Category Archives: Weekly Photo Challenges

W^2 – double

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W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, June 10, 2026

A double rainbow, Aurora, IL May 4, 2026 5:12 PM CST

I took these photos five weeks ago and I have every Wednesday since go by without posting them. Until today.

I captured the images after a brief thunderstorm passed through Aurora, Illinois while I was volunteering at Loaves and Fishes.

Once the thunderstorm passed through, the skies opened, the temperature dropped, and we were able to finish serving our clients for the evening.

I have never seen a double rainbow despite the fact that they aren’t considered rare, according to a quick Google search – a one in five chance!

Another view of the double rainbow, same place, same time, moments later

Rainbows are exciting to see and a double rainbow even more so, even if it’s not a rare thing.

It’s Day 12 of Summer Break and I’ve been, errr, I mean we’ve been, busy. We were at the lake last week and drove home Sunday afternoon.

I had scheduled some appointments this week and I had planned to carve away at a few of those ‘things I am going to do…’ But really, the appointments and taking of the house and yard were the big things we needed to accomplish this week.

The biggest thing was the making the decision to retire from teaching and yesterday, I put in my notice with my school district. The effective date seems far away, but I’ve had my eye on the date – June 30, 2030 – for almost three years. There were lots of factor that went in two making the decision, but this year was my 27th year of teaching. Four more years will get me close to full retirement of 35 years, and it’s time.

I am excited, and nervous, and giddy at the idea of being able to take a long weekend and explore places without sneaking a day off or writing sub plans.

Last summer, my youngest brother retired. Yes, I was envious. Before he retired he and his wife purchased an RV and have been traveling on the weekends and short vacations in Texas and a few of the western states.

This spring he called and let me know they were planning to visit the Midwest and planned to stop and visit with us at the lake for a couple of days. Last Monday, they left their home in southeast Texas and headed north. Their plan was to do a giant loop around two of the Great Lakes – Michigan and Superior before winding their way back home through Michigan’s upper peninsula, then Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma before getting back home.

I am excited to see them.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Saturday will be here before I know it and I have a few a lot more to do’s and a couple more appointments before they arrive, so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count one day at a time, because that’s how it works.

Have you ever seen a double rainbow?

Sign of the Week – School’s Out

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I have been driving past this sign for years. It’s next to the elementary school where my kids went and down the street from their high school. The church sponsored my son’s Cub Scout pack and the sign has been dispensing encouragement and reminders for years.

School’s out for summer and today is Day 1.

It’s a beautiful spring afternoon and I am trying to remember all the things I promised I’d do when summer came – but there are too many to remember. So, I’ll start with the lawn, then the mulch, and maybe my memory will return. Until then, I am going to have fun and stay safe. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, especially when getting started is the hardest thing to do.

What’s is a hard thing for you to get started with?

W^2 – bright yellow

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W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Yellow was my mom’s favorite color, at least I think it was. She’s been gone seven years now and there are so many questions I have that will forever go unanswered. I am going to have to go on believing that yellow was her favorite color.

Sunday morning, I looked out the kitchen window and saw an American Goldfinch, or spinus tristis, at the seed feeder. It was bright yellow and I couldn’t miss it.

I also uploaded it to a new app I discovered while watching CBS Sunday Morning before spring break. It’s called iNaturalist. The app encourages amateur scientists across the globe to share photos of living things – plants, animals, insects, and birds. I am just beginning to explore with it.

I shared the app and video with my students before we left for spring break encouraging them to be curious and full of wonder completely oblivious to the scheduled launch of Artemis II the following week.

My mom encouraged me to be curious as a child, and often in our conversations through adulthood. She’d love that I was reminded of her through seeing a spinus tristis.

It’s Wednesday and I have a full plate today. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days COUNT, one day at a time, seeing yellow is better than seeing ‘red.’

What’s a color you can’t miss?

W^2 – sun and moon

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I finally turned the snow app off. Hopefully, we’ve seen the last of this year’s snow.

It’s officially spring, though we’re almost two weeks in or a month depending on which measure you use –  astronomical or meteorological. Either way you look it is spring with Easter Sunday this weekend.

Monday morning’s sunrise. The sun is rising. Key Colony Beach, Florida Monday, March 30, 2026 9:07 AM EDT

I am certain It won’t snow where we are. It’s spring break and my wife and I are in the Florida Keys for a week. We are staying where we’ve spent every spring break since 2016, with the lone exception of 2020 when we were locked in at the lake.

Our rental offers a front row seat for sunrises. Every morning, I wake early so I don’t miss one. This morning, I set off to watch the sunrise from the eastern approach to the Bahia Honda Bridge. I miscalculated, the old bridge obscured the view of the sun breaking the horizon, but I waited patiently and was rewarded with the image below.

the sun has risen over the Bahia Honda Bridge West Summerland Key, April 1, 2026 7:36 AM EDT

Last night when we returned from dinner, we gazed at the moon which had risen over the Atlantic. Over dinner we talked about today’s scheduled moon launch when NASA will launch Artemis II for the first manned spaceflight to the moon since December 1972. And, of course we shared our childhood  memories of launches and splash downs.

Tuesday, the moon is rising. Key Colony Beach, Florida Tuesday, March 31, 2026 8:30 AM EDT
another perspective of the moon over the Atlantic, Key Colony Beach, March 31, 2026 8:33 PM EDT

I wondered if people will be watching the launch like we were some fifty years ago.

It is Wednesday morning and April Fools. I’ve been fooled more than once, and I’ve done my share of  foolin’ but not today. Today is going to be an amazing day, so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, under the sun, the moon, and the stars.

How is the sun or the moon lighting your path today?

 

 

 

W^2 – aurora

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W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Yesterday, I had heard about the possibility our area would be able to see the northern lights, but by the time I had gotten home I had forgotten.

the Aurora Borealis from my backyard – Wheaton, IL Tuesday, November 11, 2025 7:55 PM CST

Fortunately, I saw several messages from friends with their photos of the Northern Lights and I went outside to see for myself.

At first I couldn’t see them, but my daughter joined me outside. While she stood beside me she pointed and said she could see them – her eyes are better than mine. So, I trusted her and used my phone camera to capture them – it is more sensitive to the light than I am. What a beautiful sight. The light pollution in our area limits what we can see, but I have to trust that it is there.

Some times I have to let the light shine and trust that it is reaching me. It’s Wednesday and middle of the week and I am going to make the day count. It is going to be an amazing day. I know it and I can feel it, so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day.

When was the last time you had to trust that something was there, even if you couldn’t see it?

 

 

W^2 – October sunrise

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W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, October 8, 2025

My drive to school usually takes about a half an hour, sometimes a little more depending on the weather or the traffic or both. I’ve been driving the same route for over 25 years and sometimes I take the road less traveled.

Herrick Lake Road service entrance for Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL October 2, 2025 7:14 AM

Last week, I took the road less traveled and passed by the forest preserve in full sunrise. It was a humid morning with ground fog which scattered the sun’s light. It was beautiful.

Herrick Lake Road service entrance for Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL October 2, 2025 7:14 AM

September was dry and warm, especially the second half of the month. This past Monday night it rained hard, and the earth soaked it up; then yesterday afternoon cool winds, clear skies, and high pressure moved into the area bringing cooler fall weather. It was great sleeping weather last night, but I don’t think I’ll get the same shot this morning. Only time will tell.

It is Wednesday and today is going to be a wonderful Wednesday. I am going to take the alternate route and see what the sunrise brings. Sometimes a diversion is the best way to tackle a Wednesday. Today could be a million and six times better than yesterday. I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, sometimes mixing it up on the way to school. 

Do you mix it up when you drive to same place?

W^2 – winding road

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Saturday, I took the longest hike in a long time – just under three miles with two dogs in tow. Or rather being towed by one dog and staying out of the way of the other.

In the past couple of years, I’ve gone on shorter hikes but I haven’t been getting out for longer hikes for more than a while. It’s a new year for the Take a Hike Challenge from the forest preserve and I skipped ’23 and ‘24’s challenges but I am back this year.

outward bound Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL September 6, 2025 3:53 EDT

Saturday Fern, Nova, and I walked through Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. It’s a favorite of mine, it’s close and a good length with forest and prairie landscapes with just enough up and down to get the heart moving while the feet are following each other round moving me from start to finish.

on the way back to the trailhead. Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL September 6, 2025 4:22 EDT

When I got home, I had enough energy to refresh the bird feeders and a few other chores before calling it a day. Fern and Nova were completely spent, too.

It is Wednesday and today is going to be a wonderful Wednesday. It’s the middle of the week and school has a late start with a faculty gathering first thing at 7:30 AM. The bells will ring before I know it, so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one foot after another is way to tackle life.

Is there something you’ve recently re-started that you’ve been avoiding?

W^2 – great hall(s)

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W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, August 13, 2025

The Great hall – Union Station, Chicago, IL Sunday, August 10, 2025 5:10 CDT

Summer break is finished. Every year when I get to this point, this day on the calendar, and I ask myself the question,

Did I do enough?

This year, I can answer yes.

Of course there are things I didn’t do, but I did a lot.

This past summer I passed through several train stations – Paddington, Swansea, St. Pancras, Gare du Nord, Amsterdam’s Schiphol, Central, and North, and this past Sunday – Chicago’s Union Station.

Sunday, I used public transit to attend a baseball game on the southside. It was a good game and getting to the city and back was easy and efficient.

After the game, I sat in the Great Hall of Union Station waiting for my train and mind wandered and I thought of another great hall, the main hall of the Musée d’ Orsay, which was once a train station. As I sat and took in the hall, I went back to look at the photos I took when I visited Paris. There were similarities.

Musée d’ Orsay main hall, Paris, France July 17, 9:50 GMT-1
Union Station, the Great Hall, Chicago, IL August 10, 2025 5:03 PM
Musée d’ Orsay the main hall Paris, France,July 17, 2025 9:55 GMT-1

While the Musée d’ Orsay is significantly larger the two stations were built in similar time periods at a time when train travel was the only way travel long distances.

Musée d’ Orsay, Paris, France July 17, 2025 10:00 GMT-1
Union Station, Chicago, IL 5:14 CDT

I wondered what these stations might have looked like in their heydays.

Musée d’ Orsay, Paris, France July 17, 2025 10:07 GMT-1
Musée d’ Orsay, Paris, France July 17, 2025 10:07 GMT-1

I am partial to the black and white, which do you prefer?

It’s the last day of summer break and I am going to finish strong and be ready when the alarm rings early tomorrow morning. Today is going to be like the last sixty-nine days have been – AMAZING. I know it and I can feel it, so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, especially when a last day leads to a first day.

How do you do with “last days?”

W^2 – selfie

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W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, July 23, 2025

This is going to be the last post from Europe. It has been fun and we’ve seen and visited some amazing places in London, Swansea, Paris, and Amsterdam and places in between.

Me in a selfie with Van Gogh’s ‘Almond Blossoms’ in the background

We visited five art museums while we were exploring Europe. I saw lots of paintings, drawings, and I saw several of the thirty-five known Vincent Van Gogh self portraits. Neither of us created the selfie, it was around long before either of us. We just did it. Many years ago my friends ribbed me for the one-eyed selfie I would use with my social media posts.

One of the things I learned while wandering the museums and looking at paintings is that often the artist wasn’t painting a painting, they were practicing their craft. Yesterday, we arrived at the Vincent Van Gogh Museum to see the collection. I learned even more about Van Gogh while we toured the collection, then I found this – Vincent Van Gogh and the self portrait.

Seen at the Musee D’Orsay in Paris… Tuesday, July 15th
Seen at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, July 20th

Sunday, while touring the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I was feeling a little silly and thought I’d capture me with Vincent Van Gogh so I took a selfie, with a selfie. I did it again yesterday.

The first selfie with a selfie
My second selfie with a selfie
Self-portrait, Vincent Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, July 22nd

It’s the one-eyed selfie! Actually, the photos are edited to show more of Van Gogh’s work than the original photo.

“The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting.”
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

I read the quote in the Van Gogh Museum and it made me think. Really think. It was sad really, he was brilliant, creative, and deeply troubled. There are so many of us who look like we’ve got it together. I think sometimes making the days count helps me focus on the times when my days were a minus, not a plus.

These past couple of weeks have been awesome. Today we fly home, tomorrow morning I will awake bright-eyed and bushy tailed at three or four in the morning and spend a couple of days getting over the jet lag of a seven hour time change.

Today is going to be an amazing day, so I’d better jump up, jump in and seize the day. I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, unpacking, and putting away my suitcase. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, reflecting on being better every day, even a little bit.

What’s going to make your day?

W^2 – Pont Neuf

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W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, July 16, 2025

I can’t believe it’s Wednesday,  again. A week ago I was stumbling around on a couple of hours of jet lagged sleep through London. Since then we’ve been around London, traveled by train and car to Swansea and back, taken the second to last train to Paris, and tromped around the French countryside and several iconic places around Paris.

A lamppost on the Pont Neuf, Il de la Cite, Paris, France, July 15, 2025 9:21 PM

We are having fun and getting a lot of walking in. The weather has been beautiful.

I am usually the early riser in the family, but this morning I awoke to an empty apartment. My wife had gotten the jump on me and gotten out while I slept late, much later than I usually do.

fifteen minutes later, Il de la Cite, Paris, France, July 15, 2025 9:36 PM

When the body speaks, I should listen.

Last night after a full day of touring, we rode the Metro back to where we are staying.  We stopped to sit on one of the benches along the Pont Neuf. It was peaceful even with the traffic below on the river, the busy road connecting the Rive Droite with Rive Gauch, and the pedestrians going home, going out, or simply enjoying a moment outside as the day came to a finish.

It had been a full day.

We’ve done so much since my last post Sunday night. Monday we traveled to the countryside and explored then Tuesday we explored the city. I have so much to share, but I need time to process everything – moments and images.

Today is going to be another full day, I know it and I can feel it. Today could be a million and six times better than yesterday, but I have to jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the days COUNT, one day at a time, especially when I am on vacation.

How do you ‘vacation?’ Full throttle, slow and easy, or as it goes?