secret caves

Did you know that during World War I, over 25,000 British soldiers hid underground in a labyrinth of secret caves under the city of Arras, France?

About 60 feet underground, 25,000 Allied soldiers hid for eight days before the Battle of Arras in 1917. Originally the caves were medieval chalk quarries. There are about 12 miles of tunnels, and with these tunnels, soldiers were able to advance on the Germans.

And back above ground again...

a rainbow in paris

Parisian family out for a Sunday stroll.

juxtapose with me

next of kin

face off

vive la france!

Nothing better than wine served at lunch. At school. Only the French!

foto fun

I am in New York. I adore New York.
The first few photos are from an opening reception of the work of contemporary Japanese textile artists, and the last, a few furry friends.

sam and drew

I had the opportunity to travel to Ohio last week to help shoot the wedding of newlyweds Sam and Drew. Here are a few favorites!

And the baby darling of the family...

last assignment

I photographed my last assignment for the Northwest Herald with fellow photographer Lauren Anderson on a hot and humid day last week. The Bears took on the Cleveland Browns in a preseason match up that enlisted many second and third string players but nonetheless was still an entertaining game to shoot. Its been a great run in Chicago, and now on to the next adventure!

Chicago's Brian Urhlacher and Julius Peppers wait to run onto the field at the preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, at Soldier Field in Chicago.

siblings

These are my siblings, Jennifer and Eric. They clean up pretty nice!

canoeing down the nippersink

An end of summer feature.
Jessica Carlson and Jon Stiegleiter, of McHenry, canoe in the Nippersink Creek in Richmond on Saturday, Aug. 20. The duo, were waiting for six others in their group, to catch up with them.

Here's a view from my seat. Rough day at work.

building an airplane

"It just takes some glue, a good saw, and some wood," Brad Delisle says of building his own personal airplane, and Delisle is making it happen with his father Mike in the basement of their Lakewood home. I had the pleasure of hanging out with them while they worked on their 1929 wooden Pietenpol Aircamper that will travel 60 miles per hour once finished and be covered in fabric. Amazing!

that time of year

Fall sports season is back in action, and so are the mascots.

back to school

I got to hang out with Katrina, 11, an aspiring writer and musician going into sixth-grade, and Maya, 5, who will be attending kindergarten and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. The challenging part was shooting video and linking these two strangers together into one cohesive piece. I think it all came together; here is what they are looking forward to this coming school year.

Katrina Troy, 11, prepares to play a tune on her guitar at her family's home in Lake in the HIlls. Troy will be attending the sixth-grade at Marlowe Middle School and is looking forward to band, choir, art and cooking class. "I already have my backpack packed and ready to go," Troy said of going back to school.

Maya Tierney, 5, laughs as her mother Seija Tierney reads a book with her at their home in Algonquin. Maya will be attending kindergarten at Algonquin Lakes Elementary School and wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

plans to run again

McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi smiles with wife Jean before taking the podium at his fundraiser dinner Thursday evening at Boulder Ridge Country Club in Lake in the Hills to announce his plans for re-election.

a smattering of summer scenes

Summer varies from culture to climate, but in northern Illinois and throughout America similar classic scenes can be seen year after year.  A county fair, an afternoon baseball game, an outdoor ice cream stand. Though these photos may not be mind-blowing, to me they represent Americana and are timeless; the year could be 1950 or 2011.

A look at the County Fair Pageant contest.

I love the stance of this Japanese pitcher! It looks like art! Japan's Masato Hagiwara pitches against Victory Illinois in the game Saturday at Lippold Park.