I’m back from Door County. It was great to spend three days shooting for myself, something I plan on doing more of in the future. I think I got about two good candidates for art shows next year, the first and last photos I took. Weird how that works. Enjoy the photos!

It was my first time up there (other than a wedding last year). It’s a nice place with some great parks, but I did see a lot of similarities between Door County and Naples, Florida, where I lived for 6 years. There are a lot of BMW driving retirees building huge megahomes. Hopefully they can control the development before it becomes another overrun traffic congested “paradise” like Naples.

To make sure I was back at the hotel for President Obama’s health care speech, I decided to forgo late day light photos and planned a short hike this afternoon down the Hidden Bluff trail in Peninsula State Park to kill some time before the speech. I actually found several cool shots with the macro lens. There on a stump along the trail was this psychedelic lichen. It looks more like I was on the great barrier reef than Wisconsin. I think this is the shot of the trip. At least I used it to justify sleeping in tomorrow instead of shooting sunrise before heading home.

(by the way, yes I am a wuss and staying in a hotel. I wasn’t sure how well my body would tolerate sleeping on the ground after surgery last month)

I admit that I have a bit of a fern and palm frond addiction. I love the symmetrical designs and can’t pass up a good fern or saw palmetto photo. So here is another shot from my short hike in Peninsula  State Park with the macro. (I also made it in time for the health care speech) It was the easiest hike I did on this trip and I bagged two photos I like. I guess being lazy paid off today. Coincidentally The fern and lichen were about 10 feet apart. Luck was with me today.

I found this place yesterday while scouting but the light wasn’t right in the afternoon so I returned at first light today to get some softer light. This was at the end of the road in the little used Door Bluff County park only about 30 yards off the road. I had some lunch yesterday after finding his great hillside with many great cedar trees like these. While I was enjoying my peanut butter sandwich on my tailgate, several people drove back and simply turned around and left without getting out of the car after not seeing a marked trailhead or overlook in this primitive park. It certainly pays to get out of the car and take a look around when you are sightseeing, not every beautiful place has an interpretive sign.

I’m not big on self portraits, but I found this rock easy chair irresistible. Someone with some extra time on their hands made this throne on the shore of Green Bay in Door Bluff County Park. It actually was pretty comfortable and I spent a good half hour enjoying the early morning calm on Lake Michigan. Next time I need to bring my canoe, I’ve always been intimidated by big, cold, rough seas of the great lakes, but the whole time I’ve been here it’s been calmer out on Lake Michigan than a hotel swimming pool.