Vinnie's Photo Blog

A Hazy Sunset

2011-09-13T19:26:00.002-05:00

Today a crazy haze settled over our area...turns out it's smoke from a wildfire sparked by lightning, all the way up in Minnesota. Some creative winds and frontal boundaries worked together to share the joy with us. But it made for a gorgeous sunset.

Big Ol' Moth

2011-06-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

2011-06-27T11:25:00.001-05:00

Somewhere over the rainbow

2011-02-13T08:32:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning the glass on the front door was refracting the sunlight coming through, and creating a small rainbow on the wall. These were taken with my phone.

Snow Day 2011

2011-02-02T17:13:00.001-06:00

Snow pics

2011-02-02T09:00:00.002-06:00

Can't wait for the wind to die down and get outside with the camera. Should make for some beautiful pictures.

Let it snow, let it snow...

2011-02-02T08:38:00.003-06:00

Well, it's my first snow day since 1985. I've always manned up and driven through the snow to work, no matter how deep. However, here in Lake County, IL, several roads are closed due to the "Blizzard of 2011", not to mention there's close to a couple of feet of snow behind my car, and work is closed! So, I'll work from home as long as I have power!

Here's a couple of pics. Growing up, my parents always talked about '67 and '79, so now I've got some pictures for posterity.

Gotta Love Nature

2010-09-04T18:20:00.004-05:00

Had a "pre-Labor Day" picnic today...figured the parks would be crowded on Monday. Plus today was reaaaallly nice out; Monday is supposed to be warmer and I love the cool weather. All of these pictures are from Moraine Hills State Park near the Stratton Lock and Dam in McHenry, IL.

Dinner!!!

2010-08-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Blackberry

Their first pocketknives

2010-08-03T17:33:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Blackberry

Welcoming Committee

2010-08-03T16:40:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Blackberry

Our Campsite

2010-08-03T16:38:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Blackberry

IMG00022-20100803-1327.jpg

2010-08-03T13:34:00.001-05:00

The covered wagon is packed, and the Vincent family is heading out for 3 days, 2 nights of camping.

Pray for us. Seriously.

Hopefully I will post a few pictures here from my Blackberry as we go along. I have 3 full batteries so we'll see how long they last.

Signs of Spring

2010-04-02T16:41:00.001-05:00

I'm falling in love with shooting in black & white during the brightest parts of the day. It really changes how things look.

Someone call the EPA!

2010-04-02T16:39:00.001-05:00

By golly, someone's been cutting down trees without prior authorization!

Conga Line

2010-04-02T16:38:00.001-05:00

Moraine Hills State Park, McHenry, IL

Happy Easter

2010-04-02T16:36:00.002-05:00

Our apartment flooded, so that's why I'm late posting some pics. But it didn't stop me from taking them!

Out with the old, in with the new

2010-03-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

Disappearing Heritage

2010-03-30T19:57:00.002-05:00

Welcome back, Spring!

2010-03-30T19:06:00.004-05:00

Well I've started carrying my camera around with me...spring has finally hit and there are migratory birds on the move, and life is starting to perk up!

I recently read someone else's photo blog where they are doing something called Project 365, taking a picture a day, for a class. I thought it would be something cool to try, so here's a few offerings. I know, it's 4 pictures, but I did take them all today.

With this one, I loved the contrast of the old dead brown leaves with the fresh green grass. I like how it turned out.
I'm thinking of trying to start a series of photos called "Disappearing Heritage". There are so many beautiful spots here in Lake County, but many of them have buildings or houses in the background.

"Winter's End"

Pincushion Sea Urchin

2009-11-21T15:58:00.002-06:00

Florida Wildlife

2009-11-21T15:43:00.004-06:00

Florida Flowers (in November!)

2009-11-21T15:33:00.005-06:00

Random Vacation Pics 2009

2009-11-21T14:59:00.006-06:00

Sanibel Island

2008-07-31T11:50:00.006-05:00

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gettin' all funned out" "Hey, Dad, wake me up when we get to the......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

I LIKE Vacation!!

2008-07-30T15:16:00.003-05:00

A picture is worth a thousand words - here's two of 'em!

Say Who?

2008-07-30T14:24:00.002-05:00

As previously promised, here's some more pictures of the small burrowing owls.

2008-07-30T12:44:00.001-05:00

Havin' fun in the pool!!!
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Sent from my Treo(r) smartphone

Some Cute Little Owls

2008-07-25T19:37:00.003-05:00

These are the cutest little owls you ever saw. They make their nests by burrowing in the ground. Of course, homeowners down here probably don't think they're real cute. For example, the vacant lot with a "For Sale" sign where these guys were nesting. From what I understand, once these things are nesting on the lot, nothing can be done or built there. I'm going to try to get better pictures of these guys without disturbing them. I'll post them when I do.

Hit the Beach!!!

2008-07-25T19:31:00.002-05:00

Just Chillin', Dude!

A good picture tells a story. What this story is, I have no clue!

Release The Gators!

2008-07-25T19:26:00.003-05:00

While visiting the nature park, we were treated to a rare event. The park had just finished renovating the alligator pen, and were getting ready to release 8 new residents.

No, thats not "duck tape", it's "gator tape"!!!
This fellow below was not in a good mood. The others were pretty docile, but this guy was just throwing a huge "hissy" fit!!

Notice how fast he gets his hand away from the jaws!!
At last, home sweet home. Or is he thinking, "Hey pal, youse want to bring that camera a little closer?"

Nature Park

2008-07-25T19:03:00.001-05:00

Notice any similarities?
Which one's the skunk?

Officer Andrew Widman 1978-2008

2008-07-25T18:10:00.007-05:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; they also say that a good picture tells a story. I did not take the picture to the left - that photo is courtesy of the Fort Myers Police Dept. But anyone familiar with military/law enforcement funerals would immediately know the story being told by the photo I took below. We arrived in Fort Myers late Friday night, July 18. We did not know until a couple of days later, that early that morning, Officer Andrew Widman paid the ultimate price - he was shot by an assailant as he responded to a call. I never knew Officer Widman, nor his family. What made this jump out at me is he was only about a month and a half younger than I am, and also had three young children. So often we are quick to criticize law enforcement, i.e. "Where's a cop when you need one?", "Dunkin Donuts must be safe right now..." But the reality is that these men and women, all across the country, willingly put their lives on the line every time they put on their uniforms, and most of the time they never hear a thank you. Most of the time, all they get is a rude sarcastic comment, when all they are doing is their job. Most of the time, they are second guessed by people and politicians who think they could do a better job. We take time on Memorial Day to remember fallen police officers, fire fighters, soldiers, ect. But take time today, tommorrow, 2 weeks from now - thank a soldier when you see them. Thank the police officer you see in the store. Give them a smile; they need it. Teach your kids to respect law enforcement; it'll make their job, and yours, easier.
So thank you, Officer Widman. I don't live in Fort Myers; but there is no difference in what you do and what the men and women who serve where I live. Thank you, to all those who wear the uniform and put your lives on the line every day.

This photo below is of the "missing man formation" that was flown over the graveside service. These helicopters came pounding over where we are staying. The boys enjoyed seeing them, but it was also an opportunity to talk with them about those who put their lives on the line for us every day. You can also see more pictures here, courtesy of NaplesNews.com.

2 Little Jumping Beans

2008-07-22T18:25:00.006-05:00

Jumping for Joy

2008-07-22T18:00:00.002-05:00

If you had seen Casey just a couple of days ago, you'd never know this was him. He started out swimming just a few feet in the pool underwater, then jumping off of the steps. Finally he decided to give jumping in a try, and thus a monster was born. He proceeded to jump in, get out, jump in, get out, for the next 3 hours, with only a short break for lunch.

An Unwelcome Guest

2008-07-19T15:40:00.002-05:00

A few years ago when we were down here when Hurricane Frances was making it's approach to FL. We were moving the patio furniture inside and found a Brown Widow Spider. At that time I did not know there was such a thing. So today I was moving some lounge cushions, being very carefull to check for spiders, when I found this guy under a cushion. Yes, of course it scared the bejeebers out of me. So what did I do? I said, "Christy, bring me my camera. Then get the boys inside!" That's right, priorities! Gotta get the shot! After making a couple of calls, I ascertained that it was harmless along the lines of a garter snake, we let the boys come out and see it. Then we sent them back in while I got Mr. Snake out of the lanai. It took a garden rake and some sweat but we managed to get him out in the bushes where he can eat lizards and mice.

Vacation Time!!! (Day 1)

2008-07-19T15:18:00.004-05:00

Yes oh yes, it's that most wonderful time of the year!!! Vacation! 2 weeks in Florida! We've had people ask, "Why Florida? It's so hot in the summer." But it's different when you can sit around by the pool in your swimsuit (sorry for the mental picture, I'm sure you didn't need it), and cool off at will. Anyway, here are some pictures, I'll be posting some every few days so be sure to check back.

At O'Hare Airport, Terminal 5, gettin' ready to go. We were really pleasantly surprised how easily we made it through security. The key is knowing ahead of time what not to bring, and how to have the things that you are bringing packaged. A smile goes a long way; we had an extremely nice TSA agent named Linda who helped us through and had smiles for the boys.
Our royal carriage awaits!
Ready to Go!!!! Bradley did awesome, slept for most of the flight. Speaking of sleeping, Casey fell asleep the second we started pushing back from the gate, slept through a 30minute delay on the tarmac due to weather, and about a third of the flight.
Finally! In the pool!!!
You would not believe how hard it is to get a picture of Casey smiling without sticking his tongue out!
CANNONBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here the boys are baiting the crab traps. We used, of all things, chicken feet. Yes, you read that correctly. Chicken feet. I'm not sure what disturbs me more - the fact that the Wal-Mart in Cape Coral sells chicken feet, or the fact that there is enough demand for them that Wal-Mart stocks them. Our goal here is to catch some blue crabs. I'll let you know if we are successful.
Here's a little guy I found swimming in the pool. I don't know what kind of frog it is, but look below for some perspective on how small it is.

Casey Swims Also!!!

2008-03-11T20:33:00.003-05:00

Didn't want to leave Casey out, though I don't have any video, just regular photos. He enjoys swimming quite a bit.

It's A Girl!!!!!

2008-03-11T20:23:00.004-05:00

We recently added another girl to our family! Peanut joined the family on Saturday, March 1. The boys knew they were getting a puppy, but thought it would be later in the month. So imagine their surprise when they got out of the van to see their uncle Kevin holding a puppy!
This is right after Jared realized this was his puppy!
Bradley is pretty excited! He likes it when she licks his ears and gives him "kisses".
All this fun will wear a puppy out!
Yayyy! We finally have a sister, er, puppy!

2008-03-11T19:46:00.002-05:00

One more short video.

2008-03-11T19:25:00.002-05:00

This is a short video clip of Jared during his swim lessons. He's come quite a way's since he started when he was 3.

Mammoth Cave National Park

2008-02-17T20:33:00.006-06:00

This past Thanksgiving we made a short trip to Mammoth Cave National Park. The kids really loved it! It's a beautiful place that you should visit if you get the chance.

This is the natural entrance (also know as the historical entrance) to Mammoth Cave. On a warm day, the cool cave air (it stays around 57 degrees F. year round) coming out to meet the warm air causes a cloud of fog to hang over the entrance.

The next two pictures are fossilized sea life. The first is the Kentucky State Fossil known as a brachiopod. The second is fossilzed sea coral.

This is taken looking back at the Historic Entrance. Used the flash to create some contrast.
This is Jared with one of our tour guides.
A beautiful little bird, not real sure on an identity.
A gorgeous sunset, looking toward Sunset Ridge at the Visitor's Center. You wouldn't be able to see through the trees during the summer. The fall was actually still quite beautiful at Thanksgiving, with more color than I've ever seen before.
The waterfall at the Historic Entrance. The flow depends on how much rain they've had. Fortunately it had rained for a few days, so the water was moving pretty good the first day we were there. The next day, it had almost dried up completely. It has a lot to do with the makeup of the landscape, with all the limestone rock. The water just flows and flows very quickly.

I thought this picture was very cool because it contains several types of cave formations. Mammoth Cave has these formations in only one very small portion of the cave. The rest of the cave is what is called a "dry cave" because of the sandstone cap over it. In this picture you can see stalagmites (they "might" reach the ceiling), stalacitites (they stick "tight" to the ceiling), soda straws, pillars (or columns, as the local Kentuckians prefer to call them. It helps avoid confusion because in Kentucky, they sleep on pillars. Say it out loud with a southern twang, you'll get it)
A waterfall on the hill just up from the Historic Entrance.
Out of the 500 pictures I took in the space of 2.5 days, this picture is my absolute favorite.
I have a ton more photos, which I will post some more of once I get some time.

Bug-Ugly Cicada's

2007-08-04T17:50:00.001-05:00

We found this cicada out in the backyard today. There have not been very many in our area, in fact we had not seen any while the rest of the Chicago area got swarmed. The boys and myself were out in the yard, and we found a couple of empty shells on their playhouse. We were looking at those and a mature cicada that we found, when I saw this on the tree. At first I thought it was just a dead leaf, but then I saw it move. We caught the tail end (haha, no pun intended) of it coming out of its shell, and by the time I got my camera, it had fully emerged and its' wings were starting to dry. The picture right above the text here is of the cicada just after it emerged. The picture is a bit blurry, but I'm posting it so you can see the curl in the wings. It was a pretty cool event, even if the main subject was pretty "bug-ugly"!

Summer Wildlife

2007-06-30T19:58:00.001-05:00

Spring Wildlife

2007-04-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

A Blustery Day

2007-04-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Today we went to a couple of different parks, looking for wildlife, and just to get out of the house. It was a little windy and cool, but the boys still had fun running around.

No, it's not a gameboy, it's a calculator. Not sure where he picked it up, though!

Signs of Spring

2007-03-25T15:19:00.000-05:00

Some flowers poking up in the front yard, not real sure what they are.

Sparrow sitting in a tree that's getting ready to burst out with leaves.

Finally! Spring is Here!!!!

2007-03-25T15:15:00.000-05:00

This is the face of a child who is extremely happy to be out of the house!

Well, the weather outside is ...delightful! So nice in fact we had to have lunch outside today!
This is one happy little dude! His first big party outside without blankets and jackets...

You know, the trouble with 3 boys is getting them all to look at the camera and smile at the same time!

Special Delivery!

2007-03-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, well, he wasn't my birthday present, but Bradley sure had fun sitting in this box.

Moonscapes, Part 4

2007-01-02T17:00:00.000-06:00

I took these early this evening. This first one is untouched.
This one is cropped just a little to zoom it in a little more.
This one I started playing with the brightness and contrast, and realized that it brings out some details of the surface that you don't see in the original picture. I really like that crater thats located about five o'clock towards the bottom.

In case you are wondering what is my infatuation with the moon, it's really about the only thing in nature around here that is readily available for pictures. I live in a highly suburban area, so I just need to get out more.

Moonscapes, Part 3

2006-12-08T23:09:00.000-06:00

I took this early one morning this week. If you look veeeerrrryyy close you can see the flag that was left up there.

Nah, just kidding. But on a serious note, if you would like me to add you to an email list notifying you when I add a picture, just email me and let me know. I don't send them out too often, so I won't be cluttering up your inbox.

My 3 sons...Part 2

2006-11-03T20:58:00.000-06:00

Look, if you stick your finger in his mouth.....
Well, he's not the little sister I prayed for, but.....
He'll do! I love him!

My 3 sons...

2006-11-03T20:54:00.000-06:00

Yesss! Finally, someone younger than me, who I can blame stuff on!

Seriously though, Casey really is excited about his brother!

It's a boy!!!!!!

2006-11-03T20:48:00.000-06:00

Bradley John Vincent was born this morning at 8:54 am CST, weighing 7lbs, 8 oz, and measuring 20 inches long. He is such a cutie! Both Mommy and baby are doing great!

Moonscapes, Part 2

2006-10-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how this one got skipped over, but it's a pretty cool picture. This was my first glimpse of the moon tonight, as I came around the bend. I had to darken the exposure slightly, in order to make the moon stand out.

Moonscapes

2006-10-05T21:33:00.000-05:00

I don't think any words are necessary for these pictures, except to say you can click on the picture for a larger image.

An Autumn Walk In the Park

2006-10-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

Right now our leaves are starting to near the peak of the fall. This made for some pretty nice pictures, not to mention just a beautiful afternoon/evening at Moraine Hills State Park. There were so many scenes that I just felt inadequate to try to convey on film. I really like the middle picture. I had just taken a picture of some cranes flying overhead, heard the flock of geese in the background, turned around and snapped the picture. It came out really nice.

Apple Pickin' Time

2006-09-25T15:37:00.000-05:00

It's that fun time of year again, apple pickin' time! We made our annual trek to Royal Oak Farm Orchards for some apple picking and general fun. We really enjoy taking our kids there, because there is such a family-friendly environment. The boys just love picking the apples (and eating them, too!)

It was a gorgeous day to be outside, but it did mess with the lighting. I'm still learning different settings for different lights, so some of the pictures didn't turn out as good as I would have liked.

If you'll look carefull at the picture with the wagon, you'll see Casey was goin' at it two-fisted! They love to eat as they pick!

All in all, a great day doing the best possible thing, spending time with family!

Critters in the yard...

2006-09-23T13:43:00.000-05:00

Some pictures of some lil' critters I found in the yard today. The spider is a Golden Orb Weaver. When we were growing up we called them "bannana spiders." The honeybee presented itself for a nice shot when I was in the garden checking out Jared's pumpkins.

Labor Day, 2006

2006-09-23T13:05:00.000-05:00

These were some photos from the Gary, IN Airshow. Acts included the US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team (which my son absolutely loved), the Lima Lima Flight Team, an all-civilian air team, the F117 Stealth Fighter, and the US Air Force Thunderbirds.

First post....

2006-09-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

Having recently aquired a new Canon Powershot S2 IS, I decided I needed a place to show some of the cool pictures I've taken. So, here it is...

Vinnie's Photo Blog