Macro Poinsettia

Was fooling with my macro lens tonight with a brand new poinsettia. They look pretty amazing up close!

Beaver Damage

This poor tree was clearly the target of beavers. Imagine how sharp those teeth are (were)!

"Holler"ing Tree

More time cleaning out at my mom's yesterday. Shot this old, rotten tree that is likely "hollow" from critters. But when I downloaded it to my computer, I was struck as to how much it looks like a ghost of sorts with its arms above its head "holler"ing!

Clementine Season

Yes, it's clementine season again! Love these little, tangy fruits! And a little extra dose of Vitamin C can't hurt either!

Stable Pegs

This last weekend was a clean-out weekend at my mom's house. LOTS to chuck in an old house! Cleaned up the stable area in the back of the barn. Although we never owned horses, someone did 100 years ago. I'm guessing these pegs have been hanging about that long. I thought his wall, however simple, held great character!

Dominoes

Anyone for dominoes?

Leftovers

Helped clean out at my mom's house today (and yesterday) in preparation for her selling it soon. Lots more snow there than at my house. Loved the strands of grass hardy enough to poke through the snow!

Thanksgiving Floral

These were flowers I had out on Thanksgiving. I already miss the variety of flora from spring and summer!

First Snow

It snowed for the first time today. Can winter be that far away???

New Tradition

This year with out-of-state family as guests, we tried something different from turkey as a main course at Thanksgiving. Don't eat them often, but boy were they tasty!

Foggy Afternoon

This was the scene as I left school today. Very murky outside. The faint outlines of trees were stark figures in the fog.

Cactus or Critter?

One of my colleagues brought in a very funky cactus today, which I quickly snagged to shoot. I've always marveled at this cactus, although I think it looks as much like a furry, green mammal as a cactus!

Moon Atop Tree

So this is a "cheat" photo- actually taken two nights ago here in town. A local store has lit it's huge tree (already). I hate to rush the season, but it did look beautiful all lit up! And that glowing orb above it... was the almost-full moon!

More Barberry

I love the crisp, red color of barberry. I wonder, however, why it's designed with the sharp thorns?

Glorious Globes

It's been almost a week since my last post. What an unbelievably frenzied week! With most of my parent-teacher conferences behind me until March, I hope to get back in the swing of things. Spotted these glorious globes hung and lit for the holiday season at a nearby shopping area. It feels early, but they do look beautiful against the night sky!

Camp Work Day

We went to camp today to finish the roof. Lots of photo opportunities today, starting with the woolly bear caterpillar acting very sluggish.

Later I spied this curious contrail behind a jet. It looked more like links of a chain than condensation!

The lake was so calm, though. I could even capture the reflection of clouds on the water.

A beautiful day for November. Could just as easily have been raw, cold and miserable. I'll take it!

You've Got Mail!

Another weekend, another college visit. This shot was captured in the college's Memorial Union. I couldn't believe the hundreds of mailboxes!

Decorative Grass

Noticed this decorative grass going to seed at the bank late this afternoon. The shot almost reminded me of a palm frond at first glance!

Colonial Visit

Our second graders traveled back in time this week. We visited a local living history program that focused on daily life in Colonial Times. The students visited the bed chamber, sawed and chopped wood, cooked by the hearth, and visited the Colonial store thanks to a variety of staff dressed in period clothing. The shingles above adorned the outside of the structure. The barrels and ink wells I found within the store. I always love this field trip for its ability to bring alive history for 7 and 8-year olds in a very hands-on manner! The kids always remember this trip for years to come! It was a very chilly day, but that was also instructive to the kids as to the luxuries we have now in the 21st century!

Photoshop Experiment

Before...

...and after. Okay, a total "cheat"- today's post was not shot today (do you think?), nor was it even shot by me! I inherited this photo of my great-grandfather as part of genealogical research on my dad's side of the family. My great-grandfather was a professional photographer in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and I am lucky to have possession of some of his work. There is also some evidence that he even worked for a time with Francis Stanley (of Stanley Steamer fame) when Stanley was still a photographer and inventor of a photographic dry plate process.
I've recently started taking a class in Photoshop, knowing nothing about it. Our instructor suggested we try "repairing" an old, damaged photo, and this photo quickly came to mind. I know many of my followers are much more versed in the use of Photoshop, but I was really pleased with my first attempt, removing many of the ugly spots that plagued the original. I hope to also improve in my ability to process photos from the 21st century as well!