Winning images of our weekly photo contest

Kittens will be kittens whether they are cats in the Northwest suburbs or lions in Kenya. Two lion cubs play in Samburo, Kenya on October 24, 2011. Roy Lobenhofer of Mount Prospect

The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean at Oahu, Hawaii in March 2016. Michael Baker of Schaumburg

While visiting the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, I took several photos of the Infinity Lightbox. After reviewing them, I realized I appeared in the reflections. Repositioning myself a bit, I was able to use the Lightbox to create self portraits with rays of light emanating from my core. Kind of a fun selfie. Debra Hruby of Wheaton

A mischievous squirrel pulls back the cords of the bird feeder used to prevent them from freeloading March 25, 2016 in Libertyville. Jim Huskey of Libertyville

We traveled to Florida to visit friends after the holidays. We visited Honeymoon Island State Park, and I caught this Osprey creating a splash as he fished. I like the spray coming up as the bird hit the surface of the water. Robin Green of Warrenville

Double rainbows appear in the sky over Banff, Canada last summer. Sue Ditsch of Hawthorn Woods

Michael Helf from the Chicago Cougars shoots the puck past the Steele County Blades goalie on January 29 at Leafs Centre in West Dundee. Beverly Buchinger of Hoffman Estates

The sun sets amid rain clouds over the Bridgeport Reservoir along Highway 182 just north of Bridgeport, Calif. in October 2015. Mike Stone of Round Lake Beach

"Do it Like a Girl" - Women's March in Chicago on January 21In addition to the creative signs that made many in the crowd stop to snap a quick picture or chuckle, several marchers paused to smile at these two girls who had the best seat in the house. I loved that they were dressed alike and clasped hands as (presumably) their fathers inched through the crowd. The pink-and-white "Do It Like a Girl" sign seemed to be the perfect caption and complemented their matching pink outfits. Seeing the girls reminded me of a photo I took during a trip to the Brookfield Zoo when my now college-aged daughter and her childhood friend enjoyed a good vantage point on their fathers' shoulders. It was great to see these dads sharing this historic event with the future generation of women. Meg Beasley of Wheaton

This is a photo of beach houses lined up side-by-side in Malibu, California. This view shows how close people are willing to get for a good place on the beach. Robert M. Sharp of Gilberts

I took this photo or the Piton mountains on a recent cruise to St. Lucia in the southern Caribbean. This was our view from where we had lunch! Sharon O'Leary of St. Charles

"Funk's Grove". I like to take a drive to central Illinois a couple times a year to visit places of my youth, one of which is Funk's Grove - on the way from Bloomington to Springfield. It's a lovely place to visit, walk through the chapel there or just sit and take it all in. Tom Nicol of Geneva