Monday, February 28

We had an ice storm Sunday night. It was challenging to crack enough ice off the car to go to work this morning! Unfortunately, I went to work before the sun came out and turned everything sparkly. However, I got home in time to realize that the sunset was being captured in the ice on the heptacodium...and had time to play with different camera settings and capture it. This is my favorite because it's very clear that the sun is showing in the ice drops.

Sunday, February 27

I should have taken another shot of this cake before I started eating it (to turn down the flash), but it's nice to have a picture memory of a special dessert at our favorite restaurant, Giordano's in St. Charles, customized for us by a special waitress who has become a special friend.

Saturday, February 26

It was snowing off and on yesterday, which made some of the plants look pretty over at Mayslake Village.

Friday, February 25

Krissy was very comfortable on her perch when I went to get the camera. Of course, once I turned on the camera and aimed it at her, she woke up and started grooming. So, I decided to make the best of it.

February 24, 2011

No ideas today - gray overcast weather - and tired of using the cats as a last resort. So the night scene (with the porch light on) through the fancy glass in the front door seemed like an OK choice.

Feb. 23, 2011 - Art exhibit

This is our friend Gingie Noe at a reception for an exhibit of her paintings at Kishwaukee College. I don't remember the exact title of the painting (which she said was her favorite) but the idea is "Going Home." All of us heading for the light...

February 22 - out for a walk

This passing car on Rt. 64 in St. Charles was taken before the weekly Fox Valley Bicycle and Ski club winter evening walk. So, I got my photo AND some badly needed exercise.

Monday, February 21

The "old cat" (Krissy, on left) is getting more used to being around the "new cat". It's also close to dinner time and Krissy isn't likely to leave when there's food involved.

Sunday, February 20

Sunday was rainy and dreary, and I was busy all day. Finding a place for a photo just involved shooting from behind the wheel (yes, as you can see, the light was red).

Feb. 19, 2011

I went for a walk Saturday morning, and thought this ice abstract was quite artistic. I was walking by a pond when there was a big cracking sound and the ice settled. I'm glad I was there!

Feb. 18, 2011

Now THERE's a comfortable cat.

Feb. 17, 2011

I got home too late for anything but a picture of less snow. The snowbank closest to the camera was a wall taller than me after the blizzard! (See earlier photos...)

Feb. 16, 2011 - the thaw

It wasn't a pretty day...but it was (comparatively) WARM. It's amazing how fast all that snow melted!

Feb. 15, 2011

 

It's been a week since I posted the last photo...but at least I've taken photos every day since then!

Valentine's Day 2011

Chocolate cherry cake...the best thing I learned to make in microwave cooking classes back in the early 80's. A box of cake mix, a can of cherry pie filling, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 2 eggs...mix, put in a microwaveable bundt pan, cover with plastic wrap, elevate on a plate in the micro and cook for 12-14 minutes (modern high-powered microwaves would be at 12 minutes or slightly less). Take it out of the microwave, uncover, and rest on the counter for another 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan. Once I switched to a silicone bundt pan, there were no more worries about the cake sticking (and do NOT grease the pan). Obviously I like frosting (from a can). Quick, easy, and GOOD.

Happy Valentine's Day!

February 13, 2011

It was well above freezing and a nice afternoon for a walk...at least with waterproof shoes on, since some of the sidewalks were more like wading pools. This view down by the river really appealed to me.

February 12, 2011

I noticed the poinsettias at Mass on Saturday evening before I figured out that they were probably in honor of Valentine's Day (they certainly weren't left over from Christmas).

Friday, February 11

After several days of sunshine that encouraged outdoor photos, today was much warmer but overcast. (When a morning temperature of 7F is 20 degrees warmer than the morning before, it means something!) So, it's back to cat pictures for the day.

Thursday, February 10

The Fox Valley Bicycle and Ski Club worked at the Northern Illinois Food Bank last night. We packed 260 or so boxes and sorted through donated bread, discarding breads more than 2 days out of code and boxing the rest. It's good to work as a team, especially when you're helping others.

Wednesday, February 9

When I saw this hanging off the building while on a walk, I wondered what it had looked like a week earlier, right after the blizzard.

Tuesday, February 8

The start of another stretch of bitterly cold weather...but the sun shining through the trees was beautiful (from indoors).

Monday, February 7

I have to say that the blizzard made winter more photogenic, at least for me. Also, I'm getting to work when it's still the "golden hour" and the light and shadows on the snow are very appealing. It's nice to take some photos in DAYLIGHT.

Sunday, February 6

Last Sunday was a gray and gloomy day. The most interesting thing I saw was in an Asian supermarket we were browsing. "Vermont" and "Curry" don't go together in MY mind...but apparently they do here. (No, I didn't buy any - if it had said "mild" I might have tried it.)

February 5...ready for a thaw

The ice sculpture formed from the willow bush and our overflowing gutters is quite impressive again. This time I wimped out and photographed it from the comfort of the kitchen window.

February 4 - another view of snow

Saw this from the 2nd floor walkway between buildings and liked it. Yes, this is a bench.

February 3...still plenty of snow

A different viewpoint (5th floor of a building) but still plenty of windblown snow patterns to enjoy. (This is much easier to enjoy from INDOORS looking OUT than it would've been the other way around, especially as we had subzero temperatures Thursday morning.) I didn't have trouble getting to work on Thursday, but we live on a main street. Many people were still snowed in.

February 2, 2011 - Aftermath of the blizzard

As long as the large swaths of wind-blown snow were pretty, I thought I'd pick a more "artistic" picture for today's blog. This reminded me of the lines in the sandstone in Utah. For more photos of the storm, go to http://www.klickfamily.com/vickie/BlizzardOf2011/

February 1, 2011 - the blizzard of 2011

The big blizzard started here about 2PM. It got much worse at night, with winds gusting to 50 mph and even some thunder and lightning! What a good night (and day) to be indoors. We were grateful that we COULD be home before the storm started.