Third Thursday and SHS 5.19.13

It’s a twofer! I decided to combine the Third Thursday Challenge , a monthly linkup at How to Feather an Empty Nest, with this week’s Scavenger Hunt Sunday. I recently bought a new lens, a Nikon 35mm f1.8, but up til now have not used it very much. I’ve been wanting to get better acquainted with it, so for my Third Thursday Challenge, I decided to take on the scavenger hunt using only that lens. My goal was to create images that would work with no (or minimal) cropping or other post-processing.

I couldn’t miss this week’s Scavenger Hunt, since the list was sponsored by my dear friend Susan (Happy No Ears). The target items for the hunt were Three, Hand(s), Fence, Cuddly, and Sign.

Three:

Perfection

First they posed for me. Then I ate them. They were just as good as they look.

Hand(s):

Aaron

My daughter made this doll for me with her own hands a number of years ago. Using no model except her imagination, she sculpted his head, hands, and feet from ceramic clay, which she then fired in her own kiln. She sewed the body from scraps of fabric and dressed him in a preemie-sized outfit, and gave him to me for Christmas. His realism amazed me then and still does, all the more because she has no children and, really, no experience with babies. I call him my third grandchild.

Fence:

Old Fence

New Fence

I couldn’t decide, so you get both.

Cuddly:

That Warm, Fuzzy Feeling

I have no babies or pets, and I’m mad at the oh-so-cute cottontails this week for eating my portulaca, so I’m not going to feature them! I love cuddling up on the couch with my soft, cozy mohair throw, so that will have to do.

Sign:

Come On By

Friends are always welcome. Stop on by if you’re ever in the neighborhood!

Results of My Challenge:  The strawberries, both fences, and the pink throw are full-frame. The baby doll was cropped slightly to remove a distraction from one corner. I cropped the welcome sign image quite a bit, since I decided after the fact that I preferred a tighter view. There are a fence and shrub in the way that prevent me from framing this exact view without cropping.

This experiment took me back to my early, pre-zoom days of photography, when all I had was a fixed-focal-length “normal” lens for my SLR. I enjoyed “zooming with my feet” to frame these images as I wanted them, though I confess that I often found myself trying to zoom the lens just from habit.

There was one moment when I really wished for my telephoto zoom:

SOOC (straight out of the camera)

But I got what I wanted anyway, thanks to the magic of cropping in Lightroom:

Morning Visitor

Many thanks to Brenda at How to Feather an Empty Nest for the Third Thursday Challenge that encourages me to prod  myself out of my comfort zone. And thanks to Ashley at Ramblings and Photos for the always entertaining Scavenger Hunt Sunday linkup.

Scavenger Hunting 5.12.13

Yay, it’s Sunday and time to join in Scavenger Hunt Sunday. I’d forgotten how much fun this is! This week’s topics are Perspective, Golden, Bloom, Dark, and Local.

Perspective:

Lines

Our garden club had its monthly meeting today under this patio cover at the home of one of the members. I like the radiating lines, zigzag shadow pattern, and slices of sky and trees.

Golden:

Twenty-four Carat

This is a Rufous hummingbird. His throat changes from bright gold to copper as the light hits it from different angles.

Bloom:

Abundance

Take time to stop and . . . well, you know. Photograph the roses, right? I found these lush apricot roses growing along the fence that surrounds our community park. And they do smell delicious!

Dark:

Ominous

When I went to yoga class on Thursday evening, it was a shock to see these dark clouds in the eastern sky, coming our way fast. I took this shot with my iPhone from the parking lot at the gym. There was a bit of lightning and thunder, but, sadly, barely enough rain to dampen the pavement.

Local:

Please Be Courteous

A bit of cowboy humor at the local barber shop. Oh . . . I just noticed there’s a tiny selfie in the bottom of that shiny barber pole!

Linking up with Scavenger Hunt Sunday, with thanks to Ashley at Ramblings and Photos for hosting this every week.

Liberated Again!

This is the third year I’ve participated in the fun of the Liberate Your Art postcard swap created by Kat Sloma of Kat Eye Studio. Participants send five postcards of their own work to Kat, along with postage and self-addressed labels. She uses her mad engineering skills to sort all the cards so that everyone gets five different ones back, sticks on labels and stamps, and sends them out into the world.

This is the card I created for this year’s swap:

Dawn Song
“Faith is the bird that feels the light
when the dawn is still dark.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore

And here are the cards I received:

Laguna Beach Lifeguard Tower from Debra Medina in California

Though we don’t live all that far apart, lucky Deb lives by the BEACH! Her blog is called Love the Little Things in Life.

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” ~ Rachel Carson
from Lynne Raspet in Georgia

Lynne’s photographs are magical. You can see more of them on her Two Poppies Facebook page. Though my childhood environment was nothing like this, this image still brings back so many memories of summer days spent exploring the world around me in blissful solitude.

Lovely lace from Marl1een in Antwerp, Belgium

This image doesn’t do justice to the delicate detail of the lace and the card itself. I agree with Marl1een’s comment on the back of the card that “Every girl deserves a LBD and some fine, white lace.” There’s more of her beautiful photographic artwork on her blog, Chaotic Perfectionist.

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds me in its net of wonder forever.”  ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau
from Robin Scanlon in Hawaii

I’m a girl with the soul of a mermaid and I live in the desert. Is it any wonder that this card and quotation made my heart sing? Robin’s website is Eye of the Islands Photography.

“Keep the Change, a somewhat dark concept shoot about our daily struggle with money.”
from Eva Creel in Grovetown, Georgia

Another water picture! Eva’s photography runs the gamut from sharp social commentary to just plain beautiful. (I couldn’t help noticing that she is as stunning in front of the camera as behind it.) She’s on Facebook at Eva Creel Photography.

“Adorned and Alone” by Kat Sloma

Last but not least, this lone tree in beautiful blues, from our own Kat, who does the amazing work it takes to pull this all together.

Of course, the real fun of the swap is hurrying to the mailbox to see what treasure will show up next. Receiving real mail — pieces of art and inspirational words from around the world — is so much nicer than the usual bills and advertising flyers.

All the cards I received this year were signed, so I was able to contact each artist via email, blog, or Facebook. Many thanks again to each of my artists for their beautiful postcards, and to Kat for making this happen. I haven’t yet heard where any of my cards ended up, so I’m hoping to spot some of them on our blog hop. Come on along — there’s some good stuff out there!

Sunday Scavenger 5.5.13

I’ve just realized that this is my first Scavenger Hunt Sunday this year. (And the year is one-third gone already. How can that possibly be?) When I read this week’s list for SHS, I had ideas for every item. That doesn’t happen often, so I decided it was a Sign and I’d better take advantage of it. The topics are: Background, Spotted or Dots, Weather, Motion, and Sweet. Let’s go hunting!

Background:

Mystery Bush

Actually, I learned that it’s called Spotted Emu Bush. I have no idea why — I don’t see any spots or emus, just hairy yellow flowers. To get this photo I set the camera on macro, held it under the bush and pointed it in the general direction of the flowers. I had no idea what the background would look like, but I liked the way it turned out. This is the full frame shot.

Spotted or Dots:

Ladybug, Ladybug

I spotted these dots on our artichoke plants in the garden. There were several varieties of Ladybugs ranging in color from orange to deep red, with differing spot counts and patterns. Some people know these as Ladybirds, but in our family they were always “bugs,” not “birds.”

Weather:

Flying High

How do you photograph the wind? Our weather has been sunny, warm, and windy for days. I mean Official-Wind-Advisory, high-vehicles-be-careful-on-the-highway, scary-fire-danger windy. The kind that makes me edgy and gives me a headache. Not my favorite kind of weather.

There have in fact been several wildfires in Southern California this week, though none near enough to be a danger to us here. Friday afternoon and evening, the air was filled with haze and the smell of smoke from the large fire near the coast in Ventura County, about 75 miles away. I think of the firefighters and those whose homes and businesses are threatened, and am glad that a change in the weather is helping to bring it under control. Fire is always a worry when the hot, dry Santa Ana winds blow from the desert.

Motion:

Bathing Beauty

This may not be a perfect bird photo, but I love the water drops flying in every direction from those fluttering wings. He’s a Western Bluebird. I don’t know who loves this bird bath more, the birds or me! It’s more entertaining than watching television, for sure.

Sweet:

Wishful Thinking

Hummingbirds aren’t the only ones who like sweets. We’ve had at least two pairs of these Bullock’s Orioles around our place for the past few weeks. They stop by the hummingbird feeder now and then, attempting hopefully to poke their beaks into the tiny holes. You don’t have to feel sorry for them, though. We put out cut oranges for them at their own feeding station.

Linking with Ashley for Scavenger Hunt Sunday. The best part is seeing how differently each person interprets the prompts. Come join in the fun!

Photo-Heart Connection: April 2013

Awwww!

I know, right? So adorable. I love these little creatures.

But . . . (isn’t there always a “but”?) they are very destructive. They dig huge holes. They reproduce like…rabbits! They consume every green thing they can find, including garden plants and the bark of young trees. Sometimes I hate these little creatures.

But . . . they were here first. They are only trying to survive. They get hungry and thirsty just like I do. They are living the only way they know how, in the only place they have.

They know their place in the world. They don’t question the purpose of their lives. Sometimes I envy them that.

Besides, no one who’s read Watership Down can ever really hate rabbits.

Just look at him up there. He really is adorable. Love always wins out.

And that’s my Photo-Heart Connection for April. Click on over and check out this month’s linkup.

Windsday Walk and Click

Please Please Please Stop Blowing!

OK, I admit I didn’t get far for Walk and Click Wednesday this week. The weather has been chilly and the wind has been blasting for most of the past couple of weeks. It’s the kind of wind where small trees in large pots get blown right over and your patio chairs go missing. They might — if you’re lucky — be found later up against the neighbor’s fence. But in between gales I did take a stroll or two around the yard to see what was blooming.

The first stop was the apple tree outside my bedroom window. The sweet scent filled the whole back yard and there were so many bees at work that it sounded like the tree had a motor running.

Next, the Lady Banks’ Rose. Each flower is barely an inch across, but the mass of them is amazing. They have only a slight fragrance, which in this case may be a good thing.

There are several pots arrayed beneath the roses. These little Paludosum Daisies reseed themselves and come up every year. They’re one of my sister’s favorites and she gets excited when she sees their first tiny leaves popping up around the yard in the spring. The tiny purple flower sharing the pot is filaree, one of my favorite “weeds” — I think it’s as pretty as the daisies.

We were all excited to see the grape hyacinth. The bulbs were planted so long ago that no one quite remembers where they came from, and this is the first time they have bloomed.

Rosemary is a plant that does well here. It’s heat and drought tolerant and, best of all, the rabbits don’t like it! We have many varieties around the yard. They bloom in different shades of blue, but they all smell wonderful.

This hot pink Autumn Sage is a lovely contrast to the blue rosemary. Unfortunately, the bunnies think this is delicious. I keep a cage around it, but removed it for the photo.

My French Lavender has been blooming almost continuously since I got it last fall. The rabbits won’t eat it, but they sometimes nip off a few branches and leave them lying underneath it. Maybe each new generation has to try it for itself? Mother Rabbit: Leave that alone, you won’t like it. Baby Rabbit (trying it anyway): Ptooey! You’re right, Mama, it’s yucky.

And have you ever seen a lavender flower really close up? They are surprisingly intricate.

The Mexican Poppy shrub in the corner of the front yard has just begun to bloom. I love their texture. They look like crushed tissue paper, and they fade sort of like old tissue paper, too.

The California poppies were started from a six-pack of seedlings from the nursery a few years ago. They’ve seeded themselves over a large part of the yard and spread farther every year. The rabbits don’t bother them and their cheerful orange faces are always a welcome sight.

There’s even more, but that’s probably enough for now. Wind or no wind, I know I’m fortunate to have warmth and flowers when my friends back east are still waiting for snow to melt. I hope you enjoyed our little garden tour.

Linking with Lissa’s Walk and Click Wednesday.

Lilac Love

For Walk and Click Wednesday this week, my sister and I paid a visit to Kilcoyne Lilac Farm right here in Acton. Imagine six acres of blooming lilacs, surrounded by beautiful mountains under a wide blue sky. Imagine 73 perfect degrees and a gentle spring breeze. Imagine inhaling the fragrance of lilacs until you think your lungs will burst. Come along as we park beside the road and walk in.

Traffic Alert

This sign greets visitors entering the driveway.

Home Sweet Nest

As we arrived, I saw a small bird fly out of this nest tucked under a porch roof.

Almost Too Much

The sight and scent of so many lilacs was almost overwhelming . . . but in the most delightful way.

I’m In Love

Mountain View

There were lilacs of every conceivable color.

Baby Blue

Pure White

Deep Purple

Palest Lavender

I’ve never seen lilacs like this one before. I love these frothy, curly petals.

Neigh-bor

This old boy seemed to be enjoying his leisure just beyond the lilacs.

Reluctance

All good things must come to an end. Senses filled to overflowing, we headed back toward the exit. But not without stopping by the shed to buy a bouquet to take home, to savor the scent of this day a while longer.

Keepsake

What a memorable walk this was, and what a wonderful discovery! In all the years I lived in Nevada and California, I only knew of lilacs from having read about them. When I moved to the eastern US in the mid-1990′s, I fell in love with them at first sight — and smell. I’d never have guessed they could grow in the high desert of Southern California. I’m happy to know that I can experience their heady joy here and now, and in every spring to come.

PS – All these images, except for the last one, were taken with my iPhone. When my sister and I left the house, we intended to grab some lunch and go shopping, so I didn’t take my camera. Stopping to smell the lilacs was a spur-of-the-moment impulse. We never did get to the stores, and we weren’t sorry at all.

Linking with Walk and Click Wednesdays, with many thanks to Lissa for hosting. I look forward to it more each week. Come on over and join the fun!