Capture 52 - Week 4: The Color Green

“Even in winter it shall be green in my heart.” - Frederic Chopin

#Capture52 #Capture52week4 #green

Capture 52 - Week 3: Architecture

“As a building is resistant to forces acting upon it, a person must be equally tenacious in life.” - Santiago Calatrava

The Calatrava Oculus and the Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) #Capture52week3 #Capture 52 #architecture #santiagocalatrava (124 on 52)

Capture 52 Week 2 - Landscape

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” - Marcel Proust

Nagawicka Lake #capture52week1 #2020capture52 #capture52 #landscape (35 on 52)

2020 FOCUS: Capture 52

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” — George Lucas

I have never been one for making New Year’s resolutions, yet 2020 seems to be the perfect year to hone my focus. While it may not be possible to achieve perfect 20/20 vision, I resolve to focus on my work, my relationships, my interests, and my creative endeavors. I will strive to listen intently, to slow down, to notice the beauty and inspiration that surrounds us if we just take the time to notice, to be fully present. In 2020, I resolve to focus.

For the past two years, I have participated in the Dogwood 52 Photo Challenge. The site was retired at the end of 2019, but several members have agreed to participate in the new Capture 52 project. Here are the prompts for 2020:

Post updated with images 12/20/20

• Week 1 - New Years Resolution

• Week 2 - Landscape or cityscape.

• Week 3 - Architecture

• Week 4 -The Color Green

• Week 5 - Portrait converted to monochrome

• Week 6 - Texture

• Week 7 - Love: Share the Love for Valentine’s Day.

• Week 8 - Photography Bucket List, something you’ve always wanted to try — a technique, a location, a style...anything.

• Week 9 - Pets

• Week 10 - Eggs

• Week 11 - Not Quite Right.

• Week 12 - Macro or focus stacking

• Week 13 - Your Best Shot

• Week 14 - Industrial

• Week 15 - Tell a Story

• Week 16 - Easter

• Week 17 - Red

• Week 18 - Femininity

• Week 19 - Fire

• Week 20 - Minimalism

• Week 21 - All creatures great or small.

• Week 22 - Phobias

• Week 23 - Opposites

• Week 24 - Bokeh

• Week 25 - Sunrise/Sunset

• Week 26 - Toy Story

• Week 27 - Masculinity

• Week 28 - Black and White

• Week 29 - Food

• Week 30 - Street Photography (candid/no posed images)

• Week 31 - In Your Backyard

• Week 32 - Moody Atmosphere

• Week 33 - Abstract

• Week 34 - Mask

• Week 35 - Rainbow

• Week 36 - Break the Rules

• Week 37 - From Dusk to Dawn

• Week 38 - Still Life

• Week 39 - Rule of Thirds

• Week 40 - Upside Down

• Week 41 - Trees

• Week 42 - Graffiti

• Week 43 - Silhouettes

• Week 44 - Creepy

• Week 45 - Square Crop

• Week 46 - Birds Eye

• Week 47 - Combination: Combine any 2 (or more!) prompts

• Week 48 - Multiple Exposure: Stitched panorama, double exposure, focus stacking, HDR

• Week 49 - Glass

• Week 50 - Kitchen Close-ups

• Week 51 - Frozen

• Week 52 - Christmas: ‘Tis the season...

Champagne + Gingerbread

“The year has held its ups and downs for me; I'm sure it has for you, too. I'm counting on the year ending on a note of joy (and gingerbread!) and look forward to a new year brimming with promise and peace.” - Kirby Larson (no relation!)

For the past several years, Eric and I have enjoyed a New Year’s Eve lunch at our favorite French restaurant, Lake Park Bistro. We linger over Champagne and coffee and return home before the craziness of NYE ensues.

The pastry chefs at Lake Park created this beautiful gingerbread Eiffel Tower.

I looked online to learn more about the LPB Eiffel Tower and discovered that there was a whole gingerbread French village at the North Shore Boulangerie in Shorewood. 1. How did I not know that this French bakery/café exists? 2. How could I not drive 3.5 miles to check it out?

What beautiful details — the flower cart, the croissants, the sugar glass windows, the exquisite piping! Read more about it here.

2019 in Color

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.” — Wassily Kandinsky

2019 Color-Themed Months

January Blues

February’s Lovely Hues

The wearing o’ the green in March

Sunny yellow to offset April showers

May’s lilacs and violets

Pure whites befitting a June bride

Every heart beats true for the red, white, and blue in patriotic July

The warmth of August

Down to earth in September

Orange you glad it’s October?

November in black and white

The colors of the season in December