August 01, 2008
A meeting of bloggers
Wow, so that was July! Summer goes by too quickly, and sometimes the blog suffers for it. I sat down tonight and looked at the pictures from the last few weeks (my wife documents pretty much everything the family does) and was struck by how busy we've been this summer without really going very far from home. So that's where I've been. Mostly home, but often not at the computer.
But I got lonesome for the blog, so here we go.
Case in point for the kinds of things we've been doing close to home (with a picture!) would be when John Palmer (a.k.a. EclectEcon) traveled to Monmouth, Illinois--which is just 20 miles or so from here. He plays French horn for the Goderich Laketown Band, which played a few concerts in our area. The reason for their picking Monmouth had to do with one of the members of the Monmouth municipal band being from Goderich originally and his setting up of an exchange of bands. The Monmouth band will visit Goderich sometime in the future.
It was wonderful to meet up with John. I attended two of his concerts and to the final one I brought the whole family. My son enjoyed their last number especially. It was a medley from the movie "Cars". Here are a couple of pics from the event.
I say it was a meeting of bloggers because not only did I meet John, but also a friend of his that happens to live in Monmouth, Rebekah, who lives in Monmouth and has a lot more pictures.
The band is doing a good job as goodwill ambassadors. My wife is already talking about taking a trip there.
Posted by William Polley at 01:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 12, 2005
Balloons over WIU
Every year Macomb hosts a hot air balloon rally. The highlight is a mass arrival of balloons at Vince Grady Field on WIU's campus. The first picture captures the first few balloons coming into view above the dorms as they pass over the main campus quad.
The balloons land, tether, and when the sun goes down... they glow.
In the days leading up to the rally, it is not unusual to see hot air balloons over our neighborhood checking out the terrain.
Posted by William Polley at 09:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 26, 2005
Where I wish I was this weekend...
Alas, this photo is from a 2002 visit. I hope Mr. Greenspan and all the other participants at the Jackson Hole conference are able to get out and enjoy. The view from the main lounge in the lodge is spectacular. Get out in the morning to see elk and moose.
Posted by William Polley at 09:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 09, 2005
Just for the fun of it
It was a beautiful day in Peoria on Saturday--warm, sunny...perfect. So we decided to jump in the car and drive up to Chicago just for the fun of it. Of course, Dad (that would be me) forgot to check the weather for the lakefront. It was chilly, but great fun nonetheless.
In the photo, you can see the low clouds rolling in off Lake Michigan and enveloping the skyline. We took this picture from the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Fortunately, there is as much to do inside Navy Pier as there is outside. Turned out to be a great day even with the clouds.
Posted by William Polley at 12:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 06, 2004
A favorite place
One of my favorite places on earth: the Grand Tetons. Photo from a 2002 visit. The Tetons are the only national park with a commercial passenger airport in the park. You haven't lived until you've ridden a 757 in and out of Jackson Hole Airport. According to AirNav.com, the runway is 6300 feet long and the elevation is 6451 feet above sea level. That is enough for a 757 to take off, even at that altitude (typically, it needs 5000 to 6000ft depending on weight and weather), but it will get your attention if you're the sort of passenger who watches the signs go by indicating the amount of runway remaining. That's not a lot of room to spare. But you'll be too enthralled by the incredible view to worry about it.
The Jackson Hole Airport also has, according to their website, the most stringent noise abatement regulations in the U.S. Nothing above 92dBa on approach is allowed. No noisy old DC-10s, for example. But then, if you landed a DC-10 at Jackson Hole, how would you get it out?
Posted by William Polley at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)