Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Blue & Yellow

This week, Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is all about colors and more specifically, Blue & Yellow. Going through the photo files, the blues & yellows really stood out, making it easy to find these images taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Morton Arboretum, Wausau, Green Bay Botanical Garden, Como Park Zoo and my own garden.

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, go to Blue and Yellow.

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Curves

This week, Tina has selected Curves as the topic for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge so here is my interpretation of the theme. As you can probably tell, my mind is on warmer days to come. These gorgeous roses were growing at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, and Vander Veer Botanical Park in Davenport, Iowa.

 

For more on the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge go to CURVES.

 

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Two By Two

This week’s topic for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is Pairs and that reminds of the song that begins “The animals went in two by two, hurrah, hurrah.”  So here are a few pairs that might have made it onto the ark, including a pair of seals that look like they are not exactly on speaking terms and a couple of lions that might just have slept through the whole thing.

 

 

 

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, go to Pairs.   Images were captured at Brookfield Zoo, Como Park Zoo and Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village.

Orange Glow

Rainy day activities include tiddling around on the computer, coming up with images like this. Looking forward to getting back out in the garden again.

APAW – On The Horizon

Nancy Merrill is looking to the horizon for her Photo Challenge this week. Here are just a few of the horizons we’ve seen on our travels. The first one is in Wyoming.

Then two in Wisconsin, the first at George K. Pinney County Park in Door Country and the second in the Kettle Moraine area.

The next two were in Utah, the first at Antelope Island and the second at Arches National Park.

The horizon from Galveston, Texas and one in Nebraska.

The horizon off Mackinac Island, Michigan and one in southern Illinois.

 

For more on Nancy’s Photo A Week Challenge go to On the Horizon.

A Different Light

A few days ago, when 2018 was rapidly drawing to a close, the sun finally came out so I decided to take a break from the routine that we have settled into these past few months and go to the Chicago Botanic Garden for a much needed long walk and a breath of fresh air.

Usually, when I go to the Garden it’s early in the morning but on this particular day I wanted to catch the last of the Christmas lights so I waited until later in the afternoon which enabled me to see things in a slightly different light.

The air was crisp and clear but there was little or no wind which made pleasant conditions for walking. It’s been a while since I went around the garden in Winter and it was interesting to see the stark lines of the trees and shrubs and the exposed walls amid a light dusting of snow, especially in the English Garden.

Heading over towards the bridge that leads to the Japanese Garden, I passed some geese pecking away at the grass. I’m not quite sure what they were finding to eat there but evidently it was enough to hold their interest.

Two bridges, both leading to Evening Island, cast long shadows in the afternoon light, and the bells rang out clear from the Carillon Tower.

The sun caught the top of the new copper sheathing on the roof of the Regenstein Center and as it dipped below the trees, the Christmas lights began to appear. Not only was I seeing the Garden in a different light but life in general. Now that my mother-in-law is in hospice care at her house in Chicago I have come to realize how lucky I am to still be able to get about and visit places like this. To have the ability to come and go as I please is an extraordinary gift and one that I hope I never take for granted.

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – All About Nature

This week it’s All About Nature on Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge. Due to family commitments, I haven’t been able to spend much time doing photography lately (although I’ve tried to keep up with all your wonderful posts and pictures) so here are a few shots that I took earlier this year at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Como Park Zoo in Minnesota.

For more on Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge go to It’s All About Nature.