Old Picture Files - 20100811

I used to walk and take pictures at Striebel Pond all the time.  Not only was the walking good for me, but I captured some great shots back then.  I have to give some of the credit to Beth's You Capture because a lot of the pictures I took were to fit into a certain theme or challenge.

But sometimes I took pictures just to see what I could get.

I've been trying to catch up on labeling old files and I ran across these from August 11th, 2010.  The light must have been just right to make it a perfect picture taking night because I love these snapshots of a night at Striebel Pond.

 I loved the red cast on the geese in this shot.

But a few minutes later with a different background and I loved the blue cast and the fact that the geese almost stood out like they were in 3D.

When I first looked at this shot, I saw silvery water and an orderly swan family.

But in this picture, the peaceful coexistence between the ducks and the swans was the focus for me.

 And at the end of my walk I loved the silver and gold in this picture.


And this last shot was taken deep into the evening on a bridge overlooking the night resting place for almost all the birds of Striebel Pond.

The only birds that never got to sleep here were the geese.  The swans never allowed them to be anywhere near them.  (To see proof, visit the 3-post series that started here) I'm sure it was the surly attitude of the geese too because the swans got along with everybody else.

You Capture - Pretty

Beth's You Capture challenge this week was 'Pretty' and I looked for it everywhere starting with the small pond in our backyard.  The bluebird babies have left their nest and this one prefers the pond water - despite the net he has to navigate to get to it - to the birdbath which is constantly filled with fresh cool water.  And although he isn't the vibrant blue that he will be as an adult, his camouflage colors are absolutely gorgeous.

Next I headed to Striebel Pond where there are always wildlife photos to be had.

 And flowers.

And sunsets.  I loved this one because for at least 30 minutes I saw a giant dove in the clouds.

 And then the more dramatic sunset in the country.

Finally I returned to the backyard where the hydrangeas have never been more beautiful.

I loved 'Pretty' this week.  The only really hard part was trying to eliminate some of hundreds of pictures I took.  I can't wait to see what everybody else captured at Beth's I Should Be Folding Laundry.

It's A Start

Well, it was just once and it was just one mile but hopefully it'll be a tiny, little baby step in the right direction.

It was very hard to head out to Striebel Pond yesterday. The more I don't exercise and the more weight I gain, the worse my muscles ache - top to bottom - all day everyday. But I reminded myself that the longest journey begins with the first step and also that I had no idea what my favorite swan couple was doing this year.

When I was halfway through my mile walk, I spotted them and I could see that they had babies again. As I got closer I could see that I wasn't the only one who was lazy this Spring. Mr. and Mrs. Swan only had three babies.

Even though there were only three, it was a beautiful family and hopefully I'll be out there to keep close track of progress.

Also, I spotted these wildflowers that made me wish I'd walked prior to Beth's last You Capture. I definitely would have added them to my post.

So now I know I'm ready to do something about my failure to maintain the last few months. I just don't feel like it. The Sisterhood is starting a challenge tomorrow. It's a team thing and it involves a Boot Camp. Wow, not only am I failing in the motivation department but right now my body aches just from living. I'm pretty sure a boot camp would be beyond me BUT something reminds me that I won't know until I try.

And I do owe that to myself, don't I?

And They're Back

Way back in the beginning of March, I finally made it out to Striebel Pond again. It was cold and blustery - not at all pleasant - but the trip gave me great pleasure because the swans were back. Not the whole family of course. The parents must have ditched the six kids somewhere far south of here. But Mom Swan and Dad Swan were back and that's not only a sure sign of Spring but also a sure sign that soon everything would be back to normal.

Then last weekend, my second daughter, Amy, and I headed out there again and I was thrilled to see that Mom and Dad Swan have been busy building a nest. Mom Swan was preening and performing her evening toilette. It was a little worrisome though because she was so conspicuous standing there with very little foliage to camouflage and hide her.

Dad Swan spotted me right away and I know he remembered me because he soon swam off.

I spotted him again on the other side of the island with his feathers in battle fluff, reminding the geese of what would happen if they tried anything funny this year.

Then as I circled back toward their nest, I saw that Mom Swan had finished her toilette and had settled down into a much less conspicuous position.

And once again I felt like the world was turning in greased grooves. I only wish I had visited a few times during the last month to watch them build their nest.

You Capture - Ten Favorites

Beth's You Capture assignment this week was to pick ten of our favorite photos from 2010. Of course that's quite impossible because some of us took way too many pictures in the past year and there just aren't enough hours in the week to browse through all of them. And then, some of us are poor decision makers (me) and we get mixed up between great photos and favorite photos and then we start looking for great ones and there aren't many (any). Then finally we settle for a few of our very favorites. Maybe a couple more than ten.

In no particular order, here are my favorites.

For more favorites from 2010, visit Beth at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry and maybe browse through your favorites and post them.

You Capture - Orange

You capture this week is orange and that's perfect for mid October. There's orange everywhere right? At least that's how I saw it. Now Mr. Right thought I was seeing orange where there was none. See what you think.

The foliage looked orange everywhere but when I turned a more critical eye I did see brown and I did see red. These were my only two keepers of the foliage shots.

This one even Mr. Right agreed was orange in the purest sense.

And when the darlings of Striebel Pond have such obvious orange in them, they get to be included too.

Even in flight. You might have to look but it's there.

I'll be the first to agree that geese are not orange. But when they flew up into the setting sunlight, I saw orange.

And even as it got dark on the ground, they found light in the sky.

And of my dozens of sunset photos, this SOOC is the only one that made the cut and that's just because I see orange in the water.

For indisputable oranges, visit Beth at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry.