Tonight I took my daughter to see the hot air balloons at Eden Park.  This was the first Balluminaria that I have attended since I am usually out of town when this event happens.  Unfortunately it was probably the coldest it has ever been for this event.  Even with my gloves on, my fingers were still numb and the lake was frozen over so that affected the reflection.  We still had a great time and I look forward to returning next year. You can view the gallery here.

My travels to Chicago and Milwaukee happened during the same trip.  While I have been to Chicago a dozen times, this was only my second visit to Milwaukee.  At only 1.5 hours apart, a trip to Milwaukee is always a dedication because when you are in Chicago, you just don’t want to leave.  Chicago has some of the best summer days in America and Lake Michigan is so pristine you just can’t get enough of it.  The people, energy, architecture and fantastic transportation system make for one of the best experiences one can have in a US city. If you haven’t been to Chicago before, stop what you are doing and plan a trip.  As for Milwaukee, it is a deceiving city upon entering by car.  The entrance leaves a lot to be desired (Like Cincinnati from I-75 South).  You see old gritty factories, some abandonment and it never fails that it is overcast for me upon my arrival.  Although it usually clears up by mid afternoon.  Once you get into the Downtown, Third Ward and the lake front, you will continually be surprised that the city exceeds it reputation as a “Rust Belt” city.  During this trip to Milwaukee, I made sure to bring a kite to the park on Lake Michigan.  The open field and winds just call for such an activity and my daughter had a blast navigating the kite in winds that we don’t see in Cincinnati.  My photos on this trip focused on my family but I did take a enough photos of each city to update their respective galleries.  You can view Chicago Gallery here and the Milwaukee Gallery here.

Like most of my Oktoberfest photos, they usually take a back seat to spending time with friends and family and enjoying the festival.  This year was no different.  I spent most of my time running back and forth between the different beer stands and waiting in long lines for Helmut’s butter rum pretzels.  The festival was fantastic and in between my consumption of beer, I managed to shoot a couple of crowd shots.  You can view the gallery here.