On down the road...
Polk-a-Dot Drive-In
Not far from Wilmington, in Braidwood, is the Polka Dot Drive-In. It too was closed so we had to make do with pictures taken through the window. It looks neat and is another place we would like to go back and visit. The Polka Dot is another great photo op; as you can see, Terry had the most fun!
Odell, Illinois
Our next real stop was in Odell, Illinois at a restored Standard Sinclair station. It was too cold to get out of the car for too long, so we shot a few quick pictures and got back on the road. The neatest thing was for Wendy and Hunter to see one of the old gas pumps with the gas tanks on the top.
Route 66's Jolly Green Giant
It was nice to get away from Chicago and slow down. One of the neatest things to see on this stretch of 66 is in Wilmington. We stopped at the Launching Pad Drive-In, home of the famous Gemini Giant. The Launching Pad was opened in the 60s. The story goes that the name is in reference to the early days of the U.S. space program. The Gemini Giant is a former Muffler Man who has been fashioned into a space helmet wearing, rocket holding tribute to NASA's Gemini program.
It was early when we arrived, and the drive-in was not open yet. However, the owner was already there and graciously invited us in to look around. He spent some time telling us about the history of the restaurant and apologized that he wasn't cooking yet, but he did let us buy t-shirts and take all the pictures we wanted. The inside of the restaurant is decorated in a 66 theme, even down to the table tops. It is a neat place to see. And what could be better than getting your picture taken with a giant spaceman?
Interior shot of the Launching Pad Drive-In
Shish-car-bob
I forgot to insert a picture of this in my previous post, and I'm not very good at editing yet. If you look in the background, you can see the "cars on a spike" I talked about in my earlier post. It is just an example of the weird stuff we find so fascinating. However, it is not as neat as the Gemini Giant that I plan to show you next time.
Chicago, continued
Navy Pier
Sears Tower
Wrigley Field
Filming The Weatherman
Inside the White Fence Farm
Wow! There is so much to see and do in Chicago, but it is so busy. It took us forever to get from one place to another. On top of that, it was freezing! For the most part, we settled for drive-bys. We did go to the top of Sears Tower, and we spent about an hour watching them film a scene for The Weatherman starring Nicholas Cage in front of the Chicago Board of Trade building. In the movie, the scene lasted about 10 seconds. But, we did get to see Cage walk down the street. See what I mean about cheap thrills. We also saw Wrigley Field, the Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier. For the Route 66 enthusiast, Chicago is home to Lou Mitchell's diner. The diner has been open since 1923. It is famous for handing out free Milk Duds and doughnut holes. One of the weirdest things we saw (and we take great delight in weird) is The Spindle: a big spike with about 6 or 7 cars piled on top of each other. Outside of Chicago was the White Fence Farm Restaurant. It was dark when we got there, so we only have pictures of inside. It too is a landmark having been open since the 1920s; it is famous for its fried chicken. They have a new "museum" area as well. As neat as it was to see Chicago though, we had a much more relaxed trip after we go out of the hustle and bustle.
Chicago, the "Wendy" City
Okay, it's not about Route 66, but I couldn't resist the play on words.
Wendy in the wind.
Wendy outside the Art Institute of Chicago
Watching Nicolas Cage film a scene from "The Weatherman"
Atop the Sears Tower
Route 66 - The Beginning
People often ask us about our attraction to Route 66. It is not an easy thing to explain. I don't think traveling Route 66 is for everyone. It takes people with imagination and an appreciation for nostalgia. It is not that we are special or more creative, we just get our thrills in a more simplistic way. Route 66 is about the trip, not the destination. It is looking at a big Blue Whale in a pond and imagining families swimming there in the 50s or driving stretches of the desert and wondering how people ever made it across during the Great Depression. It is thinking giant ketchup bottles and big balls of barbed wire are neat and getting a thrill over eating at the diner where the corn dog was invented. Traveling Route 66 is about getting off the interstate whenever and wherever possible. Sometimes that means driving down stretches of unpaved road or driving for long stretches with no food or restrooms in sight. That is the reasoning behind the name of my blog. Because of that and the approximately 25,000 pictures we have of Route 66, I thought I would post a series of pictures and comments about some of the things we have seen along the highway. These pictures have been taken over several trips from the last 5 years. Most of you will think them boring, but maybe someone out there will be inspired to get off the interstate and travel the Mother Road, Route 66.
Route 66 begins (or ends if you are coming from California) in Chicago, hence the sign denoting such above Terry's head. This picture was taken in March, 2004 when we went up over spring break.
Me and my little brother, a few years ago
Had a nice visit at my little brother's. It was especially nice to get to spend some time with my three nieces. They are a lot of fun; I wish I got to see them more often. I took a lot of pictures but can't post any until Wendy brings my camera back from the camp she is working at.
In the news...
This is a couple of weeks old, but I thought some of you may have missed it.
City tells photographer it doesn’t want pictures of kids’ sports on Web
BY KRISTIN NETTERSTROM - ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Terry Beck captures photographs of children at bat, running bases or waiting patiently in the outfield. The Sherwood resident doesn’t see anything wrong with taking photographs of children and selling them on his Central Arkansas Photography Web site. But Sherwood park officials have for a year now declined to let Beck take photos in the city’s parks because they say they are uncomfortable with him displaying children’s photographs online. “Ten years from now, we may all be doing business like that. But right now, people are uncomfortable with doing this, putting photos on the Internet,” Sherwood Park Director Sonny Janssen said. Sherwood requires a user permit to sell food, hats or other merchandise in the city’s parks. The city’s Parks and Recreation Committee and the Optimist Club rejected Beck’s application in May, saying displaying children’s photos online is not in their best interest. “That’s a terrible reason to stop me from doing this,” said Beck, who learned about the user permit when he was told on July 4, 2005, to stop taking photos of a baseball tournament. He hasn’t been back to test the waters. Beck is part of a growing trend of photographers taking unsolicited photographs and posting on Web sites to sell online. At least two other companies operate similarly in central Arkansas, and no one has told Angie Ellis of Maumelle that she couldn’t shoot photographs in public parks. The situation also is news to members of Professional Photographers of America, who say the popularity of selling photos online has skyrocketed in the past five years. Arkansas Municipal League President Don Zimmerman said he is not aware of any Arkansas cities preventing people from taking photographs in public parks. He did not want to comment on the situation without further legal research. A message left for the Optimist Club, which runs the sports complex, wasn’t returned and no one answered other telephone calls to the club. Beck and his business partner were surprised when their application for a business permit was turned down. Beck travels to Little Rock, Maumelle and Cabot to shoot sporting events. He said he hasn’t been told to stop anywhere else. “I am sure I have the right to take these kids’ pictures,” Beck said, adding that he sold several photographs from the Sherwood event last year to parents at the game. After taking pictures at a game, Beck or his partner uploads the images onto his Web site. Although the company’s name is displayed on the pictures, the action and people in each photo are still visible. People can order multiple photos at various prices or a single 4x6 photograph for less than $5, Beck said. There’s no password required to look at the pictures on the Web site. City officials see things differently. It would be one thing if Beck was taking photographs as a hobby or selling photo packages to parents at the park, Janssen said, but online, anyone can buy the photographs, including pedophiles. The city has a responsibility to protect children, he said. Beck will be asked to leave the park if he is seen taking photographs again, Janssen said in an interview last week. Sherwood City Attorney Steve Cobb stands by the committee’s decision. The Optimist Club and the Parks and Recreation Committee followed their established procedures, he said. The city has no ordinance prohibiting someone from taking photos in city parks, but Cobb said he thinks the city can regulate people who come to city property for business. “It’s something we might need to look at,” Cobb said. Ellis, owner of Maumelle Sports, an online action sports photography company, took photos Sunday of sporting events at Sherwood parks, including a softball tournament at the sports complex. “Nobody said a word,” she said Monday. She was unaware of Beck’s history at the park when she shot the games. “It’s not against the law to put photos online. Anybody’s able to take photos over the fence,” Ellis said. Ellis, her husband and other photographers employed by the company regularly step onto area ball fields without any problem. Like Beck, Ellis said she hands out business cards, inviting parents to visit the Web site to buy photographs. Parents often request through the Web site that photographers show up at events, she said. Commercial photographers shouldn’t be treated any differently than parents snapping photographs unless the photographers are requiring special access to the field, said Stephen Morris, manager of government affairs for Professional Photographers of America. Prohibiting sports photography in public parks isn’t something Al Hopper, the organization’s director of membership, has heard of before. Photographers should respect parents’ wishes if they say they don’t want their child’s photograph taken, he and Morris said in a telephone interview last week. But that’s not a fight for the city to undertake, Morris said. Hopper recommends online sites use passwords to ensure only people who were handed a business card at a game could access the images. Passwords could reduce concerns about access, he said. A task force set up to address online crimes against children is more concerned about people posting personal information on such online social networks as Facebook, said Steve Frazier, a FBI special agent. The local office of the bureau has partnered with the Little Rock Police Department, the Arkansas State Police and other state agencies to address online child pornography and exploitation. Photographers often conduct business online and that’s not an area the FBI investigates, he said. Frazier couldn’t comment on Beck’s specific situation, but said he was unaware of any cases in Arkansas where a child was abducted after a photographer put images of the child online. On Monday, Beck said he was hopeful he could reach a compromise with the city after an alderman relayed a message to him that he could take photos if he received a user’s permit and parental permission. The alderman did not return a phone message left for him at home Monday. Janssen, who is out of his office this week, did not return a message left at his home.
This story was published Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Happy Birthday!
Birthday wishes to my dear hubby! No wonder all are kids are so cute!
Thoughts?
Here is my next big paper: In a cogent and comprehensive letter to the next president. Highlight your understanding of the role of public education in a democracy and present your approval/disapproval on two federal responses to major educational issues; e.g., NCLB, class size, schools of choice, desegregation, etc.
Cheap Thrills
For about the last 5 years, we have been using Picasa to organize our digital pictures. The cool thing about Picasa is that under every picture is an option to blog the picture. This option automatically takes you to Blogger and inserts your picture. It is so easy. As a result, every time I see a picture I like in Picasa now, I want to put it on my blog. Hence, from now on the 1-2 people who ever see this page will be subjected to all my pictures. And believe me, I have the pictures. Between Terry and I, we took over 5,000 on our vacation in May! I think we took about 2,000 on our anniversary trip last August. Add those pictures to other trips, family events, children, etc. and it means
many, many pictures. Be warned!
Don't you love it?
Mom and Dad
I love this picture of my parents.
Of interest to Arkansans
I just saw this while researching my paper. Most of you probably know, but just in case you don't....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13889798/
Writers Block
Well, I am in the middle of my paper on how times of crisis such as the "war on terrorism" increase nationalism in society, politics and education and am really beating my head against a wall. I don't know that I have ever had so much trouble writing a paper. It still seems a rather odd topic for a class on educational philosophy. I get the whole ideology regarding nationalism; I am just having trouble making all this fit together. Give me literary analysis any day!
Carnton Plantation
Last weekend, I got to take a 3 day trip over to Nashville with some friends from church. We started a book club about three years ago, and this was our third big "field trip." We read Widow of the South this past spring. Carnton Plantation, where the book takes place, is in Franklin and is available for touring. It was fantastic. We also toured the Hermitage and Belmont Mansion. We found a fabulous mall, Opry Mills, and shopped like crazy. We finished off Saturday evening by going to see The Devil Wears Prada. We attended the Hermitage Church of Christ Sunday morning before heading home. I loved the singing, all the good "old" stuff. It was a great weekend. We are already trying to figure out where we can go next summer. I suggested reading some Shakespeare and going to England!
Guess who?
Why can't they stay this small and cute?
Why can't they stay this small and cute?
So,
my little brother is mocking my taste in music. I might be offended if this was not the same person who introduced me to Michael Bolton. I also remember this same person listening to the Partidge Family.
A perfect evening!
Stupid young girls getting in my way!
2nd Row....Awesome
More questions I can't (or don't want) to answer...
Why did I make Asian Coleslaw and Chocolate Chip Shortbread when I need to lose so much weight?
Am I a terrible Christian since I am going to the Michael Buble concert tonight instead of church?
Since I am home all day, why is my house so dirty?
What happened to the post I typed earlier?
Random questions
Why am I assigned to write a paper on Nationalism in times of crisis in a Philosophy of Education class?
I successfully used MLA format for three previous degrees. Why do I now have to switch to APA for my doctorate?
Why do I think blogger will be any different from Xanga?
