Author: PhotoMono

Chicago – In remembrance of Don Simmons

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

“My kind of town, Chicago is…
The Wrigley Building, Chicago Is…”
— Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn

There are iconic buildings throughout the world that immediately identify a place — Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Taj Mahal in India — and in Chicago it is the Wrigley Building.

With all the skyscrapers and sleek buildings that have popped up in Chicago and other cities over the past forty years or so, the Wrigley Building remains an icon. How iconic? Well, when Lego Architecture did a skyline of Chicago, the 100 year-old Wrigley Building was one of buildings featured. Can you get a stronger imprimatur than Lego? ‘Nuff said.

Bagdad Post Office – In remembrance of Don Simmons

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

This little shed was the post office for the small hamlet of Bagdad, Florida from 1913 to 1985. My brother and his wife lived in Bagdad in the mid-1950s when he was in flight training with the U.S. Navy. After taking this photo I sent it to my brother but, alas, his health did not allow him to remember the tiny post office.

Duck Box 5 – In remembrance of Don Simmons

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

You see them scattered all about Elm Lake — nesting boxes for the water fowl. This is box number 5. Elm Lake is a central focus of the Brazos Bend State Park in Texas. The water is scattered with little islets of reed and water grasses — perfect for ducks and wading birds. And they are there. Everywhere. This small, shallow lake simply abounds with wading birds and water fowl. Along with turtles and alligators. It is just a wonderful slice of nature that, alas, will soon be surrounded by Houston’s burgeoning suburbs.

Old Stones – In remembrance of Don Simmons

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

Tilted, askew, weathered, and moss-covered,
With chiseled names worn and hard to read.
These stones mark graves of folks from long ago;
Not from the last century, but the one before.

But like us they lived, loved, and were loved;
And in death were buried with sadness and mourning,
With these gravestones—once straight, erect, and proud—
Marking their place and affirming affection and remembrance.

But those who would remember,
Are now themselves merely memories.
And yesterday’s “Always Remembered”,
Are today’s long forgotten.

— Don Simmons

Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Pee – In remembrance of Don Simmons

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

It was a great day at the beach;
We built castles and played on the surf.
It’s time to leave, and I have to pee.

Mom’s all packed and ready to go;
Little brother is in the stroller.
But sometimes you just gotta pee.

Everybody is unhappy;
Mom is mad and brother is crying.
And I’m lookin’ for a place to pee.

The bathhouse is too far away;
I have to do this while folks walk by.
But sometimes you just gotta pee !

— Don Simmons

 

Woods In A Woodcut – In remembrance of Don Simmons

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
— Robert Frost

I think most of us like to wander through a woods now and then. And when I do, I take a picture or two. And the picture seldom turns out the way my mind envisioned it. Such was the case here. But I’m retired and have all the time in the world to fiddle with things — I have few promises to keep. So I thought that this image might look good as a woodcut. I tinkered with it any number of different ways until I was satisfied with this look. Does it look like a woodcut? I don’t know. But I like the result.

Mission Mary – In remembrance of Don Simmons

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

It is with great sadness that I have to announce that Don Simmons passed away in January 2025. I am posting these images he had sent me as a remembrance. Rest in peace Don.

Mission Mary is a small and simple one-room chapel that sits alone on the West Texas high desert. It was once part of Calera, Texas, a small town that no longer exists.

The chapel was built by Mexican-American settlers at the beginning of the last century. Calera was a poor community of about one hundred people eking out a meager living, farming and ranching the high desert. When the spring that was their water source dried up in mid-century, the little town disappeared. The abandoned chapel was restored in the early 2000s and is open daily.

Six In A Row

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

One Ibis. Two Ibes? Three Ibides? Four Ibises?

Who knew one bird with a short, four-letter name could cause such confusion? While all three of these plural forms are correct, the preferred plural in today’s English seems to be Ibises. And here we have six Ibises all in a row, atop a boardwalk guardrail.

This small group of White Ibises was enjoying the sun on a lovely and particularly warm (77º F) December day. They are overlooking a wetland and small pond, perhaps thinking about a snack or even lunch. They like to feed in groups, probing shallow water with their long, decurved bills for small fishes or crawdads (their favorite). These guys spend most of their time on the ground, but when they do fly they are a pretty sight with their necks and legs extended and black tips showing on their wings.

I’m Outta Here

Black And White Photography, Don, Photography

This is serendipity, just one of those surprise lucky shots that you find in a group of photos taken over the course of a day. I was down on the Texas Gulf Coast photographing shore birds. When reviewing the day’s take, I was delighted to find this fun shot of a piper seemingly walking away flapping its wings in disgust. Great shot? Nah. Fun shot? You bet!