NOTES FROM ‘24

Twenty-twenty four was a year with many ups and downs, both physically and emotionally.

I quit smoking at the beginning of the year and it was the best thing I’ve done for my health. I can laugh without going into a coughing fit. It’s great!

February. My wife and I traveled out west to Phoenix, Arizona for a week to visit family, take in the warmth, and leave the cold Chicago temps behind us. As usual, it was nice to catch up with my in-laws and extended family. However, visits with my side of the family were bittersweet. I was reeling from it until spring. I desperately needed a ‘back-screen banger’ to pick up my spirits.

An afternoon in March looking down from my favorite parking garage.

June.

Rush hour in the Financial district.

Beautiful hair and a bouquet of flowers.

My reflection obsession continues.

Wonderful complications.

Puzzle pieces that need putting together.

Summer dreams.

At the end of July, I went in for surgery to repair a hernia. Two weeks into recovery I was able to get out for some daily walks. I made a total recovery after 6 weeks, and God willing was able to enjoy my favorite local event on Chicago’s lakefront.

The Chicago Air and Water show happens every August. Over 3 million people flock to the shoreline of Lake Michigan for beach going fun, good food, fast jets, and prop plane acrobatics. It’s our end of the summer bash and one of my favorite events to photograph.

It’s fall in Chicago and the temperature is mild for October. This food delivery guy has loads of friends. We can only watch.

An opportunity came up in the early November to travel to Germany. The company I work for handles stainless steel for high end manufacturing, and we purchased a service center in Remscheid. My mission was to teach the production crew how to use our computer system. It was a challenge and for the most part successful. I met some great people and immediately fell in love with the foggy evenings in downtown Remscheid.

My obsession with the mannequins on Michigan Ave continues and the merging of the American people with AI does as well. God help us.

Dense fog floated through the city on Christmas Night, so my wife and I decided to take a walk. The street lamps shone through the fog made the trees come alive. And with that, all was well.

MY YEAR IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

PERFECT GOODBYE