Some Photographic Drama

Stop and take a picture

Lately, I have been using my iPhone camera more and more. You know I love it anyway, but with my other actual camera acting unreliably, I have counted more and more on my phone's camera. It's not even the newest iPhone, and I love it... especially in conjunction with the app called "Hipstamatic" which allows you to choose various Lo-Mo film types and lenses. It's a lot of fun without the costly film and development! So here are some pictures I took when K and I went on an afternoon road trip in his new car...

This is my favorite photo.

Hundreds of geese flying in formation

I also took some photos without the use of the app, just using my phone... that was mostly when we spotted the hundreds of geese flying above. There were so many that it was mind-boggling....

If you click on this photo, you'll see it larger and can pick out the geese. 

More geese flying...

And the last photo was of the sun going down behind some dramatic clouds. It's nice to get outside sometimes, even when the temperature is so cold. The winds were crazy that day, too, so that every time I got out of the car to take a picture, I'd practically freeze my fingers to my phone. But it was worth it. Of course, you can see that most of the photos were taken while K was driving... I just couldn't help it, though. My mind wants to capture the scenes of interest and beauty, even while my eyes are taking them in.

I hope you enjoyed checking out the photos from that day. It really was a breath of fresh air to get out and see the countryside. We've been lucky this winter... so far, only the one weekend of snow (besides the freak storm in October) which is all melted now, mostly. It's been in the 40's, "warm" enough to get outside. The idea that temps in the 40's means I can go outside are crazy for this transplanted Californian! I do appreciate the contrast. I don't think it's nuts now to see a guy in shorts and t-shirt when the sun is out and it's 45. It makes a kind of sense... but you won't catch ME in shorts until at least May. Maybe. We'll see. You will definitely find me outside, though.... clicking away and enjoying the bits of winter sun.

xox

Winter is Coming

It seems that however we'd like to ignore it, winter is definitely coming. The evidence is out there... the leaves are gone from the trees, the temperatures are dropping, and the squirrels are fattening up!


All I can think of when I get dressed for work (and the walk there) is, "Will this be warm enough?" Cute is no longer part of the equation! I've also noticed that I eat a lot more, and tend to make more soups and baked goods. Remember last year? I baked up a storm! Yesterday I baked some banana nut muffins, some of which got chocolate chips in them. They turned out pretty good, too!

Along the Monocacy River

K and I are still getting out for walks, though we bundle up a bit more now. The trees have a much more austere look to them. They are down to their bare bones... their foliage having long since fallen away. I think they're beautiful.

The skies look colder now, too. Even when there are clouds, they are icy looking. It's enough to make me shiver looking at them!

This is the time when we burrow into ourselves. We need to dig deeper to find the whimsy and joy that summer or spring bring out of us naturally. It's a time when animals hibernate or at least, hunker down for most of the day. People don't have that luxury most of the time. What do you do to push away the Winter Blues?

I am determined to push my levels of creativity over this winter... I think that will help a lot. And to brave the cold to go outside more... though that's easy to say now when it's still just in the 30's and 40's.

People have their home fires burning... the air has that woody scent. It's this time of year that makes me wish I had a fireplace! That definitely makes you feel cozier, doesn't it? 

So I'm mentally preparing for the long winter ahead of us. It's going to be cold. It may be difficult, but it's the perfect time to dig deep and find the strength inside of each one of us to discover how to smile and laugh when the world outside is slumbering in it's death-like season. We must remember that there is always a rebirth, and that change is inevitable in all things in Life. And like winter, the dark times we might find ourselves in shall pass. 


Blessings to you all. xox

A Crow Convention Comes to Town

Throughout this fall, K and I have noticed on our walks that there are times, right before dusk, when hundreds of crows suddenly congregate in our area. The first time it happened, we thought maybe that something had died at the park and they were coming to investigate. But there were soooo many, and they just covered all the trees in the area, and it didn't seem that likely that it was due to a carcass somewhere.

It was very interesting to watch them, though. I know I'm among a small group of people who find crows to be very fascinating and extremely smart. They have exhibited an intelligence in front of me that was undeniable. I just think they're brilliant creatures, really.

Have you seen this in your own neighborhood recently? Maybe it's just here in this area... I don't know. But it's happened several times already this autumn, and I'm curious as to what causes the crows to suddenly congregate like this. 

If you've witnessed this recently, I'd love to know about it! Please share your experiences with me... I'd especially like to know if this has happened in another state or country. 


I hope you're having a wonderful weekend! xox

Thanksgiving and Beyond...

Lots of leaves... tempted to jump in!

Hello Friends! Well, it's been an interesting week or so. Things both good and bad have been happening. I don't want to go into the bad, so I'll share the good things instead. 


Thanksgiving was nice! I appreciate you asking about it, Shannon. I shared a meal with Keith's lovely family, and after most people napped, Keith, Kyle and I went for a post meal walk. It's one of my favorite things to do... and it was a beautiful day out for walking, too. It was brisk, but sunny, and there were some nice clouds in the sky to make the photos interesting!


I also entered a photo of mine into a contest where the goal was to take a picture from a low angle of perspective. I got into the top 8 out of over 130 photos! Here it is...

Got into the top 8 of the #JSLayLowChallenge on Instagram

Oh, but I jumped ahead. Here are some photos from Thanksgiving...

I also took a lot of photos before all the leaves dropped... I know I shared a few with you in the last post, but as there are basically no leaves left outside, other than in piles on the ground, these will most likely be the last ones...

I've also been keeping tabs on a little squirrel that I named Bun Bun. He somehow lost most of his tail, and so he looks a bit like a bunny now! Luckily, he's been gaining weight from all the maple seeds and acorns that he's been gobbling up. He's a real cutie!

He's just the cutest! I love him. He feels quite comfortable hanging out in our back porch area. I love finding him nibbling seeds on the back steps. Unlike the other squirrels, he doesn't have a long, bushy tail to keep the rain off of him, so he stays under the porch, or close to the tree when it's raining.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, and are getting into the Christmas spirit. Even if you don't celebrate the holiday, it's definitely a time of year when our hearts seem to expand just a little more, and hopefully, we all share love just a little more readily... the world needs more love, doesn't it?

Keeping in Touch

Hello Friends. I don't want to always start out my increasingly sporadic posts with apologies... but I do feel a bit out of touch these days. It seems that my life is about work, and though I enjoy it, I'm not finding much time for myself lately. When I'm not working, I'm doing chores, or lately, trying to heal from a cold. 


I take a lot of photos on my walks to and from work, however, so that's something. It will have to be enough for now, as I don't have the energy for much more. 


The holidays are approaching, and Bethlehem is readying itself: Christmas trees are being attached to all the light posts along the streets, lights are being put up (if not yet turned on) in the downtown area, there have been one or two wreaths that have shed their fall leaves for holly berries... the evidence is out there! Christmas is coming! (I'm totally not prepared for it, although I've picked up a few presents during the year for one or two individuals... yay, me!)

This squirrel narrowly escaped a hawk!

The hawk that's standing on the corner of this house, see?

Squirrel's eye view

The squirrels are running around, eating everything they can find and getting plumper by the day. There are still amazingly colored trees everywhere, which is lovely. It helps to stave off the winter blues that are lurking around the corner. I've been making lots of soups at home: vegan split pea (which is so delicious that I've made it twice!), vegan mushroom barley, and a chicken noodle soup because though we don't eat chicken often, we had some left over from a dish I made for a party, so I used it up in the soup. I love home made soups in the cold weather months... it's just so warming! Especially with some fresh buttered French bread on the side! Talk about comfort foods! (Wish I had French butter to go with it, as their butter tastes SOOOOO much better than anything I've found here.)

Every day I walk under this brilliant maple tree.

I miss my blogger friends these days. It was at this time last year that I was really posting a lot of creative posts, since I was home all the time, trying to find things to do and share. I hope you understand that I want to blog more.... I've just been at a loss to gather up the energy! However, there are events coming up which I'm planning on blogging about, as they should be fun and creative, too! Until then, I hope you'll keep in touch!


If you have an iPhone, you can check out my Instagram pictures.... My nickname there is the same as my Twitter name: Sunkitten. Hope to see you there, if not here, in the future!


xox