south of the loop » photos

Butterfly Haven

ellembee — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:22:22 +0000

From the Butterfly Haven inside the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum:

Boxing Day

ellembee — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:44:13 +0000

I think the term “Boxing Day” is gaining notoriety in the States, though it’s certainly not a federal holiday. According to the Internets, the term “Boxing Day” doesn’t have a singular definitive origin, but according to my friends in London, it was historically the day that you boxed up your unwanted gifts to the poor. Which is a pretty good reason for a federal holiday, frankly.

This past Boxing Day, Tim and I joined his dad for a ramble through Hampstead Heath in north London. It wasn’t at all the manicured park I expected—more a sprawling, muddy lawn, with gravel paths and dozens of dogs happily racing through the mud and muck. (I should have worn my new patterned wellies but didn’t realize just how muddy it was going to be. I finally caught on near the end of my stay, after I ruined a pair of jeans by constantly dragging them through muddy paths).

After a good post-Christmas walk and a cup of tea, Tim and I headed toward Waterloo so I could take a few more pictures with my proper camera (as opposed to my point-and-shoot). We walked through the compound that houses the British Film Institute, the National Theatre, and other cultural buildings, which were decorated with small white lights hanging between the buildings. The moon was bright that night and not quite full. I loved the asymmetry of the moon and the broken string of lights.

Jump! Jump!

ellembee — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:14:11 +0000

When my friend Megan and I were at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, we happened onto a large group of Filipino tourists gathered in front of O’Brien’s Tower. They were staging a photo op by all jumping at the same time — this went on for quite a while, and they were so excited about it that it just cracked me up. So I set my camera to a fast shutter speed and started snapping. This is my favorite, even though the light isn’t that great (it was a gray day, of course, and my shutter speed was probably a little too fast). I especially love the guy on the far left:

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current book: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, which I need to hurry up and finish so I can read Ender’s Game for my YA book club next week.

current music: The newly launched CHIRP Radio. Go listen! You can even stream it through iTunes.

current socks: It’s SmartWool season. I was wearing brown socks with pink mushrooms until I ran through the snow after the UPS truck wearing only pajamas and socks. Now I am wearing red-and-white SmartWools.

What Paradise Looks Like

admin2 — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:11:36 +0000

Photo taken by jaq when she was in Phoenix this March, and slightly doctored by me. (This post is tagged “Texas” because Bluebell is a Texas thang.)

Retro: Bershon

admin2 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:47:25 +0000

I still don’t understand the etymology of bershon (anybody?), but I shore do understand the attitude. [Definitions/illustrations: Dooce, Que Sera Sera] My dad recently put a folder on my hard drive called “Personal Photo Collection,” which basically includes every photo my dad ever took ever, including several rolls of Christmas trees (all on slide film). It is also a goldmine of bershon.

Because it’s not quite Friday yet and because you might need a laugh, I give you… the eighth grade.

Seagull in Flight

admin2 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:12:46 +0000

Took this during a break from my bike ride along the lakefront this afternoon. I love that you can see how his feet are tucked up beneath him.

Sunny Day, Sweepin’ the Clouds Away

admin2 — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 03:05:57 +0000

Last week in Millennium Park, I watched these two girls have jump rope races back and forth across the pavilion.

Retro: Training Begins

admin2 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:32:45 +0000

This is me at age 3, already starting to train for the MS 150.

I am cross-posting this in hopes of sending some traffic over here.

This Says It All

admin2 — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:11:57 +0000

Taken yesterday in Millennium Park:

Taken today in Millennium Park:

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current book: Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. Yes, seriously. I’m prepping for this.

current music: Am possibly going to Tift Merritt and/or Kathleen Edwards next weekend.

current socks: I busted out all the good Easter socks last week, including the ones with the chocolate bunnies with their ears eaten off. Right now, though, back to the stripey SmartWools, which are necessary to keep my feet warm. You can’t tell from the picture above, but it was actually snowing outside my 23rd-floor window. By the time it hit the ground, it was more of a wintry mix. Everybody’s favorite.

Abandoned Power Station at Emiquon

admin2 — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:13:59 +0000