noted Bears, will be seen in the next post.

My 499th Post

Coming up to a milestone, the 500th post, we continue to look into the Bear Wilderness at Brookfield Zoo. Here one of the Grizzly Bears is in his pool working on a tasty treat which looked a lot like one of the rawhide toys that bigger dogs gnaw at. At first it looked as if Mr. Bear had nabbed a smooth white fish in his well-kept pond.

One more post, the 500th, will look at the grizzlies one more time before moving, shall we say, to the north?

Grizzly Bears

The new Bear Wilderness features three separate pens, and all three can be home to each of the Bears on a rotating basis. The first pen I came to had the two Grizzly Bears, seen here on the prowl in their large and attractive new home. As you look into the pen, the area to your right has a sizable water feature which the bears can access and which we shall see in an upcoming post.

The size and strength of these majestic animals is much more clearly seen here than in the older, cramped quarters. The bears have plenty of room to move about freely.

Brookfield Wolves & Bisons

Two other species moved to fill out the new Bear Wilderness at Brookfield Zoo would be wolves and bison. The Wolf Woods is not new but it is attached directly to the Bear exhibit. The Bison were moved to where they are on the exterior berms surrounding the east side of the Bear lair.

Here we see one wolf on lookout duty, and two Bison shots. The sand pit is there, according to the signage, because the Bison roll in dirt a lot to relieve bug irritation and in the process are very helpful to the natural ecosystem of the west.

Next post will move to the Grizzly Bears.

Brookfield Eagle

The recently opened Bear Wilderness at the Brookfield Zoo is a wonderful, well-designed opportunity to see not only bears, but three other types of animals. The first exhibit as you enter the new area is a majestic Bald Eagle.

An injured eagle who could not survive in the wild, this eagle reminded me of Lady Baltimore, another injured survivor I saw in Juneau Alaska and depicted in this blog during February, 2009. Their size and strength is immense and impressive.

More images in upcoming posts will show the wolves and bison as well as the five bears now making their homes at the new exhibit in Brookfield.

Crossing the Fox

Our last look at the Bridge Walk in support of Living Well Cancer Resource Center in Geneva shows walkers crossing the Fox River in Batavia on the bridge with the timbers crossing overhead, and walkers on the arcing bridge coming back at the end of the walk. Along the way, walkers found many supporters, including this young ballplayer who was handing out water.

The annual walk raised more than $230,000 for the center, and I will be pleased to join the walkers again in 2011. Call the Center if you would like to participate in the next walk or in other activities to assist cancer patients and survivors.

Two Relentless Walkers

The fight against cancer takes effort, relentless effort, day in and day out. Here we see a walker, not in one of the tee shirts but in a team sweat with the appropriate nickname on the back. In the other view, one of the survivors, who finished the walk proudly telling me she was the last survivor walking.

A great day for relentless people!

Yellow Shirts

We established in the prior post that lavender shirts were worn by survivors; we had seen the aqua shirts worn by supporters in an earlier post. The yellow shirts were worn by event staff from Living Well, including those seen here with the magic figure (donations nearly a quarter million dollars) and reacting to the great news.

Lavender Shirts

As the Bridge Walk began, nearly everyone at the front of the line was attired in a lavender tee shirt. That color was reserved for survivors of cancer, and we began the walk to the sound of We Are The Champions. The lyrics "we'll keep on fighting till the end . . . I ain't gonna lose" never sounded so powerful or poignant to me.

Bridge Walk 2010

Saturday morning I was fortunate to be part of the 5th Annual Bridge Walk from the Fabyan Park Forest Preserve in Geneva. I was only a small part of a group of hundreds of survivors and supporters that came together to fight cancer and to support the Living Well Cancer Resource Center in Geneva.
Heading south from Fabyan and walking into Batavia, we all crossed the Fox once there and headed back to the north until we reached the east side of Fabyan Park. From there, a pair of bridges took us first to the island and then back to the starting point, where we were greeted by our friendly clown among other folks.
Three bridges crossed us over the Fox but the pathway included several other bridges over various inlets. An invigorating walk and a very worthwhile cause. In the next post we will look at the outcome of the event.

Remembering BHS & JFK

In the previous post we visited my alma mater, Barrington High School, and saw the front steps. The older front steps had a visitor in fall, 1960, when Sen. John Kennedy gave a brief speech during his campaign for President. I was a freshman and I had gotten a spot to stand just 10-12 feet from the future President. His motorcade then left the school and actually drove right by my house, where Mom saw him from our yard. A nice memory not seen here.
As I walked through the highly-rearranged academic area, no rooms were open, of course. But I gravitated toward the room where I had senior math, 6th period, every day. I was good in math, but I never ever liked it. And on the Friday I remember, I put my head on my desk and stopped all student function along with every one of my classmates. It was November of my senior year, 1963, and the President had been assassinated. Through the classroom door window, I could see through to the courtyard beyond. I could see and I could remember, a powerful memory, but not a good one.

Barrington High School

I was asked if I could pick up a photo shoot -- water polo, of all things -- in a last-minute schedule problem. Sure. But it is at a different school. Which one? Barrington.
Had to take it. I graduated from Barrington, a fine school, in 1964. I had only been back once, when I refereed a basketball game there in the 1980s, and I had been able to walk through some unfamiliar halls. So off I went, and got there more than two hours early. Walked all around the school, much of which was not there in '64. Walked through most of the academic wing as well.
Here we see the front door, in the same basic location but redesigned. Here we see Lincoln, looking the same but in front of the school rather than to the east side. Here we see a Bronco sculpture. You can guess it is far too new to have been here so long ago.
In the next post a peek inside.

Red Part Three

Fresh berries on the plant in summer; Christmas ornaments through a frosted window. Either image powerfully features the color red.
We move into another topic in the next post.

Red Part Two

From a fireplug to a lost strawberry in a parking lot, red always stands out.

Color Studies: Red

Earlier we looked at some blue and green color studies. Logic suggests that we should turn to red for a few posts, completing the RGB cycle. Christmas mugs in a store display feature a deep metallic red in one, and a wall -- the legendary broad side of a barn -- dominate the other.

Mother's Day

Two photos of Mom, enjoying her Mother's Day with family members as she approaches her 87th birthday. We love you, Mom!

Green Part Two

Our green studies include a photo that could have been in the texture study collection, a shot of the patterned outfield of Wrigley Field. The other is another color/texture feature, the tall hand-dryers at the DuPage Children's Museum.