Flowers

Flowers

Happy New Year!

Wow. The photos of strawberries certainly caught your attention yesterday. Like the people who commented, I would love to have a few fresh strawberries right now. Oh well, it'll be at least 7 months before mine will be ripe. :)

I thought that you might like a little colour on this last day of 2011 so I found a few flower photos taken in mid-July. Up until the snow we had on Christmas Eve, a few pansies were still blooming.

I can't remember the name of the red flower. I first planted it in a poor location and it did not do well. Last fall I moved it to a new flower garden and this summer it grew fairly well producing small red flowers that grew at the end of very long thin stems. Because it is in a fairly windy location, the stems and flowers were beaten by the wind. I am planning to move it to a more sheltered location in the spring.

I think the bluish flowers are a variety of salvia. This was the second summer for this plant, which I transplanted last fall. It seemed to do well in the new location and flowered all summer. Next are two photos of thyme flowers followed by an hydrangea just starting to flower on July 20.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Strawberries

Strawberries

It's been raining and very windy here for the past 24 hours or so and it's taken away all the snow we had just in time for Christmas. To be honest - I would rather have snow this time of the year than rain!! I plan to start a new Communities of Newfoundland and Labrador series on New Year's Day. If you have a request for specific communities, feel free to let me know and I will try to accommodate your request.

Today I chose to share photos of strawberries that I grew during summers gone by. When we lived in our house next door I had a small strawberry garden (about 8 x 8 feet) which provided delicious strawberries early each summer. The first two photos were taken after picking a few in 2001. I presently have three strawberry gardens in my new yard: two are about 12' x 12' and the other is about 3' x 10'. The first summer I moved here I planted one small bed (5' x 10') and found that each morning something had been eating the ripe berries. I've seen robins, crows, snails and a few unidentified insects eating ripened berries and that year I hardly got any for myself.

People suggested nets to keep birds out and poison for insects. However, I found a solution that didn't require nets or poisons and I am happy with it. A couple of times a day, I pick berries that are almost, but not quite, ripe and place them on a windowsill for a day or so, letting them ripen inside where they are safe. I still lose a few berries to the critters, but manage to save most of them. Last year we harvested enough to have lots of fresh strawberries, make jams and freeze some for desserts throughout the winter. I plan to double the size of the 3' x 10' in the early spring using the new plants that grew last summer and fall.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Winter Walk 4

Winter Walk 4

These are the last photos in this Winter Walk series for now. I suspect that there will be a few more before the Spring. It is raining this morning which makes a mess of the six inch blanket of snow that we've had since Christmas Eve.

Yesterday someone asked why I was promoting the Nikon Coolpix P500. Actually I am not promoting it, but providing examples of the first Winter photos so you could see the results of the test I completed during a winter walk. Several people on my list have this camera and a few have been asking me questions about it. Based on the results, the Nikon will be the main camera for hiking in the woods.

This morning's photos were taken as I walked along the trails from my house to Main Beach Pond. Even though I have walked these trails for thirty years I never tire of the peace and quiet they have to offer. I've photographed them in all seasons except Fall - too dangerous to walk during the hunting season!

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows

and/or

wallpapers/screensavers.

Winter Walk 3

Winter Walk 3

The 36x optical zoom on the Nikon Coolpix P500 lets you get close views of subjects. I zoomed in on the golden reflections in the small areas of open water to test how the camera would the bright reflections near the snow and ice. I also zoomed closer to trees and rocks sticking out of the ice in shady areas of the lake. I was pleased with the results of these tests as well.

PhotoPublish Posts of the Day are for sale as stock photographs

and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Winter Walk 2

Winter Walk 2

Main Beach Pond is about 15 - 20 minutes walk from my house. I use the same trails winter and summer so I know them well however, like all hikers, I have to be extra careful this time of the year.

It was a great day to make photos. If you look carefully at today's images you will see shady areas and bright snow in direct sunlight. I focused on the brightest areas then let the camera do the work. I think it performed fairly well. The blue sky, details in the shadows, and nice lighting in the reflections were excellent.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Winter Walk

Winter Walk

On Christmas Eve we had around 15 cm (6 in) of snow - just in time for a white Christmas. Though we've had a few snowfalls earlier, it rained after each which took it all away. In fact, the previous day (December 23) I worked in my gardens raking and moving rocks and there was no frost in the ground at all.

After a family brunch on Christmas Eve I decided to take a hike to Main Beach Pond with my Nikon Coolpix P500. I've mentioned this camera several times since purchasing it in June and at least three people on my Photo of the Day list have told me they purchased Nikon Coolpix P500 cameras based on the photos I've shared. In the past I've hiked with a backpack containing my Canon Rebel XTi, a wide angle lens (usually 17-40 or 28-80 - sometimes both) a telephoto (70-300 mm) as well as extra batteries and memory cards. After adding a bottle or two of water, knife, cell phone and emergency supplies the backpack was getting pretty heavy.

I am hoping the Nikon Coolpix will replace the other camera gear while hiking because it is much lighter. I wanted to test the camera in winter to make sure it will perform satisfactorily under different lighting conditions. Over the next few days I plan to share a few photos taken on the hike and discuss the results of my "test".

The first two photos were taken from the same position near the lake. The last two show views of one of the trails I walk. The images show scenes with both bright and shaded areas and I was trying to determine how the camera would record the scenes. Because the viewfinder isn't the best, it was hard to tell when setting up the image. I normally don't view the photos until after they have been downloaded and had to wait until returning home to see the results. Feel free to comment or ask questions about the results.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Nativity 9

Nativity 9

Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with Peace and Love.

The first photo is one of my favourite because it shows a relaxed Santa kneeling in front of his Nativity Scene. It ties the commercial view of Christmas with the religious. Unfortunately, I don't know who created this piece or where it came from.

I had a request to show a Nativity Scene from the Philippines and came across the second image this morning. The figures in the second scene are made from crepe paper.

I also liked the woollen figures in the last photos today. They looked like they may have been created by young people and should certainly appeal to kids.

Nativity 7

Nativity 7

It's is Christmas Eve and I wish all of you a Merry Christmas. May you enjoy time with family and friends during the next few days and enjoy a bit of R & R away from work.

I liked the white figures with red background in the first photo this morning. The second image is a tiny Nativity Scene from Newfoundland and Labrador made from carved chaulk. I found it amazing that someone would think of carving figures from pieces of chaulk. The last photo shows a more traditional Nativity Scene complete with real straw. This was a fairly large display with each figure about 12 inches (30 cm) in height.