Montrose Harbor

For part of our "anniversary date," Fernando and I drove to Montrose Harbor in downtown Chicago.  Though it was a chilly afternoon, it was not very breezy, making it comfortable to relax and share some time together.  Enjoy the shots captured by Ellie and me.

View of the city from the pier

The pier at Montrose Harbor

Young boy fishing

Fishing at Montrose

Sailing by the city

Green amidst concrete

Living life.
Capturing life.

Christine

Visit my family blog!
Indeed My Heritage

12th Street Beach

Looking for shells

What wonderful timing the Lord has!  I received my dear Ellie back from the repair shop just in time to take her downtown Chicago to celebrate Elliot's baptism.  It had been so long since I held her that I almost didn't know what to do!  Almost.  I quickly got over it.  :)

So, here are a few moments I captured from an afternoon at Lake Michigan.

Look what I found!

Graceful

Sandy feet

Skipping a rock

Talking with Elliot

Sweetheart

Boy, cup, sand

Tina-Grace

Treasure hunting

Mother and daughter

Beautiful

Sailboats and seagulls

Peninsula

Beach to my back

Living life.
Capturing life.

Christine

Visit my family blog!
Indeed My Heritage

Frisbee + Water = Fun

There's something about a Frisbee.

When a Frisbee appears, I whip out my Ellie and start shooting.  There's something about action that compels me to capture that perfect moment, just as fingers touch the edge of that disk.

I can take endless photos of whatever sport I happen to be watching in order to snatch that one perfect shot.

How much more detail I can capture when that disk is flying above the water!

But the best Frisbee photo (so far) in my collection was not taken by me!!  Danny has that honor, and I post his picture here because I love it.  (That's my dad in the lower corner, looking on.)

I will continue to doggedly pursue perfection.  ;)

Living life.
Capturing life.

Christine

Visit my family blog!
Indeed My Heritage

Tucker: The Dog Days of Summer

Yep, summer is for the dogs.  Well, no, not really, but the days from July 3 through August 11 are considered to be the dog days of summer.  Really, it's just a celestial thing.

I don't think dogs really enjoy summer.  They pant and lie around looking miserable on those scorching so-called dog days.  It takes something special to perk up their ears and put them in motion.  Like a Jet Ski.

Tucker is my cousins' dog.  He's still pretty much a puppy, which means he's normally pretty playful.  But this particular afternoon was hot.  However, Terri decided to take the Jet Ski for a spin.  And Tucker knew what was coming.

He waited, not patiently, while Terri made sure everything was running smoothly.  Then she cruised in to the bay, and Tucker jumped on.

After the ride, Tucker seemed to be in a better mood.  Of course, it helped that Danny spent some time giving him a good petting.

Ahh, a dog's life.  But only sometimes.  :)

Living life.
Capturing life.

Christine

Visit my family blog!
Indeed My Heritage

Dock Dates

Now that our air conditioning is off, it's so nice to enjoy the sounds of outside.  Well, I meant the natural sounds, not the pool filter, sump pump, traffic, or ambulance sirens.  Surprisingly, if I listen, I hear the chirping and buzzing of insects, and the occasional bird call.  A bench in my unfinished flower garden calls, and I rarely answer.  I need to grab my Bible and head out there before the cold keeps me indoors.

One thing I can't enjoy from my home in the suburbs is sunsets.  With a grocery and other retail stores just to our west, we don't exactly have an unobstructed view.  So sunset photos are rare.

Not so at the Lake!

This was the first year at the Lake that I had my digital camera.  So every night I carted my camera bag and tripod down to the dock, where Fernando spent the twilight hours fishing.

We called them our dock dates.  No scintillating conversation.  Actually, almost no conversation at all.  But simply time spent together, not necessarily doing together, just being together.

In the second week of vacation, during our dock dates, we started hearing the loons call to each other.  The lonely, haunting call stirred my soul with a renewed longing for my life to reflect God's beauty.

I found that these sunset hours were the only time I could be still and enjoy the Lord's creation, with no need to feel like I had accomplished something.

Thanking the Lord for His sunsets.

Living life.
Capturing life.

Christine

Visit my family blog!
Indeed My Heritage

The Oswegatchie

Oswegatchie:  An Iroquois word meaning "going or coming around a hill."  I supposed this river is aptly named, as it meanders through upstate New York in three branches.  Two of its branches merge near Harrisville, New York.  That is where this particular park is located, and where we shared lunch with Dad & Mom.  Even though I'd been having trouble with my camera, I was able to capture several scenic shots.

This clover bloomed in the grass beside the river.

Blooming along the river.

Red flower blooming.

Along the Oswegatchie.

These flowers happily bloomed on this rock in the middle of the river.

Bubbling on downstream.

I closed the aperture down (F22) for this softly flowing shot.

The waters of the Oswegatchie appear rusty, but rust is not the issue.  The water is tannin-stained, which gives it that brownish look.  The water of many of the rivers we've visited up in this neck of the woods have the same rust-colored look.

Trees make a pretty frame.  I love this photo.  :)

I hope you enjoyed your tour of this little section of the Oswegatchie!

Living life.
Capturing life.

Christine

Visit my family blog!
Indeed My Heritage