This is my wind chime that hangs in my back yard. It is about 17 years old and showing it's age. It add the background music on a breezy summer evening. I discovered this wonderful display of lichens on the top of it when I climbed up to hang the bird feeder the other day.

These are some of my short spring bloomers, although if I cut back the Catmint I can get it to do a second bloom a little later on. I was trying to keep from blowing out my highlights in the Dutch Iris, on my monitor it looks great but on here it still looks a little blown out.

Judith,

These are for you since you wanted to see where I hiked last time. Hope you enjoy them!

These are a few more pictures form the day. I re posted the two poppies to get a second opinion on them, these are with out PS, I am not sure if the color was over adjusted in the other ones. I had done a one step adjustment (let the computer do the thinking) but I am not sure I like it.

Okay, I feel better about posting these, I did just a little adjusting in PS. Let me know what you think.

I am going to get more particular in what I post on here. There have been a number of pictures that I have put up here that really could use a dash of PS. So I think I will post less images and take more time with those I do post to get them to look the best they can. I may even re-post some of the images that I have already posted with PS corrections to get your feed back on them. If I over do it with PS let me know, outside opinions help me learn and I like constructive criticism.

I was in a very restless mood yesterday. We are being bought out by a big Box Store, we are coming down to the last few days before the liquidation starts. I have worked for this little independent company for 15 years so am having a tough time with this change. I thought maybe my mood was being transferred through my camera (flat) but on the way home realized that the day before when I was shooting, it was bright and sunny, I had change my contrast mode. Mystery solved, good thing I was shooting in RAW so all of the data is there and I can pull it out in photo shop. Don't have time to do that this morning so you get to see my flat mood too. I am much better today.

The storms have been less than kind on some things but on others it has been great. All of this green will turn to silvery gold in a month or 2 as the temps start to rise up to 90 +, but for now, it is beautiful. These are shots of the Napa Valley, it begins just a few miles from my home.

Once in a while I really nail the photo; when that happens I get the mental image of a guy in a long black trench coat, hiding these stolen moments in time inside his coat and sneaking away back to his lair to pull them out and view them. Such were these photos. I know it is a weird mental image, what can I say, it is a weird mind running the show! I will probably crop in on the Pipevine Swallow Tail butterfly (looked it up) when I frame it (yeah, like that happens often). I probably took 20 shots of this guy and 3 came out okay.

I love the mosses that the rains have caused to grow.

I was back out at the old cemetery today to do some more shooting, the other day when it was raining, the contrast wasn't so bad but the patina on the old iron shows much better when it is dry. In this one plot, the tree has actually grown around the iron, eventually it will be swallowed from sight only to be found if the tree is cut down.

Some older pictures I thought I'd post.

More rain in the forecast for tomorrow. These are some quick shots from my drive home. I live on the other side of that bridge. After this, we are supposed to get into some nice weather for a change. I know you all are probably sick of hearing about rain but we are getting webbed feet out here! If it is nice on Tuesday and Wednesday, hopefully, I will come back with some decent pictures. Don't know what I will shoot yet but there is a lot of stuff out there.

These are actually some bungled shots. I had my camera with me on my way to go sketch Gomer School (see sketching blog) and saw these wild turkey's hanging out in the old cemetery that I pass. Of course, I whip into the cemetery and then realize that my telephoto lens (for distance shots) is all the way in the back of the car, no way to reach it with out getting out. I shot off a couple of pics and then got out to get the lens. They were on the move, plan was to cut them off at the pass at the back of the church, they had other plans... so, I just got long distance shots.

This morning I was out in the back yard working on painting a rose when I heard a loud whir of a humming bird. I looked up and a rust colored (yes, rust colored full body) one was on my orange tree. Again, camera and long lens are in the house, by the time I was ready he was gone. I saw this same (or same colored one) a few years ago but did not see him last year and thought my others had chased him off. shall keep trying.

These are a few of the flowers popping into bloom in my yard right now. I have been watching this rose bud swell for the last three days. I t has been cloudy and raining and as this bud started to bloom it looked like a glowing ember against the dull wet grey fence. (we are not discussing aphids). I love the yellow down at the base of the petals. Thank God the rain finally stopped at least for a day or two. I start to get light depressed after too many grey days in a row. Everything felt so ALIVE today.

These are some of my bird shots from the marsh. Just a quick glimpse of some of the assorted birds that are common place out there.

AARUGH! The lighting is perfect, the focus is prefect, rose is perfect, the exposure is perfect, Aphids are perfect NOT!!! This is what happens when one heads to the back yard for a quick shot without ones glasses. Yes, can do photo shop, but don't feel like it and the aphids would still be out there. So for today, no image of the rose.

Introducing.....Savoy Cabbage......

I love the texture of this cabbage I have now spent approximately 2 hours photographing A CABBAGE!!! Something is wrong with me, but I did like these pictures.

These are some of my pictures from home, or what will be home. We are actually 3 miles up the river (you can see the mouth of the river in the pic over looking the cliff) just out of the main fog belt. The day obviously, was foggy and cold but the ethereal feeling of the pictures pleased me.

I love things that are old and bare the marks of the passage of time. Iron does that so well. This is the knob to the entry of a fenced in plot in a very old cemetery, it dates back to the mid 1800'S (1900's)

Welcome to my photo blog. I wanted a separate place to post my photos to get feed back and comments.