Gravity is Beautiful

click to enlarge

The bottom of Lake Falls
Matthiessen State Park

On a hot day at Matthiessen State Park near Utica, Illinois, it's worth the trip down to the bottom of the canyon. Not only for the beautiful view of the stream, sandstone cliffs and waterfalls, but it's much cooler at the bottom. If you get near the falls, the falling water creates a breeze that carries a cool spray of water.

Worth the trip - even if it's cool outside.

Michigan City Sunset

click to enlarge

Michigan City Lighthouse
Washington Park Beach
Michigan City, Indiana

A hot summer evening and an almost perfect sunset marked the end of the Independence Day Weekend. Guess we just didn't get enough of the sun and the beach over the last few weeks.

I've got over 2400 vacation photos to sort through, so I hope to keep posting them regularly.

Happy 4th of July

Have a great day

sent by cellphone.....

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

A visit to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse near Daytona Beach Florida.
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Large prehistoric beasts roam around Plant City Florida.
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Disney

A day at Disney!
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Enjoying the Gulf of Mexico here in Florida. Today we saw a waterspout got some pics to share later.
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Dunedin FL
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Safety harbor FL
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Enjoying the Gulf of Mexico.
From cellphone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Rusty Barn

click to enlarge

Barn along I and M Canal
Utica, Illinois

I'll need to find out if this barn was around during the useful days of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. It looks old, but perhaps not old enough to have been used by canal workers. Either way, the deteriorating building and the duck weed covered canal offer a glance at history. Both are quite obsolete yet look great together.

Pearl Crescent

click to enlarge

Pearl Crescent on Christopher's toe.

Last time we were at Mt. Baldy, this little butterfly decided to hitch a ride on Chris' big toe. He wouldn't fly off for anything. After about five minutes, I picked him off and released him into the dunes full of wildflowers.

Red Sun

click to enlarge

Sun Set
May 24th 2008

Right after the sun slipped below the horizon, the clouds lit up with a bright, fiery red tone. Not quite a sun dog, but similar I think.

It certainly made the end of the day interesting.

Rowboat

click to enlarge

Lifeguard Rowboat
Lake Michigan
Chicago, Illinois

Madwagon

click to enlarge

Madwagon Cruiser

Memorial Day on Lake Michigan in Chicago was pretty crowded. Lots of families out grilling, picnicking and playing along the beach at Montrose Point.

The bike path was loaded with cyclists, this one decided to have a break and take in some of the sites and sun of spring.

Resting

click to enlarge

Sleeping Babies

A walk along the paths at the Little Red Schoolhouse are always interesting. Plants and animals are everywhere and sometimes you can get quite close to them. Saturday was no exception. These little geese were sleeping next to their mother on the shore of a little pond.

They don't look too comfortable laying on the hard limestone, but I guess their down feathers add a bit of cushion to the hard ground.

click to enlarge

Now That's Cozy!

This one found a better place for a nap. Talk about a down comforter!

Backlit Tulips

click to enlarge

Tulip

Sometimes you just have to lay down on the ground and check out the view of the flowers.

Catkins

click to enlarge

Birch Tree Catkins
Lake Katherine

A walk through the garden paths of Lake Katherine in Palos, IL lets one focus on nature of all kinds. Wildlife lives among the diverse plant life, and they are all rather used to people walking around, so photos are fairly easy to obtain.

Spring is a great time to visit, the plants are beginning to grow and become colorful. It's not yet time for the formal gardens, but the spring bulbs are blooming.

Beavers, ducks, geese, blackbirds, robins, great blue heron, green heron and snakes are just the beginning of the wildlife you can find if you look around.

click to enlarge

Fuzzy Babies
Lake Katherine

The geese and ducks are beginning to raise families, and soon the lake and waterfall area will be filled with young water birds.

Tulip Time Festival

click to enlarge

Tulips in Holland, Michigan

It's May, and that means May Flowers! Well, tulips anyway, and Holland, Michigan is the place to see tulips. The annual Tulip Time festival is underway in Holland, Michigan and you're sure to see your fill of tulips - over 6 million!

click to enlarge

Holland, Michigan Tulips

In addition to the millions of tulips, the festival hosts entertainment and crafts. The Dutch dancers called the Klompen dancers gave demonstrations of their dancing as well as their traditional, handmade clothes and of course, wooden shoes.

click to enlarge

Klompen Dancers Lining Up

click to enlarge

Klompen Dancers
Holland, Michigan

The Klompen dance demonstrations took place on Central Street, and ended just before the rain arrived. We didn't get to see all we wished, but the hours we spent there were well worth the drive.

Chicago

click to enlarge

State Street
Spring 2008

It was supposed to rain all day, but it turned out to be rather nice. For once the weather cooperated with a photo shoot!