Pictures for Pam

(+4 insets!) Yes! It's another Macro Monday! This week's challenge is "Perfume Bottle." This presented a problem for me because I don't wear perfume. Other than a tiniest hint of natural fragrance like vanilla or almond, I don't like perfume. Steve doesn't wear or like cologne either. This means that our house has exactly zero bottles of perfume. A few days ago I wrote a post about our hunt for a perfume bottle and as it so happened, I found exactly what I was hoping for at a local craft store. Namely, a lovely faceted bottle that would be fun to photograph and provide nice bokeh possibilities as well as fun details to look at. I didn't count on finding a bottle that had holographic rainbow tape adhered to the base! In fact, the idea didn't even occur to me, but when I saw this collection of bottles, I was SOLD! :D (It measures 2.625"/6.667cm tall) I spent some time taking lots of pictures and had a great time fooling around with different ideas. In the end I've selected four pictures as insets to go along with my main image. One of my biggest joys of macro photography is the incredible bokeh you can get. There's just no way to know exactly how this will turn out so looking at my pictures on the computer is a little bit like opening Christmas presents when they turn out nicely. This main image was a lovely present for me and I hope you like it too! :) Pam, the storm has finally passed us by and it's been bright and beautiful all day. I've been thinking about you as I've worked on my perfume bottle pictures and wishing that this lovely day is the same for you too. Please give all the dogs big hugs for me…it's World Hug Day and everyone needs as many hugs as possible. I am sure they'll all hug you back as much as they can, but I can't promise you they won't get excited and tip you over in their attempts to turn that hug into playtime! :) Explored on 1/22/19, highest placement, #2.

(+3 insets!) (this image really shines at full size!) Here's another picture from San Anselmo! On our second hike into the hills, we walked back through the residential streets to get home. Along the way was an endless stream of cool things to take pictures of. I was on a forced march though because Steve and Nathalie rarely stopped to wait for me, so I had to take pictures quickly and move on. I did manage to get some really cool shots though…many hundreds of pictures actually! :D As I trailed behind Steve and Nathalie, I got a really cute picture of a sparrow in a tree, and later a darling hummingbird! At one point we all saw a bird that was hovering on the wind and I got several pictures that turned out! And Steve and Nathalie never noticed that an American Kestral was sitting in a tree nearby, but I did! :) As we emerged into the residential neighborhood, I nearly began hyperventilating with all the sights in front of me. There was a lovely garden with wonderful landscaping and they used many kinds of ornamental grass species to dress it up. One group that caught my eye had some peculiar grass I'd not seen before. I saw that a pair of feathery stems had become intertwined and I couldn't resist trying to capture the beautiful tangle. I usually have very little luck with this sort of thing because my depth of field is usually too shallow or there's too much stuff behind that detract from the delicate grass. However, I will always continue to try improving on my failures because at some point I just HAVE to succeed. And so I did on this day! I don't know what kind of grass this is but it's lovely and this pair reminds me of a delicate sculpture. Kind of like a pair of hands clinging to one another. I am also including insets of the birds that I saw on our walk! Pam, I did a search on your photo stream for birds and my! You've gotten very lucky with some wonderful pictures! I am so envious--even CARDINALS!! Sensational! This collage you presented has me bouncing with joy, you lucky lady! There are so many wonderful bird pictures that wasn't able to look at even a fraction of them, but I also loved your Papa Bluebird collage too, the splishy-splashy bird bath images are just so much fun! I hope that you get the chance to take more pictures sometime soon, I love your photography so much. Sending my love on this cold and brisk day! Explored on 1/23/19, highest placement, #1.

(+3 insets!) This morning I was surprised to find that it wasn't raining as forecasted but instead merely drizzling. With the sprinkles came a heavy fog and I had a peaceful, lovely hour+ of walking. I spent the time admiring the way the trees slowly became obscured by mist--it was so pretty. I also enjoyed hearing the honk of geese and the caw of crows which alerted me to look up and watch. The birds would slowly materialize overhead and then disappear into the mist again—so cool to see! The drizzle was heavy enough that by the time I stepped inside after my walk, my sweater and hat were drenched. They are sitting by our heater to dry during the day. (I also included an inset to show you what it was like this morning!) Today I'm sharing a trio of pictures from our visit to San Anselmo. On our second hike, we wandered back through the streets of San Anselmo. This adventure gave me far too many subjects to photograph but perhaps that was a good thing. After all, I did come home with over 1400 pictures and that's probably quite enough, don't you think?! I was very lucky with the quality of pictures too, so I'll be posting images from our visit for a long while or until I shift to another project. For now, I'm having a great time going through the photos! The main image and two insets show the seed pods of the American Sweetgum tree. I have been in love with these spiky balls ever since I discovered them some years ago. Oddly enough, I have no photos here on ipernity. I know I've taken pictures but somehow I've never processed any. That seems so crazy given how much I like their wonderful shapes. Well today I'm fixing that issue! My main image shows how ornament-like these cool seed pods are and showcases their cool shape and texture. The insets are bokeh-fests and also display the beautiful star-shaped leaves. In fact, I mistakenly thought these leaves belonged to Maple trees due to their similar appearance. It's only until you look closely and compare them that it becomes clear. Leaves that are much more star-shaped belong to the Sweetgum. Pam, I looked to see if you had any pictures of Sweetgum pods but no, I guess you don't have any nearby or surely you could not resist their awesome shapes! However, I did see that your Datura Moonflower creates seed pods which are quite similar and your picture is just terrific. I sure do love the way you see the world, it's a delight to look through your pictures. I hope that you have been having a nice day with your husband and your canine children! Hugggggs from southern Oregon! Explored on 1/24/19, highest placement, #2.

(+2 insets!) It's another drizzly morning and as lovely as can be. The fog was swirling around the Table Rocks when I looked outside and at a comfortable 41°F/5°C I stepped out for my walk feeling energic and happy. Just as I was about to walk down the road for my first lap I heard a sound that filled me with delight. "THE FROGS ARE SINGING!!" I smiled broadly as I heard a handful of frogs croaking down at the seasonal pond. I'd heard the occasional frog here or there but this singing marks the true beginning of breeding season for the Pacific Tree Frogs. For months the frogs and toads will croon to the heavens whenever they feel safe enough to do so. The numbers will increase from the half-dozen of today to a cacophony of perhaps 100 or more at the height of the season. This makes me wiggle with excitement! Oh, how I adore frogs and toads…they are so darn cute! They are so ridiculous looking! And the way their vocal sacks look when they are croaking makes me want to squeal with glee! They think they look cool…I say they look hilarious! :D Whenever I get close to the pond—unless I'm very careful to be as silent as possible—all of the Romeos shut up. Just like the Warner Brother's Frog…they really WERE croaking, I tell you!! Then, after I am far away…CREEEEEEEEK…and one by one they start singing again! Silly froggies. Well, really it's SMART froggies. Best to be silent and live to see another day, right? I had a great idea though and when I heard one frog starting to croak again, I recorded him! You can listen to my audio link to hear our first frog singing this season! Today's picture is for Happy Fence Friday! While visiting my brother and his wife Nathalie in San Anselmo, I wandered around their property and found a tree brimming with gorgeous turning leaves. I was so captivated by this pair that I took pictures from each side! You'll find the front side as an inset. I'm also sharing another fence picture that shows some of the encrusted lichen and moss that I loved so much. Pam, I did a search for fence pictures in your stream and was surprised that you have never participated in the insanity that is Happy Fence Friday! I resisted as long as I could…but well, I couldn't help myself and now I'm one of the gang! :) I did find lots of pictures of yours that have fences though! I really liked this one that featured a trio of lovely critters as well as a fence ! :) I hope you are doing ok today—iand thank you so much for your lovely comment yesterday, it was so wonderful! *big HUGGGGS* from southern Oregon! Explored on 1/25/19, highest placement, #10.

(+3 insets!) Another cold and drizzly day, I enjoyed looking at the mist crawl around the valley on my walk this morning. I did a lot of thinking about the pictures I took down in San Anselmo and the fun of processing and sharing them here on ipernity. The San Anselmo photo shoot has a seemingly endless variety of subjects which adds so much interest. Also, I had a lot of luck with usable images so I'll be able to post images for quite a while. For me, this project has been such a delight. I know that our property is overflowing with photo opportunities but change is a nice thing. I'm also really happy that I've been able to process so many of them. I worried that I would be pulled away from the project without getting to finish at least a handful. But as it turns out, I've processed over 50 pictures! I still have dozens of subjects I want to finish up but I'm enjoying every moment I get to work through each picture. When I got inside today I was very cold. In fact, I was so chilly that I decided to climb into my bed and bundle up under my fluffy blankets while I visited my contacts on ipernity. By the time I got through all of my comments I was so cozy and warm that I wanted to take a nap! Lunchtime saved me from snoozing and Steve cooked up amazing sausages to go with our fried eggs. I also had half an avocado which I heat up, mash into guacamole and add garlic salt. It's fabulous! Steve is totally horrified that I warm it up…lol…I know it sounds odd but it's YUMMY! :) Since I have been so cold today, I'm sharing pictures of one of the magnificent nightly log fires that my brother Brian made to heat up their beautiful living room. One evening I was admiring how pretty the fire was and it occurred to me that it would make a lovely picture. I ran and got my camera and clicked away! I am including two more fire images as insets along with a candid picture of Brian that I took while he was watching a YouTube video one afternoon. It turned out so well that I just had to show everyone how handsome my little brother is! :) Pam, I did a search on your photo stream and discovered that you have a fireplace in your home! We do not. When we moved in there was a free-standing log-fueled heater but we hated it. There is a place for a proper fireplace but we never got it going because we have a bird and smoke is an issue we don't want to chance. Do you use yours? They can be the most wonderful source of heat, and so cozy too. When I was looking in your pictures, I found this wonderful collage of your Fire Dragon Dance. It's just terrific!! Yearly burns may be necessary jobs but they are so pretty too. Here's hoping that you are having a comfortable, warm and cozy day my dear! :) Explored on 1/26/19, highest placement, #2.

(+9 insets!) (view large please!) When Steve and I went down to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit my younger brother and his wife, we were really happy to learn that Nathalie's daughter, Phoebe, would also be home from college! It would be so nice to see her and catch up with what's going on in her world. Being 54, it's fascinating to talk to someone who's just starting college. At 19 years old, Phoebe's college experience compared to mine totally floors me. It's just gob smacking. For instance, when I went to San Francisco State University, gym classes were varied with dozens of courses available. But today they have only dance classes. No gym. No badminton. No aerobics. No soccer. And of course, not my favorite--trampoline (which I took for two semesters!). All creative art classes…GONE. Etc. It's horrifying. This is the world that Phoebe lives in. Yes, she can go to a local gym for classes but they aren't on campus. Art classes would be the same situation I'm sure. Anyway, talking to her about school leaves me feeling totally staggered and I feel sad that there are so few opportunities for Phoebe's generation to explore creatively within the confines of school. When I first met Phoebe a couple of years ago, she gave me a tour of her bedroom, which was such an honor. It was so much fun to see how she decorated her room and to tell her how I had decorated mine. She had some art on the walls but nothing too outlandish. As I grew up, my walls and ceiling became 100% covered with animal and horse pictures without any surface showing. When I turned 17 or so, I began collecting swim suits and pinned them up to my walls in tropical displays with beach posters behind them, using fake palm fronds as accents. I had a spot on one wall for pictures of cute celebrities too. Phoebe's décor was wonderful but sedate in comparison to my flamboyant display and I really enjoyed the peek into how she showed herself off in her room. While I looked around, I was immediately drawn to a large glass bowl in the corner. It was nearly half-full of some kind of beads. Peering inside I saw…RAVE BEAD BRACELETS!! Dozens of them, in fact! HOW COOL IS THAT?! Rave beads…what the heck are rave beads?! They are bracelets known as "Kandi," worn at dance clubs and parties, created by individuals as gifts to people they meet there. Originally started by drug dealers to stand out as a source for party drugs like ecstasy and coke, these showy bracelets soon turned into a popular fad for anyone who loves the dance scene. Bracelets are shared in a special way--essentially the two people hold hands and the gift bracelet is slid from one wrist onto the other's wrist. Specifically it goes like this: 1. Two people make peace signs (Peace) 2. They form their hands into hearts (Love) 3. They join their hearts (Unity) 4. They slide their bracelets from hand to hand (Respect) 4.a. Hug someone. (From) (For more info & pictures about the Kandi craze, click this phrase!) The whole rave beads-Kandy craze started many years after Steve and I were over our club days, so we never got to see any of this in action. It's a shame because I would surely have had an enormous collection myself! However, seeing Phoebe's collection filled me with excitement because I was sure they were very special to her. She confirmed this by immediately telling me all about her experiences. Every bracelet has a story, instantly coming to mind when Phoebe holds it in her hand. I loved hearing her tales and at the time I thought to myself that I'd just have to get pictures the next time I had a chance. Visiting San Anselmo this time aligned all of the stars and Phoebe gave me permission to take pictures of her collection! My eyes twinkled as I pulled out a bracelet and asked for details. She instantly told me where she got it and who gave it to her. I took out another one. "Oh! That one I got in the bathroom when I met a girl in there!" I pulled out another one and out came another story. Such fun. Thank you Phoebe, for allowing me to share part of you with the world! I spent quite a while photographing her bracelets and my main image shows the whole collection as a glorious pile of dance party memories. I am also including 9 insets for you to enjoy as well. Pam, did you ever have a party phase in your life? I loved dancing but I didn't get many chances to go "clubbing." My dates rarely had the interest and I didn't have friends that liked that sort of thing. But when I met Steve, we went out dancing on a regular basis for the first couple of years when we lived in San Francisco. What fun! I hope you're having a nice day today my dear! Explored on 1/27/19, highest placement, #5.

(+1 inset!) (please view large to see the dew drops!) It was another very foggy, chilly day and even though I was bundled up, my feet and hands still got very cold during my walk. It was lovely though and I enjoyed seeing the grass twinkling with dew drops as I made my way up and down our driveway. On my last lap I noticed something sparkling on the road and thought it seemed too light to be a leaf. Bending closer I could see that it was a feather that was completely covered in dew drops! Amazing! I hadn't planned on taking any pictures outside today because I'd be working on my Macro Monday images but I simply HAD to get pictures of this feather! I soon returned with my camera and got lots of shots from many angles--I managed to get some very nice ones which I'll be sharing soon! Since I was outside I couldn't resist the temptation to wander off the road a bit. I had something in mind…spider webs. Yesterday I'd taken some pictures of dewdrops on a strand of spiderweb and I wasn't really satisfied with the outcome. I'd brought my macro flash but discovered the batteries were dead and the slight breeze ruined most of the pictures I took. Still feeling a bit disappointed, I wanted to find some more webs now that I'd replaced the batteries in my macro flash. Instantly I found plenty of strands to photograph, so tiny and fine that I would have had a hard time seeing them without the dew to make them stand out. At one point I looked up and OH!! A whole web was sparkling back at me, how exciting! I think dew-covered webs are some of the most beautiful things in nature and this one had such a lovely shape. Once I got back inside I copied my pictures over to my computer but I noticed a problem with the use of my flash. The reflection of light in the droplets worked fine in the pictures I'm sharing today but It was much too harsh in my other photos. I need to put diffusers on the flashes to soften the reflections. It's too bad because there were lots of pretty strands of "water pearls" but the pictures need to be retaken. Live and learn, right? For today's main image I decided to use the cropped version because the dew is larger and prettier. I have also included an inset of the whole web so you can see how cool it is. :) Pam, I did a search on your stream for "web" and found a delightful picture and story about Esmerelda that you shared back in 2014. It was wonderful to read again. I also enjoyed our back and forth commentary about your picture and story. I think you would have loved the spider webs I photographed today because they were almost invisible and not scary at all! :) Still, like I'd said then, I do not like spiders crawling on me, and feeling spider webs clinging to me gives me the heeby-jeebies! If they are strong webs and I walk through them and they are all over me…you'll hear me screaming from Oregon and soon you'll see me running past in a blur! :D Here's hoping that your day was as good as can be. :) Explored on 1/28/19, highest placement, #1.

(+14 insets...7 from now, seven from my last "Medicine" theme) :D ENJOY!! :D Today is Macro Monday! I've been looking forward to working on the topic, "Medicine," since it was announced last week. Funny enough, the group I was involved with a few years back (Bokeh Thursday) used the same topic (I've included insets so you can see what I came up with back then)! One thing I remembered was that there's just no end to the fun pictures you can take of pills and various forms of medicine. I spent a while on Sunday playing around with various ideas and ended up using spills for my pictures (A spill is when you pour a number of items onto a surface and allow them to fall as they like). I love the organic feel of this kind of picture and the wonderful bokeh that happens with anything sitting in the background. The medicines I used were actually vitamins, considered to be medicine depending on how you feel about this sort of thing. That's enough exuse for me, and we have plenty of them so I went to town with pills from our daily doses! Multi-vitamin, vitamin D, wheat grass, fish oil and Quonol...all of them were great fun to shoot! I ended up with 7 current insets, 7 insets from my past project and my main image which features Vitamin D gel capsules! (Two of them are other versions of vitamins I already shared so I played with their colors in red and purple…PRETTY!!!) Pam, I am sure you're no stranger to medicine. The older we get, the more junk we need to add to our systems it seems. Oddly enough, Steve and I don't use much medicine since we changed to a ketogenic lifestyle...we don't get colds, we don't get sick. Our aches and pains basically went away. (did you know that most of us have a lot of unknown inflammation which causes this?) I know that removing carbohydrates seems impossible to a lot of people but once we learned how to cook foods that ended up being a much tastier alternative, it was an easy transition. The health benefits are remarkable and for those who suffer from pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, keto is known to reverse and eliminate it! There are many other remarkable life-changers but many people do keto to lose weight...Steve lost 45 pounds and I lost 17. Keto is also great way to remove medication from your life, but in regards to brain injuries, I did find an article from a woman who suffered a stroke and keto helped her a lot. I wonder if it could help you? Here's the link: Healing from a stroke I am thinking about you every day! *BIG HUGGGGGS* from southern Oregon!

(+2 insets!) (looks better at full size for more fuzzy details!) Looking over my photo stream today, I've noticed a lacking of MUSHROOMS! That needs to change! :) I have a couple more mushrooms from my trip down to San Anselmo but I am not sure they are "main picture worthy." I do have one which I've finished and you'll see it as an inset. This furry little mushroom I'm sharing today was a wonderful discovery. A month or so ago I'd decided to wander around our lower forest on a very wet morning after it stopped raining. I was hunting for mushrooms and other fungus and focused my attention on sticks and branches that had fallen to the ground. I found many interesting lichens and mosses, and I also discovered some micro mushrooms too. After studying a lichen-encrusted stick, I spotted another one nearby and picked it up carefully. First I found a micro mushroom...but then I spotted something so small I could hardly even see it. It was maybe the size of a lower-case "o" and it was FUZZY. It looked like maybe it could be a mushroom so I took a set of pictures. Studying the branch even more carefully, my nose nearly touching the surface, I spotted another one and it was most definitely a fuzzy mushroom! It was sitting next to several more that were just starting to grow. My excitement had no bounds! I'd never seen such a cool little fuzzy mushroom! My main image features this darling little mushroom. My first inset shows a family portrait as it stands next to some extremely shy family members who don't want their picture taken! :D Aren't they adorable?! They are so small they are barely visible and I am so delighted that I got pictures to share. I went back the next day to take more pictures but I couldn't find the stick. So sad! I will keep my eyes open, maybe someday I'll find more! My other inset was taken down in San Anselmo on our first hike. In fact, Nathalie found them and I heard her whoop in excitement when she spotted the group. I could see what all the fuss was about when I got to her. The group was HUGE! I think they must have been about 1.5 feet across from one side to the other. And STRANGE...they are such an odd cluster, aren't they?! I love them! Thank you Nathalie for discovering these mushrooms (and you found the others I photographed too)! Pam, I hope today was better than the past couple. I know you've been on a rough ride. Maybe the sun will come out soon for you. *hugggggs* Explored on 1/29/19, highest placement, #1.

(+2 insets!) What a pretty day it’s been. This afternoon was so warm that it seems more like spring than winter! It started off freezing cold with a pretty cloud-filled sunrise and fog cloaking the valley. It was so cold that the frogs were huddling silently down at the pond, their romantic crooning a memory until it warmed up again. The forecast calls for snow on Monday but we’ll see about that. By 9am the sun was shining brightly and as the hours rolled by it melted the fog and the whole area basked in unexpected warmth. The frogs came out to sing in droves, their numbers increasing each day. Don’t ask me to find them as they are masters at camouflage, but I loved hearing them as I brought the garbage and recycling down to the road just a while ago. Today’s picture features a pretty find when Steve and I were down in San Anselmo over New Years. On our first hike of two, I noticed a flashing of white as we passed by and discovered a down feather adhered to some grass. I have no clue what kind of bird it might have been but it made a pretty picture for me to share with you! I am also sharing another find along the way, some wild grass that stood out in the sunshine with another stem behind it and the background falling away in artistic bokeh. I’m also including an afternoon panorama of our lovely view of the Table Rocks that I took the other day! Pam, I did a search on your stream for “feather” and found one that you had posted, a lovely entry for the Poetica group entitled Silence . What a thought-provoking poem! I sat and read it, thinking about each line. Much to contemplate. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention, and I must also say that your beautiful peacock feather and presentation were perfect. Wikipedia provided some additional insights to this lovely and deeply reaching poem which you might be interested in if you don’t already know of it! I hope your days are treating you a little better lately! Thinking of you and sending a big *HUGGGGG*! Explored on 1/31/19, highest placement, #2.

(+2 insets!) Oh my, it’s really cooling down around here! I stepped out to a thermometer which read 29 degrees—wow! But paired with the freezing weather, the world was gleaming with brilliant sunshine this morning. My poor toes did NOT appreciate me crunching up and down our road today, but that’s what heaters are for afterwards! :) On my first trip down to the gate I couldn’t help checking in on the sporophyte villages that live at the tops of each of the brick posts which hold our gate. Clumps of moss are scattered here and there on the tops and sides of the bricks and most clumps have many cool sporophytes to see. In fact, some of my finest sporophyte images come from the villagers who live here so I love peeking at them from time to time to say hello and see how they are doing. Staring nose-close, I found a marvelous frost formation next to a pair of aged sporophytes and pulled back, my internal arguments flaring. “It’s too cold!” “That’s a special sight, it needs to be photographed!” “My fingers will freeze!” *rumblings from my toes below* “Hey, what about us? We’re already frozen!” “When will I see a frost formation like that again?” Silence in my mind and then, “Yeah, it’s true. We need to take a picture of that.” At the top of the hill I saw that the fog cloaking the Table Rocks was especially beautiful, with a sheen of gold lighting up the fog and warming the valley’s sides. I couldn’t resist marching to the top of the hill for a few phone snaps before getting my camera and making my way back down to the gate. After many photos of the “frost bush” next to the sporophytes, I glanced down into the weeds next to the gate. There was a coil of old, rusty barbed wire fencing that had been sitting abandoned, since long before we moved here. I’d been meaning to try for some frost pictures and as I was right there, I took the opportunity to photograph that too. Not long after, the painful bite from the merciless cold forced me to stop and I trudged back to the house to return my camera and continue for a few more laps of exercise. I was really happy to discover that I got a nice picture of the “frost bush” and also some really neat barbed wire pictures too. This being the day that I put up a picture for Happy Fence Friday, it was excellent timing for posting an image that I took today! (You can see insets of the frost “bush” and also an atmospheric picture of our fence and mail box I got a couple of days ago.) Pam, do you guys hate barbed wire as much as we do? When we got here there was barbed wire strung up everywhere. It’s taken me a long time but I’ve got it all removed. Every once in a while, though, I’ll find stray strands here and there or an abandoned coil. It’s awful. The only thing I like about barbed wire is the cool pictures it can produce. Meh! I hope you are having a nice day! *HUGZZZZ!* Explored on 2/1/19, highest placement, #1.

(+1 inset & four notes to read) (Viewing large is recommended for dreamier details! :) Stepping outside for my walk today, I smiled as I was greeted by the joyful chorus of frogs down at the pond. The temperature's creeped up to a seasonally warm 40°F this morning, but it's not going to last. The forecast promises a dip into the 20's in the next few days so I expect the frogs will need to retreat to their holes until it warms up again. I know that you US Mid- and East-Coasters are laughing at those numbers given the unbelievable cold you've had to endure lately. I hope you're all faring alright. At times like that I worry about power outages and keeping warm. We've had the terrible combination of extreme cold and power outages with only space heaters to keep us warm until the power returned many hours later. It's no fun and it can be scary too. I do hope that you have taken advantage of the rare conditions…my eyes gleam thinking about the macro candy land that extreme cold brings with it, though one must be very economical with the pictures you take and stay out for only a few minutes. I do look forward to seeing some of the unique images that come from the polar vortex. Yesterday I went out for some frosty pictures and as I left the house with my camera, I noticed what appeared to be a green bottle fly huddled on the porch wall. Something about it didn't quite look right but I didn't have time to take a closer peek. I was on a mission to get pictures of the "frost bush" next to the sporophytes down at the gate and my 15-Minute Cold Timer began ticking the second I left the house. I have learned to respect that timer…if I don't my extremities get excruciatingly, painfully cold. A fly was not worth my attention. When I returned to the house I saw the fly again and couldn't resist bending down to stare at it. Instantly I saw what seemed off to me. It wasn't a fly at all--it was a sweat bee*! And the largest I'd ever seen, in fact. These bees tend to be quite small, but this one was the same size as a green bottle fly. (Sweat Bees range in size between 0.12 to 0.40 in / 3 to 10 mm, while Bottle Flies range between 0.28 to 0.63 in / 7 to 16 mm) *NOTE: This is actually a MASON BEE and was identified on the Bug Guide Such a gorgeous and special find was irresistible and I took a few pictures before diving into the warmth of the house, fingers and toes burning from the cold. I didn't expect to get anything good from my quick snaps but as you can see, I managed to get a winner! You'll notice that I dressed up the white wall setting with some filters and the outcome worked out very nicely I think. :) I'm also including a panorama of a lovely afternoon a couple of days ago. We really do get some incredible views! Pam, are you guys in the polar vortex region? If so, I hope that you don't get any power outages and have backup heating just in case! Stay warm! *BIG HUGGGGGS from southern Oregon* :)

(+2 insets!) A couple of days ago I went out with my camera and got some frosty pictures down by our front gate. On the way back I decided to take a quick detour to check out our old well house shed. Roughly a 5-foot cube, it lay on its side in a ruined heap. This was one of the many casualties of the terrible wildfire that erupted on our property a few years ago. The fire engulfed our whole shop and half of our hillside but our home was saved and nobody was hurt. Lately I've been glancing over at that well house as I walk up and down our road in the morning. I've avoided taking pictures of anything related to the fire but my overwhelming feeling of remorse is slowly lifting and I wondered if there were pictures to be found there. Walking over to the shed, I realized that it was a treasure trove of macro pictures! Charred wood, exposed and rusty screws, nails, hinges...oh my, but the dozens of cool subjects I saw got me so excited I could hardly stand it! Unfortunately I couldn't stay more than a minute or two because of the cold. I was on a 15-minute timer and needed to get back inside before my toes and fingers were in serious pain. I did take a couple of pictures though, and I thought this image of charred wood would be fun to share today. I'll be doing a proper photo shoot in the next week I hope! (I'm also sharing a panorama of our burned hillside in silhouette during a gorgeous sunrise and another Table Rocks sunrise) Pam, have you guys ever had wildfires around your place or close enough to become quite concerned? It's no fun, let me tell you. This wildfire happened one afternoon when a ground squirrel climbed up the power pole and somehow got electrocuted, fell into the grass and started the fire. Steve found out as he was driving home and called me at work as I was leaving for the day. We were so afraid for our animals...but when we got home, we learned that our house was save and our animals were all ok. Thank goodness for our awesome fire department! I hope you are doing ok today! Sending *HUGGGGGS*!!! Explored on 2/3/19, highest placement, #1.

(+2 insets!) Do you ever wake up feeling "off"? That's how I felt when I got up this morning. My mood was scattered and out of sorts. Nervous and uneasy. I really can't figure out why I wasn't my usual boisterous and happy self but can tell you one thing: I didn't like it. So, I decided that my exercise today would be a "walking meditation." I don't practice meditation on a regular basis though I am sure it would be beneficial to me. I just never make time for it--which is probably a good indicator for doing more meditation. Of course you're supposed to be sitting still and relaxed to meditate, but many of the practices should be doable while in motion if you're focused on it. So as I walked up and down our driveway I repeated to myself different phrases like "Peace and serenity..." while thinking about my complete breath cycle. Or, "Breath in positive energy from the trees and plants around you...and breath out the negative energy..." I spent time thinking about how my body felt as I walked along, the way my breath felt, my heart beat, and the contraction of my muscles while I moved. I made a point to think about nothing but my walking meditation. As I began my walk, a very light rain was falling and I didn't bring my umbrella. I imagined the rain taking away the feelings that had made me feel so off when I woke up today. To keep myself focused to only what I was doing and to immerse myself in the moment and where I was, I asked myself, "List the things you can hear which make you happy and peaceful..." I listened intently while I moved along. "Twittering junkos are there in that tree...a single frog is croaking in the pond...an acorn woodpecker is calling another one... and I can hear some Canada Geese in the distance..." And "The sound my feet make crunching on the gravel...the squelching sound when I walk in the muddy clay...the sound of a pebble skittering along when it's kicked...the rain dripping from the trees...the sound of my breath as I walk...and the cry of a hawk flying over the trees..." I repeated this for the things that I saw which made me feel happy and at peace. As the light rain slowly increased to a proper downfall, I got my umbrella and listened to the rhythmic sound of the droplets pattering over my head. I felt like I was in a bubble of safety here. I spent the rest of my hour and 15 minutes by concentrating on feeling relaxed and happy, feeling grateful to those in my life who have played a part in getting me where I stand today. Picturing wonderful memories, people I loved and those who have passed on but thinking only of the happy memories from them. I finished my "Walking Meditation" feeling completely returned to my normal self. What a nice way to reset myself! Since it's been raining all day, I thought I'd share a few rainy day pictures I took the other day. The main picture is an adorable, tiny acorn that I found nestled in some moss. I was surprised at its nearly black color and how it glistened so beautifully with its slick, wet coat. It measured about half an inch in size and was so cute that I couldn't resist a picture! I'm also sharing a picture of a large rose hip from our rose bush in the front yard that's covered with droplets. I had a lot of fun playing with textures to dress up the plain background. The other inset is some water-soaked wild grass, its head totally engulfed in water! Pam, I did a search for "acorn" and found this very pretty natural collage, entitled, "Heartsease & Acorns, tiny Blueits & Wood Sorrel leaves." I love that you enjoy learning about the things in your pictures. It's so fascinating and fun to know all about the gifts we find as we look around our property. Hope you are faring well today, it's starting to get cold over here…supposed to snow tomorrow but I won't believe it until I see it! *HUGGGGGGS*!!! Explored on 2/4/19, highest placement, #2.

(+7 insets!) (Please view large) :) Well, you know what day it is...it's MACRO MONDAY! The theme this week is porcelain. Plates and dishes were mentioned as examples but I could have gone for something different like a porcelain figurine. The thought crossed my mind because I have some lovely porcelain horses packed away that would have been very nice. But no, what I really wanted to do was play with subtle patterning on dishware. Specifically, Steve gathered some dishes from a thrift store years ago to use in food photography. I am crazy about pure white dishware and I've wanted to take pictures since he got those plates so I wasn't interested in straying from the obvious this time. Whenever I do a Macro Monday photo shoot, I intentionally refuse to look for ideas online because I want to see what I come up with on my own. Playing around with different ideas is such fun. The whole process of learning what works and what doesn't is really cool because you slowly solve the challenge of creating a compelling image from something rather ordinary. Some ideas don't work out at all so I have to try again. Or later I'll think of something to try that I didn't think of initially. Adding to my own difficulty, only a couple of plates had interesting patterns to work with but that was enough. I ended up with six extras to share along with my main image that I hope you will all enjoy. I played around with the colors on some of the insets for fun because they are always so cool and pretty! The Macro Monday 2.0 group has been such a great experience for me. Because I'm in the US I am the last person to post pictures each week and for some reason I love that! I make a point of not looking at the contributions until after I've posted my pictures (though I do see a few sometimes because I comment on pictures throughout the day and there are usually a few MM submissions in the mix). One of my favorite things to do is to visit every contribution after I've posted my pictures. It's so much fun to see what everyone else has come up with and to be blown away by everyone's clever ideas and beautiful subjects. I love being able to give a pat on the back to each person too, because everyone likes encouragement and congratulations on doing such a great job! You will also notice that I've posted a panorama of snow on the far hillside across the valley...if you've been reading my blogs, I mentioned yesterday that it was supposed to snow today. Well, it actually DID! The snow fell just the tiniest bit here and the flakes melted instantly but it DID snow. Our altitude is just a bit too low for anything to stick but I thought it would be fun to include some proof of snow. Pam, I did a search for "plate" on your stream and found some very festive images that made me want to run over to your house and demand a feast! I also found this gorgeous image of an actual FLAMING Christmas pudding!! AMAZING!! What a lovely picture, Pam. I have to admit, I didn't have a clue what Christmas pudding tastes like, so I looked it up! I found a super page that talks about it if you're interested, just click on the highlighted words here . Oh dear. Dried and candied fruits and nuts...please forgive me for running away and holding up a chair to fend you off! I am not a fan of candied fruit, but I expect that your pudding was absolutely divine! The flame is incredible too! Thank you for the fun holiday memories, and I'm sending a virtual *HUGGGGGG* your way! Explored on 2/5/19, highest placement, #7.

(+3 insets!) It's really and truly snowing outside this morning! I checked during the night but only rain greeted me and I wondered what I would see upon arising. Peeking out first thing...nothing but a wet world. Boo. Still, it was going to be extremely cold today and there were storm clouds overhead. The perfect recipe for snow. At a freezing 27 degrees, I decided that I'd only do my minimum walk of 3 laps (15 minutes) today. I'm tired of returning to the house with frozen fingers and toes no matter how hard I work to keep warm. There are days that I feel cold for hours unless I take a long, hot shower or sit in front of the heater for ages to warm up again. It's no fun to feel so uncomfortable. I do love those showers though--except for the part where I have to get out at some point! If you can believe it, frogs were singing their hearts out down at the pond! Perhaps they didn't get the memo...IT'S FREEZING OUT HERE! The fact of the matter is that they are on an evolutionary timer and they know it. Our pond dries up at the beginning of June so they must find mates and produce eggs as early as possible. Those eggs must then hatch, the tadpoles must grow up and transform into froglets before the pond evaporates. Frogs who sing the earliest have the best chance of finding mates sooner, and thus, the best chance that their babies will grow up and produce the next generation. Survival of the fittest is a real thing and out here in the "sticks", we see the reality of living and dying based on tactics like these. Still, I must say it's pretty incredible to hear frogs singing when it's snowing! By the end of my 15 minutes there were itty bitty flakes falling and I was happy to get inside because I was already getting very cold despite marching up our hill three times. After another fifteen minutes the snow was coming down in bigger flakes and managed to cover the ground somewhat. I enjoyed looking at the contrast on the tree branches of white against dark brown. The snow continued for maybe half an hour and then petered out. The sun tried to break through the clouds and though it failed, the warmer temperatures melted all of the snow and now I look out and wonder...did it really snow or did I just imagine it? I didn't get any snowy pictures today except from my phone and they aren't worth posting. So I decided to dig around in my archives and process a few images I'd taken a while back...I have so much photography which deserves my attention. It's just incredible the piles of pictures that I don't have time to process! My main image is a snow and droplet-covered rose cane in heavy silhouette. I also found a picture of a day we had heavy snowfall a few years back. And I couldn't resist posting an adorable picture of our dear Basset Hound, Moosie, when he was just over a year old. How we miss that sweet boy. A picture of Zoey is here too, our adorable Boxer who we think of every day...our home feels so empty without them. :( Pam, has it been snowing much your way? Hopefully the weather isn't too bad. We're expecting more snow in the next few days but it won't be much. I did a search on your stream for "snow" and found a picture I loved of your beloved Flicka on his birthday. Maybe our dogs have met over the Rainbow Bridge. Our sweet pups…how we miss them. Sending *hugggggggggs* your way! Explored on 2/6/19, highest placement, #4.

(+7 insets!) (please view large!) Last night I poked my head out our upper deck door and couldn't believe what I heard. Frogs singing. It's below 30 degrees out there and there are so many froggies singing at the pond that I can hear them loudly all the way up here! I told Steve and he didn't believe me until he opened the door and listened. We are amazed. Those frogs just don't care if it's ski season for them, they're determined to find dates for Winter Froggy Prom! I woke up today and looked out to see a lovely dusting of snow over everything. How beautiful it was. And COLD! It's not supposed to get over 40 degrees today, and when I stepped out for my walk it was 27 degrees again, brrrrr!!! At the beginning of my walk I took a picture of the snow in our meadow, the golden glow of the sun trying to warm the world up. You'll see this as a panorama inset which I thought turned out very nicely! It was so pretty to see the snow lightly blanketing everything as I walked up and down the driveway. I was only doing three laps today because it's just too cold, but I also knew that I needed to brave the cold for another 15 minutes. The fact was that I really did need to take pictures. Snow is forecast for several more days this coming week but I've noticed that reports are usually wrong. So, if I wanted pictures, I had to take them right away. Even now, at 8am, I could see that the snow was already melting. I didn't have a moment to waste! I was ready to go in five minutes, swapping my shoes with my rubber boots and adding knee pads. I already had my macro flash on my camera in preparation, so out the door I went, bee-lining it to the burned shed as I'd planned. My my my...all the cool pictures! I scoped the scene and immediately found a screw with a snowy hat! Snow balanced on a burned hole in the plywood! A lovely whorl of knot-centered plywood with a dab of snow balanced precariously on an edge...a rusty nail sticking out with a frozen droplet on it...many other wonderful things to take pictures of too, it was fabulous. I will need to go back for more, many interesting opportunities but not enough time! Time...fifteen minutes came and went...and I was away in my photographic dream. I knew I'd passed my time-limit when my toes started yelling at me. But...I heard the gentle call from the sporophytes rising out of the moss on the nearby Oak trees...and I couldn't resist them. I strayed from the shed and drifted into the woods...so many lovely pictures to take...so many wonderful scenes to find. My toes were hurting more with each passing moment but...there were little mounds of snow on the moss with sporophytes topped with droplets! How could I not take pictures? Finally after about 45 minutes my feet refused to go anywhere but towards the house, yelling and screaming all of the way. My hands were also cold, though the rest of me, bundled up nicely, was comfortable. Immediately upon entering the house the boots flew off and I stuck my feet on the heater. If they had a voice they would be groaning with pleasure to feel that warmth directly applied to them. I know, I know...I should be ashamed of myself for being so mean to my poor frozen feeties! Well, they warmed up just fine...it took fifteen minutes of frying them on the heater but finally they were warmed up again. Heh. I'm horrible. But what can I say? Sometimes I am but a mere puppet controlled by my passion, without a choice in the matter! :) Today I'm sharing a bunch of pictures from the burned shed--I hope you enjoy the show! (I got some wonderful sporophyte pictures too, but they will have to wait for another day!) Pam, I bet you know all about what it's like to lose yourself in your passions. I can see the "creative crazy person" in many of your presentations...when we make things like this I think you have to lose yourself in the moment! It's a wonderful feeling though, isn't it? To just "become" part of the passion that drives you...it's a delicious thing. Kind of like being on a different level or dimension...I don't know. It can't really be described in words but all creative people know what this is and we all crave it! I hope that you are able to get some creativity into your life, Pam...the conditions have to be right but I sure do hope you have them or get them sometime soon! *BIG HUGS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON* Explored on 2/7/19, highest placement, #2.

(+4 insets!) (view large!) :) Holy Toledo it's cold out there today, YIKES!! A mere 27.6°F/-2.4°C--that's the coldest it's been all winter! Maybe that's not Polar Vortex Cold , but my fingers and toes have a prominent opinion about it: One Lap is the Limit! Heh…I managed to get up to the top of our hill for a lovely sunrise picture with my phone and down to the front gate to grab our garbage can (pick-up was this morning at 0'dark hundred). There I saw a pool of water that froze in several stages. The appearance reminded me of white malachite and out came my phone for another picture! Then it was up the drive with the garbage can, the handle burning cold through my gloves into my complaining hands and then I flung myself into the house and became one with the heater to warm my hands up. (You can see an inset of the pool of water along with another frozen pool I photographed a while back with a neat formation) What the heck's the deal with extremely low temperatures?! It's just crazy how fast cold can affect you if the temperature is low enough. This begs the intellectual question: how much more does the temperature affect us when things become extreme? What I mean to say is, there's basically no difference to us when the change is in our comfort range, say 60-70°F/15.5-21°C. Big deal, who cares…we can tell there's a change but it doesn't really matter. But as we get further away from our comfort zone, how much more does this mean? For instance, does the difference between 30 degrees and 29 degrees affect us 1%, 5%, 10%, etc. Do lower numbers make this difference more extreme? Does 10 degrees and 9 degrees affect us 5%, 10%, 20%? I should look this up. I bet there is a difference because 27 degrees is FIERCELY COLD and 30 degrees is not NEARLY as cold to me. I found a partial answer! It depends a lot on how much fat you have stored on your body and how well-adjusted you are to that temperature. So, someone who has more padding is going to be much more comfortable in the cold than a lean, athletic person. I didn't find the exact answer I was looking for but I did find a very interesting article that talks about what it feels like to be in -50 degrees vs. -20 degrees. My opinion: I would like to NOT be in those temperatures, thank you very much! :D I was kind of surprised the frogs weren't singing since they seem to enjoy these ridiculously cold temperatures. However, all was quiet down at the pond this morning. In amusement, I pictured froggy popsicles, each with a "ribbit" ready to go but their vocal sacks were frozen so no noise came out. Give them time…it should warm up to 32 degrees down there soon enough and they'll be able to squeak something out! LOL. Tenacious little buddies. :) Since it's so cold AND because it's the day to post my Happy Fence Friday pictures, I'm sharing an image of a very frosty fence, featuring a gossamer necklace touched by Jack Frost. This I found on our deer fencing a month or so back when we had a lovely day of heavy frost. I'm also sharing another frosty barbed-wire picture from my photo shoot last week. :) Pam, can you remember the coldest weather you've walked around in? One year it got down to 8 degrees I think, and venturing outside was a very shocking experience. We wanted to know what it felt like… and then we didn't! Out…and yep, that's REALLY COLD…and inside again! :D What about you? For me, it's a struggle because I know the photography opportunities are amazing the colder it gets but there really is a potential danger of frostbite. I hope you've never been in a situation where frostbite was a real issue for you. I've been lucky in that regard but I've also never been stuck in a place that's too cold and I can't get out of it. Sending a nice, warm *HUGGGGGG* your way on this very cold day! :D Explored on 2/8/19, highest placement, #1.