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.

Trying to Beat the Heat!

(Alton, IL) A young boy stands under a cool mist of water as other children run and play around him.  The afternoon temperature was in excess of 100 degrees F and everyone was waiting for a concert and fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July. 

The weather has been brutally hot for the last several weeks here in the Midwestern US.  The image of this boy was taken on a day when afternoon temperatures were in excess of 100 degrees F.  An Alton firefighter placed a firehose with a nozzle set to spray in an open area next the Riverfront Amphitheater.  As the sun started to set there was a concert and fireworks in celebration of the 4th of July.

Lara Logan - Ernie & Lucha Vogel Moral Courage Speaker

(Elsah IL USA) CBS foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan stands backstage and reviews material for the audience immediately before lecturing as the Ernie and Lucha Vogel Moral Courage Speaker at Principia College.

(Elsah, IL USA) CBS foreign affairs Correspondent Lara Logan onstage during her lecture as part of the Principia College 2011-2012 speaker series.  Logan is the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, and a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes.

Lara Logan has put herself in dangerous situations many times in order to report issues and events that shape the politics we see unfold in the middle east.  This has come at a very steep price and in February 2011, she was sexually assaulted and beaten by a mob while reporting on the Egyptian revolution in Tahrir Square.

Logan at one point addressed a question she has been repeatedly asked, "Was it worth it?"  Her answer was that if she had died, no, it wasn't worth it.  But she lived, and yes, she thought that it was probably worth it.  Then again, her husband, he would say that it wasn't worth it.

Personally, the woman I met was extremely pleasant.  She sometimes struggles as all parents do with juggling a career, a home life and children.  I give her credit for standing up and telling exactly what has been happening in places where we many times only see a sanitized view. 

Lara Logan smiling and talking in the "green room" before her lecture at Principia College. 

You can see all of the images by clicking on the link.

http://michaelweaver.zenfolio.com/p427496849