squeezing in some photos from the fall

post #471
         With all the turmoil on our national stage, I decided to give a showing tonight of some photos I missed including on this blog during this past fall.  There's time enough for the new photos in the future. We need to honor the life we have apart from the chaos that our supposed leadership seems determined to foist upon us whether we like it or not. This doesn't mean I plan to be silent about the dangerous state of the world, but for tonight I am choosing to focus in a small way on photography -- which has grounded me for the past 25 years. I hope you, my guest / viewer, can find it within yourself to enjoy this offering, and I hope you also have dreams and beauty that sustain you.

           This is today's transition photo, carrying my concerns, my voice on my car, and my small bid for sanity when I am out and about.
 

           A rose is a rose is a rose

         and a weed is a weed is a weed.

           An eight year old is an eight year old even when she looks like a pretzel!

         Here's another eight year old -- not quite sure what his grandmother is up to.

            This woman graciously let me make her photo while we were both at Jenn's for a hair fix.  She then told me she was 90 --  I appreciate her spunk and her getting a kick out of some stranger asking to take her photo.

           Recently I was making a record of one corner of my in-home gallery, which I still use, even though I'm too far out from town to have many "customers". It's more like my work area in the main room, on the first floor. 

         My friend Sandy had this Gerber Daisy with all sorts of blooms this fall, whereas mine (which appeared outside my door from a mystery source in early May) didn't bloom very much at all. But now I've brought in a potted plant or two for the winter, and mine has decided to bloom, bloom, bloom.  

         
              I saw this as puppy snow sculpture in November, in Colorado. By mistake I left it out of my blog post from there.

     As for this photo, I made it years ago, but now I can't get it to leave its place in my photo library on this laptop!! It is always at the end, often with some 40,000 photos ahead of it.  Weird. I call it "frost fence."  But I do like the photo. Thank goodness.

          I've had fun, once again, putting this together, but I do apologize for the late posting today. I am grateful I have had a self-imposed deadline all these seven years (Sundays) or it would be even later. Stay safe, speak up when you can, and be good to yourself.  All best wishes for a good new year.  Who knows, even the most dense among us might figure out this year that we are having a global climate emergency and need to act NOW  -- Ann

the week for fall

post #465
          Fall in Appalachia is shorter than in New England, where I lived until I went off to college. This year our part of the world has had a very long dry stretch. I expected the leaves might just drop off before turning colors. Not. We have actually had a real fall over the last few days! Here are some of this year's photos, starting with ones around my little pond:

I was looking for the red-winged blackbird nest(s).

cattails gone to seed early

a cattail still intact

Notice the raindrops....  Time to go protect the camera -- and pass the mustard....

 What follows are a few out and about photos:

The field in the far distance is on my land.

my mailbox, on Sideway Road

on the ridge road

a driveway that does this display every year

not always looking this amazing

 What will tomorrow bring, nearby and for our nation. And actually for the world. I'm grateful to be living in such a beautiful corner. I wish for everyone a welcoming place to call home.

fall photos from former falls

post #404
      Some years are better than others. It just happens that way.  I'm talking in this case about the fall foliage. This past week, when this year's leaves were trying their best, I ended up in Chicago for a few days and didn't take photos. Therefore I think this year is a good excuse for showing some of my favorite views of this season over the years. Enjoy!

nearing the end of the season, in the evening light

winter preparations at Dail and Ethel's

lingering and late, at the pond

Even the simplest looks lovely.

the driveway

seen from the road along the ridge

hillside graves

Pearl's place, on my ridge

on the driveway

deep in the woods

along the ridge

        Well, that's enough to get the idea!  
       The main thing this year is the beauty of democracy. This might sound sappy, but we have the opportunity to join all our colors together by voting, by bringing more women into the political life of our nation, by walking the walk and talking the talk of tolerance and fairness.  I dream of no more lies and meanness, no more manipulation by fostering fear, and no more ignoring to our peril the changing climate. I certainly don't want my tax dollars used to pay for the military to go to the border for a problem that only exists as a pre-election diversion by those who worry they are about to lose an election because of increasing incompetence.
        I write this as much for the people in other countries who look at my blog as I do for my fellow citizens. I want the world to to be reminded that Americans haven't totally lost their tolerance for diversity -- which has made our country strong since its beginning. We haven't totally lost our bearings. 
        My deepest thanks go to all who have been working hard to get out the vote, and to all who will accept the work needed to make democracy work, by voting on Tuesday.

stone steps

post #272
       Recently I have spent a lot of time with my front steps.

I would sweep them, 

  watch snow cover them over, 

     sweep again, 

        shovel off ice, 

           admire their sturdiness

              and beauty, 

                 remember the dogwood petals 

                      that fall and cover them in April, 

                          and so forth, onward and upward. 

       And not so long ago it took a lot of concentration just to walk up them, during my time with a sore hip -- lead with the right leg, pull up the left to join it, one step at a time.
         This morning I realized I haven't ever done a post featuring these steps -- a fine example of taking something right in front of me for granted! I photograph them all the time, so what is there not to love here. It is also a way to celebrate the fact that my leg is now better, and I can run up the steps, take them two at a time, or just enjoy them along the way.


 FROM INSIDE, LOOKING OUT:

 THIS WINTER:

Jason says these are deer tracks!

LAST WINTER:

Melva to the rescue

SPRING AND SUMMERS:

FALL:

        
         There are more step photos, and there will continue to be new ones. It should be noted that the rocks for these steps came from an old chimney, which is what gives them their distinctive texture. Our hillside is now their resting place.