Happenings

It has been more than a week since I posted – I’ve been a bit of a slacker, I suppose, but then this tends to be the “When I Feel Like It” way.  It has been a busy week as we approach the end of the school year (16 days of school left for me!), recital around the corner and spring in full bloom.  In addition to all the good, a drop of the bad had to rear its ugly head as well.  On my way home from work yesterday I was the victim of a motor vehicle accident.  While I was stopped behind several cars waiting to take a left turn, a very young and newly licensed driver hit my car from behind.  I am fine, but my poor car is damaged yet again and having a reunion with the body shop it has already visited 3 times in its past (none of those incidents my fault, by the way!)  So how about the photos of the nice stuff that happened this week?

Mandaville hanging flower basket from my daughter for Mother’s Day

Peonies, ready to bust open

My little lupin, in light and shadow

Mr. & Mrs. Duck, stopping by my still covered pool – the water on the cover is sure to contain a variety of tasty insects

A pair of hummingbirds has returned to my yard. I was distracted getting ready for work one morning in my attempt to take these pictures:

My dearly loved bearded irises have started to bloom:

While sitting outside hoping to find a nice shot for Scott’s Blue Hour assignment, due this week, I was thrilled to come up with this iris photo:

I’m particularly happy with how that one came out.

I’m not as happy with how my blue hour attempts came out. I’m still deciding whether I will choose to post them tomorrow for Scott’s deadline.

What’s been happening with you?

Best of, Part 1

Scott’s assignment for this month is to show off your “best” photos of the last year (from Nov.1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2011).  Like Kathy of Lake Superior Spirit, I think I’m going to have to be a bit of a rule-breaker this time around.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time going through my archives from the last twelve months, trying my best to narrow down.  Scott said he was looking for a minimum of 3 photos, but that we could share as many as we wished.  So maybe I’m not really rule-breaking all that much, but like Kathy, I’ve decided to do a few posts on the subject.  To keep it interesting, I’ve categorized my favorites and will do a post for each category.  I believe I’ve shared the majority of these with you already, but maybe some will be new to some of you, and at the very least forgotten about by some of you regular readers.

My first category I’m sharing is Birds.  Through the various feeders in my yard, and birding opportunities in the woods and on vacation, I’ve gotten very interested in trying to get decent photos of these fast-moving creatures.  I actually took one of my favorites just a few days ago, but that doesn’t count for Scott’s assignment!

I was absolutely thrilled to get my first pictures of a hummingbird this year.  I had a pair that seemed to make their home very close to my yard this past summer and I was lucky enough to get some unique photos of which I’m proud.

The photo-elusive male cardinal finally stayed around long enough for me to get some nice pictures this year.  Suet cakes turned out to be the key to getting Mr. C to hang around!

On a visit to Cape Cod a pair of mallard ducks were quietly swimming in a small creek near my mother’s house, and I just couldn’t take my eyes off of them in the pretty afternoon light.

A return visit to the Cape in July provided me with my first photo of an osprey.

Seeing this bird of prey and getting this photo gave me a thrill.

I believe the above to be my best avian photos of 2011.  Out of all photos I plan to share over the next few days, these shots gave me my strongest sense of accomplishment due to the challenging nature of the subjects, and the way they forced me to learn more about using my camera.

By the way, I just realized that this assignment will reflect a year of growth in learning to use my Rebel; I bought the Canon in July of 2010, and the time period for the assignment begins four months later.  Kinda cool, huh?

You still have plenty of time to participate in Scott’s assignment – it isn’t due until November 16th!  I hope many of you will jump in and show off your best!

ETA: I forgot to mention that I had some bird photo goals for this year that went unfulfilled.  I had been hoping to also photograph an oriole, a clear shot of a red-winged blackbird (the only one I got this year can be seen here) and Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal together in one shot.  Bob or Tracy, any advice for fulfilling those goals?

Have they flown the coop?

Can you see her?

How about now?

This is the female of the pair of ruby-throated hummingbirds that have been partaking of my hummingbird feeder and bee balm this summer.  She alighted in the oak tree in my backyard while I happened to be sitting outside one afternoon on my deck with my camera at my side.  She wasn’t easy to spot among the leaves, but I had been following her swoopy flight.  The male had been making large loops above my rhododendrons a few days ago while she watched.  Both birds spent a lot of time at my feeder over Labor Day weekend; I can’t help but think they were getting ready for their long flight south to Mexico for the winter.  Perhaps they hoped to gain a good tenth of an ounce in weight in preparation!

I was able to get one more shot of the tiny cutie…

…and then she was gone!

Portrait of a Summer Evening

I don’t have to tell you it is hot.  Seems most of the country has been experiencing a heat wave over the last few days.  Thankfully, at least around here, it seems to be breaking today.  Highs should only be in the upper 80′s and we have a chance for showers throughout the day.  Due to the heat of the day, evening has been the more pleasant time to head outside, and it is a nice time for taking pictures.

The girls came outside for a swim and hand-stand practice:

The day lillies glow in the evening:

One of my dahlias showed a deep red that I have difficulty capturing in the daytime:

The sky was painted with swirly clouds:

And some of my favorite summer creatures came around for a photo session:

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly

Hummingbird moth

and my hummingbird took his evening post.

Daphne says, “I don’t care what you think, Mom, it is still too hot!”

A Good Day

School got out last week.  I felt like I’ve been in a flurry of activity every day since.  Today was the first day I really felt like I was out for summer break.  With the exception of my older daughter going to driving school (at her high school), I didn’t have to go anywhere.  Today, I did summery things!

I worked in my garden, which looked so cheerful in the morning summer sunshine:

Everything seems healthy and happily growing.  I added tomato cages to the sprawling vines today. I also noticed my hydrangea is starting to bloom:

 

 I am delighted with all of the buds it has this year.  I have often lamented my lack of luck with hydrangea.  I don’t remember this hydrangea always being pink either; I know that soil pH can affect their color, but I haven’t moved this plant in probably 10 years. It has never been a great bloomer for me, so maybe I just don’t remember!  Lots of buds still to come:

After the garden I picked up the yard for lawn mowing.  I got to use a little chain saw to chop up a large branch that had fallen into the yard – that was kind of cool!  After mowing the lawn, I vacuumed the pool.  It looked nice and sparkly.  I should’ve taken a picture.

My bird feeder has been extremely active since I refilled it a couple days ago.  I also learned today that my squirrel-proof feeder is no longer squirrel-proof:

Industrious little thing, huh?  I couldn’t understand just how the squirrels were getting at the seed.  The feeder is set up so that if something heavier than birds lands on the feeder, that wire covering with the perches on it slides down and covers the opening to the seed.  I went out to investigate.  One of the openings had the plastic chewed away so that the opening was not completely covered when it slides down!  That is the opening our little friend here is jamming his or her head into!  The squirrels broke the other feeder I had put up for them in a near-by tree in the hopes of keeping them away from the bird feeder, so I’m not sure what I’ll do next.

At the end of my busy day, I landed in my second-favorite summer place – my deck with a good book (first favorite would be the beach, but that is a few hours drive away).  And my little hummingbird took what seems to be one of his favorite places these days too:

That is a skinny little branch at the top of a small tree at the side of my property.  I look for him there now when I am outside in the evening.  I thought this made for a pretty cool shot of a hummingbird at rest; not a sight you see all that often.

Let me know about a good summer day for you in the comments if you’d like!  June Photo Hunt re-cap coming soon – I’m waiting on a couple folks taking advantage of the extension.  In the meantime, there are plenty of links to check out in the comment section of that post, so please go check out the submissions when you have the chance and leave them some love in their own comment sections.

What kept me so busy that I…

…forgot to do Scott’s assignment this month, which was due today!

As I was griping last week, it has been rather rainy here recently, but the sun poked out this weekend.  I was going to do Scott’s assignment (really!), but as happens to us all, life got in the way.  Spent Saturday morning running errands with hubby, getting those peppers we wanted, and while we were at the garden center, treated myself to this:

It is a big, beautiful fuschia plant!  I hung it near my hummingbird feeder, in the hopes of attracting more hummingbirds.  My hummingbird has been visibly absent lately – I hope I didn’t offend him or her when I let the feeder go a wee bit too long before cleaning it out.  Hey Mr. Hummingbird! It is clean now, I promise!  And I bought you a fuschia too!  Please come back.

After all the errands, I had to do what I am sure many of us had to do after all that rain – mow the lawn!  Saturday evening I spent working, working, working on a project I’m feeling pretty good about, but unfortunately cannot share with you all just yet.  There is an extremely, ridiculously slim chance the recipient of said project could happen to read this blog post, and I can’t have that!  I’ll fill you in on the mystery in a couple weeks.

Sunday was a practically-all-day-long-annual-affair for this dancing family.  The girls and I had picture day at the dance studio.  On this day, we go to the studio with all our costumes for recital to have professional photos done.  Doesn’t sound like it should be practically-all-day, does it?  It is when one purchases 15 costumes for recital!  Eight for Meghan, five for Sarah and two for me!  Ay-yi-yi!  Of course I took a few shots of my own too.  Here’s a little slide show sampler (please excuse the squinty eyes – not much shade to be found in the parking lot of the studio!):

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What do you think, Scott?  Are you buying my excuse?

Hummingbird Help?

Hi everyone.  I haven’t been around much this week.  I’m not even really sure why.  Just been one of those weeks playing catch-up, it seems.  And the blogging muse didn’t have much to say, I guess.  But that’s okay right?  Because I blog when I feel like it?  I even got a little mention over at Kathy’s place on Wednesday and didn’t see it until tonight.

Even though I haven’t been typing as much this week, I have still had my camera handy.  My little hummingbird has made a repeat appearance and I am reaching out for some advice.  In my zeal to capture the little one at a high shutter speed, I forgot to account for the fading light when I saw the little cutie at my “rhodo-azaeleas” and I got this picture:

I love the composition of this shot, but as you can see, it is wayyyyyyy underexposed.  In Photoshop Elements, I attempted to lighten the shot, but ended up with far too much noise:

Okay friends, give me the truth, is there hope for this shot?  Can anything be done to save it?  Anyone able to give me some advice on what to try to fix it?  Anyone want to take a shot at fixing it themselves?  If anyone can answer “yes” to any of these questions, I like this shot too:

Thanks for any thoughts or advice you may be able to leave me in the comments.

ETA:  I played a little more in PSE this morning with the second shot.  I brightened, added a noise reduction filter and a layer of gaussian blur around the bird:

I’d still be interested in any other editing thoughts folks might have! Thanks again.

Giving You the Birds! ;-)

I’m sooooooooo excited!  I got one!  Not the bestest ever super fantastic photo, but I got one!

My very first ever picture of a hummingbird!  I’m hoping for many more opportunities this year, but I am thrilled that I actually got this shot.  Funny how I just mentioned the other day how I thought I was having better luck with birds this year.

While we’re talking birds, I’ve got a mystery bird I’m hoping one of you might be able to identify for me:

This one has been a pretty regular visitor to my suet cake feeder.

And since this post has completely gone to the birds, I wanted to share this funny little sparrow having a grand ol’ time in my bird bath.  Scott’s song sparrow actually reminded me that I had taken these pictures a few days ago:

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Hope you have a lovely weekend everyone!

Persistence

Remember how I told you yesterday about those raspberry vines that persist in growing up through my deck despite being cut back?  I took those pictures yesterday, yet somehow I missed the picture I’m showing you now.  Actual berries now growing on the deck!  Missing the picture, however, seems to be my theme-of-the-day.  Today I missed taking pictures of subjects I’ve been coveting:

1. a near-by male cardinal, singing in my butterfly bush
2. the red squirrel, scampering along my fence
3. a ruby throated hummingbird at my fuchsia plant
4. a bat circling my pool hunting tasty mosquitoes ( I wasn’t coveting this one, but I missed it none-the-less)

I’d like to blame missing these shots on my camera, but I can’t, it was me.

This morning as I leisurely drank my coffee and read all of you folks’ latest blog entries, I sat in my kitchen with the sliding glass door to the deck open enjoying the sounds of morning.  I suddenly realized the song of a cardinal was awfully close by sounding.  I got up just in time to see the lovely red bird flitting away from my deck-side  butterfly bush where he’d been happily trilling away.

This afternoon I was leisurely reading a book in the reclining chair I received for my birthday when I dozed off for a little bit.  I awoke to the sound of Teddy happily running along the stockade fence, chasing the red squirrel as it scampered away along the top of the fence.   I quickly ran inside for peanut butter crackers, which I placed on top of two posts of the fence, in an attempt to entice him back, and brought my camera with me, but he was gone.  I sat for a while waiting, but finally decided to go inside and make dinner.  Sometime after dinner, the crackers were gone.  I don’t know if Red got them or one of the many gray squirrels that hang around here did, but someone got themselves a little snack tonight.

This evening, as I was leisurely (Its been a leisurely kind of day!) watering my hanging plants, I was surprised and thrilled when a ruby-throated humming bird approached my fuchsia plant.  My soft cry of surprise was enough to send him darting away.  Once again, I went back inside for my camera.  I sat quiet and still outside in the hopes that the hummingbird really wanted that fuchsia nectar.  Alas, he did not return. 

While leisurely waiting for the hummingbird to return, I spotted the bat, first in my neighbor’s yard, then in mine as it swooped around my swimming pool.  I had my camera at the ready, but this time I simply could not follow the wild path of the flying, diving rodent.  The light was fading quickly and my chance disappeared into the woods.

I stayed outside tonight until about 8:45  pm hoping to have an exciting picture to share with you.  I came up empty handed today, but I will persist.