Author: rutakintome

I married Ruth, my high school sweetheart, in 1983 and we have four children and 6 grandchildren. I have been the worship pastor at Mission Bible Church since 2004. We are located in Minooka, a southwest suburb of Chicago. I love singing, bicycling, music, Mahler, boxing, coffee, movies, The Beatles, sunsets, coffee, Mahler, the seashore, sunsets at the seashore, coffee, and… the seashore. Originally from New York, I grew up 15 minutes from the beautiful beaches of southern Long Island. I have a Fujifilm X-T5 that I use to capture the world I see. I also enjoy writing about the images that surface in my mind and heart as I work with the images from my camera. Thanks for stopping by!

seaside

seaside

The Jones Beach Boardwalk still manages to charm after all these years. If you have been around my blog at all you know about my love for the shore, and especially, the beaches at Jones Beach and Robert Moses. When I smell the salty air, walk on the sand and boardwalk, and put my feet in the water (which I did when this was taken on a cold day in January), I am taken back to so many moments spent on these shores…..  I remember clinging to my dad, laughing and frightened all at once, while he fulfilled my request to take me out into the sea. I would hold on tighter and tighter as each Atlantic wave approached, thinking for sure we would be knocked down, but my dad just stood there…against that BIG ocean…to me he was the most powerful man in the world. To this day, in so many ways, he is.

sea of galilee

seaofgalilee

Taken a couple of years ago when I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land. My journey through Israel was one of spiritual and life changing significance for me. Hope you enjoy.

signs of spring?

signs of spring?

Taken this week at a park along the Illinois River. It was a cold, but sunny day, so off I went on my favorite activity: riding and taking pictures. Somewhere in this world there is a Spring looking for the Chicago area. To that Spring I say, “WE ARE HERE!”

sunset and wires

sunset and wires

This pretty much sums up the area that we live in. We are close to a nuclear power plant and there are lots of high voltage trees “growing” on the endless corn and soybean fields here on the plains. After a while you do appreciate the beauty of the plains…

snow path

snowpath

The I & M Canal Tow Path. I guess I was in a “dreamy” mood. Hope you enjoy.

bridge stairs

bridge stairs

I enjoy taking a hike to this bridge over the Illinois River. You walk along the tracks that slice between corn fields, trees, and high voltage towers. Shhhhh… don’t tell anyone, but my goal is to climb those stairs…… shhhhh…..

old barn

old barn

Located on the I & M Canal  at 5 Mile Bridge, I have been told that this barn dates back to the construction of the canal in the 1800’s. The barn has many stories, sits as a lonely reminder of a forgotten time, and, as seasons change, it seems to get dressed in whatever the weather brings out, and always looks fine.

celebrating you

IMG_0259

Dear WordPress family,

We are now 100 strong, which means I need another job to feed all of you!  🙂

Thank you so much for your inspiration and support!

Carlos

a.k.a. – rutakintome

abandoned

abandoned

i suppose
it was all in my head
but then again
isn’t it always
assumptions
take root
and a heart soars
it was a
rough landing
never saw it coming
can’t we…
     …just wait…
          …please…
               …abandoned…

a winter ride

a winter ride

This week we had a couple of days above freezing so the roads cleared up enough to go on my first bike ride of 2014. Passed this scene on my way home. Looking forward to warmer days!