apple picking

Today I went apple picking - so I had to post a photo of one of the apple trees tonight. I picked a big bag of apples today - many different varieties. And of course I had to try one of each different variety to decide if I wanted to pick some of those. So now I have lots of really wonderful apples and a bit of a stomach ache.

sunset on the tracks

While tonight's sunset wasn't quite as vibrant as last night's, I was coming off the train just as the setting sun hit the tracks. After last night, I decided that I'd bring my camera with me to work so I just happened to have it ready to record the moment.

red sky

OK, I know it's been a few days since I've posted. Life has been pretty hectic, what can I say?  A few long long days have left me too exhausted by the end of the day.  But I'm back now.

Tonight's post isn't from a 'real' camera, it's from my iPhone.

I've been noticing the days getting shorter - this photo was taken as I got off the el at 7:30 tonight. Not that long ago, it would have still be completely light, but now as you can see the sun was almost gone. In fact, I first noticed tonight's incredibly vibrant red sky while I was still on the train - by the time I got to my stop, it was almost over.

What's the saying  - "red sky at night, sailor's delight."  I think that means good weather tomorrow.

bumble bee

It's not often you get to actually look at a bumble bee - usually they are buzzing around too fast to see. This photo was taken in Nashville a few years ago. There were a whole swarm of bees buzzing around and eating the basil and I just stood there with the camera pointed on a spot waiting for one to stop there.

hummingbird

Two summers ago this hummingbird took up residence in the tree in my backyard. We saw him all the time, swooping down to drink at the feeder, then retreating to a higher branch in the tree. He chased away other hummingbirds and even large birds. It was easy to get photos of him because he was around all the time. Sadly, he hasn't returned although we keep hoping another hummingbird will recognize what a perfect tree this is and move in.

morning city sky

Ok, first let's just get this over with - I didn't post anything yesterday.  It's the first day I've missed since I started this.  I worked at home all day which generally means I start working the minute I wake up and quit the minute before I go to sleep.  Yesterday I managed to take a break and have lunch with a friend, but other than that if I was awake I was working.

Now on to today.  On mornings when I have early meetings, I sometimes get a ride, quite a luxury.  It shaves about 20-30 minutes off my normal 45 minute commute, which means a lot when I have to be at an 8:00 am meeting.  It also gives me great views of the city on the drive in -  especially of the building where I work.  I live almost exactly 8 miles directly west of my building, formerly known as the Sears Tower, now rebranded as the Willis Tower.  This morning it was so hazy you couldn't even see downtown until we were pretty close.  For those of you who know Chicago, we were past Rush on the Eisenhower before you could really see much of anything.  But as you can see the sun was making a valiant effort to shine through the haze.

skiing in the clouds

I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since that fateful day, January 1, 2000 when I broke my leg skiing. When I look at this photo, and the one I posted a few days ago, it seems like it just happened. Look at how incredibly beautiful the mountains are, how the cloud has settled into the ski hill, how tiny the people are compared to the mountain. I look at this photo and think that I just have to get back to Chamonix someday. I am pretty sure I won't ski down that same run though.