Early purple crocuses flowers from across the street. This is a composite of many images using the focus stacking program from Helicon Focus. A little bit bright, and requires calm conditions (little or no wind).
The temperatures dropped from nearly 70°F (~20°C) yesterday to below freezing most of today. It was sunny most of the day, so the solar panels were generating electricity (50.3 kWh). Later in the afternoon some clouds rolled in, and we had a quick snow storm. I went out to get some pictures of the flowers that recently bloomed across the street with the recent snow before the sun went down. I also got some pictures of a turkey vulture soaring above my backyard in the late afternoon sun.
Although my neighbor got lots of maple sap from his trees this year, the tap he put in my maple tree didn’t produce much. Since it did get cold again, I will drill a new hole and see if I get anything. Maybe, my maple tree feels it already gave too much to the cicadas that live for 13 or 17 years under the tree.
After the storm passed, some clouds lit up as the sun went down.
Winter Nature in New Jersey. Sourland Mountain Preserve.
I went for a walkabout at the local Sourland Mountain Preserve on a snowy day and took a few pictures. The high-pressure gas-line right of way trail looked open, but I didn’t go very far. There were cattails in the marshy area, and some Mallard ducks swimming in the pond. The ducks usually leave as soon as the more boisterous Canada geese arrive, but on this snowy day the geese stayed away.
Individual images from the slide show can be viewed here.
Elderhostel “Photography in the Southwest” Workshop Day 5. Kelly Place.
The Elderhostel/Road Scholar photography workshop that I attended with my father and brother ended the previous evening. Before leaving the Kelly Place B&B to drive back to Boulder, Colorado I took one last image of the “Sleeping Ute Mountain” from the patio at dawn.
All week I had been intrigued by this wooden flying goddess that was hanging from the ceiling of the meeting room. [Maybe Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, pre-Hindu Dewi Sri, or Shridevi. Or An Apsara (Apsarasa) Hindu or Buddhist flying spirit???] I spent a little bit of time trying to get an image that I liked. The lighting wasn’t good so did some experimenting with a flash.
I was about to go to bed and saw this Stink Bug crawling up a wall. It was patient enough to allow me to take its picture. I then told it that spring was coming, and it really needed to go outside…