black & white photography

START YOUR ENGINES PLEASE! – Marilyn Armstrong

/ Marilyn Armstrong / 6 Comments

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge:
Anything with a Motor or Engine

I probably have a lot of engines in my folders, but they are all in folders by month and year, which makes locating them pretty difficult. I do, however, have an absolute favorite engine picture.

This amazing car hangs from the ceiling of the dealer where we bought our last three cars. I sometimes stand under it, camera in hand, with just a little brain tickle that the car might fall and crush me, and marvel at it.

Plymouth Prowler

Hoisted Plymouth Prowler – a very rare car!

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THE SQUIRRELS KEEP FLYING WHILE EVERYTHING KEEPS EATING – Marilyn Armstrong

/ Marilyn Armstrong / 15 Comments

It takes me a really long time to get these pictures into any kind of condition where I can post them and you can see what they are. The problem is not that the camera is too far away. It’s too close.

One visible squirrel on each feeder and one more in the middle

In between the Flying Squirrels, a few raccoons dropped by

The infrared beam needs about 10 more feet to allow the camera to get reasonable detail, but the deck is only 12 by 12 feet square. Since we already have the tripod flat against the house, unless we try mounting the camera on the roof, this is as good as it is going to get — with this camera.

This is fun. There’s a raccoon munching down on the big feeder and you can also see a flying squirrel stuck on the small feeder in the middle

There’s a Flyer on the big feeder and two more on each side of the wooden post

Just one Flying Squirrel on each feeder but I bet there are more out of view

There are better cameras. A better camera would cost about $300. A much better camera is about $600. A very good camera can easily cost $1000 or more.

This is a $65 camera. It is the “better than nothing” camera and at least we now have a pretty good idea of what creatures are feeding here. It’s a lot more than birds.

Two hungry raccoons

It’s just as well the feeders are up on the deck because otherwise, I’m pretty sure the deer and the skunks would be up here too. Not that I have anything against either species, but I don’t need them up on my deck. The bobcat already gets on the deck. I know because he came over the roof and jumped down next to me and three of my nine lives vanished before my eyes.

A flying Flying Squirrel and one or more still in feeding mode

So meanwhile, I spent all day working on these pictures. They may not look very good, but they are, I guarantee, as good as I could make them.

So. When you are outside at night and you think there are creatures watching you, you’re right. Many creatures are watching you. Hawks and owls. Raccoons and flying squirrels. Bobcats, skunks, deer, fisher cats (which are not cats but are actually weasels). Giant hunting spiders. They watch you.

They see you.

RACCOONS: CONVERSATIONS AND A CONGA LINE – Marilyn Armstrong

/ Marilyn Armstrong / 15 Comments

Given that this camera takes a lot of pictures every night, I’m going to have a lot of pictures of woodsy creatures. So before the next wave of pictures comes in tomorrow morning, I thought I’d post a couple of favorite shots of raccoons. Because we got a lot of pictures of raccoons. Many many pictures of raccoons.

It’s a conga line! Everybody get up and DANCE!

And now, time for a brief chat about the quality of seeds.

FOUND ON THE FARM – Marilyn Armstrong

/ Marilyn Armstrong / 12 Comments

Things Found on a Farm

It had been a lovely morning and early afternoon, but by the time we go our gear together, the sun was playing peek-a-boo. We went anyway. We were just going around the block to the farm along the river.

There are two or three farms along the Blackstone. Maybe four. The first one, where we usually go, is a dairy farm. Corn, eggs, fresh milk, butter are sold on-site. We never get any of the corn because we show up too late. By then, the corn is gone except for the hulls that would be good for squirrels or cattle, but not for people. They did have apples, but I still have a bunch of Galas at home.

You definitely need some cows on a dairy farm!

I had a fair number of pictures from the farms already, but they weren’t “things.” More like animals and products, so this time, I tried to get pictures of implements. We got done just in time before the (not predicted) rain started to fall.

Ignore the chickens!

Corn and apples for sale

Not sure if this is a tiller or just a groundbreaker. I may live in farm country, but I ain’t no farmer!

The guy who owns the other farm came by and invited us to come on over and take pictures of his new horses. He has quite a lovely heard of Tennessee Walkers, known as the most comfortable horse to sit on if you are going to be on a horse for a whole day. The guy, who wasn’t much younger than me, still rides all day long. He only uses his truck when he goes into town.

Farming implements, including a John Deere — the Rolls Royce of farming equipment.

More farm equipment, but I couldn’t name it for you. Sorry!

I was impressed. But he never took a bad fall, either. It’s not the riding that’s the problem. It’s the falling off. Next time!

And just a few more cows

I used a filter called “opalescent” to give some very soft color to a couple of pictures. They are almost color, but almost not. Regardless, very pretty.

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