I Didn't Find Any Eggs......But I Did Find This Gem!

For the past several years, I have spent Easter with my brother-in-law's family. It's a big celebration with lots of people and lots of Polish food! Though my family and my brother-in-law's are largely of Polish descent, the party is truly an American celebration in that it incorporates traditions from other branches of the family tree. There is kugel on the buffet most years and last year a group of my my brother-in-law's cousins sang a Passover song, while this year we all joined in a rousing chorus of the African American spiritual 'Amen!' Though there is no Easter egg hunt, the past two years we have had an egg smashing contest, sort of a food-based version of thumb wrestling. It is definitely one of my favorite holidays and it's nice to be part of a family celebration when I live so far from my parents and grandmother.

I love holiday celebrations, but I have yet to master the art of being fashionably late. So, despite my best efforts, I arrived in Logan Square half an hour early. Fortunately, I brought relatively easy to carry food (a butter lamb, homemade horseradish, and chocolate lambs for the youngest guests). Thankfully, I also brought my camera, so I decided to explore the neighborhood a little more. I came upon this beautiful Art Deco bowling alley.

(c) 2012 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Art Deco is one of my favorite architectural periods, and I am particularly fond of Moderne facades like this one. I also a have soft-spot for neon signs of this period, and this building has a beauty.

(c) 2012 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Photographing this gem of a building was the perfect way to fill in the time until the party started. I shot more than 75 images, plus I spent this afternoon and evening playing around with colors and effects.

(c) 2012 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

(c) 2012 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

2015 Update: Some of these photos are also available as photo blocks.  You can view the collection by clicking here and learn more about photo blocks by clicking here.  My online photo gallery is currently offline, but if you would like info on ordering copies of these prints or would like to see others in the collection, you can e-mail me at eepart@gmail.com