Pictures for Pam

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Every morning I walk up and down our gravel driveway for an hour and 15 minutes to invigorate me and to get my exercise too. I do a lot of thinking while I make my way up and down the 20-30% grade, and lately, I've been thinking about Pam Johnson . We were lucky enough to meet on ipernity years ago and struck up a very warm friendship based on our love of photography, nature and animals. She's hit a rough spot and is working to recover, and I've been sending my healing energy her way. As I've walked up and down, I cannot help but see the lovely terrain of my rural property and every time I see something especially pretty, I think about Pam and wish that she could see the lovely gift presented to me. It struck me...maybe I help both of us at the same time. You see, I've been in a creative black hole for a long time. My first thought of sending Pam a picture was struck down by my lack of interest in lifting a creative finger. But then I thought to myself, "You know...you're never going to get your fire back until you take the first step. And wouldn't it be nice to show that you're thinking about Pam by showing her what made you think of her?" And so it occurred to me that I could create a photography project that would hopefully help us both. This is day one, and I present the image that struck me first: the glowing lanterns from the empty seed pods of a weed. I especially love to find sights like this, which show the beauty of an otherwise dreary landscape. All you need to do is open your eyes and see the brown, dead fields in a new way. Suddenly the number of wonderful images burst forth, and you have the joy of seeing them all, where you were blind to them just a moment before. I hope that you like the pictures I'll be posting for you, Pam! And at the same time, let us hope that I will rekindle my love of photography again, finding the beauty in things missed by most. :) *big hugs from your friend in Oregon*

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- I began my day with an unfamiliar lightness of heart, and a grin tugging at the sides of my mouth as I stepped outside into the biting cold of this lovely sunny day. I'd bundled up in my bedraggled but favorite blue sweater, knitted brown scarf and its matching scarf, but decided on a heavier pair of gloves today. It was time for my thicker, soft black suede ones to replace the lighter duty nylon ones I'd been wearing to this point. Looking at the thermometer I cringed..."26.5 degrees?! WOW!" I thought it was interesting that I'd donned my heavier gloves without knowing just how cold it was today. The temperature had been inching downwards in the past week and it was definitely getting quite cold. In fact, I've been needing a warm shower to warm up after my walks, because no matter how much heat I'd generated during my brisk 1.25 hr walk, my extremities could not keep up with the frigid temperatures. That's cold. I stretched my legs for a few minutes and then headed down the drive, taking a look at my pile of white rocks as I passed by. To keep track of my "laps", I have 13 little white pebbles that I move from one large stone slab to another as I progress. I learned long ago that I am apt to forget the exact number because my mind is distracted by my thoughts or by the story or podcast that I am listening to. With my pebbles, I am free to let my mind wander without needing to wonder about the number of laps I have walked. Making my way down our uneven, gravel road that leads to a chain-locked metal gate, the road beyond ferries an infrequent stream of vehicles back and forth from the secluded hills beyond to the small but growing towns of Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland and White City. I hate the noise of the cars and trucks, but though there is more traffic now than when we first moved here about 10 years ago, it's still very tolerable and not a constant din by any means. I noticed that there wasn't much frost today despite the cold, which I thought was interesting, since it's been quite frosty on previous days. My breath filled the air with clouds of dragon's vapor as I trooped down to turn-round at the gate and head back up the hill. Thoughts of Pam filled my mind and I hoped that she was doing ok. I smiled again from ear to ear this time, filled with the effervescent delight of an excited child. My eyes had snapped open once again and as I had hoped, my plan was working--and so quickly too! By picking up my camera again, and taking pictures of images that made me want to share them with my friend, I'd awakened my creative eye again. Suddenly I was thinking about light and shadow, contrast and shapes, interesting sights that invariably showed themselves to me like beacons amidst the drab, dry scenery around me. Yesterday's photo turned out as I'd hoped and I was tickled that, even though I hadn't taken pictures for quite some time, my abilities were truly like that of riding a bike. How fortunate I am to be able to pick up my camera and take pictures that please me, even after a long break! :) After a few laps, I approached our gate and I noticed some lines on the metal. Looking very closely, I could see a very fine filigree of frost, so delicate that the mere touch of the sun would melt this beautiful etching. I exclaimed out lout how lovely and unusual this subtle frost was, and thought about trying to get a picture. I could see that the sun was making its way upwards and rays of brilliant light were about to touch the gate. Yes, I would get my camera, but no, I doubted I would get that picture, even if I ran all the way up to the house and back. That special sight would likely be just for my eyes today, but I was so grateful that I noticed, for the memory of that delicate filigree would stay with me. Grabbing my camera at the end of my lap, I returned to the gate, but I could see halfway down the hill that the sun had indeed lit up the slate-grey pipes and I would not see any frost there when I arrived. No matter--because I believe that things are meant to be, and it was for me to have my camera with me, but frost on the gate was not my subject for the day. I did confirm what I already knew--the perfectly dry gate hid any signs that a fairy's wand had touched the bars in the early hours. Heading up the hill, camera in hand now, I opened my eyes with the alertness of a hunting cat. I looked for that sparkle of light, a silhouette that caught my eye, the magic of early sunbeams passing through the leaves and casting warm light upon everything it touched. I saw a few leaves that got my attention, but gazing through my camera lens, could see they were not quite right. Then I saw a leaf suspended on some weeds, and though it was not lit up by the sun, I knew that if I walked around off the road and to the other side, that leaf might very well explode into an image of nature's stained glass. My face beamed as I made my way around, and sunk down to take the picture that you see here. As luck--or meant-to-be--would have it, that leaf was suspended on weeds that were just far away enough from the grass and weeds nearby to give me the most gorgeous bokeh in the background. Lovely separation without any need to remove anything from the background! In fact, this image is about 99% Straight Out of the Camera! How lucky is that?! :) Pam, I hope that you like your picture today, it was a wonderful find and because of you, I have once again found my light. Loving you muchly and thinking of you so frequently! May this day find you feeling better than the day before my dear! Explored on 11/10/18, highest placement #54.

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- A heaviness of heart greeted me this morning and the familiar disinterest in doing anything swirled about me, pulling me down into the usual gloom of the past months. Wrestling with this specter, I shrugged my shoulders in determination to overcome my low spirits. And so I got ready for my daily walk like usual, but today I really piled on the garments, annoyed by the cold that continued to bite into me every day now. Tee-shirt topped by thermal long-sleeve, then my very warm, fluffy sweater and of course my trusty, pill-covered blue fleece. The final touch of gloves, scarf, and hat, sweaters zipped up tight, conjured thoughts of "A Christmas Story"…perhaps I wasn't so armored that I would fall over like little Randy, but the amusing image forced me to crack a grin. Progress. I stepped out the door. I was met by a bracing wind today which totally surprised me. Our mornings are almost invariably still until the sun was quite high in the sky and I wondered what this tree-rattling weather meant for the days ahead. Though it was nearly 34 today and warmer by 8 very discernable degrees, the gusting wind laughed at me with a knowledge that it would feel even colder. So it did, but happily, my bundling had worked and I was quite comfortable for once! In fact, I actually grew so warm after a few laps that I was forced to remove my hat, scarf, blue sweater AND my gloves! What a change!! Thank goodness, because I was really tired of returning home with ice-cubes for feet, face, hands and leg surfaces. Tackling my low spirits took some doing and as you must know, it's very hard to be creative when feeling down. But as I walked, I forced myself to look for things that Pam might like. My blue mood had me questioning everything. "I have taken pictures of everything I see a thousand times. I've posted pictures of this, that and those things too. Nobody cares about my stupid pictures. I'm wasting my time." On and on it went…and I just kept looking and tossing my negative feelings aside as I was able. Heading into my fourth lap, I bent down and neatly placed a white pebble on the other rock slab, arranging it in a growing line of stones while the pile of rocks on the other side slowly diminished. Next to the rock slabs was my smart phone and headphones and I picked them up. I love to occupy my walks with a podcast or story, it's such a nice way to experience a book or radio show. It also passes the time nicely, distracting me from the relentless drudgery of walking up and down my driveway a baker's dozen every day. Turning to continue my walk, I returned to the Larry Niven story, "Dream Park," and was quickly immersed in the clever Westworld-like yarn. I noticed that my mood was improving, and I was able to finally see some things that Pam might think were cool. Noticing a familiar rust-colored weed that stood bracing itself against the wind, I was reminded of what I used to call it, "Indian Tobacco." I now know that it's actually called "Curly Dock," but it's hard to remember after a lifetime of calling it something else. Without stopping to look closer, I knew this would make a very nice picture for Pam to see! When I was finished with my walk, I got my camera and made my way back to the Curly Dock. It was a good choice for today because, despite the wind, I knew I'd be able to get some good macros. The stalk is fairly rigid and I'd surely get some shots in between the gusts. At a glance, Curly Dock is an unusual, interesting plant with its deep ruddy color and texture. However, the visual prize of this plant can only be seen at a nose-close distance, and so I busied myself taking many pictures to ensure that at least one would come out crisp and detailed. Experience has taught me that wind and even just a badly-timed breeze will ruin your pictures, so it's best to take lots at various distances, apertures and angles. In the end, I tossed about 15 duds, saved a few, but the image I'm sharing for Pam was just what I was hoping for! Detail, clarity and good lighting show off Curly Dock's wonderful clusters of seed-and-calyx. Aren't they wonderful to see? :) Pam, I know you will appreciate this image of tiny treasures, and wouldn't it be fun to be momentarily very small so that we could gaze up at these lovely forms, hand-in-hand and staring transfixed? Nature brims with countless wonderful sights like this and I'm so glad that you love these hidden treats as much as I do! Feel better soon! :) Explored on 11/12/18, highest position: #29

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Yesterday began with a rough start but this morning I was happy and looking forward to my day. Just above freezing and without the odd, icy wind, I didn't bother with a second sweater and was perfectly comfortable as I stepped out into the crisp gleaming sunlight. Pausing to stretch my calves and thighs, I noticed that my neat line of little white rocks had been pushed around—perhaps by an investigative nose or beak of some sort? I had my suspicions. The most likely was mulled over in my mind while I put the displaced pebbles back on the slab with the others. Striding down our gravel road, I was soon met by the suspected critter's calling card on the drive, exactly in my path. I wrinkled my nose and stared down at the small but offensive pile. Our rural property is home to a huge variety of wildlife and one of them is a very rude—in my opinion, anyway—fox. This guy—or gal?—is bound and determined to make it known that this territory belongs to HIM and I'd better not forget it! Since I don't seem to be getting the memo, nearly every day I am faced with yet another present along my path. Mumbling amusedly under my breath, I returned the joust with one of my own. Clearly aiming for a message of "I have no respect for you!" I gave the old heave-ho to the strategically-placed berry-filled dropping with a side-of-the-shoe fling and sent the poo flying into the weeds. Sheesh. I shook my head and grinned at the reality: I have been arguing over property rights—with a FOX—for nearly 10 years now!! How ridiculous and wonderful! I couldn't help thinking about the most outrageous message left for me just a few days before. My husband walks laps on our driveway too, and just for fun, he picks up colorful rocks and tosses them in a pile next to my rock slabs. I will often change out some of my pebbles with a few he has found on his walks, but I only need 13 stones so his growing pile of many dozen sits mostly unused but appreciated. The other day I went to put a pebble in place and suddenly goggled at what I saw. The fox had left its dropping DIRECTLY ON TOP of Steve's pile of rocks!!! I spluttered! I gasped! I may have even yelled an expletive or two in disbelieving amazement! Why, that was the most blatant "F_ _ _ YOU!!" that I'd ever seen a wild animal direct at me. Or…I wondered…could it have been left for Steve specifically? After all, that pile of rocks smelled of Steve, not me. The fox merely nosed my pebbles, choosing to leave its usual present on the road for me. And also, Steve only just recently began walking up and down the drive, so perhaps the fox was trying to say, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! BEGONE!" Who knows. I decided that the best thing to do would be to just remove the message and ignore my mad desire to hunt the devil down and throttle it vigorously before letting it go with a warning of my own, "CUT IT OUT YOU DISRESPECTFUL CURR!" Turning my thoughts to my dear friend Pam, I figured she'd enjoy this tale because she has wildlife tales of her own to share. I was pleased that I already knew the picture I'd be taking for her today so after my walk, I grabbed my camera, walked up the hill beyond our house. I came to a stop at the dried army of teasel which began its formation where I stood and marched in a thick column down to our big meadow. What a formidable sight and wonderful to appreciate from seed to dried stalk, at all times of year and in any weather. Teasel never disappoints and is an outstanding photography subject for beginner and advanced alike. I had a classic image in mind, showing off several beauties with the sun behind to make them glow. Moving around here and there, I looked for background elements at the right distance to create just the right effect. Not sure of exactly what would look best, I took a couple of dozen images with various apertures and different cropping potentials. In the end, one of the first choices turned out to be my pick and not the close-ups of three I'd expected. My choice shows a hint of the massive number of teasel along with a foreground trio, and a background which shows the colorful autumn colors blended with teasel and oak bokeh. It was a wonderful surprise when I cropped this image down to size and was presented by this delightful view. I was reminded of the joy of capturing an image that I didn't consider as an outcome and was so happy I was lucky enough to get it! Hoping your day is a nice one, Pam, and know that you are in my thoughts with warm wishes headed your way in a stream of healing and affectionate virtual hugs. Explored on 11/13/18, highest placement: #36.

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Waking up with a virtual wagging tail, my mind was brimming with wonderful ideas on how I would spend my day. Foremostly, I had a super notion for my image today—which would actually be a collage when I was done. However, my plan was cut short when I realized that what I'd hoped to do wasn't going to happen today. You see, I thought that it would be a grand adventure to walk to the tops of our nearby natural monuments, the Upper and Lower Table Rocks, and take pictures of highlights to share with Pam. Unfortunately I need to stay on the property because we have a package being delivered and I need to be here when it arrives…which could be anywhere from now until 8pm. Blast and drat it all! One of my worst faults is impatience and when a roadblock is thrown in front of my happy agenda I get extremely and unfairly frustrated and annoyed. But I thought to myself, now is always a good time to work on flaws, so I sighed inwardly and admitted that my plan would work just as nicely tomorrow as it would today. Why do I always need instant gratification? Why am I so pushy and rude about needing to have my way? How is it that I can be so patient and understanding in some situations, and yet such an unreasonable, tempestuous brat in others? I've been travelling on a road of introspection as of late and doing my best to work on parts of me that could use improvement. Tomorrow is indeed another day and my upcoming hikes will be something to look forward to! I do love the joy of anticipating something fun on the horizon, so working on my impatience has become its own reward. That's kind of cool, isn't it? With that in mind, my picture for the day was instantly upon me. I went upstairs to get my husband's camera, which usually has the 17-40 wide-angle mounted, as much his favorite lens as my 100mm is to me. I figured I'd swap lenses but then thought better of it. Steve finally got a new camera a year ago, as he was sorely in need of an upgrade to his aged Canon 5D (aka Mk 1). When I graduated from my beloved point-and-shoot super-zoom Canon SX30IS, we leapfrogged to the Canon 5D MkII, a camera which allowed me to fully blossom as a photographer. Steve got a Canon 5D MkIII, and I've got to admit that it's an amazing camera and outshines mine in every way. Still, I prefer to use "my" camera, so I haven't given the MkIII the workout that it truly deserves. Today though, I decided to leave the 17-40 on his camera and took it downstairs and out onto the back deck. If I can't take pictures of my hike up the Table Rocks, why not take a picture of one of them from our back deck?! We are blessed with a stunning view of the Upper Table Rock and a glimpse of the Lower Table Rock too, and I have taken a myriad pictures of this view over the years. It really is a sight that never grows old. So, a few clicks later, I had a picture that you see now! Pam, today is another day to rest and recuperate. I do hope that each day is better than the last. Feel better soon my friend…my thoughts are with you! Explored on 11/14/18, highest placement, #56.

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Well, as you can see, this image isn't the collage I planned on! In fact, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that it's from my phone! I did touch it up in Photoshop but I have to admit that the pictures I get from my Samsung are really quite nice, so I thought, "Why not post this picture for today?" I was really running late and it was obvious that a collage wasn't going to happen at this rate. It occurred to me…wait a second. Yesterday's picture was a view of the Upper Table Rock from our back deck, so why not post a picture from the top for today?! Who needs a collage anyway?!!! :D So here we are! I do want to add though, that my hike up the Upper Table Rock was just as wonderful as I knew it would be. I took Steve's camera with my 100mm macro lens, and had a lovely time taking pictures as I went. I really did try to restrain myself, I did! However, I ended up with over 50 "keepers" after chucking duds and extras. Trying to choose about ten of them for my collage turned out to be troublesome at best, and so I decided to abandon the idea. I plan to post some of the nicer ones in the days to come. This will also solve my problem of finding interesting subjects on my property. Of course they are everywhere but I've burned myself out to some extent (to subject matter on our property) and being able to use pictures I've captured on my trip up the Upper Table Rock trail will make me a very happy girl! Plus, there are lots of cool images and they deserve to be seen alone and not in a collage! :) I'm cutting my usual bloggish diatribe short because I would like to post this picture before it's ridiculously late, and I'd like to spend some time visiting everyone who has taken the time to leave comment on my picrtures! Thank you all!! :) Explored on 11/15/18, highest placement, #62.

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Yesterday's hike to the top of the Upper Table Rock was great fun, partly because I took my husband's Canon 5D Mark III with me! I told myself to be reasonable with the pictures, but you know how it is…"OHHHH LOOK AT THAT!!!" A moment later, "OOOOOOOOH!!! HOW BEAUTIFUL!!!" And so I made my way up to the top, clicking away and immersing myself in the bliss of photography and appreciating the world around me through the lens of my camera. Do you feel as I do? That your camera is like an extension of yourself? I am so very thankful that I enacted my idea to take pictures for Pam to enjoy. After such a very long time, my unquenchable passion for photography has finally been reawakened. What a priceless gift. I truly did not know if I would come back to life again…I'd tried over and over again to reignite my inner flame, but it always sputtered out. Now we're cookin' with GAS!! :D By the time I got up to the top of the trail, I'd captured over 100 pictures, slightly embarrassed at my lack of control, but pleased that I was having such fun. I walked out from the shady oak forest and onto the brightly lit mesa, adjusting to the full sunlight with a big smile on my face. It's so cool up here! Covered with volcanic rocks everywhere, a prairie covers the top of this flat plain and makes a home to a myriad critters including a rare shrimp that completes its lifecycle every spring. A few moments later I was at the edge which looks out majestically over the lovely Rogue Valley. What a sight to see! I was perplexed at the haze in the air because I thought the forest fires in southern Oregon were pretty much out. Obviously I was wrong, I sighed. Snickering to myself, I peered through my camera's lens knowing what I would see. Hardly anything of course! That's because my 100mm macro lens is NOT wide-angle, and if I actually hoped to get an image of this view, it wouldn't be with this camera. Awww, poor I00mm…I do use it for everything but there's just no pretending with a huge view like this. So I pulled out my Samsung smartphone and took some pictures, including a corny selfie for my husband, which I sent to him as I always do when I hike up the Table Rocks. I wandered back along the mesa, taking some time to crawl around looking for some sporophytes to photograph or other nifty macro subjects. Drat--I'd neglected to bring my knee pads. Oh well! I did prepare myself with the likelihood that any macro shots would probably be blurry. Hand-held macros are something I'm pretty good at but I hadn't practiced. This meant almost certain failure, as macro photography is totally unforgiving. It takes patience and the willingness to make sets of various apertures and distances to ensure at least one good picture of a given subject will be a keeper. I wasn't in the mood. So I took a few pictures but didn't expect anything useable. I confirmed later that I got close with a few images but none of them were worthy of seeing the light of day. Deee-leeet! My hike down the trail yielded another few dozen pictures to be excited about. What a great day! How wonderful to be back in the game again! I looked forward to getting home to see how many turned out. Looking through my pictures on my computer, I was extremely pleased to find that the majority of my images were "keepers." It really does blow me away how much our photography skills mimic abilities such as driving a car…even though you may not have done it for a while, the skills come right back and merely need a brush-up to get back to where you left off! GROOVY!!! :D Working through the pile of images, I cropped each "keeper" into a pleasing composition in Canon's Camera Raw, chucking duds or unfavorable duplicates and after a while I looked up at the clock and realized I wasn't going to have time to create the collage I'd planned on. The Samsung snapshot came to mind which I quickly copied over and made it my picture for yesterday. The rest of the images I kept could be doled out over the coming days and weeks if I chose. It was a better plan. Today I sat down and opened up Adobe Bridge. I already knew the picture I would post for Pam to see! I remember walking up the sun-dappled trail and seeing a brilliant flash of yellow catch my eye. Coming closer with my camera, I found this lovely leaf glowing on its branch, with an added bonus of lovely spiderwebs to give it extra character. Talk about a winner of a leaf!! Hooray! Pam, I hope that you enjoy this beautiful treasure from the Upper Table Rock trail…it is as rich and warm as you are my dear! Feel better and take the glow of this beautiful leaf into your heart! :) Explored on 11/14/18, highest placement, #18.

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Yesterday's blog was full of what I'd done the day before and so I didn't mention what I actually did yesterday! I hiked to the top of the LOWER Table Rock trail! I originally planned to hike both the Upper and Lower Table Rock trails in one day but I realized on the way up the Upper that it was too much to expect that I do both trails AND take pictures too. So I axed the Lower and figured I'd do it the next day if I was up to it. As it turned out, I was! :D I also didn't bring my camera since I'd taken so many pictures the day before. Better to come back another time for that. However, as we all know, the time that you don't bring your camera is the time you see something incredible but you don't have a camera! As I was about one quarter of the way up I encountered the most adorable and fluffy grey squirrel, which was very close to me and spent a lot of time low in a nearby tree. I just stood and enjoyed the moments before I finally walked on. Yeah, I could have pulled out my phone but I didn't feel like it. What a great experience that was!! This morning I was greeted with frost on the ground which twinkled up at me as I walked up and down our drive, listening to my Niven audio story, "Dream Park.". The sun soon melted what little frost there was, as it was just at freezing, but I loved seeing the tiny crystals on the leaves, grass, and our cars. While I trooped along, I also thought about the past few days. With the help of Peggy C, I started up a new ipernity group, Pictures for Pam. Heidiho suggested the idea, and thus our new group is a reality! It has become quite an instant success and the crowning prize is that Pam is having a wonderful time looking at all of the pictures that we've been submitting. I hope our combined virtual hug will give her an extra push towards recovery! Today's picture features a group of lovely little wild honeysuckle berries at the end of their show. In truth I was a bit surprised that the picture turned out at all because the two attempts I made were really just quick clicks without much care. I'd been heading back down the Upper Table Rock trail when I saw a flash of something red as I went by. I stopped and returned to the spot…oh! Berries! Neato! At that point I was ready to be done so snapped a couple of pictures and called it a day. Well, what a nice treat when I went through the images and found that one of them was actually nice enough that I am posting it today! Pam, I know that you love and appreciate pictures of things that may not be in perfect condition, but still deserve an appreciative stare. These berries are on their way out but that very quality adds to their interest with some cool texture and notable areas to look at! Here's hoping for a nice day and plenty of rest! All my best!!

Please see our new group, Pictures for Pam , we would love to have you! You may read the latest news of Pam`s recoverery here (11/9/18): www.ipernity.com/home/christine.bentley ------------------------- Put on the brakes!! Where did THAT flower come from?!! Ok, ok, I admit it—this lovely Dahlia was most certainly not growing along the Upper Table Rock Trail. Granted, there are flowers to be found here which rival this one's beauty, but last time I checked it was late autumn, not springtime when endless wildflowers have exploded into bloom. No, this beauty was photographed over two years ago when Steve and I went down to San Francisco to visit my ailing father. We'd decided to bring our cameras with the idea of taking pictures at some point to get our minds off our worries. Specifically, I wanted to go to Golden Gate Park which is full of wonderful plants and flowers, including the beautiful Conservatory of Flowers. Funny enough, I haven't been inside since I was a kid. It's not free to enter and why bother? The acres surrounding the building are lavishly planted with outrageous displays of ornamental plants and blooms everywhere. Most specific of all, they have a jaw-dropping Dahlia garden that I visited once with my previous camera and I had hopes of updating my pictures with higher quality images from my Canon 5D Mk II. As it turned out, Steve and I did get about two hours to explore one day and had a marvelous time filling our memory cards with countless images. I got my wish and came home with so many Dahlia pictures that attempts to browse the hundreds of pictures have often ended in overwhelmed horror! Still, I have been able to work on a few photos. Last night I stumbled across the images I'd finished and my jaw dropped in amazement—why hadn't I done anything with them?!! I thought, "You know, Pam would adore these…let's share some!" I hope this picture pleases you Pam! I have a veritable truckload that I need to clean up but I have you to thank for making my inner tail wag again and I've already finished a few more! Hurray! Explored on 11/18/18, highest position, #11.

I didn't plan on taking any more pictures as I made my way back down the Upper Table Rock trail the other day. I'd already overdone it and the last thing I needed to do was burn out my newly rekindled passion for photography. Of course if I saw something that really got my attention, an exception was in order (The red honeysuckle berries I posted were a good example!). Have you ever noticed that once you begin to notice photographic subjects, it's really hard to turn this sense off? As I walked along the meandering dirt trail, subjects flashed by trying to get my attention. Countless glowing leaves, interesting bark, trees, branches, plants, moss… This can be a bit maddening and it's exhausting to process the flow of information, continuing to say, "No, I have enough pictures. I can appreciate this for myself but no more photos." Another flash got my attention and the unfamiliar shape turned my head and stopped me in my tracks. I peered closer…what was I seeing? Why, it looked like a tiny Japanese lantern! Approaching to get a better look, I could see warm rays of light illuminating a pair of poison oak leaves which had dried up facing one another, creating the lovely and unique effect. Ok, now THIS was something worth taking a picture of. In the many years that I've been exploring the woods on our property and here as well, I've never seen anything like this before. I made sure to include the important clue which helped me to identify what I was looking at: a remaining poison oak berry which makes these leaves instantly recognizable. Pam, I hope that you have had a very nice Sunday! It was very cold but beautiful this morning and the sunshine warmed the day considerably as the hours passed by. I took pictures for the Macro Monday 2.0 challenge and had a really nice time figuring out which would be best to post! Hope you're doing well my dear!

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.

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.

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.

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.

(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.

(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 .

(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.

(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.