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!

Waning Mum

It's sad to see the outdoor flora waning with the advance of colder temperatures. Perhaps the winter weather will provide beautiful shots just the same?

Fall Ornamental

I think this is a form of decorative cabbage, although I haven't been able to substantiate this online. I shot it in at a nearby hotel where it adorns the now sparse perennial beds. Love the shades, though, especially in a month where everything here seems to be taking on a dismal brown or gray hue.

Frosty Start

First, full disclosure. This is a "cheat post". Not photographed today, but yesterday. Honestly, though, it's been so hard to post daily since school has started. School and home life are both incredibly busy this fall, and I send my apologies to my followers, as well as those whom I "follow". I have found it immensely difficult to leave the number of comments that I used to, although I wish I could. I hope that none of the people I follow will take it personally. I will continue to try and check in whenever I can.
Regarding this photo... frost has definitely set in here. This poor rose bush outside my school took a direct hit yesterday. The rose hips looked more like sugared candies than frozen seed pods. Supposedly these are edible, and are apparently a great source of Vitamin C. Not this week!

Indian Corn

I love the shades and patterns found in Indian corn, found plentifully this time of year. I did some online research and discovered that, although bland-tasting, Indian corn is actually edible as well. I also found that this type of ornamental corn is grown specifically for decorative purposes. However, other varieties of colored corn are also grown, ground into cornmeal, and used in foods like tacos, corn chips, etc. Interesting!

Camp Rock

This is one of my memories from childhood. It's the rock from camp that was always used to hold open the back door of the family camp due to the extreme non-plumb quality of the floor! The camp is on a lake that was formed by glaciers, and many granite boulders (much bigger than this) are strewn about the shores. I have no idea where this rock came from, but it's clearly been worn very smooth and round! It's an odd memory, but when we gutted the camp for recent renovations (weird as it may be), I just wasn't ready to part with it.