154/365-2 Wildlife

 'Squirrel Friend"

There is not much wildlife around here unless you count the dog and cat chasing one another onto and then under the bed, and I don't think that is the intention of today's prompt.  All we have are a bully bluejay, a few grackles and doves and many squirrels.  I'm not sure that the squirrels even count for wildlife.  They don't even bother to run when we, or the dogs, go outside.  The squirrels are definitely comfortable in their surroundings.

I decided that today would be a good day to spend some time with my new super zoom lens.  What I learned is that I am going to need a lot more practice!  600mm is a big lens!  Even though I was shooting on a stable tripod, I still got quite a bit of camera shake when I pressed the shutter release.  The take-away from that is I need to use a remote shutter release when I shoot with this lens.    I don't have one for my current camera, but I do for my older one.  I'll give it a try and see what happens.

I read somewhere that you need to shoot as fast as you can when using this lens.  I had my ISO set to auto.  My other settings were obviously not very good because my ISO ended up really high and I got a lot of noise in these images.  I don't know why that bothers me so much, but it does.  Lots of things to think about for next time...

Also, squirrels move quickly!  That doesn't help with the sharpness.  

This guy doesn't seem to mind being my subject.  I suspect he'll be back and we can try this again-especially if I put the good stuff in the bird feeders!

153/365-2 Cheese

"Blessed Are The Cheesemakers"

This represents ero creativity with today's shot.  I like cheese to eat but apparently not to photograph.

Simple Sunday in the Park

It is amazing to me how much interest and beauty rests in the simple things in simple places.  I wandered around a local park yesterday afternoon.  The park is in the midst of a residential area comprised of upscale  high-rise apartments.  There are a few businesses on the lower level and a large mass transit transfer center sits on its perimeter.   With all that, there was a lot to see.

I had no creative plans for the day other than just to take pictures.  I had no real idea what I was looking for and I had no idea what I'd see.  It was one of those days where I was trusting the muse to take over and lead the way.  As is often the case when I surrender to the process, I was not disappointed.

I did not take any photos that will be considered masterpieces of photography if you are measuring by great artistic standards, but I learned a little more about my camera and lenses and I noticed some things that I probably would have overlooked if I had not had my eyes open and my camera in my hand.

So what follows is a collection of eclectic photos taken on a simple Sunday afternoon in the park.

What struck me about this image is the contrast of past and present.  Many would consider the "past" blooms as ugly and unnecessary, as a distraction to the beauty of the flower in its prime.  Yet, to me, somehow those past blooms put the present in perspective, just as what is past in our own lives informs our present.

Simple water fountains.  Three of them.  All different heights. Lined up.  Their shape and relationship to one another caught my attention.  I can't tell you why.

More things in a line.  Just trees.

Train tracks are so much fun to photograph.  The lines are so strong and they just scream "journey."

Perhaps at the end of that journey is a place that feels as cheerful and inviting as this.

This structure arches across one of the paths leading to the bus stop.  Their only function is aesthetic, best I can tell.  I was fascinated by the shapes and patterns.  It was also casting so rather cool shadows.

Several of the above shot were taken with my Lensbaby. I decided I would see what kind of results I could get photographing moving water.  There are several small decorative waterfalls along the park's path.  I sat down on a step to see what I could do.

At one point I looked up and caught this.

It was ninety degrees and there were lots of children running and playing in the fountains and reflection pools.  To me, these two little girls (I have no idea who they are) represent the epitome of the joy of childhood.

As you go through your day and your week, stop to look at the simple things.  Do you notice something new and beautiful?  So much beauty resides in the simplicity of everyday if we take time to acknowledge it.

152/365-2 Ritual

"Choose Joy"

By definition, rituals consist of two things - an ordered set of actions and a sacred element. There are many things in my life that are an ordered set of actions but aren't necessarily sacred; I think of these more as habits. And then there are those things that are sacred but are not necessarily ordered. Choosing joy is one of those things. Joy is not always easy to see, but it is always there, even in our moments of deepest despair. We have to choose to see it. The greatest joy often resides in the simplest things. Today it came to me in the form of a glass of tea and a cupcake with Weber at our favorite local bakery after I had walked around taking photos. I didn't think to take the photo until after I had eaten the cupcake:-)

151/365-2 A Vision of Quiet

 "In the Garden"

We had a very quiet day today.  Brooke is our of town at the wedding of one of her college roommates and we had a relatively free calendar, which turned out to be a good thing because Weber has been sick all week and he slept for almost five hours this afternoon.   Th dogs were perfectly happy to keep him company while he napped, though they did feel compelled to get up a few times to bark at the squirrels in the back yard.

I knit most of the afternoon.  I haven't done that in a long time.

When Weber woke up, we decided to go out to get a simple dinner.  In the process of our decision making, we invited a friend, whose partner is out of town,  to join us.  We had a adequate  dinner and some good conversation.  As we were getting out of the car to head into the restaurant, this is what I saw.

I wish that the light post and power lines were not in the picture.  If I were more skilled (and more patient) with Photoshop I could erase them, but that is the kind of editing that I'm not convinced that  I agree with.  This is the image I saw.  Power lines, unfortunately, are a real part of our world.  I'm not sure it is right, reasonable or valid to deny their existence.

After dinner, we went by the outdoor labyrinth at a nearby church.  It sits in a beautiful garden that is always a good place for peace and quiet.

150/365-2 A Vision of the Present

"Why Be Normal?"

No explanation necessary...

149/365-2 A Vision of Safety

"A Man, A Plan, A Hat"

We are wrapping up May and Healthy Vision Month.  Today's reference to safety was directed towards eye safety and the importance of wearing sunglasses.  Weber is very good about wearing his sunglasses.  He also is good about wearing his hat in the winter to keep his bald head warm and in the summer to keep it from getting sunburned.  I, on the other hand, should wear a hat and sunglasses all the time, but don't.  I never have.  It is not a vanity thing.  After fifty years I finally figured out what my aversion to hats and sunglasses really is.

Claustrophobia...that is why I don't like sunglasses.  They make me feel boxed in, a feeling I can't stand.  Just ask the tech who tried to strap my head down and shove me in a tube to do a CT scan.  Or the dentist who tried to put an oxygen mask over my face when prepping to take my wisdom teeth out.  I learned that I was claustrophobic the hard way and lots of people learned right along with me.  It was nice of that CT scan person to pull me quickly out of that tube and give me those nice little white pills. They cure claustrophobia and lots of other things with one little swallow.

When I was a teenager my mother would always gripe at me because I wore my clothes too big.  Actually I think she was still nagging me about that up until the point that she died eight years ago.  I have always been, and still am, a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl.  As Brooke say, "That's how I roll."  I could never quite figure out what her objection was to my comfortable attire.  At least I wasn't wearing clothes that were too tight.  My requisite body parts were always appropriately covered.

It wasn't until fairly recently that I realized that my personal style of oversized clothing is also the result of my serious disdain of feeling closed in.  I don't like anything tight or binding - not jeans, or shoes, or shirts, or even socks.  I don't care what others think about the way I dress.  The fact that this also included my mom when she was alive was the point of departure for many arguments.  

I am so lucky that I have a career that doesn't require me to wear tight clothes to get the job done.  You know what I'm talking about - primarily women in sales who are not appealing to a customer's intellect but rather to their...well...you know.  Or the news anchors who are hired so that audiences will watch the news rather than listen to it.  Academia is OK with personal style.  Jeans and tennis shoes are acceptable.  It is one of the few places where how you do your job is more important than what you dress like when you are teaching. 

So I will continue to dress in such a way as to keep me free of claustrophobia.  Trust me, that is better for everyone around me...unless you happen to carry those little white pills around with you and then I'll put on anything you want, wear sunglasses and let you shove my head in that tube!

All that to say that because Weber is a better sport with his sunglasses than I am, he got tagged for today's picture.