Flowing Water

Spring Creek tumbles over a rocky little waterfall as it flows through the beautiful Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois (USA).

Earth Essence

A small waterfall, seen across one of the koi ponds at the beautiful Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois (USA).

Chance of Rain

Springtime rainclouds at the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Illinois (USA).

Botanical Beauty

This view is from the serpentine walkway in the pond at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin (USA) on a lovely afternoon in spring.

Decorating the Gardens

The workers are taking a break, but the holiday lights are everywhere at the Rotary Botanical Gardens, in Janesville, Wisconsin (USA).

Autumn Japanese Garden

This tranquil scene shows the Japanese Garden at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin (USA) on the 26th of October, 2017. Some of the decorative lights for the annual holiday light show are visible in the shrubs at the left edge of the image. The show will begin just after Thanksgiving day, and will include some 450,000 lights.

Summer's Over at Magnolia Bluff

This is the scene on a beautiful early fall day, near the top of Magnolia Bluff, in Rock County, near Evansville, Wisconsin (USA).

End of Summer

I hate to see it, but the leaves are starting to turn. Summer is almost over, and old man winter is just around the corner. This is a little marshy area just off Gibbs Lake in Rock County, Wisconsin (USA)

Blue Mound View

This view looks west from the west tower at Blue Mound State Park. It's the highest point in southern Wisconsin. If you look closely at the horizon on the left, you are supposedly looking at Iowa, about 55 miles (88 km) away. The park offers hiking, camping, an enormous picnic area, and a swimming pool (the only one in a Wisconsin state park).

Hiking

This is one of the trails at Blue Mound State Park. This one allows bicycles, but it's part of a larger trail that can only be accessed on foot. The trails are nicely maintained. The steeper parts of the hiking trail that I visited, had stairways, consisting of little terraces for each step, and little plackards describing some of the noteworthy points of interest. I thought the forest was quite beautiful.

Eastern View

This view looks northeast from the east tower at Blue Mound State Park. The park is the highest point in southern Wisconsin, at 1719 ft (524 m) above sea level. It offers hiking, camping, an enormous picnic area, and a swimming pool (the only one in a Wisconsin state park).

Big Hill

The Rock River flows past Big Hill Park in Beloit, Wisconsin on a nice sunny summer day.

Pond

A little pond at Natureland County Park, in Walworth County, Wisconsin, USA.

Let's Go Eat

The complete line is "It's time for dinner now let's go eat." It's on an album by Lyle Lovett called "Church". This image just feels to me like three 19th century families going home after church on a beautiful summer Sunday. It's actually a group of "interpreters" puting on a little impromptu show outside the 1870's German Immigrant farm (Schottler farm) at Old World Wisconsin, near Eagle, Wisconsin, USA.

Springtime at the Gardens

It's soooo pleasant to be on this beautiful path at the Rotary Gardens on a beautiful spring day.

A Beautiful Day

The weather was unseasonably mild again yesterday (February 22, 2017). Temps were in the low 70s F (21 C), the sun was shining. It was just too nice to stay inside, so I visited Magnolia Bluff, a little southwest of Evansville, Wisconsin (USA). Today is gray and rumor has it that snow is on the way, but yesterday was glorious!

Winter Dawn

This is the Rock River in Janesville, Wisconsin (USA) as the sky just begins to lighten before dawn. All the sensible people are still sleeping, so of course, we're here, bumbling around in the dark.

Here Comes the Sun

It's been a cold and lonely winter. ~George Harrison

Misty Morning

Rock River, Janesville, Wisconsin (USA)

Gentle Lake

Today, the lake is in a good mood, but according to Wikipedia, an estimated 6000 ships and 30,000 lives have been lost in maritime disasters on the great lakes. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_the_Great_Lakes) The wreck of the Niagra, a wooden hulled side wheel freight and passenger steamer, lies about a mile off this beach in 55 feet (17 meters) of water, where she sank after catching fire on September 24, 1856. Approximately 60 of 300 passengers on board were lost. (http://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/vessel/Details/455)

Summer at the Shore

This is the Lake Michigan shore in southern Wisconsin (USA) at the beginning of September. Lake Michigan is one of the 5 interconnected great lakes of North America. Together, they form the largest body of fresh water on Earth, containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume. For more information, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes

Farewell Big Lake

Here's one last nice warm shot of the Lake Michigan shore at Harrington Beach State Park, near Belgium, Wisconsin (USA). For now, the water temperature is in the mid 60s F (19 C), the sun is shining, and the birds are chirping. The well known gales of November, sadly, are just around the corner though. "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee. The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy." — Gordon Lightfoot Learn the whole story: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/11/09/edmund-fitzgerald-wreck-gordon-lightfoot-witch-of-november/75453176/

Summer Beach

This is Harrington Beach in the summertime. It's the same scene as this one from last winter: https://500px.com/photo/141082217/harrington-beach-by-pete-hall The winter scene certainly has a stark beauty about it, but I think I like summertime better.

Felicidad (Happiness)

What could be better than enjoying a shady spot on a warm summer day, and drinking in the beauty of this glorious land? ¿Qué podría ser mejor que disfrutar de un lugar con sombra en un día caluroso de verano , y beber en la belleza de esta tierra gloriosa ?

Pendarvis Cabin

A log dwelling at Pendarvis in Mineral Point Wisconsin (USA) may have been home to a Cornish lead mining family circa 1830. One of the Pendarvis workers, in period costume, walks along the road in bright sunshine on a hot day in June.

Backwater

This is a small marshy area just off Gibbs Lake in Rock County, Wisconsin (USA). The sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds, and just giving a hint of highlight to the fresh spring green of the trees.

New Evidence

It was a nice almost spring day at Gibbs Lake. Apparently the sun was still with us after a long winter. It peeked through the clouds briefly. It was pleasant being outside.

Fog

The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. - Carl Sandburg

Protective Blanket

The snow covers everything like a painter's protective cloth. This is the Rock River in Janesville, Wisconsin, USA.

Snowing

Falling snow obscures the trees in the distance.

Winter on Spring Creek

We had our first snow of the winter this week. About a month ago, I made an autumn image of the same scene. In that one, it was warm and friendly. Now the place has a certain sterile beauty that is peaceful and pretty enough, but a great deal less hospitable.

Autumn Sunset

Bare autumn trees against a sunset sky and a crescent moon.

Autumn on Spring Creek

There isn't a lot of autumn leaf color on Spring Creek at the end of October, 2015, but it's still a nice view with the interplay of sunshine and shadow and a few little verdant holdouts that apparently didn't get the memo about winter not being far off.

Pierless

This is the Rock River, looking north from Afton, Wisconsin, USA, toward the River Road bridge. What's left of an old pier makes a nice visual prop.

Prairie Walk

Each year, the Wisconsin Nature Conservency and the Department of Natural Resources host a Prairie Walk event on a property that is participating in one of their restoration projects. I found this image as I was archiving some old files. It shows the property of Jack and Marcia Boeing, near East Troy Wisconsin.