The Cormorant, the Dragonfly, and the Bee: 2020

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Candle Power

It's time for some photographs of Hanukkah candles on the Menorah.

All are taken hand-held with my 60mm macro lens.

Enjoy!

Candle(s) 1

Candle(s) 2

Candle(s) 3

Candle(s) 4

Candle(s) 5

Candle(s) 6

Candle(s) 7

Saturday, December 12, 2020

It caught my attention when I saw late day sun streaming in through a window lighting up mist expelling from a humidifier. The mist made some pleasant patterns in the air. I tried to capture some of that with my camera. These are taken with my 60mm lens. See the results below.

I was initially surprised when first viewing these photos that I could see distinct points of water visible within the mist. They are not normally noticeable to the naked eye. Perhaps this is due, in part, to the camera's relatively fast shutter speed of 1/1200 to 1/1600 second that I used to create these photos.

Spirits

Face in the Mist

Tresses

Friday, October 9, 2020

October Leaves

In this post I've included foliage views seen during the same walk discussed in my previous post. I did not expect to see a lot of leaf color yet, as these photos were taken on October 1, and this turned out to be mostly true. However, the nice thing about foliage is that, sort of like micro-climates, there seem to always be rotating pockets of leaf color throughout the fall season. It's just a matter of where one looks.

Here is some of the color I found on that day!

Dancing Blues

Leaves Down 1

Leaves Down 2

High Flying Foliage

Foliage Fun

Deciduous Before Evergreen

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Great Blue

On a recent walk around the Ashland Reservoir, I came across a great blue heron standing tall on a rock. I've seen great blue heron's at the reservoir before, however past encounters were from large distances, and often only when the bird was in flight, and so the moments were short-lived.

On this occasion, the bird was still and quiet. As I walked closer to it along the shoreline, I was happy to see that my footsteps did not bother it. So much so, that I was able to sit down and change to my telephoto lens, and despite the delay, the bird hadn't moved at all. I was able to capture a few photos, and would have captured several more except that someone else came along the path with a dog that barked loudly and made some moves in the direction of the bird. Naturally, the great blue heron flew off, something it does majestically since it has a six foot wing span. I love dogs, but not that one:) The owner apologized to me; she'd not even seen the bird herself. I was upset with her dog, but I held my tongue, keeping my opinions to myself.

Because of my position behind some shore trees, the bird was completely hidden from my view when it flew off, so I was unable to get any photos of this dramatic bird in flight. I am comforted only by the fact that, even if I had a clear view, catching good photos of birds in flight is not something I've ever had much success with. Evidently, this was not to be my day to improve on my "in focus birds in flight" ratio.😞

Watchful Bird

Over the Shoulder Gaze

Portal to Great Blue

Here is the same photo cropped closer.

Great Blue in the Sun

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Halibut Point

Deb and I took a day trip to one of our most favorite spots: Halibut Point State Park, in Rockport, MA.

We think Halibut Pt. is a real treasure. A quarry lies next to the ocean here, and while the water filled quarry itself is calming to look at, the rocky shoreline is uniquely special. We sat on the rocks for our lunch and were mesmerized by the ocean waves creating frothy crashes.

Into The Depths

Splish Splash

Rockport Northern Tip

Water Dance

Frothy Shore

Water Line

Bumpy Ride

This next shot looks as though it was taken with me leaning precariously over a high ledge, but that is only an illusion. I have a fear of heights and felt quite safe while taking this photo:

Fear of Heights Be Gone

Here's Deb putting her feet into the Atlantic Ocean, and feeling gloriously happy doing it. Deb found this to be thrilling: watching the big waves come in and not knowing how high they would go, or how strong they would be. But it felt like a relatively safe risk because she felt her footing was secure and the rocks not too slippery. She's also a great swimmer (but Deb didn't know if that would make a difference in this rocky environment).

Surf's Up

Here's Deb adding a rock atop one of the cairns in this display created by the many visitors. We wondered how long these cairns stay the same, or if stormy waves could reach this spot and unsettle them.

Artist Addition

Quiet Quarry

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Daily Constitutional

In an effort to keep healthy, and to maintain my general spirit and sense of well-being, I go for walks. Lately, I've been walking almost every day.

In these days of Covid-19, it is sometimes challenging, but necessary, to attempt to vary one's habit at least a bit. I keep trying to find new walks from home, or variations on the same walk, and today was no different.

In this case I literally took "the high road" on part of a walk that I usually take the "low road" on. I rather liked the high road perspective, and it is likely I'll keep the new route for a while.

I had my phone with me and thought I'd blog a few cell photos. These are hardly breathtaking spectacular photos; they're a few quick snapshots of everyday scenery.

This is one end of the local high school football (and track) field. I did see a few runners getting in their laps; none when this picture was taken.

One Thru Six

Standing Tall

In the past, I've walked the just visible "low road" along the dirt diagonal path seen in the lower left-ish portion of this photo.

"Five Man" Football Sled

I was pleasantly surprised to come across this creation adjacent to a tombstone in the graveyard.

Gravestone Accessory

I don't know how many times I've walked here without ever noticing this sign! From all appearances, it is a genuine sign and likely to remain in place for many years. It is in the town-owned cemetery, and so, evidently, they can take some liberties with signage, as it's not on a public road.

Extremely Clear Signage

Graveyard Sky

All aboard the magic bus! I'm not sure if this vehicle can still travel; it looks like it's been sitting awhile. The destination reads "Il Futuro Nasce!" ... Italian for "The Future is Born!" It has "camper" license plates and is as large as a full size bus. Great color!

Magic Bus

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Garden Life

As spring winds down and summer is about to begin, I find my eye drawn to our garden's roses.

This is a "Fourth of July" rose, but we prefer to call it an "Anniversary" rose, because our wedding anniversary is in early July.

Anniversary Flair

This is a Jacob's coat rose:

Orange Joy

More "Anniversary" roses:

Top Down Anniversary

Squiggles

A bee enjoying some Baptisia:

Nosing In

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Poppy Splash

Poppies have remarkably large delicate paper-thin petals and complex centers; they burst with vibrant color.

Here's the center of an orange poppy:

Center Ring

Even closer:

This Way and That

Here's a red poppy:

Whole Poppy

Up close and personal:

Busy Circle

Friday, June 12, 2020

Animal Appreciation

Here are three animals in four photos for your enjoyment.

These first two images are of a very tiny spider I saw spinning a web and waiting patiently for prey on the railing of our deck. These are taken with my macro lens. I estimate its body is between 1/8" and 1/4" in length!

Tiny Spider 1

Tiny Spider 2

Here's a much much larger animal. This is Max, a neighbor's dog. He behaves like a human in a dog's body. He always "talks" to us when we visit with him. He vocalizes talking sounds without barking. He's one of the coolest dogs ever.

This is taken with my 12-40mm lens.

Max

We've been seeing a lot of rabbits lately. The old adage suggesting they multiply quickly seems a truism. Here's one grazing in our backyard.

This is taken with my telephoto lens from about 25 feet away. If you look closely you'll see that his/her ear has been split. Guess life is tough out in the wild.

Backyard Bunny