Sunday, April 24, 2011

Daffodil Days

The Narcissus or Daffodil is the fundraising symbol for many Cancer Societies around the world.
"Daffodils Days" was first instituted in Toronto by the Canadian Cancer Society. During the
month of April funds are raised by offer of Daffodils in return for a donation.
Cancer effects us all in time, so please join the fight!
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of the bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to be had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
~ William Wordsworth

Thursday, April 21, 2011

100 posts!

Hey 100 posts!!...never knew I had it in me....Look out for thousands more! I Think this may be 101?
                                         Vintage Image for a vintage post!

Spring Flora

With spring showers come May Flowers...PHHT!
Its April and we have had snow!
But nature shines on through it all!





Wednesday, April 20, 2011

More of Springs Usual Suspects

                                  Another pair of very typical birds of spring
                                          Both rarely seen in the summer
                                           As they tend to migrate north

Passerella iliaca or Fox Sparrow

Carpodacus purpureus or Purple Finch

Monday, April 18, 2011

Photo Editing

Recently a photography group that I help administrate called Photography Platform
launched a sister page for photoshop geeks and other editing software abusers.
Its the digital dark rooms version of the Polka dot door!
We are still following a theme but after that its a no holds barred blood fest!
This weeks theme is Landscapes and this is my over the top submission!
Just think of the mayhem we can cause!!

Late Model Beech

The Beech Tree is famous for holding on to its leaves all winter
This is last years model, shortley to be replaced after hanging in for an entire winter!
Just does not seem fair!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Spring's Winter

An April squall
These images were taken this afternoon in the backyard as winters last snow squalls blew through.
It was very surreal to see crocus and the odd daffodil in the bloom and have a blizzard of wind and snow blow Toto all the way back to Kansas!

These were taken in colour,as much as there was to see, but I converted them to black&white to give a true sense on how this day really looked.



Thursday, April 14, 2011

Feline Family

Being a bird watcher and photographer, what makes more sense than having two cats in the family?
This is Chauncey and Angus, our boys!...litter mates and brothers till the end!
The boys love my Images of birds and squirrels and such,
but that's as close as they get!
They are our critters in the house and I would not give them up for the world!


                               

                                   Our house is a very very, very fine house
                                             With two cats in the yard
                                               Life used to be so hard
                                      Now everything is easy 'cause of you

                                        ~Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

April Sun on Summers Chair

This chair is seeing its first light after a long winter
stored away.
A warm April sun.
You can almost see it smile!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Solitude

Just used this for a photo contest on Facebook, the theme was Candid.
Thought I should share it here!
Somehow I think it fits Solitude better than candid

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Honey Bee versus Crocus

In my neck of the woods the 1st sign of spring is the Crocus popping through the snow...but when the Honey Bees arrive you know spring is truly here at last!





Song Sparrow in water colour

This is a shot of a Song Sparrow I took the other day.
Half decent...after I played in my digital darkroom and gave it a water colour effect...hey now I like it!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Livingston's Aerials

"Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight-how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating"
~Richard Bach from Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Between the rock and a hard place...

A Viola and a common Pansy, both self seeded in a gravel driveway!
nature is tough, delicate, pretty and amazing!


Monday, April 4, 2011

Arizona's Flora

Over this very long winter I have shared images from my trip to Arizona
but ive only offered landscapes and birdies!
Arizona has totally amazing plants and my favorite... Flowers!
As we were there in the last weeks of march most cactus had yet to bloom.
That did not matter, as you can see!







Sunday, April 3, 2011

Photographic Platform

This is a new facebook photography group some friends and I have recently launched with a web sight as well for a gallery
Its emphasis is on learning...please have a look and join up if it interests you! just click the link below!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147755295265457#!/group.php?gid=147755295265457

Friday, April 1, 2011

If Monet painted birds...

Some new work in the digital darkroom has produced these images in a water colour format.
Monet was a fan of colour and as a photographer you add light.
I can only imagine what he would do with these images?





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