New look at Aqua

Another new addition to the Chicago skyline is this building, called Aqua, fairly crammed into what little space was left at Columbus and Randolph. That's the Hyatt Regency in the foreground right. I wasn't clear about the name when I first saw this building during construction, but now the moniker makes sense.

Reflections in The Bean

In just a few years, the reflective sculpture called Cloud Gate, but known by all as The Bean, has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in downtown Chicago.

Conrad Hilton hotel and Buckingham Fountain

The traditional centerpiece of Grant Park in Chicago has been upstaged by newer attractions such as Cloud Gate.

Skyrocket flowers in the yard

Not sure what these are called, but they come up every spring and stand a couple feet tall.

Gordy takes a look

Late Sunday afternoon, Gordy says hello to a passerby.

Cold nose

Gordy had his nose in the snow after a big spring snowfall March 24th.

Twilight Peak

Part of the West Needle range in the San Juan Mountains north of Durango, CO, Twilight Peak tops out at 13,158 ft.

Twisty road ahead

On US 550 in southwest Colorado between the Purgatory ski area and Coal Bank Pass, the road bends sharply left. There are few guardrails.

Engineer Mountain

The gateway to the San Juan Mountains when approached from the south is this peak. It overlooks the ski area of Durango Mountain Resort at Purgatory.

Italy: Motorcycling around Tuscany

Our trip to Italy centered on a tour of Tuscany, Umbria and San Marino aboard motorcycles supplied by Edelweiss Bike Travel. Here are a few photos from our first three days of the tour, including the Chianti Region and Umbria.

Woke up the morning of our Day 1 ride at the Villa Pitiana in Donnini outside Florence. A fog carpeted the valleys until mid-morning.

Our first stop on the Day 1 ride was at the piazza at Greve in Chianti on the warmest day of the tour.

On the piazza in Greve, a stuffed boar guards the entry to a butcher shop that featured some wonderful meats and sausage.

Our lunch stop at the roadside Pestello Ristorante included a pasta with truffles dish that I'll remember forever as one of the best.

Looking out over the countryside from near San Gimignano.

The piazza at San Gimignano was the last stop of our Day 1 tour ride.

The Monastery at San Galgano is known for the sword stuck into a stone by a returned crusader. Read more at: http://www.castellitoscani.com/sangalgano.htm

Our "rest day" sport ride took us west and south of Siena. I look like I'm having fun and I was.

This road marker overlooks a newly turned field south of Siena.

The small piazza in Montalcino is under a clock tower. The town is known for its Brunello wines.

I think the sign says parking only for big German motorcycles. A little chilly in Montalcino that morning.

A good example of the Romanesque style, the abbey at San Antimo was founded by old Charlemange himself in 781 ad.

The courtyard at the abbey; not hard to imagine the monks meditating here a century ago.

Olive orchards and vinyards are everywhere on the rolling hills of Tuscany.

Italy: Walking around Florence

Spent most of our first day in Italy wearing out shoes and seeing much of the old city in Firenze. Here are just a few of the photos from our day.

The level of detail on the facade of the Duomo is incredible.

The Piazza at the Archeological Museum.

Devera and a pair of tourists enjoy the gold doors at the bishops' rectory at San Giovanni.

The other famous Florence landmark: Palazzo Vecchio.

Lodging for two nights at the Hotel Bernini Palace near the Galleria di Uffizi.

Just after the rain at the Piazza di San Croce.

Our walkabout took us to this sidestreet near a quiet little park.

Can only describe this as the leather coat bazaar; unbrellas were the hot seller on this day.

We stopped for a duppio (double) espresso to wait out the rain at this cafe.

Devera appreciates the architecture at one of Italy's most famous landmarks, the Duomo in Florence, also known as San Maria Del Fiore.

Always a busy place, the Piazza di Repubblica is crowded even through a mid-day shower.

Italy: Afternoon in Siena

Towering over the piazza in Siena

Once a year, the Piazza del Campo is the site of famous Pailo horse race; today it's just touristcos.

We stopped for an espresso at a cafe on the piazza; Devera looks relaxed, doesn't she?

Siena's cathedral, the Duomo, features the horizontal stripe theme found on several buildings around town.

Attentive horses in Richland County

On a tour of the company's operations in Montana, I was warmly greeted by a pair of locals.

Fall colors near Eldora

A trailhead north of the Eldora ski area near Nederland, CO, as summer slips away.

A Champion

Early 1950s Studebaker Champion, looking mint, on display at the Larimer Street car show in Denver last weekend.

Park residents

Watching over his herd, a bull elk seems ok with just hanging at Rocky Mountain National Park over Labor Day weekend.

Sea level plus 2.3 miles

A marker near the Chapin Pass visitors center at the top of Rocky Mountain National Park. This was taken yesterday on a tour I was hosting for out of town friends.

Library in Lewistown

One of the more than 1,600 public libraries across the US built with money from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the Lewistown, MT, library was built in 1905 and added to in 1960 and 1990.

Rocky Mountain water

In the lobby of the Hotel Boulderado you can drink right from the glacier. They should bottle it.

Mountain kids

While we were touring the summit at Mt. Evans, a family of mountain goats strolled up looking for a snack. Four adult goats and these two kids held the interest of all.