Creeped out

November 12, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 27 Comments

Inspired by Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #71: Creepy

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I have one old example and one new example of creepy for this week’s challenge…

Inside Creepy

It was mid-morning on my day off.

I was sitting at the dining room table minding my own business. That is to say…finishing a mug of coffee and reading the local newspaper. A luxury I looked forward to.

Quiet. Peaceful. The sun shining outside…throwing a shaft of light through the window into the room.

I was all alone.

Or so I thought…

Until I noticed a soft buzzing sound that didn’t seem to make sense. I looked out the window. Nobody there. The street…empty.

I went back to reading. But I couldn’t concentrate. The buzzing grew louder…like the sound of blowing through paper folded over a comb. It seemed to be coming from above. I glanced at the ceiling and as my eyes shifted to the corner, I saw something moving.

Something dark with tiny skinny legs (?) and maybe a wing (?). Poking down from the corner of the ceiling. Trying to join me while I finished my coffee. Making its way through the wallboard between the dining room and the second floor.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed a dark discoloration extending from the corner out a few inches. And as I got nearer to the squiggling grossness, the buzzing increased.

I was…alarmed…to put it mildly.

I called the local exterminator, who arrived within the hour.

It turned out to be a wasp…

And, as we discovered later when we repaired the ceiling, a wasp with a large family in a very creepy nest.

Outside Creepy

Low tide at the ocean usually reveals all kinds of hidden treasures.

During a walk along the beach one day this summer, I discovered – amongst the seaweed and shells and stones – the remnants of lobster traps. Old lobster traps. Broken. Slimy. Icky.

Downright creepy in the afternoon light.

Monochrome Moments

November 5, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 32 Comments

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #70: Monochrome

…we’re inviting you to explore the world of monochrome–which includes black and white and sepia, as well as different shades of one color.

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Autumn arrives in early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day.

Elizabeth Bowen

It’s November.

As I watch the brilliant reds and oranges of fall fade outside my window, a distinctive monochrome emerges.

acorns

Crunchy acorns under my feet during a chilly afternoon walk…signal we’re halfway through Autumn. A hint of what’s to come.

However…

There’s nothing quite like crackling river ice…to confirm the reality of winter.

river ice
As I try to wait patiently for the return of color next spring.

wall leaf

Seeing Double

October 31, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 21 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #69: Seeing Double

…let’s double our pleasure and focus on things that come in twos.

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First: A glimpse back at summer…a pair of seagulls hanging out at the beach.

pair of gulls copy

Next: A reminder of what is coming.
snow post

Two deck posts united in snow after a heavy wet March snowstorm. Looks like frosting to me.

AND…

Because today happens to be Halloween…I couldn’t resist an additional double from the family archives.

A sibling pair of trick or treaters dressed and ready…let’s go!

Layered life

October 24, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 26 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #68: Layered

…we invite you to explore Layers. You can include images of buildings, landscapes, seascapes, clouds, etc.

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I am always fascinated to get a glimpse of what goes on in the hidden places. The mysteries of plant life navigating from seed to stem to flower. Or whatever its destiny may be.

The intricate dance of soil, water and nutrients essential for success…seems miraculous. Tender shoots of life making their way to the sun. Surviving despite obstacles…both nature and human caused.

A cross section of one hidden place was on display recently…when a recent rainstorm dislodged a support wall alongside a brook near the town park.

layers of plants

My first thought was to crop the image to highlight the layers of exposed roots and stones in the center. Then I realized…no, it is all part of a larger and equally complex layered landscape. In a scene that literally stopped me in my tracks during a late afternoon walk.

This brook also travels south and eventually empties into a tidal river that flows behind old brick buildings in the downtown area.

A site for more layers.

There I discovered plant life…layered in glorious fall colors…crawling up, down and across a brick and stone canvas.

layered walls

Stopped in my tracks once again.

Let’s play

October 17, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 21 Comments

Inspired by:

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #67: Candid

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #68: Play

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Let’s see what happens when you pick up a small stone – the flatter the better – hold it just right between your thumb and first finger. Flick your hand back and then forward real quick – releasing it across the lake’s surface…

So it skips.

At 6 years old, you already play with rocks that you collect and line up in long rows on the deck railing at home. Separating them by size and shape. Carefully. Methodically. Counting them is also part of the fun.

But here it is different.

You and your family are at the lake.

You watch your daddy and see how he gets those stones to bounce across the water.

It is summer vacation after all.

No phones. No TV. No work. No school.

Hours upon hours to play.

gpc skipping stones 1994

Or maybe you’re only 3 years old. Your grampa is visiting to celebrate his 70th birthday and you want to try out your new doctor kit. He is your Patient of the Day.

First you listen to his heart. He is very quiet while you check it out.

Then he rolls up his sleeve so you can give him a shot. Because after all he might need one. Ooooh.

Ouch!

But you know he is just kidding.

This is just playtime pretend.

Frame it

October 10, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 18 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #66: Filling the Frame

You can include images of buildings, people, objects, and/or elements from nature. Feel free to include shots of the same subject before you filled the frame and after you filled the frame.

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This past summer I had a butterfly experience.

In fact…a massive butterfly experience. As a photographer, I had never been this up close and personal with so many butterflies. As I was to find out, butterfly bushes are instrumental in attracting these beautiful – and elusive – quick-to-fly-away insects.

At first I was drawn to the bushes themselves.

butterfly bush one
But, after filling the frame, I got the scene I wanted.

A butterfly resting at (almost) center stage, highlighted against its signature flowers.

More recently, I found a patch of ferns in varying degrees of Autumn decay tucked behind a wire fence.

ferns one

But on closer inspection…I uncovered an entirely different perspective.

A dance of textures and shades of green plus brown.

Decay?

Not so much.

Paradise Found

October 3, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 15 Comments

Inspired by Lens-Artists Challenge #65: Pick a Place

We’d like you to capture the spirit of a place that is vivid in your memory. What was it that drew you in and why did it capture YOUR heart?

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You have to go to Coronado!
Stop at the Del for dessert since it’s cheaper than getting a meal!

My friend Barbara was adamant. My husband and I were planning a week’s vacation in San Diego (this was 1996…before the internet…back when you talked to friends and read travel books to prepare for a trip). I had always wanted to explore southern California – specifically San Diego – and Barbara insisted we include a trip to nearby Coronado.

She grew up in California, so I figured her advice was solid.

We dutifully signed up for one of those trolley tours you can take when visiting a popular tourist destination. Coronado (often referred to as an island, but as we were informed many times – it’s a peninsula – NOT an island) is just across the bridge from San Diego. Lucky for us…it was a stop on the route.

When the trolley let us off on Coronado’s Orange Avenue….we fell in love with what we saw. Palm tree lined streets, friendly locals, an amazing ice cream shop, a restaurant advertising the world’s best margarita, thriving community theater…and the best part: the Beach. Sparkly sand like I’d never seen before. Or since.

Yes, we also drank tea and enjoyed a snack at the “Del” (aka: The Hotel Del Coronado…the iconic location of the classic film Some Like It Hot). Thank you Barbara.

We discovered that Coronado Beach goes on for what seems like forever. Dotted with people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Tourists and townspeople alike. Kids building sand castles. Teenagers tossing beachballs. Runners pounding footprints into the sand. Even a section for dogs and their humans to play.

It’s also a perfect beach for walking, even at high tide. An ideal spot for stretching out on a rented chair or towel. Reading. Writing. Listening to music. Staring at the horizon. Quenching one’s thirst. Unwinding.

We returned to my favorite place a half dozen times and found something new to do every visit.

My last visit was a solo trip in 2006 for a week’s R&R.

No need to rent a car. Walking or riding a bicycle was enough.

From a walk by the pier…to the shops…to the beach.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

After dinner…perhaps a concert at the bandstand.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And back to the beach for a sunset goodnight.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Just perfect.

Countryside

September 26, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 22 Comments

Inspired by Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #64: Countryside and/or Small Towns

Several countrysides come to mind for this challenge…

In the fields next to what used to be a New Hampshire family farm – and is now a farming cooperative – was the sight of a recent sunflower festival…

I was driving past it a few weeks ago and just had to stop. It was a few days before the festival and nobody was there but me. A perfect photo opportunity! I had never seen so many sunflowers in one place at one time.

Such an amazing view.

In early September, during a visit to the small town of Shelburne, Vermont – the countryside was on display next to the grounds of the Shelburne Museum.

vermont countryside — Shelburne, Vermont

I also visited Vermont in mid June. Where a bit farther down the road, a community garden was just beginning to showcase what was to come.

community garden vermont

Magical

September 19, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 23 Comments

Inspired by Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #63: Magical

Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.

Nora Roberts

During two visits to Vermont’s Shelburne Museum this summer, I kept gravitating back to this pond. One of many beautiful spots on the 45 acre campus. I’d walk by and then double back as the light shifted throughout the day. I took photo after photo, each shot just a bit different from the one before.

At one point, as if out of nowhere, a family of ducks glided across…and then…disappeared.

Magical.

magical pond

A few years ago I felt the pull to another favorite place…the ocean’s edge…late afternoon. In November when the beach was nearly deserted. The sun sinking.

I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time.

Magical.

hampton beach magic

Silhouettes

September 12, 2019September 7, 2020 ~ oneletterup ~ 19 Comments

Inspired by Lens-Artists Challenge #62: Silhouettes

After a recent long walk up and down the shoreline at the beach, I noticed a row of seagulls perched on the roof of a shelter near the parking lot.

I assumed they were taking a rest from a long day of swooping down on unsuspecting tourists and their dropped chunks of sandwiches, fried dough and chips. Always on the lookout. Always hungry.

They didn’t seem to mind being photographed.

seagulls on roof