Looking back through my photographs I knew that green would be a major theme. The challenge was picking just two or three
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Green
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Category Archives: Nature Shots
Texture
….looking for examples for my next art lesson
Today on our walk with Frances I was on the lookout for interesting examples of texture that I can share with my students back at school. Texture is all around us, from the rough texture of bark and the thorny, prickly texture of burrs to the soft texture of grasses and seed heads and the smooth texture of leaves.
A Gift….a Beautiful Day in November
….. November 11th, Remembrance Day
As we prepared to go for our walk this morning we had no idea how beautiful a day it would be. The sun was shining and the temperature was warm. Here are a few of the sites we experienced on our walk.
I know that you may think posting a Tim Horton’s sign is odd but we’ve been waiting for months for this place to open. Being able to pick up a coffee on our early morning walks is a special treat, especially since this location is right in the middle of the college where we walk every day.
“Hurry up and finish that coffee, Carol!”
I pass this tree every day. Today was the first time I noticed what an unusual shape it has.
- A few final blooms.
Signs That Winter is Close at Hand
…. the rain finally let up for an hour or so
Plans to go to the cottage were put on hold today because my husband has done something to his arm that keeps him from lifting anything heavy. A quick visit to the clinic this morning confirmed that the pain is probably due a sudden yank on the arm that took place when K walked the dog earlier this week. Doctor’s orders …… no heavy lifting and keep the arm still. So moving the fridge and BBQ at the cottage are definitely out of the question.
While K was at the clinic I decided to get out with Frances. The rain had stopped and she was complaining loudly about not being outside. I put on my scarf and rain jacket, pocketed my camera and phone and fastened Frances into her Buddy Belt. The sky was grey, the wind chilly and my pace was quick. It became very apparent, quickly that winter isn’t far off. I documented the signs with my camera.
At the yacht club….empty boat slips.
As Frances and I walked into the wind the I could feel the odd drop of rain on my face. I had walked farther west than we normally do. I decided to abandon my plan of walking north before heading home and headed east instead. I hadn’t gone very far when I realized that I probably should have made that decision 10 minutes earlier. The drops turned into a drizzle so I started to run, walk, run. Bonus on the exercise front. Thank goodness that I wore my running shoes.
It’s a sure sign that winters coming when you see all the boats in dry dock.
By the time I got home the drizzle turned into a steady rain and shortly after getting inside it started to pour. I guess we can look forward to a few more days of this weather as hurricane Sandy makes its way up the eastern seaboard.
Even the sign looks tired.
Colours of Autumn
….. summer left by the back door
It seems like yesterday when we were experiencing warm sunny days. I was still wearing my sandals to work and by noon sweaters and jackets were abandoned because of warm temperatures.
Today, cold winds and grey skies firmly established that summer is no more and that winter is not far behind. On our daily walk we now step over smashed walnuts and chestnuts and push through multi-coloured fallen leaves. The dog’s tail is picking up burrs and she’s finding the most disgusting things to roll in.
It’s the colours of autumn that I am enchanted with. The red of the sumac leaves against purple wild flowers and fading green to yellow grasses excites my senses and makes me want to get out my paints and play with colour washes.
Today, on our walk, I purposely looked for colours from foliage not often photographed when one thinks of autumn. The soft textures of tall grasses and milkweed pods to the spiky thorns of burrs and seed pods is like a magnet for my imagination and camera lens.
Enjoy!
My husband and Frances. They were always ahead of me because I stopped so often to take pictures.
Fungi…having fun with the macro setting
For some reason, for the last two years, I have these huge mushrooms, fungi, toadstools (or whatever you want to call them) growing in my front yard. Last year I waited too long before I took a picture. They seem to get bigger everyday and then without warning they whither and fall apart.
Today, as soon as I got out of the car, I pulled out the camera from my purse and switched to the macro zoom setting. I’m sure my neighbour across the street thought I was a little crazy as I got down on my hands and knees to get these shots.
Albino Praying Mantis
….or a really cool bug waiting to be photographed
Today on the way home from the cottage we stopped at the closest restaurant, which happened to be in Lafontaine. We decided to enjoy our eggs and coffee on the picnic table outside this quaint little restaurant where all the farmers and locals like to gather and catch up with the day’s news.
We sat outside mostly because we had Frances with us and we didn’t want her waiting in the car. It was already proving to be a very warm day. While enjoying my omelet my husband noticed a very unusual insect close to my feet. Never wanting to miss a photographic moment I pulled my camera from my bag, set it for macro zoom and carefully positioned the lens to get the following pictures.
After I showed our waitress my pictures a small group from the restaurant emerged and a discussion ensued as to what kind of insect it actually was. Some said it looked exactly like the bugs they’ve seen on their tomato plants but they were green and others were pretty sure that it was a praying mantis.
Does anyone out there know precisely what this is? I’d like to know.
Cheers!
Mama Cormier 