Coal City, IL

We slowly inch towards the back of the plane and watch the people block up the aisle as they stow their carry-on bags. As we reach our seats the smell of urine infects our noses and we agree that we are not eating on this plane ride. As I watch the plane slowly fill up I try as hard as I can to breath through my mouth and look out the window at the busy runway. I'm on the way back to Miami from a trip to visit my family in the Northern Illinois/Indiana area which was a most fulfilling escape from the humid air and killing sun. The weather was impecable, and the family was even more of a joy to see. As my godfather would say, "All they do up there is drink and smoke." I figured, when in Rome...Our trip was mainly to celebrate my aunt's 50th birthday this weekend which consisted of Patron, Corona's, Cake, Bar-B-Q's, Bags, and hating. Sitting around the fire our talks consisted of stories of family and friends. Endless laughs at others expenses, especially Uncle Tim who was not around to defend himself because he's in Tennesse. Must've been a hundred plus stories of the guy. Hate Hate Hate. But listening to that fire burn that last night, it seemed to burn away all those stories slowly and release them as smoke into the dark sky. We stayed in a small town named Coal City about twenty minutes south of Joliet and I fell in love with the place. I asked my cousin to drive me around to a few places so I could attempt to capture the town. I shot mostly in panoramic style so as to reflect the romantic side of me in attempts to capture the "whole" picture. Also included were my visits to Lake Michigan and Downtown Chicago. All in all, I'm still dreaming of the place, but nothing can beat home, even if it's pouring all day and humid at night. Enjoy.
-justin