Cee’s series featuring other challenges this week has the theme Which Way. This challenge includes streets, walkways, waterways – any “way” on which people travel.
Winter, spring, summer or fall – there’s always something interesting to experience on roads and sidewalks in every season.
Snowplow pathDowntown Mt. Prospect after dark in FebruarySpringtime at Chicago Botanic GardenWhat would spring be without those dotted masses of dandelions?!Late summer stroll in a Tacoma parkLate June in a Wurzburg park (Germany)Street musicians hope for tips from passersby in downtown NurembergRed carpet in Cabourg, FranceNovember on Clearwater Park walking/biking path (Mt. Prospect)Shadowy street, October in Chicago
What follows are photos from my archives that fit the topic.
Boots
Boots for sale, Austin, Texas
Fall foliage
This is the only tree on campus that has fully changed color in mid-October!
Purple
Our fitness director poses beneath an arch of purple balloons to kick off Walk for Alzheimer’s at the Moorings. (October is Alzheimer’s Awareness month.)
Mother/Mom (who is wearing purple!)
My mother (age 93) with her son-in-law Jim in his prairie garden
Bicycle
Mother and son enjoying a beautiful afternoon bike ride (Regensburg, Germany)
We used to hike much more than we do now. Even so, when we are traveling and there is an opportunity to take a walking tour, we take advantage of it! Also, we go on day trips in the Chicago area, to a variety of places to find something artistic or unusual.
On our first day in Tanzania, we spent the morning on a genuine hike! This ficus tree captured my interest.
On that same hike, our guide stopped to pick up something off the ground – a giraffe turd! Holding it in his open palm, he told us it was the turd of a male giraffe, because of its somewhat football shape. Female giraffe turds are flat on each end! Several of our group of hikers crowded around to get a close-up of this unusual find! The guide patiently waited, while with his other hand he looked at something on his cellphone!
Where there is giraffe poop, you can be sure there are giraffes nearby! This one walked nonchalantly away from us – since it was also a male giraffe, I wonder if his was the deposit we had been examining!
Later during that trip, on the day we arrived at Serengeti National Park, another hike had been arranged! I love to walk because that is when I see the small things that would be missed on a bike or traveling in a vehicle! I took photos of these three small things on that hike.
giraffe footprint Scorpion flowerDung beetles roll dung into balls, then dig a depression in the earth and push the dung ball into it. The dung beetles lay their eggs in it.
Most of my walks are short treks either around campus or somewhere else in town. On campus one day, which happened to be my birthday, Dale and I were taking our usual walk around campus, when we came upon two other residents who were walking their dogs and had stopped to chat (while social distancing!). It’s common for residents to greet each other or chat on these walks, but before long, someone says, “Well, I need to keep walking” and they go their separate ways.
During the pandemic, we’ve taken day trips to far-flung suburbs and nature reserves.
Dale stops on a wooden bridge over a marsh at Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve.Reflections in a lagoon – Cuba Marsh
Some of my favorite walks are in sculpture parks! Our walk at Morton Arboretum, which happened to be on my birthday this year, was in search of a new installation of sculptures by a South African artist.
Dale approaches the first sculpture, called “Hallow,” at Morton ArboretumWe did not stop to rest on this bench, although the scene was inviting.The last sculpture, “Basilica,” of the installation that we visited. The artist of these beautiful sculptures is behind the left hand. It was cool to be able to meet and chat with him a little! I don’t know who the little girl was – she just happened to get in my picture!
One of the most wonderful features of the Moorings campus is the number and variety of trees! I am not a fan of winter in general, but I am awed by the complexity of their interwoven branches, which are best seen when they have no leaves to cover them.
I love playing with SnapSeed on my cellphone, so I enhanced (and squared) some of the shots!
This next set of comparisons was actually taken in early May – I just like the effect! And these are not squared but see below.
Here is the altered image squared:
I don’t know why this enhanced picture came out so blurry!
Trees in the background in this pair:
I decided to include this photo taken in February – it’s not enhanced/altered, I just like it!
These tree photos were all taken at Chicago Botanic Gardens or Morton Arboretum. I found these trees to be amazing or astonishing, due to their shape or special characteristics. My contribution today for Becky’s July Squares: Trees.
Rose Turtlehead, Figwort familyAmazing number of cones on this treeSame tree, zoomed outI see a face in this trunk – do you?A nice place to sit and contemplate nature Willow by a lakeThe Japanese Garden at Chicago Botanic Gardens (CBG) has several of these interesting trees.This tree exudes boldness, strengthAnother view: Looking up into the intricacy of its branches from below.