I'm back!! Enjoying Summer :)

I've been away from bloggy land for ages! Meanwhile, it's 90 something degrees this week and I'm already pre-mourning the passing of Independence Day... and the shortening of the days starting next week already...

Anyway, just wanted to post some of these gorgeous flowers from the Vero Beach Botanical Garden in Florida taken a few months ago, and to say I hope everyone is having a great summer so far, getting outside and enjoying nature..if you can stomach all the pollen sticking around. I hope it disappears soon! I've been away so long because I'm taking graduate classes and there is a lot of work involved, although I am enjoying that too, I can't wait to pick up my camera again.

 
The quote above is by Elizabeth Bibesco.  Isn't it true though...in winter the lines of nature are so limited in New England...grays and stark whites and the sketchy outlines of branches. In summer our surroundings come alive with color and abandon and the driveway chalk drawings and lemonade stands dotting the neighborhoods. It's my favorite time of year and I wish it lasted so much longer around here! Happy Summer.....

~April in the Countryside~!

Life has been getting in the way of my photography lately. But because I miss shooting so badly, I just had to grab my camera this weekend and head out...anywhere. A side road here, a dirt road there...

A friendly (hungry?) goat here....

A buff Orpington hen there...

And I backed up the street for this one, a fluffy cat sitting on top of a mobile home roof in the sun. Since no one was living here, I'm sure she was the neighborhood queen.

Saucer Magnolias...

Wet duck feathers.  Ducks' feathers repel water and are covered with a protective oil, similar to rose petals. It keeps them warm and allows them to swim in frigid cold waters during the winter months. And just like on roses, I think the droplets make a stunning display of light and texture.

A red-winged blackbird. I came back to this swampy area to see if I would find the hundreds of lovely blackbirds that had been there last week, but all I found was this guy- and lots of 'skeeters. I did, however, get a really neat video clip of him calling and flapping his red wings...wonder who the lucky lady is!

Sigh....more Magnolias...

A swan in the distance of the pond...afternoon sun and a country fence.

I love the textures and lines on the side of this old barn.

New England is usually abloom with pinks and yellows this time of year, but...unfortunately, we experiences two weeks of well-above average temps followed by a few days of freezing cold. Our cherry, magnolia, and pear trees in full blossom have met an untimely demise.  :(  Some of our daffodils, too.  One weekend without my camera and I feel like I missed them all!  I'll have to be at the ready for the next blooms to appear. 

It's not only flowers that are coming to life....I enjoy seeing all the animals grazing on the roadside and the birds flitting around in mating frenzies. I'm keeping my eye out for baby chicks and goslings, too.

Good thing I have lots of photo blogger friends to keep me the cheery flower pics coming.

Have a lovely week friends...

~Mary

Scenes from the Cape

I really haven't been to Cape Cod as much this year as I have in years past, mostly because I am back in school and don't have as much time to travel. Recently I've been looking through my photos from early 2011 to try and remember what early Spring scenes I might find if I decide to head up there next week during Spring Break.

This is the view looking south toward Long Island Sound, from Dennisport, Massachusetts. This is the portion of Cape Cod that makes up the "bicep" of the arm shape.  A few more miles East, the Cape bends upward and the coast is the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Sound.

The scene above is from Falmouth, near Nobska Lighthouse. A few minutes after I snapped this a group (gaggle?) of Cormorants landed on these rocks and began drying their wings off.

A little baby sky rainbow.

I love this sign for obvious reasons.

White blossoms along the shore in Eastham.  The water here is actually quite a bit below the dunes. In fact there are signs everywhere with scary looking stick figures that appear to be falling to their deaths. Here is the stairway you climb down to get to the water in Eastham..

The dunes of Wellfleet are even higher. The water here is several hundred feet down. I didn't bother climbing down there, because the trip back up would have been difficult and there wasn't anyone around to save me if something should happen. Photography has its risks, you know!

Jimmy's pizza and ice cream was open for business. Good old-fashioned Cape road trip food...a must- have for photographic day-trips. :)

Late, late Winter...(otherwise known as, the Best Part of Winter.)

Sorry, Winter, but that's really only because Spring is coming. :) Not to say there isn't still some beauty in the late winter..you just have to go looking a little harder for it...

I am not sure how these leaves hang on all winter, but they do. Just touching them makes them fall off, but somehow they survive the New England snowstorms, wind, hail, sleet, and freezing cold for months...

These little starlings are sometimes considered pests at the birdfeeders, because they chase other birds away. You can often see them in large numbers grazing in fields. I think their markings and iridescent wings are really eye-catching.

A tree illuminated by late afternoon sun rays.

The first color tinging the branches around my house and the reeds by the beach...

The fields around Trustom Pond, Charlestown wildlife refuge from last week. They sparkle in the sunlight. On the second photo I used a digital texture from Kim Klassen.

Wrinkled end-of-winter berries on the beach.

More survivors...underneath the shallow water of a little pond in the woods.

And a thorn covered branch getting ready for the snow. All photos taken with my 300mm lens, because my trusty 105mm is broken and won't focus properly. I hope to get it fixed soon...but I like the way these came out, the 300mm does have a nice bokeh and I get pretty sharp closeup shots from it as well. Happy Monday :)

Florida...and the Gifts from the Sea

In January, I vacationed in Florida with my mother for a relaxing end to a long semester taking classes and a hectic holiday.  In the winter, the colors here soften and the air is cooler, but it's perfect photography and exploring weather. I'll never get tired of walking on the sand and listening to the surf in this quiet part of the state, called the Treasure Coast.

The view from where we stay is practically hanging over the water. From the living room, it looks like you're on a cruise ship. I took some of these photos from that balcony.

Above, we took a tour of the Jupiter Lighthouse, which is on the easternmost part of Florida's Atlantic coast.

The beach was the first place I headed to after getting my DSLR camera two years ago. Somehow, it never becomes cliche to take photos there.  Sometimes, though, the best part is discovering something like an Osprey nest, or a Pelican flying overhead, a living starfish enjoying a shallow bath, or a row of beach fencing covered in early Spring blossoms. Those are like the little "gifts" that you get from exploring the same place over and over, that only those who take the time to look will really see.

Winter Birdwatching!

January and February are months here in New England where there is nothing much happening other than occasional weather freakouts and bread and milk stock-ups. It's a time for me when I find it hard to leave the house sometimes, nevermind find photograph opportunities! So I headed to a place where I knew nature wasn't taking a break, Trustom Pond Wildlife Refuge, located in Charlestown, Rhode Island.

I love chubby little chickadees, but they are very hard to photograph! Hardly ever staying in place long enough to click the shutter, they fly and move so fast.

And here comes the sneaky little nuthatch. His feet and huge, perfect for climbing quietly down tree trunks and even hanging upside down.

A fuzzy little woodpecker was making a racket, and that's the only reason I even knew he was hiding here. That, and his bright red hat.

Above is the adorable little titmouse.

And here's another chickadee with a giant sunflower seed, perched on the edge of a birdfeeder near the station.

~Autumn in Los Angeles~

Is almost as pretty as in New England....and the weather is wonderful too!

These gigantic leaves were everywhere at the Getty Center and in the gardens..

These gorgeous, spiky Japanese maple trees had leaves turning in layers of light gold, apple green and scarlet...

Even more brilliant than the maples back home!

And in the rain gutters the giant leaves floated away...:)

Light + Orange & Red Maple = Bliss

I had some time this weekend to do nothing but drive around looking for the most colorful trees I could find. It seems the further west I drive, the more colorful they get. We still think it is due to Hurricane Irene and the salt from the ocean that burned a lot of the trees in coastal New England. Here is a preview. Happy Monday!

True story: for the third photo above, I snuck into a deserted parking lot of a church. I figured it was empty and no one would mind. Right as I pulled out my camera, these HUGE dogs came running over to the chainlink fence that was there and began barking. I guess they were church guard dogs? I love dogs, but I swear these dogs were bigger than Saint Bernards and had fangs. As I took the photos I said out loud "Nice Doggy!" until finally I figured the barking would annoy the neighbors and left. But I got some nice shots..heheh!