Monday of Holy Week

We had snow again Sunday night. By the time I got out and about late in the day on Monday, the snow had mostly melted, and I think a lot of it was running over the "rapids" past the dam on the Fox River near our house. White water, making a lot of noise!

Palm Sunday

It's a windy, chilly Palm Sunday, with rain and snow in the forecast, but when the sun came out this morning, I decided I should go out in the garden and see what I could see before the weather gets nasty. The plant above is actually leafing out - those aren't petals. The polygonum dies back to the ground each winter, but grows each year to be a 3-foot-high shrub with variegated leaves. Frankly, these red leaves are more showy than the small, white flowers it will produce later in the season!

Saturday of the fifth week of Lent

I woke up early today and looked outside - there was a pair of mallards in front of the house! There is a small stream half a block away, and a retention pond past that, but no water in our yard. I took a couple of quick photos of the ducks through the front windows. Then I started to get ready for the day, but realized the sunlight was at that beautiful golden stage. For the first time this spring, I went out with my SLR and even a tripod. I experimented a little, but liked this forsythia best.

Photography gets a lot easier once buds start opening!

Friday of the fifth week of Lent

I was driving home after running an errand, and running out of places to stop and look for photos. I pulled into the industrial park northeast of us, and tried photographing some windblown clumps of ornamental grass. Then, driving through the industrial park, I saw these power poles and their ultimate destination, Fermilab. (The power lines go to a substation to the right of the picture, but Fermilab is the reason so much power comes in here.) I liked the scene so here it is.

Thursday of the fifth week of Lent

I was traveling home a different way because I had gone to my eye doctor in Darien. I passed Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve and thought it would be interesting to at least see where you accessed it. (It was overcast and not very nice out, plus windy again.) After driving around three sides, I finally found an entrance. Of course, being prairie, there isn't too much happening at the beginning of April. Then I found this downed tree and all the colors and textures in it, and started playing! With my pocket camera, I had to delete a lot because they weren't in focus, but it was fun. Even picking all the prairie seeds out of my clothing after I got through was worth it!

Wednesday of the fifth week of Lent

I took the day off, after making our deadline at work with a day to spare (hurray!). The morning, before we went out, was overcast; the whole day was VERY windy. After spending most of the day doing other things, I went out in the garden to see what I could see. These crocuses (captured at a mostly calm moment) were what I saw.

Tuesday of the fifth week of Lent

It rained all day...and rained a LOT. On the way home, I realized the clouds were finally breaking a little, and I thought the stormy sky would be nice from a high spot. Blackwell Forest Preserve has a high hill (a former garbage dump) so I went there for the first time in a long time. The effects of the rain were VERY obvious - water was bubbling up from the ground in low spots, and even on the hill, the ground was squishy wet. I wasn't wearing boots, so I didn't get to the top of the hill; however, the sun came out and warmed the landscape for a little while.

As I continued my drive home, I watched more storm clouds cover over the sun again.