The Brier clan basically went off the grid for a good week.  We rented a house, last minute, on the shores of Lake Michigan.  Yes, we call Chicago home.  Yes, we live about a mile and a half from the lake.  However, this is not the same as living in a house at the end of the lane in rural Wisconsin.  The sounds we were accompanied by were all water based.  Crashing waves or the gentle swish of the tide.  No sirens, no horns, no helicopters.  Far different Third Coast than the one we call home.

The whole family really needed to find some beauty.  Work pressure.  Crazy schedules.  Camp drops offs and pick ups.  Games.  Competitions.  Passing each other in the hallway as one comes in and the other goes out.  Or waving at each other on the road.  It's been that sort of few weeks.  With both kids doing their first sleep away camp, we'd not had both kids home for more than a night for two weeks.  So, we, I searched to find something last minute.  We lucked out.

As a photographer, I always hope for the SOOC (straight out of camera) shot that I don't have to do a single thing with.  Yes, I use Photoshop.  Just like I used to use a darkroom.  Sometimes, though, there is that shot that comes along and I look at it and I think, "if I do a thing to this, I'm going to ruin it."  This photo was one of those.  I think, too, it represents more than the just the beauty of a Lake Michigan sunset (looking east) to me.  It's bigger than that.  It's the relaxing, unwinding, doing nothing, hanging out, lounging and listening to the sound of the surf, and just spending time together. (Did I mention little to no cell signal?) 

Lake Michigan sunset looking east from Oostburg, Wisconsin.

Captured with Nikon D810 with 24-70mm f/2.8.  ISO 200, 66mm, 1/100s, f/4.5.