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Marilyn Armstrong — Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth

Daily Archives: September 25, 2012


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Cold feet, morning light, and coffee

This region is so photogenic this time of year (barring bad luck and unfortunate weather conditions) that I have more pictures than I have time to process.

This was one of the mornings where I had a camera in hand before my first cup of coffee.

Sun streams in through the French doors … luring me away from the coffee machine and out onto the deck to greet the day, camera in hand.

Anyone who knows how I feel about coffee will understand that this is no small thing. The smell of coffee brewing is like a siren’s call to me, luring me from anywhere in the house to the machine in the kitchen. I have special cups with lids because in addition to being a bit of a geek (okay, more than a bit), I’m a klutz and inclined to knock over cups of coffee. I got tired of replacing keyboards. Now, everything I drink from, coffee or otherwise, has a lid.

Haven’t lost a keyboard since I got my cups. But I digress.

The morning light issues a siren’s call and this morning, the light beckoned more strongly than coffee. I grabbed the camera and started shooting. First inside and then, the sunshine lured me onto the back deck … barefoot … because I didn’t want to lose the light while putting on my shoes.

The deck is cold though the sun has been up for a couple of hours. It hasn’t warmed the air yet. Later, it will be warmer. I like the chill, but my bare feet didn’t care for it.

You can tell that Fall really is here because the wooden deck was cold and my feet complained. I told them to shut up, so they cramped, reminding me that yelling at body parts rarely has the desired effect. It did not, however, stop me from taking pictures. If I can’t order the recalcitrant pieces of me to do as I want, I can ignore them … for a while, anyway.

Autumn is fleeting. I hate to waste any of it. If I could, I’d be out with the camera from first light until exhaustion or dark, whichever came first. Sadly, I’m not young. My stamina comes in spurts that don’t last more than a couple of hours at best.

How quickly the dead leaves gather on the deck. It’s less than a week since we were grilling and sitting outside enjoying summer.

I try to make good use of my short windows of opportunity. This morning yielded some pretty images and tomorrow is another day.

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The Golden Days Begin With A Dental Checkup

It was a beautiful morning and if I hadn’t had a dentist appointment, it would have been a great day for a photo shoot. I didn’t want to go to the dentist anyhow and if it weren’t for all those reminders from the office on how overdue I am for a check up, I would have happily canceled and wiled the bight hours away in the woods and by the streams.

A tiny waterfall behind the leaves.

As it was, I had the presence of mind to toss the little Canon point and shoot into my rucksack. That’s why I bought it, so I wouldn’t be reduced to trying to use my cell phone. Do not tell me what great pictures I can get with my phone. I don’t care. My phone is not a camera. I have issues with taking pictures using non-camera-shaped objects.

A red barn in Mendon.

I found a long-lost waterfall, waving grasses, a great old red barn. A white farmhouse with a tilted white well. Some color on trees and vines. It’s just the beginning, but I’m hoping this will be a good one. A long autumn, a bright autumn. The last good time before winter closes in again.

All photos taken using the Canon PowerShot SX 260 HR, processed in Photoshop.

And I didn’t have a single cavity!

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Loon Memories

Loon with baby on her back.

From Wild About Wildlife and Nature.

We used to camp on Pleasant River Lake in northern Maine. It was cabin camping, so we had screens on the windows. We had propane tanks: a gas-powered refrigerator and range, plus a wood stove if it got chilly.

We drank water directly from the lake and we brought water up from the lake in glass bottles and when we needed to bathe, we went down to the lake with a bar of soap.

An outhouse exterior

An outhouse exterior (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then there was the outhouse. It was a chemical toilet in a wood building. I hated that outhouse. The chemicals burned those sensitive areas … and there were always spiders in there.

In exchange for that little bit of unpleasantness, in the evening, we would build a bonfire on the shore of the lake. It was a big lake, deep, surrounded by pine woods. There were several beaver dams and it was not unusual to see moose swimming across, just their giant heads visible above the waterline as they sought their favorite snack food: water lilies. There were bears too.

Loons on Wolfe Lake (Ontario, Canada)

Loons on Wolfe Lake (Ontario, Canada) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Best of all, there were about a dozen loons nesting on the various parts of the shore. As evening came on, they would start to call to one another. Warbling and calling, a sound so haunting and beautiful as it echoes across lake.

I will never forget the song of the loons, the voice of the northern lakes. I miss them.

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Early Color — West Dam on the Blackstone

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Today, the leaves began to change. I could see it from my office window. I had no time to plan a photo excursion, but on my way to the dentist, I grabbed my little Canon point and shoot. On the way to the office, I spotted the waterfall I’ve been looking for. I’d shot here before, but didn’t remember where. Today, I spotted it and promised myself to stop before we went home.

Further along, I saw the red barn. I’ve passed it so many and never thought much about it, but today, I remembered and stopped there … on the way home.

So many great pictures … Today, just some pictures of the early color changes at the dam, which is called Lower West Dam. The leaves change first along the water.

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