Balloon glow therapy
After enduring overpriced parking, a shoulder-to-shoulder shuttlebus ride, and a grumpifying slog through the security line, I vowed to never again attend the Eyes to the Skies Festival. But then, at dusk, they illuminated a dozen hot air balloons all at once, and my frustration faded away. The event also inspired a highly cerebral text exchange between my wife and me when we got separated.
Cardboard creativity on the high seas of Lake Ellyn
A quartet of Boy Scouts, two mustachioed, prepare to set sail at the 20th Annual Lake Ellyn Cardboard Regatta. At a glance, these fellas look like the cast of Stand by Me.
The English major in me liked this Thoreau-inspired boat best, a paddle stroke ahead of the highly inspired S.S. Udderly Dead Cow (the image for which I had to piece together using two photographs).
Confusing and undefinable, but altogether entertaining
I’m not exactly sure what it was we attended at St. James Farm over the weekend, but it involved a hooded falcon, cuatro men in sombreros, a solemn-faced equestrian rider, a skittish white horse, a man of mystery named Mario, a princess and her super smiley knight in shining armor, and a kiddo who found a dandelion patch to be more entertaining than all of the aforementioned. 
Parade of horses
I took a few photos at the Putnam County Fair Parade, and this one emerged as my favorite, narrowly edging out a shot of ALF in a Shriners hat.
