Snow Days Chicago is a free five-day winter festival in the Spirit of Music Garden at Grant Park featuring a national snow sculpting competition, dog sled demonstrations, a snowboard rail jam and kids activities! Bring the whole family and watch as the city is transformed into a winter wonderland, showcasing over 27 beautiful and unique sculptures made entirely out of snow!

After spending a lovely day and evening with the Carlson family, we woke this morning to rain, rain, and more rain. The weather people are officially calling this “The Flood of 2008”. After a warm and tasty homemade breakfast from Jean, we packed up the van and headed south for our 3.5 hour commute home from Watertown.

As we drove out of the drive way we were greeted by water flowing across the road so we had to turn around and go the other direction. Watertown was flooded! I thought it was a rather ironic happening… to have Watertown the city become a full fledged watertown.

On the way down we were detoured 3 times before we were actually let on to the interstate. After a long 5 hour commute we returned home unscathed. Along the road were numerous accidents and we were lucky to have had a relatively smooth ride!

One dance with angels of rain. Photography withint the art section is all for sale at a normal rate. Please contact us for pricing and information.

Around 7pm the mad storm rolled through northern Illinois, tearing through the suburbs without regret. We watched on the radar the red boxes flashed across the Dell computer monitor. As I stood at the window watching each drop fall and each sprinkle of rain sing their songs of joy, I had a moment of calmness. This opportunity made me stop and think a moment about my life. Think about the mad rush through life… another wedding, another meeting, another portrait session, another communion, another something, another cup of coffee and you’re gone. (I wouldn’t change it for the world though!) And yet, at that moment… I stopped. I stopped and waited. I waited for nothing. And nothing happened. The drop just stayed on the window. It didn’t have anywhere to go. No hurry. He just sat and waited. I waited for him and he waited for me. And yet we waited for nothing. My mind began to wander away and wander back. It was the peaceful sound of calm. My 50mm lens and trusty camera provided me the chance to capture the most amazing image of a rain drop caught on a window screen – and I share that image with you my dear friends.

As the liquid angels subsided, I saw the amazing reflections of the street lamps upon the long puddles on the asphalt. I grabbed my Canon Digital Camera and, along with my EF 28 to 135mm lens, I ran out to get some amazing photos. The moment of peace still in my bones and soul, I rushed out to the fresh cool April breeze. All around me the drizzle came and I didn’t notice. Drop. Drop. Drop. I didn’t notice. My hair was drenched. My pants were wet and ruined. Before I realized it, I was lying on the ground, soaked all the way through, getting “that one perfect shot”. I got it! (Scroll past the picture for description of the image). 

My artist’s eyes saw the dancing of my angle rain friend as if she were entrenched in a fox trot with surrounded by the flames of nature. The lights swayed back and forth singing “dance with me, dance with me” and the blue aurora filled the sky with its benevolent glory.  

Tonight was a might fine night. A perfect night to live and a perfect night to dance. A perfect night to find appreciation and beauty all around. While the world continues to turn and another day approaches, I had but one last dance with the angels of rain.