Footprints in the Snow

Everything is covered under more than a foot of snow, but there is still plenty of food at my bird feeder for all the little birds and squirrels in the area. They make the most lovely tracks in the snow, which I cannot resist photographing.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Take a moment today to be grateful for the many blessings in your life. Thank you for viewing my blog -- I hope it brings joy to your life.

Ice

Lovely ice freezes in white crunchy ribbons.

Frozen

Long forgotten leaves and grass preserved in ice.

Bittersweet

Found this wonderful tangly vine of bittersweet hanging near the river.

Almost Winter

Cannot get enough of this view; I know I've posted it before, but that sky is so gorgeous, and the colors of the wintered grass are new and different. You can imagine how clean and cold the air was.

Animal Tree

Doesn't this tree look like a ram's face? Or some kind of animal, maybe a dog?

Mounds of Grass

This field of grasses and wildflowers has had a hard frost already and is ready for winter. It looks like waves in the ocean, or it looks like tall grass that has been slept in by passing deer.

More Leaves

Fancy Leaves

Here is the first image from a series of three leaves I picked up while out walking. To get this shot, I held them up to the window (with my left hand) while the sun was shining and clicked away with my right hand. The colors in the background might seem inconsequential, but they really make the deep reds in the leaves pop out. I love this time of year!

Fall Still Life

I pruned a shrub/tree in my backyard (maybe it's a Taxus), and on the underside of the cuttings were these lovely little yellowish berries. I like the greenness of the fresh cutting and the earthy colors of the fallen leaf.

Reflections

Albany's Empire State Plaza is very scenic. I was lucky to make this image, because the grounds crews were draining the pools while I was there. And it was FREEZING!

The Egg

The Egg in Albany is such a fascinating structure, and its curvy shape really stands out against the vertical lines of the skyscraper behind it.

Cool Bark

I love the bark on this tree. It is unusual to see such black bark . . . and so curly! Reminds me of a black sheep.

North Adams

This tree was a bright spot on a dreary autumn day.

Heaven on Earth

Rocks Trees Sky

Navigated a challenging rock scramble, with my camera strapped firmly around me, and made some really lovely images, which I will post here in the next few days. The hills are covered with rust colored leaves right now, and it is breathtaking. Although I try to capture the bigness of Nature, I can never do it justice. But this photo is a small reminder.

Shadows

Disks of Light

These flat disks hanging on string are part of an installation at Mass MoCA. This has to be one of the most compelling "sculptures" I've ever seen. The disks reflect light and make magical circular shadows on the floor and walls -- I will post images of the shadows tomorrow.

More Leaves

The colors outside are stunning, and the light has been phenomenal. So thankful.

Autumn Leaves

A celebration of colors in nature . . . this time of year is so incredibly inspiring, I just want to document it all.

Bee

Bark

This birch tree has the most luscious bark with such an unusual range of colors.

Autumn Leaves

Fall is here. I could take pictures of the colorful hills, but nothing says it better than maple leaves. Again -- on the hood of my car.

Bricks

Along the banks of the river are thousands of crushed and worn bricks.

Pretty Berries

Morning Glory

Came upon a fence covered with morning glories blowing in the breeze. It was such a gorgeous sight and brightened my whole day. Blue, white, yellow and green.

Serious Spider

Came upon this little gem in my back yard. I got as close as I dared to photograph it, but right after I took this shot, it moved very quickly and I screamed and the magical moment was over!

Black Walnut

During lunchtime, I drive to a quiet spot near a little river. A black walnut tree is dropping its fruit everywhere, so I started photographing them, and this picture in particular I think is very beautiful. How did I get that gorgeous background? It is not water. It is the hood of my car.

Country Road

This is such a sweet road -- I always feel swept right into it as I pass by.

Another Sunset

Couldn't resist these clouds at dusk.

Been a Long Time

Been so long since I've posted. It was such a long hot summer, I didn't go for my walks. But now that the crisp air is back, I feel invigorated and re-energized. And lo and behold, look what I was missing all summer...

Country Scene

A Vision

Had to photograph some mannequins for my job, and was surprised at how interesting this was. They were not creepy, but kind of ethereal in a way. Carried this one outside onto the lawn, and I love the result.

Mannequins

Couldn't resist.

No Two Greens Are Alike

Swiss Chard

How can it be possible that Swiss chard is so red and so green?

Black Eyed Susans

These gorgeous creatures quietly decorate the sides of the road, mixed in with new and old grasses. They dare you to ignore them, but only bring memories back of a charmed childhood to me.

Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace is gorgeous just before it opens fully, before it loses its purple hue. This gorgeous flower is everywhere right now, growing alongside day lilies and chickory. If you pull the entire plant up, you can chew on the carrot-like root.

Bug on his Back

Came home from work to find this bug on his back in the blazing sun on a cement slab. It was flailing its arms and legs wildly and never in a million years could have turned itself over to save its life. I guess it would have fried in that hot sun or it would have been a tasty meal for a bird, but this was its lucky day. After I took some pics and a video, I put a twig near its legs and it grasped the twig so tightly...and I placed it in the shade in some weeds. That was a sweet ending to a long day.

Dreamy Field With Fences

Dreamy Field

Right before they hay the field, the grass turns a golden yellow that is such a feast for the eyes.

Lucky Tree

These sunrays appeared before me on an early morning walk last week. It was a misty morning, and the tree was in the right spot at the right time, and so was I. Especially glad I had my camera, because after a few minutes, this sight was gone. I have an even better image of sunrays on a tree -- you can see it in one of my early posts by clicking here.

Fern Fun

Iris

Don't know why Mother Nature does it, but this flower is mind boggling. The shapes, colors and markings influence clothing, hairstyles, dance . . .

Paper Peony

Once a year for a brief few days, this old fashioned paper peony blossoms in my back yard. It is very delicate and worth the wait.

Sophie

Sophie is an 11-year old aspiring model, singer, dancer, actress and entertainer. She is the daughter of my good friend Lisa. She needed some photos of herself for her portfolio that were casual -- not taken in a studio -- natural poses, so I took a bunch of shots, and was happy with them. In this shot, Sophie was lying on the hood of her mom's car while we were gabbing, and I just loved how natural and relaxed she looked, so I told her not to move, and got several very nice shots. It was really fun taking these photos!

Monday

These flowers grow only in the shade and are hard to photograph because the white flower is so much brighter than the dark foliage. I am drawn into this composition by the shapes of the leaves and the many shades of green.

The Good Earth

Marsh

I love this time of year. Everything is so colorful. The patterns all seem new, like I'm seeing them for the first time.