Weekly Photo Challenge: Close Up

This week’s Photo Challenge, set for us by Brie Anne Demkiw at The Daily Post, is Close Up.

A close-up of one of the many vintage cars on display at the Bluesmobile Cruise Night in Mount Prospect last week.

As close up to a waterfall as you can get, without getting wet; at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford.

A koi fish swimming close up in order to be first in line when I throw out some food.

This close-up of a common house sparrow makes  the little fellow look quite large and fierce.

A close-up of President Lincoln’s face on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

For more on the Weekly Photo Challenge at The Daily Post go to ttps://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/close-up/

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Three Items or The Number 3

Continuing on the numbers theme, this week’s Fun Foto Challenge on Cee’s Photography Blog calls for Three Items or The Number 3.

Three water fountains in the Rose Garden at Cantigny Park.

Three road wheels on a tank at the First Division Museum in Cantigny Park.

Three butterflies enjoying some purple flowers.

Lucky number 3! A racehorse at Arlington Park.

Three fish cruising in the waters of the Garden of Reflections at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford.

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge go to http://ceenphotography.com/2015/06/23/cees-fun-foto-challenge-three-items-for-the-number-three/

Travel Theme: Off-Center

Ailsa’s Travel Theme challenge this week on Where’s My Backpack? is Off-Center.  Quite a few of those in the photo files, more by error than judgment, but I’ll use some of the images, that I captured at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford recently, for this one.

Part of the problem that I have with photography is the timing, hence many of my subjects are already on their way in or out of the frame. Here a koi fish swims into the picture.

The gateway between the Garden of Reflection and the traditional gardens.

A turtle apparently enjoying being tickled on the nose by a leaf.

The Pavilion where special events such as the Evening Music Series, Japanese Summer Festival and private weddings are held.

A robin looking for a shady spot hops onto the scene.

For more on Ailsa’s Travel Theme challenge go to http://wheresmybackpack.com/2015/06/12/travel-theme-off-centre/

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: One Item

Thanks to Cee for her Fun Foto Challenge this week and the subject One Item.  It gives me a perfect opportunity to share some of the images that I captured at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois on Tuesday.

One moss-covered boulder at the foot of the West Waterfall.

One lonely duck in a scrimmage for food with a whole crowd of hungry koi in the waters of The Garden of Reflection.

One red umbrella on the Floating Deck.

One cheeky chipmunk checking out visitors in the Pond Strolling Garden.

One statue; Ancient Scholar – Bunjinzo which, according to the visitor’s brochure, was carved approximately 600 years ago.

For more on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge go to http://ceenphotography.com/2015/06/09/cees-fun-foto-challenge-one-item/

A-Z Challenge: Tagged K

I seem to be playing catch-up all this month. Once again I’m late with another challenge. This one, Frizztext’s A-Z Challenge on Flickr Comments at http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/tagged-k-2/ which last week was Tagged K.

Although we have at various times kept an aquarium at the house, the novelty and the idea of cleaning the thing out on a regular basis soon wore thin and we are now a pet-free zone. Still, I do love to see fish swimming about and I’m always attracted to the koi pool when we visit the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford.

Koi or nishikigoi which apparently when translated means brocaded carp, can be very restful to watch as they glide through the water. When I came to review the image shown above, it seemed as though they were swimming through the universe. The star effect was fortunately already there in the picture. The only other adjustment I made was to crop the image.

The scene changes dramatically when you throw a handful of koi food into the pool. Then it’s every fish for himself!

But once all the food as been snapped up, they all drift away like ghosts in the night, until the next person comes along.

Travel Theme: Still

Ailsa’s Travel Theme challenge this week on Where’s My Backpack? at http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/12/13/travel-theme-still/ is Still.

Living just outside the busy hustle and bustle of a big city like Chicago it’s nice every once in a while to get away to a quiet spot where everything is peaceful and still. I’m not saying I’d want to spend my entire life in such tranquil surroundings but a change is as good as a rest, they say, and the occasional visit to such places can be very calming.

Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, South Dakota.

Palisades State Park, South Dakota.

A quiet spot along the river. I’m not quite sure where this shot was taken; possibly on the Rock River in Wisconsin on one of our Sunday drives.

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No need to go all that far afield either. With places like the Morton Arboretum practically on our doorstep, relatively speaking, there’s no reason to travel to distant parts to get away from it all.

Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois is another place that springs to mind when I’m looking for somewhere soothing to sit still and think about what I’m going to do when I get back to the hurly-burly of the city.

A Word A Week Challenge: Two – Part 2

I hope I may be forgiven for posting a second entry in Sue’s Word A Week Challenge on A Word In Your Ear at http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/a-word-a-week-challenge-two/. After all, the subject is Two. After I spent so much time sorting through all the images I would have been sorry not to use a few more of them.

Of all the pictures that I’ve taken, this one tugs at my heartstrings the most; my dear mother and youngest daughter. The two of them were so close and during Mum’s final hours, E sat by her bedside and sang all the songs that she remembered Mum teaching her when she was growing up (mostly good old Cockney songs like ‘Any Old Iron’.) The memory of that touching scene will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Poppies are some of my favorite flowers in the garden and these two really made a lovely show.

Two sea-lions basking in the sun. I believe this shot was captured at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Two Koi in a pool at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois.

Two of the wonderfully energetic dancers from Ballet Folklorico performing in Elgin, Illinois.