LIGHTENING

The list of things I miss about Illinois definitely includes lightening. Luckily it seems like every time I come home to visit I get blessed with a little thunder and lightening. The pictures below are my first ever attempt at taking pictures of lightening. Around midnight me and my dad drove about a half mile from our house and parked on the the side of the road and watched the lightening light up the sky. It was an amazing experience and I hope to be able to get many more of these in the future.

GIANT CITY PARK

When I think back to growing up in Illinois I think of very very flat land and rows of corn and soy beans everywhere you look. But not to far from where I lived are a couple of parks that take you back to another place and time. A time when the "Lewis" people inhabited the land. Its no Oregon, but to be in Illinois it is pretty neat.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MINERS

Since I have left home to live in Oregon, Southern Illinois has got an independent minor league baseball team, the Southern Illinois Miners. I finally had my first chance to catch a game. It was a lot of fun and a great environment. How I wish they had this while I was growing up!

GRANDPA WYOMING

After leaving the George Roger's Clark Memorial where we watched the Vincenne's Rendezous my mom wanted to go to a nearby cemetery where her dad is buried. I was never able to get to know my Grandpa because when he died I was only in kindergarten. While living in the mid-west he lost his job and had to head west to try to find work. He made it as far as Wyoming when he got a job as a coal miner. From then on he was affectionately know as "Grandpa Wyoming."

Though I didn't get to know him well, it was still a special time to be there at his grave. Looking at his name etched in stone...seeing the dates of when he lived. And especially seeing that dash in between the dates...that dash is what makes us who we are. That is the legacy we leave behind. His life, his choices and his legacy have been passed down to me and I am here today because of him. It is such a privilege and an honor to know that we as individuals affect so many people. I pray that my life is used to better this world and every person that I meet.
I love all of my family and have been so blessed by each one of them...I hope that one day I might be able to bless them the way they have blessed me!

THE SPIRIT OF VINCENNES

After going to a couple of Cubs games we drove down south to meet my mom and we went to the Spirit of Vencennes in Vencennes, Indiana. We watched a re-enactment of the revolutionary war that took place there in the French Commons. I have been studying a lot about the Revolutionary War lately so it was really neat to see. A great book that I am reading right now is called, "A Patriots History of the United States." Here are some pictures of the day.

CHICAGO

After the Cubs vs Cardinals game at Wrigley Field we walked around Chicago for a little bit. Here are a few pictures





Vietnam War Memorial


Chicago Theater & Navy Pier

CUBS vs CARDINALS 2010

The next day for the Cardinals game we had to sit up in the cheap seats since Cubs Cardinal games are so expensive. I did walk away with one game shot that I liked though. As to who one the game I think that memory has been forged from my mind.





Ernie Banks statue and me with Woo Woo


The guy on the right was making some serious cash as a photographer after the game!

CUBS vs DODGERS 2010

Here are a few photos of the game. The Cubs won 1-0!