Category: cee’s photo challenge

LOOKING OUT OUR BACK (OR FRONT) DOOR — IN BLACK & WHITE

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Outside Your Home or View

The autumn leaves are getting pale, though probably down by the river they are still bright. Here, though, they are pale. It’s definitely a result of the prolonged drought. I hope the drought is ending. We got a inch and a half of rain earlier in the week and we are supposed to get more over the weekend. We have a big water deficit to make up: about 9 inches in Boston and about 7 or 8 inches locally. I hope we are (finally) on our way!

These were taken by Garry and me between August and October 2020.

Photo: Garry Armstrong -The house in summer
Photo: Garry Armstrong -Duke at the gate
Fluffiest squirrel
Back end of a bird
Photo: Garry Armstrong – Bird feeders from below (see the birds?)
The shed

Cee's Black-White

THE PINK AND THE YELLOW – CEE’S FUN FOTO CHALLENGE

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Pink and Yellow 

Flowers and birds, birds and flowers … and maybe a car or a plow. The Goldfinch, in summer, are brilliant yellow and even in the middle of a drought, we had bushels of pink roses. And of course, we had red skies and pink skies. Not too many in yellow, though.

Photo: Garry Armstrong

A FEW MORE PICTURES FROM OUR (BRIEFLY) COLORFUL FALL

It didn’t last long, but at least it was there, however briefly. I didn’t think I took a lot of autumnal pictures, but between August and September, Garry and I too more than 3000 pictures, so I guess we were busier than we thought. I sometimes take a couple of hundred bird pictures in the morning, before coffee! In between the cooking yesterday, I got some great pictures of the last set of orange-billed Cardinals. Each set of fledglings look different than the others. The DNA in these birds is working overtime.

And I still have bunches of River Bend pictures from both me and Garry. So we’ll just celebrate fall a little while longer. It’s still “fallish” outside and the oak leaves are still green.

LITTLE HOUSES – CEE’S FUN FOTO CHALLENGE

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: All about buildings: Tiny Buildings

This reminds me of an old syllogism:

A big elephant is big.
A little elephant is little.
A big mouse is big.
A little mouse is little.
Therefore, a big mouse is bigger than a little elephant.

Some of these little buildings are much bigger than others, but by “normal” big standards, they are small.

Goodwin Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – 1910 – A tiny church that meant a lot to many people.
Our shed. By some miracle still standing.

Is this a house? It’s sort of house-like, with a roof and a floor. It’s missing its walls, but somehow, it says “house” to me.

Nothing says summer like our gliding swing.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS – CEE’S FLOWERS OF THE DAY

FOTD – October 4 – My Mums

It occurred to me that I too have mums. Not recently mums, but mums nonetheless. In the memory of mums that were and the foreshortened autumn that burgeoned brightly and ended almost before it began …

OH THAT FOLIAGE!

FOTD – September 26 – OH THAT FOLIAGE!

I have not had a really great day. Actually, I was doing just fine until suddenly, I wasn’t. I had a great morning and even finally made my banana bread. Different recipe and it came out just about perfect. The the migraine arrived and a few other things, probably connected to having been on antibiotics for close to a month at this point. My innards are not behaving well. To explain how well they aren’t working, we had mac & cheese for dinner. The ultimate, purely American comfort food. But it was comforting.

Garry took pictures yesterday too. I haven’t processed a lot of his yet because I keep falling asleep at the computer. I had a good morning, but the afternoon didn’t go nearly as well. I was hoping the banana bread would make up for the lack of a functional afternoon, but alas. It’s just a banana bread.

So here are pictures and I truly hope they will suffice.

SUNFLOWERS ON A SUNNY DAY

FOTD – September 25 – SUNFLOWERS BY THE BLACKSTONE

We had hoped there would be more color in the trees. Our street is brilliant with color. In fact, our entire property is brilliant with color. The aspen are all golden, the maples are nearly scarlet and the sassafras are deep yellow with polka dots. Along the street, the colors are smashing. But compared to the sunflowers along the river at River Bend, well … there was no choice. The winner? Sunflowers — 100%!

At Riverbend
Along Blackstone someone planted these with a little placard.
More sunflowers

FOLIAGE CAME EARLY. WILL IT END EARLY TOO?

FOTD – September 23 – Early Autumn Foliage

It went from being brutally hot to cold in about four hours about a week ago. I finally gave in and pulled out the comforter and my feet are always cold. It’s not like I’m walking around in summer clothing. I’m wearing jeans, a long sleeved shirt AND a corduroy overshirt. I’m freezing and seriously thinking about turning on our brand new boiler. I hate turning on the boiler this early. I also hate freezing. Meanwhile, the birds are eating as if they’ve never seen food before. The dog always eats like that, but the birds tend to be a bit more restrained. Not this year. And we’ve having a super-year for acorns too. The top of our car is all dimpled from big heavy acorns falling on it. Owen is sure this means we are going to have bad winter. I don’t know anything anymore.

Our maple tree
More maple
Out the window

But we have some color in our leaves. And I processed a few pictures.

HORNS: COWS, GOATS, AND SHEEP

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Horns

I live in a valley where horned animals also live. Cows and goats, mainly. I found one other kind of horn — in our jeep.That’s all the horns I could find.

Farm cows — with horns! Photo Garry Armstrong
Horn in a jeep
Goats on the farm

Cee's Black-White

FLOWERS OF THE DAY: PINK ROSES

FOTD – September 2 – Little Pink Roses

I haven’t done one of these in a long time because my flower garden is a horror show. We’ve had almost no rain. It has been exceptionally hot and humid, so no one has been outside to even try to care for the garden. Usually I get out there and do my best. I chop and hew until it looks at least acceptable. This year, I haven’t done it. The weather has been too hot for anyone with asthma. The longer the garden has gone without any care, the wilder it has gotten. Most of the garden has been taken over by Butterfly Weed, which should be good for butterflies, although I have not seen any butterflies despite the bonanza of flowering weeds.

Pink roses — even without rain

Today, as we were coming home from voting, I stopped to see about the garden and surprisingly, some roses are actually blooming. That’s amazing given that we’ve had almost no rain and such extreme heat. Those are some sturdy roses. These are all pink, but there are a couple of red rose branches which look like they are thinking of blooming soon, too. Amazing. Everything is dying, but those barbed-wire roses just keep on going.

BLACK & WHITE – SHOES, FEET, HUMAN & ANIMAL

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Feet or Shoes, Human or Animal

This Cee Neuner, this week her topic is Feet or Shoes, Human, or Animals. Enjoy being creative if you feel like it, and have fun with the challenge.

Duke’s paws
Gibb’s paws
Summer sandal
Furry boots
Naked feet
Youthful feet
More summertime feet
Winter boots

Cee's Black-White

 

ALL ABOUT BUILDINGS: OLD BUILDINGS, BARNS, SHEDS, HOUSES

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge:
All about buildings: Old buildings, barns, sheds, houses

Old building make great pictures. They aren’t nearly as much fun when you live in one, though. There’s only so much architectural admiration you can give your house before you yearn for effective heat and good plumbing. Toilets that flush and windows that open and close. Doors without rotted sills. Maybe even a garden which hasn’t run completely amok. Still, old buildings make great photographs.

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