Among the many interests that my sweetheart, Lisa, and I share is a love for photography. This last week we’ve poked around together in the outdoors with our Canon cameras and harvested a variety of images. So rather than write a lot of words, I thought I’d share a few photos with you. They’re about neither jazz nor storm chasing; they’re just odds and ends from nature and life at large.

Last weekend Lis and I headed up to Camp Henry, a Christian camp located on Kimball Lake north of Newaygo, to spend the Fourth of July with our close friend and dear sister in Christ, Kimberly Dunn. Kimber lives in Redding, California, but has been doing a summer internship here in Michigan at the camp. It was great to see her, and during our visit, Lisa and I naturally took a lot of photos.

Then yesterday, we went out on a photo expedition to capture prickly pear cacti in bloom. There is at least one species that is native to Michigan, the eastern prickly pear, Opuntia humifusa, also known as devil’s tongue. The blooming season for it is winding down, but there are still plenty of bright, butter-yellow blossoms available to fill a camera viewfinder.

With many photos to choose from, I’ve opted for images from nature and the outdoors, subjects that Lisa and I both gravitate toward more than anything else. I hope you enjoy the selection.