Hum Away

2003

2006

2011

I don't know how many times over the years I have tried to photograph hummingbirds, but I'm sure the number of shots is in the thousands. I have always tried to catch them away from the feeders, with those bright red plastic flowers. I remember once, I set up the camera on a tripod, added one of my Alien Bees lights (because of all the trees, it's hard to use a fast shutter speed) and snaked a shutter release cable through the kitchen window so that I could stay indoors and hopefully not inhibit their coming in to the feeder. Sigh...

So, I have given up/in. I don't have the patience anymore to wait for them to get into just the right spot. These three photos are the only decent shots I have gotten over an eight year period. That is way too labor intensive.

Ronda

I got my hair cut today. Ronda has been my hairdresser for over thirty years! When I finally found someone who understood my naturally curly hair - what it would and would not do - I vowed never to let anyone else touch my hair.

We've been friends through all of each other's ups and downs. When I went through chemotherapy and had no hair, she helped me find a wig. When her daughter was stricken with cancer, I went to her house and took family portraits for them. Melissa passed away a month later. When I was traveling every week as a consultant, she would come in to the salon on Saturday to cut my hair... even though she didn't work on Saturdays.

When she went to work at a salon in downtown Atlanta, she offered a few of us who live in the suburbs the opportunity to come to her home instead of driving so far. Multiple Sclerosis and other medical problems have forced her to work solely from her home for some time now. The atmosphere always reminds me of Truvy's Salon in the movie Steel Magnolias... very familiar and comfortable.

Today, a small lizard had somehow gotten inside and scurried across the floor towards the dining room.

 I wonder who that was. 

Another Find

While working on my 2011 SoFoBoMo book today, I came across my first SoFoBoMo project from 2008. The theme was "What Remains" and I really think it's a much better effort than this year. I hate to say that... and maybe with a few years distance, my 2011 images will look better to me. So, I published it to Blurb and ordered a copy. I also realized that didn't publish my 2010 SoFoBoMo book - maybe next month.

Sweet Treat

When I was growing up (in upstate New York), there was a family reunion every summer. My mother's side of the family would gather at a nearby state park and everyone brought something for the meal. My mom had twelve brothers and sisters, so there were plenty of aunts, uncles and cousins in attendance. And it seems like there was always a new baby for everyone to oooh-and-aaaah over.

I remember the men would cook hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, the ladies would get the picnic tables ready and the kids - well, we ran all over the place. A swim in the lake was always delayed until after we had eaten.

There were salads, casseroles, pies and cakes. And watermelon.

Now I'm really hungry... and missing those days.

Done!

"Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost."

I have finished my SoFoBoMo project. "Lost & Found" was a much tougher theme than I anticipated. Found is easy enough... but Lost - well, if I could photograph the things that I've lost then they wouldn't be lost. So, YES, I had to think outside of the box. I don't know if I succeeded but I do know that I will be very glad not to have to categorize every photo idea as either Lost or Found.

The photo above links to the gallery on Pbase. I'll probably upload my book file to SoFoBoMo tomorrow.

Out with the old

Northern Cardinal. I was concerned that the Cardinals' plumage seems less-than-healthy lately, but found this online: "Molting takes place in late summer after the breeding is over. Adult birds lose all their feathers gradually and new ones grow in before fall."

So... even one of the most striking birds at the feeder has to go through a period of re-feathering. Lucky for them they don't have mirrors. ;-)

Took lots of photos today and it feels good!

Ch-ch-ch-changes..

I love this metal flag. I bought it many years ago... can't remember which festival or crafts show. It's hung high on a tree and when the wind picks up it flaps back and forth. I tried once to get a long exposure of it dancing in the wind, but couldn't get everything just right.

I noticed this morning that the sun is already lower in the sky and the shadows are getting longer. Autumn can't come too soon for me.

Stuck

I am struggling with my SoFoBoMo project... finding it difficult to keep my thoughts focused on the theme (Lost & Found) and so - photo ideas are not popping into my head. 

I won't give up yet, but my heart doesn't seem to be in it. I have until Aug. 28. My original idea was the summer heat and since I seem to be obsessed with that, I probably should have stuck with it. But I worried that the theme was too narrow and it would be boring. Did I over-think again?

It's Not Complicated

sim·plic·i·ty   [sim-plis-i-tee] noun: Freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts.

Sometimes I tend to make things way too complicated and then sometimes I am able to see the beauty of simple lines, tones and light.