Windswept Snows

It has been quite some time since I have made a post.

I find myself using my phone camera more and more these days and I miss using my DSLR as I have in the past.

Perhaps once the warmer weather comes back this spring things will change.

Until then, I will try to post some photos now and again.

ABC Wednesday - Z is for Zenith

Zenith - the point in the heavens directly above an observer.

The storms clouds were moving in fast on the day this photo was taken.

The zenith was directly pin-pointed at that instant.

I have always enjoyed watching the weather and keeping an eye on the clouds is second nature for me.

And you never know what photo opportunity might appear in the sky.

This is the eleventh round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

Light Snowfall

It is that time of the year again.

Time for autumn to begin her change into the next season - winter.

The first light snowfall has already arrived, but the remains only lasted a couple of days.

A small taste of what is to come.

The seasons come and go quicker now.

And as much as the cold sinks more into the bones as one gets older - I wouldn't change it for a warmer year round climate.

Although it does seem tempting at times.

Mother Nature's beauty abounds at all times, and how glorious the spring season is after the winter one takes it's leave.

ABC Wednesday - V is for View

V is for View............







We had seen this long pier from across the harbor on the other side of the river.

You could tell it was long, but in the distance it looked really small.

We were on the New Hampshire side when we first saw it, and the actual pier was on the Maine side of the harbor.

The next time we visited the ocean, that pier was where we headed.

It was gorgeous fall day and we found it was part of a fort in a big park.

We walked over 5 miles that day - and it was worth every step!

This photo was taken at the very end of the dock, looking back towards the land.

More photos to come!








This is the seventh round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details.

ABC Wednesday - T is for Thunderclouds

T is for Thunderclouds............







When you see these thunderclouds beginning to form in the summertime, you had better take heed.

These ones were not very tall - sometimes these things can get really high!

All fluffy and white on the top and dark and brooding on the bottom.

Then the really dark ones start forming under these ones, and that's when you know you had better get inside.

They are so beautiful though, as they usually come towards the late afternoon/early evening, and the sun is angled in the sky to give them the most gorgeous light.

The biggest and prettiest one I have ever seen was just a couple of days before these ones, and wouldn't you know, I didn't have my camera.

And I usually never leave home with out it - figures!








This is the seventh round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details.

Half a Rainbow

Half a Rainbow







I knew it would be there somewhere in the sky.

It was pouring right where we were, but the sun was shining directly in our eyes as we headed home in the car.

I kept looking behind us - I know that was where it would be in order for the sun to shine through the drops and make the rainbow.

But the trees were all around us, so I couldn't find it anywhere.

Then we crested the hill about two miles from our home.

It is an intersection that has a corner store, so the area is cleared of trees.

I looked back, and the whole rainbow was arching across the sky.

Actually it was a double rainbow with a faint one just over the top of the bright one.

My husband pulled into the parking lot of the store, and since it was pouring, I was able to sit in the car and take the photo through the open window.

What a treat - being in the right place at the right time!

Next time I will post the whole view - stay tuned!

ABC Wednesday - M is for Majestic

M is for Majestic............







These two trees were standing solitary against the late winter blue sky.

Both are pines - one planted solidly on dry land, and one standing in the water along the edge of a swamp.

It was quite a contrast - one thriving and the other at the end of it's life.

Both majestic with a story to tell.

This was another scene from that beautiful spot we discovered a few weeks back.

More posts to come from this beautiful spot!




This is the sixth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details.

Green Milkweed Pods for Green Thumb Sunday

Green Milkweed Pods for Green Thumb Sunday







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These Milkweed plants were growing alongside the thistle plants that I have been featuring in the past few posts for Green Thumb Sunday.

They both belong to the same family, so it is not surprising to see them growing beside each other.

These pods appear spiky and untouchable, but they are really quite soft and cushy.

The milkweed fluff is all tucked away inside just waiting for the pod to ripen and split open to release them into the wind.

The birds do not seem to be too interested in them, but the Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar loves them and will eat away at the leaves quite hungrily.

Hopefully I will be able to catch some of them, but you really need to be in the right place at the right time to find them.

Next week will be the last photo I have of the Milkweeds and Thistles - it is one of my favorites, so don't forget to come back!

Green Thumb Sunday - Goldenrod by the Ocean

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This is a shot of a Goldenrod wildflower that is different from the one I posted about a couple of weeks ago.

This shot shows the tiny little blooms that make up the big flower.

I am quite envious of this little plant - it has quite the waterfront view!

The cove along the ocean made a beautiful backdrop and the blues in the water and the sky set the yellow off just perfectly.

I like the clarity and focus of the flower, but I do wish I had blurred the background a bit more. The details of it seem to distract from the flower and give the whole image an overall "busy" look.

Would love to hear what you think about it!

Wordless Wednesday - Tuesday Edition - Busy Bridge

Busy Bridge





I did a post a couple of days ago that featured a view I had sitting on the rocks in the bay while the boys fished for Stripers.

I mentioned that I would show the view when I looked to the left while sitting in that same spot.

It is a bridge that stretches across the bay - actually it is two bridges.

The one nearest us is the newer one. The one with all the interesting arches and fancy metal work is the old one that is no longer in use.

I believe the old one can be used for foot traffic, but the highways surrounding it make it hard to get to it by walking. Years ago after the new one was built, I remember seeing people fishing on the old one, but I haven't seen any in the last couple of years.

I can remember they were only allowed to fish towards the ends of the bridge as this is a busy thoroughfare for boats and there couldn't be fishing lines hanging in the way as they went under.

I used my kit lens on this shot as it has the widest angle of any of my lenses. It was taken on the 28mm setting, and it still didn't capture the whole structure.

The sky was absolutely gorgeous that day - Mother Nature certainly put on a show - the beautiful clouds and water were the finishing touches!

ABC Wednesday - Xenon

X is for Xenon.............








Okay - I know I am stretching it this week, but X's are hard to come by.

I had resorted to looking through the dictionary under X - all one and a half pages of them - and was getting more disgusted with each passing word.

I finally started reading the definitions of the words - perhaps I could find something that way.

And there it was - xenon.

The definition - a gaseous element of the atmosphere.

I have an atmosphere photo - the sky is certainly our atmosphere comprised of many gases, and I am sure the xenon is somewhere in there if I look really hard...............

Thank goodness for me that gases are invisible.

I actually shot this image as a stock photo showing the contrails from passing planes, and it has been a pretty good seller.

Rock Perspective

Rock Perspective





Walking a ways out on the harbor breaker wall, I stopped to take a break.

This shot was taken looking back towards the shore.

It looks farther than what I actually walked as the shot was take from a lower angle.

The boulders are really huge, but they look as if they blend into the rocks along the shore.

I don't usually take wide angle shots, but they can be kind of cool now and then.

I have been working on some wide angle bridge shots that I need to finish up and will post soon.

ABC Wednesday - J is for Jagged

(The Wordless Wednesday post is beneath this post.)

J is for Jagged .......

The surface texture of a rock is a very boring subject.

I like to take macros of them though, as they make nice backgrounds and are good sellers for stock.

I found this rock quite interesting as it was all black with a strip of white running though it - and no seams where they are joined.

Some powerful forces created this one many centuries ago, then placed this giant boulder along the ocean shore.

The stories they could tell!

Haunted House

Haunted House






One evening, the boys wanted to do some salt water fishing in the bay instead of the open ocean.

They decided to go to an out of the way place that the locals call, Bloody Point.

It didn't sound too appetizing to me with a name like that, but always eager to explore new places, I trailed along with them.

The boys carried their fishing gear, and I had my camera gear, and we headed down a dirt path that grew darker as the trees closed in around us.

I could see this house from a distance and I didn't like idea of the windows being boarded up as they were, after all, we were at Bloody Point.

It was a very old wooden house dating back to the colonial times that this area is well-known for.

The hairs were rising on my arms as I read the KEEP OUT sign on the door - not that anybody in their right mind would go in there anyway.

As we passed the house, I turned back for another look, and the way the sun was lighting the upper half of the building took away the spooky feeling long enough to catch a few images.

Quickly running to catch up with the boys, I found the path had turned steep and rocky, but it had opened up to an ocean view with a perfect spot to sit and fish as the tide continued to rise.

We spent a couple hours there as the sun grew lower in sky, and walking in the dusk, past that spooky house, made me never so happy to see our car!

Green Thumb Sunday - Rock Scape

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Last week's post had us sitting on the rocks at the ocean.

Today I am posting a wider view of those weeds growing in the rocks above me.

The storm clouds are still passing over in this shot and they give a dramatic feel to this image.

I do wish I had used a smaller aperture for the depth of field, that way all the rocks in the foreground would be in focus too.




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Green Thumb Sunday - Weeds Against the Sky

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Back to the days of summer with this post.

I was sitting down on the rocks at the ocean, and upon turning around, back towards the shore, I spotted a patch of weeds growing out of the rocks above me.

The clouds had just cleared and the green color looked quite striking against the blue sky.

Upon a closer inspection of them, they had tiny little white flowers along the length of the stalk, so I think they are some type of wildflower.

Next season, I will spend an extra minute checking them out to find what kind they are.




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ABC Wednesday - W

(The Wordless Wednesday post is beneath this post.)

W is for Walkway to the Ocean .......

This boardwalk is built into the sand dunes of a small park beside the ocean.

The visitors are not allowed off the walkway in order to protect the flora and fauna that make their homes in this beautiful area.

The blue ocean is just over the crest of the walkway that comes to an abrupt end on the sandy beach.

The swaying grasses and stunted pines are unique to this particular area in Maine.






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Wordless Wednesday - Low River

Low River

ABC Wednesday - F

F is for Flag.......

A back lit American Flag waves in the late afternoon sun.


The Stars and Stripes looked so crisp against the blue sky that I couldn't resist capturing them.

Summer Storms

After several days of hot, humid weather in our region, some summer thunderstorms moved through yesterday.






The light was amazing after the storm passed over. It cast a warm glow over us and reflected off the dark clouds that had already passed over. The conditions for this kind of light only come around a couple times a year, and it is always a beautiful sight.