I recently came across these photos taken in 2008 after we left our Bull Valley, IL  home and my sons and I moved into a small rental house, the greatest asset of which was its proximity to Crystal Lake, the Crystal Lake for which the village of Crystal Lake is named. While these shots fall far short of stellar, they do call to mind a time when a new part of my life was starting.

The Crystal Lake Park Building at Main Beach (shown atop this post) is a nifty looking building housing all manner of activities, ranging from art shows to dancing to martial arts training. A bandshell, not seen here, is the site of concerts from spring to fall.

These photos were taken a week after our area suffered once in a century floods, leaving the “Crystal” in “Crystal Lake” more conceptual than descriptive..

Geese are ever present.

Pictured below is a private residence with docks and boats in the foreground.