Design

A lot of thought went into the design of this staircase that allows visitors to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois to move from the edge of the Illinois River, to the Bluff trail high atop the sandstone cliffs that make up the park. Taking a photo is a great excuse to pause on the way up.

Youth

Nothing like a ride on dad's shoulders when walking gets too tough. The joys of youth...

Bounds

This cute little beagle lives down the street from me. Whenever she sees me walking, she bounds over to bark and wag her tail. She knows her manners, though; she never leaves the bounds of her yard - I think my neighbors have one of those buried electric fences. She doesn't sneak out the end of the driveway, either.

I tried cropping this several ways, but in the end, left her off-center so I could include her shadow.

Inviting

I found this open blue gate, which led into the Walled English Garden in the Chicago Botanical Gardens, to be very inviting.

Colors (or, for my over the pond friends, Colours)

Took a day trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens in Winnetka, IL this weekend. I was surprised at all the colors still evident in the winter landscape. Pumped a little with Topaz Adjust 5, Spicify.