Travel Theme: Fragrant

Ailsa’s Travel Theme challenge on Where’s My Backpack? at http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/11/22/travel-theme-fragrant/ is Fragrant.

So many of life’s fleeting fragrances remind me of my early years back home in England. These pictures represent some of those happy memories.

A fragrant memory of roses after the rain as Mum and I walked to my grandmother’s house from the bus stop in Twickenham.

The fragrant odor of fresh-ground coffee beans that greeted us at the door of our favorite restaurant in Folkestone.

The perfume of lilacs in the Spring. Now, in May, I make my annual pilgrimage to Lilacia Park in Lombard, a perfect time to catch that delightful fragrance.

Leaves; not just leaves but burning leaves. That wonderful smell of autumnal garden bonfires.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unexpected

The Weekly Photo Challenge from the folks on The Daily Post at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/photo-challenge-unexpected/ is Unexpected. Unfortunately I failed to heed that well known saying about ‘expecting the unexpected‘ so the quality of some, if not all, of these pictures probably leaves a lot to be desired but then that’s the whole point. I was unprepared and the opportunity for getting the picture was unexpected.

Some years ago our camera club was invited to attend an event at Brookfield Zoo that featured a Monkees tribute band. I guess they thought it would be a great idea to have a bunch of people taking pictures, rather like the paparazzi, and we obliged. The band itself was quite good but what made the whole thing really rock was the unexpected appearance of Peter Tork from the original Monkees group.

An unexpected close encounter with a bison in Custer State Park. He snuck up on several of us photographers as we were taking pictures of some of his chums on the other side of the fence. This happened just after the annual round-up and we had foolishly assumed that all the animals were safely on the inside. I wondered why everyone was beating a hasty retreat and finally realized that there was only one other person between me and this slowly advancing resident of the park. I called out to warn the other guy and took the shot as I backed away towards the safety of the car.

You never know who you’re going to bump into at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I was just going in as well-known WGN weather expert Tom Skilling was coming out. Such a nice man, who greeted me, a total stranger, like a long-lost friend. There were lots of people trying to take pictures and he had a cheerful word for everyone.

An unexpected obstacle across the path was something I encountered during a walk around our local park one morning after a stormy night a couple of years ago.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to see this hawk perched on the back of one of my garden chairs, just a few feet from the back door, when I looked out of the window.

The opportunity for taking this shot was totally unexpected. Mum and I had gone for a walk at the nature center and were so engrossed in our conversation that we didn’t realize this deer was following us all the way down the path. When I finally turned and saw it, it was so close it was almost like it was listening in. It stood for several minutes, allowing me to take quite a few pictures (this was in the days when I used film) and then it lost interest and ambled off.

A Word A Week Challenge: Lines – Part 2

I couldn’t resist having another go at Sue’s Word A Week Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/a-word-a-week-challenge-lines/ It seems like our whole life is made up of lines of one kind or another; waiting in line, learning lines (if you’re an actor), toeing the line, writing lines (our punishment in school), genetic lines, and so on.

Following the white line on in-line skates.

The lines on a monarch butterfly.

The lines on a leaf so clearly defined that you can almost feel the texture.

A barn full of lines in the Volkening Heritage Farm in Schaumburg.

The lines of a decorative steel structure in the White River Gardens, Indianapolis.

Strong architectural lines of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Three

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge on Cee’s Photography at http://ceenphotography.com/2013/11/19/cees-fun-foto-challenge-three-items-or-the-number-three/ is Three.

I always look forward to these ‘number’ challenges and am usually surprised at how many pictures I can come up with when going through the files.

Three jockeys preparing for a race at Arlington Park, Illinois. I guess this one would have been good for Ailsa’s Travel Theme challenge on Where’s My Backpack? at http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/11/15/travel-theme-short/ which was the subject ‘Short’.

Three fountains in the Rose Garden at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois.

Two’s company. Three‘s a crowd! Shortly after I’d taken the picture of the two sea lions seen in Sue’s ‘Word A Week Challenge,’ a third one joined the group, causing quite a commotion.

Three butterflies on some pretty purple flowers.

Three spires atop the Hindu temple in Bartlett, Illinois.

Three carousel horses on display at The House On The Rock in Wisconsin.

Three golden flowers growing in the Chicago Botanic Garden.

A Word A Week Challenge: Lines

Sue’s Word A Week Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/a-word-a-week-challenge-lines/ is Lines. No problem. I must have hundreds of these in the files. I might even have a second go at this one! Thanks Sue!

The lines on this frog show up rather nicely. Luckily I caught him while he was crossing the path otherwise I might never have seen him.

Lines of boxcars waiting on the tracks just off Blue Island Avenue in Chicago.

A thirteen-lined ground squirrel, a regular visitor to our garden some years ago.

Mooring lines on a ship at the Tall Ships Festival at Navy Pier in Chicago.

Rather an obvious one, I know, but I thought this was a good opportunity to make use of the picture.

Lines of colorful chrysanthemums alternating with boxwood hedges on the Esplanade at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers

The Weekly Photo Challenge from the folks on The Daily Post at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/weekly-photo-challenge-layers/ is Layers. I was almost tempted to rush out and buy a layer cake for the purposes of illustrating this subject but found it rather difficult to justify the purchase of yet another dessert this week.

Waterbirds have several layers of feathers including the top, contour feathers which form a protection against the water, down feathers which provide insulation and flight feathers found on the bird’s tail and wings.

Layers of herbs growing from a wall in the Children’s Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Layers of petals on a dahlia in the Circle Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Everybody knows you need to dress in plenty of layers to survive a Chicago winter.

Layers of wood stacked and ready for those cold winter days.

The fur of the polar bear has two layers, a thick underfur and a top layer of guard hairs.

Layers of autumn leaves cover the forest floor at River Trails Nature Center.

A Word A Week Challenge: Pose

Sue’s Word A Week Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/a-word-a-week-challenge-pose/ is Pose. I tend to associate the word ‘pose‘ with the definition of ‘to assume a posture or attitude usually for artistic purposes‘ or ‘to affect an attitude or character usually to deceive or impress.’ Here are a few people posing as someone other than themselves.

The Singing Executioners at King Richard’s Faire in Wisconsin. I must say I did enjoy their performance.

Another performer at King Richard’s Faire, wearing my favorite color, purple.

I’m fairly certain this wasn’t the real Mickey Mouse advertising a ‘going out of business’ sale in downtown Columbus, Indiana.

Once again, drawn to those purple colors; two ladies dressed in period costume, going for a buggy ride at Old World Wisconsin.

One of a group of clowns entertaining folks at a children’s playground.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Two

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge on Cee’s Photography athttp://ceenphotography.com/2013/11/12/cees-fun-foto-challenge-two-items-or-the-number-two/ is Two.

Having twice covered this subject recently for Sue’s ‘Word A Week’ challenge, I had to dig a little deeper into the files to come up with something different. No numerals this time, but two subjects.

Two shaggy sheep, evidently finding something interesting going on, stage right.

Two pumpkins left over from Halloween.

The two Marina Towers in Chicago.

Two

Weekly Photo Challenge: Habit

The Weekly Photo Challenge from the folks on The Daily Post at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/weekly-photo-challenge-habit/ is Habit. I wish I could write something deep and meaningful for this but all I can think about is food!

Why break the habit of almost a lifetime; tea and toast for breakfast.

Followed closely by coffee and biscuits or elevenses as we used to call it back home, although, as the years have gone by, this habit has gradually worked its way forward to sometimes as early as 9am in our house.

Somewhere between lunch and dinner is tea time. Truthfully I’m more likely to eat the candy bar than the apple, although usually for candy read biscuits, or cookies as they’re called here in the US.

Contrary to what the placemat says, this is not strawberries but spotted dick. Another habit of a lifetime, eating dessert with and, on more than one occasion instead of, dinner. Probably a bad habit, especially when it’s something like treacle pudding or jam roly-poly.

A Word A Week Challenge: Behind

Sue’s Word A Week Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/a-word-a-week-challenge-behind/ is Behind.

In this wonderful age of digital photography it’s easy to ditch the shots that didn’t turn out quite as we’d hoped. But, back in the day when a photo developed was money spent, I kept everything. So what if I had fifty pictures of a bird’s backside! I wasn’t about to consign anything to the garbage can. Pictured above; a whole bevy of swan’s behinds.

If I had a dollar for every picture of an animal’s rear end in my photo files I’d be a rich woman. It’s not that I take them intentionally. It’s just that by the time I get the camera adjusted and myself steady enough to take the picture, the darned this has usually turned itself around.

A peacock’s tail feathers from a slightly different viewpoint.

I’d never come across a snapping turtle on dry land before so I guess I could be forgiven for taking pictures of it from every possible angle including behind.

Finally, I have to admit that I’ve used a couple of these pictures before but they do help to illustrate a point that I want to make. Sometimes when I’ve been out walking with family members I’ve deliberately hung back and taken pictures from behind, not from any perverted desire to capture pictures of people’s backsides but because I think the body language is sometimes more eloquent when you are not distracted by facial expressions.