Finally, after rescheduling three times and waiting for a year due to the pandemic, Jetta & Zach pulled off a beautiful wedding on 25 March 2021 in Tucson, Arizona. Congratulations to Zach and Jetta Smithwick!
Peoria Panos 2020
I recently added a couple new shots to this gallery. Bring these up in full screen. You will enjoy the detail.
Detweiller Drive
Every fall, we are reminded what makes our home town special – fall colors along the river bluff. Perhaps the best specimen is Detweiller Drive, a winding park road that slowly spills from high up on the bluff down to the river on the north side of town.
Continue reading Detweiller Drive
Sunday Drive
After spending the morning cleaning up from a monster storm the night before we decided to take advantage of the beauty that often follows by going for a drive up old Route 88 (called Rte 40 now). What we saw were amazing vistas where God blessed the earth. The rich soil here in the Mid-west produces beautiful, flowing fields and cast against billowing clouds on a Sunday afternoon felt close to heaven. Feast your eyes on these shots and the video and I hope you will agree.
Continue reading Sunday Drive
Midwestern Saharan Sunset
Sometimes you plan and plan for the perfect shot. Sometimes the shot just lands on you. This is three of the latter. I believe the Saharan Sands drifted into the Midwest. As we sat down for the evening and looked out our window, the skies lit up in a red tone we had never seen.
Wildlife Prairie Park
Just a short 10 miles outside of Peoria, there is a 480 acre park reserve with native Illinois animals established by William Rutherford called Wildlife Prairie Park. Animals including Bison, Elk, Cougars, Black Bears, Fox, Bobcats, Crane, Bald Eagles, Otters, Owls, domesticated farm animals, and much more can be found in natural habitat. After cleaning up the yard today, Deb & I visited the park. Enjoy the shots.
Nashville & Destin Vacation
Deb and I drove to Nashville and Destin, FL. That’s right. We drove to make our own schedule so we could truly relax. I have to say it was quite enjoyable seeing parts of the country we have not seen.
We arrived in Nashville after a 7 hour drive from Peoria. My goal was to get some dusk pics of the John Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge overlooking the city. So, we quickly walked from our hotel to the bridge to scope out the best composition. After checking out the spots for pictures later, I flew the drone and waited for the sunset.
First time in Nashville
Nashville Cumberland River
Looking up the Cumberland river downtown Nashville at dusk from the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge.
Downtown Nashville
Unplanned composition from the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
Chicago North August 2019
This summer, Deb and I visited Ryan for a long weekend to just get away. Of course, Chicago is possibly my favorite city to photograph. And I wanted to try out my DJI tech in this photogenic city. The weather and the city did not let us down.
Wrigley is just a few blocks away. Deb & I walked by the park just as the Cubs beat the Pirates. Wrigleyville was electric. They were in the heat of the league race. The win and electricity motivated us to go catch the game on Friday against the Nats. Unfortunately for the Cubs that game was the beginning of their slide. Wrigley was still a great baseball experience.
Istanbul & South Africa
Business took me to South Africa and Istanbul for the first time. Thanks to my outstanding IBM hosts, the business side was fruitful and the experience was exceptional.
South Africa
Getting to South Africa is a challenge from anywhere but from Peoria, it’s a whole ‘nuther thing – 3 hr drive to Chicago, 7.5 hr flight to London, 11 hr flight to South Africa plus layovers adds up to 32+ hrs. Fortunately, the weather was perfect and the Sandton Hilton hotel accommodations made the adjustment better. Continue reading Istanbul & South Africa
Italy 2018 – Rome & Amalfi Coast
I always love going to Europe – especially Italy. When I learned that I was going to be speaking at our customer event in Rome, I jumped at the chance to go and bring Deb along. After a few days working in Rome, we vacationed along the Amalfi coast in Sorrento.
“Rob Tour” of Rome
On Sunday, we were asked to recreate our 2014 waking tour of Rome for some friends. We were excited to share our experience witnessing the city sites through our friends’ eyes for the first time. That said, this is a 7+ mile journey not for the faint of heart. The bus dropped us off downtown Rome, on the Tiber river looking up at the iconic St. Peters Basilica.