Now that 2016 has ended and my first “blog-iversary” is only a couple weeks away I decided to take a look back on all that happened last year. For my year in review I was planning on picking my favorite photograph from each month. As I started browsing through all the photos, I couldn’t believe how many there were. All the incredible adventures we had and the wonderful memories that were created.  While 2016 had its ups and downs, it was great year filled with good times, wonderful friends and a lot of love.  Instead of just picking out my favorite photographs, I picked the ones that also brought back the best memories.  So here they are, my most cherished “photographs and memories” of 2016…

January

What could be more beautiful and memorable than witnessing the freedom of  wild Trumpeter swans flying across the backdrop of a winter sunset?  This was definitely an amazing day and we stayed until there was no light left to photograph by!

February

 

This was probably the best day I ever spent in Massachusetts.  Relentlessly driving around Gloucester with my good friend Molly Hill, in search of this light house.  Despite dead end roads, private streets and botched GPS directions, we still managed to find it thanks to her great navigational skills!  Thanks Molly, this was such a fun time!

March

A wonderful afternoon spent with my oldest granddaughter Carleigh at Deep River County Park.  We flew a kite, went on a nature hike and met many different little critters, including a worm she named ‘Fluffy’.  The only way to get her to leave without sulking was the promise of ice cream.  That’s what grandparents are for.. 🙂

April

Another fantastic wildlife adventure at Riverlands, this time witnessing Great Blue Herons going through their mating ritual.  This guy had all the right moves, unfortunately the female he was trying to woo was more interested in catching fish..

May

I had so much fun this year experimenting with my new macro lens!  I discovered a whole new world and even though it’s a very tiny one, it is filled with so many wonders that I had never took the time to notice before.

June

For the last two Father’s days my son Kevin has taken me on photo tours on the south side of Chicago.  Last year it was historic Pullman, this year it was his old home town of Blue Island IL.  He and his family have recently moved back there and are very much involved in the community.  You can see by all his gear that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree..  Very proud of him and looking forward to this year’s excursion!

July

There were many hikes in many state parks this year as I began my mission to collect all the state parks stamps before October 2017.  Taum Sauk Mountain stands out as one of the more picturesque of the parks we’ve visited so far.  It is the highest elevation in the state of Missouri and you can a hike a portion of the Ozark trail as it crosses the mountain and heads to Johnson Shut Ins.  Not the easiest hike we’ve done, but definitely worth the effort.

August

My how time flies!  This year in October my daughter Angela gave birth to her first child and my first grandson.  While she was still expecting we spent some time together and took maternity pictures. We took trips to the botanical garden, Forest Park and the zoo.  But this afternoon in August was my favorite. We had a fun time walking around Tower Grove Park, enjoying the gardens, taking pictures and eating ice cream cones at the creamery.

September

 

In September we took a weekend trip to Sam A. Baker State Park. We stayed in one of the cabins, hiked the trails, barbecued some steaks and went on a wonderful float trip.  So much different from the float trip we took in June at the Huzzah valley.  The St. Francis River was calm and quiet with not too many other floaters.  A nice relaxing day and a beautiful weekend!

October

Here is a moment I will never forget – the birth of my grandson Keegan.  So amazing to watch another life come into the world.  Truly a miracle and the most adorable baby boy ever!

 

November

A very pretty foggy morning on the lake at Lone Elk County park.  It was my friend Kathy’s idea to go there, she had gotten an amazing shot of the elk in the lake the previous morning.  Unfortunately, there were no elk in the lake this morning and Kathy also realized she left the most important element of a photo shoot at home.  She forget her camera!  This left me alone to wander around the lake and shoot some pretty awesome pictures of the sunlight peaking its way through the fog.

December

 

Although this picture was taken in March, it was one of the many photos that got forgotten until December when I started to scramble for pictures to enter into a juried show at Framations Art Gallery in St. Charles.  The show was entitled “Presence” and was an all media exhibit focusing on the human element. In a last minute rush, I started going through recent pictures looking for something to enter.  I came across this one along with a couple others.  I managed to get them edited, ordered, printed and framed in the nick of time.  I’m always thrilled when at least one of my pieces gets juried into a show, but this time I was more than thrilled.  I was absolutely in shock because this photograph took 1st place!  Definitely a night I will never forget!

Thanks for all the memories 2016!  I can hardly wait to see what 2017 will bring!