We drove home from Peoria in the late afternoon hours. We were hoping to make good time and quite possibly enjoy a beautiful sunset along the way. About halfway home, the sky took a turn and huge clouds swooped in. Dark, impending clouds… and you could see where the storm was dropping huge amounts of rain. And the cloud was headed our way.

As the cloud passed over us, the sky got suddenly dark & gloomy. But also made for an incredible sunset. Almost looked more like a forest fire than a sunset?!

And here’s Cousin Kim enjoying the sunset, with that fiery orange glow on her face,
and trying to get that “perfect” stormy sunset photo!

Soon enough the clouds to ur right were being taken over by the large storm cloud.
It was pretty cool to watch them “mix it up”… blue skies, white clouds & dark storm clouds!

But then soon enough, almost as quick as it blew in, the storm cloud moved on…
and we were treated to a “second” beautiful sunset!!!

Day One done. Back to the hotel and then out for a quick evening run.
My shoes were tied, one mile into the sun and voila’… sunset! Perfect timing, huh?
I just happened to running down Leipsic Road over the expressway when the sunset was just right. And since I’m ALWAYS willing to “stop” running, I knew I had to take a few photos!!!

And a dramatic silhouette shot of the grandstands at Dover Downs.
NASCAR bleachers never looked so good!

A beautiful sunset over some tents at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware.

The sunset was pretty cool tonight as I was driving north on Ashland.
But even cooler by the time I got to the studio!!!

Okay, so I couldn’t decide… vertical or horizontal???

Unseasonal weather today for these beautiful sunset panoramas.

What better way to celebrate FESTIVUS than to go out for a beautiful afternoon bike ride to enjoy the 50-degree weather?! This morning was rainy, so no sunrise ride. I’m thinking this sunset ride made up for it though.

A beautiful sunset as seen from inside Chicago’s Navy Pier while working on some “holiday magic” at Winter WonderFest.

This morning started out with GREAT potential. Large masses of striking clouds in the sky. The kind of morning that could easily go either way. A beautiful sunrise OR a torrential downpour at a moment’s notice. Who knows what those clouds are planning?

Luckily, the clouds opened up a bit and it was apparent that the threat of rain was gone. And that we might just be in-store for a beautiful sunrise. Some might even say “stunning”?… okay, there, I said it.

And then when the beautiful orange textures couldn’t get any prettier, the clouds lit up and spread out in a wonderful, puffy tapestry across the sky. A blanket skirting on the edge of downtown… but even more stunning over the lake. This is the “stunningER” part of the morning!!!

C’mon now… seriously?! Could it get any better than this???

Well, apparently it can… here comes “stunningEST“…
So then I started pedaling home thinking the sunrise “magic” was done as the sun went back behind the clouds. I was about half way home when I glanced over my should at Belmont Harbor and saw the sun working it’s magic in the clouds… and the clouds working THEIR magic in the water’s reflections. C’mon… it’s getting hard to bike when I keep stopping for photos like these…

And seriously, is this not one of THE coolest sunrise photos yet??? I mean really…

After a day of exploring Dover on foot, it was the perfect night for another sunset run.

And a little Speedway silhouette on the sunset sky…

After my first day working with the “glitter gig”  in Dover today, I decided to go for a quick sunset run. Not far. Just from the hotel, around the speedway, back to the Festival entrance and back. The sunset was beautiful… and if you look close you can see part of Dover International Speedway in the bottom left corner.