Month of Squares

SquareOdds: Odd Cars (and Other Vehicles)

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I haven’t had the time to use my computer much less blog! I’m involved in so many things, I guess. That is why I am grouping my “odds” in subjects so I can post several at once, for Becky’s February Squares: SquareOdds.

Unfortunately, I can’t find my photo of a car with eyelashes, or it would be in here! But have you ever seen a VW in a tree? Maybe someone in Bethlehem (Israel) put it there to be considered “art”!

Baby car hitches a ride on mama car in some small Iowa town – they’re ready to go! Pretty spiffy, though!

An abandoned van in the desert along Route 66 between San Bernardino and Kingman.

I just had to take a photo of this ironic bumper sticker. It’s one of the best I’ve seen! Also this car has an odd number of bumper stick-ons! I don’t know who this car belonged to, but it was parked in the parking lot behind a high school in Sedona, Arizona.

Now here are some real oddities: outer space cars?? You will find them in Baker, California!

Here’s a side view of the above, although I could not make it square. Galaxy Peace Patrol? Sort of ironic that it is “armed” with missiles!

This is a picture of my absent car – it left a snowy outline of its space, because the driveway was shoveled around it. It’s an odd picture – I don’t know why I took it!

SquareOdds: Odd Faces

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I haven’t been on my blog much lately, so I’ve missed many days of Becky’s Square Odds this month, even though I love to participate! So, instead of just one oddity, here are several odd faces (including some faux faces)!

This carving is on the back of a chair at Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam.
I found this guy looking around on Northwestern University campus, next to Lake Michigan.
How often do you see a dog with sunglasses, hanging out a car window?
A goat’s face on top of Little Goat restaurant in Chicago
At a sculpture park in Des Moines, Iowa
Two faces sculpted by the same artist


Not a real face, but this orchid sure looks like it is hamming it up for the camera!
Unusual “face” on a building in Germany
With a gaping mouth, this “face” is on a rock face (pun intended!) in Arches National Park
A stressed face on a hot day in Vienna

Square Odds: Mushrooms Can Be Odd

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Becky has a new month of squares in February – Square Odds, and this is my first chance to participate! I make up for the days I missed with multiple mushroom oddities! I have a large archive of mushroom photos – I am fascinated by them, although I don’t like to eat them!

These mushrooms look like a pair of ears!
They’re not just odd looking, there is an odd number (3) in this cluster!
Is there a hole in the middle of this shroom?
I captured several specimens like this in northern Wisconsin after a very rainy spring.

The Past, Squared: Oct. 20, 2016

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I picked an October 20 from my blog archives. I am featuring them here for Becky’s Past Squares (or SquarePast?) today. The photos below are from two posts on Oct. 20, 2016.

For Thursday Doors that week, I posted doors of houses in Des Plaines. I have selected the ones that are most seasonal.

I like the contrasting blue & orange in this photo.

The other post I did that day was for Cee’s weekly Fun Foto Challenge. Her topic was vibrant colors. This is, coincidentally, the topic of Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week. These photos were taken on a trip to Texas, where we visited the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Dale’s silhouette in front of a neon Texas flag!
Pink Electric Chair (2006)

PastSquares & CFFC: Lines

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These photos are from past challenges (mostly photos I DIDN’T use), squares and others, for Becky’s October Squares and Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – straight lines.

Somewhere in Germany – for past Monday Windows challenge
Leaning against the back wall of our house – for Still Life
Sunlight reflected through a window – for past Lens Artists’ challenge – lines
Centuries old graves in Oude Kerk, Amsterdam – for past ‘lines’ challenge
Dude on his houseboat on a hot day in June (Amsterdam) – for past ‘Just One Person’ challenge
Pegasus Bridge, Normandy, France – for Cee’s bridge challenge

Caen, France – at William the Conqueror’s castle – for past Thursday Doors challenge

Squares That Didn’t Make the Cut

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I’m finally jumping in to Becky’s October square challenge: Squares of the Past!
When I do an ongoing challenge, I create a folder especially for that challenge, and often the pictures I add never “make the cut.” So I’m going to begin with the Squares in those folders which I didn’t include originally.

These “bright squares” were all taken at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington in September of 2019.

TreeSquared: Winter Trees Enhanced

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For Becky’s penultimate day of trees squared, I decided I’d go with her theme somewhat. Here are some winter trees, enhanced!

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!

TreeSquared: Cat Up a Tree

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I have been AWOL the last few days, but I am back with another kind of “tree” for Becky’s July Square Trees. Cats love to climb on things, and are attracted to furniture with different levels, enclosures or holes to explore. Or to sleep on. Cat trees are typically made of a carpet material which felines use as a scratching post as well. The structures cat owners buy for their pets come in different sizes and shapes. This is one of my grandcats, lying on her humans’ “cat tree.”

Tree Squared: Astonishing & Amazing

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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 family
Amazing number of cones on this tree
Same tree, zoomed out
I see a face in this trunk – do you?
A nice place to sit and contemplate nature
Willow by a lake
The Japanese Garden at Chicago Botanic Gardens (CBG) has several of these interesting trees.
This tree exudes boldness, strength
Another view: Looking up into the intricacy of its branches from below.