An added bonus to my HILLY HUNDRED WEEKEND was the beautiful sunsets
we were treated to each night. As you know, I’m more of a “sunrise-kind-of-guy”…
but I just had to share this sunset from last Saturday night!!!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking my Summer Campers to the Art Institute for some artistic inspiration. I love watching their little faces light up when they see artworks they know, love or are surprised by for the first time. Like this Jackson Pollock that Max asked about & waited all day to see! He was mesmerized… and I LOVED seeing that in him!

Okay, so I’m more of a “sunrise” than a “sunset” kind of guy.
But this one tonight was pretty darn AMAZING!!!

Here we go again… another quick trip to New York City!
Unfortunately, this one’s not really long enough to see much. Just a few hours in The Big Apple for a meeting. So it’s an early morning flight followed by an evening flight home… and a tiny bit of New York fun in between!

Blue skies flying high above the clouds…

Arriving in New York is always fun…
flying in over the East River and seeing the skyline & bridges!

After a couple hours of fun in New York… err, meetings, etc…. it was back to LaGuardia for an evening flight home. And the way I look at it… another great nap on the flight home! I’m one of those “lucky ones’ who loves sleeping on airplanes – and can fall asleep before take-off and wake-up when the wheels touch down again!

And I just love flying home at sunset…
so it was a great reason to stay awake during take-off and a few minutes into the flight.
So beautiful to catch the New York skyline at just the right time… sunset skyline silhouettes!!!
And more of the city, the buildings, the bridges and a fond farewell to The Big Apple.

But what’s better than a sunset flight?…
Flying over the city you love and seeing it all illuminated like this. A beautiful, sparkling scene that is rarely seen… until this moment happens… and I just happened to wake up in time to see this spectacular sight!

Notice the circle of lights at the bottom of the photo above. Look closely and you might figure out that it is a circle of lights that go around the Adler Planetarium and Museum Campus.

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It might be freezing outside, but a beautiful sunset like this makes it “feel” as though it might be a bit warmer outside than it really is.

A wonderful day of “playing hooky” at Six Flags Great America yesterday with my “family four pass.” We got season passes this year so we can play all summer!!! Roller coasters, water rides & cotton candy… and the new JOKER… oh my.

Yes, THE JOKER was our first ride of the day. It’s the newest roller coaster at Great America. I t may not look all that cool in still photos… but… what you can’t see is that the seats are actually flipping around while you’re sitting in them zooming & down the track. Much of the time you have no idea of which side is up!!!

To see more about the newest roller coaster THE JOKER, click here for the teaser video.

Never too early for cotton candy… luckily for us, my cousin Kim was willing to share!

A quick ride on The Viper… one of Taylor’s favorites!!! A great wooden roller coaster with lots of hills & bumps…. lots of flying out of your seat!!! Which I love!!!

Next up for me and Kim… Vertical Velocity. A quick twist up one end, and straight up the other. Not big hill to ride up and ride down… just magnetic propulsion sending you soaring up into the sky. Needless to say, Jen & Taylor decided to sit this one out.

While waiting for Logger’s Run… we saw momma robin had set-up her nest right above the the roaring rapids of the water ride. Not too calm or serene… but she sure seemed to like her vantage point.

After the ride, we were a little drenched… but happy!
Ready to move on to another roller coaster to help us dry out a bit!!!

As our day of roller coasters, water rides and snacks continued into the late afternoon, the sun began to set creating some great views & vantage points.

All of a sudden, the sunset turned the sky ablaze with colors. Creating a beautiful sky show creating a wonderful sky show with the roller coaster silhouettes.

All too soon, our day at Great America had come to an end. A wonderful day, beautiful weather and so much fun with Taylor, Jen & Kim!!! And luckily, we have our season passes… so more fun to come!!!

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Another snowy morning. Lots of snow coming down during the morning commute.
Luckily, the evening commute looked a lot better with blue skies breaking through!

Yesterday was pretty gloomy… yet surprisingly warm again for the middle of February. It wasn’t until I got to Lillstreet that I finally got treated to a beautiful sky show. Another amazing sunrise from atop Lillstreet just before class started last night.

Sunset from the window at Lillstreet Art Center…
and now into the studio for a hopefully productive evening!!!

Another urban sunset on my way to the studio with vibrant colors splashing across the sky. Camera pointed out the car window while crossing the Chicago River on Ashland Avenue.