Trees as frame and the cycling blues

During my recent trip back to Illinois, I naturally had to take another photo of one of my favorite spots in the park, which works well for showing how trees can lead the eye while creating a beautiful frame for a photo. In this photo, there aren’t a deer and a rabbit, but there are two birds. 🙂

If you’re in Chicago and want to get around without braving the traffic or spending a week’s wages on parking, you can rent one of these blue bicycles, my first entry for this month’s Life in Colour color. And speaking of cycling, anyone else watching the Tour de France? What a first week it’s been!

Missing

for One Word Sunday: missing

I don’t want to miss an opportunity to wish the United States a happy birthday. We’re not perfect, no person or country is, but I believe we have the right foundations upon which to build and, when necessary, remodel.

Lens-Artists #155 – (White) On the Water

This week’s Lens-Artists Challenge by John at Journeys with Johnbo coincides with the last weekend for “white” as the theme for Life In Colour (yes, I know Jude doesn’t know how to spell “color” but you’ll have to excuse her–she’s British.) So here are three examples not only of white but also of white reflections on water, all the more for your time. I wish you all a wonderful weekend. I’ll be watching stage 8 of this year’s wild and crazy Tour de France (but not until the replay, as it starts at about 4 am here.)

“Water is the driving force in nature.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

We’ll start with tiptoeing on water while creating a reflection…

“Praised be my Lord, for our sister water.” St. Francis of Assisi

…floating on the water while reflecting, and finally…

And just because:

“It seems rummy that water should be so much wetter when you go into it with your clothes on than when you’re just bathing, but take it from me that it is.”
― P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves

…synchronized swimming (and diving and eating) while reflecting on water.

And never forget this classic poem and a second version:

A Wonderful Bird Is The Pelican

By Dixon Lanier Merritt

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the helican!

Another version:

A funny old bird is a pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belican.
Food for a week
He can hold in his beak,
But I don’t know how the helican.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/a-wonderful-bird-is-the-pelican-by-dixon-lanier-merritt

Just a few reflections on silver.

for Six Word Saturday and Life in Colour: white/silver

Friday flowers…white & FOTD plus Squares: Why trees?

Today’s a big overlap because it’s the last weekend of “white” as the Life in Colour challenge and the first day of the new Squares challenge where July’s theme is “trees.” In addition, any day is a FOTD day (Flower of the Day). While I can’t get one photo to meet all these themes, as usual I try not to do multiple posts except on some weekends, so I’m including two photos, the second for Squares.

While hiking through McDowell Preserve during my trip back to Illinois, I came across a bush of what I believe is common ninebark. It might have “common” in the name but a bush covered with these is anything but common to my mind and just right for the last flowers in the “white” challenge.

for Life in Colour: white and Cee’s FOTD

Becky, in her infinite wisdom, has decided the July’s squares will be “trees.” To me, trees usually require a vertical rectangle, but I shall rise above my inclinations to meet her challenge. I’ll start with my original question: (Wh)y trees? 🙂 This is the photographic rendition of that question as seen at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, which I was thankful to learn had been spared, just barely, by one of the recent wildfires, the Telegraph Fire! What a loss that would have been!

for Squares: trees

Thursday Doors…white, silver, and a tiny bonus

I’m going to fulfill two challenges with three photos today, Thursday Doors and Life in Colour: white/silver. This bank on Coronado Island, California even has some gold thrown in to go with the white surrounding it.

In the same waiting area where I spotted the elegant white vase, I found these very sleek, modern, silvery doors

Now for your bonus tiny door and tiny silver trailer. Yes, this is from Redondo Beach again but not from the same yard that had all the tiny doors. All you need is a tiny truck and you’re off for tiny places unknown. Enjoy!

White house

This is a portion of a very large house in Manhattan Beach, California overlooking both the walkway where I took the photo and the ocean. Nice work if you can get it, right? 🙂

for Life in Colour: white

White in flight

for Life in Colour: white

White caps

You may or may not like snow, frost, and cold but I think most would admit that at least the first two can set up lovely photos and aren’t possible without the third. Here I rest my case.

for Life in Colour: white

Urban

for One Word Sunday: urban