Think Spring

Ahhhh Spring, when a young man's fancy turns to.....anything but snow. I may not be a young man anymore, but I still look forward to spring. Really look forward to spring. Really REALLY look forward to spring. To help my mental health by bringing thoughts of spring, and maybe, just maybe, forgetting that pile of snow in the back yard for a little while, I decided to make the theme for today Flowers. Here are a few I have taken over the last year. Hope they help to brighten your day a bit. Enjoy!... and thanks for visiting, come back soon!

Away from home - Again

For the second week in a row I am sent away from my home to attend training for work. This time I am in Lansing attending an FDA Food Processing Technology course. It snowed all day today, and I thought this may be a good occasion to take a couple shots showing where I am at.

A couple shots out of my third floor window. The blanket of fresh snow is visible, as are the cars that need scraping off.


This hotel has small suites, complete with a small kitchenette. Very convenient for a week away from home.

A Word About Squirrels

After returning from my photo safari on Saturday, I let the dog out to, um, take care of business. Soon she was barking to come in, and when I let her in I noticed a couple squirrels on the play set, harassing her. The seem to know just how long her tie out cable is. In my humble opinion, squirrels are pests. They harass the dog (the wimp), steal seed from my bird feeder, and dig up our garden bulbs. Yes, squirrels are pests. But they are cute pests. These were at least kind enough to pose for me while I took several pictures. I imagine in reality they were checking to see if I was going to refill the bird feeder. And you know what? They never thank me for the bird seed.

Winter Nature

I went out on Saturday to try to capture a bit of nature. So I leave early in the morning to Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area. I left home with high hopes of photographing birds, and maybe some animals. Hawks soaring, or perched on trees. Songbirds flitting around the bushes. However, for the most part Mother Nature was not going to make it too easy. A woodpecker makes his presence known on an old dead tree, but he will not come out so I could see him. Songbirds flit away, being camera shy.

But the sun is low in the sky, backlighting the shore plants and making them glow. They look like they come from a dream. You can almost see the silence of the open fields in them.


As I walk, I look down. A small twig, set in a frozen footprint, has not yet seen the morning rays of sun. Frosty ice crystals have grown on it, looking like a fine cut glass ornament. A moment in time is captured, for soon the twig will warm, and the crystals will disappear.


Finally it is time to leave, and as I drive slowly out, back toward civilization, I see a shape in the field, through the bushes and weeds. I gently brake, and silently get out of the truck. Crouching low, I step as quietly as I can to get a better view. The deer has seen me, and keeps careful watch. But he allows me to take his picture, before he runs off. Many of his friends are there, and I take their pictures too. Perhaps I will share those another day.



But now I travel home again. But that is not the end of wildlife. But I will tell you about that tomorrow.

Gee, it's good, to be back home again....

Welcome home to me!! Home from Atlanta, at least for a couple days. Off again for training next week, but at least this time I can take my laptop and stay in communications! Hopefully I will not have time to update my pics, and post something you may find interesting.

A Watery Message

Well it has been a week since I started this blog, and at least a few people have paid a visit to my humble site. To these folks I say "Thank You". I will be away for a few days, so there will not be any new entries until the end of the week. But I will leave you with three watery pictures, inspired by a friends suggestion that I use pictures of water. Actually, the pictures are not so much of water, but rather of creatures that live in the water. See you all this weekend, when I will hopefully have some new exciting pictures to share.

Happy Valentines Day

It is Valentines day, so what would be a better subject to post today then flowers.

A late season rose from my garden, taken last fall. Normally there are not blooms this late in the year, but this year we had blooms into November. What is more lovely than a single red rose?

A group of pink flowers taken at a hotel I stayed at last summer. Just an attractive group that caught my eye.

Happy Valentines day my friends. I hope you enjoy you flowers. Thanks for visiting, and please come back soon.

- Steve

Creepy Crawlies

I have a thing for nature, in all it's forms. From a glowing sunset, to wild birds, grand landscapes, or even a simple flower. I am also fascinated by the tiny, and am working to learn to do close up photography. So it is only natural to combine those two loves and take pictures of those wonderful, beautiful creepy crawly creatures.

How can the frail looking wings of a dragonfly not be beautiful? The fine structure is amazing - only Mother Nature could design that.

Or a fuzzy little caterpillar? Who doesn't love those? Well, ok. Perhaps the gypsy moth is not the best example of a beloved lepidoptera. But the markings and color are still wonderful to see.

And yes, even the daddy longlegs has its own beauty. When seen close up, the the intricate structure becomes visible.

Dreaming of Summer

At times like this, after a heavy snowfall, a day spent shoveling, and watching the sidewalk become an ice rink before my eyes, a man's thoughts turn to summer. A day at the lake, relaxing, fishing, watching the sunset. Feeling that hot sun give way to a warm breeze, as day turns to twilight. The sky comes alive with the colors of fire, and the mirror surface of the water is marred by only the slightest ripples.

Time to spread more salt on the ice. Sigh........

Snow Day

Ok, it is nothing like what the East coast has been getting. But we did get a pretty decent snow fall over the last 24 hours. The original forecast called for 4 to 6 inches in our area, but we ended up with about 10 inches. It is hard to tell for sure, because there is a lot of wind and drifting. Regardless, the kids have a lot shoveling to do. Of course, there is no school today for them, so they are totally thrilled. The only one more excited than them is Psychodog. She sooooo wants someone to go out and play with her. Her favorite winter activity is catching and eating snowballs. Had to get Alex to shovel a patch by the back door so she (Psychodog) and take care of business without getting her tail cold.

The bad news is that I have three vehicles to dig out, including the truck in the back yard, which is now drifted in. The good news is we can go cross country skiing this weekend!

In the beginning....

...there was a man hesitant to start a blog. After all, why would anyone care about what he had to say. But after much careful consideration (and encouragement from a good friend) he started a blog to share his photographs with the world. Or at least the three people who will read this.