Just when I thought that this morning’s sunrise couldn’t get any better…
I received these photos from Scott Carlson this evening. They’re photos of
this morning’s sunrise as seen from his condo rooftop on Chicago’s west side.
Still stunning… even with all those buildings in the way!

Anyone else up early enough and willing to share their own sunrise photos?!

It’s been a busy two nights. Two nights of fun. Two night of music.
Two nights under the stars enjoying fine music, friends and food at Ravinia!
Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois is known for bringing a wide assortment
of music to the northern suburbs. Ravinia is a music venue with a large pavilion
and an even larger grassy meadow surrounding it with “lawn seats” for those of us
too cheap to pay for pavilion seats… plus the picnic is a BIG part of the experience!

So Friday night, after camp, I went up to Ravinia with my friend Nancy for a fun night
of retro fun. As a kid of the 70’s, I sang along and knew every word… as the concert was
a tribute to ABBA. Yes, it was a night with Fernando, Chiquitita and the Dancing Queen!
Okay, so it wasn’t the “real” ABBA – as they no longer perform and keep raking in
the royalty checks! Imagine how much they got from the musical & movie adaptation
of “Mamma Mia” – not to mention the resurgence of their own ABBA popularity.
Ravinia was packed – and SOLD OUT… including the lawn!

Then tonight, I returned for another night of music with my parents, aunt & cousin
for a night in the park with night of Broadway melodies. It was a night to celebrate
the 80th birthday of Broadway lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Famous for his wonderful
lyrics for many of the most popular modern musicals; including Gypsy, Sweeney Todd,
Sunday In The Park With George, Passions, and A Little Night Music. The orchestra was
great – with vocal performances by Broadway legends Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald,
Michael Cerveris and George Hearn. I was a bit disappointed that the show was kind of short.
And they skipped over a lot of Sondheim classics like West Side Story and Into The Woods.
Plus, I’m not a huge fan of Patti LuPone – I think she’s overrated, a little brassy and annoying.
Audra McDonald was incredible, as were both gentlemen. So, even though the show wasn’t
everything I had hoped for, the evening was still great fun. Enjoying the park, the gardens,
the sculptures, the food and the fun with my family. Another fun night under the stars!

So, all in all it was another wonderful night at Ravinia Festival. Plus, we got to see a lot of
“beautiful people” as tonight was also the Ravinia Women’s Club fundraising black-tie gala!
So there were a lot of heavy-hitters in their finery milling about – plus the huge, decked-out
gala tent out in the large meadow area. Tuxes, ball gowns, ladies who lunch and more!

For the schedule of upcoming shows, check out the Ravinia website…
www.Ravinia.org

A note from my friend Barbara Finn…
You inquired earlier about those who wanted to continue to receive your early morning
musings and pictures. How about mixing it up a little with the occasional shot of the cityscape
catching the early rays of the sun or a shot from Olive Park.  Or something that reflects the
changing of the seasons from a particular spot so those of us who might be relocating from
this magnificent city would have a consistent photographic record of the different faces
of the city and environs.  I enjoy the shots of flowers that are sprinkled into the mix.
Still appreciating your pastel sunrises and dramatic morning skies.
And don’t mean to step on the art director’s spokes.

So here you go Barbara… an “occasional” sunrise shot with some Chicago “cityscape”
architecture”catching the early rays” instead of my bike! I found it intriguing how the
sunrise reflected off the green glass windows of the Oceanarium… with the Navy Pier
towers way off in the distance. You asked… and here you go!

So the morning photos can be spectacular too… even without my bike in the shot!
The boats at Monroe Harbor make a striking contrast to the ever-changing sunrise.

For the past week, Chicago has been “transformed” with some movie magic
going on right in the heart of downtown. With streets closed all over the city,
there have been major car crashes, explosions and people falling out of buildings
all for the making of the next “Transformers” movie sequel. Changing the landscape
of Michigan Avenue – and transforming it into the “Smash-nificent Mile.
Quite a sight to see… especially if you weren’t aware of what was going on?!

While “slightly” breaking my own rule of not riding
in the morning when it’s raining or the pavement is wet…
I got up early this morning for another ride, and the pavement was still wet
from an overnight rain. But with the impending plummet of temperatures, I felt
compelled to pedal this morning, not knowing when the next chance might be?

No sunrise to speak of this morning…
but a beautiful blue sky before the day’s grayness took over!

So Christmas is officially over, and my gifts have been given with proper surprise.
So now I can share my good news with the rest of you. I didn’t want to share too soon
and ruin the surprise for those who were getting a copy of the book for Christmas!!!
If you run into my friends Gerry & Rosene, don’t tell them… they haven’t gotten their gift yet.
Shhh… keep it quiet… but only from them!

So it’s official – the Chicago photography book published by CBS2 Chicago
has finally been published and distribution has begun. And I made the cut… twice!
Two of my photos were chosen to be published in the book.
I’m very excited!!!

For those who may not remember, sometime last Fall, CBS2 Chicago announced this special
project on their news broadcasts. My dad turned me on to it and I started submitting photos.
The deal was that they were accepting photographs that depicted life in the City.
Photographers from all over submitted images to the website – which were then put up to an
online popularity poll. The more votes your images received, the more likely your image was
to be published in the book. So I submitted several photos, many from my morning biking
sunrise series, and hoped for the best. It wasn’t until early December that we found out
if we had been chosen by the book’s editors for the publication. And I was excited to
make it into the book twice - against a LOT of stiff competition!!!

2,480 photographers

28,144 photos submitted

2,388,443 votes cast

So… after all of that, one of my images found a place on Page 68 in the “Scapes Of All Sorts”
section of the book. It was one of my favorite biking moments of the summer. A surreal
biking moment when the morning fog was literally “illuminated” by the rising sun.

“Misty Morning Glow”

My second image chosen was used on Page 24 in the title page montage (top row, fourth
from the left) for the “Arts, Culture & Food” section of the book. Again, it’s of of my favorites -
this time, it’s my favorite “hidden gem” inside the Chicago Cultural Center…
a beautiful Tiffany stained glass dome in the rotunda.

So that’s it… another great experience… and another great chance to be published!
I hope you all get a chance to find a copy of the book and enjoy the many beautiful images
that capture the essence of Chicago…  and have you heard?… two of them are mine!!!

A little cloudy this morning over the lake.
Dramatic clouds crossing the sky… with a sliver of a sunrise breaking on the horizon.

Then I turned around and headed back home…
as the sunrise began to brighten the incredible skyline behind my back!