WPC: Dense (fog)

Although I’ve visited quite a few US cities now, my favourite is still Chicago. I love the vibe and atmosphere of the place. It reminds me a lot of Glasgow in Scotland, another of my favourite cities. This week’s photography challenge is ‘Dense’ so what sprung to mind was some of the dense fogs that roll in off Lake Michigan. So here is a few foggy Chicago shots followed by some clear shots of the same city skyline for comparison.

Foggy Chicago skyline, taken from Navy Pier

Foggy Navy Pier taken from Chicago shoreline

Foggy Skyscraper in Chicago

Same viewpoint as the first photograph with no fog

Taken on a different day after the weekly fireworks display, which left the sky an amazing yellow colour.

Dense

WPC: It IS easy being green

Wind Turbines – love them or hate them, you can’t deny they are impressive and they are springing up all over the world. Along with solar power, wind turbines are cleaner, safer energy producers for the future. These photographs were taken a few years ago on a visit home to Scotland. I still can’t get over how enormous these things are when you’re standing next to them!

Wind power has led the renewable energy revolution. Its impressive growth has created more than a million jobs and made it an affordable, mainstream electricity source. But so much more is possible. There is enough wind on Earth to meet more than twice the world’s current energy use with technology we have today. Abundant and free for the taking, wind will be a major part of our clean, safe and secure 100 percent renewable energy future.

Whitelees Wind Farm is the UK’s largest onshore windfarm, located on Eaglesham Moor just 20 minutes from central Glasgow. Its 215 turbines generate up to 539 megawatts of electricity, enough to power just under 300,000 homes

Whitelees has over 130kms of trails for cycling, walking and other outdoor activities as well as a (free) Visitors Centre with a lovely wee cafe (with great cakes!)

I personally don’t mind the look of them although I know that some people feel they ruin the scenery. I’d rather look at wind turbines than have the world polluted even more with fossil fuels.

It IS Easy Being Green!

WPC: atop

I love driving around the countryside and finding out-of-the-way quirky places and stumbling across objects that just beg to get photographed. Oh all right, I love driving around the countryside getting lost and stumbling across hidden gems. I’ve been chased away from rambling old, falling-down houses before, even though I’m not actually inside the property, I just stop outside to take photographs but I’m very aware of ‘no trespassing’ here in the USA so I usually just leave when asked. Because guns, ya know! Anyway I came across this wee still life all ready to shoot and process at a local vineyard. This one I printed off on canvas and have hanging in my house.

I have also printed this and sold this one. Saw it at a local orchard and again it begged to be photographed and processed. Love the colours here.

Stumbled across this gem in the middle of nowhere, Illinois. I didn’t actually get out of my car to take this photograph because I’m a chicken. I was listening for the sound of banjos all the time. Isn’t it a beauty though? I wish I had been brave enough to walk up and say “Hey, can I take photographs?” With my Scottish accent I might have gotten away with it….

Anyway that’s all I have for ‘atop’ and it really is only the first photograph that is actually on theme. Oh well, some weeks are like that.

Have a good one!
Atop

I wish – Weekly Photograph Challenge

If your Fairy Godmother offered you three wishes what would you wish for apart from the obvious World Peace, end to suffering, starvation etc. If you could get three personal wishes for you and only you what would they be?

This is a hard one to think of without being superficial but I think I know what I would wish for from two of my three.

Firstly I wish I could have another conversation with my dad. I would love to tell him all that’s happened since we lost him. I’m sure he’d be the proudest Grandpa in the world when he hears about how happy and well his grandchildren are doing as they enter into adulthood. I hope he’d be proud of me too. He missed more than half of my life when he moved to another country (continent) then when we moved to be near him he died within 2 years. I would love to just go hang out with him for a day, talking and just spending time with him.

My second with would be to have a Transporter (Star Trek for non-nerds) I would love to be able to transport back to Scotland a couple of times a week. I could go for coffee with my friends, I would babysit my nephews, I would shop for all the food I miss. It looks like my son will end up studying Physics for his career – I must tell him to make Transporter technology his number one priority. We could have a big blogging party – how cool would that be?

Being unable to come up with something else at the moment I think I would keep my third wish for an emergency. Nothing like having some money (wishes) in the bank to make you feel safe and secure.

So come on Blogging Friends, what would your three wishes be from the good Fairy Alba?
Wish

WPC: The road taken

The one good thing about driving in the Mid-West USA is that it’s never too busy to pull over and take photographs when something catches your eye. Driving along in the middle of nowhere (rural Illinois) when I come across these sad-faced old cars. What do you mean cars don’t have faces? Just look at these photographs and tell me it doesn’t have a face!)

Sad-faced car

This old scrapyard full of rusting cars was photography heaven. I’m not sure what they are – Chevrolets maybe?

“Took my Chevy to the Levy but the Levy was dry…”

I wonder how many roads these cars have taken and what stories they would tell?

This poor car is blind

I’m sure this last one comes to life on Halloween to haunt it’s previous owners….

The Road Taken