My mom’s been gone eleven years now. Sometimes I still feel very connected to her.
Peaches in my mom’s old yellow bowl.
Like when I’m standing in her kitchen preparing peaches for the freezer.
You can see other interpretations of “Connected” at the original post. Or check out a few of my favorites here, here and here.
What makes you feel connected?
Shadows and reflections. Having spent the better part of two weeks on the lake I’ve been struck by the many beautiful reflections I’ve seen, and I’ve used quite a few of them in the last few posts. Maybe, just maybe, there’s nothing new to show you.
Still. Cee’s black and white challenge is intriguing and I haven’t done enough of them. In fact, I had to go back and watch the you tube instructions again because I’d already forgotten how to convert a color photograph to black and white since I did my last black and white for Cee’s challenge a few weeks ago.
After I figured out how to do it, the question became what to use. I had a couple of ideas but what it came down to was the still water right in front of the lake house, and the reflection we look at in all different kinds of light whenever we’re here, of the house across the way.
Early morning stillness.
You can tell the weather just by the way the house reflects in the water. If it’s dimpled there is rain. If it’s ruffled there is wind. If it’s perfect it’s water-ski water!
So I guess you can tell what we did right after taking this picture earlier in the week.
Yep, it involved a boat.
I’m a lucky person. I’ve had hundreds of good days and I’ve photographed many of them. Some of the very best days happened during trips; you’ve seen lots of them right here on this blog. It seems impossible to pick just one day, much less one photo from one good day.
Still, that’s the challenge.
Yosemite grandeur
So here’s a photo from a trip to California. We wandered Yosemite National Park during a misty chilly day. It was stunning, and not just at the famous and often photographed spots. Oh sure those were amazing, the waterfalls, the mountains, all were perfect even in the mist, but it was stunning everywhere we looked. And that’s what made that day a very good day.
Go to the original post to see other interpretations. Or check out a few of my favorites here, here and here.
Now take a moment and think about your life. What makes a good day for you? Share it with us, we’d like to see!
Walk into beauty
How does your garden grow?
Pretty in pink.
In the cool shade with a little breeze weeding was actually enjoyable. The only noises were the birds at the feeders and the bees buzzing around the flowers. I hummed along with them as I worked.
Bzzzzzzzzz….
At one point, carefully standing in the middle of the garden I looked up and thought – – I should go get the camera. This is so pretty Mom would like to see it, I’ll email her some photos.
Does anyone know what this is? About 3 feet tall.
And then, for a split second I remembered and waited for the sad to come rolling over me. But it didn’t.
Royal colors.
Instead I felt sure she was already seeing it, even before I took the first shot. And I was also sure she thought it was just as beautiful as I do.
Crazy beautiful.
I remember as a little girl picking her flowers from the fields and woods around the house. She put them in a juice glass and set them up on the windowsill above the kitchen sink. So when I accidentally broke a pretty pink zinnia I tucked it in my shirt right next to my heart. And when I got inside I put it in a juice glass.
And I smiled.
For my mom.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to convert photos to black and white for a long time. Maybe years. Oh, not constantly – just when I see something I think would look better in black and white. I have Adobe Photoshop and it should be easy, but I’ve frequently poked around there searching without any luck. So I did what I’ve heard lots of people do when they get stumped about something.
I went to YouTube.
Apparently people are right; you can find instructions for anything there. After watching a couple videos, and going back to figure out exactly which version of Photoshop I had, I figured out the basics. Then I tinkered around a bit more and came up with this:
Still working on the farm.
It seems to fit in perfectly with Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge, specifically a shot of something with an engine.
This old farm truck sits out by the road advertising events held at the farm. Soon it will be pumpkin picking time. Seems too early doesn’t it, but seasons come and seasons go.
This old workhorse has seen a lot of them, and I think it remains beautiful, and certainly photo worthy, no matter what the season.
I was doing dishes and noticed a flash of dark grey wing in a shrub beside the deck. I immediately felt alarm. The wing color looked like a junco, and those are only around here in the winter. Surely they were not already descending on my summer! I stopped doing dishes and watched intently.
Turns out this is what I saw:
Visit from a catbird
I saw catbirds when Katie and I were camping a few weeks ago. I know they are also in our yard, but they stay out by the road in the jungle of grapevine covered bushes. I’ve only seen them, even there, a couple of times in the twenty plus years we’ve lived here. I was surprised to see two catbirds in the honeysuckle bush, chasing each other around. And I was stunned to see one hop up on the birdbath.
Turns out there was more fun coming.
A nice cool bath is just the thing!
She (I’m deciding it’s a she) jumped in the bird bath and began to enjoy herself. But then she had an unwanted visitor.
Stay away! This is MY bath!
Then her mate showed up to guard her while she continued to bath.
I’ll keep watch for you.
She enjoyed her bath for a long time.
Shake it mama bird!
But once the mate flew back into the shrub she got even more visitors!
Look! She’s hogging the bath!
Eventually it was all just too much for her.
That’s it! There’s no privacy here!
And the visitors were left on their own.
Was it something we said?
Always an adventure. And to think if I was working I’d have missed it all.
Internet photo of Junco. Not here yet. Thank goodness.
My feet have been to many exotic, beautiful, interesting places. But when I think about what’s regularly beneath my feet I can only think of one thing. A fun, silly, and furry girl who is always underfoot.
Whatcha doing mama? Can I come too?
Check out a few of my favorite “Beneath Your Feet” offerings here, here and here. And look down right now. Where are your feet? Anywhere interesting? Share it with us!
NOW what are you doing mama?
Change Is Hard 