There is just something so peaceful about a sunrise over a lake. I couldn't help but stop and take a moment to just enjoy this view. This photo was taken at Edgewater Park, which sits on the west side of Crystal Lake.

Marc Moxon of Woodstock

Shot of Anderson Boat house in Door County, Ephraim, Wisconsin.

Richard Baley of Elgin

We were lucky to have VIP seats for the Fourth of July fireworks in Racine WI. Sitting so close was beautiful as well as exhilarating.

Robert M. Sharp of Gilberts

Sitting next to a barn at Illinois Railway Museum, this electrical transformer has rusted significantly. I photographed the transformer zoomed in to capture the detail and abstract beauty of the object.

Angela Cichosz of Carol Stream

This photo was taken on July 3rd when it was really hot. It seems that even as hot as it was, this butterfly continued about its business, undisturbed by the heat.

William Finedore of Naperville

This is sunset on a tranquil Gulf of Mexico at Clearwater Beach, FL.

Lisa McKenna of Carol Stream

Steve Lombardozzi slides home safely as the ball lays at the feet of Tampa Bay catcher Jose Molina during a baseball game between the Washington National and Tampa Bay Rays in Washington, D.C. on June 20.

John Wysocki of Mt. Prospect

A bee lands on one of the flowers in the gardens in Cantigny Park on June 21.

Paul Halco of Hoffman Estates

Amazing cloud formations swirled around last week over the St. Andrews Boy Scout Troop 198 rummage sale. Scouts and families worked quickly to move everything under the tents before the lightning and rain began.

Judy Friedrichs of Hawthorn Woods

A gull lifts off from the beach in North Carolina last week.

Iris Cooley of Hawthorn Woods

A hummingbird moves from flower to flower on an September morning last year in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Candace Anderson of Fox Lake