P365, Way Behind

I've been keeping up with shooting, but not with posting. And it's almost the holidays.  So today we're going to rock through the rest of September. Hang on!

A very gloomy Sept. 10th. Below, New Guinea impatiens on the lower deck, 9/12.

The first page of my art journal. Lord alone knows why it came out so pink. The lighter areas are just white sketchbook paper. 9/13

Below is my favorite of this batch, apples in the evening sun. Great color and shadows, kind of Dutch painterly. 9/14.

Below: 9/15 a plate from our trip to Greenfield Village a couple years ago; 9/16, chocolate chip cookies - don't know what I do without the KitchenAid mixer; 9/17, two versions of mums from the front yard. I like the bleached out, old fashioned-looking one the best.

Guess who, asleep in my lap. He loves a good lap in colder weather. 9/19.

9/20, Doe, giving me the beady eyeball. She was in the woods next the the gym's parking lot.She has two fawns, and by early November, had collected a bunch of buddies.

An adequate sunset from the back deck, 9/21; then lady bug at one of the neighborhood ponds, 9/22.

More mums, BJ's Club, 9/23.

First time I've found a preying mantis in my yard, 9/24. And, surprise, a rainy 9/25 of the upper deck.

Much better sunset, 9/26. September's weather was pretty glum, but we did get some great clouds and sunsets. 

Above, 9/27, shiny (expensive) new breaks. Just rolled over 100,000 miles on the Honda, and it's still running well. Below, reflections in one of the ponds, 9/28. The swans are now hanging out at this one. The geese must not like the swans, because they haven't been at this pond for a while. 

Garden beds at Stan Hywet, 9/30. It was, yes, raining for Ohio Mart. The crowd was light and the shopping great - even got some Christmas shopping done.

One more post, and September will be done. How the heck did I get a month and a half behind?

Instagram and Most of the Rest of August

Found an app for the iPad called Instagram- does square photos with old-timey looking filters. This shot is of the lights at Panera Chapel Hill. 8/26.

Two shots of the groundhog making herself at home in a pot of squashed geraniums. Butthead, you are so lucky you're cute! 8/28.

Unsquashed geranium, upper deck behind the machine-gun emplacement. 8/29.

Spotted this deer family right before the CVPS photo critique at Hines Hill Conference Center. 8/30.

Chuck took me to Strickland's for custard after showing off his new kitchen counter top, sink and faucet. 8/31.

Almost up to date with August. Still have the photowalk to post, with a big honkin' spider.

Wandering Around the Backyard, 8/15

A bunny, a stalking cat, my shed, lit by the setting sun, brilliant gold marigolds, and tiny mushrooms growing in the garden compost. A whole world of interestingness in a third of an acre.

Double Dahlia

Same shot, processed two ways. The first one is sharpened, the second with a softer focus. I think I like the second better.

Light Painting, Kayaking and Brownies

My Project 365 photos are a little bit more experimental this time around, there are still a lot of straight on flowers, macros and miscellaneous life stuff. The one below is a "light painting" done in my back yard. It was supposed to be lightening bug trails, but they weren't cooperating. Used the remote and set the timer for a couple of seconds. The hardest parts was figuring out where to stand to get the whole heart in the frame. 8/5/2011.

Dahlia on the top deck. The package photo looked a little more pink and soft yellow. I softened the colors a bit, it's a little more lurid violet an yellow in real life. 8/6.

Sunday's kayak adventure. I went with Crooked River Adventures in Kent from Tannery Park to Middlebury Road. Pleasant trip. Easy paddling, much like canoeing except one one person in the kayak. I'm going to get another, longer trip in before the summer's out. 8/7

Making fudge walnut brownies. They were delicious. One of my friends at work lost her beagle after 14 years, so I figured comfort food was in order. Set the timer for the shortest time, and they came out much better, moist and yummy. 8/8

I got the swirl effect by stirring up the brownies real fast the dropping the spoon back in the bowl and using a longish exposure. The batter settling back in the bowl made the motion swirls.

P365, Almost Done with July

Lots to catch up on!

7/20: Just after a rain. Can't remember what these green things are called. The flowers aren't anything to brag about, but it's really cool how water droplets catch on the edge of its leaves. The white flowers are new guinea impatiens - they look great, and aren't being eaten by the bunny and groundhogs.

7/21: One day, Sootie is going to take that groundhog down!

&/22: This thing has been leaking, about $10 worth, according to this month's water bill. New flapper, new guts, still leaks. What the ?!?



7/23: Love the Kent Farmer's market. Every Saturday, 9 am to 1 pm. Music, produce, baked goods, plants, plenty of stuff to see. Come for a visit if you have time.

7/24: Dinner at Pufferbelly's. Thanks, Honey!

7/25: Bird's nest fungus in the garden - they're about 1/4" across. Took this shot with a 22mm extension tube.

Wow, am I behind!

P365, July 8 & 9

Backlit geranium from last night.

The Lowe's bargain strawberries are growing like crazy. And the strawberries are really good!

Home P365

More P365. July 5, looking down at the chaise on the lower deck - looks like a comfy, summery place to hang out.

July 6, the newly installed mural in my kitchen. It's a test for work, printed on a pressure sensitive fabric. It's designed for custom wall coverings. Looks pretty good. It'll come down in a month, to see how well it removes from decent paint. We tested it at work but the paint is cheap and applied over dirty walls, so it's hard to judge performance. Also, my office wall has been used as a test substrate a thousand times.

Anyway, pretty sweet to have this giant heron photo in the kitchen.

Today, one perfect sunflower, growing in a pot on the upper deck. Must have been planted by a chipmunck or dropped by a bird. Lovely and cheerful.

June 30 & July 1: P365

Happy July - Summer is going way too fast!

Worked on the lamppost bed last night. This morning, I finished the planting and more mulching, but ran out of newpaper and mulch. The newspaper is to keep the weed and grass down. The plants include a 'Miss Kim' lilac that's been on the deck for two years, a Japanese maple and honeysuckle which wintered on the front porch and a pale yellow rose, a pastel daisy, and 3 bright yellow coreopsis - all bargain plants. Wonder if I need a 12-step program for plant addiction??

Lisa gave me some cute plant markers for my birthday - this one's guarding the tomato plants on the upper deck.

Sunset tonight, from the upper deck.

Project 365 (a photo each day for a year) always seems easier in the summer. More flowers, bugs, festivals, and get togethers.