Happy 2014!

Hoping for a Happy New Year for all!

May the gift of each new day bring more joy than sorrow as we all begin another trip around the sun.

Health, happiness, and all the best to you, my friends!

Another Winter for Rusty

Each winter I fear will be his last.

But with his determination and spirit, he always makes it through.

Rusty, our pet feral cat, came to us over 14 years, that we can figure.

Actually I think he has been around longer than that, as I remember our pet cat chasing him out of the yard, and he has been gone for over 15 years.

He refuses to come in the house - the wild in him just won't allow it.

But he is with us every time we step outside.

He follows us to get the mail, to shovel the snow, or just to walk around the house.

If we are working outside, he will be laying beside us, keeping us company and purring all the while.

He permits a pat, just barely tolerates being picked up, but when the brush comes around, he can't get enough of it.

He has put his winter heft and thick coat of fur back on.

And he is still at the door every morning and evening - he is not about to miss a meal.

We will continue our care for him as long as he wants to stay around.

And from the look of him, I believe he will make it through another tough New England winter.

Iced Cosmos Bloom

The snow came before the frost did earlier this season.

The delicate Cosmos blooms do not survive the frost.

But a bit of wet snow didn't seem to hurt them.

Bending under the weight of what is left of the ice crystals, the bloom popped back up once it all fell off.

A rare, beautiful sight, as the frost usually takes these flowers before the snow ever falls upon them.

Through the Dry Grasses

All of the wildflowers and grasses along the ocean's edge have prepared for the winter ahead.

A few sprigs of green grass remain there as well as in our yard.

They even withstood the heavy frost that we had a couple of nights ago.

The ocean is beautiful no matter what time of the year.

Each season has it specialties, and as much as the cold seems to get to us each year, we wouldn't want to be any other place.

Leaves Underwater

The colors weren't as vibrant this year as in years past.

And the leaves are pretty much all down now - it seems a bit early for that too.

Caught some colorful ones sitting on the bottom of the lake about a foot down under the water.

The polarizer on the lens cut through the reflections to capture them below the surface.

That  is my favorite filter - I have one for each lens.

As you turn it you can see the effects it has on your subject.

And if you don't want to use it, then there is a position for that too.

It does have a bit of an effect on the exposure though.

But with today's digital software that is something that is easily fixed during the post processing.

Glowing Leaves

The sun was reflecting off the lake water just right.

It seemed to set the red maple leaves all aglow.

We've walked by this tree many times, but those leaves never looked like this.

That's one of the joy's of photography.

Seeing that special light when it appears is a gift - and it's even better when my camera is with me.

Everyday sights made beautiful at just the right moment.

Life is good!

Website Finished

It has been about month since I started to redesign the website that hosts my images for sale.

I have been picking at it, changing little things here and there - both on the website and the blog.

I still have a couple of small cosmetic issues that I need to work out with the website, but overall I am pleased with the results.

The slideshow was pretty easy to set up once I figured out how to do it.

Uploading new images could be made easier, but perhaps that is something that will be worked on by the host as time goes on.

I like the clean, new design, and the gray color is different for a change.

I fixed the blocky look on the blog, and streaming a slide show on the side bar worked nicely too.

Check it out if you get a chance - I would love to hear what you think!