Nightfall at Blackwell

Show up at a forest preserve in the so-called Golden Hour, that hour before sunset, and the automatic timer will let you know when it is time to go. Here are a couple of so-long Blackwell shots from the recent visit.

Classy Couples

Waddling along on dry ground, geese can be ungainly animals. During my visit to Blackwell, several geese in couples swam, very elegantly, quite near the pier I was on, looking about as wonderful and classy as could be. Here are some closeups.

Still Water, Plants, Geese

After the flying geese passed, I looked down to see a pair of swimming geese near the pier, and a tangle of weeds and greenery extending into the quiet water.

Low Fliers

The honking racket of the apparent residents of Blackwell Forest Preserve -- the full-voiced gaggle of geese -- was very restless, screeching for a time and flying low across Silver Lake. And back. Only to repeat the move, giving me several chances to grab photos of the flight plan.

SUNDAY POSTER

More Wood

Loved the texture of the planking along the piers. Just that hint of sun bringing out the grain made it irresistible to me.

Wood

Up close enough to feel the texture or far enough away to see the interplay of light in the branches, my trip to Blackwell showed the strength of the woody plants in the early spring.

Fish Stocking

Spring in the air . . . . and fish in the water. The lake was closed and the fish have been stocked for the season which begins April 2.

I have no idea what the contraption shown here does for the stocking, or even if that is the intent. I keep a stretch of PVC pipe in my small pond during the worst winter freeze time, and the structure of the item might be one I adopt for next winter.

Dreaming

A stack of canoes waiting for the season, a vista of Silver Lake with a skin of ice still afloat . . . . and a quiet couple sharing a moment.

Just Two Weeks

Just two weeks from now the spring fishing season will open at Silver Lake. In the meantime the flat-bottom rentals sit locked up, waiting. Just two weeks . . .

Steps to the Docks

The steps we looked down a couple of days ago are seen here in the other direction, a nice example of the importance of viewpoint in photography. The lower end of the steps is a parking lot for a boat launch, with docks stretching into Silver Lake for boat rental purposes.

A quick look makes the water out further than the dock to look unseasonably summery. A closer look will reveal a thin skin of ice floating atop much of the lake.

SUNDAY POSTER

Down the Stairs

A wonderful set of stairs leads down from the parking lot to the Silver Lake launch area, seen here with a shot of the late afternoon sun setting.

Blackwell

On the way to a photo shoot, I stopped at a Forest Preserve I had not entered in more than 35 years. Primarily a fishing and camping preserve, neither of which being part of my life, Blackwell had recently been stocked for the coming season.

The early spring sunshine highlighted the visit, including a look at Mount Hoy, a tubing hill constructed on landfill. Along the way it was great to see others enjoying the park on the sunny March afternoon.

Fresh Cut Stump

Evening falls, time to head out. Love to catch that sunset on the way out. Meanwhile, a sign of spring not in nature but in activity: a fresh cut stump, a tree that had to come down. I love the texture in this photo.

More Trees

Two tree views, one with the fisheye lens and another in macro closeup of the texture of a pine tree.

Tree Bark

Two shots of tree bark at the local golf course, one showing a sawed limb and the other showing some interesting shapes.

Nothing quite like the texture of tree bark.

Back to Golf

Two more springlike views from Friday afternoon, again seeing the only water hazard on a small local golf course, with the willows weeping into the water line. The second is one of the reasons I went out that day, using a wide angle lens with a macro fisheye lens attachment. Used with the zoom near 50 mm, it just bulges the center of the image a bit, but used at 20 mm in the wide angle format, the circular fisheye distortion is the result.

SUNDAY POSTER

Our church, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Charles, is focusing on The Lord's Prayer during Lent, so I took a photo of one of our beautiful stained glass windows to highlight the text. Rich colors generated by the glass seem to illuminate the prayer with great power.

Early Spring

Not a perfect day, it still had a bit warmer temperature and it sent me out for some late-winter-early-spring photos at a local golf course, still closed for the season. Here are two views of the quiet pond.

Another Deer Shot

Back at the cul-de-sac, the deer struck a nice pose for me before moseying off into the trees. And all the while, the sun was moseying off into the horizon. Here we see the dark branches of the forest criss-crossing into a web of a forest.

WANTED POSTER

Challenged to use a photograph to express my yearning for spring to arrive in Chicago, I did not find a photo I truly wanted to use. I did find a powerful but relatively empty landscape, and I did find a closeup of a wonderful golden flower, so with a little processing magic, I had my photo and only needed to turn it into a Wanted Poster.

Cul-de-Sac

A former student had mentioned that several deer prowled his yard almost daily, so a side trip on an errand brought me by for a peek. Lo and behold, I had been there only a moment when I looked up and there she was. It was that late afternoon time, where light is so gentle and yet powerful.

Just Because

Just because my grandchildren had a great time at DuPage Children's Museum, and just because they are beautiful, we will look at two more images from the visit. Smiles that make Poppa's heart very happy!

Giant Tinkertoys

"Where learning comes into play" is the apt slogan of the DuPage Children's Museum. Here we see the grandchildren mugging for the camera, but the rest of the time they were building some large and impressive structures. Good times!

SUNDAY POSTER

SUNDAY POSTER featuring some of the most famed words of comfort ever written. It is inscribed on a photo of still water in Alaska.

Faces

The faces of Gianna and Joey whenever we are at the DuPage Children's Museum, are animated and happy. One thing after another catches their eyes, and blowing air onto the face or climbing the stairs will bring smiles and looks of fun.

At Play

Upstairs and downstairs, wherever their mood takes us, Gianna and Joey have a wonderful time every time we visit the DuPage Children's Museum. And it is a terrific play location for a photographer who happens to be their Poppa!