Some oldies but goodies

I made this olive bread awhile back and it photographed better than it tasted. It was a beautiful loaf, made from a recipe from a breadmaker in France, using black olives and honey. It should have been good, but this was back in my beginner bread making days; when I didn't know how to critique a recipe. The inside of this bread was not cooked enough, and the purple color of the greek olives turned some of the dough inside a weird shade of purple. But it was a thing of beauty.

This is a shot of snow on the new buds of a Judas Tree in my front yard. It happened one spring when it snowed here in April, something that very rarely happens. The snow was gone by the afternoon.

For a While...

For awhile, I will not have the ability to use my photoshop and photos and post on the internet. We have a new computer with Windows 7, but no modem to connect the laptop with the photos and the new computer with the internet! I just figured out how to burn some photos onto a disc and transfer them to the new computer/internet to share some older photos with you.  The purple flower is a Gladiator Allium. The bear is a black bear who raided my bird feeders one or two years ago. We took this photo out the kitchen window, so sorry if it is blurry. We really didn't want to get too close to our visitor. The blue flowers are irises. We used to have a large bed of these beautiful flowers. Alas, they are spent now, and no longer produce flowers. If I am not too lazy, I will have to pick and plant new bulbs this fall.

Textures

This is a shot taken in the early morning at Cape Cod Canal, and the end, looking toward the ocean. The power plant is on your right.  I like looking at the textures of the calm water, the rocky New England shore and the hanging clouds.

The next shot is taken of textures/colors of the pier. Large oil tankers dock along the Canal and off load the oil.

This is a shot of beach rose and other sea plants along the Canal. The beach roses are a type of hardy rose that can tolerate the sun and the wind and the salt air near the ocean. Locals make a jelly out of the berries, tasting similar to cranberries, another native berry to the Cape Cod area.

Monotone Creatures

I know Gretal looks fierce here (maybe she has watched too much Tyra Banks on Next Top American Model) but she actually is just begging for a treat. Very vocally.

Here is Baron with his ears held back in Mercury position. He talks with his ears. This position means he is not sure how to react. He doesn't really like the camera. This is probably him right before he runs away from it.

A Walk Remembered

We enjoy our walks in Webb Park. These shots were taken in September of this year. I enjoy looking at them on cold, rainy days like today, when I can't get out and take new shots. We loved the sky on that day, and the early fall colors of the beach and meadows.

Various old gravestones

This guy hangs around my Mother's house during Halloween. He greets the trick or treaters with a big smile. I thought I would post some of the gravestones from the Old North Burying Ground in Weymouth, MA. They are fascinating, and most from the 1600 and 1700's.This is the Captain's stone. He seems a little creepy to me. I think the stone cutter was trying to capture his death bead portrait.

Mr. Torrey has a scary looking flying skull to decorate his grave. Why did the colonists like such gruesome carvings, I don't know.

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Jane's stone at least has a flying smiling skull...

This is a sibling stone. This depicts a brother and sister who died within a couple of days of each other. You can see the children tucked into their beds (or is it their coffins?)

Anyone else have photos of interesting gravestones to share for Halloween?

Late Fall in VA

This is one of the many times I wish I had a longer lens, like a 200 or a 300mm. My puny kit lens happened to be on my camera when these three balloons floating away in the distance showed up. This was the best I could do with what I have. This is also my street. I have a photo somewhere of this street with the fog rising from the bottom of the hill, but I can't find it.

Because this is somewhat of a tourist destination, balloon tours operate year round, and a few take a trip over my house and down the road to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I live on a mountain right before the National Park. I love looking at the balloons with their bright colors and the sound of the flames whooshing up to send them away. My dog doesn't like the sound but thinks he can catch them. Silly dog.

The dogwoods are turning red, and the berries are being eaten by squirrels, deer and my resident mockingbird. The mockingbird perches at the top of the tree and scolds anything else who dares approach his source of berry. I liked the way the sun hit the middle leaf in this shot.

My winter birds are returning. Oh I really could use the long lens to capture those beauties. We have yellow throats, junkos, fox sparrows and purple finches here in the cold months. They make up for our gorgeous hummingbirds who have left for Mexico.