This Old House

I have been champing at the bit to get out and take some pictures to post, but certain forces have been working to prevent it.  Mostly my own laziness.  But I got to thinking, one of the main purposes of this blog is to encourage me to expand my horizons and to improve my techniques.  So I decided to give the birds and trees a rest and stay indoors, and capture some of the features of my 100+ year old house.

One of my favorite features are the old style pushbutton light switches…

And the equally appealing chandelier.

One of the biggest attractions to this house is the woodwork.  Unlike most of the houses in the area, it had never been painted over.

I mentioned trying to improve my photographic techniques.  Well, you would be surprised just how challenging it is to get a decent picture of an old doorknob in a dark corner (I am still not perfectly happy with it).

This is the large iron grate over the air return vent by the front door.

Well, there you are.  People sometimes ask me what sort of pictures I like to take.  While I will always favor nature and wildlife, I enjoy photographing just about anything.  So I suppose I could tell people, I take pictures of just about anything and everything, except the kitchen sink…….

OK, I take picture of everything.

Thanks for indulging me.  Come back again for a visit, its been fun.

Oh deer!

The whitetail deer is very plentiful in my part of the world.  But despite their numbers, it has been very difficult for me to get a good picture of one.  Without ready, and legal, access to private land where they can be readily found, I am pretty much at the mercy of luck.  Well, during a recent drive on a very rural road, my luck turned good.  I saw two separate groups of deer.  The first were at the far side of a field, and began running away when I stopped the car.  The second group, a pair not too far off the road, were kind enough to pose for me while I got a good shot.  The weather was not clear, as it was pretty hazy, and cloudy.  They may not be “hang on the wall” quality, but I am still thrilled to have gotten these shots.

I am hoping to get out more, and maybe expand my photo horizons.  Assuming of course, I can get my lazy butt out of my chair!  Stay tuned, more to come soon, I hope!

Eagle

A recent road trip took me north of Au Gres Michigan.  I pulled into a small park at Singing Bridge, and looked out onto the beach and Lake Huron.  There on the shore was a young Bald Eagle, apparently enjoy fish for lunch.  I was able to get a few shots from the car before he spooked and took off.  They are a bit fuzzy, and you can tell I was looking through some bushes.  But it was still a magnificent sight.

What a sight!  I love eagles, and any day I see one is a good day.  Thanks for posing, and fly free my friend.

A Little Bit O’ Nature

Here is a quickie folks.  Just a couple shots from an afternoon birding walk I took with my wife over the weekend.

Ok, there is a story behind this little bird.  As I was trying to get a picture of it, he kept jumping from one branch to another, always getting closer.  He landed about three feet from me, and while I tried to focus, it jumped up and landed on top of my camera.  He then proceeded to hop onto my trigger finger.  Kinda hard to take a picture when the little twerp is on top of the camera!!

This gray squirrel was watching us.  I guess the chipmunk was on vacation.

The tower overlooking Tobico Marsh has reopened after being closed for several years over safety concerns.  Hurray!!  Here is a view from the top.

Just a couple mushrooms on the side of a tree.

Not much I am afraid.  As you can tell, it was a very dreary day.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sunrise By The River

I set aside some time early Saturday morning to get out enjoy the sunrise, and see what nature had to offer for a guy with a camera.  I did not travel far; in fact, I stayed right in town.  I decided to see what the river had to offer.

The early morning light creates some interesting silhouettes.

Here is a self portrait, in shadow.

Normally, by January 7, the river is frozen over.  But with the unseasonably warm weather this year, the water is still open, and the geese have not all fled south.

There is a little ice left, at the very edge of the river.  The low sun brushes against it nicely, highlighting the texture of the ice.

Geometric shapes, courtesy of the crystals in the thin ice.

A group of gulls settle on some ice that has formed away from the main channel.

Hey! Who scared the gulls??

A small group of geese enjoying a leisurely float upriver.

It was nice to get out in the early morning, and capture a few shots.  This day was particularly special, as I got out to safari twice.  My wife Wendy joined me for an afternoon of birding and photography.  I will share a few of those shots soon.

Thanks for visiting!