Dancing Lights

Christmas lights at Phoenix Park on a rainy and breezy night.  These are just a few of the trees with lights.  Thanks to the local businesses that contributed to make this park something special for Christmas.  Maybe next year we may have even more dancing lights.

Rush Hour

Southbound Rush Hour from the State Street Bridge.  Everything is on the move on a Friday evening.  Not a great photo but learned what not to do when I get a similar opportunity.

Foot Prints in the Snow

I wish I had been there when these prints were made.  It might have been a good photo opportunity.  

Birth of a Blossom

Small beginning.  Promising future.

Emerging Color

A Christmas Cactus blossom seeking to be seen from among the leaves.  Coming sooo will be a photo of the blossom standing tall for all to see.

Canine Curiosity

Hey Dave, what do yo have there?

Grasses About to Bloom

We ignore these grasses during the rest of the summer but in the fall some of begin to bloom and become very noticeable.

Tall and Beautiful

The people of Winona, Minnesota sure do like church steeples.  They are tall, beautiful, artistic, and very visible.  It is worth a trip  to see them.

Pine Park Color

Peaceful Moment

Some could spend a whole day enjoying this place.

Gooseberry Falls

Affection

The relationship between a child and his pet is precious.  Both benefit from the experience and life is richer because of it.

This is one of the displays of the Eau Claire Sculptor Tour - 2014.  I sure do hope someone buys this sculpture so it can stay and become a part of our growing collections.

Boy and his Dog

It is really difficult to get good photos of the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour displays without getting distractions of buildings and cars in the background.  Here is one attempt.  Get down on your knees and capture the photo from a different perspective.

There might be a message there for us.  When we come upon a challenging situation or a difficult task maybe we would do well to look at it from a different perspective. Think out of the box.  Challenge the normal assumptions.  Look for a new way to do it.    

Interesting Roof

No this is not Jerusalem and the dome is not a part of the Temple.  This is Two Rivers, MN and the building is the Court House.  The dome shaped roof is a rare in this area and one wonders what the story is behind the creation of this building.

Maybe I will stop in the next we get up to the North Shore.

Why?

 In the city park of Two Harbors, MN we find this German Cannon from World War I.  It is one display along with some other US military items.

Why would anybody want this in their park?  How did it get there? Who approved  this location?  Where is the educational benefit=?  What are we telling our children about what is really important in a park?

Just wondering, .....

Building with a Face

This caught my attention as we were driving on the North Shore Drive along Lake Superior.  It was unusual enough to cause me turn around, drive into this place and investigate.  It really is a Pottery Store.but to me it was a building with a personality, a face, a unique presence in an ordinary world.   It was unusual enough to make it to the Picture a Day category.

Natures Creativity

Here it is again another sign of the powerful forces of nature at work in the creation process.  I don't know for sure what this is but I am guessing it will become another branch in the pine bush.  

It is amazing that all this happens without us and maybe sometimes in spite of us.  

Enjoy another example of natures creativity.

Birth of a Pine Cone

It appears that this could be the birth of a pine cone. What ever it is we know it one of the marvelous ways that nature replenishes itself. This is the season of the year when new plants and new growth.

It is a great time of the year for photographers because there are so many opportunities to see the results of the growing process.

We are reminded of the continuing process of creation and how it happens without our effort, our wisdom, or our care.

Attention Grabber

This bush really grabbed my attention as I was driving to the store this morning.  It was enough to make me turn around and go home and get my camera. (I know that I should always have my camera with me.)

This spiirea bush stood out among the green that surrounded it and proudly presented a stunning contrast to the area.  I am told that sometimes these delicate flowers are called the "Bridal Veil."

Each blossom is tiny but they make their statement by being among many others.  Maybe the message says that my one voice for peace in the world may not make a big difference unless I join with others who share that same passion.   Think about that the next time you see a Spirea bush.

The Aroma of Spring

Not far from our home is this lovely lilac bush which adds beauty to the season and to the whole neighborhood.  As I got closer to take the photo I was amazed at the fragrance in the air.  These blossoms are not just beautiful but they also produce an aroma that makes you think of spring.

We had a long row of lilacs on the farm where I grew up and remember that we enjoyed the beauty in the yard but also small branches cut were made into center pieces for the tables.

The color and aroma of lilacs are very seasonal so we have to enjoy them now.  Soon the flowers will be gone and we are left with a lot of green leaves.  Of course we will enjoy the green also.

Hosta Lines

I never noticed the lines inside the hosta leaves before.  All of the lines come from or lead to the main vein of the leaf.  You get the sense of order and a design that was made by intention.

I got this idea from Cindy Dyer who specializes in botanical subjects.  She simply puts leaves on foamcore board in natural light.   There is one big difference.  She uses fern leaves and then submits hers to the United States Postal Service and they end up on stamps.  You can see hers by purchasing some "Forever Stamps." You can see mine free. :-)   Maybe I should have used ferns..

Dancing Girl

Eau Claire Sculpture Tour welcomes the "Dancing Girl" to our display for 2014.   It is very difficulty to get good photos when the back ground is the othe4r side of the street.  So for this one I had to get down on my knees and shoot upward and find sky as background.  The only way to getr such a photo is to make the Dancing Girl into a silhouette.

Silhouettes are easier than one expects.  Just get the meter reading from the bright back ground and then the subject is underexposed and appears in black or much darker color.

Boy Reading

This is one of the sculptures of the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour 2014. The image is of one who is concentrating on what he is doing and he seems to be very intentionally focused on his task.

There is a message here for me.  I have not kept up with my project of taking a "Picture a Day."  In recent months other things have taken my time, energy, and interest.  Well, I am going to try it again and we will see what happens. 

Looking back I realized the idea of taking a photo a day helped me to learn by shooting different subjects, using different settings, and testing different perspectives.  None will win any awards or hang on any walls but hopefully I will expand what I understand to be some possibilities in photography.   

If you follow along, maybe we can learn together so I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Of course you know that some days the "Picture of the Day" will be taken quickly while in the midst of other things.  Hopefully once in a while you will see results of the learning.

Pushing the Rocks Away

The energy and force of nature allows these delicate plants to push the rocks away to make room for their presence. 

An Orange Orange

When the wind chill is a -30 you don't feel like going outside to take photos. Following the advice of an author who wrote about making it simple I found some black fabric, placed the object on it and use a flashlight for lighting.   Well, it is not something to hang on a wall, but the next time I want to  photograph something small and make it stand out, I may try this again

Proud Paul

Even in the snow he stands proud to represent the strong and sturdy even in the midst of winter.  He also brings bright color in the midst of a white and gray environment. 

The Song Goes On

The Song Goes On as these Christmas Angels keep playing even in the midst of the snow.  I did not intend for them to be out there after the Christmas season but they are still out there as the Song Goes On.

Daisy Up Close

This is one of my first photos with a new 90mm macro lens.  I have been warned that it is very difficult to get good depth of field.  You can see I still have a lot to learn, but it was fun trying.  Maybe you well see improvement as time goes on.

Snacking Cardinal

cardinal  

 

 

It was a snowy day but that did not stop the cardinal from stopping by for a snack,. .It is a real challenge to get a sharp photo when the lighting was not consistent and when you have to shoot through two layers of window glass.  I guess it is the price you pay when you do not want to brave the cold to get a really good photo.  This was the best I could do in the situation.

 

It is sort of like the "playing the hand you were given."    It may be a good way to approach every day as we make the best of our own situation.

Cold Storage

I first thought this was a strange place to store a car.  But on closer examination I discovered it was nothing more than a rock on the shore of Lake Superior on a very cold morning.  This was another one of those  -35 WC mornings. 

North Shore Cold

This is what cold looks like on the North Shore of Lake Superior when it is -35 WC.  Did not want to stay out very long so this picture was taken very quickly.  Also, we had the whole beach to ourselves.