Ten Random Photos

Here are ten more photos from an old phone backup.

This first one is a winter shot from the year where there was a major polar vortex in my area. Fortunately the temperature seems to rise a bit when it snows this hard. Perhaps is becomes an insulator after it piles up.

Here is a shot out the window of a fancy office high up in a skyscraper. I had a chance to take this after a meeting. It overlooks the Chicago river that goes out to lake Michigan.

Now for a six spotted tiger beetle warming up in the sun on a huge boulder. These guys are fast and at first glance you think they are just a green fly, but they fly a bit slower than a fly. Eventually if you approach them slowly you can get a photo of them waiting for their next victim. They will eat anything smaller than them.

Here is a really twisted tree at a local park. If I was still a kid I would easily climb this thing as it has plenty of footholds.

This is a shot from spring where all the trees were blooming. My allergies were pretty rough that year but the weather was great and the flowers were abundant.

Meanwhile in Chicago they fill up the planters around the city with tulips for spring.

The old styled gargoyle/griffin statue also loves the tulips in the planters lol.

Early spring in Chicago can be quite gloomy and gothic. But the fog makes interesting textures among the skyscrapers. I'm sure the people with condos in the tall building just see solid gray outside their windows on days like this.

Meanwhile out in the forests foggy wet weather like this is good for growing various jelly fungi. This one is called witch's butter with a Latin name of Tremella mesenterica. This stuff is actually edible but bland and tasteless, perfect for adding spices on an interesting texture.

The last random photo is of the St. Louis arch. I took a road trip down there to catch some concerts and the main highway going to the event takes you right by this huge arch. I have yet to actually visit there and take the elevator to the top of it. Perhaps next time I find myself in St. Louis.

That's all for now, thanks for looking at my 10 random photos :-)