Maine and the Lobsters

This last week work sent me to Portland, Maine. It was my first time ever going to Maine and also my first time ever eating lobster. Not that I haven't ever wanted to, but it is usually pretty expensive. Anyway, it was much much cheaper in Maine, and work was paying for it. So, I figured, why not have the experience in the place most known throughout the entire US for its lobster. The state is gorgeous as well, and there is some cool stuff to see. There are rocky beaches and cliffs into the ocean, lighthouses everywhere, and just all around beauty everywhere I went.This is the victim of my first lobster meal. Oh, and the New England clam chowder was pretty dang good too!
This is by far and away my favorite picture I took on my trip up there. The sun just happened to line up perfectly with the lighthouse to give the illusion of it being on and shining bright during the day.




I hope to be able to go back one day and explore other areas and see what other places and scenes I can find in what the people on Maine call "Vacationland."

Read More

Biking Mackinac Island

About 2 weekends ago I went home to see my parents and one of my younger bros (Jeff) before he went off to school. We decided that we wanted to go to Mackinac Island for a grueling bike ride. It is this little 8 miles around island in Lake Huron where no cars are allowed. You take a ferry to it and then either walk, bike or ride horses. We didn't want to pay for horses so we biked it. It had been raining all weekend, but the weather was PERFECT when we got there.

These are my parents and brothers as we took a break for some pictures and rock skipping. The water was a bit choppy so the most we could get the rocks to skip was about 4 or 5 skips.

This is actually a picture of Jeff from the day before when he and I were near our parents house looking for old places to explore.
Now, I know this isn't anywhere close to the size of Arch's National Park in Utah, but natural arch's are always cool and beautiful!

Read More

My first 4th in Chicago...

Well, I had my first 4th of July in August, and possibly my only 4th of July in August (work may be moving me again within the next 6-8 months). Anyway, it was great. We played some volleyball on the lakefront, went to a Chinese acrobat show (amazing!), hung out at friends apartments and watch fireworks 2 different nights. Here are just a few pictures from the weekend.

Read More