A little creek by my house that feeds into the Illinois River, usually not this high- They closed the road shortly after this shot. We were fortunate. We were high enough above the Illinois river in our part of Morris. But for those in Marseilles, Seneca, and Ottawa who lost everything, may God Bless them with strength and courage as they recover from their loses. And God bless the angels who donated their time and services to the flood victims. Your reward will be great!
Standing on the bridge, leaning over the railing, looking 50+ feet down.
Almost at the bottom, looking up at the bridge.
Today was the coldest day we’ve had all winter, hovering just above the teens with a windchill. Brrrr! Good day for a drive! Our travels today found Steve and I at a tiny lake hidden in the woods behind a golf course at the back end of Matheson State Park, IL. The lake is called Matheson Lake (what else but?) At the end of the lake we saw a very large old bridge peeking through the trees. We had to go look because we have this love for all things old! Anyway, we discovered the bridge spanned a spillway at the head of a deep canyon~ very typical of our other Illinois canyons, the soft sandstone being carved away by thousands of years of flowing water. Very pretty and serene, even in the dead of winter. We will have to come back in the spring when everything is starting to grow again.
It snowed two days ago actually. This was the first time I could get out with the camera. I must admit, I wasn’t thrilled when it started snowing because I was at work had to drive home in the middle of the storm. I am a transplanted Illinoisan and driving on snow and ice doesn’t excite me, but now that the roads are cleared and the sun is shining again, it really is very beautiful.
I love the way the light sparkles in the snow in the late afternoon sun, as in these pictures here. And the way the long blue shadows reach across the snow is very inspiring.
Yes, I guess you could say I do love the snow, from an artist’s perspective that is….
my tracks
weeds on cliff at river’s edge
Illinois river~ South Channel, looking East towards Lock & Dam
Illinois river, Lone Point Shelter, (south bank), looking west toward Starved Rock
We continued our search for eagles today, and ended up in the park.
A few were roosting in their favorite dead trees on Plum Island, along the Illinois River, watching for fish near the surface.
we parked and walked to the waters edge to get this shot. would still love that telephoto lens, maybe next year…. the eagle is in the center of the picture
We’ve spent the last two weeks with the temperatures in the single digits so it was wonderful when it warmed to the forties today and everything started to melt.
Just yesterday, this part of the river was solid ice and under snow.
I came across some older pics of one of our family hikes in Starved Rock State Park. There are so many canyons, as hard as we try, we have yet to traverse them all.
This is the head of the trail, leading to Owl, LaSalle, and Tonti Canyons.
Heading down
If I remember right, we counted over 200 steps
Entering Tonti
Waterfall in bright light
inside the canyon
where the walls meet
from the bottom up
looking out
I am always excited to get home and download the pictures and see what came out. The lighting and the images are always amazing!
Lil's Garden Tour 