Hotel

The historic Baker Hotel on the Fox River in St Charles, IL

Morning

My Morning Glories are finally blooming!!

Commons

Five years ago the City of Warrenville dedicated the space between the Warrenville Public Library and City Hall to honor a longtime volunteer by naming it Bob Walters Commons. This space is now the location of weekly free concerts during the summer. The space behind the fountain is perfect allowing kids to run and play during concerts.  Most weeks there are as many people in this area (behind the "stage") as sitting on the hillside "amphitheater." I think the fountain adds a great touch.

West Branch DuPage River

The Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve has been closed for two years. During that time they cleaned toxin from the riverbed, removed a dam and landscaped the area. I've been watching it all summer wondering when it would finally be open again and today I rewarded. The preserve website describes this feature as "remnants of an historic grist mill raceway."

Bowls

A cool bowl I got at the Warrenville Farmer's Market the other day.

Rainy Day

Drizzle, then steady rain all day.

Farmer's Market

Sweet corn is pricey this summer but this really looked good. Wheaton's French Market had lots of fresh produce.

British Car Night

The theme for tonight's Vintage Rides show in downtown Wheaton was British Cars. The most interesting one was a Morgan.

Triumph

MG

1967 Austin Healey 3000 Mk III

Another interesting car was the Morris Minor which I featured perviously.

"Dead" Bush Blooms

My neighbor has this bare tree in her garden. I thought it was dead. Recently it got leaves on the top ends. Today I noticed a pink flower. I did some googling and decided it's a pink frangipani.

Pirates

Today I did the Pirates sail on the Tall Ship Windy. These Pirates told stories of piracy on the Great Lakes, entertaining the kids while the adults enjoyed the Chicago skyline.

Barber Shop

I found the Angelo from Italy Barber Shop at the Riverside, IL train station so I stepped inside and asked if I could take a picture. The barber said, "This is an old fashioned barber shop." I love the step-back-in-time it offered.

1963 Chevy II 300

Tonight I saw this car at the the Cruizin Winfield event that I had never seen before. I talked with the owner and he only got it in March. It had been in storage for 20 years. The original owner only used it on Sundays. He walked a couple of blocks to work each day for exercise. The current owner bought it from the nephew of the original owner. They didn't have a key for it or a title. This car is just as it was when it was being driven. He did have to get a new gas tank and fuel lines. 

Circus

The original winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus is in Baraboo, WI and is the site of the Circus World Museum.

More photos of the Circus World Museum can be seen here:
 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151122093587779.419537.523177778&type=1&l=e719f4c419

Haying

August 18, 2012*

This area of southwest Wisconsin is Amish country. I saw this scene more than once while driving on country roads.

*Photo taken 8/18/2012 but not posted until 8/19/2012

Dairy Farms

This is dairy country. Around every corner, over every hill and in every valley is another farm. They come in all sizes and shape but it is the predominant landscape. This is just a sample one I saw on my bike ride today.

Round Barn

This afternoon I went on a photo adventure. I had my camera with me at lunch and a fellow customer asked if I wanted to take pictures of round barns. (Vernon County, WI has more round barns than any other county in the US.) That's how I met Kristi & Craig King. They own one of the remaining 10 round barns. She told me to go to their farm and tell her husband she sent me. This is their barn.  Seven years ago they left Naperville, IL and moved to WI. They have been restoring this barn ever since they bought it.  

I started asking where I could get a map of the other barns and eventually ended up at the store of a local artist who has painted each of the barns. Her husband is a historian and he did the research for the book about each of the barns. He was happy to sell me the book with a map and couldn't stop telling me about the various characteristics of some of them. I saw four more on my way home and hope tp see the other five before I leave Wisconsin.

Biking Elroy-Sparta Trail

15 August 2012*

I rode a total of 40 miles today starting at Wilton, WI and heading west to Sparta. The return ride include a steady 8-mile climb to tunnel 3. This photo was taken just before I walked through the tunnel on the way to Sparta. It took me 15 minutes to walk the .7 mile tunnel. Glad I had good flashlight. The downhill ride into Sparta was great.

*Photo taken 8/15/2012 but not posted until 8/16/12.

Wisconsin, Here I Come

Ready to go: biking, hiking, kayaking & camping. Headed for Wilton, Wisconsin to ride the Elroy-Sparta Trail.

In case you are wondering, my bike is inside.

Drizzle ends

It was a rainy/drizzly day until just before sunset when the rain stopped and the clouds started to break up so the sun could shine through.

B-29 FIFI

12 August 2012*

This is the last B-29 flying today. It was at the DuPage Airport's Community Days Weekend.

*Photos taken 8/12/12 but not posted until 8/13/12.

Chicago Light

The beautiful lighthouse that guards Chicago Harbor.

Chicago River

The sun was shining, the blue sky full of clouds, and the skyline along the Chicago River was spectacular today.

Lion

I took my friend Mary to see the Lions at the Art Institute today. The line to get in was loooong.

Calypso

Tonights Concert on the Common band was Mr. Myers from Sycamore, IL. A cold front came through and the temps were in the 70's. Maybe a little cool for Caribbean music but a nice change from hot.

Community

Tonight, Warrenville really outdid themselves celebrating National Night Out: "America's Night Out Against Crime." They planned for about 400 people but I think close to 1,000 attended. For kids the magic show and the "Bubble Man" were hits. Lots of local businesses gave away food and goods. Everyone got a free dinner. This was sponsored by the Police and the Parks Department.

Reflowering

Tonight I noticed a number of my garden plants are once again producing flowers. I think it might be that we've gotten a bit of rain over the past 3 weeks and some that flowered early and quit blooming are starting to produce again.

This white Hosta is blooming for the first time this year. Of course the Black-eyed Susan is a native prairie plant and survives even when their isn't rain. They have been in bloom for almost a month but i think they are a bit more prolific now that the rain has come.

Guitar

Beautiful Celtic instrument.

Taxi

1949 Oxford Taxi from England. This car was found in a warehouse in January 2012 in Downers Grove, IL. The owner has been working on the body ever since and this was the first time out, for the Warrenville, IL Summer Daze car show. It hadn't been driven for 25 years and he has no idea how it got to the US. It looked about like it must have when it was used in England.

                                   Meter

PS This interesting plaque encourages passengers to give to the help the blind.

Ford

It was another fun night in Wheaton at the Vintage Rides show on Front Street along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Evening Commute

I was biking on the bridge near the DuPage County Fairgrounds when the Metra commuter train came through headed west to Winfield, IL.