Day 59 > Union Church In The Astor Historic District

Union Church.

Day 58 > Akasha Goes Window Hunting

Akasha does her best hunting from indoors. Of course the hunt is never very productive but as with any cat, her enjoyment comes more from the thrill than the catch.

Day 57 > Finally some "snowman snow"!

Besides photo graphy, I special ize in a couple other things; Halloween Jack'o Lantern carving and snowman building. :)

Day 56 > Earth Star

Cryptan thus, known com monly as Earth Stars, are a type of terres trial brome liad native to southern Brazil.

Day 55 > Crystal Clear Waters of Baird Creek

This section of Baird Creek flows through an area that was saved from development by a group of environmentally minded citizens who formed the Baird Creek Parkway Preservation Foundation and raised the cash to buy the 40 acre parcel from the developers. Thanks to their efforts, the walk to this spot takes a person through a scenic woodland of steep hills populated by century old trees and a host of wild creatures. Had the plan to develop the land gone ahead, this scene might now be available only to the people through whose backyard the creek would run.

Day 54 > St. Nicholas Church

Who says a cemetery scene must always be dark and spooky?

Day 53 > Closed For The Season

Follow ing a day long winter storm, the sun returned to a bril liant, cloud less blue sky so I stopped by the Bay Beach Amusement Park for a little fun.
Sure, the temperature may be a bit uncomfortable but on the flipside the lines are quite short at this time of year!

Day 52 > Another weekend, another snowstorm

I woke up to yet another very snowy morning so I thought I'd try capturing this storm from a different perspective just to keep things interesting.
I left the house just as soon as the coffee was ready and drove to the Baird Creek Parkway. A short time and a steep climb later I was standing at top of one of the highest bluffs looking over the scene you see here.

Day 51 > Kewaunee Pier Lighthouse

Another frigid morning at the Lake Michigan shore...

Day 50 > A Milestone

Pocket change left over from my 2004 Euro trip that was play fully dubbed "Lisbon Calling" after the great Clash record from the 1980's.
I had already decided before crawling out of bed this morning that I would try to use today's photo to mark this day as an early milestone in the project. I considered all the places I might find the number 50...house or business addresses, auto license plates, street names, a digital clock/thermometer at a bank...there seemed like many options.
I realized though, that all of this searching would have to be done in the frigid temperatures that have set in since yesterday's snowstorm and knowing the hunt would be neither quick nor a sure thing, I began considering where I might find the number of the day indoors...

Day 49 > A Snowy Morning at Baird Creek

It's been a very long winter. Yet as much as I yearn for warm spring breezes, fragrant air and and green and growing things, there are still moments when I feel perfectly content to endure another six weeks of this season if it affords me a few more opportunities to capture images like this one at the creek in Green Bay's Baird Creek Parkway.

Day 48 > Annunciation Church in HDR

Annun ciation Church is one of the nearby neigh borhood church es. Despite it's proximity to home, I know very little about it and can only recall having been inside once as a child for either a wedding or funeral. The church stands on one of the main streets so I pass it many, many times in the course of a week yet my eyes are always drawn down the rough stone walk, past the large gothic-style stained glass windows to the rectangular bell tower and the small courtyard where the walk ends. I chose to shoot there today thinking it would be the perfect subject for creating an image using an editing method that is rather new to me known as HDR or High Dynamic Range. This method uses a group of 3 differently exposed images which are combined to maximize the amount of detail that is available in both the darker and lighter parts of the scene. I've only once before attempted to do this so I'm sure there is much about this process that I do not yet understand. However, I learned quite a bit and I'm happy with the result.

Day 47> My Winter Oasis

Day 46 > Downtown Sunday Night / Courthouse

Day 45 > Fresh Snow in Colburn Park

I will remember this morning as one when the hunt for the daily photo turned out to be a pure and absolute joy. I went out early for a walk in one of my favorite city parks. As if on cue, the snow that began falling overnight took on a new intensity as huge flakes began falling adding a fairytale-like quality to this already beautiful urban forest. Like everything else in sight, I quickly became covered in snow and could clearly see the perfect individual snowflakes, each a unique design, as they lit on the black fabric of my jacket.
Other than myself, only a woman and her dog were present to bear witness to this magical scene and for a moment, I almost felt sad for the people who chose to get an extra hour of sleep this morning. However, without the solitude their absence provided, the experience would have been entirely altered so the feeling was soon forgotten.

Day 44 > A Winter Refugee

Every Autumn, as the temp eratures begin to fall at night, the house is invaded by more ladybugs than can be scooped up and returned to their proper place outside. So it is an inevitability that, due to the overwhelming numbers in this colorful army of beetles, a few will manage to remain hidden indoors well into the winter. With the recent thaw I've noticed several making themselves at home on the windowsills or taking a stroll on the walls or ceilings. When I spot one I'll usually collect it but being unable to send it on it's way when, on most days, the temperature outdoors is below freezing, it's become my habit to allow the ladybugs to take up residence in one of the many potted plants around the house.

Day 43 > Long Before Digital

Day 42 > Old Cemetery Chapel

This build ing, standing in the oldest section of the Allouez Cemetery, is a remnant of one of the original St. John's Church's of Green Bay, two of which were destroyed by fire. The current St. John's is located in downtown Green Bay. The original church stood on these cemetery grounds in the 1800's but information I once uncovered seemed to indicate that this building was part of the second St. John's and was moved to this site after fire destroyed the church. Whatever the case, I have long been enthralled with this particular spot. The surrounding graves date back to the latter part of the 19th century and the big, old trees that stand among the headstones near the old chapel, and the chapel itself, give the whole scene a very ancient feel. I've shot this building a number of times but today is the first time I feel I've really captured the true essence of this spot.

Day 41 > Grandmother's Four Leaf Clovers

A number of years ago, after my Grand father passed away, I in- herited a stack of old hardcover books. Among them were a couple of foreign language textbooks, one Spanish, the other French, that had been used by my Grandmother during her high school days sometime in the late 1920's or early 1930's.
One day I happened to flip through the French lesson book and discovered, tucked into the middle of the pages, a small collection of four leaf clovers that I can only assume were found and saved there by my Grandmother.

I wonder if the power of a four leaf clover to bring good luck slowly dwindles with age or if perhaps it only grows stronger. If so, then these clovers, now nearly 80 years old, may be the luckiest there ever were.

Day 40 > Venus Fly Trap

I've come to realize that, over the course of this year, there is the strong possibility of any number of situations or occurrences preventing me from getting out of the house in search of the day's photo. Today just happens to be one of those days. But luckily, not all interesting and unusual subjects are found out of doors.

Day 39 > Courthouse Flags

Day 38 > Rotunda

The Neo- renais sance styled rotunda of the Mil waukee Public Library.

Day 37 > Graffiti Of A Bygone Era

When I origin ally posted this photo I didn't know what exactly to say about it. I had an impression of it, with it's faded layers over faded layers, that I wanted to express but couldn't find the right words. As it turns out, there is a single word (see below) that could not apply more perfectly to this image. (thanks J.)

palimpsest (pal'imp-sest')
n.
1. A manuscript, typically of papyrus or parchment, that has been written on more than once, with the earlier writing incompletely erased and often legible.

2. An object, place, or area that reflects its history

Day 36 > Hungry?

Established in 1956, this De Pere, WI pizzeria has a colorful, old world style exterior and absolutely the best thin crust pizza on the planet.

Day 35 > Lake Michigan At Algoma Harbor

Another stun ningly beauti ful morning at the Lake Michigan shore.

Brilliant sunshine shone on the frozen coast and sparkled on the open water while gulls passed overhead and flocks of diver ducks patrolled the calm water's of the harbor. On the far end of the pier, the little red lighthouse stood out almost in silhouette against a deep blue sky set apart from the equally blue lake by a billowing band of clouds that hung just above the horizon. And at the edge of the harbor, an amazing example of the wondrous winter phenomena this great lake can produce...Pancake Ice.
I sincerely hope that the people who are fortunate enough to see such a view every morning appreciate just how lucky they are!

Day 34 > Luka

Cats. A purrfect photo subject right under my nose. One down, two to go.

Day 33 > Winter Apples

Like bizarre orna ments on a night mare after Christ mas tree, these apples were left to shrivel and freeze at a local orchard.

Day 32 > Canada Goose Tracks

Continuing with the recent bird theme, (which has been entirely unintentional) I happened on these perfect preserved, meandering trails in the snow left by Canada Geese which had recently wandered across the lagoon at Green Bay's Wildlife Sanctuary.

I cannot begin to imagine why creatures that have the amazing ability to take to the air would bother to waddle over such a distance with their short little legs and flat, webbed feet slipping on the snow covered ice. Whatever the case, I do appreciate their willingness to use this alternative mode of transportation.