frozen :: winter photography

little "p" :: family photography

cub scout camp :: nature photography

hubby took the boys camping for "the monster's" cub scout campout last weekend. i stopped by briefly between work and a charity event to kiss everyone goodnight and catch the end of the rain-gutter regatta (a handmade boat race). this is our first year doing cub scouts, so we had never been to the campout area. so cute! it's only about a mile from our house too... so funny that we've never driven back along the roads there. it winds and winds along the side of the lake. i can only imagine what it will look like in a couple weeks when the leaves are bright autumn colors....

o, and you might be wondering why there are no pictures of "the monster". well, i'll tell you... i couldn't get one. he is literally euphoric when he plays with his new friends that he doesn't stay in one place long enough. they ran and explored and threw rocks and were up to no good at times. he loves it and i love that.

have a good weekend friends. xoxo

a sunset parade :: central illinois photography

last friday night, all the "cool" cars rode into town on the old route 66 for a weekend festival. spectators lined the streets to catch a glimpse of  their favorite nostalgic automobiles. it's the best time of year for many. i, personally, am reminded of just how amazing it is that each day i drive on a road that connects our country from one end to the other. maybe... someday, i'll pack up the boys & hubby and we'll keep on driving right out of town on the most historic drive in america... to see america.

make art :: art studio photography

today's message: art is love. make art.

a ride on the rails :: midwest photography

a couple weeks ago, i rode the train down to st. louis for a stay. it had been a long time since i have rode on the rails. and although, as i sit in my shop each day, the loud train rolls by and i curse it, when actually on the train, it's quite tolerable. in fact, as i sat in my snugglie little world of a seat, i hardly heard the horn. and the view from my window was comforting. there were scenes i would have otherwise missed in a car on the highway. i love that about a train ride... they move swiftly through the middle of cornfields, wooded lands and the back areas of a city. and don't even get me started on how much i adore the historical train stations... because, to my delight, most have been kept up well and done so in era-specific ways.

plus, i find the whole idea of it romantic. because the shop is right by the station, i get a lot of travelers stopping in. some are headed out west across the country in a sleeping car and others are just down from chicago for work. either way, i love hearing their stories of travel and of family... because, it seems, you can't talk about one without bringing up the other.

a ride to the lake :: midwest photography

we are back from the lake and life is busy again.  i am slowly easing myself into it all, as i reflect on our evening bike rides to the water.

xoxo

fall fog :: nature photography

i always grab my camera when i wake to a foggy morning.  i think the photos above are beautiful, but i must admit that i wish i was on a lake photographing sailboats in a haze.  maybe someday soon...

old spaghetti factory :: st. louis photography

when i was a little girl, every time we visited st. louis, we had to eat at the old spaghetti factory.  i loved it because it was fancy and adult-like, almost romantic... but also had an old train car in the middle of the dining room!  as a child, i never got to sit in the train car due to limited seating and lack of planning.  so!  i was thrilled when my husband made reservations for us to sit in the car for dinner... i looked forward to it all day. mostly because i couldn't wait to grant my wish as a child to my sons.  i knew they would be thrilled!

but of course, after a full day of vacation activities, "the monster" fell asleep before our meal even arrived...

i'm not sure he even knew we sat on a train car.  o well, at least hubby and i got to fulfill our childhood wish.  we even had the balloon guy make us "the monster" a sword.

union station :: st. louis photography

i find an old train station to be very romantic.  when living in chicago, i spent many hours waiting for trains and watching people... i think that's when i began loving these stations so much.  recently, my family and i traveled to st. louis for a mini vacation and we stayed at the old union station.  now a hotel and shopping center, they have reserved the breathtaking beauty of years ago.

wouldn't it be lovely to travel from station to station across the united states taking pictures of these historic structures.  maybe someday...