5 posts tagged “garden”

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Favorite sunflower

Sep 19, 2009
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We did a little shopping in the morning. Did a little yard work around midday. Took a little trip to Hubbard Valley Park (Medina County Park System) this afternoon. The walk on the park's trails, through woods and meadows and around a lake, were beautiful. I found, however, that enjoying and photographing a beautiful sight at home was every bit as rewarding as what I had seen in the wild. I finally got around to photographing my favorite of the summer's "volunteer" sunflowers. That beauty grew at the end of our sidewalk and brings a smile to my face daily when I see it there. Backlit by the late-day sun, it was all the more memorable this afternoon.

Camera good; software not.

Aug 22, 2009
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My New Friend

I've been pouring more resources into my photography lately, encouraged by some of the results I've been getting. I even have a small show coming up in October! After much (agonizing) thought and consideration I was able to purchase a new camera body to try and expand my grasp. The new "baby" is a big, fat Canon EOS 50D. It feels great in my hand and the shutter has such a smooth feel and sound it will be a pleasure to use. There is much to learn about features but I seem to be picking it up quick.

I made a few test shots around the house this afternoon including the one below... a bright red, ripe bell pepper hanging from a plant set out by She Who Must Be Obeyed. The afternoon was dreary and the pepper was shaded somewhat by the balcony railing and the plant's own leafs. Still, this 50mm macro view is darned nice for a handheld test. Tonight I ran the ISO all the way up to 3,200 and shot an image of the clock and plain, cream-colored wall on which it hangs. Image noise was easy to see but much better than my little Digital Rebel XT might manage... if it could reach 3,200. The picture of the clock was good and sharp under high magnification. I'm sure the camera could do quite well under dim lighting conditions especially where darkness will hide some of the "grain." I'm sure this camera and I will have a very good time together.

The only problem so far has been not the camera but my new, upgraded version of Adobe Photoshop. I got it installed but it has a tendency to crash... often! It's CS4 and has many features I was looking forward to using. I guess I'll be on the phone next week with Adobe support to see if I can fix it. Blah!

By the way, one of the peppers from Her plant was incorporated into a lovely, spicy Indonesian noodle dish this evening. Quite scrumptious.

Pepper_0108 - Test

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Trash & Flowers

Jun 30, 2009
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Morning Flower

New neighbors are not used to having to enclosing their garbage-bearing trash bags in closed cans to keep them from raccoons and dogs that patrol the area. So, lately, every Tuesday morning we are greeted with the sight of trash and garbage strewn across the common lawn areas. No one owns up to it. No one seems to learn from it. No one cleans it up. {Grrrrr....} Shot photos to send to the Association's management for distribution with a reminder. {Update: SWMBO spotted an envelope showing through a garbage bag in one of my photos. I dashed out and jotted down the name and address so we may have a lead on the negligent party!}

Turning my back on the mess, I photographed Her lovely garden. There were more spectacular flowers in the garden this morning, but this pale yellow bloom caught my eye. I'm taking the day off as my July 4th holiday comp. time which will allow me to tend to Tasha who will be going in for teeth cleaning at the vet's shortly. Vets give cats general anesthesia when cleaning their teeth. With all those needle-sharp teeth contained within a ball of claws, muscle, and fury I can't say as I blame them!

An interesting garden accent

May 18, 2008
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May Hail Covers Car

Not much to say about the weekend. She spent a lot of time and effort on her patio garden. New plantings and a fresh coat of mulch --lots of it-- made the place look great. A couple more trips to the garden center and we are equipped with new planters and soil for home grown organic herbs.

The weekend was mostly cloudy, rainy, and there was a definite chill in the air most of the time. There were periods of sunshine and even some clearing at night. In general, however, it was a gray weekend.

Hail on the Mulch

Sunday capped it off with a midday thunderstorm. Three deep rolls of thunder set the mood as did heavy rain falling on the spring green grass. Then we noticed... a lot of that "rain" was hailstones. The pellets were tiny --smaller than peas-- but numerous and the fall continued for a couple of minutes. Sheets of ice slid off of our car and piled up on the fresh, black mulch. It took a while to melt away but it made for an interesting garden accent.

Chipmunk fun

Aug 18, 2007
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Chipmunk Fun

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We stopped by the vet's office during our Saturday run-arounds. The cats are fine but we had a bunch of used insulin syringes to leave off for proper disposal. Dr. B. gets enjoyment from gardening around his hospital building and at the front door, among the flowers, stands a small statue. Perched on top of the statue was a chipmunk, holding very still, his cheeks full of food. I just happened to be carrying my camera so I hoped the critter would keep his position on the statue and would still be there as I left. Camera at the ready I opened the door to leave and found the little guy continuing to pretend he was a part of the statue. The chipmunk regarded me silently and motionlessly as I aimed and squeezed off several shots. Here's what I got! I love the way the stone dog and boy appear to be gazing lovingly upon their furry friend. We'll probably make a print of it for Dr. B. & Co.

We visited the La-Z-Boy store in Fairlawn this afternoon and found a sofa we both liked. This one has three cushions with those on either end set up as reclining chairs. Comfortable for both of us to sit on and She Who Must be Obeyed can even stretch out on it for an unscheduled snooze. She said she might even want to order one tomorrow.

It was mild and partly sunny for most of the day, growing increasingly cloudy as the evening came. Now it's 100 percent overcast and the rain chances are building. I won't be going to the observatory tonight, that's for sure, though we've got an open night scheduled for next Saturday and I like to get in some practice ahead of time.