March to the End

I'll never understand the fascination with selfies. Don't like taking them, editing them, or posting them. No telling what possessed me to shot this one. Gaussian blur is my friend.

Another new house - the second one this year. The economy is definitely picking up.

Tax day. Got the federal and Ohio taxes done in record time. RITA on the other hand was a hot mess. Their website was crashing right and left, but in the end, I wrestled a printed receipt from it. Whether they got my tax return or not is their problem now.

The Cake Mix Doctor is my best friend and Death by Chocolate is the best chocolate cake ever. This is the beginning. Add some oil, eggs, sour cream and a splash of vanilla...

And you have birthday cake fit for a brother.

 Went waterfowling at Mogadore reservoir. Every single duck, goose, swan, and heron was out of range of my 400mm. So I settled for a garden-variety ring billed and took the Subaru offroading on the south side of the reservoir. Plenty of mud and no problems getting out of it.

River birch in my front yard. Love the peeling bark. The inner layers feel almost like very soft skin.

And with that, we close out the bipolar month of March, 2014.

Home Stuff

Chuck's Big BIG Birthday cake. He's not really older than dirt, although you would know if from the gag gifts his friends gave him. And meat - Mike, Paul and Keith gave him a couple of pounds of bacon, beef sticks, jerky, and a big honkin' steak, mmmm-MMMmm for my honey the carnivore!

 

 

March 16 and the crocuses are peeking out.

 

The Thanksgiving book for my family - I probably should print out the pictures before next Thanksgiving.

I have a bunch of toys horses given to me over the years - this one came from a friend at work.

Cinnamon Crunch bagel from Panera - yummy, but probably not a nutritionally sound dinner.

Middle of March and Mother Nature can't decide whether it's Spring or Winter still.

A Good Week

Finally, home for a while. Took a peaceful walk in the neighborhood, just around sunset. The economy must be picking up - there are houses for sale and sold, and new houses being built.

 

Chuck's birthday cake. We went out to dinner and just had a nice evening together.

Summer hat, wishful thinking right now.

This saucy little fellow is a house finch. Mama looks similar, but doesn't have the rosy highlights.

Getting ready for Chuck's Big BIG Birthday Party - twice baked potatoes. I made two sheet cake pans full, and there wasn't a one left. The recipe is really easy, too, and can be made a day ahead.

 

So glad to be home, and to have something to celebrate.

A Week Ending in Herons

One day at home in a week of travel. Chuck took me to dinner at a quirky Kent restaurant called Wild Goats. They serve brinner, breakfast for dinner. This is his favorite hot sauce, which he liberally applies to his breakfast burrito.

 

Then off to "sunny" Florida: day one, monsoon; day two, 55 degrees, exactly one degree warmer than home; day three (Saturday), lovely and we headed for the airport at 11 am, of course! The view from my hotel room.

Love this dolphin statue - so exuberant!

Ah, Chipotle. Decent food, no resort prices.

After all the travel craziness, I needed some time outside. So we (me and my 80 - 400 mm lens, roughly the size of a small cow) went to the Bath Road heronry to shoot some herons. Look at this handsome devil - decorating for his lady-love.

And with that, I will say goodnight.

Last of January, First of February

One of Grandma Wilk's silver patterns. Beautiful Art Deco set, used for special occasions.

 

 

Snow rollers from the weirdest winter ever. These were in my side yard and were about 12" tall. I've seen bigger ones, though. Usually they have a hole in the center, but these are from later in the day, so they may have collapsed a little.

 

Gran Marnier - love the bottle and label design. Couldn't tell you what it tastes like though - no idea why I even have it.

 

One of Chuck's many fountain pens. This one has sepia ink in it. Used and extension tube on the lens to pick up the beautiful detail in the nib.



 

Great Falls of Tinkers Creek, almost completely frozen over. The day I shot this, it started to rain, so we were lucky to get there while the falls were still frozen.



West Side Market/Tony Sweet Workshop

Good grief, I love the West Side Market early in the day. Not too crowded, everything smells good and the piles of foodstuffs are just gorgeous! These are from Saturday, August 4. Lovely in the morning, but man did it heat up as the day went on. I was quite the wilted petunia by the time we broke for lunch at the Market Garden Brewery. Great place for lunch - we were in the back room with a view of the kettles, too.

Heirlooms carrots, very different colors.

 

Love the bright colors in this umbrella - it belongs to the watermelon guy just outside the side door on the parking lot side.

 

Abundance...We're lucky to live in this time and place.

 



Home Stuff

Strawberries are tough to shoot, at least in my kitchen. They always appear to be a freaky orangey-red. Maybe the overhead light and my camera’s white balance just don’t get along. 3/5.

Probably not the most nutritious dinner, but who’s going to know? 3/6

These cute sparky water colors came from a stamp show. They add just a little of shine, more like pearl paint than glitter. 3/7

This photo of Sootie may have come from the iPad. It’s tiny and grainy, but the camera ID doesn’t show up in Lightroom (my photo-editing software). 3/8