Day Twenty-Nine: Blossom Tree

Early morning effort to capture the lovely plum tree in full blossom.  Forty shots; one OK.  Too much sun and, at the same time, too much shade to get a good shot of the whole tree.

I admire this tree every morning from the balcony

Edited to add late afternoon shot from the balcony.

Capturing the elegant bearing of this tree

Day Twenty-Eight: Succulents and Light

Small succulent garden in the sunny window.  Lots of light, macro setting, some good curves. 

Cool orange

Day Twenty-Seven: Stencil Play

Through the good advice of a friend, I'm going through a year of weekly lessons in collage and adjacent art/craft techniques.  Today I pulled out stencils collected and created a few years ago and tested them with paint, ink and stamp pads. 

Day Twenty-Six: The Maples are Budding Out

Just two days ago, the willow was clearly showing evidence of the yearly cycle moving into Spring.  Today, the maples are budding too.  

Silver maple leaf buds and "something else" buds; will have to do some research.  More later.

 

Day Twenty-Five: Look Into My Crystal Ball

Playing with too much light, see also day eleven.   Here I focused on the center of this crystal ball and saw cliffs, crevasses and purple and green lights.  Oddly, this close-up manifests with little depth around the edges of the ball. 

Hidden colors I have never noticed before.  Daylight-only shot. 

Day Twenty-Four: The Willow Buds Out

The willow outside my balcony.  

 This is the tree where last Spring I saw three unfledged bushtits, just sitting together huddled on a branch.  It is the first deciduous tree to bud so far this year. 

Day Twenty-Three: At the Market

Quick shop to stock up on supplies.  I've been "feeding a cold" these last few days.

Envy apples

Upside down so words do not capture attention

Just colors and shine

Day Twenty-Two: Japanese Accents in the Kitchen

Ornaments and seasoning add a Japanese flavor to my cooking.

Darn, I don't like this shot, tried several times to crop, nothing works.  Need to reposition the elements.  Oh well, next time.

 

Day Twenty-One: Aquamarine

As a commemoration of my 70th birthday month, here is an aquamarine crystal that will outlive me by centuries, eons and more.  

Named for the Latin phrase "water of the sea"

 

Day Twenty: Dog Park Stroll

Someone is thinking about the kind of dog she would like to have so we made a visit to the Sandy River Delta Park where we saw dogs of all sizes and shapes.  For larger dogs, a favorite spot is the backwater where they can swim and chase each other and play with their toys.  

I am shy of photographing random strangers so this photo shows dogs but not their owners.

Come on in!

Day Nineteen: Snake Knot

Spotted at the refuge, a scrum of 15+ garter snakes emerging from their overwintering hibernation.  Snakes with colors of blue, red or tan.   Snakes in knots .  Snakes moving along the ground and up the trees.  This is more snakes than I had seen in a long time.  Happy birthday to me!

Live long and prosper, snakes.

Day Eighteen: From the Bridge

Now that Spring is here, there is so much to see, so many critters beginning their seasonal business after a long winter.  What do you think these folks are seeing?

Birders Looking Down

Day Seventeen: On the Balcony

The end of winter: remnants of the past season and promise of new beginnings.

Day Sixteen: Light Industry at the End of My Street

Wandered around the neighborhood this afternoon; the weather seemed balmy.  Attracted by the colors of some light industry clustered near my place.

Dumpster with Tree Branch

Day Fifteen: Mt Tabor Sunday Morning

In aid of adding some elevation gain to my routine walks, Mt Tabor was today's destination.  The sun was morning-bright and the air was winter-cold.  Lots of other walkers.  Many dogs.  An all-around good feeling.

Contemplation

 

Day Fourteen: Tree Trunk with Vine in Winter

There are line drawings to be captured everywhere, including on this tree trunk.  Just look.

Crystal Springs Rhodie Garden, along the trail.   

Day Thirteen: Repetition

Cup of coffee at downtown Starbucks, waiting for Oregon Historical Society Museum to open.  

Day Twelve: Just Something Quick and Fuzzy

Spent some time today streamlining my photo process 

and here's one little cactus.

Softly fuzzy but thorny too.

Day Eleven: Light on Light

Snow day, playing with matches and light. 

Day Ten: Overhead Calligraphy

Overhead Calligraphy

A quick shot today, looking up on SE Holgate Blvd.

Day Nine: Marbles, Eggs and Glass

Just some bits of nostalgia:  marbles from my childhood in SF (60+ years ago), stone eggs from a Santa Cruz shop (10 years ago) and a glass crystal that hung from the rear view mirror of the decrepit-mobile (16 years ago).  

My favorite: the black marble with green, yellow & orange vein.

Day Eight: Neighborhood Walk on a Cold & Blustery Day

 It was cold and windy today, remaining in the low 30's all AM.  I bundled up in my warm clothes and walked my neighborhood in search of photo ops.  

Reed Campus: Getting Ready for Touch Rugby

Serious Guard Dog

Grey and Black with a Blue Background

Hidey Hole 

Myself Still Bundled Up After the Walk

Day Seven: Still Life with Brayer

The Tool Holder

Just a quick shot in the office. Careful, some of those thingies are sharp!

Day Six: Who Lives There (Tree Bark Version)

Cedar species

Under the top layer of bark and within a network of spaces and corridors running through the bark live myriad creatures.  Some insects shelter there most of their lives and through many stages:  eggs, larvae, pupae, adult.  Woodpeckers and other birds rely on these insects to collect nutrition for reproduction and to feed their young.  Even hummingbirds eat insects and spiders sheltered within tree bark as well as drinking the  lovely rich sap released when sapsuckers drill into the bark . 

Hug a tree today!