McHenry County Blog

At the swim meet between the Algonquin Waves and the McHenry Marlins at the Algonquin Pool tonight, I got this shot of a lifeguard just before he went on break.

Obviously, the sun was setting.

Labels: Algonquin, Algonquin Pool, Algonquin Trails, Lifeguard, McHenry Marlins, Message of the Day, Sunset

On the way home from the McHenry County Council of Governments meeting at the Woodstock Country Club last night this is what the sunset looked like at 8:51 PM.

I wonder what it looked like earlier.

You can see why people love living in Lakewood's Country Club Additions. I can't wait to spend some warm nights on the beach.

Labels: Gate 7, Lakewood, Message of the Day, Sunset

Here's what the sunset looked like from the end of the boat pier at Gate 7 in Crystal Lake.

I see pastels worse of all and my guess is that there are lots of pastels in this picture.

I hope you enjoy it.

And, if that one doesn't please you, here's one taken a couple of minutes before across the north end of the Crystal Lake Park District's Main Beach.

Labels: Crystal Lake, Gate 7 Beach, Main Beach, Message of the Day, Pastel, Sunset

I am so ready for some sunsets on Crystal Lake this one on September 9, 2006.

You don't have to be in a fishing boat to enjoy it.

You can even park your car at the Main Beach and walk around the lake until you get to Lake Shore Drive. Walk down the mile to the end of the street. There are numerous places you can see the lake and sunsets like this.

Pick a perfect...or even a not-so-perfect day...and enjoy the splendor of God's creation.

Of course, I could have used this St. Patrick's Day picture of snow against the wall of Auto Zone in front of Joesph's Market as the "Message of the Day."

Click on the picture of the snow. You'll see it was really coming down.

Labels: Auto Zone, Crystal Lake, Fishing, Joseph's Market, Message of the Day, Snow, Sunset

I don’t know if this is the same egret we saw just west of Gate 21 in Lakewood last week, but it flew onto the main trunk of the tree just west of the Gate 9 pier early on Independence Day morn.

My son and a friend who had spent the night had convinced me to accompany them to the lake to search for snails as soon as they awoke.

That was about 6:30—well before my normal rising time.

We went over and found the previous night’s rainstorm had left the lake less transparent than it usually is that early in the day.

We could see the bottom out probably ten feet from shore, but I could find none of the tell tail snail trails that ended where the tiny snails stopped.

These are the snails that eat duck poop, which, in turn, results in something that causes swimmers itch.

I had hoped the boys would gather dozens of them and remove them from the lake—permanently.

But, no such luck.

I did get most of three newspapers read before I noticed a lovely white bird flying toward the tree which overhangs Crystal Lake at the west edge of Country Club Additions Property Owners Association’s property that is called Beach 7.

I got to the edge of the closest parking lot and took the picture you see.

As I snuck closer the egret became alarmed and flew off. I got a white smudge of a picture of one of the wings, but little more.

For those who can’t envision the tree where the egret landed and where generations of kids have loved to play in winter and summer, here’s a picture I took within the last week showing the setting sun’s rays shining through it.

The egret was standing on the branch sticking over the lake.

Labels: CCAPOA, Country Club Additions Property Owners Association, Crytal Lake, Egret, Gate 9, Sunset

While this was taken on June 19th, it’s pretty close to today’s summer solstice.

This was taken of the sun setting over the edge of Crystal Lake.

My wife took this shot while I was...guess.

That's right.

Working on a story for McHenry County Blog.

Labels: Crystal Lake, Summer Solstice, Sunset

Sunset Friday night mean the end of the Battle of the Bands at Crystal Lake’s Main Beach.

You can see girls walking toward the park’s exit after the late afternoon and evening event.

They had to $5 each to gain admittance.

Labels: Battle of the Bands, Crystal Lake, Main Beach, Sunset

“Beware of the Ides of March.”

That was the warning of a soothsayer to Caesar.

And Caesar was killed on March 15th.

But last night wasn’t so terrible.

Consider this view of the sunset from outside the fence at Crystal Lake’s Main Beach.

I stopped the car before the Crystal Lake Park Board meeting at the right spot to get these shots of the sun setting behind a “Y” provided by a tree.

Ironically, the meeting authorized the spending of $93,000 on a pool and recreation center, but, this time around, the pool will be indoors, as I understand the plan.

Labels: Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake Park Board, Ides of March, Main Beach, Sunset

For some time I have been trying to pin down the amount of money that won’t be in the Crystal Lake city budget because of the Village of Lakewood’s deciding to start its own fire department.

This week I received a response to my second Freedom of Information request and it looks like Crystal Lake’s budget will take almost a $500,000 hit.

Lakewood was “assessed” $464,577.67 in 2006.

In addition, $31,973 has been collected so far from health benefit plans for ambulance service We all know how long it can take for such payments to be made, so I figure a bit more trickle in.

The amount would have been more in 2007.

That’s because the formula is based on assessed valuation and assessed valuation goes up each year.

For example, the township multipliers are increasing 4.88% Algonquin Township and 4.83% in Grafton Township. That means everyone’s real estate assessment goes up that much.

But, that ignores new construction.

When new houses and additions are added in, Lakewood’s assessed valuation has been increasing about 17% a year.

So, Crystal Lake is probably losing about $575,000 for 2007.

But, wait. That doesn’t consider the ramp-up in price, Crystal Lake wanted.

“We projected that next year, if they got the increase they wanted, our bill to the city (of Crystal Lake) would have been $768,591,” Lakewood Finance Director Wendy Gregoria told me.

Lakewood, on the other hand, is paying American Emergency Service Corporation $727,852 for the first year, she explained.

= = = = =
Photo was taken of loading the hose was taken the last Saturday of December, 2006, after Chief Tony Huemann's first briefing of those joining the Lakewood Fire Department.

Below is a Crystal Lake City Hall sunset taken January 7, 2007.

Labels: Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake City Hall, Lakewood Fire Department, Sunset, Wendy Gregoria

A press release from 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo:

Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) today announced that Christopher Fleming of Cary, Illinois, has received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Christopher will graduate this spring from Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake. At Prairie Ridge, Christopher is on the high honor role and pursues Honors and Advanced Placement courses. He is a member of the Spanish National Honors Society, a leader of his school's mentoring program, and a member of the St. Thomas the Apostle youth group. In addition, Christopher is a member of the Pubic Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) program and donates his time planning meals at the homeless shelter.

Christopher is Captain of the Varsity Track Team and a member of the Varsity Cross Country Team. He also played football and wrestled at Prairie Ridge.

Christopher is the son of Tom and Janet Fleming of Cary.

I couldn't resist posting the kind of sunset that Chis might see his first week at the Air Force Academy. We vactioned in Colorado Springs for ten days that week two summers ago. (Looks like I caught some posting garbage, too. Sorry.)

Labels: 16th Congressional District, Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Junkets. Don Manzullo, Prairie Ridge High School, Sunset