The One That Got Away?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Autumn Skies II

Snow clouds yield cool sunsets  

Autumn Skies I

The drawback to Autumn Sailing Classes (which I think is what those little boats in the bottom right of the photo were doing) is that your class could be held while snow flakes are falling.  The benefit, though, is a chance to see some great Autumnal Sky Colors

Blink and You Missed It

It snowed on Thursday.  If you blinked, you missed it.  A few minutes later the sun came out; then another snow shower; then the sun came out again.

I got confused!  I wasn't sure if it was a sign that Winter was coming or if it meant that today was the start of Baseball Season ;)

Freighter Day

This is blurrier than I would like it to be.  But given that it was dawn and the freighter wouldn't hold still for me, it's not too bad -- especially if you pretend it is an impressionist painting.  This freighter came by last week along with a few more -- it was almost like a parade.  I guess they were getting their last trips in before the weather makes it too dangerous to continue running.  

I'm posting this photo today because it is the anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald during a bad storm on Lake Superior.  So, find the Gordon Lightfoot song on iTunes and toast the "Fitz", the captain, and the crew.       

Morning and Evening

I just love the interesting clouds and weather patterns that keep sliding through Chicago.  The top photo is from Thursday morning (around 9), the bottom photo is from the early evening (around 5:30).  The middle of the day was actually rather sunny.  

Autumn Composition

It was a great scene to capture whether on a memory card or on canvas.

Autumn Starburst

An Autumn burst of color

Autumn Sunrise

October Sunrise. There are still a few boats in the harbor. Have to credit the optimists that hold out for those last late Autumn lazy boating days.

Autumn Sunrise

Temperature-wise, Winter has been here for awhile. Astronomically, it is still Autumn.

Feathered Friends: Getting All Your Ducks in a Row

Chicago currently has a few rare visitors: Harlequin Ducks. They usually don't come to this area. There was one around last year, though, so maybe he recommended our fair city to his duck friends.

They were displaying some interesting activity. One of the three would start splashing. Then the other two would splash and all three would dive.

More photos of the Harlequin Ducks are at my bird-watching blog, here.

30 Minutes Difference

It's so interesting to watch the light change as the sun rises.

7:05 am - November 2, 2010

7:35 am - November 2, 2010

Windy

Not sure if this photo really captures that it has been a little windy lately. It was supposed to be a perfect storm/storm of the century type thing but I think it has been A LOT windier other times. (Heck, my building wasn't even creaking which it usually does during strong winds.) If it doesn't give that "windy" feel, at least it is a nice picture of an area called Art on the Farm. Art on the Farm is an urban garden right in downtown Chicago that Growing Power uses as a job preparedness training ground for young people.

Aftermath

I knew if I stood in that spot long enough, a bunch of leaves would fall from the trees at the same time so I could get a photo.

So maybe it took a little longer

than originally expected ;)

Hunter's Moon

According to the Native Americans in the Great Lakes region, the October Full Moon, which rose yesterday evening, is known as the Hunter's Moon. It is so named because this is the month for hunting and storing for the long winter.

Personally, I've been storing all summer - in the form of freezing raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries - to help get through that long winter ;)

Autumn Sunrise

Thursday's sunrise included a jagged layer of clouds at the horizon. I'm thinking that was probably the weather front that came through that dropped our temperatures by about 20 degrees again (no worries -- we're supposed to be back in the 70s early next before another thermometer plunge.)

Autumn, Michigan-style

What can I say? The trees are gorgeous in Michigan.

Autumn Crunch

One of the many leaves I went crunching through this past weekend on a visit to the other side of Lake Michigan.

Fog Attack

Autumn in Chicago means the fog can attack at any moment. This attack came with at 15 degree drop in temperature!

There are usually more buildings

visible in the skyline.

What happened to Lake Shore Drive?

The fog was still rolling through

(rather quickly)

at sunset.

A Buoy's Life

Not sure if they are starting to take the buoys out of the marina or if they just didn't use all of them this summer. They do usually stack them more neatly than this, though.