Saturday, January 31, 2009

The line forms to the rear

My front yard, early-ish in the morning. Loved the lines from the animals hopping from tree to tree, the lines of the trees, the lines in the tree bark. Played a lot between B&W and the original color image and decided I like the graininess of the B&W a little better.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Help wanted . . .

. . . enough said.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Thank goodness it's only seasonal!

Late afternoon, in back of the college, down near the river. Long shadows, warming temps, a touch of a filter and a tweak to levels. Beyond the foreground trees is the river - frozen and snow-covered. Pretty, but thank goodness it's seasonal!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

"Orange" you glad you asked?

Can someone direct me to the buckets at Home Depot, please?

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

What's a thirsty girl to do?

All three rows of Diet Dr. Pepper, my beverage of choice, are sold out. The racks are empty. (Sigh...)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Sadly, abandoned

This little playground behind our college is not just abandonded for the winter. The in-house day care program was discontinued, so this bright, inviting area won't be in use come spring, either.


Sunday, January 25, 2009

Anyone up for a little dip?

One of my birthday meals was at the Rain Forest Cafe. While waiting near the aquariums for our table, I used my little P&S to snap a picture of this pretty fish, out for a swim. (The "sports" mode was enough to stop his action!)

He was happy to learn he was NOT on the menu!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

The waning months of . . .

. . . adolescence. College freshmen get together for an informal study session between classes. I'd hoped to "catch" them playing poker (a popular passtime) but instead, they were reviewing a textbook. How about that?

Friday, January 23, 2009

Glittery . . .

We had one of those weird foggy stretches during my drive to work. It was sunny overhead. The temperature differential frosted the trees. They were so pretty, I had to pull over and snap a few shots! This fits the snow and ice theme without any difficulty!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Not rural, but . . .

. . . urban! (Did you finish the sentence correctly? If so, you might be a candidate to appear on the game show "Password"!)

Looking up, up, up at this building near the Sears tower in downtown Chicago.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

When in doubt, wear red!

The deep red CNA building in downtown Chicago. Very festive!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Through the looking glass . . .

Captured this series of reflections while walking on Van Buren Street in Chicago on a cold, bright, clear day!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Most important meal of the day . . .

Breakfast! How about some fresh blueberries with your Quaker Oat Squares?

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Dinner, anyone?

Playing with adjustment layers on this P&S photo of an eating establishment.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

I want it long, straight, saggy, waggy, oily, greasy...

(insert more lyrics) ... long as I keep lovin' my hair!

OK - this photo is blurry and there is no real focus...BUT...there is a story behind this! In the bowels of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at U of Illinois, this rack of wigs awaits the final scene from the All-State high-school theater production of "Hairspray". We weren't really supposed to be in this location, so the shot was quick and furtive. In real life, these wigs were VERY COOL! The production was amazing, as well!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Deep in the heart of Africa...

...lives the Lesser Kudu. With its curly horns and distinctive markings, this member of the antelope family proudly guards the entrance to my faculty office.

Note: This is actually a picture taken a couple of years ago. I planned to take this image for "curly", but when we returned to school after semester break, all the animal heads gracing the halls of our college had been taken down and donated! I hope no one will call the 365 police...

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Not a snow day, but a COLD day . . .

. . . so no school today around here. Baby, it's COLD outside!


Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Illinois prairie sunset (worth a peek) . . .

Driving to Champaign, IL, by myself last weekend, I was bored. This glorious sunset was unfolding over my right shoulder. I tried rolling down the back window and just clicking, but, as you might guess, the shots were blurry. I couldn't stand it any more and finally pulled over on I-55 and took a half-dozen shots with my litte Pentax. This is straight out of the camera - no PS tweaking. Wowser, was it pretty!!!


Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Hey! Save me a seat . . .

The Lincoln Hall auditorium at the University of Illinois, Urbana.


Monday, January 12, 2009

Do as I say, not as I do . . .

Ever read the sign on the gas pump that says (paraphrasing) "If you leave your vehicle while it is fueling, you are breaking the law?"

Imagine my surprise when I pulled up behind this vehicle to refuel. There wasn't a soul in SIGHT near the vehicle.

Talk about "things that make you go, hmmmmmm ....


Saturday, January 10, 2009

"G" is for Gap

I have the paperbacks up to G (which is really for Gumshoe, for you Grafton purists). Borrowed "L" from the library and loaned "S" to my girlfriend, so I really have two gaps.



Friday, January 9, 2009

Northern Illinois January

I've been enjoying this little scene outside my living room window and finally decided to capture it because it truly does represent winter.







Thursday, January 8, 2009

One of these does not belong . . .

. . . in the category of "Sweets". Which one? You decide.


Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Some tools of my trade . . .

I love my job! I get to spend much of my time teaching, talking about, or playing with, computers and software. Does it get any better than this?


Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The cardinal rule of bird feeding - have lots of seeds!

Enjoying having a bird feeder, so our feathered friends can drop by for a meal. I got lucky with this shot; she was at least 30 feet away, through our winter-dirty window glass. Thanks to PSE, I removed some of the glass haze, and then inked the edges for a little interest.


Monday, January 5, 2009

Shopping trip, anyone?

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to visit a few foreign countries, and hang on to any spare money left at the end of the trip.

Don't get too excited about those 1000 Rupiah notes - they are only worth about 11 cents US. (I tossed a US penny on the pile for perspective).




Sunday, January 4, 2009

My favorite color is...

Imagine my delight when Verizon came out with this little baby...just when my plan came up for renewal.