Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

I think this is a sort of anything goes day?  Well, these photos show people with food and their eyes were bigger than their stomachs.

This is my husband Jim at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central in NYC.  A dozen cherry stone clams.  They are not usually so big.

My son and his family like to ski in Montana and they found a BBQ place.  This is part of the food offered.

A birthday treat.

David Brock

Here are a couple of pics of Montezumas Castle..It is the remnants of a cliff dwelling north of Phoenix.

Joan Pease (Clark)

This is a combination of cute and anything goes! Daughter Eden with her husband David, older son Tyson and twins Trey and Tatum. This was the twins' first visit to Disneyland.

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY is one of the best days. It lets us peek deeper inside each other's worlds. Wendy, it has been over two months since going to a restaurant, so your choice of 'eyes bigger than stomachs' is an absolute feast for the eyes. Jim seemed to be just fine with his oversized oysters, and those BBQ ribs...well it's all making me hungry. Joan, your daughter and family are beautiful. Love the photo!!!

If you are familiar with Chicago, you may know it as the home of the skyscraper, which was invented here. Or you may be familiar with Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, Burnham and Root, Mies van der Rohe, Bertrand Goldberg and Helmut Jahh to name a few of its architects. I've spent two decades photographing their buildings. But every-once-in-awhile, something out of the ordinary appears.

A couple of blocks from my condo, a warehouse was torn down to make room for a luxury hotel that was never built. The last interior wall of the razed building remained untouched for months before the property was converted into a parking lot. In some way it temporarily became one of my favorite sites because of its hint of history and random abstraction.

"Evoluton of Architecture"

Marvin Theobald

I missed posting this photo last week with one of my favorites celebrities. I came across her in a retaurant in Texas and she graciously agreed to let me get a picture with her.

This was a colorful collection of fall leaves in a decoraive pool at the Belleville IL City hall.

Dragonfly that landed in an unfortunate location spoiling what would have been a special photo. Pretty amazing creature.

Bubble in a pool at Belleville IL City Hall.

Terry (Max) Maxwell

First of all...  I want to wish all the Mothers in the Class of '64 a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

On this Freestyle Friday I picked a photo that I took in a public restroom in Hawaii.  I think it would make an electrician cringe.  They installed a high power hand dryer directly over a light switch.  So you have dripping wet hands and turn on the dryer to blow the water off and it has a strong possibility of going into the light switch.  Shocking!  I can't believe that this situation would meet any building code that exists.

Jack Keefe

Here's an old Pantagraph clipping that speaks to us on several levels. In December 1945, Dr. Ray Baxter was a returning veteran restarting his practice. Of course, this is the family of our own Terri Baxter Whirret in the remaining few weeks pre-Terri. Note Terri's sister Robin in the picture, and how much she looked like Terri. 

The clipping is about Christmas, among other things, but a Happy Mother's Day to all the lady classmates.

David Brock

It's not quite Saturday yet, but close enough.With Mother's Day and family, this may not get posted.  Following is a fox.  He lives in the neighborhood, and I see him ocasionally.  On this particular day, he decided to rest in our yard, and I got a few shots of him.--Just looking over the scene.

Karen Sue (Suzi) Denton (Merritt)

I'll just name a few of the famous people I've met. 
Whitey Ford

Gary Fencik

Willy Gault 

Richard Dent

Ron Rivera 

Jim McMahon

Serveral other 85 Bears but I can't remember who they are and I can't go down stairs 

Oh yeah one more Walter Payton...what a man!!!!  He was at the Lady Luck signing autographs but you could only get one poster per person.  So Dave and I went through the line and we met Walter.  So nice.  We walked away and it dawned on me that we needed another one because both my kids are Walter Payton fans and I am too.  So I told Dave I was going to sneak back in and get another one well I got up there and he looked up and he got a smile on his face and he said haven't I seen you just recently. I said no and he said are you sure and I said you did and I told him about my kids and everything and he went ahead and signed it.  Later I was playing black Jack and who's coming down the isle but Walter and his bodyguards.  He walked up to me and took my arm and said good luck.  Well I thought I had died and gone to heaven!!!!

I also danced on the Lawrence Welk show.

Also Curt Raydon bowled on my bowling team.  He was a former pitcher for the Pirates.  Also he was my cousin.

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Suzi, I'm thrilled to see your post. I too was a big fan of Walter Payton and am in awe of your story. HOW COOL!!!  We have all been wondering how you and Dave are doing. Also want to thank Jack for posting that wonderful Pantagraph clip about Dr. Baxter. I don't know why, but I never knew he was Boo's father. HOW COOL IS THAT? She never let on, but she must be very proud. No doubt his return from the war resulted in the creation of the magical person we all adore. In one way or another, we are all in that category of war babies. Would love to hear others on this subject.

But now for what I came on here to post. No matter your musical preferences, as Joyce Carol Oates said, “Art is the highest expression of the human spirit.”

I hope these links will bring joy to you. This has nothing to do with the theme of the day. Just want to share what I've been elated by. I love you guys.

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

David B, was there any babies around with this big guy?  

Melvin, I enjoyed both of those videos.  I love ballet,  and the music was good.  I especially liked the 2nd song.

My Dad and Mom were married in 1944, when Dad was still in the Navy. He was stationed at Navy Pier in Chicago and Mom lived in Chicago for a time working at Woolworth's.  I was born in 1946 as most of us were.

Suzi, I enjoyed your post.  I can imagine how you felt when Walter Payton came up to you.  I hope he brought you good luck.  One of our classmates danced on American Bandstand.  Does anybody remember who that was?   Maybe Vicki Rizzuto?

Jack Keefe

White Oak Park from Route 150 in about 2000. And the houses -- little boxes, all made of ticky-tacky and they all look just the same, at least in this photo. Just like the song says, in a sort of a contrast to the freeystyle topic of the day. 

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

   This is Boo Boo my Husband, Jim's, snake.   When he asked if he could have a snake I told him no.  Well,   he brought him into the home anyway.   I guess, as snakes go, he was a pretty good snake.  Although, I don't know much about snakes and didn't have much to do with this one.  When Jim got sick, we gave the snake away.  It ate mice and it had gotten so big that it would even eat small rats.  I wasn't going to feed it!!

  This is a white squirrel we had in our neighborhood for awhile.

This is Mugsy, our Pit Bull.  He was a very sweet dog and got along really good with Maggie, who you have already seen pictures of.  She did rule the roost though.  The funny thing about him was he was Jim's dog, but after Jim died I had to take Mugsy to the Vet and I saw a different Vet than I usually saw.  The Vet said this is strange.  I don't usually see little old white haired ladies bringing in Pit Bulls.  So maybe that qualifies Mugsy for my strange critter or at least a critter.   He passed away from a disease he got when I dug up dirt to put in a new driveway. I had no idea he could get sick or I wouldn't have done it.

Marvin Theobald

Sandy - I laughed when I read "as snakes go, he was a pretty good snake". It just hit my funny bone for some reason. How big did he get? Loved the gray haired lady with a pit bull story.

Dave B - Nice fox photo. He looked very content on your nice green lawn.

The discussions regarding our parents during WWII are especially interesting to me. I have always been in awe of the sacrifice, courage and bond they demonstrated. We baby boomers in their eyes were their reward for what they endured and I have in some strange way always felt an obligation to make my life the best I could to make their sacrifices worthwhile. Would love to see more posts on others parents stories.

Here are my entries for todays topic CRITTERS. Thanks for this choice Sandy. There are so many ways you can look at what qualifies as a critter. I have a couple of pictures of Mel that I think would fit that topic but will preserve his dignity and withhold them.

Young cayman in Thailand in 2008.

Crocodile in a river in Jamaica as seen from a boat as we cruised by in 2015.

This guard frog has been on this bolder by my front porch for several years. He is really effective since I have never had a break in.

Well maybe just one!!! This critter was on my front sidewalk one morning in 2012. It came inside and I had to give it coffee to keep it from getting too threatening. It was really scary. I kept it for a couple of days before releasing it back to the wild in its natural habitat in Chicago. Very unique critter. I think it is on the endangered species list because there are so few like it.

David Brock

Sandy--I have never seen Fox pups, but according to the neighbors there are a couple of dens 2 or 3  blocks away.  The dens are separate, because they are in different areas.  We live on the edge of Edwardsville--at lest we used to--until the developers expanded.  There is still a fair patcch of woods across the street and we get quite a variety of animals.  We feed birds during the day, then the squirrels.  Deer and rabbits and other animals come at night and clean up the leftovers.

Joan Pease (Clark)

This hummingbird chose a very happy place to build her nest.

Jack Keefe

This young feral feline lived along the old Baltimore & Ohio tracks in Cambridge Ohio in 2009. He didn't like having his photo taken and as I changed cameras he went away before I could take another picture. This is a film image and I tried to get him on digital too. But he had other ideas, apparently. 

Melvin (Mel) Theobald

Not much of a story here. Wild turkeys are in abundance in the cornfields around Oregon, Illinois. This is the first spring in almost 15 years I haven't been able to spend a few days roaming the fields of the Kickapoo Mud Creek Nature Conservancy where there are deer, foxes, white pelicans, eagles, heron, chipmunks, squirrels, ladder back woodpeckers, Baltimore orioles and on and on. They almost always elude my camera, but not this brood. They wanted to show off their snoods and wattles.

Sandra Jeakins (Singletary Sizemore)

  This is a picture of Boo Boo that shows his length.  He did get a little longer and thicker around before we gave him away.  He didn't move fast like a garter snake does.  Snakes aren't affectionate and they can't hear but we talked to it anyway.  But I always wondered, "why does he have this?"

Marvin, I loved the picture of that critter on your front sidewalk.   I think you are right, he is unique.  Actually you both are, even though you are twins,  You are both pretty special people.

Wendy Stephens (Cullen)

Wonderful critters.  Here are a few, all taken on Vancouver Island or a neighboring island.

Hard to see, but are river otters 

For awhile, sea stars were dying out but they seem to have made a bit of a comeback

This critter is my granddog Skipper dressed as a piñata .  He was not happy.

Terri Baxter (Whirrett)

I have never seen this picture before!  Thank you Jack!  I was conceived at the Palmer House in Chicago after by Dad got off the boat and they had dinner at Trader Vics!  Definitely a war baby!  And blessed to have loved and known my Father. He was a good man.  He died when I was in my twenties.  Broke my heart.

Jack Keefe

This critter was in Janet's back yard one October night in 2011. Her dog was going crazy and we eventually went out for a look. The poor little dog died suddenly about two weeks later, and we always wondered if he got into a scrape with this possum. But there were no signs that ever indicated he had been in a fight. Still, when anyone says "the possum" at our house, this is the guy we're talking about. We never saw him again. 

Jack Keefe

Terri -- 

So glad you liked the photo. Were you aware that the Pantagraph's negatives were acquired by the Mclean County Museum? They are now available to the general public for a fee, and 1945 is one of the years covered. When the museum reopens you might contact them about acquiring a high-resolution copy of the picture, if you're interested. 

David Brock

Happy Mothers Day to all you Moms out there.