Sometimes it's hard to tell where the lake ends and the sky begins. Until one sees the faint glow of a distant lighthouse...

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Tags:   blue Chicago Chicagoist distant lighthouse evening light Hope Lake Michigan Lakefront path Chicago lighthouse long exposure

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Please look closely. The last of the images from my recent rainy night shoot on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. This is my personal favorite. See if you can figure out why.

Tags:   bokeh Canon 50mm 1.4 Canon Rebel T2i Chicago dream dream or reality Man Walks Alone? Michigan Avenue rain reflection vision

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Fall is my favorite season. It also seems like the shortest season. It is there and then it is gone. For me there is no better way to appreciate fall than on a bike. This year we moved to the suburbs. One of the benefits is that now I get to enjoy a 50 mile round trip commute to work. 28 miles of the trip are on a lovely trail that meanders through natural areas along the North Branch of the Chicago River. It was wonderful watching the fall come and go this year. Every day was different, the temperature, the smells, the sounds, the wind, the colors of the trees. You can never take it all in, but I always try.

Tags:   beautiful day relax fall colors north branch trail nature beauty cycling

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It’s been feeling like spring around here finally, but today we were back in the 20’s. I thought I would post a picture from one of my favorite spots along the lakefront taken during the winter. If you stay right on the trail you will never see this spot; it’s hidden by one of the few “hills.”

Tags:   sky “Chicago lakefront” alone iphone trees remote beauty clouds solitude bike snow winter

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This is my favorite winter cycling picture from this year. I was riding late at night, on fresh snow, and in complete solitude. The shoreline was ensconsed by ever-shifting fog and low clouds. The lights of the city in the background and the lights along the lakefront mingled with the fog to create a memorable atmosphere. The fog was just along the shore; it dissipated into black as one gazed out over Lake Michigan. The headlight on my bike illuminated the fresh snow just ahead but it could not touch the great expanse before me, clothed in an impenetrable darkenss. One might take it as a metaphor for the capacity of the human mind to comprehend the truths of metaphysics. Or perhaps it works better as a metaphor for the current state of society. To the extent that the future can be grasped at all, it seems bleak and dark. But there is also hope; the night will not last forever.

Tags:   winter cycling snow Lake Michigan Chicago lakefront night photography fog darkness fresh snow solitude light in the dark hope

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