Category: Seasons

Summer Clouds Dancing Across the Sky

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Hampton Beach NH at dusk

SixWordSaturday

Settled on a boardwalk bench after an anniversary dinner with my husband last night, I was witness to Mother Nature at work. The evening sky on display…only a short drive away from our home.

Behind me – and across the street – a bustling sidewalk of tourists balancing beach chairs, slices of pizza and fried dough moved along from T-shirt shops to ice-cream stands to the iconic arcade that has been blaring its bells & whistles from pinball machines for decades. A mashup of reggae, rock and country music poured out from restaurant decks and porches. A sea of humanity of all ages, shapes and sizes gravitated in and out of what my father used to call “Tourist Traps” but what I affectionately called “Souvenir Shops” back in the day. Last night it was: Get your name printed on a grain of rice! or a ring! Buy this shirt with a (totally tasteless) message printed on the front! Key chains! Sunglasses! And More! Racks of tie-dye…everything…lined the boulevard. Before dinner, we played a few Skee Ball games for old times sake – and collected enough tickets for a pair of dice.

Finally, the popular vacation destination of Hampton Beach was “back to normal” after 2 summers of pandemic restrictions. It was wonderful to see people out and about enjoying themselves.

After over a week of record setting heat and humidity, I was most grateful a more comfortable summer day had returned…with its gift of a beautiful evening sky.

Macro Monday: All Lit Up

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Spring is a macro photographer’s paradise. The woods…trees…plants…path…provide the stage. Buds…leaves…flowers…debut as actors. This new leaf posed for me during a recent late afternoon walk. The stage lighting was perfect.

I really think it called out, highlighted in the sun as it was. Look at me!

Happy Monday!

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Macro Monday: Hello Spring

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I went for a walk in the woods yesterday to mark the first day of Spring with a few photographs. A thick layer of wet leaves covered the trail, along with puddles left over from the recent rains and melting snow. It was mostly overcast with a few peeks of late afternoon sun. Not too much was going on Spring-wise unless you stopped and looked close, which happens to be my favorite method of discovery.

Pricker bush branches never seem to take the winter off, so once I carefully moved those out of the way (ouch!), I spotted long spindly branches showing off pinkish buds. Aha! There it was…a sure sign of Spring.

Another sign of Spring? The tick who hitchhiked a ride home with me. Fortunately I captured it before it scurried all the way up my leg.

Macro Monday: Looking Down

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I will admit…I have a thing for red leaves in the fall. Look what I spotted on a recent walk in the woods…proving once again that it always pays to look down!

I am often reminded of how fun it was to “preserve” (with a hot iron) fallen leaves between 2 pieces of wax paper a zillion years ago. I wonder if anyone still does that.

Lens-Artists Challenge: Colors of Autumn

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Lens-Artists Challenge #167: Colors of Autumn

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The colors of Autumn are peeking out…little by little…in my northeast corner of the US. I have chosen some old favorites to share in this challenge, as I think Autumn (once it gets going in my neighborhood) is the most colorful season (sorry Spring!).

There’s nothing like blazing red, orange and everything in between when you look up. It all seems to happen overnight or close to it.

Leaves crunch underfoot. I marvel at the uniqueness of each one. I know it’s nature and the leaves’ final stage of life, but perhaps the blaze of color is its glorious send-off after shading us all summer…

Gourds are once again arriving at grocery stores and farm stands. Their colors and textures…so unlike the vegetables of summer. They’ve always struck me as strange in a cool sort of way. I never know what to do with them (no decorating potential…Martha Stewart I’m not), but they deserve a photo.

I know that apples are available year-round at the grocery store – trucked in from somewhere, but Autumn is the time for apple picking in my local area. Fresh off the trees, branches weighted down…there’s nothing like it. Orchards are busy in September & October…morphing into destination spots for festivals, bluegrass music, hayrides and apple cider donuts. And apples. Lots of apples.

Last but not least, there is orange once more…not just leaves…but pumpkins too – so plentiful in Autumn. Pumpkins to set out on your porch as a festive nod to the season…but when our kids were growing up…the first step was carving jack ‘o lanterns. Very important preparation for placing a lit candle inside on Halloween night.

Hand a knife to a 5 year old and look out!

Careful creativity in the making….

1987
Daddy and budding artist daughter

Winter White

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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: White
BeckyB’s July Squares: Treesquare

In my part of the world it is summer. A hotter than normal summer from what the climate experts report.

I’ve never been one to look forward to the hot and humid, but it does seem worse than in years past…to me anyway. Growing up, my family never had air conditioning until we moved when I was 11. Until then, I spent “boiling” days (as I called them) outside in a kiddie pool or under the sprinkler or sitting next to a humming floor fan while watching cartoons or playing Monopoly with my sister. It was a round metal fan that you could sit on, cooling off your legs too. Hopefully without sticking your fingers inside. Now known as a “vintage floor fan,” it was back before finger-saving safety features became all the rage.

But I digress…this treesquare is obviously a winter photograph – post major snowstorm. I took this photo many years ago, as I liked the look of wet snow clinging to bare branches. It could be a challenge to capture the moment before winter sunshine made it disappear.

Before we know it…winter will creep back and this will be the scene outside many of our windows. No more hot and humid…which will be fine with me!

Macro Monday: Pair of Buds

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A pair of buds…or perhaps really 2 pairs of buds…greeted me on a bright and breezy day last week. As I went out the back door of my building I noticed a bush…now sprouting buds everywhere on its spindly branches. I have no idea what name this bush goes by, but no matter. And for some reason I’m now reminded of that old Pac Man video game…however I digress.

I gratefully welcome yet another sign of Spring.

BeckyB’s BrightSquare Challenge