Northeast Ohio had the most beautiful weather for the 4th of July holiday weekend. Friday and Saturday started with mid-60's in the morning and got up to about 80 degrees in the afternoon. Perfect for a morning walk.

Friday I started at Lake Metroparks Gullybrook Park. There is a nice 1-1.5 mile loop that goes through the park, and it has never been busy the times I've gone. I was a bit disappointed in the shots I got there.

My next stop was the Holden Arboretum. I was looking for a tree in the Rhododendron Garden that I photographed a few years ago. I couldn't find the tree I was looking for, but I did find an interesting stump that has been carved in celebration of an old oak tree that it held up. Heading back to the car, I stopped at a decorative pond full of water lilies. I played around with some shots from a low angle with short depth of field. The shots on the camera looked great, but I found some things to improve, so I went back the next day and re-shot the pond.