The 360 Degree view

(Grafton, IL) Passengers enjoy the view from the top deck of the Spirit of Peoria paddle-wheeler as it cruised  north of Grafton on the Illinois River at dusk.  This vessel is one of the very few remaining true stern-wheeler's traveling the US inland waterways that has no other form of propulsion.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Used a panoramic camera to capture a few images aboard the Spirit of Peoria riverboat as it was cruising upriver at dusk.  If you look closely you can see the same people at each end of the image.

A great tool to have when you want an image that is different!

Image quality was reduced and re-sized to 20% of original so that it loads quickly.

Spirit of Peoria Website Link

Things You Find In Boxes

(St. Louis, MO) The Presidential Limousine carrying US President Ronald Reagan streaks toward  downtown St. Louis via Lindell Blvd. near the intersection of Grand.  Photo was taken with Polaroid SX-70.  © Michael Weaver

While in the basement last night I saw an old pink shoebox with some 5x7 sheet film holders and other assorted odd items including my Boy Scout "Totin' Chip" that allowed me unsupervised use of an axe while camping and the instruction book for my first SLR, a Ricoh TLS 401 that now sits in a cabinet as a reminder of what I used in high school to make money with.

This Polaroid image was in the box and I remembered that I had not been able to leave St. Louis Photo because the streets were blocked off for the Presidential motorcade that was going to be coming through.  I asked someone if I could use the display SX-70 and panned the camera as the limousine sped by at a really high rate of speed.

Not that you can see it in the photo, but President Reagan did wave as he passed by.

Life before Instagram and Twitpic!  No connection required, just point and shoot with a picture being spit out the front.  Still pretty cool when you think about it.

About Feeling Grateful

(Fieldon, IL) Mark Angel holds the only thing he found that was usable the morning after his home burned on November 13, 2012 in rural Jersey county Illinois.  The CD with kindergarten images of his son who is now in fifth grade was found in a case and covered with water and debris.  The gloves and jacket he is wearing are borrowed as everything the family owned was destroyed in the fire that kept restarting and kept the local volunteer fire department busy most of the night.

I live in a very rural part of southern Illinois.  It's a great place to live in many ways except that some of the things many take for granted by living in a metropolitan area are lacking in the rural parts of this country.  Fire protection is an issue.  Not only is fire protection an issue, but access to water so that a fire can be extinguished is an issue as well.

While out shopping for new basketball shoes for his son, Mark Angel received a call that his house was fully engulfed in flames.  Someone driving by the house saw the fire and called it in to the authorities, but the result was a total loss of everything the family owned.  If you have never seen what a house fire is capable of, no words, photos or videos can fully describe the aftermath.

It's really no different that what hurricane Sandy did to many along the eastern US coast several weeks ago except that everything is either melted or burned beyond recognition, not washed away.

(Fieldon, IL)  Homeowner Mark Angel talks to an Illinois State Fire Marshal investigator as two of the volunteer firefighters that responded the the fire that destroyed his home the evening before look on. 

With Thanksgiving upon us, we all need to be grateful.  Mark was grateful to at least have one CD of photos of his son. Considering he lives less than one mile from me, I know I have many reasons to feel grateful.