Here are my shots for challenge #2 
a close-up of a pack of firecrackers.
goldfish fireworks, I thought these were so cool looking.
my first "nature" shot part of a sunflower.
and for the water.
raindrops falling into the birdbath.
loved the way the water from the rain made the lantern look.
I was only able to come up with one patriotic close-up.
I really could only get one good "patriotic"
and here is my second nature shot sorry it got separated from the other one.
I think Lilies are always an interesting subject, solo or in a group. second nature shot.
so my tips would be
1. think outside the box- like with the fireworks..a good shot of unexploded fireworks can be better than an average one of them in action
2. know the limitations of your camera, my point and shoot, will blur the foreground and focus on the background if i get too close, so by adding a foreground flower i was able to get a better shot .
3. close-up doesn't have to be macro....photographing the tiniest details of something is awesome but some cameras just can't do that, so just get close up to something larger like a sunflower.
city scen #1 this was taken at Six flags.
Country scene #1 a barn in my neighborhood
country scene #2 a clear stream,
statue #1 Saint Louis, in front of the St. Louis Art Museum
statue #2 inside the art museum
city scene, the smokestacks? or chimneys? of the Chrysler plant
a close-up of a pack of firecrackers.
goldfish fireworks, I thought these were so cool looking.
my first "nature" shot part of a sunflower.
raindrops falling into the birdbath.
loved the way the water from the rain made the lantern look.
I really could only get one good "patriotic"
I think Lilies are always an interesting subject, solo or in a group. second nature shot.
My best tip on this exercise is to keep an open mind, for the music topic my first thought was to take the guitar outside and lean it against a tree, thinking the the wood of the guitar and the tree would make for an interesting natural shot, I was shooting different angles trying to keep the ugly metal shed out of the shot, and I thought lets just try a couple with the shed, produced a much more interesting shot than the tree.
A piece of black velvet to use for a background is one of my favorite things, I use it mostly at weddings but it worked well for the guitar too.
My two interpretations of "tea" I went for very simple. The bottom set belonged to a dear friend, I liked the way the light caught the pearl glaze and the reflection on the table. The top one didn't work so well on the table, I ended up placing it on my foamcore board and propping it right next to the window the simple lines and strong shadow made a nice image.
These are for the feet challenge, feet waiting in the dugout, and feet watching the game.
