Snapshots - 4th Quarter (27 Photos)
Individual photos from October through December that didn't fit into a series.

Snapshots - 3rd Quarter (23 Photos)
Individual photos from July through September that didn't fit into a series.

Snapshots - 2nd Quarter (27 Photos)
Individual photos from April through June that didn't fit into a series.

Snapshots - 1st Quarter (31 Photos)
Individual photos from January through March that didn't fit into a series.

2003/12/13 - Brookfield Zoo Lights (5 Photos)
We spent some time at Brookfield Zoo to check out their holiday lights.

2003/11/30 - Itasca Nature Center (8 Photos)
Today was unseasonably warm, so we headed to the nature center to see what we could capture "on film". The first three photos were taken with the 2100 and the rest with the 5700.

2003/11/08 - Montrose Point (27 Photos)
It was a gloomy day in Chicago, but we headed to Montrose Point anyway, hoping to spot some migrating birds. It must be too late in the year, however, because the only birds around were seagulls.

2003/10/26 - Itasca Nature Center (7 Photos)
We visited the nature center to get some fall color shots before it's too late. I also tried photographing the caged birds even though the wires are too close together and end up showing in the photos.

2003/10/19 - Botanic Garden (22 Photos)
We went to the Chicago Botanic Garden to check out the fall foliage. It seems to have already peaked, however. Fall never lasts long enough.

2003/10/18 - Goebbert's (8 Photos)
We took the kids to Goebbert's Pumpkin and Farm Market today. They went into the haunted house and we went on the wagon ride together. I couldn't figure out, however, why my photos weren't coming out as well as they typically do until I got home and realized I'd left the ISO at 400 the entire time. What a dummy! Here's what I salvaged.

2003/10/12 - Fall Color (7 Photos)
The fall foliage in the area is reaching peak color already. Unfortunately the pretty colors only seem to last two weeks around here.

2003/10/11 - Chicago (24 Photos)
We took a trip to the city today and visited Foster Ave beach as well as Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lincoln Park Conservatory.

2003/10/05 - Lake Katherine (18 Photos)
Photos from Lake Katherine in Palos Heights, Illinois. Includes shots of a blue heron.

2003/09/20 - Wisconsin Beach (14 Photos)
Photos of Lake Michigan taken in Bayside, Wisconsin.

2003/09/20 - Milwaukee Zoo (33 Photos)
Photos from our day trip to Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin.

2003/09/17 - Willowbrook (14 Photos)
We both got out of work early today, so we went to Willowbrook Wildlife Center to enjoy their butterfly garden in peace. Imagine our surprise to see lots of butterflies hanging around. Usually you're lucky if you spot even one! But even more surprising was the sight of a hummingbird! I've never seen one in Illinois before. Unfortunately he was way too fast to get a picture.

2003/09/02 - Brookfield Zoo (10 Photos)
A few more photos from the zoo.

2003/09/02 - Butterflies (14 Photos)
My favorite photos of the butterflies at Brookfield Zoo. There didn't seem to be as many varieties this visit, but they were pretty just the same.

2003/08/28 - Cincinnati Zoo (18 Photos)
Photos from the Cincinnati Zoo. The shots I took of the Manatees didn't turn out. In fact, I didn't get nearly as many photos as I would have liked because it was so hot and humid and I wasn't comfortable.

2003/08/24 - Cosley Zoo (21 Photos)
Another visit to Cosley Zoo, this time sans kids. They have new animals everytime we go there. I was especially digging the ducks, racoons and coyote. (Previous galleries from this zoo can be found here and here).

2003/08/15 - Chicago (21 Photos)
Shots of the city of Chicago.

2003/08/05 (10 Photos)
A few photos taken tonight by the pond while we were feeding the ducks.

2003/08/02 (14 Photos)
A few shots from the nature preserve we visited, as well as some adorable duckies.

2003/07/19 - Toads & Turtles (4 Photos)
The one place in the world I always know there will be toads - my grandma's house. The house was recently sold, so I will no longer be able to visit my amphibian friends. Also - Joe's neice bought a turtle at a flea market so I took a few photos of it.

2003/07/16 - Light & Shadows (8 Photos)
Experimenting more with photos near dusk. It's a work in progess.

2003/07/13 - Nature Walk (11 Photos)
A walk through a nature preserve. Flowers and bugs and fungus, oh my!

2003/07/05 - Nature (5 Photos)
A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

2003/06/29 - Weekend Sights (10 Photos)
Things we saw while walking around a local nature center and our neighborhood.

2003/06/25 - Patio Garden (6 Photos)
Some up-close shots of the flowers in our growing patio garden.

2003/06/22 - Aquatic Birds (17 Photos)
Some ducks and swans with their babies. Also some unknown birds.

2003/06/21 - Nature Center (4 Photos)
A few shots from the local nature center.

2003/06/20 - Sunset (7 Photos)
Sunset photos taken in Busse woods in Schaumburg, IL.

2003/06/07 - Botanic Garden (38 Photos)
We took a trip down to the Chicago Botanic Garden today. This place is beautiful, and for a nominal $8.75 fee per vehicle, the whole family can enjoy this wonderful place filled with gorgeous flowers and breathtaking views.

2003/05/23 - Branson Nature (15 Photos)
Some shots of Branson's wildlife (birds) and a beautiful sunset over Table Rock Lake.

2003/05/23 - Butterfly Place (22 Photos)
These shots were taken at The Butterfly Place in Branson, Missouri.

2003/05/22 - Gateway Arch (8 Photos)
These shots were taken at the St. Louis Gateway Arch.

2003/05/21 (9 Photos)
Since we had the day off from work, we visited a few locations known for good picture-taking. I'm so happy I got a decent caterpillar shot as they don't seem to be easy to find. Not sure why, as I can remember as a child finding them everywhere.

2003/05/17 - Cosley Zoo (5 Photos)
We took the kids to Cosley Zoo today. They went through the small zoo in less than 10 minutes. That's kids for you. Suffice to say, it was difficult to spend time composing shots, so I only got a few I was satisfied with. We'll have to go back again soon. (Check here for last year's photos from the zoo).

2003/05/04 - Little Red Schoolhouse (5 Photos)
It was severely overcast today, but since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center. We sat near the bird feeders and watched the birds, spotting some I've never seen before (such as woodpeckers, and the yellow bird pictured in the series). It was peaceful, even if the majority of my photos didn't turn out.

2003/05/03 - Spring Brook ... (10 Photos)
We took the kids out to the nature center in Itasca today, as well as two different playgrounds. They got to run around, and we got to take photos. That's a win-win situation if there ever was one.

2003/04/27 - Crabtree (7 Photos)
We visited Crabtree Nature Center today. The weather was fantastic.

2003/04/26 - Neighborhood Part II (14 Photos)
Another walk around the neighborhood to catch the blooming trees before they start turning green.

2003/04/25 - Neighborhood (14 Photos)
After work we took a walk around the neighborhood. I am so excited about the trees blooming because I am so ready for some warm weather!

2003/04/13 - Today (10 Photos)
We were all over today. The first four photos were taken at a cemetery, photos 5&6 at an abandoned amusement park, photos 7&8 at the river near the Elgin public library, and the last two photos are from by our apartment building. Can you remember all that?

2003/03/30 - Elk (16 Photos)
We visited the forest preserve today that is home to a group of elk. The one male was getting mad at Joe for getting too close to the females. It was hilarious.

2003/03/23 - Squirrel (4 Photos)
Joe and I took a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon with cameras in hand. Near our building I was trying to get a shot of the buds blooming on a tree when a squirrel caught my attention. He seemed rather interested in what I was doing, so I took some shots of him.

2003/03/23 - Spring Valley (27 Photos)
The last time I was at Spring Valley Nature Center was in September. Things look quite different than they did then.

2003/03/20 - Today (11 Photos)
All I wanted were some snapshots of the sky, but the hungry animals wouldn't stop bugging me, so I fed them and took pictures. Some are blurry, but I like them anyway.

2003/03/15 - Around Town (14 Photos)
I wonder if the wildlife is as sick of all the dead plants as I am. I am photographically frustrated right now, so if you think the photos in this series suck, you're probably right.

2003/03/13 - Squirrel (6 Photos)
The squirrels like the peanuts I leave for them.

2003/03/02 - Critters (14 Photos)
It was too cold to go venturing out in search for some photo ops, so we brought the subjects to us. These were taken from inside our apartment looking onto our patio.

2003/02/08 - Mums (8 Photos)
I bought myself some mums at the grocery store. They're nice because they came in dirt so they'll live much longer than fresh cut flowers.

2003/02/01 - Chicago (8 Photos)
Today was quite the gloomy day (literally and figuratively). We went to my grandma's house to help my mom sort through her belongings (she passed away recently). We took the Dan Ryan (I-94) to get there. I got a shot of the foggy city as well as a few shots of the Red Line el. I used to ride it years ago to get to and from work.

2003/01/06 - Shedd Aquarium (33 Photos)
We visited the Shedd Aquarium this morning for a few hours. In this series you'll also find several photos of Chicago taken before we got to the Shedd and also while we were there (taken from the windows in the Oceanarium).

2003/01/05 (4 Photos)
Just some photos I took today. Includes this cool "tart" burner I bought yesterday.

2003/01/02 - Flowers (5 Photos)
Some photos of the flowers Joe bought me for our anniversary.

2003/01/01 - Colourful Lights (7 Photos)
The first photos of the new year - a present I got Joe for our anniversary.