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

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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!

have you seen my tauntaun?

have you seen my tauntaun?

Most of the Chicago area was transformed into the ice planet Hoth this winter. Tauntauns would have been helpful…. except for the smell. This was taken at Robert Moses State Park, on Long Island in New York. (No Tauntauns were harmed in the taking and processing of this photograph.)

winter’s dreamy shore

winter's dreamy shore

Robert Moses State Park. Love the shore…. any time of year…. I love the shore…

…like a bridge over troubled waters….

like a bridge over troubled waters

Winter marches on… but that’s not to say that we have not had some beautiful days. This bitterly cold day was filled with gleaming, white sunshine, and the beauty of the Illinois River at Marseilles.

9 11 memorial at eisenhower park

9 11 memorial at eisenhower park

On my recent trip to Long Island I went to Eisenhower Park and had fun remembering being a kid in this beautiful place. The park features a somber memorial to 9/11. On September 9, 2007, Nassau County unveiled the 9/11 Memorial honoring the 344 Nassau County residents who lost their lives during the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. The monument is one of the largest completed memorials to the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

bridge and stairs

bridge and stairs

I posted a similar picture of this location here. There are two beautiful state parks about 50 minutes west of us: Starved Rock State Park and Matthiessen State Park. This was taken at Matthiessen. We are experiencing the coldest winter here in Chicago since….well… since the beginning of recorded time, but I did enjoy the cold hike on the day this was taken. I would be interested to know which one of the two you prefer. Have a wonderful weekend!

Raising the Flag at Iwo Jima

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

During my recent trip to New York, specifically, my hometown of East Meadow, on Long Island, I took some time to visit Eisenhower Park. When I was growing up this was known as Salisbury Park, named after the country club that owned the property. This park is actually larger than Central Park in Manhattan. There is a beautiful Veterans Memorial in the park where I took this picture.