Weekly Header Challenge -- Water

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining the group above for this weekly challenge.

Visit the other participants' blogs to see their entries!

Theme ~ Water

Chosen by Tom.

I used this image below to create my header.  I took it at The Morton Arboretum, and it's the drain area of Lake Marmo.  I liked the curve of the drain contrasted with the straight logs resting on the edge, plus the reflections of the clouds and trees in the water.  There's lots to explore in this photo!

Here are my most recent photos of water.

Lake Marmo, The Morton Arboretum.

Fox River at Hudson Crossing Park, Oswego, Illinois.

Waterway at Waubonsie Lake Park, Aurora, Illinois.

Standing upon the waterway at Waubonsie Lake Park.

Life, naturally,

Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge -- Springtime

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining the group above for this weekly challenge.

Visit the other participants' blogs to see their posts!

Theme ~ Springtime

Chosen by Lew.

Thank you, Lew, for a perfect theme this week!  I'm featuring photos taken at The Morton Arboretum, which is alive with springtime color.  Here is the image I used for my header.

Daffodil Glade.

Enjoy spring at the Arboretum!

Virginia bluebells.

Lake Marmo.

Dogwood blossom.

Magnolia tree.

Yellow magnolia.

 Relaxing at the end of our hike.

Happy Spring!!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge -- Trees

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Trees

Chosen by me.

Picked at the last minute (because I forgot it was my turn), the theme of Trees practically jumped out of my heart and into our theme choice for us "headbangers" this week.  I've spent almost the whole month of October watching the trees turn from their usual summer green to the beautiful jewel tones of autumn.  Here is the uncropped image I chose for my header:

I chose the above image because it cropped nicely for the header.  I love the brilliant colors contrasted with the water of the lake and the white and blue of the sky.  I love the vertical lines of the white birch tree trunks, and the gently curving shoreline.

More favorites, continuing with my week-long Lake Bonaparte visit.  One day we went for a pontoon boat ride when the water was sheet-of-glass still.  Below is one of the images I captured.

Another day, Dad and Mom took me out in the Caddy (my grandpa's old aluminum boat) for a final condensed boat ride, and ended up in Mud Lake, an extension off of the main lake.  It's owned by the U.S. Army, but as long as we stay in our boat we're fine.  :)

I took the below image as we were leaving Mud Lake.  The lily pads added to the depth of beauty and color I saw, and I took the photo at just the right moment.  It's hard capturing a scene in a constantly moving boat--the scenery is always changing and I had a split second to compose the image and capture what my eye saw!

Back on land at the lake, I took an early morning 30-degree (that's -1 Celsius, Mac!) walk down Hermitage Road to the nature preserve, then back around to turn off at Hotel Road which leads toward the lake and my parents' lake home.  Below is the entrance to Hotel Road.  I love the variety in the image--some live trees, some dead, all different types of trees, and all different stages of color.  This image currently graces my computer as the screen saver.

I looked up into one tree at the corner and snapped this one.

Speaking of looking up, back at home, I took this picture looking up into the spruce trees at The Morton Arboretum.  I converted the image to black and white due to the chromatic aberration (purple fringing around the edges of the trees) I got from shooting up into bright light and sun.  These tall spruces were gently swaying in the breeze as if talking to each other, and down below where I stood was peace and quiet, most sounds muffled and muted by the needled pathway.

Other images from the arboretum are below, taken over several trips in search of autumn's glory.

Pathway along Loop 4 (one of my favorite walks), colors at their perfect peak.

I'm posting two photos I hadn't realized I had taken until I uploaded the second "peak color" one; I took them about ten days apart.  What a difference a week makes!

Yellow forest scene.

I have one last photo to share--Jake's tree, right in my own back yard.  It was at its peak color a few days ago, so I stood at the back edge of my vegetable garden and shot toward the house to get this late afternoon image with the sun at my back illuminating the colors.

I love trees, especially during that one perfect week in autumn when they show their brilliant, glorious colors, as if to remind me to soak it in before the world turns white and gray and the waiting begins for rebirth of spring color.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge -- Aah! Time to Relax!

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Aah!  Time to Relax!

Chosen by me.

Well, as you may be able to guess, I chose this theme to coincide with our mini vacation to the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Bonaparte, because I knew we'd be relaxing there quite a bit throughout the week!

Here is the uncropped image that I used for my header.

Jake was able to get a week off work, and he is dating a sweet young lady, Allie, who was also able to come with us and experience what a typical family vacation is for us.  The two cuties had plenty of time to sit, relax, do things together, chat, and just get to know each other better.

Here are some more relaxing images from Lake Bonaparte...

Fishing near the High Rocks.

Relaxing on Jackson Rock.

Beautiful sunset from our dock.

My morning mug of tea, a chair, a dock, and a beautiful view.

Swishing feet in the water!

Exploring the tree house.  (Allie's New York cousins came to visit.)

Playing cards on the front porch.

Since I'm a huge fan of sunsets, and sunsets at the Lake, I leave you with one final relaxing image, with a kayaker paddling by.

I hope you've had time to relax this summer!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge -- Water

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Fishing Guy 

Kathy 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Water

Chosen by Lew.

Water, water everywhere...!  I have lots of water images, so the hard part this week was which ones to choose to showcase for you all.  :)

I start with my header image, uncropped, here below.  I took this at The Morton Arboretum this year while there was still snow on the ground.  I was standing on the bridge at the end of Lake Marmo, where there was a drainage ditch.  Looking down, I realized how much like a mushroom the scene looked through the lens, so I had a little fun with my camera and ended up with this shot, looking over the railing straight down.

The below shot is more recent, taken at Shabbona Lake about an hour west of home on Father's Day.

I almost deleted the below image while it was still in my camera.  I had my macro lens on my camera that day, and I brought no other lens--one of those "put one lens on and go out" afternoons.  Fernando and I walked one of the trails and ended up looking out at a swamp/wetland area, filled with croaking frogs and still water.  I shot this scene almost offhandedly, looked at the back of my screen, and almost hit the "trashcan" button.  I decided to wait, though, and I'm glad I did.  I keep coming back to this image--there's just something about it, almost like a watercolor, or an Impressionist painting.  It has become one of my favorite images, and I really need to get it printed and hung on a wall in my home.

Here's a fun water shot, with the guys accepting a water bucket challenge (last year's rage).

Going macro on the water theme, I love heading out to the garden to capture the individual water droplets.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Speaking of macro, that's next week's theme, and I just took some pictures that should fit the bill nicely.  See y'all soon!!


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Weekly Header Challenge -- Cell Phone Pics

It's time for the Weekly Header Challenge!

"Headbanger" Participants

Craver VII 

Fishing Guy 

Katney 

Imac 

Lew

I'm joining in the group above for this weekly challenge.

Click on the other participants' blogs to see

what they've come up with!

Theme ~ Cell Phone Pics

Chosen by Craver.

This week's theme was both simple, and difficult.  I rarely take pictures with my cell phone--an Android smartphone--because I usually have my camera with me.  But on those occasions I don't, or when I want to share something on Facebook right then, my phone comes in handy.

I usually take vertical pictures with my phone, so I made a composite for my header.  Here it is:

 August 2014 -- Up at Lake Bonaparte.

I made a surprise trip to the Lake this past August for my mom's 75th birthday, so not many people knew I was up there.  I wanted to share on Facebook what a typical evening up there is, so when I went down to the dock to sit and watch/photograph the sunset, I pulled out my phone to share what I was doing.  I call these evenings my dock dates.  That's the picture on the right.

The picture on the left was taken at Janet's cottage, where she was hosting a beauty products party.  The ladies let me slip out to her deck to capture the sunset, and the sun was so stunning--the picture in no way does it justice--that I had to take one with my phone to share on Facebook.  Here are the two individual images that make up my header.

Out of the couple dozen images I've ever taken with my phone, I'm now sharing the best ones here for you!  Remember, I only use my phone when I want to share something unusual, exciting, or funny (usually on Facebook), or when I just don't have my "big" camera on me.  Here goes...

January 23, 2013 -- For just a few minutes, autism doesn't exist.

April 18, 2013 -- Massive flooding in the Chicago suburbs.

Same day -- Driving through the flood to get home.

May 24, 2014.  Thomas gets his driving permit.

May 26, 2014.

Please don't ask why Danny is pushing a dresser

filled with stuffed animals down the sidewalk...!

May 2, 2014.  What happens when your friends' children are little, and yours are big.

May 3, 2014 -- Thomas' math team takes 5th place at the state competition.

May 10, 2014 -- Jacob's graduation!

August 7, 2014 -- Celebrating an 825-point game!

This last picture is worth noting since in our family, breaking the 800-point barrier in a Scrabble game is a major feat.  Mom and I pulled this one off during her birthday week at the Lake.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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