This is another shot from the fun session that my granddaughter and I shared. I hope we can do it again soon, she's growing up so fast, I just want to stop the clock whenever I can!
Long after sunset, the sky suddenly went orange-red.... bringing in some overnight storms. You just never really know when the show is over when it comes to a Mother Nature production....:-)) 09.06.11 (bumped the saturation a little on this, but not as much as one might think!)
Sunset on the Colorado River.... After 14 days & 6568 kms. we are finally relaxing for a couple of days beside the magnificent Colorado River.... today is 82F (hot!!), peaceful & simply superb!! Definitely worth the drive....:-)) We are nesting for 3 days at Lake Havasu City, AZ, after finding a gorgeous camping spot only 4 feet from the River.... this was the view outside our rear window last night.... So far we've traveled through 8 states (I think!) & camped in many beautiful places. The weather has been terrific & the highways excellent, except for a bit of adventure in South Dakota when we hit ice & our camper jack-knifed & tried to pass us on the right, but no harm done. I've taken almost 200 shots a day & had almost no time at all to look at them, so I'll be busy when I get home & hope to have a few to share with all of you.. Whenever possible, I've been checking out your Daily Photos & of course, they continue to amaze & inspire...... sorry I haven't had time to comment, maybe later today...:-)) I really miss our daily contact... Hope you are all doing well..... :-)) 03.03.11
One last shot before the storm hits... This was the last shot I fired off quickly as I was standing inside the door of our house, looking west while the centre of the rotating cloud was approaching from the northwest - the sound from the wind & the rain was deafening & the pounding on the windows was so loud I thought they might break. Wish I had a shot to share of Bruno & I huddled together on the couch in the basement. I thought we should be on the floor in a corner, but he steadfastly refused to get off the couch - guess he figured if he was going to die, he was going out in comfort! Thankfully, it was all over in about 15 min. & by then, Bruno was fast asleep & snoring... nothing upsets him for long... lol!! 08.21.11
Joy or Panic? Well.... he really loves his boat rides, but it might be tough to tell here.... :-)) 08.14.10
Snow drift or snow dog? Tough to tell the difference sometimes....:-)) 02.02.11
Falling into the abyss.... One thing I have noticed about the water drop shots... when you are lucky enough to catch a sharp focus, there can be endless hours (& a few sleepless nights) spent playing with the possibilities.... :-)) 12.05.10
Sunset - the way I see it...! Our little piece of heaven right here on earth... 07.07.10
Pretty little foxy gal.... Unbelievably....! We have a new family in our neighbourhood! Eight kits & their Mom & a few miscellaneous adults (apparently Dads, Aunts & Uncles will all help raise the young) have moved in across the street & under a garden shed. I was lucky enough to be able to catch the babies playing by shooting through a window, such a thrill!! This little one suddenly spotted us but it didn't seem to bother her much & she quickly wandered off, obviously she had more important things to think about. Here's a link to a few more shots... http://www.jmcqueenphoto.com/Wildlife/Fox-Family/17263885_Cr3Rcq#1311199561_6WpZC5P 05.29.11
One pink water drip... a reminder to add a drop of compassion to all that we think and all that we do :-)) My offering for Indigodreams' pink challenge. I just have to say..... I do SO admire all of you fantastic macro experts !!! Hats off to you..... I don't know WHERE you get your patience from! (It's very clear to me that I don't have enough of it!) 11.02.10
Oranges, soda water & sunshine.... create many, many bubbles.... :-)) Pushed my comfort zone with my attempt to throw a chunk of orange into a glass of bubbly water - I thought it would be a quick & easy shot for the Dailies... NOT! An hour & a half & 396 shots later, I finally shut 'er down & cleaned up the mess. Out of all that, I think I got 4 usable images.... oh well, once again, I think I learned a lot... Wow.. thank you all so very, very much for your comments on Mackenzie's pics! We appreciate every one ..... you are all so thoughtful, kind & encouraging! Hope you are enjoying a wonderful week...:-)) 02.10.11
Where the metal hits the tracks. 02.22.12
The wake at dusk... shot from the boat, looking back.... 09.04.11
"Be yourself, every one else is already taken." I decided to include my Shadow Self in my Self Portrait... also gives me a little space to hide behind...:-)) This whole SP thing is much more challenging than I thought it would be.... this is the best I could do - a little bit on the quiet side, but oh well.... I'd like to try it again, but not for awhile! I didn't do much pp on this shot, just tried to clean up some of the noise, otherwise decided to just 'be myself'.....:-)) To those of you who jumped in ....I am really looking forward to 'meeting' you during the day...! 01.09.11
April 2, 2010 I love my Mother's beautiful hands. They hold 96 years of Life. Perhaps the hands can remember what the mind has lost. I took my camera when I visited my mother yesterday, but taking pictures of her makes her very uncomfortable these last few years, so I shot this while she was busy reading and she didn't even notice...... I love her hands, they speak so clearly of her life's story and remind me of all the love she has given. What is so very interesting about this shot - and I did not notice this until I was processing it - is that her fingers are just below her name. Funny how she could find this, and read about herself while she had lost the memory of the words she was reading....
Zeus..!! God of Lightening & Thunderbolts.... strikes Winnipeg, Manitoba...!! I have never, never been able to get a shot of lightening before... this is my very first time!! Same storm as my last 2 posts - now it has passed over & for almost an hour I watched the most incredible lightening show over the city, as it slowly moved southeast. What a night! Wow folks!! Thanks so very much for all your wonderful comments on the pics of the storm, I'm totally blown away...:-)) Have a great week, everyone...!! 08.22.11
Heading home before dark... just one of several calm & peaceful evenings spent cruising at the Lake... Thank you all so very much for your thoughts & comments while I was away.... such a treat to come home & enjoy them all. Looking forward to catching up on all your wonderful images that I've missed over the last few days...! 07.06.10
Ice along the shoreline of Lake Manitoba... scuptured art by Mother Nature. Today is the beginning of my third year with the Dailies & I am so very appreciative of this wonderful, supportive community & the friendships we have created together. Whether or not I have mentioned them, you have helped me through some very difficult times in the last couple of years & I can only hope that somehow I will be able to return the kindness. Aside from all that, there is absolutely no way my photography would be the same without all of you. I am inspired every single day by the talent & the creativity found in this community.... from my heart... Thank you & I hope you have a ridiculously great day!! 03.01.12
Time for the pumpkins to fly the nest & find homes of their own. Many, many thanks for all your kind comments yesterday...... your support is so inspiring! (Might even find myself getting up earlier to catch more of those sunrises.... :-)) 10.13.10
Lavender sunrise For only a moment or two, just before the sun rose, it seemed that the whole world was bathed in pink & then shades of lavender. Some days really do have the most miraculous beginnings... I did some processing, but tried to maintain the original colours. It's -34C (29 below zero F) with the wind chill this morning, guess I won't be out catching any sunrise today! Hope it's much warmer in your world...:-)) 12.11.10
Camouflaged. Hunting, Bruno-style: Hide in the grass, completely unseen. Stand (relatively) still & wait. When a rabbit jumps up in front of you, watch it carefully as it runs away. Continue hiding. Too bad I missed the rabbit in this shot, it was only a few feet in front of him. Sometimes he'll make a half-hearted attempt to chase them, but often it's just too much trouble, either that or he is working on another plan.... :-)) 11.10.10.
My out of bounds goose... :-)) The 3D, "out of bounds" look is so cool, I finally decided to give it a try & found a great tutorial here: Gavin's Instructions Thanks for all your wonderful comments on Mackenzie's FB shot, and yes! She loves it! 09.14.11 (And thanks Maryann/fotomom for fixing the link... :-))
Stormy days It seems the snow & high winds will never stop.... every few days, we enjoy some sunshine & then another storm blows in. Hopes for a mild, short winter are fading fast... Thanks for all your encouragement this week, it's been a wonderful week in many ways, & one of them is this community & all of you ...! 12.03.10
Walking in the marsh... We went to our local marsh yesterday, waiting til dark to watch the thousands & thousands of geese come in for the night. I was hoping for some shots of the geese as they flew in, some of them just 10 feet above our heads, but by the time they began arriving it was too dark to capture them. But, just before dark, I was lucky enough to capture this family wandering down the path... (I really wish that the 2 little ones in the left corner would have moved apart ... it's just not clear what that lump is, is it? It's all about the timing.... :-)) 10.20.10
Tornado watch! This is the scene from my front door on Thursday evening. A massive rotating cloud is forming on the right side of the photo & this passed directly over our house. I desperately wanted to capture the centre of the cloud as it went over, but when a shoe went flying past my head & the rain came with a vengence, I figured it was time to get inside & hide in the basement with Bruno. The storm did some damage with the high winds & huge downpour, but thankfully no touchdowns were reported in populated areas. The good news is - we finally got rain! But good grief!! Is there NO such thing as moderation any more?? Stay safe & have a terrific weekend everyone.... :-)) 08.20.11
Storms coming, swimmers already gone... We're just not getting a break from the unrelenting heat and humidity, and the constant evening thunder storms, some of them violent and creating lots of damage in many areas. This one actually missed us which was a nice change! Gone again for a few days, back up to the lake to watch the storms race across the water .... have an excellent week, can't wait to see all your shots when I get back... :-)) 08.08.10
Sunrise in my backyard on 10-10-10 No big events on the world wide scene on 10/101/10, but there sure was at my house! For some unknown reason - I found myself up & wide awake before sunrise! Very rare occurance since retirement!! Even photographic opportunity can't seem to push me out of bed that early in the day after so many, many years of getting up at 6:30 to go to work. However - I enjoyed it so much, I think I'll make a point of it more often .... & really... it's not that hard to do, now that sunrise is almost 8:00 am ... :-)) I'd like to thank everyone for your kind & thoughtful comments on my post yesterday. It's an image that is so close to my heart, I wasn't at all sure if I should even share it - now I am very glad that I did. Thank you all so very much.... 10.12.10
Beautiful Bella Meet Bella, the latest addition to our family.... she is the second rescue cat that my daughter & her hubby have adopted & she is a real beauty. Her eyes are amazing - huge, almond shaped & a pale green. She was brought home to keep Blanco company, & although they are both pure white, they just couldn't be more different... Bella is slender, graceful & regal, Blanco is chubby, affectionate & still a little unsure about the new queen in his home...:-)) Wish I had a shot of the two of them together, but that might not happen for awhile... Thanks for all your comments on Bruno's mug shot & your best wishes for our upcoming holiday... we leave for Arizona on Thursday, can't wait!!! 02.13.11
Madison..... without her iPod....:-)) We did a little photo session while she was here in July & this is one of my favourite shots. Sometimes I just can't believe how lucky I am to have two such photogenic granddaughters!! Thanks so very much for all your comments & thumbs up, especially yesterday, when Madi could watch her photo soar to the top..... it's been said before & I'll say it again.... you guys are the best!! Have a great week everyone...-)) 08.08.11
Splashes of colour can still be found here & there.... 10.10.10
The view from here ... As you can see, Bruno is thoroughly enjoying the lovely view out the window...:-)) this is another HDR shot, which is best viewed in really small sizes as it really didn't 'melt' together very well! We're in the deep freeze here which makes it so very difficult to use the camera outside - not only do fingers freeze, but also batteries & memory cards - so, it's going to be challenging to find my daily shot in the warmth! I am totally stunned by your reaction to my 'Lavender' shot yesterday...! It is such an honour to reach the #1 spot in this community of incredibly talented photographers, thank you so very much! Hope you are enjoying wonderful (warm) weather & a lovely Sunday....:-)) 12.12.10
Bruno the Lion Dog, aka Leonberger. Such a wonderful breed .... big, gentle, intelligent & very protective ....apparently their job was to guard the sheep at night, while the Sheepdogs worked during the day. They have a fascinating history - bred to look like a lion as a mascot for Leonberg, Germany, they were almost wiped out by World War II. I guess we're the sheep now & Bruno works 24/7 as we have no Sheepdog for the day shift. Of course, he takes a break whenever he needs one & now that he's in semi-retirement, his breaks cover approx. 20 hrs. a day, so I'd say he now works a 4/7 shift.... :-)) 02.05.12
Baby Crocus, fresh from the earth.... We all love babies because they are so cute & cuddly, even soft, fuzzy little plant babies.... 05.05.11 edit - even ones that look like baby ostriches...lol, John, I thought the same thing when I posted it...:-))
Short days & long icicles... We're still locked in the deep freeze, the wind chill has been keeping temps in the minus 35 C range (which is about minus 31 F) every day. We got a little relief yesterday when the wind finally went down at sunset. Now that we are into January, this is more normal temps for us, but of course, we still complain ....somehow, it helps us feel a little warmer...:-)) Thank you so much for all your warm wishes & kind comments over the holiday season .... I am so very grateful for all of you in this wonderful community & I hope you are all eager to start the new year..:-)) 01.03.11
Sunrise over hoar frost.. Finally, after weeks of dark, cloudy mornings ... a sunrise! We also were gifted with a wonderful blanket of hoar frost covering everything & temps below -25C! Wonderful morning for photography, although it meant several trips inside for lots of hot coffee & to warm up aching fingers. (HDR, 4 shots using Photomatix.) I'm so grateful for all your comments this week, it's so much fun to read them all & Mackenzie is lovin all the thoughts on her new coat.... thank you so very much! 12.09.10
One of my favourite little ladies.... Wild Flax, happily swaying in the breeze.... 07.19.11
Rolo's big smile... :-)) Created on my iPad... how's that for cool? All you need is a little $1.99 app called OutColour, super easy to use! I'm delighted that you liked my first attempt at the 'out of bounds' technique in PS yesterday, thanks so much! It's really loads of fun & I may get completely addicted to playing with this effect ... :-)) 09.15.11 (ps... you don't need an iPad to create this effect, see my post yesterday for a link to a tutorial in PS)
A rose for you on Easter Sunday..... 04.24.11
Moments before sunrise... It sure seems to take a v-e-r-y long time for that sun to peek above the horizon when you're standing there in the cold, wondering why you can't think of something more comfortable & less dangerous (for both fingers, face & camera!) for a shot for the Dailies! Shooting in this extremely cold weather is do-able, but not exactly fun & requires a constant shuffle of hands in & out of pockets & big mitts, tucking the camera inside the jacket, and exchanging cold batteries & cards for warm ones. BTW.. the reason there are no footprints in the snow is because these drifts are now as hard as rock & you walk over them, not through them... much easier, really.... Many thanks for all your wonderful comments on yesterdays icicles ... I'm so glad you liked it! 01.04.11
Opposing points of view .... :-)) 05 09 11
Snow blindness.... a peculiar condition that can be caused by too many shots of the snow... :-)) Thank you all so very much for all your comments lately, I am so enjoying the diversity of your photos... it's so wonderful to see beauty, colour & warm places in the middle of our long winter & I do so appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on my pics... have a great week & a terrific Monday! 01.24.11
Forgotten in the mists of time.... 12.21.11
Yaaayyy!! It's Christmas time....!! The excitement is building..... More for some of us, than others....:-)) Have a great week... & thank you so very much for all you encouragement & comments, you are a wonderful 'bunch'..!! 12.13.10
Happy Canada Day, eh? Have a great Friday! Easy to do if you're Canadian ..... it's a holiday AND a Long Weekend.... yaayy!! 07.01.11 (Seed plume of the Three Flowered Avens) edit: Thanks, Beth.... I didn't know it was an American long weekend too... isn't it wonderful to be able to share it!! Have a great one everybody.....:-))
Betcha can't guess what this is....! The remnants of a wasp nest, found hanging beneath a rock (with a little added punch from 100 Cameras filters).The perfect geometric patterns of Nature never cease to amaze. Speaking of being amazed...!! I'm blown away by the wonderful warm response to yesterday's post on 2 Guys Photo blog, http://2guysphoto.wordpress.com/ Thanks so very much for all your kind words & many, many thanks to Ed at 2Guys..! 08.19.11
Healing light... My daughter, Lisa, enjoying the healing light of the warm autumn sun, while recovering from recent surgery. Many, many thanks for all your wonderful compliments/comments on my sunset shot yesterday..... such warm support is so encouraging, especially when it is coming from a community of such truly outstanding talent. Special thanks to Maryann (fotomom) for sharing her great idea!) Wishing you all a great day, wherever you are & whatever you are dealing with ..... :-)) 10.21.10
Wind, water & skies.... This is an HDR that took me forever to put together. It was an incredibly windy day & I wanted lots of action in the grass, but all I could get was a goofy look that I really wasn't going for, so this is the compromise. Not all that sure if I like it or not... :-)) 08.16.10
Waiting for summer... Some days it sure feels like it's a long, long wait. Thanks so much for all your thoughts on Bruno's picture yesterday, I read them all to him & he was feeling pretty good about himself by the time the day ended... :-)) It was fun to see Bruno & Big Red, side by side, as the day ended - I bet they'd like each other if they ever met! 02.06.12 (3 shot HDR)