Late Ride baby! Woot! Here we go!

It's A Boy!

Congrats to Amy and Tom! My BFF had a baby boy last night. He came in at 8lbs 6oz. Name TBD.

Elroy-Sparta Trail

Brian, Roy and I rented bikes and rode the Elroy-Sparta Trail yesterday. We rode 22 long miles! I would say this is one of the most scenic trails I have been on. The trail winds through hills in unglaciated areas of south-central Wisconsin. The trail also has 3 rock tunnels, one of which is just under a mile long! Inside the tunnels were cool and damp which was a relief since it was pretty warm outside. We are hoping to return in the fall again to ride and see the colors on the trees.

Lake Delton, WI

Yesterday we drove up to Wisconsin to meet Paul at his summer home but we made a pit-stop at Lake Delton. The whole lake emptied into the Wisconsin River on June 9th after heavy rains caused its dam to breach. The lake supposedly emptied in 4 hours and washed away quite a few houses and boats! It was an amazing site to see. Below are some pics of things that we saw. You can see the whole set of pictures by clicking here.

Happy 4th of July!

I was invited to my friend John's 4th of July party last night at his 28th floor office which overlooks Millenium Park. This proved to be the ideal spot to watch the fireworks. We got an even better view when we crawled out a window onto the rooftop of the office building! That was a bit scary since everyone was sloppy drunk but rest assured, no one fell off the building. Below are some pics of our view as well as a video of the fireworks. You can see more pics here. Happy 4th ya'll!!!

Chicks N Hens

Thank you TKalsz for the Chicks N Hens. As you can see they are growing quite well in the strawberry pot and one is about to bloom!

Flood Relief Tax Dollars At Work

Just kidding! The guys have been working very hard! Brian sent this picture in from Jerseyville, IL, with the troops taking a break after a long days work. Still no photos of the flooding though.

Drive To Work

Brian's platoon, or whatever they call it, drove a long 2.5 hours to East Hannibal, IL. They made it just in time for lunch, sitting just a few hundred feet away from the levee in danger of collapse. So far no pics of them bagging sand so I'm not sure what they're doing.

Carpooling To Work

Peaceful Lunch Along A Levee

Brian's New Bedroom

Brian shot these exclusive photos of his accommodations near the flood zone. He'll be spending the next two weeks with 500 other fellow guardsmen in cramped quarters.

Sleeping Area

Brian's Bed

Illinois Deploys National Guard Troops

So as many of you have heard already, Illinois is one of the states affected by flooding caused by the rising waters of the Mississippi River. As a result, more than 500 Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen have been deployed in the western part of the state to help buildup and reinforce levees that are threatened by the rising waters. Take a wild guess on who will be out there bagging sand? Yes, it's none other than our beloved Brian! He will be reporting into Lui5.com with exclusive pictures, news, and comments on the flooding crisis so stay tuned!

Jason and Craig's BBQ

Earlier this morning I woke up with a mean hangover. I just can't hang anymore but I did have a blast last night at Jason and Craig's BBQ. Peter flew in from LA and the old gang reunited once again.

The old gang reunited.

Peter Power Tool

Where's Waldo?

Can anyone spot Waldo in Joe's garage?

Happy Birthday Isabelle!

Isabelle hit the big number 4 today and to celebrate we all partook in hitting the pinata and eating lots of delicious food and cake! Click here for more fotos of the birthday celebration.

Are you fracken kidding me?!

BriPhone Photos

Lucy

Lucy, the rest of her!

Posted on Natuba

Check out Brian's photo stream on Natuba!

Roy and Roy Jr.

Flora And Fauna Of DuPage County

On a series of hikes throughout DuPage County I was able to capture these unique pictures of the variety of wildlife found throughout the county.

American Bison - Fermi Lab


White-Crowned Sparrow - Glendale Heights, IL


Painted Turtle - West DuPage Woods


???


Humans - Fermilab

Spring Has Arrived On Coventry Circle

Earth Hour

We celebrated Earth Hour with dinner, drinks, and friends. As you can see, we turned our lights off. Did you?(Photo: AP)

(Photo: Chris Sweda/Chicago Sun-Times)

Medieval Times

Last night I put on my best British accent and headed over to Medieval Times in Schaumburg. The food was absolutely splendid and the show was brilliant! I did have a bloody headache from drinking but overall me and my mates had a jolly ole times. Click here to see the whole set of pics.