Piperbarb's 2013 Project 365

[piperbarb]

5-5-13: Part 2

Warning! Opportunistic feline photos! You have been warned!!

Again morning light can be beautiful, and if you are a cat, a bit of feline Nirvana. When I came back with the dog, this is what I found: I really love the way the sunlight hits Creature's fur and lights it up. Creature being the boneless cat and best cat model around. My back hurts when I look at that second photo.

Paw Paws


The Boneless Cat

 

[piperbarb]

5-6-13:While out with my photography class, we saw maintenance cutting down some trees that border along the railroad tracks. I really do hope they do not cut all the trees along the tracks down because that will really increase the noise from the trains as they pass by. The school is near the tracks. I used my D3000 with 55-200mm non-VR lens at 185mm, ISO 200, 1/160th sec, f/5.6.

At work



WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

No, not opportunistic feline photos, but a creep factor warning: spider photos!!!! Spiders give me the heebie jeebies but I grabbed my camera anyway. Any spider brave or stupid enough to come into the house is fair game for being squished by me or eaten by the cats. Outside, they have a chance at life because they eat bugs. I hate most bugs!After I got home from work, I was looking out the kitchen window and saw this very industrious, busy spider on the outside of the window. It is called a labyrinthine orb weaving spider. They are pretty common in most parts of the U.S. and Canada. The first photo has some blur on it's front legs because it was moving its front legs really fast weaving its web. I didn't think of using the on-camera flash because it was so sunny out this afternoon.Both photos were taken hand-held with my D7000, AF-105mm micro-Nikkor. The first photo was taken using ISO 200, 1/100th sec, and f/8.

Web Weaving



For this photo, I upped the ISO to 320 which allowed a faster shutter speed of 1/250th at f/8.

Waiting for Dinner

 

[piperbarb]

5-7-13:

Out with the photography class again this afternoon. We walked over to where maintenance had been cutting down a few trees yesterday and checked out the trees. As you can see from the trunk of one of them, they definitely had some health problems. I guess they were only cutting down the sick ones. You can see in the second photo, the tree was rotting from the inside out. The kids had a lot of fun looking at the trunk and inspecting the inside. One of them found some kind of creepy larvae crawling around inside the trunk.

 

[piperbarb]

5-7-13: Addendum

I was sitting out on the front steps enjoying a very nice evening and caught these. I did have to crop them but am very happy how they came out. We have a new pair of cardinals and tons of robins.

Point of View


Odd Fellows


Yum, Worms!

 

[piperbarb]

5-8-13:

In between the periodic downpours this afternoon, I was able to get this dandelion puff that blossomed two days after the lawn was mowed.

Poof

 

[piperbarb]

5-9-13:

We have lots of red-winged blackbirds around here. I enjoy watching them. They are quite busy birds. These were at my next-door neighbor's pond. They got rather concerned as I approached them, but after a while they started to ignore me.

Chums


Overviewing

 

[piperbarb]

5-10-13:

Today was one of those days that I almost didn't get to take a photo. Anyway, here is a photo of a scarf that I started yestereday. I always make about a half dozen scarves every year as "just in case" gifts and ready birthday/holiday gifts.

Scarf

 

[piperbarb]

5-11-13:

Between the weather and my allergies wreaking havoc with me, my contribution today is a photo of a pair of socks I finished knitting on Thursday:

Socks


Just looked at this again and realize it is a hair too dark. Sorry about that.

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

I guess if all depends on how dark you like your socks. I don't think I would wear them but my wife would probably love them.

 

[piperbarb]

I guess if all depends on how dark you like your socks. I don't think I would wear them but my wife would probably love them.

My spousal unit would not wear them either, so you are not alone.

 

[piperbarb]

5-12-13:

The rain has finally stopped and the sun came out. Haven't seen that for quite a number of days.

I have no idea what either of the following two flowers/plants are. I do know that the white-flowered plant is a weed, or at least that's what some of my gardening friends have said. The second one has dark purple flowers when they finally bloom. I have no idea what it is.

Whatever Weed


Soon to Bloom


Both photos were taken with the D7000 and Micro-Nikkor AF 55mm f/2.8; ISO 200; aperture f/10; shutter 1/400th sec and 1/250th sec, respectively.

 

[piperbarb]

5-13-13:

Started out on a positive note taking photos. We have lots of ferns growing around here. Below is an example:

Green on Green



This spider web was on the outside of the window. I noticed it when I came home because of all the fluffy seed poofs that had coated it. I took this photo from the inside, through the closed window, because from the outside, you could see the curtain in the background. To make the spider web more visible, I increase the contrast and color saturation.

Web Fluff



Then the day went down hill, at least weather wise. It started to snow!!!! Yes, that nasty, dirty, four-letter word that starts with S and ends with W. SNOW! The white on the lawn is snow that stuck. Below is the proof:

Really? You're Kidding, Aren't You?

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

It is 78° here. It can't be snowing.

 

[piperbarb]

It is 78° here. It can't be snowing.

It was 45 deg F here. I live in the outer limits of the twilight zone. Rod Serling was from this area. That should explain a lot.

 

[Kias]

It snowed here the other day too! I was all like... HELLO!!! IT'S MAY!!!

​Crazy. Just. Crazy.

 

[Kias]

That purple thing almost looks like Sage, but I don't think it is, or maybe it's too young for me to recognize it properly. Maybe it's another closely related plant in the Mint family. Perhaps if you get another photo when it blooms, we can figure it out. It's driving me crazy... It just seems like I should know what it is for some reason.

 

[piperbarb]

That purple thing almost looks like Sage, but I don't think it is, or maybe it's too young for me to recognize it properly. Maybe it's another closely related plant in the Mint family. Perhaps if you get another photo when it blooms, we can figure it out. It's driving me crazy... It just seems like I should know what it is for some reason.

That's what a good friend of mine who is an avid gardener said. I asked her what it was and she said she had seen it before but could not remember it's name. It's a cool plant. It has been there since I moved here 21 years ago. It is a perennial that starts all over again every year with new leaves. It flowers most of the summer and is one of the few plants the deer do not take a fancy to. When it starts to bloom I'll post another photo. It has pretty purple flowers.

 

[snaphappy]

I would wear those socks you made and LOVE them! Very talented with needles and camera

 

[piperbarb]

I would wear those socks you made and LOVE them! Very talented with needles and camera

Thank you!!

 

[piperbarb]

5-14-13:

It is a dandelion day! They are all over my lawn. Many have gone to stage two or three. Here goes:

So this is how they spread so fast!

Busy Bee



Dandelion, stage 2.

Past Its Prime



Dandelion, stage 3.

Demise of the Dandelion



And finally... Yes, we do have flamingos in upstate New York. I saw this on someone's lawn when I was driving home this afternoon. Those birds were not there in the morning.

Flamingo Invasion