It was 66° outside today, the day after Thanksgiving. We don’t shop Black Friday. I can’t remember the last time I did – it must have been when I was in middle school. Instead, we took the dog to the park then took a stroll through Lakeshore State Park, in the middle of downtown.

It was late afternoon and the sun set officially at about 4:20, so we were in the magic hour of the day, when light and shadow play to make for some great visuals.

The first image to catch my eye was looking back towards the old industrial buildings with the sun descending behind them.

As we approached the Hoan Bridge, one of my favorite Milwaukee landmarks – and my favorite bridge to drive/ride on in the city, I couldn’t pass up these photos.

One of my favorite places in the city was next; I call it the Little Red Lighthouse. It’s just to the south of the Summerfest grounds, right outside the Marcus Amphitheater (oops, American Family Insurance Amphitheater) fence. We once saw a fox emerge from the brush on that hill… What a moment that was! This is an awesome view, with the other lighthouse off to the left in the background.

Walking from the lighthouse to the park, the path follows the water and it looked like it needed capturing with the ducks hanging out and everything.

Then there was the entrance to the park, looking east out over the lake, and the view of the city from the park with the sun glinting off the glass on the buildings.

Then all of a sudden it was dark. Poof! It’s amazing how fast that can happen. I got another shot of the city from the park after dark. That big, bright building is the new Northwestern Mutual building.

And a view of Discovery World Museum from the park.

Then a shot more focused on the new NWM building. I’m a little enamored with and fascinated by it.

We started back to the south, where we parked the car, when the empty Summerfest grounds struck me. It’s weird to see, since so much of the summer it’s full of people at the endless festivals.

One of the things I like about the construction that’s been happening on the freeways is that they have put some really cool graphics on the walls. The musical notes is one of my favorites.

Finally, on our way back, we looked up. The contrast of the sky and the overpass with the moon so close is something I couldn’t pass up. I wasn’t prepared for the shot, so it’s not great. I thought it was worth sharing anyway.

It was official, we were almost to the car. And that was perfect because my plantar fasciitis was killing me and I just needed to rest my foot.

I hope you enjoy the photos.