Silent Sunday: Fuzzy

Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Black and White…leaf or jawbone?

How can it already by the third Monday of March?  It’s truly March Madness* and not the basketball sort!  However, the third Monday means it time to go retro with a black and white photo and here’s my choice for this week. I hope you enjoy it.

This may be my last post for a while, as I head for California tomorrow morning for a visit with our older daughter.  A short trip to Yosemite is in the plans, weather willing, and I’m taking my Nikon as well as my iPhone.  I’m quite sure you’ll see some of whatever I see during the trip at some time in the not-to-distant future.  🙂  I’m very excited about that trip, as I haven’t been to Yosemite since I was a child, more than a few years ago, and I’ve never been there at this time of year.

Until then, keep well.  I’ll miss you! (I’ll respond to any comments, just not post or read other posts.)

*For those of you not from the US, March Madness is what they call the men’s college basketball tournament that determines the national champion.  It runs for a good part of March all over the US.

 

Macro Monday

As Christmas week begins and the first of our two daughters arrives home tomorrow, I’ll be taking it a bit easier with blogging, although I’ll still be putting out a post every day.  Just can’t seem to shake that habit.  It will be family time for the next week or so and I’m looking forward to that, as I hope many of you are as well.  So today, I’m featuring a macro shot from a croton plant that badly needs repotting!  Spellcheck wants me to call it a crouton, but I won’t do it!  I think it sounds more like something from a sci-fi movie.

Seven Day Nature Challenge, Day 4…sharply beautiful

Sometimes the beautiful things you see in nature hide something not so nice.  In the summer, this branch will be filled with leaves.  But hidden among the leaves are the sharp thorns, easily seen in winter and still visible in this shot, guaranteed to snag your clothing or skin if you get too close.

Time for another nomination.  Karen, at bythebriny in glorious British Columbia, Canada, takes spectacular nature photos.  Karen, if you’re up for it, I’d love to have you participate in the challenge (as it’s what you do anyway.)  Be sure to check out her blog and photos.  You’ll be glad you did.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Yellow…squashed

‘Twas the week before Christmas
and all ‘round the world,
photographers waited,
their heads in a whirl.
Their photos were filed,
their fingers prepared,
Awaiting the theme
That soon would be there.

And this week’s theme is…..Yellow!  This yellow is from one of the beautiful blossoms I got when trying to grow, as I recall, squash.  Alas, the beauty was all I got, as eventually everything withered and died.  It was, however, glorious while it lasted!

Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Macro

The second Monday of the month is Sally’s “Macro” challenge.  I’m still on a nature jag, as I spend so much time out walking each week, so I’m going with macros seen in the park as the seasons are changing.  Anyone is welcome to enter the Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge, an elegant way of saying “any photos not taken with a traditional camera.”  I’m so thankful for my iPhone 5S, which I take with me everywhere and has stood my in good stead in the year I’ve had it.

(This is a week filled with traveling, visiting, and traveling again, so forgive me if I’m late to like and comment on your posts.  Can’t do that from the car!)

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la

The flowers that bloom in the spring,
Tra la,
Breathe promise of merry sunshine –
As we merrily dance and we sing,
Tra la,
We welcome the hope that they bring,
Tra la.
Of a summer of roses and wine.
And that’s what we mean when we say that a thing
Is welcome as flowers that bloom in the spring.
“The Mikado”, Gilbert & Sullivan

OK, it’s not spring.  But I might be forgiven for thinking it is and for thinking springtime thoughts. In recent years, the west has experienced lots of drought, when the grass for grass for grazing has been short and sparse and hay has to be purchased, rather than taken from the barn.  This year is different.  This year the grass, even in August, is lush, high enough for a horse to snack on without lowering its head and dotted with wildflowers.  It looks almost like spring.

This winter, the Big Horns had 22′ or more of snow, much like the “old days” and  justification for putting up brace poles inside the cabin before closing it for fall.  That translates into lots of water when the spring melt comes and that’s a good thing!  The cabin’s metal roof bent slightly under the weight of the snow.  During the winter, a person could walk on the snow from the rooftop of the tack room to the roof of the workshop.  A snowmobile wasn’t even useful as it would sink and have to be dug out.

Plentiful water means plentiful flowers, flowers which are usually gone by this time of year.  Although we’ve only been here two days, I have a few pictures to share with you and I imagine there will be more once I’ve had more time to go hiking.  In the meantime, enjoy these and don’t forget the sunscreen and either sunglasses or a hat.

As seen on our ride today…