Travel Theme: Edge

Standing on the edge; it’s a feeling that can sometimes be scary and at other times awe-inspiring. It can be the beginning of something or the end. Do we take the next step or should we pull back.

Ailsa’s Travel Theme challenge this week on Where’s My Backpack? at http://wheresmybackpack.com/2014/08/29/travel-theme-edge/ puts us right on the edge.

Standing on the edge, looking out over the Badlands in South Dakota.

At the water’s edge in the Chicago Botanic Garden, a sailboat enthusiast prepares to launch his craft.

Divers from a fire department water rescue team sit on the edge of the marina at Three Oaks Recreation Area in Crystal Lake, Illinois; part of an annual training exercise.

Flowers along the edge of a path at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Water thunders over the edge of Niagara Falls as viewed from the Canadian side.

A Word A Week Photograph Challenge: Rust

My thanks to Sue Llewellyn for giving me the ideal opportunity to share these pictures of rust (something I might not otherwise have done) in response to her Word A Week Photograph Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-rust/

Rusty ‘artwork’ by French sculptor Bernar Venet, on display in the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A rusty train engine sitting in a siding at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union.

An old wooden wheel with a rusty rim, no longer in service and having no other purpose now than to look picturesque, leans against a fence in Schaumburg’s Spring Valley Nature Center.

A rusty ship waiting to unload at a dock in Wisconsin.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Roads

Some roads seem to just disappear around a corner, like the one pictured above at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.

Other roads appear to go on to infinity like these two byways in South Dakota (above) and Wisconsin (below).

Sometimes it’s not so much about the road but what’s in it. A group of inquisitive burros block the road in Custer State Park, South Dakota.

These are my entries for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge on Cee’s Photography at http://ceenphotography.com/2014/08/26/cees-fun-foto-challenge-roads/

Travel Theme: Orange

I love orange! It’s such a vibrant color! Wherever I go I’m always on the lookout for bright colors and I had no problem finding images that I hope will adequately represent Orange, in response to Ailsa’s Travel Theme challenge on Where’s My Backpack? at http://wheresmybackpack.com/2014/08/22/travel-theme-orange/.

Somehow, purely by chance, I nearly always seem to show up at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Bartlett, Illinois during a special event. At the end of July when we visited, there appeared to be some kind of Youth Conference in progress. People at the Mandir are always very friendly and willing to explain what is happening and we were told that the participants were from all across the country. From what I understood, these young people were there to learn about the Hindu faith and its place in the world today. We arrived just as they were taking group photos outside the temple and out of respect we stayed well back, so we had rather limited access but I managed to capture a few images once everyone had dispersed. The figures in the above image were ceremoniously placed on the steps of the Mandir and the colors really stood out against the white stonework of the temple.

Orange canna lilies are just tall enough to catch the setting sun on the Esplanade at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

An orange place setting caught everyone’s eye at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier in Chicago earlier this year.

One of the stained glass windows on display at the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows at Navy Pier in Chicago.

A flash of orange as ornamental koi splash around in the pool at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois.

A Word A Week Photograph Challenge: Arch

An archway with a view of the gardens at the Cuneo Mansion in Vernon Hills, Illinois.

It doesn’t have to be as enormous as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis to find its way into my photo files. Arches come in all different sizes and are built for many different purposes, so here, in response to Sue Llewellyn’s Word A Week Photograph Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-arch/ here are a few arches that have caught my eye whilst out and about with the camera.

An arched doorway to the Portiuncula chapel on the Peabody Estate in Mayslake.

Lazarus And The Rich Man, an arched sculpture created by Aaron Benson, in Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park.

The arched entryway to the old City Hall in Columbus, Indiana, which at that time had been converted to an hotel and which now, I believe, stands empty.

An arched gateway, decorated with glasswork created by Dale Chihuly, at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

The arched entryway to the old Chicago Stock Exchange building on display outside the Chicago Art Institute.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Black And White Photos

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week on Cee’s Photography at http://ceenphotography.com/2014/08/19/cees-fun-foto-challenge-black-and-white-photos/ calls for Black And White Photos

I like to experiment with my pictures and sometimes changing them from color to black/white makes all the difference.

Whether you want to add a little drama to the picture or when color only distracts the eye from the main subject, changing over to monochrome can really make the image stand out.

These two shots, looking out towards Evening Island at the Chicago Botanic Gardens just before sunset and little granddaughter with her new buddy Spike, took on a whole new look when converted to b/w.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette

The American Horse, created by sculptor Nina Akamu, looms large at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This magnificent bronze horse, modeled after a work by 15th century artist Leonardo da Vinci, stands 24ft tall.

This is my entry for the Weekly Photo Challenge as seen on The Daily Post at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/silhouette-2014/

A Word A Week Challenge: Create

My thanks to Sue Llewellyn whose Word A Week Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at https://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-create/ has given me an excellent opportunity to share some pictures that I recently took at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Although I’m not mad about most modern or contemporary art, I can appreciate the work and creativity that goes into making some of these pieces, and the garden-like setting at the Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park has a tendency to soften the overall effect which, for me at least, makes these somewhat outlandish sculptures rather more palatable.

The sculpture pictured above is entitled ‘Neuron’ and was created by American artist Roxy Paine, using 3,500 stainless steel rods and pipe.

Part of the two-piece sculpture entitled ‘Urban Excursion Rendezvous’ by Chakaia Booker is made of rubber tires.

I have to admit that sometimes I find the title of the piece as baffling as the artwork itself. ‘Disc In The Form Of A Desert Rose’ by Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro is a case in point. Well, OK. I can see the disc and maybe some thorns. I guess if you look at the thing long enough and use your imagination…..

‘Aria’, created by Alexander Liberman, stands some 42ft tall, enabling viewers to not only walk around but through the artwork.

One of three figures created with hundreds of stainless steel letters that make up a group entitled ‘I, You, She Or He…’ by Spanish artist Juame Plensa.

This whimsical piece created by Jim Dine is aptly called ‘Large Parrot Screams Color’.

Standing alone in a field of grass and wildflowers, this bronze sculpture entitled ‘Espaliered Girl’ was created by British artist Laura Ford.

Towering over the park, this giant aluminum figure entitled ‘Male/Female’ was created by Jonathan Borofsky.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Zigzag

Recovering from a bout of vertigo and now getting used to wearing progressive lenses all the time, one way and another it’s been an interesting couple of months. No wonder things have been looking a bit zigzag lately!

Pictured above; Stairway leading to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Bartlett, Illinois.

The library at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Inside the huge Nicholas Conservatory, part of Sinnissippi Park in Rockford, Illinois.

‘Revival’ by sculptor Joseph Eisenhauer in Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park.

The Bluewater Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan.

Just a few pictures in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge from the folks on The Daily Post at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/zigzag/