Dad's Opals III

 
 

Dad's Opals II

 
 

Dad's Opals

 

My father has a new hobby. Opals -- perfect for an amateur geologist and professional optics man. 

Sycamore Seed Ball

 

To recreate this, gently smash the seed ball with your heel. If you have small assistants, emphasize the word gently. 

Lava Rock

 

... with a bit of jumping spider web above. 

Stickers

 

I think my son Kai was traumatized by the ubiquitousness of stickers in New Mexico. Especially in abandoned or natural areas. 

Tulip-Shaped Seed Pods

 


I liked the curves. 

Winter Grass

 


It's been a while. Sorry to keep away for so long. I finished my class and now getting ready for the new year. More soon. 

Rosebud after the Snowmelt

 

Freeze-dried rose. Seems like something from the Victorian Era. 

Melting Ice

 

In the shadows of our yard we have stubborn patches of ice. 

Found an Insect

 

A grasshopper on reddened strawberry leaves. 

Leeks V

 
 

Leeks IV

 
 

Leeks III

 
 

Leeks II

 
 

Study of Leeks

 

It's been a while since I posted. I haven't been outside much, studies and jobs have taken over my time. We are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow and my wonderful husband is cooking up another feast. He starts early brining the turkey, making his cranberry relish and a cassarole dish filled with mashed potatoes and leeks.

I thought the leeks were pretty and hauled out my camera and tripod. Then I got fancy and played with the lighting using a flashlight and colored paper. I like how they can be telescoped.

I need to go find some bugs. 

Over the Fence to the Moon and Venus

 

Alright, this is completely not a macro shot. My husband called me on his way home and said, "Go look at the moon and Venus." I did and thought it was pretty. Kai (my oldest son) didn't think it was pretty enough to wait for me to take this picture. He said it was too cold. Wuss. :) 

Halloween

 

I'm sure they'll be more pics, this is just the first. Muahahahaha. (Insert other appropriate frightening sounds here.) We grabbed stencils for three of our pumpkins and my father, who was in town giving a few seminars, bemoaned the traditional triangle-themed pumpkin faces. So I carved this one for him. 

Delicate

 

I'm sure that most insects don't really think of the dragonfly as delicate, a more accurate assessment would be "Death from Above."

However, I think the sheer size allows humans to appreciate the complexity and delicate nature of this creature. I like this particular pose because it really emphasizes the streamlined body lines. It also shows off the racing stripes. 

Retro II: Hippies

 

I liked the Retro theme so much, I went for a second photo. I call this one "Hippies". Now I need to work on "Delicate", find a new photo contest and visit all my friends' blogs. Then there's kids, school, new third part-part time job started and two commissioned quilts to finish. But after tomorrow night, I should be chocolate-fueled to handle it all. Hurrah for Halloween! 

Queue

 

I've been meaning to bring my camera to campus for a few weeks now. I generally have only a few minutes from the time I get there till the time I have to be in class, so there's not much time to snap off a few.

Campus is downtown and downtown has its own warmer weather than the neighborhood of my suburbs. They still have flowers. 

Retro

 

I figured that this qualified for the PhotoFriday theme "Retro". It's a classic beetle.

In other news, I finished my midterm. Woohoo. I've been unaccountably stressed this semester. I can't figure out why. Hm. 

As the Cherry Tree Turns

 

The leaves turn red one branch at a time. 

Grass, Prickly Weed and Water

 

It rained again. Fall is here in earnest. Our maple is pretty much naked with just a few leaves left as some sort of sexy enticement for snow fairies. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. I'm a rotten gardener. The leaves fall and I spend hours photographing them and then go inside. I get friendly reminders from the downwind neighbors that I may want to rake them up. I see a weed like the one above, and what do I do? Photograph it. I go on little weeding rampages, but even then I leave a few decapitated dandelions to attract slugs in case we catch another garter snake. 

Aspen Leaf in Eldorado Creek

 

This is the easiest gold to pan for.