Winter Ski Jump

Fox River Grove's winter ski jump had its biggest crowds ever this year. Here are a few shots of the festivities.

It always begins with little kids "jumping" on Saturday afternoon...



...and playing other kid games.



The Jeager-girls served, as always,


This blue snow fence made an interesting shot.


On Sunday, the crowds arrived.




The pros jumped...




The bonfire was fed by discarded Christmas trees.



Here are some pictures from summer and winter tournaments of the past...

Lots of people like to display their buttons (admission passes) from over the years.


The Viking dude is always there for photo-ops


Good bands sometimes play the summer jumps


More jumper shots



I think some people come especially for the bonfires & beer & good cheer.


(Fox River Grove, IL, Norge Ski Jump - 1/26-27/2008)

Light's Out

There was something about this scene that inspired me to take a few shots. It's on the back porch of my apartments. In the summer, someone had replaced one of the floodlights with a regular household bulb. Of course, it burned out in the first rain. The remaining floodlight made a flood of light anyway, so I never bothered to fix things.

After our first big snow, we had our first big cold snap. It left these two bulbs in the condition you see here.



It's a convenience to those taking their trash out to the dumpster at night, since it's a motion-sensing light. It was especially convenient considering the situation with the switch.


After a few days the cold snap broke for a bit, but then returned. The socket of ice on the bulb melted a little and...

Driftwood Poetry

Somewhere on the south coast of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, there is a roadside park named "Rest Area".

It's just one of many spots along US Route 2 between Escanaba and St. Ignace where you can just pull over, and walk the beach for miles. A lot more driftwood came to rest at this Rest Area than the others.


Some were crawling with fungus, moss, and lichens.



One especially gnarly tree stump stood out. It held out some rocks.


When I looked closer, I saw this poem written on it.


A soul of water
A soul of stone
A soul of fire
A soul unknown

Near the rock bowl, I saw another poem.


I couldn't read it. I took some close-up shots so I could try again later.

I think it says...

The years unmake
Our flesh
Our bone
The soul is all
And all alone

I searched the beach for a nice rock to add to the stump's collection...


...I found one, washed it off, and dropped it in.

Garden Grasses

Fall grasses at the Chicago Botanic Garden




Yeah, they had flowers too...












(Chicago Botanic Garden - 10/9/2007)