florid \FLOR-id\,

adjective:
1. Flushed with red; of a lively reddish color.
2. Excessively ornate; flowery; as, "a florid style; florid eloquence."

For some reason, today's word of the day took a long time to get finished. Hours of bike riding around Raleigh, and I still ended up with a photo that doesn't match the definition as well as it probably should.

In the end, though, I chose this photo because I liked it for itself (as opposed to liking it for its ability to fit with the definition well). I do find the dome of the capital building downtown to be ornate, but excessive? Maybe not; and it certainly isn't flushed with red.

But I do like the way the dome seems to bend inwards and to the left towards the lamp from the perspective of this photo. And I'm happy with the contrast the daylight left me with. Overall, I may not have completed the assignment, but I'm definitely happy with the photo that I ended up with.

Hopefully others of you will be able to contribute photos that better fit with the definition of florid, but I would accept anything even remotely related. Just send it to me in an email!

Update:

Image contributed by Bryan Costello, who went shooting with me this morning around Raleigh. Incidentally, his submission was actually taken by the camera on his phone, which is reminiscent of this News and Observer photographer's favorite medium.