Posts in Category: Black and White
Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain
It was June 8, 1912, a day the New York Times called “second only to the inauguration of a President” because of the parade that included 15,000 troops, 2,000 motor cars, 50,000 Knights of Columbus, around 150,000 spectators, a 21 gun salute, and elaborate horse-drawn floats depicting noteworthy incidents in Columbus’ life.
At the unveiling ceremony, President Taft said, “It is most difficult for us by any effort of the imagination to take in the problem which Columbus solved.” Yet today Columbus is hardly thought of as a national hero to anyone beyond the third grade. Maybe the Columbus statue has simply been gradually overlooked as Washington, D.C. has continued to add more and more monuments.
The rear of the monument features a medallion in honor of Spanish financiers King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and three flagpoles representing the three ships of Columbus’ envoy. Along with the inscription reading: “To the memory of Christopher Columbus, whose high faith and indomitable courage gave to mankind a new world.”
As you emerge from Union Station, the first thing you see is the rear of the Columbus fountain. Its marbled plaza is an alluring first sight, fitting as it is with the classicism of Union Station itself, and it’s open enough to provide a breath of fresh air and space after a cramped train ride.
Happy 4th of July, and thanks Christopher for discovering America, or re-discovering it!
Soap Box Derby
At the top of Derby Hill, two racers prepare to coast to victory.
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse
The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse is the only surviving lighthouse in Chicago and one of only two remaining examples in Illinois. Built in 1893, the Lighthouse symbolically marks the Chicago Harbor. During the 1917 renovation of the breakwater, the lighthouse was moved to its present location, and its attached fog-signal room and boathouse were constructed. It is a familiar sight along Chicago’s shoreline just east of Navy Pier, where the Lighthouse continues to mark the harbor entrance.
Chicago River
Looking North down the Chicago River at night. We were waiting for out bus to arrive outside Union Station.
Reflecting Time
At the lake in Scioto Trails Park, this young girl spent time reflecting (literally) on her camping over Memorial Day weekend. A photo I did not take was of the beaver that was swimming around the lake. Lesson learned, always take your camera with you.
Old Confederate Army
Ever dig through your grandparents attic and find a once in a lifetime photo hidden away in an old chest? Nope me neither. What you can’t find, you create.
Emilia and I went to The Encampment in our town over the weekend. This free annual event was well attended and many re-enactors, from both sides of the Civil War were present. Not just from the Civil War but also from the Revolutionary War and early Native Americans. Dr. Emilia was very interested in the Civil War field hospital that was set up, with real medical instruments that were used during the war.
Lunar Eclipse
The full lunar eclipse from February 20, 2008. Extremely cold temperatures outside (13F, windchill was -5F). Used the Tamron 500mm with a 1.4x teleconverter giving a total range of 700mm. Next full lunar eclipse in North America is not until December 2010.
Portrait of giraffe
The tallest animal on the ground, giraffes can reach up to 19 feet in height. Females are slightly shorter than males, topping out at 16 feet, but both genders display brown, patterned coats. The Baringo giraffe’s front legs are longer than the back legs, giving the body as a whole a sloping appearance.
Baringo giraffes use their extremely long (up to 18 inches), manipulative tongues to gather leaves in the wild. The tongue is flexible enough to pluck preferred acacia leaves while avoiding the acacia tree’s accompanying thorns. Males gather their food from the tops of trees, while females browse at lower levels. This strategy enables them to share habitats without competing directly for food.
Ellis Island, circa 1905
I grabbed my brand new Kodak Brownie snapshot camera (paid $1 for it), loaded in the 6 exposure film cartridge (another 15 cents), paid the $.10 for the ferry and went to go see this new statue in the harbor, after all it’s been there for almost 20 years already!
Here are my photos from my trip into the harbor to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I had to wait 25 days to get the film developed from Macy’s. Can’t wait until they come out with color photographs! Enjoy.
Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The 1430 foot (425m) plunge qualifies the Upper Falls alone as one of the twenty highest waterfalls in the world.
The Ahwahneechee people of Yosemite Valley called the waterfall “Cholock” and believed that the plunge pool at its base was inhabited by the spirits of several witches, called the Poloti. An Ahwaneechee folktale describes a woman going to fetch a pail of water from the pool, and drawing it out full of snakes. Later that night, after the woman had trespassed into their territory, the spirits caused the woman’s house to be sucked into the pool by a powerful wind, taking the woman and her newborn baby with her.