From yesterday - we had so many Waxwings feasting on the fermented crab apples in our backyard and I took too many pictures to even begin to deal with.
This bird appeals to me because of the attitude I imagine I can see in it.
(edited to add colour orignal as contrast - for Ianqui)
Canon EOS 30d, shutter 1/60, f18.0,240mm, iso200
Took my first long run outside today.
Two and a half kilometres in and I got to look out at this view.
What a beautiful day.
g5, shutter 1/125, f8.0, focal length 922mm, iso 50
From late yesterday but I like it so it is being posted for today.
Part of my "trying to embrace power lines" challenge that I have set myself.
Shot this out of the window of a moving car.
Canon Rebel xti, shutter 1/400, f5.0, 200mm, iso 400
Found this not far from home, on the museum grounds.
A totem pole that had been carved and raised over 25 years ago.
It is a deeply beautiful piece and this is but a part of it.
Hope to spend more time there again.
Canon EOS 30D, shutter 1/30, f5.6, 49mm, iso100
There is a place in town that serves up cajun type food in an old restaurant that still has these little jukeboxes in each of the tiny booths.
G5, shutter 0.7, f3.2,291mm, iso400
-shadow of a daffodil on a piece of graph paper on the table by the door-
canon eos 30d, shutter 1/160, f1.8, 50mm, iso 500
As soft as he looks.
Not mine.
(sigh)
Canon EOS 30d, shutter 1/200, f2.8, 50mm, iso 250
She picked the spot in the front garden, close to where the yellow rosebush is.
Her Dad hacked at the soil, stirring up as much ice as dirt, until there was just enough room.
Canaries aren't big birds, so it didn't take long.
She laid him in gently but then couldn't bear to watch him being covered by the dirt and pushed her face into my chest and cried like the little girl she used to be.
Then she took a deep breath and bent down and patted the earth down neatly, hauled the garden stone I had made a few years ago over to rest on top.
We went back in, it was chilly and we were a little worn and I saw the tulips in the vase and snipped them short and went back out and put them on the stone.
She watched me and thanked me and smiled, a little.
Silly in a way.
It was just a little bird and we hadn't had it very long - but -
it was a life that we were responsible for and we take that seriously.
And, she loves birds, the way other people love puppies or kittens.
Not sure what we will do next.
We have a little female, very robust, who seems more than a little lonely.
Sometime this spring, when the ground is workable and the frost is as gone as it can be in this climate - she and I will go and pick up a hardy rose with coppery, orange petals and move the stone over to side and plant it.
She likes that idea.
Iris from my oldest daughter as an Easter gift.
Canon eos rebel xti, shutter 10, f11.0, 100 mm, 100 iso
My youngest daughter seems to have an eye for things that I should take pictures of.
She and her closest in age brother are growing foil plates of grass for Easter and after misting them she carried hers to where I was sitting in the living room "Mom! Look at the way the water looks! Maybe you could take a picture of it?"
So I did and she was right and I am glad I paid attention.
Canon Rebel xti, shutter 8, f13,100mm, iso 100
on the window sill in my bedroom, sit some of the these glass insulators that I found at a garage sale.
They were used on telephone and power poles, way back when, or so I have been told.
I love coloured glass.
Okay, to be honest, I love just about anything that is shiny, bright, glittery and/or candy coloured.
More of them sit on the window ledge in the bathroom.
It seems to soften and tint the cool, north light a bit.
That must be why I like the blue and green hued ones best.
I have heard tell about purple ones and I would really like to find one of those too.
Canon Eos 30d, shutter 1/125, f5.6, 55mm, iso 200
didn't post last night like it was supposed to and I don't know why.
Argh.
So I posted on Friday when I noticed and back dated it to Thursday.
Canon Rebel xti, shutter 1/250, f8.0 manual exposure,300mm
Bronze canary in the bird lady's hand.
We have two of these little creatures now...rather my oldest daughter does.
This afternoon the lady who allowed us to have them came for tea and a visit.
She seemed quite pleased (and relieved) that they are healthy and happy with us. Quite a character and in her 80th year, it was really nice to have her over.
This is Taichi (we think it is Japanese for flame), the very orange male, his girlfriend is Sora (Japanese for sky) is not quite so brightly decked out but lovely just the same.
Canon Rebel xti, shutter 1/30, f2.8, 100mm, iso 400
In 2000 we were lucky enough to travel to London, England and stay with a friend.
One afternoon she took me on something of a walking tour and we ended at a street full of outdoor flower vendors who were just closing up for the day.
We joined the throngs of other last minute buyers taking advantage of the cut rates on the remaining bouquets that the sellers would rather not have to pack up or throw out.
Feeling very much like a native Londoner, I walked the blocks back to
our friend's flat, my arms filled with creamy calla lilies, all mine for five pounds.
That all came back to me the other day, when my youngest daughter and I went to the florist to pick out some flowers for me to photograph.
This calla was 6 dollars for the one bloom but the memories are priceless.
As usual, there are way too many more pictures of flowers available by clicking on my flickring gawdess link on the sidebar.
A slight snap to the air, a sky best called cerulean and mounds of white, clean looking snow.
Picture snapped on my walk over to the spring gardening exhibit in my local community centre.
Canon g5, shutter 1/1250, f4.0, focal length 622mm, iso 50
bonus sad photo of the day,
driving past the dumpster in the back alley, yes the same dumpster of the birthday party balloons from last week, this is what I saw.
I had to get out of the car and take a picture.
If you look very carefully you will see a tag hanging off of it - bee my valentine.
Guess not.
Saturdays when the kids are in pottery, we leave the car outside the studio and walk over to an independent coffee shop.
We almost always end up walking under this sign.
Trying it in black and white because it seems to fit with the feel.
shutter 1/200, f4, 70mm, iso 100
Driving snow is what we have here right now.
Pelting down.
Except and this is a little odd to think about, it was also the big, fluffy, airy beautiful flakes that usually drift slowly to the ground.
Which meant me, my tripod and my 100mm macro lens were out on the front step, freezing my fingers off and offering up further proof to the guy who lives next door, that I am really weird.
This time he didn't even ask me what I was taking pictures of - last time he did, I answered "the light" and he just stared at me and then walked away.
rebel xti, shutter 1.6, f6.3, 100mm, iso 100
this is an extra for a wrung sponge - she mentioned that it is blog pictures of doors day and I have this one (front of a restaurant) from last week , the paint, carving and textures were all a part of the appeal.
eos 30d , shutter 1/50, f 4.5, 30mm, 100iso
another flower - who'dve thought?
I love taking pictures of flowers, I am actually waiting for hydrangeas to become available so I can get one or more to point my lens at!
These tulips are finishing and I wasn't thinking too much about them until I was sitting at the table eating and was caught by how they filled with light and shadows.
canon rebel xti, shutter 4, f9.0, 100mm, iso 100.
The light in our ensuite is always good during the day, soft, clear and white (and kind).
I didn't think I would have time or opportunity to take many pictures today and I was right, so after my run and a nap (because I am battling a bug of some kind that both my daughters are down with right now) - I grabbed my small camera, set the timer function and tottered into the bathroom to see what I could see.
Now everyone can.
This self portraiture thing? I find it a little bit hard - talk about putting yourself out there...
I am getting better at having the lens pointed at me and I am more understanding of others who don't like it pointed at them.
Canon g5, shutter 0.8, f3.0,focal 922 mm, iso 50
The sky was really that colour (except way, way more marmalade - honest and for true) and if felt so surreal and it was so fleeting that pushing the shutter button made me feel like I was capturing time.
Today was a good day for pictures, maybe they all are and I just forget to notice.
rebel xti, shutter 1/800, 300mm, iso 1600
There was bright sun shining, sparkling water melting off of glinting ice and even Canada Geese back at our pond-in-the-park for the very first time this spring.
Still my favourite shot of the day had to be this one of a two year old's toes.
Taken during the whole wardrobe change needed after he fell into one of the many, many puddles available for splashing in.
Canon EOS 30d, Shutter 1/100, f5.0, 43mm, iso 100
Reach up, reach up.
Inspiration is everywhere.
Couldn't really see the sunset today, so I turned my gaze from the west and looked up instead.
Beautiful pictures are everywhere, I have been enjoying my travels through flickr (flower alice) and photo blogs.
Canon g5, shutter 1/200, f3.2, focal length 563mm, iso50
There is a vase on one of my kitchen counters and in it I keep aluminum knitting needles.
An array of cheerful, shiny colours, golds, silvers, blues, greens and hot pink. Most are second hand cheap, from Goodwill.
That was what I took pictures of first, metallic colours gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.
Then I noticed the silver ends, embossed with letters and numbers and I liked that too.
Canon Rebel xti, shutter 6, f8.0, 100mm, iso100
There may be some pictures of more tulips, knitting needles and pussy willows up on my flickr account (link in the sidebar).
Then again, maybe not.
At first glance it was kind of festive to see these balloons gaily bouncing out of the side of the dumpster in the back alley - followed quickly by a bit of sad curiousity -
Why are these still filled birthday balloons in the garbage?
Sweet and simple swan song of tulip in the late afternoon light.
Canon rebel xti, shutter 1/6, f2.8, 100mm, iso 100
**********
update for pigeon freedom seekers everywhere - it has been released back onto the streets - literally.
seems in very good shape, ran and hid under a car (!?!) - for a picture of the newly freed critter click on flickring gawdess in the sidebar.
You know you are running with the right people when they insist on stopping and waiting so that you can take a picture in the middle of a run!
...and it may not look like it but spring is coming.
Canon powershot g5, shutter 1/1250, f3.2,focal length 230mm, iso 50mm
Pigeon update - it is still alive and seemingly quite perky. So perky in fact that when my oldest daughter put it in a box so that she could change the cage liner - it flew out and then ran around the room in an extremely vigorous manner - which bodes well for a release back into the urban wilds, possibly tomorrow.
The 100 mm macro lens is also a brilliant portrait lens.
Devastatingly sharp and unforgiving, it doesn't miss a detail, or softly brush over it the way the gentler, kinder 50mm does.
Look a little deeper into my eye and besides the bloodshot lines you will also see the freckle at the bottom of my iris.
Canon rebel xti, shutter 1/8, f2.8, 100mm, iso800
For those following the animal rescue story from yesterday - The pigeon is still alive and seems to be doing well - hopefully we will be able to release it on the a warmer day sometime in the next week or so.
Swiss army knife, the scissors feature.
My friend was using it to snip embroidery floss and there are fine blue fibres are clinging to the tips.
There are two more knife pictures that I kind of like on my flickr account.
Bonus: click on the flickering gawdess link on the side and you will also see a picture of the "rescued" animal that is now sleeping (and hopefully NOT dying) in our back bedroom.
Either way it goes, my oldest daughter has stepped up as the caregiver and is attempting to handle what comes.
Friday night in.
Three kids and their Dad out for the evening.
My oldest daughter and I are going to settle in on the couch to watch Mythbusters on dvd.
First we hit the grocery store for the necessary supplies - potato chips and.... flowers!
A bundle of tulips, one of daffodils, gerbera daisies and two stems of speckled, p
ink, fragrant lilies.
My daughter helped pick them all out and then helped put them in vases at home, even rearranging them so that they looked just right.
And they do.
It was intensely good to spend that time with her.
This is the stamen from one of the lilies.
Canon Rebel xti, shutter 4, f10.0, iso 100, 100mm
What is so valuable behind this fence?
Razor wire looped around and around barbed wire - what needs that kind of protection?
Looking through the chain link into the auto wrecker's yard at the twisted, broken cars and trucks and smashed glass - I just don't see it.
Instead my eye is drawn to the odd beauty of the knife edged coils themselves.
Very at odds with the other pictures I took today of the velvety insides of tulips.
Canon G5, shutter1/640, F3.0, focal length 922mm, iso 50
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