Friday Morning Sunrise

As I looked out the window early yesterday morning this is what I saw. A gorgeous pink, yellow, orange and purple sunrise. I only wished there were no trees obstructing my view. I thought of jumping in the car to go find a better vantage point but within a few minutes it was all over.

And this is what my husband saw around the very same time, as he happened to be driving to work at that moment.

He works near the beach so his view was wide open except for that antenna in the middle. His phone doesn't take great pictures but you can still see it must have been stunning!

Picture Enlargement

Several people have asked me how I make the pictures on my blog larger than normal. Well it took a while for me to figure it out and I had to ask a couple people along the way.


First I asked Steve, since he has such great pictures that all seem to fit perfectly on his blog, Shooting My Universe. He directed me to a post he had written a while ago titled appropriately enough: Size Matters (The SMU Layout). I also spoke with Mary over on Mary's View. Another fantastic blog with gorgeous photos. Seems I confuse easily though because no matter what I did I couldn't get my pictures quite right (though I think I've finally figured it out on this most recent Frost post).

Then this morning I happened to see Southern Hospitality (love Rhoda's blog!) had a post titled: Fa-La-La! and a Blog Tip! How could I resist a blog tip?! So I headed on over and read her post. Rhoda explains resizing photo's in very simple terms that most anyone can understand. As a matter of fact I'm going to try using her suggestions in my next post. Somehow I think it's what Steve was trying to tell me all along, am I right Steve?

As for my template, I use Minima Stretch, which you will need to use if you're planning on using wide (800 px) pictures. If you ever want to figure out what someone is using for a template, go to their page, right click, then click on 'View Source'. Their whole html template will pop up. When I first started blogging and wanted to make a 3 column blog that's how I figured a lot of it out, by looking at other people's html. Yes, I'm a peeper, okay?

Hope that helps!

*Now if I can only figure out how to change the Title font on my blog post's to a custom font I'll be all set! Any tips on where to find it in my html? Anyone?

A Frosty Morning

As many times as I've taken pictures at the Bay there's just something about it that keeps me coming back for more. It's very peaceful and quiet. I feel a solitude when I'm there.

When I first arrived on this very chilly morning I thought there wouldn't be much to see, and then I realized there was plenty to see. Just get down there and look at it!

Nothing escapes Mother Natures touch on this morning. It's all blanketed in white with millions of tiny ice crystals.

From November 08

And there will be more Bay photos as I have many I haven't used yet. I hope you won't mind.

Life is a Balancing Act

Especially for birds . . . never knowing quite where their next meal will come from . . . trying to stay warm in the harsh weather . . . looking for water to drink when everything is frozen over . . . and shelter during the storms.

Our backyard feeder is full and there's plenty of suet for those who need it. We also have the bird bath heater running, which is highly appreciated.

If you live in New England than you know today (Saturday) is one of those days that chill you to the bone. When I took these pictures this morning my exterior thermometer in my SUV said 23 degrees. My hands felt every degree of it.

Surprisingly the birds never seem too affected. They are far hardier than me on this cold morning.

These bunch of nuts were even taking baths! But what else is there to do at 7:30 am when it's 23 degrees outside? I think the guy on the left is smirking. Or winking.

The Mallards were much more subdued. In fact the male and female on the right were trying to catch a few winks. Bobbing perfectly in sync.

Fungi

~ Phallus ravenelii (click for a description)

Young Fungi . . .

. . . and that's about all I have to say about that

Addendum: Unfortunately my younger daughter and her friend felt this mushroom was very ugly and smelly so they took it upon themselves to destroy it. Something she would normally not do. Anyway, this is the inside of the base. The whole thing was hollow. The other smaller one died overnight from frost so I am assuming the same thing would have happened to this one.

It could be any morning

Who's that sneaking around in the distance . . .

Ahh yes, there it is, a Pileated Woodpecker! So often I hear their calls around our house, yet I sit there, drinking my coffee, and just listen. On this particular morning I decided to go outside and take a walk around to see if I could actually spot one with my camera.

Darned if my camera didn't want to cooperate!

But finally I had some success. . .

Not only was there one, but there were two PW's flying around the yard! Only once have I seen two at the same time. Their call is unmistakable and due to their size they usually aren't too tough to pick out. Getting up close and personal is another thing. For some reason they seemed to be a bit camera shy. Every time I'd sneak up on one it would fly off to another tree. Oh but to see the bird in flight is a beautiful thing.

And on that same morning I decided to take a drive just to see who else was up and around

She is just darling. Hanging out in some one's backyard, eating berries off a bush for breakfast. A few minutes later the man who lived there came out to take a few pictures of her also. He had discovered she was there when he went to take his dog for a walk.

Morning time is so peaceful and serene. It's the time of day when all the wildlife are just waking up to start a new day. The perfect time to enjoy nature. Have a nice Sunday : )

A Murder of Crows

I always loved that saying ... a Murder of Crows. Something about it just sounds so heinous, don't you think?

While out with Andria recently on a photo shoot (soon to be blogged about) I spied the Crows beginning to congregate in the far front corner of the cemetery we were in. Yes, we were in a cemetery for Andria's Self Portrait shoot. Anyway, as I looked up into the sky, more and more Crows kept coming in from all directions. An incredible sight to behold if you love birds like I do! Some people might be afraid of them as they bring back memories of Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds', but I remember watching the movie as a child and laughing at the absurdity of a flock of birds attacking people. And normally I was afraid of everything!

Andria wanted to go out in back of an old High School, that has in recent years been closed, to take a few more pictures. It was there I realized where all the Crows would be spending the night . . . on top of the building. Every so often something would spook them and they would fly up into the sky, caw-caw-cawing all the while, until they finally settled back down for a few minutes. Only to be startled again by something else. Most likely more Crows flying in to find a place to land. Jockeying for position.

In a quick moment as I looked up, a large amount of Crows all took off at once. If I didn't know better I would almost think they were Bats!

Andria took a photo at the same time as I did and here it is. Incredible, isn't it? Be forwarned, some of her stuff can be a little freaky!

I have to say, unlike my parents, who know the Crows habits inside and out, I am not a big Crow fan and never have been because I think they can be a bully in the bird world.

Several years ago I still remember waking up at 6 am to the sound of birds screaming in the backyard. I leaped out of bed to see what was going on, only to realize the Crows were stealing the Catbirds babies right out of their nest! Not only were the Catbirds upset but all the other birds were in a fuss too. We ran out to try to defend the nest but it was too late. They were all gone.

That day the mother and father Catbirds sat on the fence and cried all day long. How on earth could I ever like a bird that caused such needless pain? At the same time, I know it is part of the bird world. Doesn't mean I have to like it though.

By the way 'Murder' is a poet term. In all actuality Crows fly in flocks.

Kingman Farm

About 2 weeks ago I had to leave work for an hour to go to a dentist appointment. On the way there and back, I happened to pass an enormous field of dried up Sunflowers. I had driven past Kingman Farm earlier in the Summer while the flowers were in full bloom, but did I have time to stop? No. Talk about a missed opportunity.

I took the picture below just as a large flock of birds flew out from the Sunflowers. I only wish you could have seen how many birds were there feasting on seeds! And the sound was music to my ears.

There were rows upon rows upon rows of dried up Sunflowers. It truly was amazing!



I'll bet there were plenty of bugs in there too!




This is just a small portion of the field.



Milk Weed giving way on a hill behind the flowers. A sight all too often taken for granted, except by the Monarch Butterfly.







Driving back to work (after taking MANY pictures) this was my view. How I wish it could last a little longer. Today the leaves are pretty much gone.




And a sweet Sparrow perched on the railing of our back deck on a recent frosty morning.




This has to be one of my favorite posts! I could have sat in that field all day if I'd had the time. It's something most anyone would have appreciated as much as I did.