Diggin' in the Crates

Juxtaposition is what I love most about skate culture. The movements are so utterly graceful and yet the personas are so brash and carefree. It doesn't matter what part of the country you are in, heck, it doesn't even matter what country you're in, skate culture follows a lifestyle that makes you feel young.


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Living in the city has many advantages. Pumpkin patches aren't exactly one of those advantages. Despite the lack of authenticity of farms, pumpkin patches, christmas tree lots and the like, I love how they fit into the urban environment. Somehow the attempt to recreate a rural environment within the urban surrounding is very pleasing with a slightly different aesthetic than the original. I stumbled upon this pumpkin patch while on a long walk. It's on California Ave just north of Addison. 


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

Fall Ball

Football in the park is a pure staple of the Fall. It's all about grabbing your sweats, some friends and a handful of Advil. This was shot last Fall when a group of friends got together to play some flag football at Welles Park. If you haven't done it in awhile, I strongly urge you to gather the troops and toss the pigskin around. After all . . . it's 'Merica!

Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

Vaqueros!

Dos de Oro in Logan Square is a Chicago classic. You want boots? They got 'em. Wranglers? Got 'em. Boleros? They got those too. The country scene is one where the American and Latino cultures blend together a little more naturally than others. Mexican masked wrestling is a close second.


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

Boys of Summer

"You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time."  ~Jim Bouton, Ball Four, 1970

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball.  I'll tell you what I do.  I stare out the window and wait for spring."  ~Rogers Hornsby


Today marks the end of another season as a Cubs fan. It's quite possibly been one of the most dismal seasons I've seen in years. No playoffs and no awards. No manager and few heroes, heck . . . not even 75 wins. The warmth of Wrigley will hibernate for the next six months and the players will leave town and head back to their warm weather off-season homes. The sporting world will turn its eyes towards football and basketball. Meanwhile, the rest of us will stay here in Chicago all Winter just yearning for a chance to head to the bleachers just once on a sunny day and cheer for our boys in blue. But let me assure you that not all is lost. Being a Cubs fan means that you are blessed with eternal Hope. The energy and pride that this team has shown in the last month of the season has given me renewed Hope. The kind of Hope that will carry me through the frigid Winter months and the kind of Hope that has me already eagerly awaiting that first home game in April.  


Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

Smile

"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against."-Malcolm X

Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission

WTF?

No, that's not the Patriot Act at work . . . at least I hope not. It's a temporary public art piece by local Chicago artist Tony Tasset and it's located a block north of the Harold Washington Library. Mind blowing? Not exactly. Inspirational? Maybe for an ophthalmologist. Worth seeing? Absolutely. Besides, when was the last time you stood before a 3 story eyeball in downtown Chicago? Ok, after eating those brownies at Lollapalooza doesn't really count. Hurry because it's only here through October. 


(Photo by Michael Patrick Perry-Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission