Duck, duck, goose!

This past weekend, we spent some time at the park.... watching the ducks and geese...
...watching us...

....letting the cares of the week roll off our backs.... like glistening drops of water.

It was refreshing.  And we all need some refreshing now and again.

This pair were pretty fearless.... I think they thought we owed them something for letting us get so close to them.

I just missed the goose biting (nibbling) on his fingers!  He jumped.... and then laughed.

A beautiful male wood duck.  Aren't they brilliant?

Ubiquitous mallards....but beautiful just the same.

And lots and lots of Canada geese.... and lots and lots of fertilizer.

I hope you had a splendid weekend!

{linking up to Mosaic Monday at Mary's today -- a little late!}

Bulking up and other such nonsense...

Breakfast?

Yep.

Sad, I know.
(I'll make no comment about how this little delicacy looks just like a..... well, you know that two veterinarians live in this house)

Seems like I've spent a lot of time baking and cooking over the past few months....

I'm really in need of some warm weather so I can burn more calories than I make (and eat).

Whole wheat bread is good though.... unless you are trying to eat less carbs.

Potato soup... aka Carrot stew (you know, from The Tawny Scrawny Lion book)

We call it Carrot Stew because of course little children are more likely to eat Potato Soup if it is called Carrot Stew.... sometimes we sprinkle on a few fishy crackers because the Tawny Scrawny Lion's carrot stew had fish in it, you know.....

Chocolate chip cookies.... that fly out of the freezer faster than you can say, "Walter be nimble, Walter be quick."

And.... something delicious just for Mom and Dad. Yum.

Do you, like I, bulk up over the winter months?  I think "bulk up" is a nice way of saying, I'm saving up energy for a long winter's nap.... which would be fine if I actually used up all those calories during winter hibernation.  But, I don't.  Every winter.  Which means more time on the treadmill..... which is boring.

Boring unless you are watching Downton Abbey on Netflix, that is.  Do you know about this series?  I LOVE it.  {L.o.v.e.}  I cannot wait for the series to start up again to find out what happens next.....  which brings up the problem that since we don't have cable or satellite.....  HOW ON EARTH AM I GOING TO FIND OUT BEFORE NEXT YEAR (or whenever Netflix puts it on streaming)?   If you're a local sort of person and you can tape this for me from KWSU -- I'd make you a steaming batch of cookies.... or healthy bread if you'd rather --- just for making my jogging on the treadmill more enjoyable.  Chocolate pinky swear.

Watch the full episode. See more Masterpiece.

{Linking up to Mosaic Monday at Mary's}

{Click on over to see some beautiful hyacinths}

From my Valentine...

He sent me roses for Valentines

a dozen glowing beauties...

a mixture of creamy white and fiery red,

to celebrate our love.

...luscious, entwining, petal soft....

...cinnamon and vanilla...

...sweet and spicy...

(BTW... metering off a bouquet of deep red and creamy white roses is very difficult!  Either the reds were lost in darkness or the whites were completely blown. A real challenge, but one worth working for.... much like love.)

{linking up to Mosaic Monday today... click over to see some beautiful spring posies}

A Grape Hyacinth study

Every winter, I like to force bulbs.... it seems to make the spring come sooner.

This year I started a bunch of grape hyacinths in small pots.

They are small, non-descript flowers with next to no scent, but I still love them.

To me they look like little blue hoop-skirts with frilly lace peaking out.....  see it?

I shot all of these with my Nikkor 105mm macro lens.

The aperture ranging from f/8.0 on up to f/57.....yep, had to break out the tripod!

Shutter speeds ranged from 1/100 sec to 0.8 seconds.

Luckily for me, I was inside with no wind to contend with, 

but even the stomping of a little girl was enough to set the long graceful stems to waving back and forth.  ;)

I don't know why, but I never feel like a flower study is complete without a black and white image.

I think taking the color out makes your eye notice the form better, without the distraction of color.

Most of the photos did not look good with this treatment, but this one lent itself well to B&W.

Love this one.... reminds me of elegantly crossed ankles on a well dressed woman.... what do you think?

See the tiny hearts?

Happy Valentines Day!

(I know.... I always have to be different.... but that's just me ;)

{joining up with Mary at Mosaic Monday and Lisa at Macro Monday}

{click on over to see beautiful blooms, books, and hearts}

A few things I love....

I love to watch my children with their daddy....

...the simple excitement of Daddy's return from work everyday...

...makes my heart happy.

I love this quirky little guy.....

my daily companion, curly head, drawing and cutting machine....

my littlest man.

and.... I love taking photos of babies....

(I can get my baby fix without adding to the brood)

..... what do you love?

{joining up with Mary at Mosaic Monday today}

{click on over to see beautiful photos of old books and flowers}

Cupcake love

Tis the season for love..... to see it, touch it, smell it.....

....and photograph it.

Love is all this.... and so much more.....you know the verse....

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Here's wishing you a lot of love in your life right now.... with a little sweetness sprinkled on top.

{linking up to Mosaic Monday at Mary's today}

Salmon Clivia Blooms

A few weeks ago, my poor abused and neglected clivia started blooming.

I say abused and neglected because it sits in a corner, behind the couch ... and occasionally gets watered.

But this seems to be what it likes because it had just bloomed a few months before.

When it is not blooming, it is a pretty mundane plant with simple strap-like leaves...

but when it blooms, it is gorgeous....

...and the light filtering in the north facing window made for wonderful photography.

A black and white conversion.... I honestly don't know whether the color of black and white is better.

What do you think?

My mother-in-law gave me this plant.... it was from a neighbor lady of hers that had many of them.

If you have a chance to get your hands on a clivia...snap it up.  I love mine.....

....so delicate yet easy to care for.

Black and white or color..... black and white or color..... hmmmm......

Linking up to Mary's Mosaics and Lisa's Macros today.

Have a beautiful day!

Random

A collection of randomness..... hot off the pixels...

Can you hold it still?  I'm trying to get a photo!!!  (lol)

Tools, and fire, and men..... Oh my!

...and the two shall be one...

(but without leaks, please?)

...collectible bits...

What the heck is this?

Can I help?

Toy macros...... I must be bored.

I have no idea what the headlamp is for.... but the baby doll is hiding!

Baby girl with a little construction of her own....

...from one stack to the next...

Phew!!!! A hard weekend.  Let's go to bed.

{linking up with Mary and Lisa today----and then hitting the sack}

Happy Monday!

Snowflakes

Much as Carpe Diem.... this is a wonderful motto to live by...

Begin what you want to do with your life NOW.... don't wait until you are rich enough, old enough, smart enough, happy enough.....or just enough.

Seize the Day!

(before it melts away into eternity)

That's my motto for 2011.

One of my goals this winter has been to capture some snowflake macros......

I can check that one off my "To Do" list now. I find that if I put off things until I have time for them.... they never get done.

So instead of doing laundry, cleaning up toys, or whatever else was in need of doing.... I took myself outside and played with my camera to capture some images I've been wanting to do.....before the newly minted snowflakes turned into tiny, misshapen crystals.

If you look carefully, you can see this snowflake has a reflection right behind it.

I took this one on the tinted rear window on the Big Black Burban.

(which turned out to be the best surface of all that I tried)

This almost looks like a snowflake star in a constellation of tiny stars...

(more from the rear window)

These I captured on an upturned frying pan.

I had to really dig to find a dark, smooth, non-reflective surface to take photos against.

More from the frying pan...

These are on a piece of black construction paper.

This is what I tried first, and you can see that the paper texture is a little much.

Another on the construction paper.... it turned out a little better.

And then my fingers were so cold.... I had to quit and go check on the kids  ;)

But.... the day was captured.... sparkling and yet to melt.

What are you going to capture today?

Here is a small mosaic of some of our Christmas loot....

Yes, I was very spoiled and pampered..... and for that I am VERY greatful!

(that's my new baby.... a gripped D700...Oh BABY!!!)

linking up to Mosaic Monday at Mary's Little Red House

and Macro Monday at Lisa's Chaos