Illinois » Elgin

went for drive in the country in my new truck.. ended up past rockford!

biked over to kenyon farm forest preserve..

had a feeling there’d be some interesting light out.. and I almost didn’t go out to experience it! by the time I went out to see it, I felt it was too late to set up a ‘normal’ time-lapse and I had gotten a little tired of shooting so many of those lately.. I grabbed the 12mm lens and started shooting.. after experiencing the beautiful light for a while and taking shots in many directions, I felt inspired to put […]

Here are a couple shots off the roof of Joe’s building..    

another day working at joe’s.. this is what it looks like out the front door, next to my computer desk here..

Driving over to see my friends Kevin and Jon in Logan Square..

 

i picked up my truck today! and found out that my camper is shipping this week too! [yep, between down payment for the truck, second payment for the camper, and insurance, i spent nearly $40k today. may seem like a lot to some yet it’s only a number (and everything is relative). every single penny will be well worth it.. the next chapter is about to begin!]

it’s awesome to create your reality, and make your dreams come true. absolutely anything is possible. dream big. don’t let anything stop you. no matter what anyone says, do what your heart calls you to. a year ago, i had no idea how i was gonna do this [and didn’t even know exactly what i wanted to do]. earlier this year, in may, i stopped analyzing all the options, drove across the country to get a feel of the vehicles/campers i narrowed down, and made my decision. i had no idea how i was gonna pay for it [well i knew how, though had fears and didn’t know if it’d come in time, and the universe worked out perfectly and i was able to put more down than i anticipated].

set your mind to your goals and heart to your passion, and the universe conspires to help you. live and breathe that passion and that knowing that every day you are one step closer toward achieving your goals, and you become unstoppable. at the same time, surrender attachment to outcome — know you are on the way there, though love and appreciate the journey. [i’m still working on this one. it was a long process with lots of hard work to earn that much in a few months, and i didn’t always enjoy the process, though i learned to take some breaks [even if they weren’t many] to re-engage with my passion and heart. then when i received payment for the work i did, the truck and camper both took longer than i expected to be built, so i learned a little bit of patience, especially after being carless as i sold my civic early, over a month ago. and shortly after that, the chain on my bike broke, am i was bike-less for a couple weeks ’til i got it fixed. it’s an interesting journey!]

embrace your challenges along the journey. perseverance is what sets apart those who achieve their goals and those who consider themselves failures. most of the time you were just a mere step away from your goal if you wouldn’t have quit early. don’t give up on your dreams. i first started thinking about getting an rv nearly two years ago and had no clue how i was gonna pull it off. low and behold, the pieces all came into place over time and the adventure is about to embark.

anyhow, the words aren’t flowing too smoothly so i’ll take a break until they decide to come out more smoothly. here are some quick shots shortly after finishing up at ron hopkins ford. [i was getting really hungry when i left, the light was dropping, and there were more cars in the
burnidge forest preserve i went to than i anticipated, and at first i wasn’t completely happy with the shots, though i had another look at them and creatively worked with them to make a few nice images. there is beauty everywhere if you look for it.]

riding the metra from chicago back to elgin

biking to the bank to deposit the check carmax gave me for my civic

I drove over to Kenyon Farms County Forest Preserve today.. here’s a short shot riding with Joe over to Al’s Cafe in downtown Elgin.. We learned a little history about Elgin from our waiter.. apparently there are underground tunnels downtown with the old storefronts from before the road was raised..

I was ready early so took a drive through the country on the way to St. Petersburg / Clearwater airport.. I was gonna go to a park right near Rockford airport after I arrived back though didn’t find it easily so decided to take the country roads back to Elgin.. the land is nice and open just a couple miles west of Elgin.. (yes, the camera battery died in the middle of this shot)

 

Here are the demo reels I quickly threw together the other day for the new gallery grid home page [and the links to all the HD full length videos I used]..

biked to the garage across from the townhome development here

biking up the trail from joe’s [turning around at a fallen tree]

went to read at the park across the street from joe’s..

Driving back to Elgin after staying at my friend Matt’s in Chicago for the weekend.. We attended the Bodhi Spiritual Center over in Lincoln Park.

Going to Rockford Airport.. I love the feel of a small airport that you can easily park and get to to terminal in practically no time.. Also being in a more rural area is so nice to feel nature around you.. this was much more relaxing than going to O’Hare or Midway.. Here’s the ride back from St. Peterburg / Clearwater Airport.. there was such a great energy in the air.. it felt like it had just rained and all […]