Great Britain wrap-up -- for 2018

post #398
        By now it's more than two weeks since I have returned from England, yet I remain in transition. I haven't yet come to terms with my new relationship with the British Isles.  I do know the light over there is amazing -- a photographer's friend -- though because it's closer to the North Pole, there are more hours of darkness in the winter. However, as always, I'd like to express my appreciation for all the fine and fun folks I have met there over the years, the main reason my connection will remain for many more years. 
        These remaining photos from two weeks ago were made in the little bit of time I had that week to be out and about with my camera. 

SO, this is where I left off last week -- about to walk to High Street via Peelers Close:

 I was looking for some protein to fill out my leftovers at the apartment, but, really, a hunk of cheese, no matter how amazing, is not a good option when the next day requires 22 hours of traveling and the scrutiny of TWO Customs and Security lines, the first one in London and the next one after arriving in Detroit.

    This new small shop in Chipping Campden also sells fresh cut meat, and has vegetables as well. I'm afraid this town is catering more and more for the many tourists than for the random hungry residents..... but they were more than tolerant of my American self.

    I wanted to walk home the scenic way, over this creek that runs through town, where for days I had been wowed by the fullness of these flowers.  The next two photos were made from the little bridge that crosses over the creek.  Well, maybe it's not called a creek in England.
 

These homes back up on the creek.  The English love of gardens is legendary, and it lasts during every month of the year:

I guess this limb, in a front yard, could be said to have a pair of pears.

The solar panels caught my attention as well.  Then I looked more closely at who was in the window.

Sure looks like Shakespeare to me...   He made me laugh, in any case.

          The next day I headed for home.  I was picked up around 7 p.m. at the Lexington airport by my dear daughter, since driving myself home, with over an hour on the interstate, after such a long day without sleep, has never been a good idea.  
       After that first night's sleep, I absolutely needed to drive to town, for a dental appointment. When I started to get in my car -- left for several days in my very basic shed -- I discovered this enormous web, complete with its workaholic spider.  I hated having to destroy everything, so the least I could do was to make this photo in honor of all that deft design work which welcomed me home.

     

         I will get back to add to this post after I check with friends in England about what a creek is called, and, from last week, what is the story behind "Peeler's Close."  Thanks!

fog and fun and Chelsea Clinton

post #325
      I've had a busy week photographically - our photo class assignment was to present contact sheets for 80 photos and then decide on 6 of them to work on before making fine prints this coming week on the Epson 4800 printer which the University uses as a work horse.  With luck, the new version of this printer will be available before the end of the semester.  I do believe I will have even more trepidation using newer than I already have for tried and true. That's my problem, though, nobody else's.  The theme for these photos is supposed to have something to do with a personal connection to land in some way  -- so of course I headed down to our beloved waterfalls since they are an emotional siren for many of us. Here are two photos from Wednesday late afternoon and Thursday; R. helped by carrying my tripod down for me. She then returned a couple of hours later to bring it back out. Sweet! T. loves her book about seeds.

Good help is priceless.

Lucky for me, the sky was cloudy (no glare) and actual water was coming over the highest of the falls!

I'm using the tripod here. That big waterfall looms to my right.

A second "project" this week was the discovery of early morning fog when I woke up. Such a fleeting moment is always a way to get a literal jump start on the day! There were those magical glistening spider webs everywhere (see one place with them 7 photos from now.)

The barn is in each of the next three photos.

 from the front of my gallery/house:

my driveway looking its best

          I will be showing more photos from the waterfalls next week, after I have lived with them for a bit and perhaps tried some tweaks on them for the class. I want to mention some other work I did, some on Friday and more yesterday, gathering photos for the second book that George Ella Lyon and I have had on the back burner for a couple of years.  George Ella is making a presentation today at an elementary school neear Cincinnati, and she'll be showing the PowerPoint that she assembled for "Apple Orchard, Bluebird, Creek". Shw wrote it and I have provided most of the photos. After hearing about the responses from the kids, I'll share more.
 
        Lately I have been quiet on the blog about the strange, challenging behaviors coming out of the White House and Congress this month, but that doesn't mean anything is getting better. I hate to hear all that nonesense about the press being an enemy when the constitution defends the need for open, reliable, and accessible information as a protection from secrecy and corruption. It's called Democracy. Get over it, tweeter. If truth is to be told, it will have to be by the press, since there are as many lies as ever coming out of the White Lies House.  History tells us sowing lies is a classic strategy for causing confusion, establishing unrest and then seeking control.  I'm proud that so many people who understand this are speaking up. Maybe soon some real Republicans in leadership positions will find their hidden backbones and do the same instead of being bamboozled by someone who doesn't dare to show his tax returns or speak with civility to his fellow Americans in all their variations.
        
       Anyway today I wanted to celebrate The Curious Mind that is not afraid of new ideas. I happened to read today's New York Times Book Review interview with Chelsea Clinton. I was amazed and heartened by the tone of her words as well as by the range of her reading -- with two small children around! (I know, she has household help.) So here is the link to that article even though I know most viewers may be understandably too busy to read it.  

        Now here are the last three photos for today:

headed to the pond

passing some fog draped webs en route to the pond

returning to the waterfall area for some fun and some boots in the creek

My thanks for visiting, listening, watching, and wondering with me what life is all about.
    

milkweed tell-all, part 3 of 5, visitors

post #181
     It's Sunday again, so here is another selection from my milkweed collection and more memories of my amazement.

       I start with an iPhone overview of location #2, midday in early September, 2013:

  
      BEFORE YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT THREE PHOTOS, TRY TO SEE A VISITOR ON THE PLANT!  HOW GLAD I AM I TOOK TIME TO MAKE THIS PHOTO (even though the midday light is rarely the best) BECAUSE I WOULD NOT OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN LOOKING CLOSELY AT THE PLANT TO SEE WHAT WAITED FOR ME -- the unexpected!  And it is also true I might have not gotten into the habit of looking, looking, looking from then on, taking a chance each time for wonder.

     I was so taken by the frog that I went back that very evening to see if it was still there.  I was rewarded by seeing another visitor, plus the frog had moved -- to the leaf just below where it had been before:

I love the frog's shadow through the leaf.  I think he or she thinks I can't see any frogs, thanks to their turning to green.  In any case, there is no attempt to escape.

The seed pods are beginning their autumn voyage from green to gray.

       Can you now find the frog in this evening overview photo??  (Hint: look in the middle of the photo)

 
  Five days later, I start seeing more milkweed bugs.  I still am not sure if they help with things or if too many of them damage the plant.  Again, my lack of biology training slows me down a bit.  I suspect an overabundance of them means trouble for the plant, and, were there monarch butterfly eggs, definitely trouble for the monarchs.

I loved seeing this spider returned and still at work. I hope it is not one of the spiders that eat butterfly eggs....

      About ten days later, I discovered LOCATION #3 along the road on the way to town -- with an actual place across from these several plants where I could pull the car off the road.  I found wonders here, too, but I will wait until next week (part 4 of 5) to show more than this single photo from there.  Of course I had been driving by this place all summer without paying full attention.  I am so grateful I finally came to my senses....so to speak.

    
          So, for now, Hey, good lookin' -- to you all.

milkweed tell-all, part 2 of 5

post #180
       I am loving reviewing my milkweed photos with these blog posts in mind.  Today I am  including a few non-milkweeds as well.  It feels like the best way to share what else was happening at the same time in a plant's short life.  I come at this project as an artist and not as a biologist, though obviously the two perspectives overlap.  
        NOTE: I am planning to publish this before 9:30 a.m. (daylight savings time!) which is earlier in the Sunday than usual.  I am needing to drive a couple of hours west, to Lexington, in order to volunteer noon to 3 at the annual Kentucky Crafted: the Market.  This is a great event with over 200 juried artists displaying their wares -- to wholesalers on the Friday and to the public over the weekend.  It is taking place at the Lexington Convention Center, often referred to as Rupp Arena which is part of the complex.  It is open until 5 today and I recommend it highly.  We are proud of our hardworking Kentucky Arts Council!

      Now, to continue on from the last post, here are images from late June through August, blossoms fading and falling, seed pods growing and hosting....

This is where I left off last week -- late June, flowers still doing fine.

      I think these garden photos are very telling.  (Thanks, Sandy and Junie, for letting me admire your hard work.)  The beans are ready, the corn is growing, and so are the zucchinis!  Talk about a big seed pod!!

          (Just have to include this sky photo from up on the ridge that day.  Amazing!)

    I was away quite a bit in July last summer, so I MISSED some of my milkweed's transition from big flower to big seed pods.  Luckily I have this upcoming summer to fill in this lapse.

Location #2 --  Hello young pods!!

     Back at location #1, the meadow has been mowed for hay, taking with it my milkweeds, but bringing on the deer....

...mostly because of these gems.  Everyone around here had one of the best apple seasons in forever.

These are Joe-Pye weeds, who, like milkweed, are happy to grow along our back roads.  They attract butterflies, just like the milkweed does, but they are a lot taller than a milkweed.  Monarch butterflies, however, are particularly bonded to just milkweeds.

first photo of a milkweed bug

Happiness was discovering this beautiful spider and her web bridging these two milkweed plants!!

       

I didn't have my tripod with me so this image is done hand-held, as we say.

       This last photo (for today) shows a hint of things to come.  And I have been saving the milkweed bugs for their own show, soon.  Thanks for joining me on this journey.  For some reason, this past week I have had blog visitors from over twenty countries, so I am now curious about how many places in the world have milkweed plants.  In any case, welcome to all of you!