Fireworks, Chicagoland Staycation and a little beyond...

Good morning!  For those of you who read my blog, I thank you!  This may be my longest post on record, so, if you just want to browse the photos, I will understand, but, if you want to get to know me better through my photos, please read on!  For those of you who have read my posts before you know that I live in the suburbs of Chicago.  I work for a small little retailer who I am sure at least some of you have heard of, Costco Wholesale.  Since we can not take vacation around the Holidays, I almost always take the week of the 4th of July off.  I am a Navy Veteran, and to me, nothing screams Patriot and pride in country than taking off the week of the 4th to see FIREWORKS!  This year was a little different because my wife was working for a good portion of the week and then went to Michigan for the weekend.  Since we have a 17 year old daughter who only wants to stay and be with her friends, I took on that roll...so to speak, Ha-Ha.  I was almost never home.  

Do you watch American Picker's?  LeClaire, Iowa is a little over two hours from Chicago and I have wanted to see Antique Archeology for some time.  I made to drive down only to have the power out in the buildings so the original building wasn't even available to look in other than from outside.  The whole thing seemed more like a shop to buy and sell swag rather than display their finds.  Kind of disappointing to say the least, but, I can say I did it!  They must have a warehouse where they keep most of their items.  They did have things there that were NSF (Not for sale), their best finds, which were very cool, things like the Indian motorcycle which they dug out of the ground!

 A couple of mornings I drove my wife to work rather than have her drive to the train station, park the car and take the train.  One morning after doing so, I drove Lakeshore Drive in Chicago all the way down to Rainbow Beach.  I made a few stops along the way, and this was one of my favorite shots of the day, simple shot, but, hey, I am a simple man who knows what I like!

 On the third of July, almost every year, I go to see the fireworks in Oakbrook, IL. because it is always a great show.  This year they were cancelled.  If you live in the Chicago area, you know how much rain we have had, and there was some flooding and the grounds where people stand and sit to watch the fireworks was to wet, bummer!  I was disappointed to say the least.  Someone suggested Hawthorne Woods, so that is where I ended up on the third.  To me, this first shot I took looks like a bird in flight changing directions mid-air. 

 The one below, again, to me, looks a little like a spider with its web hanging down.

Since less is more, sometimes, my last one from the third is what I think looks a little like a heart, what do you think?

 The annual 4th of July Parade in Arlington Heights, what can I say, I am a sucker for a parade!  The first photo is of Lily and friends, enjoying a donut or two as the parade is starting.

 Below is a shot of John Thompson and his daughter Jennifer.  Jennifer and Lily went to grade school together, and John is a friend!

 As we grow older sometimes friends, even really good friends move away from the area where they grew up and where you first met them.  My good friend Dave Howley, his wife Ruby and their daughter Sabrina now live in the Houston area.  Dave tries to come back home once or twice a year, and I always try to get together with them when they are home.  This year Dave invited me to a friends party, and while were were never great friends, I always regarded Pat Guest as a really good guy.  Pat and his wife Laura throw a great party, and I can not thank them enough for allowing me to tag along with Dave, Ruby and Sabrina!  Believe it or not, the next four photos were from fireworks which they set off in front of their home...no harm no foul!

 In Lisle, IL every year they have the Eyes to the Skies Balloon Festival around the week of the 4th of July.  I have never gone until this year, now I think it will be and annual event for me to attend, and next year I plan on trying to go up in one for more scenic views!

These photos were all taken between 5:30 and 7:15 a.m. on July 5, 2019.

 Probably my favorite thing while seeing these balloons was when they were filling them...the flames were real, and while they were really hot, I believe the shots are really cool, what do you think?

 On the July 5th this year Arlington Heights had their fireworks display at Arlington International Racetrack.  Below are my favorites from our hometown display.

 Fireworks are even neater when you manipulate the camera with the shutter open, like the shot below!

Sunrises and sunsets are a favorite of mine.  Little did I know, until this week, that there is a good spot near me to view the sunset.  Buffalo Creek in Long Grove, IL. is a great spot where I will continue to go back to...

 On the morning of the 6th of July I decided to go try and catch the sunrise off Navy Pier in Chicago. 

 God had different plans as it was totally overcast, although I did manage a few cool shots!

 July 9, 2019, my buddy Dave and his family were going to the Brookfield Zoo, and asked if I wanted to tag along.  I thought it appropriate, since it is Wednesday (HUMP DAY), for my first few photos to be of camels...

 Giraffes are always intriguing, and they photograph well.

 One of my favorite shots of the day is the one below of Dave and his daughter feeding a giraffe.

 My last few shots reflect on how I feel as my staycation/vacation comes to an end, especially the last photo.  I feel a little lethargic and bummed, such is life, all good things must, eventually come to an end! 

 As always, all photos are solely owned and all rights reserved by mwnphotography and me, Michael W. Noonan.  That being said, all my photos are for sale, if you like something enough to want a print, please do not hesitate to reach out to me!  I can be reached via email at mwnphotography@gmail.com, or by phone at 867.636.9130!

Thanks for looking, any comments, suggestions or constructive criticisms welcome. 

                                               KEEP CLICKING THAT SHUTTER!!!

Vacationing at Orange Beach, Alabama (Including Pensacola, Florida)

Have you ever actually been treading a vacation?  I normally love my vacations and/or my time off from work.  This year we really did not plan our vacation until about two weeks out, totally unlike years past.  Through the recommendations of Lily's friends we decided on the Gulf Shores area and settled on Orange Beach, Alabama.  To say I was under impressed at the outlook of going to the middle of nowhere would be an understatement!  A 16 hour drive, even with three drivers was hard!  

We made it down in record time, LOL.  We left at 12:30 at night with Lily taking the first shift, because, as she says, she is nocturnal!  We made it down around 4:30 on Monday June 10, 2019.  We made it through and the first evening just kind of drove around to get the lay of the land and to find a place to eat dinner.  That night we also took a nice long look at the beach which was out the back door of our hotel.

I made a plan to get up for the sunrise each morning, this was the first really smart move on my part!  Let me correct that, my first really smart move was doing the research in the few weeks after having decided on Orange Beach  for things to do around there.  Being a Navy Veteran, I love everything Naval Aviation.  I discovered that less than an hour from Orange Beach was the National Naval Aviation Museum.  I was sold, the added bonus was the fact that Tuesday's and Wednesday's the Navy Blue Angels practice right outside the museum, since the museum is actually located on NAS (Naval Air Station) Pensacola.  Tuesday I went down, I took just a few hundred shots, LOL.

 Do you know how hard it is to get a plane in focus when it is moving at around 400 m.p.h.?

 The planes get to within a foot and a half of each other, and you can only click the shutter so fast...

 To say the day was made by the Blue's might be a slight understatement.

 I thought the shot above flying through the contrail of the other plane was cool, what do you think?

 I love the move below, It shows the versatility and the training of the pilots, just think, one wrong move and you kill, not only yourself but the two other pilots!

 Thinking my day was complete, I went back to find Marilou and Lily on the beach!  We decided to go to the Warf, just a few short miles away in Gulf Shores.

 Again, I was impressed with this little shopping area with restaurants and a beautiful ferris wheel.

 After it is full dark, they do a light show throughout the main shopping area.

 Although my photos don't give it justice, you can get the general idea...

No evening in Orange Beach could be concluded properly, at least while on vacation, without a stroll on the beach.  Off in the distance I could see a storm starting to roll in.  I have tried many times to time a lighting strike but I was never successful until our second day in Orange Beach!  This was shaping up to be a good vacation so far.

 Wednesday started out with another beautiful sunrise.

 Each day while in Orange Beach you would see Blue Heron, right on the beach.  The photo below, shows how dark it was when my day started, and as you can see the Blue Heron were out already!

 Wednesday proved to be a great day as well.  In the morning we decided to rent bicycles, but, we decided to make it more fun than most bicycle trips by renting Electric Bicycles.  Dean and his crew at Pedego Electric Bikes (PedegoOrangeBeach.com) were outstanding!  Marilou rented a trike so I could put my camera backpack in it.  Below is Lily standing watching me...

Wednesday we also went on a Dolphin/Sunset Cruise.  This was kind of fun, but, I never really got the photos I was hoping for...

Thursday, for the sunrise, I wanted to try something a little different, so I got in the car and drove towards the bridge which connects Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, so I would not have the hotel in my way for the sunrise.  

 By manipulating the shutter speed, ISO and length of time the shutter is open on the camera I was able make the wonderful, eerie photo below.

 The photo below is just a little dark and I kind of cut the nose of the boat off, but, I love the sunrise coming through  the top of the boat!

Next on Thursday was something just for Lily, or so I thought!  Lily wanted to try parasailing! It is not cheap and Lily wanted to go, but not paired up with a stranger, so I decided to go as well!  Orange Beach Parasailing(obparasail.com) what can I say but AWESOME.  What a thrill it was to get up there, and of course to come splashing down, literally!

All week long I had been getting up to catch the sunrise, Thursday someone suggested  GT's ON THE BAY for dinner and to see the sunset.  Like everything on the trip so far, we were not to be disappointed!  Like always, I took way too many photos of the setting sun, but, it was AMAZING!

I could add probably a dozen more shots, but, I think the shot below says it all!

Friday was our last full day, so Marilou and Lily wanted to stay on the beach.  Anyone who knows me, knows my skin coloration can not handle a day at the beach, although on this trip, I made into the ocean (Or the Gulf of Mexico) at least once a day.  So with time to kill, or do what I wanted to do, I made the trek back over to Pensacola, Florida and went to Uncle Sandy's Macaw Bird Park(Macawbirdpark.org).  The fee is minimal, a $5 donation, and the sites of birds are pretty neat, well worth the nominal fee, in my opinion!  

On Saturday morning the plan was to get up for the sunrise and get on the road shortly after that.  I was pleasantly surprised to have both Marilou and Lily join me for the last sunrise...

All good things must come to an end, sadly our vacation is over.  Our trip back from Orange beach took us close to 22 hours driving, pretty much straight through with three major stops along the way, Auburn University, the University of Alabama and, at 9:15 at night, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.  So, what should have been a 16 hour drive, actually took us 22 hours because of the delays and the detours which we took.

I know this has been a long post, but, I was just so above and beyond thrilled at our vacation to Alabama, that I wanted to share.  If you have read this all the way through, thank you!  

All photos are solely owned and are the intellectual property of Michael W. Noonan and mwnphotography.  If you like any of the photos, as always, everything is for sale.  If you want to see more of my collection from this wonderful trip, that can be arranged as well, all you need to do is reach out to me.  I can be reached via email at mwnphotography@gmail.com or by phone at 847.636.9130.

For all you shutterbugs out there, KEEP CLICKING THAT SHUTTER!