18 July 2010: Fire Lilies

I know I have taken photos of these lilies before but I love them and I think they look like fire, particularly in HDR!

12 July 2010: Gecko

Another gecko...just hangin' around.

30 June 2010: Pied Piper

Found this piper hiding in the woods behind our house. I hope he is leading all the pests away!

29 June 2010: Slimy Slug Shoot

I found this slimy little slug wandering up in the woods near the edge of our property while I was picking some wild blackberries (YUM). He was rather photogenic so he is a nice collage of his photo shoot.

28 June 2010: Slaying Dragons

In between the torrential rains and tornado warnings, I captured a dragonfly. No, I didn't take it prisoner or shoot it with a gun - just my captured it with my Canon...camera. And luckily the tornado stayed away but there were warnings in the area. I had visions of the gazebo blowing away again but alas, it it still safe!

29 May 2010: Orbiting

Another one of my whirly things that makes noise that Bill's loves so much.

1 May 2010: Stop And Smell The Tulips

Mona knows the importance of stopping to smell the flowers!

26 April 2010: A Slice Of Americana

Fountain? Bidet? Nothing like a functional lawn art. This is a sight we saw in Connecticut and I had to turn around to go take a picture of it.

21 April 2010: More Tulips

Still more tulips blooming - glad I didn't totally miss them in my yard!

6 April 2010: Foggy

A quick little night shot using only the ambient light bouncing off of the fog!

1 March 2010: Dreaming Of The Warm Sun

With all this snow covering the deck and the topless gazebo, it is hard to think that it is going to be warm again...someday! You can see the gazebo in all it's summer glory here: http://wide-angle-lens.blogspot.com/2009/05/23-may-2009-photo-summer-dreams.html and dream of the warm summer days with me.

14 August 2009 Photo: Stars And Stripes

Metal flags make a lot of noise when it is windy!

30 June 2009 Photo: Cheap and Cheerful Fruit

The wild berries that grow in the back of our property are getting closer to being ready for picking. I always have great thoughts of picking them and making something yummy but they never quite make it to that stage. They are so good to pop into your mouth when they are warm from the sun!

8 June 2009 Photo: Growing Garden

I just love this time of year. The gardens are growing and changing everyday. I have spent a lot of time enjoying our yard this year for a couple reasons. It has been a gorgeous late spring/early summer and I have not had to travel for work during these few weeks for the first time in years.

It's amazing each year to see what pops up or grows bigger. We have lived in our house for almost 4 years and this is the first time the rose bushes have had buds on them. The irises have more blooms than ever. The oregano keeps coming back bigger and bolder. I just have to stop and admire this natural beauty! We have not had a lot of rain recently so I had to water flowers this morning and saw this photo op.

27 May 2009 Photo: It Tolls For Thee

We had some much needed rain last night, but this morning there has been some filtered sun. At least we got enough rain to water the plants and lawn (which was starting to turn brown). Since it has warmed up, we have been putting out all the lawn and yard decorations/chairs/etc this past weekend and the bells made it to the fence this year since our thermometer that was hanging there broke this winter. In honor of the bells, I recall having to memorize this John Donne poem in high school and it still sticks in my head.

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

13 May 2009 Photo: Outfoxed Again

Ok so I am obsessed with our fox family. I look for them every time I drive down the road behind our house. Slowing down, doing u-turns, peering past the train tracks and looking on the logs has become a daily event. I have seen them several times now and even saw the babies feeding from the mom. I could not get a picture of that because it was 5:30AM and the light was terrible. But I did capture this photo of the mama and one of the babies. This baby is staring at me! I have seen at least 4 babies together now. Mona still knows something is living up there but luckily there has not been any problems and we are making sure that she does not get too close.

12 May 2009 Photo: Call A Doctor

The hearts are bleeding! I love this plant but mostly only when the bleeding hearts are in bloom. After they die off, it is not a particularly attractive plant but maybe I can get a heart transplant. HAHA Wow, that was bad! Anyway, for now I will enjoy them live!

10 May 2009 Photo(s): Foxy Mama

On the way home yesterday from a long day of looking at bathroom sinks, fixtures and medicine cabinets, I noticed a red fox sitting on a log right behind our house. I practically slammed on the brakes and did a U turn and I think I scared Bill a bit. Anyway, when we got home from stalking them on the side of the road for several minutes, we found a mama fox and her 2 or 3 babies living under the shed behind our house. We now understand why Mona has been sniffing around up there so much.

I captured a few pictures which where techinically taken yesterday, but I figured what better way to celebrate Mother's Day than a mama and her babies. Here's to all of you mother's out there...Happy Mother's Day! And a special thought goes out to my Mom...I still miss her everyday!