Late autumn in the arboretum

[jtb1951]

Here are a few photos from our day-after-Thanksgiving walk through the Morton Arboretum outside Chicago. Enjoy!

John.

[Carlina]

Those are great John! What are you shooting with if you don't mind me asking? Camera and lens?

I've got plenty of bone photos I can peel out...dear lord..entirely too many...

[jtb1951]

Thanks, Carlina! My camera is an Olympus E-510 digital SLR with electronic image stabilization, and the lens I was using for these shots is an Olympus 18-180mm telephoto. As you might imagine, the squirrels were imaged at 180mm. Thanks again!

John.

[vicki]

Wow! Your National Geographic career beckons. Seriously! It's like you can reach out and touch these things. It's always a nice day when I get to see another batch of your photos, John. :) Thanks for once again giving us the benefit of your gifts!

[jtb1951]

Thanks, Vicki! (he says, blushingly) It's something I really enjoy doing, and after a few decades of practice I'm starting to get decent at it, too!:).

John.

[Kiyomi]

I love your pictures! Cute Squirrels! I love them!

::Waves hi to her fellow chemist::

Do you have to do state samples this time of year where you live too? Why are they all around holidays?

[jtb1951]

Hi back to you, Kiyomi! Yes, we have state samples to analyze, as well as a ton of end-of-the-year quarterly samples from many landfills; November has been an extremely busy month and the Thanksgiving break didn't help (other than the restful time off with family, of course!:))

The squirrels were out in force, and they were thoughtful enough to pose for me!!;). Thanks for your kudos!

John.

[Kiyomi]

Personally I don't see why we can't do state samples in a slow month like August when we're gasping for work. I was ready to cry/scream at the next client who went off to me about the idiocy of storm water testing today. I feel bad for them, but what the heck am I supposed to do about it??? I did feel especial empathy for the poor customer whose city inspector thinks they need to put TDS/pH samples in glass bottles and told them that the pH of the rainwater on their parking lot was too high so the city would be monitoring the rainwater that falls on the parking lot :confused:

[jtb1951]

and told them that the pH of the rainwater on their parking lot was too high so the city would be monitoring the rainwater that falls on the parking lot.

Very funny:rolleyes:, and very bureaucratic!!

John.

[Kiyomi]

An people wonder why everything costs so much in this state! Apparently you don't even have to pass a certification program to be a city inspector here. Most of them start out as meter readers :confused::eek: Good luck with your state samples and storm water!