A Late Spring Robin

 

“The robin flew from his swinging spray of ivy on to the top of the wall and he opened his beak and sang a loud, lovely trill, merely to show off. Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin when he shows off - and they are nearly always doing it.” 

 

― Frances Hodgson Burnett,

 

  The Secret Garden

 

A few photos of a beautiful Robin, taken just as spring was leaving and summer was arriving. It was strange this year, as it seemed like nature simply shooed summer away and let spring have a full 6 months of the year, well almost. It has a been dreamy having autumn begin in spirit in early summer. It made me want to watch every horror movie ever made, as if Halloween were going to begin any minute! I refrained, however, and they will be waiting for me come October. As will my other fall movie favorites, St. Elmo's Fire, When Harry Met Sally, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Arsenic and Old Lace. Throw in a few Alfred Hitchcock movies and I am all set! 

 

Can you believe Halloween items are beginning to show up in stores? 

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

Here is a little Robin folklore. On that day I saw that beautiful bird, I was grieving so deeply for my boy Hendrix that maybe he was sending me a message that he was okay and beauty and love was all around. Or maybe it was Dylan and Hendrix sending me that message, or maybe it was just the love of a beautiful robin, showing off it's song. I love all those scenarios, and I don't like to limit the possibilities, especially as I grow old. I have a curious mind, and I appreciate just how much magic life holds for us.

 

The Birds Of Autumn 2019

"How can you understand something is really beautiful?

 Very simple: When that thing comes out of your life,

 you start desperately waiting for it to come back! 

And autumn's beauty is such a beauty."

~Mehmet Murat ildan 

I love doing some bird hunting while on vacation, and one thing about the vacation that went right this year, was my adventure spotting birds.  In fact, I spotted more birds this year, than in past years! I was particularly lucky to spot a Great Blue Heron, out here in the valley, in Tracy, California. That was definitely a high point, and one more thing that made the vacation a little more redeemable. It wasn't a complete disaster, thanks to so beautiful, if not always cooperative, birds.

 Wild Turkey

September 21st 2019

Skyway park

Livermore, California

Nikon

Black Finch

October 23rd 2019

San Francisco, California

Nikon

 

Robin

Tilden Park

Berkeley, California

October 8th 2019

Nikon

 

Great Blue Heron

Tracy, California

October 23rd 2019

Nikon

Song Sparrow

San Francisco, California

October 23rd 2019

Nikon

Absolutely beautiful. Every one of them! I am going to continue to seek them out through the rest of autumn and then into November. I am hoping to add at least either more birds.Wish me luck!

 #51 Leaf Of The Day

November 12th 2019

Photographed October 20th 2019

Stockton, California

LG Stylo 5

~Mood: Happy

~Me  :)

 

A Splash Of Color

December 15th, 2014

Cull Canyon Park 

It rains.

And rains.

And rains.

But there is a sky above the rain

Nothing can rot the sky.

Earth has turned to mud.

What of it?

The heart of the planet is made of fire, of ardent sun.

~Visar Zhiti

The Condemned Apple; Selected Poetry

It was a rainy day. Cold. It was December, so of course it was cold, but I had the best time taking this photo! Everything looked black and white that day, except for that beautiful robin, sitting in the tree. I love days like this. What might be otherwise sad or lonely suddenly a splash of color, or maybe a laugh happens, and the whole day becomes something completely different.

You know. Life. 

And now for a new photo...

 January 2nd, 2017

San Ramon, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Winter Subjects

"In the New Year, you carry all the experiences of the past years and that is the greatest power of every New Year! This year again, you are less student and more master."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

This is the first posted photo of 2015, but obviously I took this picture in 2014. December 30th is close enough to 2015... right? Oh well, I had a great time taking the photo, and while I did so, I began to consider where I want to go with my photography this year. I know there will be the usual subjects of Public Art, Flowers, and the occasional candid city scenes, but I think I want to be better about my online organization of the photos I do. I have decided to create online albums on Flickr, rather than just post new photos to Ellipsis, Pinterest and Instagram. I finally put all of the autumn leave photos into an album, and it is ready for viewing. It was a great project that taught me a lot about color, light and of course, backgrounds. I did a little photo editing wizardry, and a lot of framing, and I was happy with the results. But when I began to look at the photos I took this past autumn, I saw some tendencies toward certain color schemes, and realizing that forced me to choose a bigger variety within the subject. The whole process has me thinking about where I want to go with my photography, and a clearer path of how to achieve it. With fingers crossed, and time on my side, I hopefully will see some amazing results.

We'll See!

Stay Tuned!

Flickr (My Photostream)

Flickr: Autumn Leaves 2014 (Complete Album)

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Winter Subjects

Robin

Photographed 12/30/2014

3:55 PM

Nikon CoolPix S3500

Equinox Meets Solstice

(Autumn silently slips away at 3:02 P.M. EST.)

"The leaves fall patiently

Nothing remembers or grieves

The river takes to the sea

The yellow drift of leaves."

~Sara Teasdale

Why does it always seem like autumn goes by faster than any other season? I know the answer to that question, it's because I am so in love with every single moment of it. I live all year, just to cross over from the hostile summer heat, into the gentle coolness of the cinnamon colored season of autumn. I love Fall because I can think again, as summer always leaves me tired, and cranky, and uninspired. I love autumn for the first taste of candy corn, hot spiced cider, and the warmth of my favorite brown sweater. I love autumn for all the scary movies, and the short dark days... and for the leaves... of yes, the colors of the earth, and of lemon drops, sometimes all in one big bunch of color! And I mourn it's passing, like mourning an old friend. I always wonder how I will face all those months until it comes back around, but somehow I do. If only I could chase autumn around the earth. I would.

Goodnight Autumn 

I shall miss you.

(Winter Begins At 3:03 P.M. PST)

"Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside; candles at four o' clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without."

~Thomas de Quincey

Confessions Of An English Opium Eater

I love baking and creating new recipes. And while I am not quite as active with the cameras during winter, I do enjoy photographing San Francisco in the rain. Everything takes on a glow, and the tiny raindrops sparkle all over the city. It's really quite amazing. I think this year I might try to do more with all the things that make winter beautiful. Umbrellas, coats, wet pavement, frost, snow, and the winter light that makes everything look brand new. Oh my, the winter light... how it makes me smile!

Since Autumn and Winter share the day equally, I will post the last photo of Autumn 2014 today, but I am compiling an online album of all the leaves I photographed, including ones not previously photographed which I will post between Christmas and New Years! In fact, I hope to be able to do an album of all of my autumn photos. If I do, I will also include a link to that album as well.

The Last Autumn Leaf Of The Year

Mood: Quiet But Happy

~Me :)

A Sure Sign Of Spring

From For Ellipsis

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."

-Dale Carnegie

Mrs. Robin

From For Ellipsis

The rain has lifted a bit here in the Bay Area, so I spend a little bit of time in the backyard, photographing the beautiful birds. My yard has just been filled with them lately, it's a very nice indication that soon spring will be here! I spotted a Robin couple to photograph. Very cute. I wish their nest was in my yard so I can see the babies, but alas I think they are building it in the next yard, way up in the Poplar tree. Is there anything cuter then a baby bird?

-Carly