April 26, 2010

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Tree Blossoms

This is the tree in the yard that has pink blossoms. I don't know what kind of tree it is. There is another tree that has white blossoms. Don't know what kind of tree it is either. All I know is that the blossoms are so beautiful, and as they are falling off the trees, it is like pink and white snow falling. The blossoms are almost gone and soon they will be all green. I wish they could have blossoms all summer!

The day got away from me today - the sun came out in the afternoon, so I figured I'd capture the pink blossoms before they were all gone.

April 10, 2010

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Trees under water

It didn't seem like it rained that much this week, but there are a lot of flooded areas. Another day at Wildwood, the water is beginning to recede, but still lots of water. Today I rode a bike to Wildwood. I'm exhausted, but it sure felt good to get out in the nice weather and do something fun.

March 31, 2010

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Standing Tall

The weather is getting nice - it was warm sun today, and I was happy to be outside among the birch trees. Even more than February, I am happy to see March come to an end. It was a long and difficult month for me, but I will reach another milestone as of tomorrow. Each time I reach a small milestone, I am reminded of my strength.

March 11, 2010

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Buds and Bokeh

Another late post... I've been trying to recover from a surgery this week, and also still suffering some unpleasant side effects. My treatments have been put on hold for a week so that I can recover properly. Unfortunately I'm sleeping through parts of the day, and unable to move around very quickly.

Meanwhile, I'm grateful for my friends who stop by to see me and spend time with me! Your company lifts my spirits when I get consumed by cabin fever! Also for those who don't live close, I am grateful for your correspondence and phone conversations! I'm just trying to get through this rough March and look forward to feeling human again!

March 6, 2010

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Sunlight, shadows and bokeh

The weather has been getting better... and so have I. This has been a rough week for me - struggling with some side effects that I wasn't expecting. I am disappointed that I haven't been able to get out and shoot, and sometimes it makes me sad that I am finding it difficult to get inspired. I guess we are all entitled to lick our wounds now and again; and resting has helped me get through this rough patch. They said it wasn't going to be easy, and I am finding that out!

January 10, 2010

The brass sculpture of a tree

Another cheat today - yes, another cheat. I am admitting it. For those who have been following, I have been having difficulty lately because I broke my laptop, and haven't had my tools or my ability to post effectively.

Well, I am happy to say that I am writing this from my new computer. I got me an HP - all the bells and whistles, great processor, lots o' RAM and pretty big hdd, I know... you're probably thinking, well, why didn't she get a Mac? I just can't bring myself to the mac book. God knows I've tried... I've been a Microsoft gal for a long long time and I can't seem to break myself of the habit. The fact that I know Microsoft inside and out has put bread on my table for many years. So here I am, doing what I do best.

It's late, and I'm a few glasses of wine in, but I will continue tomorrow. I didn't get a chance to shoot today. I'm hoping that my apps are compatible with this 64 bit windows 7. But for now, it's good to have my own window to the world, a mouse, and tomorrow - my camera in hand.

January 3, 2010

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"The Finger"

There was a beautiful tree in the yard - at one time it was beautiful, I remember. I looked out the window the other day and asked why this tree had been reduced to this tall... stump... is this a stump? Why wasn't it cut down like stumps generally are? I mean, if someone had gone through all the trouble to cut off the branches and get it down with this much left, why not go all the way?

Then I got the story... Tim explained that he was actually the owner of the tree and was responsible for the unfinished stump. The neighbor, who shares the view of this tree sent a letter to him a few months ago expressing concern that the tree was dying, and some of the neighborhood kids could get hurt. (Really? Does this happen? Do branches spontaneously fall on people?) Tim and some friends with a chainsaw (and some beer) started cutting branches off the tree to comply with the neighbor's concern and request to cut it. They decided that it would be fun to leave a very tall message instead of cutting it down to the ground. The neighbor is now greeted with a nice big "finger" each day.

The stump will eventually be removed, but for now, it's just known as "the finger." I had a good chuckle over it and made it my photo story for today. ;)

December 24, 2009

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Peace on Earth

A little cheat for today - I took this photograph yesterday while on a short hike near my home. Walking through the woods, came upon this tree, decorated with ornaments, beads, seeds, and ribbons. I like to think that this tree serves as a Christmas tree for the animals and birds, as it had many goodies on it for them to eat. A beautiful tree with an angel to look after us, and the wildlife who make this their home.

To those who visit my page; my friends, my family - Merry Christmas and peace on earth.

December 23, 2009

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The tree swing at Round Lake

The fog settled in thick today around the lake, so much that the horizon practically disappeared. I love the eerie feeling you get in the fog - mysterious and still. You can barely see the horizon in this shot. I tried to accentuate it just a bit, while keeping it obscured. Not much you can do with these types of shots other than to go monochrome.

December 21, 2009

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Celebrating Christmas with a tree

My first Christmas tree in 10 years. I haven't had any heart for Christmas since I was divorced 10 years ago. Everything is different now. We were remarried to each other two days ago, now we can begin living again. Ironically, having a terminal illness may make this the most bittersweet one ever. This tree shines with every light of hope and energy that I have - my happy home; It's never too late to celebrate Christmas with beautiful decoration! Thank you for this tree of love and hope. Peace on Earth...

December 2, 2009

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Christmas tree reflections

The Christmas trees are up on campus everywhere! This tree is in the library, and the library gets the most afternoon sun. My goal was to get some reflections and bokeh. I think I captured both. The bokeh to the right is from another ornament in the foreground. You can even see a little of me in the heart-shaped ornament.

November 22, 2009

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The vinyard down the street from my house.

A rare occasion that the sun was out today! I had to take advantage of the sun and nice afternoon weather. I didn't get much farther than the winery, but there were many photo opportunities right here. I actually had a hard time picking out a picture for my daily post.

After a few glasses of cabernet, I decided to celebrate the sunshine and blue sky with this photo, but I will post some of my other favorites on my Flikr stream.

November 16, 2009

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The tree in my yard with the streetlight.

This is my daily cop-out. It's dark when I get home from work. I should have brought my camera to work, but I didn't. I took an opportunity to work with what little light I had, and in this case, I used the streetlight. Again, no tripod... but for last-minute outdoor shot - it'll work for today. I think the light really accentuates the golden fall colors on the tree.