Sunday Trees – 219

….so cold yesterday that I was only able to take one shot and then the battery died

Becca Givens hosts Sunday Trees every week. I’ve always enjoyed taking photos of trees and bark because of the wonderful shapes, colours and textures they possess.

IMG_7367IMG_7377The same tree taken today. It was a little bit warmer but the sky was very grey.

Optimistic

….this week’s WPC theme is optimistic

How do you portray optimism in a photograph? That was the question that I immediately asked myself when I saw this week’s challenge.

As some of you may know I received a new camera for Christmas. I have to admit that I was very optimistic about all the wonderful things that I would be able to do with this camera but it hasn’t been easy to manoeuvre this new device. I’ve actually been overwhelmed with all the new functions.

Tonight when I took one of the dogs for a short walk I noticed how beautiful the first full moon of the year was. It was early in the evening and it wasn’t even completely dark but the moon hung low in the sky and it cast a beautiful reflection on the lake. The lights of the city were exceptionally bright and I was optimistic that the moon, its reflection and the city skyline would make a wonderful photo.

I hurried back home for my camera and set the function for hand held night shots. It was bitterly cold but I played around by the lake’s edge, gloves off, to get the perfect shot. The final product is better than any shot I’ve ever gotten before but I’m optimistic that when I purchase a zoom lens for this camera my night photos of the moon over the city will be even better.

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Share Your World 2016 – Week 3

….to share your world check out Cee’s blog

What is your favorite piece of art? (it doesn’t have to be famous)

That’s a hard question for me because I love so many different pieces. I’m a huge fan of Ray Cattell’s art and would love any one of his pieces. Here’s one that I’m fond of:

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A Ray Cattell painting.

What made you smile today?

A photo of my new granddaughter always make me smile.

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Which place do you recommend as a Must-See? Please state which country, state or providence.

Again I struggled with this question but after a discussion with my daughter I decided that Niagara Falls should be a must-see destination if you’re visiting this end of Canada or New York state in the USA. You can see the falls from either side of the border but I think the view from the Canadian side is spectacular.

Complete this sentence: When I was younger I used to….

…..sing in a German choir. I started at the age of 18 and sang with them for 27 years. I was always one of the youngest in the choir. Even when I left at the age of 45 most of the members were considerably older than me. I did enjoy it and I do miss singing in a choir and hearing German.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that my son has had his staples removed from his arm and that his arm is healing nicely. He’s back in England now and has found himself a doctor and is part of the National Health Service. Things are going well at school and boys’ basketball is well underway with early morning practices are happening three times a week. I’m especially grateful to one of our dads who is coming out each morning to help us coach the boys’ team.

This week I’m looking forward to a day off on Friday. It’s a report card writing day. I’m not thrilled about writing report cards but I am grateful for the time to work on them. I’m also looking forward to seeing Miss Winnie on the weekend. We didn’t get to see her last weekend and by all accounts from her mother she’s growing by leaps and bounds.

Here are a few photos from our walks through the park and the snow storm we had on Monday. Notice how tired Frances is. She had just stared down a coyote during that storm.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Yellow or Orange Flowers

…..one of my favourite things to photograph are flowers

Do you have any photos of yellow orange flowers? If so, you should consider joining Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.

 

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge – #52

….for the last week of the year I just had to participate in one of my favourite photo challenges

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge allows us to post any photo that doesn’t really fit into any other category. This past weekend when I walked through the neighbourhood I noticed these bushes that had been cut back, leaving only the base of the the plant. Sometimes they literally grew from the rocks.

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A Late Afternoon Walk – Now

…this week’s WordPress Challenge is Now

This week we are encouraged to embrace the ‘now’ and share photos of the present moment. This afternoon I took a walk through the neighbourhood. It was getting late and the sky was cloudy. It was also very brisk and I was glad that I brought my gloves with me. Here are a few things that I saw on my journey to get more steps in today and to capture the things we take for granted.

 

Sunday Trees – 214

….every week Becca Givens posts beautiful photos of trees…check it out

The weather continues to be mild but the temperatures did drop in the last two days. Today was brisk but sunny. The forecast calls for more mild weather in the next week. No white Christmas this year.

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