Pink Swirl

Taken May 2006 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. See what you'll have to look forward to once it finally starts to get warm again? Lots and lots and lots of flowers, I promise!

Because there is only so much snow one person can shoot

Fuzzy Cactus



Prickly Cactus

Thank goodness for greenhouses!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

You don't see a lot of phone booths anymore, here in the age of the cell phone. What made this one special to me, though, is the name of the company. My very first client in Chicago was Illinois Bell, and I spent my first two years here going to their headquarters building in the Loop every day. But that was seventeen years and four name changes ago: Illinois Bell became Ameritech right as I was leaving the company, and then it became SBC, which is AT&T now. I don't even think the building is still office space anymore.

Wow. 17 years. That phone booth is seventeen years old. I've been here in the Midwest seventeen years. It feels like it was just yesterday sometimes.

Icy Beach at Sunset

It's still snowing here, and the shore is still frozen. But it's beautiful, in almost an eerie way, at sunset. I added a few more to the Lakefront set at Flickr.

Water Symmetry

I just liked the pattern of this. Enjoy your weekend!

Start 'em young!

My favorite part of this shot is that she's using a toy Viewfinder, not an actual camera. Still, I'll bet her shots came out better than mine that day! :)

I don't have a lot of experience shooting candids of strangers, but it is a skill I'd like to develop. I've started collecting a few shots in the People set at Flickr, and I think I might work on it more in March, while we're all still waiting for the flowers to bloom.

Sunset over Bahai Temple

Took a quick trip after work to see how the ice was melting over at Wilmette Harbor, but it was the setting sun and its amazing light that captured my interest the most. Best seen in largest size, and a few more shots are available in the Lakefront set.

Coming soon!

The weather is warming up, finally, and soon these will be visible outside as well as in greenhouses. I can't wait!

Maybe Stronger Language Will Help

This power box and its battle-of-wills signage cracks me up. Do you think they heed the warning now?

A few more detailed shots have been added to the Garfield Park Conservatory set. Oh, and my Lighthouse Beacon shot was selected for use on the Chicagoist newsblog!

Idyl Statue

More from my trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory is up at Flickr, including this closeup of the Idyl statue sculpted by Loredo Taft in 1913. There's just something about the concerned expression on the man's face on the left that really moves me.

Palm Leaf Detail

My apologies for skipping a couple of days of posts; a friend of mine said I should post a shot of the lid of the Peter Pan peanut butter jar that got me sick so you could see where I'd been. Yep, I ate the recalled peanut butter and I got a mild case of salmonella food poisoning. I'm all better now, but it didn't put me in the mood to take any pictures. Sorry!

But I am better now, and yesterday I went to the Garfield Park Conservatory to enjoy some cheery flowers and a bit of a rainforest. Today's shots are all of the strange and beautiful palms that I saw; definitely not a part of our native landscape in Chicago! You can see a few more in the Garfield Park Conservatory set.

St. Valentine's Flowers

My Valentine's gift from my husband. Awwwww.

(Sorry for the late posting; I've got the stomach flu so I nearly skipped today altogether.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

White Bleeding Heart, my traditional favorite February flower shot. This one was taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden on May 22, 2005. It was one of the first really sharp flower photographs I ever took.

Other bleeding heart shots are available here and here.

Winter Tree

I can only imagine how majestic this oak (I think) looks in the summer and fall!

We've got lots of snow coming down today, and one of my POTDs from last week was selected for the front page of the Chicago Public Radio site today. I'm very pleased!

Everybody's Got a Passion

This man's passion is bird-watching; this was taken at the Illinois Ornithological Society's "Gull Frolic" held at Winthrop Harbor Yacht Club on February 12, 2007. He and a dozen other hearty souls braved the cold weather to observe a large group of seagulls in and around the chilly water.

My passion is taking photographs of moments like this, more of which I added to the Gull Frolic set.

What's yours?

Ice Fishing Safety

People who live in the far northern suburbs know how to keep busy during the winter months, moreso than most of us closer to the city who just bundle up, stay inside and complain about the cold. On my journey yesterday up around Illinois Beach State Park, I saw several groups of ice fisherman, some runners (yikes!), and even a group of bird-watchers checking out the gulls in Winthrop Harbor. (Those shots will be posted tomorrow.)

The one thing I almost never see are skiers, but then I remember there aren't any mountains around here! Whoops.

I'm dreaming of warm weather today

Here's hoping spring comes soon!

Old-Fashioned Lighthouse

I added a few typical winter beach shots to the Lakefront set at Flickr (some signs, lifeguard chairs, and a few more astonishing icy water photos) but none of them felt like they should be the Photo of the Day as much as this one did from yesterday's upload. It reminds me very much of all my childhood summers spent boating with my family around Long Island Sound.

Lighthouse Beacon

Taken at the Evanston Arts Center beach on February 7, 2007. Best viewed in large size.

More views of the lighthouse are in the Lakefront set at Flickr.

Watching the Ice Floes

After a week of sub-zero temperatures, it should come as no surprise Lake Michigan looks like the North Atlantic Ocean in "Titanic". But it was still a shock to see all the ice floes, everywhere, as far as the eye could see. There was no way I could do justice to the enormity of it, but this was my best attempt.

A few more shots can be seen in the Lakefront set. And more to come tomorrow!

I met Lightning McQueen!

This one is for my nephews. Enjoy, you guys -- and any other "Cars" fan who sees this! :)

I've added this one and a few last photos of some unusual cars to the World of Wheels set at Flickr.

Stained Glass Rotunda

Located across the street from Millenium Park downtown, the Chicago Cultural Center is one of the most-overlooked tourist attractions in the city. That's a shame, because not only is it free admission and a host for many dance and art exhibitions, it is also home to two ornately-designed marble staircases and an enormous stained-glass rotunda, as depicted here. A few more of the lovely details of the building are available in the Architecture Details set at Flickr.

Super Bowl Sunday!

GO BEARS!



I couldn't decide which Art Institute lions photo to go with today, so I'm posting two. (The last of Da Bears photos are all in the set at Flickr.) The one above is the one I think is the best overall photograph, but I adore the haughty and annoyed feel of the one below, as if the lion cannot believe he is being forced to wear something so undignified on his head.



It's TEN BELOW zero today here in Chicago, and it's not expected to warm up until Tuesday. This is the coldest it's been in 10 years, a deep freeze I remember well. Thank goodness the Super Bowl isn't being played up here!

GO BEARS!

Go Bears III!

A little closer:






One more day 'til the Super Bowl! Downtown Chicago is all decked out in Bears paraphenalia, even our famous landmarks! Check out a few more in Da Bears set at Flickr, and check back here tomorrow for the last rah-rah before Da Game.

Hibiscus Stamens and Pistil

Since it's a balmy 7 degrees this morning, I decided some tropical flowers were in order, and the greenhouses at the Chicago Botanic Garden always deliver those.

Taken at the Chicago Botanic Garden, January 26, 2007. A few more shots are at the beginning of the Chicago Botanic Garden set at Flickr.

Sunset over Downtown Harbor

Taken January 28, 2007. This is the harbor south of Adler Planetarium, with the east building of McCormick Place in the background.

Best viewed in largest size.