My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
So who would walk into a bathroom in New York City with his camera and take a photo of the urinal? Ya get three guess. While you are thinking of the answer I would like to share a sign I read once in a men’s bathroom. It said, “We aim to keep this bathroom clean, your aim will help.” Have an awesome day!
While in New York City I came across this young lady who was standing outside one of the theaters. She was handing out brochures for the upcoming shows and of course with her vibrant smile and personality she was catching everyones attention. When I asked her if I could take her photo she quickly agreed and gave me a beautiful smile and tipped her hat.
In between Cattail Chorus ponds and Kingfisher Point are two ponds, without names, or least I am unable to locate names for them. What I like about these ponds is there isolation. They lie within the city limits but with all the vegetation and adjacent natural areas the city seems nowhere around. This image was composed of three images and processed with the trial version of HDR Effex Pro.
Hibiscus the flower of pride
mary das
In colour you said it right
Bright and beautiful to the eyes
In dignity you stood up right
Smiling and swaying nation wide
Calling all in peace to unite
Unique flower in petals of five
Symbol of Malaysia nation wide.
As most of you know I look for images while walking around the areas near my hotels. This is one of the first images after I purchased the G12, number 7 to be exact. It let me know about the capability of the camera but, admittedly, it sure is not the most interesting of subjects and something we see daily. I’ve thought about creating a series of images depicting the abundant amount of trash we see strewn in our world. I don’t care where we go we will find plastic bags, bottles and cans, cigarette butts, parts that fall off our automobiles, and the list goes on. So bear with me as I may be posting a few more trashy images in the future.
A quick trip to a local nursery was the order of the day for my sister and I. She has this lifetime project of creating and maintaining a wonderful yard. These trips to the nursery are ways to find ideas for her sanctuary. I took the camera and found this Aphelandra squarrosa (commonly but ambiguously called “zebra plant”), which is a tropical plant of Brazil. This plant is often used as a house plant.
It won’t be long and the flowers will be showing their colors
mws
and the swing will be swinging.
Spring is coming!
When I was as a young boy, which was just a couple of years ago, my friends and I would ride our bicycles up the hill to this lake. We would carry our fishing rods across the handlebars with a couple of yellow jiggers, all in hopes of catching a few crappy. The lake is called Lake Loveland and has evolved from a muddy marsh, to a resource for irrigated agriculture, to a public water supply and a scenic and recreational treasure. It was completed in the fall of 1894 and filled for the first time with the spring runoff of 1895. Anyway, we would fish the south shore where the dam is lined with rocks and concrete slabs. Along the banks were large cottonwood trees with their trunks and roots providing habitat for these fish. Most of our fishing was for entertainment so catch and release was the order of the day, hoping we would have the opportunity to catch them again. Of course over time some of those cottonwood trees are gone but the city has now made the South Shore into a nice park area with benches and statues. I made a visit last week, walked along the path on the dam and took in the view of those majestic Rocky Mountains. It reminded me of those boyhood days.
On the southeast edge of the city of Fort Collins is a nature area called Fossil Creek Reservoir Region Open Space. This open space is designated an “Important Bird Area” by the National Audubon Society. It provides crucial habitat to bald eagles (in the winter) and other types of raptors, and many species of shorebirds, songbirds, and waterfowl. Just inside the gate to this area is the above tree sitting in complete solitude with nature. This tree stands as a sentinel just inside the gate area. I have always been called by this tree even before they purchased the land and developed the open space. It’s roots are set at the highest point in the area. The land surrounding this tree was once farmland has been restored to natural grasslands. The tree provides a favorite perching place for raptors. In fact, when I arrived this particular morning an owl was perched high in the branches. But before I could get setup the owl made a dive into the grass, stayed on the ground for about 15 seconds then lifted off and headed north with breakfast in hand.