July was a mental, physical and emotional roller coaster. I went back to Texas for the first time since moving to Kalamazoo, and had a wonderful time visiting family and friends. July in Michigan, though, was rough. With all the highs and lows of this month, I'm happy to be moving into August and getting into the rhythm for fall sports that will be starting up before I know it. I've already got the "OK" for a project to follow a high school football team that's trying to turn around its culture and losing record, so I'm excited to throw myself into that project and a few more ideas I have brewing. Since I was in Texas for about a week, July was a shorter-than-usual shooting month for me. At any rate, here are the photos, and as always, thanks for looking. - CP Dillon Simpson, 8, rides a horse while holding an American flag during Bangor's Fourth of July parade on Monday, July 4, 2016, in Bangor, Mich. Maggie Wo, far right, smiles and waves her American flag during Bangor's Fourth of July parade on Monday, July 4, 2016, in Bangor, Mich. Tracy Kostic walks on a path by the Kalamazoo River during Allegan's Fourth of July celebrations on Sunday, July 3, 2016, in Allegan, Mich. The Paul DesLauriers Band performs during the Kalamazoo Blues Festival on Friday, July 8, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Mich. The festival runs three days and features 22 bands on two stages. Adriana Echols, center, a WMU community and regional planning sophomore with a minor in entrepreneurship, listens to a speaker during a vigil held in light of recent violence across the nation on Saturday, July 9, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Attendees lit candles, performed songs and spoken word, and talked about how they could come together to make a change. Berrien County Sheriff L. Paul Bailey adjusts his glasses as he answers questions from the media during a press conference near Berrien County Courthouse on Monday, July 11, 2016 in St. Joseph, Mich., where an inmate allegedly grabbed a gun from a deputy and opened fire, killing two county courthouse employees before being shot and killed by a deputy. Tonilynne Ireus, 4, watches her sister Swaye, 5, eat a corn dog during Allegan's Fourth of July celebrations on Sunday, July 3, 2016, in Allegan, Mich. Greg Gagie swings during the Kalamazoo Country Club Invitational at Kalamazoo Country Club on Thursday, July 28, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Karen Lovely and her band perform during the Kalamazoo Blues Festival on Friday, July 8, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Mich. The festival runs three days and features 22 bands on two stages. AFC Ann Arbor head coach Eric Rudland cheers his team on after a game between Kalamazoo FC and AFC Ann Arbor on Sunday, July 10, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Ann Arbor FC beat Kalamazoo FC 2-0. Louis Claeys and Katherine O'Bryan sit in the shade and listen to speakers during a Black Lives Matter rally at Bronson Park on Friday, July 22, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Mich. After the rally at Bronson Park, the movement preceded to "shut down" the Kalamazoo Mall by blocking the street and demanding change from Kalamazoo government officials and Kalamazoo Public Safety. Caroline Akers, Manju Freeman and Mark Miller link together during a prayer at a vigil held in light of recent violence across the nation on Saturday, July 9, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Attendees lit candles, performed songs and spoken word, and talked about how they could come together to make a change. Berrien County Undersheriff Chuck Heit listens to Sheriff L. Paul Bailey address the media at Berrien County Courthouse on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 in St. Joseph, Mich., where the day before, inmate Larry Gordon grabbed a gun from a deputy and opened fire, killing two bailiffs before being shot and killed by a deputy.