It was very difficult to choose only 10 photos of hundreds taken, or put them in specific order so they are in date sequence. Those I chose not only represent the highlights of my year, but also reminds me to take advantage of each opportunity and enjoy each day. I love the outdoors and am so lucky Steven and I share most of the same interests. I know when Steven says he wants to come back to a place again, its usually good thing. It was a good year for us.

—————

Petrifying Springs Park, Kenosha WI – Shot on 2-22-2010

This park has always been one of my favorite places of my home town. It’s been my playground ever since I was a kid, but now I can appreciate its beauty more as an adult, even in winter. This picture just confirms that. It was taken while on our way back to the truck from a hike through the woods after a fresh blanket of snow.

—————

Elizabeth River Ferry, Norfolk VA – Shot on 3-25-10

This ferry transports people across the Elizabeth River between Norfolk and Portsmouth VA. This was the  first “cruise” for Steven and I together with no sea sickness for Steven. I’ve always loved the water and sail any chance I can. This opens up so many more possibilities for us in our future travels.

—————

Bounding Main performance at the Pirate Festival, Port Washington WI, Shot on 6-4-10

We had planned for months to go to this festival. We weren’t sure if Steven’s mom, who was visiting at the time, wanted to go, but she said she would. I told Steven she’d probably think we were crazy, but we all had a fabulous time. She even got her photo taken with a couple of pirates to take back with her to CA and did some shopping for souveniers to take back to her Sunday school kids. There were many things to do and several entertainers, but we always want to catch a show by Bounding Main. They are an acappella quintet that sing traditional sea shanty and maritime music. This particular day David wasn’t with them. They are so fun to watch, and I grow to love them with every show. My favorite “interactive” song of theirs is Old Dunn Cow. Steven has become quite good at playing this song on his guitar; I help when it’s time to shout “McIntryre”. http://wn.com/Bounding_Main__Old_Dun_Cow

—————

Dayton’s Dragonfly. Dayton OH – shot on 6-13-2010

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary with a wonderful photo shoot day during our trip to Ohio. We visited two beautiful parks that day. At the time this picture was taken I hadn’t had my camera for a year yet and tried experimenting more with the macro settings. A bunch of my flower pictures turned out great too but I was so excited that the timing was so good to capture this dragonfly. I was extremely pleased when I saw the picture on the larger computer screen when we got home.

—————

“My Pirate” at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Kenosha, WI – Shot on 7-11-10

When I introduced Steven to the local Renaissance Faire this day, my intention was it to be my only visit there for the season, not 3 or 4 as it turned out. I was delighted that Steven enjoyed it so much; he introduced me to another part of his past with a childhood interest. We had sat down to eat lunch in the area pictured and I was watching this particular pirate for awhile. I stood up to take his photo, not realizing he was watching me take a picture of him. I smiled and said “thank you”. He bowed and said “thank you” back. I think I blushed. On another visit, we saw him playing chess with another pirate. Steven commented “there’s your pirate”.

—————

Parade of Sail, Sturgeon Bay, WI – shot on 8-12-10

We drove up to Sturgeon Bay the night before the big Parade of Sail of 12 tall ships. We wanted to check out areas for best view and lighting for the time of day the parade was scheduled. After dinner we went to the harbor to check which 4 ships were docked there for the night. The Roseway was just sailing in and pulling up to the harbors edge, giving us a sneak preview for an awesome day ahead. I loved the ship, it’s features, it’s history and it’s friendly crew that answered many of our questions. It was the only ship of the 12 that had colored sails. We also saw it again at the Maritime Festival in Port Washington. I would love to take a ride on it someday.

—————

Maritime Festival, Port Washington WI – Shot on 8-22-10

I took many close up photos of ships “parts” using my macro setting on this adventure. When viewing the features up close on the Roseway we saw several days prior, I started looking at these ships with a different photo eye. At this festival we were able to tour several of the ships that were part of the Parade of Sail. I honestly don’t remember which ship’s deck I was standing on, or which ship I was taking a photo of, but this composition was my favorite from that day and perhaps the entire year.

—————

Pumpkin at Jerry Smith’s Pumpkin Farm – Kenosha, WI shot on 9-29-10

This pumpkin farm is another piece of my past that I have been able to share with Steven. He knows it as THE best place in Kenosha to get sweet corn and other good produce, but has never seen it come alive during fall harvest. In the Farm’s back yard, there’s pumpkins and other produce painted as childhood characters, petting zoo, haunted bus, hayrides, concession stands, pumpkins, Indian corn, gourds and squash for sale. The Country Store offers fresh baked goods, apple cider, and caramel apples during this time as well. To me it’s a photographer’s playground, and a chance for me to get more macro shots.

—————

A Walk in the Woods to see Miner’s Fall, Munising Mi – Shot on 10-10-10

Miner’s Falls is located within the Pictured Rock National Lakeshore that you can only see by foot , with at least one half mile path in and out. What a gorgeous day we had for a hike! Beautiful colors, quiet atmosphere, searching out another waterfall while enjoying the scenery along the way. This elder couple was walking ahead of us on the way in. I said to Steven “I want that to be us in 20 years”. On the way out, it seemed like we had the whole forest to ourselves. It was so quiet, we could hear a leaf falling from a tree to the ground.

—————

Moose and Fawn, Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee WI, Shot on 11-6-2010

We kept a watchful eye for moose while driving around the UP of Michigan, hoping to see one, but didn’t. We were still able to see one this year right in our own “back yard” at the Milwaukee Zoo. We watched these two animals interact for quite awhile. I sure wished I would’ve thought of using the video feature on my camera, but I’m happy with the photos I shot. This was another place I visited many times as a kid, that I could share with Steven. It was fun to enjoy it as “big kids” on a beautiful autumn day that offered free admission.

————————————————–

Post and Photos by Lynne.
When Steven and I are “out and about”, we tend to take roads we haven’t before just for a change of scenery. On one of my vacation days, we took my mom up to Holy Hill in Hubertus, WI. We found a suggested fall color scenic drive on the internet recommending heading north on Hwy 83 from Delafield, and connecting to various Rustic Roads. The winding and hilly roads were pretty, but probably would’ve been gorgeous had it been about a week prior. A lot of the trees had missing leaves.

This was also true for what would’ve been more of a colorful overlooks from the top of Holy Hill had it been a week or two earlier. The sky was overcast, it was more cold and windy in the higher area, a mass was in progress so we didn’t actually get into the beautiful Biscilica. We planned to have lunch at their cafe as well, but it was closed though the website didn’t indicate it when checked the day prior. It seemed like the day was kinda a bust, but my mom was happy, and that made the difference.

We took the traditional freeway route back, and on Hwy 167 just a mile or two down from the hill, we came upon this scene. The pictures don’t do this justice; you’d have to see it for yourself. I’m not much into Halloween stuff but I thought this was pretty cool.

Just a quick note from me. Holy Hill is one of the most sacred places in the whole state of Wisconsin. Folks come from hundreds of miles away to see it and worship at the church. We found it very interesting that this display of bikers was just down the road from Holy Hill and within view of the church. Quite a contrast, that’s for sure. Happy Halloween everyone.
Steven

Here’s a fun post by Lynne that recalls memories from her childhood :-)

————————————————–

October 16th was a relaxing day, with a family dinner to celebrate both of my parents birthdays in October. It was another warm, sunny autumn day that was too nice to stay inside so we ventured out to Swan’s pumpkin farm in Racine County. Steven didn’t take any photos but apparently I must have been in a photo shootin’ mood. It was very busy, and kinda crowded, but today it reminded me of when I was kid.
I remember visiting some petting zoos, feeding the goats and laughing when their tongues tickled my the palm of my hand. Seeing some of the baby goats this day was heartwarming and just made people smile and say “oh how sweet”.

I remember going to a pumpkin farm and picking out a pumpkin for Halloween that was WAY too big and heavy for me to carry. The little wheel barrels provided was a grand idea for hauling multiple items, but I guess baby strollers work too.

I also remember helping my grandma cleaning out the guts and complaining how gooey and gross the insides felt, but then washing the pumpkin seeds and roasting them in the oven for a crunchy salty treat. We only had the talent to carve a traditional face on our pumpkin, similar to that on the big inflatable pumpkin that was on display but when the candle was lit at night, it looked pretty darn good. We also hung Indian corn from the porch awning.

One of these times, the kid in me will come out somewhere, and I’m going to stick my face through one of the holes in a painted cut-out. I’m always tempted, just to be silly, but chicken out. I assume the “spook house” was their version of a haunted house. No real desire to check it out after having the crap scared out of me in one on my very FIRST date in Sophmore year of high school. Yes, those fun memories come flying back to me almost every year. We preferred to walk the grounds to see painted displays and signs that made us giggle. Walking through the corn maze to see the character displays was interesting.

I don’t think any pumpkin farm would be complete without wagon rides, but never in my life have I seen an opportunity to ride in a cage loaded on the front of a combine. There was a little tractor train ride for the kids that I thought was kinda unique and looked like fun. I did see one adult (aka a BIG kid) sitting in one of the tiny cars, and it just looked odd.

Yep, Fall is my favorite time of year. I hope my memories bring back some fun fall memories for you too.

————————————————–

Lynne wanted to write a post about our vacation from her perspective and show some of the photos she took, I told her to go for it. So here it is. Enjoy.

—————————————

Our trip around Lake Michigan was very pleasurable. The trip went smoothly, the people were friendly, the places we chose to stay or dine were perfect, and we couldn’t have asked for better traveling weather. Steven would’ve preferred a few more overcast days, but we were both still satisfied with the photos we shot, and thats what counts.

We both enjoyed Ludington so much that we’d like to go back for weekend getaway. It was nice to see the SS Badger at the dock on this side of the lake for a change. It’s an artistic small town with murals painted in several areas. Here’s one that really caught my eye. As we were driving toward the harbor, I caught the first view of the lighthouse and ship. Heading out of town, I saw the second view of the doors.

Lighthouses sometimes all look the same, sometimes they are unique. Some we shot just to say “we were here”. I really liked the Ludington North Pierhead lighthouse because the base of it looked like the hull of a ship. It was also cool when we realized while walking the pier we were a half mile out into Lake Michigan when we reached the end.

I’d have to say my favorite though was the Point Betsie Lighthouse. I think it was the most picturesque, and it made me feel like I was really on vacation, somewhere tropical. The weather was warm, the lake had beautiful color, and the beaches had the cleanest, finest sand I’ve seen (with no sand burrs). Climbing sand dunes to get a good picture was challenging at some lighthouses visited this trip, like at the Little Sable lighthouse.

Roads and Byways
My mom, sister and I had taken the drive around Lake Michigan several years ago, and I happened to be driving at the time we crossed over the Mackinac Bridge. It’s so fun for me when Steven is so excited to see things for the first time when I have seen them before, but seeing these same things with Steven gives me a different perspective and greater appreciation. As soon as we got settled at the hotel in Mackinaw City, he wanted to go back out to see the bridge. He told me he’s wanted to see the bridge, even before he moved to the midwest. We did eat dinner first and toured the area a bit before returning for this photo opportunity, but as the sun started to set, it was quite windy and chilly while standing on the Straits of Mackinac shore. The evening sun made the colors on the bridge, water and shore very pretty, and well worth it.

Pathways
Whether climbing over tree roots, up/down stairways or crossing bridges, we love to hike. Cool to see what’s ahead but best part is coming around a corner to see another gorgeous scene. Is it everything I expected? Usually yes, even more sometimes.

The signs along the pathways of Tahquamenon Falls State Park nicely display reminders for all to respect and enjoy the park’s beauty.

In September, Steven wrote a post for his business website for photography tips in which I remembered suggestions from it for my photos this trip.

http://sbdigitalarts.com/more-tips-to-improve-you-fall-photography/

On our hike back to the parking lot via a nature trail, we found trees with mushrooms. Not sure what intrigued me about them; I guess it was how big and how many there were. Without Steven, I wouldn’t have thought twice of taking pictures of them.

It seemed every pathway or stairway at the next park were prettier than the last. I don’t recall seeing so many couples enjoying hiking. A lot of them were quite a bit older than us. For the photo with the couple walking ahead of us was where the hike was more than a half mile in/out to view Miner’s Falls. They were at least mid-60′s. I said to Steven “I want that to be us in 20 years”. It seemed like we had the whole forest to ourselves on the way back. It was so quiet, you could hear a leaf falling from a tree to the ground.

Our last hiking stop before returning home was at Daves Falls, a Marinette WI county park. We definitely had to look down a lot at this place for all the rock and elevated tree roots to ensure we didn’t fall and break something. This park was the perfect example of not expecting too much but getting more. We spent a significant amount of time here.

One of the times we had a semi-level path that we could actually look up, Steven spotted these glasses in a tree. Though it was an unusual and funny sight, it reminded me to look around to see what life’s paths have to offer.

We definitely want to go back again to Michigan, maybe as a weekend getaway so we can see the Big Sable Point lighthouse north of Ludington which requires a 1.5 mile hike to see; or, on another longer vacation, take the ferry over the Mackinac Island, make a side trip to Sault Ste Marie and explore more of the western side of the upper peninsula.

Steven and I were talking about how much of a “nautical” year it’s been for us, starting with the Pirate Festival in Port Washington, seeing the Parade of Sail of the tall ships through our favorite town—Sturgeon Bay—plus catching a few ships as they spent the night in Kenosha, then ending with the Maritime Festival in Port Washington. This nautical year continued with us on this trip. Almost every place we stayed or dined had nautical themes with photos, paintings and knickknacks. I’m so happy that Steven doesn’t get sea sick so we are now able to sail places together, which opens a whole new perspective for him for photography. No photos of mine for the Pictured Rocks cruise for this post. For those and other photos, check my flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/42502529@N06/