Janet Brien's photos

(2 inset images) A few years ago a horrible tragedy happened on our property. A squirrel climbed up one of our power poles, chewed into a power line and got electrocuted. It fell into the dried grass and started a wildfire. The fire roared through the meadow, totally destroyed our huge shop and then raced up our hillside where it was finally stopped. We were so thankful the fire department was able to save our house. Nobody was hurt and few things of true sentimental value were lost. Except...the trees. More than half of our hillside had burned, and almost every tree had perished. To me, trees are another kind of person. So it totally wrecked me when all of those trees were killed. I'd spent countless hours up there with my camera, navigating the deer trails and exploring its nooks and crannies. Now, every time I looked up there it just hurt. I've been up there only a few times since the fire because I can't bear the pain. But the past few days I've been looking up there, wondering how things are doing. Forest fires are part of the cycle of life and very important to the ecosystem, revitalizing the soil and allowing the forest to "reset". As much as I knew it would hurt me, I decided on this beautiful, sunny day, to get my camera, put on my boots and knee pads, and take a walk. As I carefully made my way up the hillside I was hit once again by deep sorrow when I saw all of the burned trees. Charred trunks were everywhere and I watched my footing so I didn't trip on any of the downed trees. But then I saw something I didn't expect. There was a small Manzanita plant growing in front of me! But it wasn't just one. As my eyes scanned the hillside in front of me, I saw a CARPET of young Manzanitas! It was incredible! Then, as I reached the top of the hill and walked along the ridge line, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. The most heartbreaking loss of the fire was a magnificent 80-100 foot tall Madrone tree which I'd come to love over the years. It stood sentry at the top of the hillside trail, its massive branches spreading out in all directions. I had photographed its leaves, its lovely flowers, and the mushrooms that grew on moss which lived on its trunk. When I saw that it had burned, the sight made me cry and cry. In fact, it was the death of that tree which was the main reason I couldn't stand going up there anymore. Today as I stood gawking, a feeling of elation washed over me because my wonderful Madrone tree was completely encircled by a huge mass of growth at its trunk! Many of the branches were taller than me and covered with lush green leaves. I was overjoyed as I neared my dear old friend, admiring the new growth and realizing that my favorite tree hadn't died after all!! Looking around, I could see that ALL of the burned Madrones were ringed by new growth and I had to watch my step so I didn't step on the young Manzanitas. I even saw a couple of Oak and Ponderosa saplings here and there. As I made my way back down the trail to the house, I noticed the dead flowers from Mule Ears, and wild iris plants were there to see as well. I felt so much better. It would take many years for our hillside to recover completely, but it was going to be just fine. My smile was warmer than the sun. Today's picture is a resin droplet that I photographed today. It was found on one of the burned Ponderosa pine trees and symbolizes both a tear of sorrow for the loss of our hillside forest, but also a tear of joy because the trees are going to recover, and the other plants are going to be just fine too. Pam, this resin droplet also represents a tear of joy that you are ok and slowly recovering. It is also a tear of joy because I have found my passion again, and I have you to thank. Let there be many more happy tears in our future! Explored on 12/7/18, highest placement, #4.

My walk was very nice today. The weather was sunny and beautiful but not too cold at about 36°F/22°C. The ground had thawed out so it was a normal walk with nothing terribly exciting going on. However, I did stop to appreciate the orchestra of many different birds twittering as they began their day. What a treat. How wonderful to live in this rural slice of heaven. I was born and raised in San Francisco in a nice neighborhood. In fact, our backyard sat on Mount Davidson, the highest point in the city, and a wonderful park for us to play on. There were lots of wildlife to see there, but my dream was to live in the countryside. I wanted to live where there were wide-open fields, farms with every kind of livestock, and nature right outside my door. I was so tired of the fog and wind, the weather that was rarely too hot or cold—I wanted four real seasons! My husband and I met back in 2000 and shared the same dream to move out of the crazy city environment. Our money pooled, we found this rural property on our first visit up to Oregon and it was love at first sight. 26 acres of mixed meadows and oak forest with a hill and ridgeline at the upper end and a magnificent view of the Upper Table Rock out the kitchen window. The house has two stories and more room than anyone could need. SOLD! Living in the countryside really is a dream come true for me. You'd fall asleep if I listed all of the plants and animals that live here or pass through, it's just wonderful! No surprise I found an urgent need to take pictures of what I discovered, so we got a Canon Elph to play with. Soon my passion for photography was born. I've never looked back. Today I'm sharing a macro of a dahlia I photographed in San Francisco. As it turned out, all of the pictures of this blossom had focus problems which prevented me from showing the whole flower. I was disappointed because the petals were so beautiful. Before I gave up in failure, I zoomed in on this picture and BAM. It turned out that I would be able to share the loveliness of the petals after all. I'm not always that lucky, but I was this time! I hope you like this floral abstract too—these flowers have such a delicate beauty. Pam, I hope that this week is going well for you. I think the details of this flower speak of you...gentle and soft, warm and beautiful, and a rareness of quality that is revealed only when the time is taken to look closely. Thinking of you every day my dear! Explored on 12/6/18, highest placement, #2.

(The best impact is full screen against black!) :) It was a good thing I went crazy with my camera yesterday--I took hundreds of frost pictures! I looked out today and though I could tell that it was frosty and cold, it was merely a dusting. Of course that's still beautiful to see but it's not the same as the spiky formations that showed up yesterday. (I'll be posting a picture for HFF, if not sooner! :D) Once I got outside and began my walk, I soon discovered my special present for the day. Tromping along I became aware that my feet were having a conversation with the ground! "CRUNCH - CRUNCHO - CRUNCH?" "CRUNCH! CRUNCHITY - CRUNCH-CRUNCH!" I stopped. So did the conversation. OH MY! I took a step. "CRUNCH!" Eyes wide and grinning, I tried for two. "CRUNCHITY-CRUNCH!" My inner child giggled with joy, "THE GROUND IS TALKING!!" The temperature has been low enough for long enough now that the ground has finally frozen. Have you ever walked on frozen soil or gravel? Did you notice how different it feels and sounds than when it is dry or wet? "CRUNCH - CRUNCH - CRUNCH!" My feet carried on a very animated conversation as we walked along, the ground replying with wise quips of its own. "CRUNCHY - CRUNCHO-CRUNCH!" I passed the time happily listening in and enjoying the crisp, foggy morning. No way would I miss any of the riveting conversation so I left my phone and ear buds sitting unused next to my pile of lap-counting rocks. Little birds in the trees looked down at us and twittered in with their own remarks; far off I heard a pair of Canada Geese honk a retort of their own. To end my walk Steve met me on my last lap for a long, warm hug and "Good morning my love!" It was a wonderful day. Every day I make my rounds to visit, appreciate and comment on newly posted pictures from contacts, I am filled with emotion and I just love that. It's so nice to be able to express these feelings to each person, and what a nice way to say thank you for sharing these image with me! When I returned to ipernity a few weeks back, I was shocked to realize that I had forgotten what this experience was like--that's how far I had sunk into my hole. It's so nice to be back. One of the feelings I love most is inspiration. The other day I visited Christiane and found myself staring at a magical picture of Gingko leaves in shades of autumn gold. "Ohhhh, soooo pretty!!" As I stared dreamily at the leaves, I imagined how they would look as they turned and caught the light, rustling softly in the breeze. A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Why, I took some pictures of Gingko leaves once, didn't i?" Thinking back I remembered. A couple of years ago Steve and I went to a very pretty park about 30 miles/48km away for some fall photography. I wondered if I did anything with the pictures. I immediately dove into my bottomless Photo Drive and located the folder. My jaw hung open. Wow...hundreds and hundreds of pictures and I'd only processed one image. What a bummer! I began scanning through the pictures and ... THERE THEY WERE! GINGKO LEAVES! YAY!!! I could barely contain my excitement at the glowing thumbnails. However, as took a closer look, I discovered to my dismay that one after the next had problems. If it wasn't blurry, the area of focus was wrong, or the dof was too shallow or deep, or the image was too busy, etc. One by one I deleted pictures. As the pile of several dozen soon shrunk to a handful, I worried, "Please let there be just one that came out, oh please, please, please!" And then I landed on this one. This cropped composition was found hiding in an overall busy image, but I was able to find what I saw that day! HOORAY! (99% of my pictures are cropped, as I like to have space available to rotate and choose a composition that isn't set in stone by my original capture) Pam, this picture fills me with joyful imagination. I think of you standing underneath with your shining, smiling face beaming upwards as a stream of beautiful leaves dances down around you. Behold, my Autumn Queen of the Gingko Leaves! *hugs* Explored on 12/5/18, highest placement, #5.

HOLY FROSTBITE, BATMAN, IT'S COLD OUT THERE!!! That was my reaction as I peeked out the window this morning and found a world that was breathtakingly white with frost. I went through my routine as efficiently as I could because I was so excited to get out there. A glance at the thermometer as I stepped onto our porch confirmed my suspicion—at 24°F/-4.5°C it was the coldest morning this fall. Yikes! I shook my tail down the few stairs onto the grass before stopping in my tracks, turning around, and marching back into the house. "On a morning like this, photography comes first!" I grabbed my camera and instantly found my first subjects—the enormous, bright red rose hips just outside. The frost clinging to the star-shaped group of sepals was so cool! From there, I totally lost myself as I escaped into the moment. Frost on nylon mesh, crusted leaves on the ground, on the trees, caught in twigs…teasel and metal and acorns…barbed wire, grass and even sporophytes were covered with crystals. This frost was special, forming lovely little clusters of spikes on every surface it touched. Beautiful candy-sugar also covered anything at ground level. I was in heaven! Still, I was racing against the time. Not from the frost melting too soon but from my ability to withstand the cold. No matter how warmly I dressed, my freezing fingers and toes would eventually force me inside. So I kept moving, clicking away and overwhelmed by the beauty of what I saw. Finally though, I basically had to drag myself back to the house by an ear, kicking and screaming the whole way. "BUT LOOK AT THAT LEAF!" "There will be more frosty days." "BUT THAT FROSTY GRASS!!" "Tomorrow is another day." "THAT FROSTY SPIDER WEB IS LIKE A CRYSTAL NECKLACE!!" "You can't feel your fingers to press the shutter…you are done!" *whimper* Still, I somehow managed to get over 400 pictures while I was out…oh dear, how will I sift through them all?! Today is Macro Monday! And thus, you will see my main idea and a few others as insets. I enjoyed playing with Christmas lights, something I hadn't done for quite some time. Still, I was not quite as inspired as I thought I'd be. I think maybe my results are too obvious. My mind is dancing outside and in the mountains of jewels I've discovered in my archives. Pam, the picture I picked today features a light bulb that glows as brightly as your spirit. I cannot help but think about your strength and determination, such a bold soul who warms anyone lucky enough to receive your warm touch. Thinking about you every day my dear. Explored on 12/4/18, highest placement, #2.

(Looks best large on black, there is also 1 inset) Waking up this morning I couldn't help but think about how dark it was. This time of the year is so odd because if you get up at about 7am like I do, it's almost completely dark! (Medford, Oregon is at latitude: 42.3265° N, 122.8756° W) I suppose I shouldn't complain...our sunrise is at 7:23 right now whereas if you lived in London, it's 7:46! The horror! ) In any event, not turning on lights isn't an option unless I'd like to risk a stubbed toe! I had to laugh as I got ready to go out today. Last night I checked the weather: "The forecast for tomorrow will be a low of 24°F with a high chance of snow." Looking out over our meadow and appreciating the Upper Table Rock which peeked out above a blanket of fog, I could see only a few clouds in the lightening sky. It promised to be a beautiful day. Snow...HAH! (Funny how the forecast was changed to a sunny day the next time I looked!) During my walk today I thought about all the fun I'd been having with my pictures. I've been processing images in my archives with a focus on the magnificent collection of dahlia pictures I took at the Conservatory of Flowers in 2016. The bummer is that most of the pictures have issues which require painstaking processing. If the blossoms aren't covered in flecks of dirt, the backgrounds are a disaster. Plant labels, stakes, watering hoses, crowding flowers...ugh! I'd only processed a few before giving up in dismay...so much work! But the truth is, these flowers are worth the effort. Their beauty is totally outrageous. I got very good focus on most subjects (though I got plenty of garbage shots too). It would be horrible to not take the time to work on these pictures, and finally I'm in the right state of mind to tackle at least a chunk of them. I didn't even SEE this one until I was moving through my images and this flower popped up on the screen. HOLY COW!!! I forgot about the black dahlia!!! I remember the moment I saw it at the Conservatory, so excited I could hardly contain myself. Except...it was so far away!!! The few flowers sat far back from the fencing and I stalked back and forth hoping that somehow I could get closer. There was no way. If I wanted a picture, it was going to be at a distance. Well, at least I'd have pictures, and perhaps they would come out ok, but I didn't think so. The good news is that I had crisp focus and I'd be able to fill my standard canvas size of (short side = 1024 pixels) x (whatever size). The flower didn't need too much dirt removal either, yay! The bad news was … omg...the background. I'm including an inset to show the original picture I took so you can see what I had to work with. The only way I could present this flower would be to replace the background completely. This would mean a bunch of blended texture files to showcase the blossom without being overpowering. This process takes a lot of time. I usually have to stop after a while because I get frustrated with creating the effect that works for me, but eventually I land on something that looks right. When I was done, I sat back and smiled because this rare gem was ready to share with the world. I hope that you like it! Pam, I hope that you had a nice and restful weekend. I hope the weather there isn't too stormy, but I bet it's very cold, just like here. Let's hope that you'll find improvement and more progress in your recovery this coming week. *big hugs* from our chilly home to yours! Explored on 12/3/18, highest placement, #3.

(2 Insets above!) Brrrr...it's really starting to get cold around here! I got up several times during the night to turn up my floor heater which was being very stubborn. It didn't want to budge from 64°F/18°C. I'd turn up the heater with the aim of warming up to about 68°F/20°C. The next time I woke up I'd check the temperature and it would only be one degree warmer, ARGH! Personally I don't mind. In fact, there are few things more wonderful than burrowing under a luxurious pile of blankets. But I do worry about Pumpkin getting chilly. Her cage, which hangs from the ceiling, is covered with towels at night to keep the heat in, and she sleeps in her fleece-lined Happy Hut, AND she's covered with extremely warm down feathers, but I still worry about her feeling the least bit cold. So the heater and I waged war all night long and when my darling little peeper woke me up at 5 till 7am, it was FINALLY sitting at 68°F/20°C. MEH! It was raining this morning but nothing about it was inviting today. Looking out at the murky, steel-grey sky, I made sure to bundle up extra warmly before I went out. The thermometer read 34°F/1°C but it sure felt a lot colder to me. I stretched inside, grabbed my umbrella and went out for my walk. I was pleasantly surprised to find that is was wonderful outside, with autumn smells and a nice pattering of rain on my umbrella. Enjoying my walk up and down our road, I kept track of my laps by moving white pebbles from one rock slab to the other. I couldn't help thinking about yesterday morning's visitor. Guess who stopped by to leave another outrageously RUDE calling card? ON ONE OF MY ROCK SLABS, no less! I stood goggling at what I saw, totally aghast. Just imagine if people did that to one another to establish territory...totally unacceptable! I couldn't stop laughing and as I sent the fox poos flying off into the grass in all directions. "You're a BAD FOX! You're a VERY BAD FOX! And now I'm going to send you into the CORN FIELD!" (I love that episode of the classic Twilight Zone with Billy Mummy and use that quote whenever I can! ) Off I go down the road...and then...why..."IT'S SNOWING!!! IT'S SNOWING!!!!" I began to sing the words and laughed out loud, "IT'S SNOWING! IT'S SNOWING!!!" It was not possible to keep my inner child from giggling, singing and bouncing up and down as we looked out at the world around us. The world had grown quiet now, as the rain turned to snow and fell in fat blobs to melt instantly upon touching the ground. What a wondrous thing to see this remarkable change before my eyes. The temperature was just not cold enough to keep forming snow though. But for a few magical moments, the snow drifted down, changing back and forth from rain to snow and back again. Such a joy. This experience will never get old to me because I was born and raised in San Francisco. For about 40 years of my life I lived in the City and around the Bay Area, where the weather is so consistently...BORING. San Francisco rarely gets very hot or very cold, so I wanted dearly to live in a place with actual seasons. As I felt the rain drops again patter on my umbrella, I smiled with gratefully because I loved experiencing this so much. Today's picture is a lovely flake of manzanita bark glowing in the afternoon sun. I saw this as I was heading back down the Upper Table Rock trail a few weeks back. Have you ever seen manzanita trees before? They have the most wonderful, silky smooth bark, and every year they shed the last year's layer to expose the new layer. The skin flakes off in beautiful curls and fun shapes that are wonderful to see and hold in your hand. (I will include some insets for you to get a better view!) Pam, does manzanita grow where you live? I imagine you hugging your resident trees like I do, sitting in branches from time to time and appreciating their beauty. I bet you would have fun discovering the little clumps of moss that form at the bases sometimes or in the divots that form here and there. These lovely trees would surely put a smile on your face. I hope you are doing well today and I am sending my love and healing energy to you! Explored on 12/2/18, highest placement, #3.

Ok, ok I'll play already!! Happy Fence Friday, SHEESH! I know it's Saturday for all of you eager beavers out there who are so far in front of us slow US tortoises, but from where I'm sitting it's not quite 6pm so my picture counts! :D This picture is part of an unpublished website I created to document the motorcycle trips that Steve and I have been on over the years. The last one we went on was about 2.5 years ago. The five-day trip took us from our home in southern Oregon down through California to San Francisco, south to Santa Cruz, east to Yosemite and north past Reno, Nevada, back into California and north through eastern California and finally back into Oregon past Klamath Falls and home. We went with a good friend who also loves photography and motorcycle touring, so we all had a fabulous time! I took this picture from my position behind Steve on our BMW motorcycle! In fact, I got quite good at capturing the sights as we went along, gathering thousands of images of this trip when all was said and done. I thought this image was a good choice for my HFF submission because it also sums up what it meant to have our friend along with us on this great adventure. It was captured somewhere along the California coast south of Fort Bragg. I really enjoyed revisiting my finished photography from that trip and it makes me wonder if I should go ahead and make the site live. It's basically done. There are journal entries of every day and it's fairly brimming with photography. I never took the final step to make it live because there are a few things that need some work, but the galleries are all there and the writing is done. So maybe I should share it… Pam, I look at this picture and wonder if you've ever been on a motorcycle ride before. It is a very nice experience…you can feel the wind in your hair and smell the land around you. Instead of being boxed in and sealed by a car, you become part of the place that you travel through. We once had a friend who'd never been on a motorcycle before, so Steve gave her a ride over the Bay Bridge into San Francisco…she didn't stop beaming for hours. Maybe someday we will be travelling through your area with our motorcycle and Steve can give you a ride too if you would like! :) This is a joyful thing for me to picture. Hoping you are having a nice Friday!

Wow! How time flies! It's been three weeks since beginning this project for Pam and my life has changed so much for the better. Previously I had retreated into my shell to the point that I wasn't really communicating with anyone at all except my husband. I spent my free time playing a space game called Eve Online, where I became a "Capsuleer" and flew around a universe in my many different space ships. I mined asteroids for ore, I ferried goods across galaxies from station to station, I built ships and explored old relics, breaking codes to get precious cargo. But you see, Eve is a game where other players can actually attack and destroy your ship—and kill your character. I lived in fear when I went out on my adventures because I am not aggressive and just want to have a nice time. Unfortunately, this game is aimed at people who enjoy hunting and killing other players. A great many of them make it their mission to make non-aggressive people's lives miserable if they can. Though I stayed in an area that was generally safe, there are no guarantees, and I was always worried. Once I learned that Pam had come so close to losing her life, it shocked me back to reality. I looked at my life which had become so cold, grey and silent. My creative spirit was gone. The passion that once bubbled within me did not exist. I cared about nothing. I didn't even know who I was anymore, and it didn't matter. I wanted to show Pam that I cared about her, that I was thinking about her. As I mentioned in the first post of this project, I figured the best way to do this would be in the form of a picture along with something fun for her to read. When I realized that meant I'd actually have to pick up my camera, I was like, "NO! I'm not in the mood!" The idea of being creative felt like kryptonite to me. But I knew better and forced myself to do it. I took a picture and posted it, writing a journal entry to finish it off. The ipernity community, my old friends, acquaintances, so many people responded so warmly to welcome me back into the fold. I felt like I'd come home to a place I belonged. The suggestion to create a special Pictures for Pam group was perfect and brought everyone closer with a combined purpose to show Pam how much we care. The transformation back to my bubbly, effervescent self happened so fast that I sometimes question whether or not I'd actually sunk so low beforehand. There really is no question about it though. The important thing is that because of my desire to bring some joy to Pam, I found myself back on ipernity, and then all of you took over. You picked me up, held me high in the air and paraded me around, patting me with encouragement and showing me that I had value. That I was good for something...that I do have talent. I did not lose my ability to take nice pictures or to write well. Just as Pam has said to all of us, the care and genuine sincerity in your comments to me have left me overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I am so thankful—but truly there isn't any way to properly express how much your caring has meant to me. Just know that my life has changed profoundly, and it has everything to do with all of you. *long, warm hugs to each of you* Today I share another leaf! To those of you who are tired of my leaves, I apologize but they are always singing to me and I cannot help but capture them for everyone to see! I found this lovely oak leaf on my walk the other day when I explored our lower forest to see what it looked like now. I'd been concentrating on where my feet were going, as I didn't want to step on anything special. At one point I looked up and BAM! Here's this leaf, cradled by pine needles and right in my face! I burst out with an excited "WOW!! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!" Part of me began to counter the idea since I am forever taking pictures of leaves, but I whacked the thought right out of my mind and wayyyyyy off into the bleachers. "NOOP! I'm taking this picture!" Pam, I hope that this has been a good week for you. I hope you can feel improvement from one week to the next. I hope your vision and energy is improving and I hope that you are comfortable and happy. We love you. Thank you for all that you have done for me...just by being you. Explored on 11/30/18, highest placement, #5.

(1 inset picture) I am asleep and dreaming of some sort of fun adventure when I am slowly awakened by a little whistling chirp. A moment later, I hear another chirp. And then another. My little feather-covered alarm clock knows it's time to get up and peeps at me in the dark. Opening my eyes and reaching for the clock, I cheep affectionately back to her. It's 5 minutes before 7am. Encouraged that I'm responding, Pumpkin cheeps a little bit louder. "Good morning my little chicken dove," I coo, throwing off my covers and walking into the bathroom. Shower turned on, I return to the bedroom and flick on my side light, tie back the curtains and sing to Pumpkin as I uncover her cage. "Good morning little chicken…good morning baby bird…you are my ray of sunshine…although you're quite absurd…" Pumpkin has climbed out of her Happy Hut now--a little fleece-covered tent that hangs from the top of her cage. She's on one of her branch perches, stretching and staring at me with one big eye. "Cheebie-cheebie-cheebie-cheebie…" she responds as I open her door and she steps onto my offered finger. I bring her to my face and cover her with kisses as we go into the bathroom and I deposit her onto the perch in the shower. Soon I'm covered with suds and Pumpkin is laughing at the sounds of the water, whistling her songs while I mimic them back to her. Not a bad way to wake up, eh? After I step out and dry off, I ask her to step up onto my finger. "Oh MY, aren't we extra fluffy and beautiful this morning?!" I admire her lovely clown suit…Pumpkin is a White Bellied Caique and features an orange "hat", yellow "kerchief", white "shirt", green "cape, yellow "pants" and grey "underwear". Holding her up so her beak touches my lips, I close my eyes and whisper a soft little whistling tune to her. Barely before the first note is out, Pumpkin responds with the same little intimate cheebie-tune in return. I can feel her beak moving as she whistles softly at me. It is a precious, special moment that we share and I know that Steve and I are the luckiest "parronts" (parrot + parent) in the world. Pumpkin supervises as I dress and soon we are downstairs in the kitchen. I greet our remaining dog, Molly, with a pat and a "Good morning Mama Dog!" Wagging her tail, she uncurls from her soft fleecy bed in the living room and comes over to sit in the kitchen doorway, watching with great interest as I buzz around. Pumpkin stands on her perch in the kitchen window whistling and laughing to her heart's content while nibbling on a few wheat berries. I whistle back and forth with her while I make espresso, get Molly's breakfast together, prepare Pumpkin's bowl of fruits and veggies, and do a bunch of other things as I do every morning. Soon I have a dog who's eating with gusto and I've had my vitamins and finished my coffee. The final touch of a warm square of bread and a pecan on top of her food, I bring Pumpkin back upstairs with her bowl to her day cage and turn on her music to sing to. Then I'm out the door and off on my walk. Another day has begun at the Brien household! San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers resides in beautiful Golden Gate Park, which stretches three miles (4.8km) from Ocean Beach all the way to the famous 60's hippy era Haight Street. It's about half a mile wide (.8km) and encompasses a bit more than 1,000 acres (412ha). It's about 20% larger than New York's Central Park and features an amazing variety of museums, outside theatres, sporting outlets and of course, acres of picnic areas and gardens. The day that Steve and I visited the magnificent dahlia garden, we parked our car where we could walk and take pictures of some of the remarkable plants on the way. Both of us were instantly lost behind our camera lenses as we found treasure after treasure. One area was full of ferns, accented here and there by masses of gorgeous orange flowers. Looking closer, the blossoms looked similar to freesia but no, they are something else. (Thank you Jenny , for telling me what they are: Montbretia!) I was captivated by the stalks of buds which arced so gracefully with flowers blooming in fragrant beauty at the base. The picture I'm sharing today is my favorite, and you'll see an inset of another which shows an open blossom. Pam, while I was looking at my pictures of Golden Gate plants and flowers, I couldn't help thinking how much fun you'd have if you could see this place. It really is a photographer's playground. It would be fun to stand back and see you lose yourself just as I have, stumbling from one cool thing to the next. And yes, there are butterflies and bees! Thinking warmly of you my dear… Explored on 11/29/18, highest placement, #2.

The weather called for rain today but when I stepped outside it was merely a lovely light drizzle. The cool, damp air, pregnant with autumn's wonderful fragrances, filled my lungs as I stretched and marched out to the driveway. I initially had my umbrella with me but wondered if I actually needed it. Tilting it to the side, I put my hand out to test the amount. Negligible! Umbrella? FIRED! I marched back to our porch, leaned it against the porch wall and returned, enjoying the fine drizzle dancing upon my hair and face. I started down the drive, punching the air in scissor motions in front of me like I always do when I begin my walk. I felt my spine crack as my whole body loosened up. "That sure feels nice," I thought to myself, happy that I'd found a way to stretch and exercise my upper body a little bit while walking. I work out my arms in different ways as I go up and down and it's actually added some muscle to my slight frame. By the time I was half way up the hill of my first lap, the drizzle had gotten heavier. "Uh-oh, I hope I don't end up getting drenched." I high-tailed it up to the house and grabbed the spurned umbrella, popping it open as the drizzle turned into a true rain. In the span of about five minutes it fell increasingly harder until it was fairly pounding on my umbrella as I cowered in delight underneath. Wide eyes matched my Cheshire Cat grin and I was positively giddy with this "Perfect Storm" level of rain! "HOORAY!!" I splashed in the puddles and well, it was bound to happen...I burst out into song! "Singin' in the rain...just singin' in the rain...what a glorious feeling, I'm happpppy again..." I can't ever remember the rest of the words so I have fun filling in the blanks with "doo dee doos" and whatever else sounds nice before repeating the words I know. Down the driveway I went, singing and skipping all the way, splashing in every puddle and twirling my umbrella in joy! Isn't it such fun to let your inner child play at times like this?! :D The rain squall carried on for a while, finally letting up towards the end of my walk. I enjoyed every moment. I did get pretty cold though because my feet were soaked and I was pretty chilled by the time I cooled off from the exercise. I have to say that one of the best feelings in the world is a hot shower when you're chilled to the bone. The delirious sensation of pushing your frosty face into a hot shower is incredible. Deliciously warm water dancing over your hands and feet just feels so, so nice that all I can do is melt under the water and purr. Tingling toes coming back to life, warmth coming back into my hands and arms, I stand there until I begin to feel guilty about all the hot water I've been using. "Can't I just stay here?" I ask out loud, and answer by turning off the water and stepping out. "RUDE!" I snicker in response. It was very nice to be warm again, but gosh I sure had fun playing in the rain today!! :) A few days ago I wandered into our lower forest with my camera to see how things were looking after my long absence. It turned out to be a wonderful little jaunt and I came home with lots of successful shots. At one point I looked down and noticed a wasp gall stuck to an oak leaf. I was about to pass by when I noticed that there was a big hole in it and the entire orb had filled with water. The sky was reflecting in the water, and that shimmer caught my eye. "Oooooohhh!! Look at that!!!" I dropped down onto my knee pads and clicked away, hoping to capture the magic I could see there. What a happy girl I was when I looked at my pictures on the computer and discovered that they turned out! Pam, it would be such fun to wander around with you and see what catches your eye. Photography is such a fun thing to do and you never know what amazing thing will reveal itself to you. I love to think about your glorious critter shots, and wonder what it would be like to watch you do your thing. It makes me smile to think of you in the moment. I hope you had a lovely day and are feeling good today! P.S. If any of you haven't seen this or it's been a while, please be sure to watch Gene Kelly's magical masterpiece Singing in the Rain . Explored on 11/28/18, highest placement, #7.

(3 inset images, the main images looks best at full size!) :) Today I awoke, a feeling of peace blooming out of me and filling the surrounding space. When had I last felt this serenity? I do not remember. Sighing in this blissful state, my day began and soon I was out walking in the cool morning light, the smell of moist, decaying leaves perfuming the air, my breath coming out in lovely dragon puffs as I crunched down the gravel driveway and back up again. Several laps later I was heading down towards our gate when I saw a large shape cross the road. It was a wild turkey! As it trotted into the grass, I noticed that it was the last in a line of the resident flock of bachelor toms who make their rounds in this area. I reached down to turn off my audio book and was suddenly aware of a great noise to the left. I turned and stared, my mouth falling open in surprise. Why, unbeknownst to me, I had been walking past the whole flock! They were alarmed at my fast pace and ran up the hill in an elongated cluster, the dried grass rustling loudly as they pushed their way through. Standing stock still and silent, I hoped they would begin to relax. I said gently in my head, "I mean you no harm…" and the image of the movie Starman flashed in my mind, when Jeff Bridges says this to the terrified Earthling he befriended. I often think about how strange we must seem to the life forms we encounter out in the wilds. I always do my best to be respectful to all that I am fortunate enough to meet. The flock began to slow and relax as I watched them pass by, and finally the last in line passed me too. I strained to listen. Turkeys have a huge vocabulary of sounds they make--the classic alarm call "gobble" is just one. Perhaps my favorite is a quiet purring chirp, an intimate contact call amongst the members. Smiling, I heard it now from a couple of them, and I sighed in pleasure. I stood watching them as they picked their way through the meadow, moving across our road to the meadow on the other side. What beautiful, magnificent birds they are. Turkeys are modern-day dinosaurs to us and my husband and I love them dearly. How lucky we are that we get to see them so often. (Would you like to hear the different sounds that turkeys make? This is a wonderful page with fast-loading, clearly labeled files to enjoy! Wild Turkey Basics: Turkey Sounds Today is Macro Monday 2.0 and the challenge this week is "Shoe". I admit that I wasn't truly inspired by this idea but I did have fun taking pictures of one of my shoes on Saturday. But today I decided to look at my husband's shoes and couldn't resist exploring one of his coolest pairs. Not surprising, I changed my pick to one I did today! You'll see several other images I developed as insets. Pam, I am so delighted to see that you are leaving comments for more and more of your dear friends. This is so nice to see! I hope you are having a wonderful day and feeling better and better. My healing energy is always enroute to you and I hope that you feel it wrapping around you like a big, fluffy blanket of love! Explored on 11/27/18, highest placement, #11.

(best appreciated at full size!) It was another gorgeous day and not so cold. Lately I've been freezing to death for the first half of my walk but today it was very nice. I spent a lot of time listening to my audio book today. Have you ever tried one? Or a podcast? They are a wonderful way to enjoy books and topical subjects when you don't have time or interest to physically read books or articles. No matter what your interest is, there is something for you. (By the way, if you've been curious about these things but need a little bit of guidance, please let me know. I'd be happy to fill you in and help you get set up!) Anyway, I've been listening to Dream Park by Larry Niven. Great concept: think Westworld meets Dungeons & Dragons. Very mediocre execution for the most part, parts are interesting, other bits are positively painful. I'm far enough into it that I'll finish it but it's not worth reading. I think I'll deserve a reward for finishing or perhaps what I really need is a noogie for continuing to slog through this dud! Yesterday I was walking down the drive way and happened upon a round ball of sorts. An Oak Gall , to be precise. Also known as an Oak Apple because of their shape, these fascinating things are created by insects called gall wasps. Wasp larvae inject chemicals onto a stem or leaf, which causes the gall to form around them. As the larvae grows, it eats the gall tissue and eventually emerges as an adult gall wasp. I remember when I first saw one of these. I wondered out loud, "What the heck is it?!" I picked it up and examined it closely, noticing how cool it looked. I find them fascinating and beautiful photography subjects . Oak galls can be many different shades of tan or brown, but are often a splotchy blend which I love. Looking at this gall on the road, I couldn't help seeing the long shadow cast by the sun that had just risen enough to light up the road. "Ohhhhh, the light!!!" Soon I had my camera in hand, and here is my picture of what I saw! Pam, I know you will love this cool thing. It's weird and wonderful, just like us! Well ok, I'm the weird one and you're the wonderful one! :D Anyway, I hope you like it, and I hope you had a nice Sunday! Explored on 11/26/18, highest position, #5.

(This picture also wants to be seen at full size) :) What a difference a day makes! The sky had some clouds when I arose but I could see that it would be a beautiful, sunny day. At one point on my walk I had to stop and look out over the valley towards the Rogue River because of the racket I was hearing. There was a huge flock of Canada Geese flying around the Rogue River and they were making so much noise I could hear them from miles away! I hoped they might fly overhead but instead they landed on the river for a break before setting out on their migration (I'm guessing, anyway). I snickered at the boisterous fuss they made but was also very pleased to hear them. It is so nice to live in a place with so much wildlife! Tromping up and down the driveway, it was fun to think about my friends on ipernity and all the good times I've been having with back-and-forth comments, letters, and the delight of the wealth of awesome photography. ipernity really is such a wonderful community and I feel like a new person these days because of this upward spiral. There are no words to express my gratitude, but I do my best! The past few days I've been taking some time to process some of the pictures I took of the gorgeous dahlias at San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers. There is a total bummer about that photo shoot. When I got home and took a closer look at the images I was horrified to discover that the flowers were FILTHY! I didn't remember seeing this at the time but when the gardens were watered, it was obvious that a lot of dirt particles flew up and hit the blossoms. In fact, most of my tight shots looked like someone had taken a pepper shaker and covered the entire flower with a million black specks. YUCK!!! If I had any thoughts of posting a close-up, it was going to take a lot of work. However, I have finally been in the mood, and these flowers truly deserve the attention. And so, I present to you one of my successful clean-up jobs! What you're looking at may look like a pristine, perfect blossom, but to get to this state took over an hour of dirt removal! Every petal was covered with dots of dirt! What a mess. But truly, the effort was totally worth it because now I can show off this stunning wedding bride of a dahlia! And, it isn't so bad to sit and click away the dirt when I have some nice music to listen to. In fact, I saw a picture on Explore of a henna-painted hand captured magnificently by Boro (Thank your Betty for the proper ID), and the music to accompany the picture was a French artist I'd never heard of... Bernard Lavillier ...and I loved the piece so much I went over to YouTube, queued up a play list and spent the whole time listening to his fabulous music while I cleaned up this picture. What fun. Pam, this beautiful dahlia is only a fraction as lovely as you are, my dear. I hope you enjoy its radiance and maybe it will give you some warm fuzzies to help you on your way to recovery. I am thinking about you all the time! *big hugs* Explored on 11/25/18, highest position, #7 .

(This image is best viewed large!) I woke up this morning to the rain pattering against the windows and popped eagerly out of bed. As I got my day started, I thought to myself, "Oh goody! A walk in the rain will be so nice!" Armed with our huge umbrella, I skipped out the door, stretched on the porch and was soon on my way. Splashing my way down the gravel driveway like Christopher Robin, I sang merrily, "And the rain-rain-rain came down-down-down and washed away the pig-a-let!" (from Winnie the Pooh) The rain drummed enthusiastically on my umbrella and I beamed in response. There's something so wonderful about walking in the rain under a large, protective umbrella. It's like being in your own little world where time seems to stop for a while. I love it so much. As I walked along, I simply could not get enough of the shiny-wet juicy-colored leaves on the ground in a rainbow of colors…bright yellow, orange, rust, red, deep brown, and splotched combinations of any or all colors including bits of green. A stream of water ran down the driveway and the submerged leaves were even more beautiful. Leaf-shaped jewels I mused. So, so pretty. I thought about pictures but rain and cameras don't mix, and trying to coordinate an umbrella and a camera doesn't work either. I wondered if we'd get a break. By the time I was done with my 13 laps, my shoes went from dry to damp to squishing with water at every step, complete with very cold, wet feet! My lower pant legs were soggy too, but I didn't care, it was such a wonderful walk that I didn't dare spoil it with my audio story. I kept an eye out on the weather and was delighted to see my husband doing laps of his own, umbrella overhead and enjoying the experience for himself after I'd told him how nice it was. Eventually it stopped raining for a while and I slipped out with my camera in hand. I thought maybe the light wouldn't be good or the magic would be gone since it wasn't raining anymore, but I would discover I was in luck. In any event, my hope was to take a few pictures and go on my first exploratory adventure off into our lower forest. This is something I hadn't done in quite some time so I was excited to see what I might find out there. I wandered down to the gate, clicking at beautiful leaves I found...then I strained up to see the sporophytes on top of the brick post down at the gate and they were positively dripping with water! I stepped off into the woods and found wasp galls and cool lichen, micro mushrooms and tiny finger-like fungus that I captured. Lots of really neat things to photograph and soon the rain came down again and I made a beeline for home. I was amazed to find that I'd taken over 150 pictures on my little jaunt, how did that happen? Granted, I take many exposures of each subject to give me a better chance at getting one that's good, but that's no guarantee and I'm used to chucking out the majority of my shots, especially when I haven't been taking pictures for a while. To my utter surprise, I discovered that I got very nice images of every single subject I photographed! That never happens!! My biggest surprise was the picture you see today. I was hoping that I'd be able to share an image of the wonderful sporophytes on top of our gate, and what do you know? It happened. But here's the thing. This picture is...SIDEWAYS!! There is moss and sporophytes growing on the side of the brick too, and when I looked at this image I just about fell over, because you never know how a picture will turn out until you look at it on the computer. And though it works in its natural orientation, it wants to be sideways. Crazy! Pam, here is a sporophyte party for you! These guys are having a great time with their chieftain at center stage, fancy hair and all! It's such fun looking for images that I hope you'll like and this macro was a huge treat for me to find for you! FEEL BETTER!!! I'm thinking about you every day! Explored on 11/24/18, highest position, #15.

I can't tell you how happy I am that I started this photography project. I feel like I've woken up from a very long hibernation and now my virtual tail's wagging nonstop and I'm seeing pictures everywhere I look. I no longer spend all of my time playing computer games and instead I'm reacquainting myself with my friends at ipernity, I'm meeting awesome new people, I'm checking out all of your inspiring photography and I'm having a great time letting each of you know how super your pictures are! The wonderful comments and letters I've been getting have made a huge difference to me and I'm feeling so much better about everything these days! I think it would be nice to give everyone a big hug, but since I can't actually do that, I'm doing my best to repay your kindness by letting you know that I appreciate the time you took to post pictures for me to enjoy! Today was the first really rainy day of the season and it was GLORIOUS!! I opened the front door this morning and was hit by the most wonderful autumn perfume!* When rain falls on parched grass, leaves and dirt after months of sizzling heat and drought, the fragrance in the air is intoxicating! I thought to myself, this air is a kind of nature's wine…sweet, rich and subtly complex with a myriad of individual scents that you can easily identify. Mmmmmmm…I stepped out, stretched, and couldn't stop pulling in enormous nose-fulls of air, enjoying every lovely whiff to the utmost. I set off on my walk, nearly dizzy from the deliciousness of the air swirling about me. I thought it would be a great idea to celebrate this day with a picture of something pretty for Pam. I spotted my little friend—a tiny, glistening, ancient mushroom, withered and exhausted after a long life of two weeks. I strained up on my tiptoes to stare at the droplet-laden sporophytes which made their home on top of the brick posts of our gate. It looked like a party up there and I thought it would be lovely to share an image of this. Was I going to be able to get a decent picture? Plenty of other ideas came to mind by the time I finished my walk and grabbed my camera. As it turned out, and even though I had my flash set up, I wasn't happy with my sporophyte or mushroom pictures. They weren't special enough or had focus issues, or they'd take too much work to turn into something I'd be happy with. But on the way down to the gate, something grabbed my attention and I turned to look. OH!! Would you just LOOK at that leaf!! It was caught on the way down to the ground, a sight that I never tire of. Dripping with rain, the oak leaf was painted with a rich and juicy mélange of autumn shades and I knew I'd found something special. At the time, I figured this picture would wait for another day. But as it turns out, this pretty leaf is my star to share. Pam, I was thinking about you as I looked at my subjects today, imagining what you would say, and I wondered how you would photograph them. What fun it would be to take pictures together. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving my dear! *A HUGE THANK YOU to George ( tiabunna ) for letting me know that there is an official term for this: Petrichor ! Explored on 11/23/18, highest position, #11.

Wait a second! That cactus does NOT grow in southern Oregon!* Ok, ok, I did it again...this is another picture I captured outside the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco a couple of years ago. Near the jaw dropping acres of dahlias I mentioned the other day were other displays including some groups of cactus. I have always wanted to take a picture of a flowering cactus so I was over the moon when I found these! Dahlias? I don't need no stinkin' pictures of dahlias! Gimmee some pictures of these prickly pears! I was delighted that a bunch of my images turned out well but this one is my favorite. *actually they can be found in the deserts of Eastern Oregon. I want to extend a huge hug to all of you who left such wonderful comments and favorites for yesterday's teasel leaf. I really wasn't sure if anyone would like it. I showed it to my husband first who loved it but well, he's my husband so I still wasn't sure. Plus, one way a photo is deemed a "success" is if you can recognize it clearly in thumbnail size. In that regard it was a failure, but sometimes you just gotta go with what your heart tells you. And interestingly enough, today was overcast and it's now raining—there was no glowing flag today and who knows when the sun will be out again?! It's going to be stormy for the next week and perhaps that leaf will disintegrate before it has a chance to glow again. I am so pleased that I have it immortalized. :) Pam, I remember thinking about you when I was taking pictures at the Conservatory of Flowers because I know you would appreciate every moment. To be honest, I wish I could show you my fair city in all of its glory, though I've not lived there for many years now. So many incredible sights! I hope you are feeling good today, and please know that you are in my thoughts! :) Explored on 11/22/18, highest position, #4.

My daily walk is more than just exercise to me. By starting the morning with an invigorating march, I energize my spirit for the day and jump-start my body by getting my lymph and blood flowing. These walks are therapeutic and allow me the time to reflect on anything on my mind. They are also a great way to listen to audio books. To top it off, exercise is fun and feels wonderful! Essentially, it's a vital and important start to every day! Stepping out into a frigid 28 degrees morning, frost twinkled at me as I made my first lap down to the gate. I could see that the frosty filigree was back on the metal tubes that form our gate and I leaned in close to appreciate the cool formations scribed by the frozen moisture. I would return with my camera on my next trip down. Time to see if I could capture that lovely frost for Pam to enjoy! However, at the very top of the hill I spied the tall stand of teasel and glanced at them as I walked by. I'd been keeping an eye on one in particular because it kept yelling for attention. At the base of the stalk was a particularly large leaf that put on a show, although it was nothing special at first, sitting in the shadow of the hillside. But once the sun crept over the top, rays of light would hit that leaf and turn it into a glowing golden flag, complete with marvelous texture and shape. I struggled. On the one hand, the artistic side of me said, "Take the picture, it's super cool and amazing!" But the other side of me said, "If I present this image, most people won't have any idea what it is and will not like it!" Every day I saw this leaf and the battle raged on. Finally I decided that this unique and beautiful sight should be immortalized and if people didn't understand it, well, that's just the way it would be. I did take pictures of the frost! But the frost laughed at me and said, "You silly girl. Trying to take a picture of our tiny, delicate lacing without a proper flash or tripod will be an exercise in FAILURE!" LOL, I got a couple of pictures that were blasé passable, but not at all what I had hoped for. I chucked all of the dozens of images. But of the dozen pictures I took of the teasel leaf, four stood out, and here you see the winner. Pam, I hope that you enjoy this natural glowing flag! Like you, it is incredibly special, unique and glows with warmth. I hope that your day is a bright one my dear! *big hugs* Explored on 11/21/2018, highest placement, #17.

NOTE: there are three inset images above! :) I have been having such a great time reacquainting myself with the ipernity community since my return a week ago. It's been so much fun seeing your photography and leaving comments. I am overwhelmed at the positive response I've been getting to my pictures and the warm welcome back from everyone. It's so humbling and touching. The other day I was admiring a beautiful macro of an apple and noticed that it was a submission to an ipernity group called Macro 2.0. I went to see what they were about and thought the group sounded like a lot of fun. I considered. Participating in group projects can be a lot of fun but one must be cautious about getting overwhelmed by joining too many of these activities. However, one group would be fine and this would be a perfect choice because I love macro so much. The new project theme was posted and I mused over the single word, "soft". Hmmm…I had a week to come up with something though I immediately had the perfect idea: I would take pictures of our darling parrot's feathers in various ways and hopefully get one that said "soft" when you looked at it. Feathers are a fascinating thing. Starting as reptile scales, they evolved over millions of years to become the modern-day feather. Nature is truly remarkable, isn't it? It may be hard to believe that feathers started as scales but one look at Pumpkin's big, scaly feet points to the obvious fact: her ancestors were undoubtedly dinosaurs. Every bird is covered with many types of feathers, each with an important job—for example, some are used to help them fly, others offer coat-like waterproofing, and close to their skin are mostly-hidden fluffy down feathers which keep them warm. As soft as they look at a distance, a close-up reveals that every feather is incredibly detailed...and they don't look soft at all! Even the softest down feather is composed of dozens of hookless barbs which have even smaller barbules—these look a little bit like thin pipe-cleaners. (If you would like to learn more, here are two really good resources: Everything You Need To Know About Feathers and Anatomy of a Feather .) This would soon reveal a problem with my idea. Using our nifty macro twin light flash setup, I got lots of well-lit pictures of Pumpkin's fluffiest feathers. The nicest were terrific with crisp detail, bright color and nice background blur. But though the previewed images said positive things they did NOT say "SOFT." Thinking about this, I changed my tactics. I used a shallower depth of field and just a hint of focus which drifted off into bokeh. After adding another bunch of pictures to my memory card, I left my macro setup and hopped on my computer. As I'd already noticed, most of my pictures weren't what I was after. Then I landed on the picture that I picked for today. "Now THAT is what I wanted...SOFT!" I did have another picture that would have worked too, but I think my choice was the right one. I included three inset pictures—one of them is my other choice, and the second one is a crisply detailed image that I really loved. It says "COOL" all over it, but it's in no way a "SOFT" picture! And finally, the third picture isn't a macro at all, but it does say "SOFT" and would you just take a look at our little star?! We do love our darling Pumpkin girl!! Pam, I know you love stuff like this so I hope you get some enjoyment out of my adventures and subsequent images. Here's hoping that you get my packet of love and hugs through the virtual mailbox! Explored on 11/20/18, highest position, #5.