Pisti's favorite photos

(+11 insets!) (Please view large, you won't regret it!) Today we're all stirred up! Steve's sister is coming to stay with us for the next few days so we've been cleaning up and getting ready. It's been a while since I've seen her so it will be nice to catch up. The weather isn't going to be super but we'll get to take her to the Pear Blossom Festival and Parade this weekend which should be fun! I don't know how busy I'll be so my commenting is likely going to be spotty at best...my apologies in advance! Today is also the day when I post my Happy Fence Friday picture! Lately it's actually turned into my own Happy FRENCH Fence Friday! Along with a fence picture, it's been a perfect opportunity to share another set of pictures from our trip to Provence, France last year! If you've been following along with my trip so far, you may be amused that I've only shared pictures from our very first stop--Nice! We arrived late one night, spent a full day and left the next morning. However, in that time I got so many useable pictures that so far I've posted 41 and today I'll be posting another 11! I'm not quite finished processing the last of them but I have about 25 more ready to go--which will be two more sets at this point…I expect there will be another set at least, if you can believe it! As I've mentioned before, it's been really fun exploring my France photography because it's such a different style than I'm used to. I'd like to say thanks for all of your enthusiasm--I know it's not my usual type of photography but the positive response I've gotten leaves me glowing and so appreciative! :) Ok, let's go to Nice, shall we?! My main picture today was captured along Nice' famous Promenade des Anglais, a busy avenue and wide walkway that hugs the coastline of Nice. This particular spot featured a sweeping turn and heavy-duty guard rail, along with a pair of fellows who sat conveniently on one end! The picture cried out to be a very wide panorama in strong silhouette--I hope you like how it turned out! :) The insets cover a lot of the time that we spent walking along the waterfront but includes a couple of others as well. Here are details about the insets! :) PiP #1: Near where I took the guard rail picture there is a pull-out and this enormous sign to promote Nice. Kids were attracted like bees to honey and crawled all over it incessantly! The fellow in the bicycle taxi tried very hard to solicit our business long before we arrived at this spot to find him here, watching the kitlings play on the sign. He was listening to very loud music but it was really fun and it added to the enjoyment we were having this late afternoon. :) PiP #2: There was a rocky beach which ran along below the road and Steve and I enjoyed looking down to see the various clusters seated here and there or walking at the water's edge. This group was having a wonderful conversation and I got several pictures of them laughing and having fun. PiP #3: At the bend there was also a nice view in both directions. This picture shows Old Town Nice as it reaches out to the edge of the sea. PiP #4: As luck would have it, we arrived as the sun was beginning to set and we got some very dramatic images of the sun sinking below the far hills. What a view! :) PiP #5: We also saw lots of fishermen along the way, and many of them set up their poles on this point. Great people-watching here with folks looking at things on the ground and chumming around with one another. Good times! PiP #6 : Walking along the popular Promenade, this picture is an artistic, blurry impression of the people enjoying an early evening stroll--or run--with colorful lights beginning to show themselves in the background. I think the runners on the left might have noticed me…do you think?! :D PiP #7: I found this old man, down on his luck, snoozing on his bike to keep it safe from thieves. You can't deny his great style with his bright red sarape and sombrero hat. Entering the frame from the right is a pigeon who I distinctly heard say, "OLE!" :D PiP #8: Everywhere you go in Nice you will find inviting restaurants with plenty of outdoor seating. This nicely-furnished business had just opened up for the evening…pizza anyone?! PiP #9: Nearby a very busy café vibrated with great energy as friends and family enjoyed delicious food and drink a-plenty. I took this picture without even noticing the star of the show. When I took a closer look on my computer I burst out laughing…would you just LOOK at that dog?! Its master is clueless and deep in a conversation with his friend (who thinks I'm taking a picture of him, lol) but his dog is at the leash limit and in seventh heaven from two-scoops of love from a pair of joyful ladies who love this darling pooch! PiP #10: A close-up of the belly-up pup, showing her delirious state of happiness…"DON'T STOP!!!" :D PiP #11: And finally, as the evening grew darker, a beautiful cobbled alley, bedecked in pretty light prompted my eager attention. What a cool sight! Pam, I expect you've seen plenty of places similar to this in your caravan days, no? I have been so surprised to discover the wonderful seaside scenery in England. Of course I shouldn't be surprised but for some reason I didn't think England would have pretty views, isn't that odd? Ipernity has certainly opened my eyes to the splendor of England. As well, seeing all of the amazing pictures you shared in the book version of your 2011 Snowdrops Anglo-Saxon Chronicles I especially loved the sunset at the Valley of the Rocks at Lynton , what a gorgeous picture! :) Here's hoping you're doing well today! MANY HUGS from southern Oregon! Explored on 4/12/19, highest placement, #1.

(+9 insets!) I've been having a lot of fun working on the pictures I took up on our hillside the other day. When I went up there, the one reason that got me to make the trek was the hope to find Henderson's Fawn Lilies. As I had mentioned, these outrageous beauties are fairly small and feature blossoms that are about three inches at their widest point. Their petals range in color from nearly white with just a hint of lavender to a rich, shaded purple. Every one has its own unique appearance because the flowers open with the petals sweeping up and back. They are one of the most elegant wildflowers I've ever photographed and it will always amaze me that they grow in profusion on our property! The challenging aspect of this flower is that they like to grow very low to the ground with their gorgeous faces positioned downwards. If you hope to do this flower justice, you must take your pictures from ground level so you can aim up and capture their breathtaking countenance. This is when an avid fan must flop on the ground, contort in strange shapes and occasionally appear to be balancing on one's head to get a good shot. I'm used to these shenanigans of course, but this flower really makes me work for nice angles! My hillside photography had me rolling around in the plants and twisting in strange shapes to get my pictures. And, when I'm focused on my photography I'm not paying attention to things that I ought to. Like poison oak, for instance. Did you know that our hillside is infested with this stuff? Right now it's exploding into growth and every one of the vine-like canes is covered with urushiol oil—that's the stuff that causes us to break out in a rash if we come into contact with it. At one point something brushed my eyelid and drew along the crease before I could pull away. I looked to see what it was. How nice...a poison oak cane. I rubbed my eyelid with a wet finger and promptly got back to my photography. When I got back to the house I wisely changed my clothes, treating them as if they were radioactive. I was sure they were covered in poison oak oil but didn't think any of it had touched my skin. Well, other than my eyelid...and anyway, I rubbed it off, right? Yeah. That's right. NOT. At about 2am the next night I was awakened to itching. My eyelid was so ITCHY! In a sleepy stupor I wondered what that was all about. And lots of spots on my left hand were itchy too. As a professional recipient of poison oak over the years it didn't take long to sink in. Oh no. Poison oak. Looking in the mirror, I could see that my eyelid was swollen and my hand was covered in welts. *whimper* I got a wet paper towel, heated it in the microwave and gently pressed it on my itchy spots. The heat releases the antihistamines that cause the itching and instantly stop the maddening urge to scratch off your skin all the way to the bone. Ahhhh...the moist heat gave me immediate relief and I went back to bed. So, I did pay a price to get my pictures but I am fine with it. The rash will go away in a week or so and all will be well! Today's main image appears to be a windswept model, her tresses blowing in the gale! Isn't she magnificent? The first two insets were also taken on the hillside the other day and give you other views of the colors and petal arrangements. The nearly white one I call my Cinderella...she looks ready for a ball, dressed in her finest! I have also included lots of others that I captured in years past. I hope you enjoy them and can see why I am so very enchanted by this stunning flower! Pam, I did a search for "lily" on your photo stream and found many pictures of the incredible orange day lilies that grow so nicely for you. I picked your Orange Day Lily as my choice today...what rich, gorgeous orange tones they have. Your picture is just perfect and does that flower proud! Thank you for sharing it with us, I adore lilies of all kinds and these are really lovely. Sending big hugs from southern Oregon!! Explored on 4/10/19, highest placement, #3.

(+10 insets!) As I mentioned yesterday, Steve and I spent the night in our house--not our RV--because our "gray tank" is full and we can't use the sinks until we go to one of the nearby RV tank dumps. The break was nice but both of us really missed our cozy RV and would have slept there if it made sense. What a great sign though, that things are going to work out for us! Even Pumpkin was fussy because she loves that we're always right there when we're in the RV! When I went for my walk today I was amazed at all of the mushrooms that had popped up in the meadow and alongside the driveway. It was an overcast, dewy day and I knew that rain was forecast for the next week so I grabbed my camera to take pictures before it started pouring. Happily I beat the rain and I also managed to get some real winners! Can't wait to share them but that isn't today! Why? It's time to post my Happy Fence Friday picture for tomorrow!! My pictures today are also the next installment of our trip to Provence, France, starting with Nice. The main image is a lovely latticed fence that we walked past on our first morning. We were on the way to a nearby grocery store to get supplies and this beautiful fence captured my attention. What's not to love about this awesome fence?! I was totally smitten and how lucky to get a picture without anyone in view! You will also find the next set of 10 insets showing some of our adventures that day--there will be about 3 more sets of Nice when I'm done. (You may notice that some images have a lot of process filtering because they were taken in stealth mode and turned out blurry but were fantastic for artistic creativity.) Here's more information about each PiP: PiP #1: We walked into Old Nice and wandered up Rossetti Street. At the top was a staircase and as we paused to look up, I saw our shadows on the wall! Shadow selfies for the win! :) PiP #2: This is a view of the Jules Eynaudi Steps, which lead up to a cemetery and castle above, as well as an incredible view of Old Nice and the sea beyond. PiP #3: This plaque commemorates Jules Eynaudi, writer and poet who lived and died in Nice (1871-1948). His most famous work is his "Dictionnaire de la langue niçoise". By his writings, by the associations he created, his whole life was devoted to the defense of the Nice culture. (text from A Walking Tour of the Streets & Monuments of Nice ) PiP #4: Halfway up the steps is this lovely sculpture, which I believe is St. Mary holding baby you-know-who (There is a cathedral named as such nearby) PiP #5: This is the view down Rossetti hill from the top of the stairs. PiP #6: A road from the Jules Eynaudi Steps exits onto a road which meanders around the hill and opens up to incredible views of Old Nice and the sea beyond. PiP #7: Steve and I discovered that in France, dogs are treated even better than in the US! These beloved companions are absolutely everywhere! It was fun to get pictures of some of the folks walking their dogs and I really enjoyed this pair trotting along with their best biped pal--the boxer in the background was a wonderful bonus! PiP #8: We saw lots of fun things in the windows of businesses we strolled past. This electric bike was made to look like a vintage relic and we just loved its old-time charm! PiP #9: In Nice, people commonly used a large variety of transportation other than cars, busses, bike and motorcycles. These push-scooters were very commonly used by teens and adults. Coming from San Francisco, it was a rare sight to see anyone other than a kid on one of these. PiP #10: As we were making our way back to our Air BnB apartment, we stopped to admire this beautifully lit Palace of Justice. This tan Neoclassical building dominates the Old Town square that holds its name. Its many steps lead up to the entrance for Nice's law courts. Pam, I enjoyed reading about your grape hyacinths--they really are so easy to keep and safe from varmints. Gophers and squirrels eat all of our bulbs too, boo! And finally, it is nice that you got to visit Peggy several times…something to look forward to in the future I hope!!! I thought it would be fun to look up "Friends" on your stream and what do you know? A picture of Peggy ! :) How sweet and wonderful. Ipernity has been such a wealth to us for friends and community. How lucky we are. And what a fantastic picture of Peggy! :) *MANY HUGS FROM SOUTHERN OREGON* :) Explored on 4/5/19, highest placement, #2.

(+10 insets!) Welcome to the first day of spring!! I cannot tell you how happy I am to have reached this wonderful day! I know that some of you are still waiting impatiently for spring to arrive where you live --> Ron Hanko is one who would like winter to please be on its way! I know there are many others who are frustrated by the cold and storms that don't want to leave. On the opposite side, spring arrived early for many and some didn't even get a proper winter. What a strange year for weather it's been. I've mentioned that we are about a month behind our normal spring schedule, and this seems very accurate. I went out today to wander around on our property and see how things were progressing. I found a bunch of new species to add to the list but a bunch of the flowers that should be in bloom are nowhere to be found. Hopefully when these flowers eventually bloom they will be properly pollenated. I ended up spending at least an hour looking around for flowers and I didn't actually look everywhere. We are so very fortunate to have 26 acres and a chunk of it is on a very steep hillside. Another part is in dark forest on the opposite edge from where I was. It can take quite a bit of time to walk from one side to the other when looking carefully for flowers along the way. However, I do know this place from living here for over 10 years. I am sure I've missed dozens of flower species but I'm familiar with what grows where so I felt pretty comfortable with my choice to come in after an hour. Definitely a balancing act to stop before you get burned out, and also, I needed time to work on my pictures and write my post! :) Today's image is a buttercup, and to me, it signifies spring perfectly! Bright and shining gold with lovely petals and such a joyful appearance. They can be a challenging flower to photograph because of their shiny petals. In direct sunlight, the shiny spots will blow out without artificial measures. But if a flower is photographed from below or behind, what you get is something very special…a magical view of what this lovely flower sees as it looks out upon its tiny world. :) I have to mention that I nearly went right back inside when I stepped out today. Though it was bright and sunny, the wind was gusting relentlessly. Looking over at the gorgeous daffodils waving around like dancing machines made me laugh. Pictures indeed…HAH! I didn't bother but I also thought that even if I didn't get a single photo today, it would be fun to see what was blooming on the first day of spring! I had an absolutely blissful time crossing our meadow and discovering buttercups. They were protected from the wind by bushes and yet were still in the sun. I was so happy. Then I found a gorgeous little hoverfly species with irridescent wings which hung around long enough for me to take dozens of pictures! YAY! From there I wandered here and there, discovering newly blooming species and feeling very connected to our land. It is so peaceful out there feeling as one with nature. What a gift. I am forever grateful that we live in such a pretty place with so many treasures to take pictures of. :) I didn't have time to process more than one picture today so I'll be sharing lots of neat images when I can…I haven't even had the time to look at the majority of them…to be honest, this was the very first subject I photographed and the fourth image of it! How's that for luck! :) Since I don't have other pictures from today I've added insets of some other buttercups I've photographed in the past. HOORAY FOR SPRING!! IT IS FINALLY HERE!!! HUZZAH!!! HUZZAH!!! HUZZAHH!! Pam, I did a search for buttercup and was totally amazed that you have exactly ZERO on your stream! Do you not get buttercups? I thought they were everywhere! But of course that's silly…so maybe you don't! Instead I found a wonderful image of a False Sunny from behind ! It's just beautiful and I'm so glad that you shared it for all of us to enjoy! I sure do hope that this wonderful day treated you well my dear! :) Explored on 3/21/19, highest placement, #1.

(+11 insets!) Today is simply gorgeous! It might as well be March 20 because it couldn't be a more classic spring day. Sunny, warm, the rich smells of plants and earth perfuming the air, birds twittering in all the trees. We've filled our bird and suet feeders and the back and forth of the birds to their nests is constant and a great source of enjoyment whenever we look out the back window. We've seen Oregon Juncos, Acorn Woodpeckers, Pewees, California and Spotted Towees, Scrub and Stellar's Jays...still waiting on many types that we commonly see. The neighborhood is still learning about the new food source, at which time the feeders will be very busy all day! The only thing that tells me that spring hasn't truly arrived yet is the lack of spring flowers. I have been creeping all over the meadows, forests and hillside, and so far as I can tell, there are only six species in bloom at this point: Whitlow Spring Grass, Saxifrage, Buttercups, Bird's Eye Speedwell and two new finds: Redstem Storksbill and Spring Sandwort. I can't even include our daffodils because they are still in bud though they may begin to open in the next few days. It is definitely the latest spring in all the years we've lived here—about 15 years now. Saturday Self-Challenge has arrived, and with it, the day's topic: Signs of Spring! I thought about driving around and looking for newborn farm animals but decided to just stay on the property for the most part. I did ride my bike around our rural block yesterday to confirm that it's just too early for most flowers right now, and it's true. I found exactly ONE daffodil in bloom that I was able to photograph. Other than that, the native flora is only beginning to prepare for the yearly extravaganza. I enjoyed looking for different flowers and all of them are harbingers of spring. I didn't find any Buttercups or Saxifrage for my presentation but the flowers I did find were very nice subjects. When I could, I photographed them in bud, though some had glorious blossoms that rivaled flowers ten times their size! Today's main picture is a Redstem Storksbill flower and bud and though the face of this flower is quite beautiful, the back is truly stunning with wonderful hairy and striated, variegated details that shine luminously. The finished image just had to be my main picture! I hope that you enjoy all of the images I've added as insets. What a delightful SSC challenge this was! Pam, I wanted to find a picture on your stream that signified spring, and found this breathtaking and artistic crocus in a bubble with water reflection. It's so pretty and makes me so happy that you have posted these lovely creations for all of us to enjoy and be inspired by! Thank you! I do hope that today is better than the last few...I'm sending hugs your way my dear! :) Explored on 3/17/19, highest placement, #1.

(+3 insets) (view large for best impact) Again I am sitting--tucked in like a snug little bug in a rug--in my bed as I type up my post. Outside my window I'm watching the snow falling! It's not only snowing, it's sticking! There is a soft, white blanket of wet snow on the ground, though I fear that it's melting almost as fast as it's touching down. About an hour ago we lost our power! I am happily typing away on my laptop so this doesn't affect me too much. Steve has been busily setting up our portable generator and has reestablished our most important connections to power: our Monitor house heater along with lights and heating to make sure our parrot is comfortable. We will also have our computers and internet up and running too. How nice it is to have independent power when we need it! We learned the hard way how bad it can be to lose power for an extended period out in a rural area. After we moved to southern Oregon, we experienced some bad winter storms that caused a number of power outages--the worst lasting about two days. It was scary because the house got so cold and we were worried about keeping our parrot safe. After that we got a generator and it's given us peace of mind—and a nice warm parrot! :) The power is supposed to be back on within a couple of hours—let's hope so! Until then we'll be fine, thanks to Steve's diligence to keep us comfortable and happy! :) (By the way, we got power back after about three hours. Not too bad! :D) On top of the excitement of losing power, this morning began with a light haze of frost and I was very excited to get some pictures if I could. I was out for about 45 minutes and silly me—I forgot my monopod. Wow, it really does make a big difference in the number of crisp images I get. Thankfully I got nice images of most subjects I photographed so I'm not too annoyed with myself but I need to be sure to bring that with me when I go out! Today's picture is a frozen droplet I found today! One of the things I love about frozen droplets are the beautiful crinkled lines and frozen bubbles inside, so if I can capture that I feel very successful. Along with the droplet I'm including a picture of a bird in a snow pine tree I got a while back and I've also got a couple of panoramas from this morning with a very fogged-in valley and another that shows the snowy hills across our little valley. Such a lovely sight. Pam, I'm really having a lot of fun finding pictures on your stream to comment about here, and today I picked a collage of two cardinals in the snow that are so cute, so fluffy, so bright and beautiful, that I can hardly contain myself! I showed Steve and he was just as smitten. You bring us so much beauty and wonder in your photography, Pam. Thank you for the smile I have on my face right now! *BIG HUGS from southern Oregon* Explored on 2/27/19, highest placement, #3.

(+5 insets!) (please view large!) Oh what a lovely surprise when I woke up this morning! I peeked outside and OHHHHHH!!!! The world was white with snowfall everywhere!! A beautiful, soft blanket covered everything and it was sooooooo pretty!!!! I could hardly wait to get outside and take pictures! I wasn't sure if I had it in me to get my proper camera but I had my phone with me and I marched right up to the top of the hill where I take my pictures and snapped away. Such a lovely sight! I took pictures of the pond and some other pretty views as I walked up and down the road, including the snow plow as it passed by! I decided that before I began my third lap I'd tuck into the house and grab my camera. I'm so glad I did. I marched down to the gate and got many, many interesting pictures on the way back up to the house.... Snowflakes on sporophytes... snowflakes on moss and lichen... snow precariously balanced on oak leaves that never fell from the tree... spider webs with snowflakes on them that moved gently in the morning's puff of breeze... metal posts with snowy hats... wasp galls crowned with snow... weeds capped with white... so many pretty things to capture! (I got some really nice pictures, I'll share them in the next few days!) :) Finally my feet told me We Were Done. Awwww...shucks. My hands seconded the motion and as I made my way back to the house, they took turns yelling at me for ignoring their plight. What a bunch of babies. I feel ganged-up on by my own extremities! :D As I sit all snuggled up in bed with blankets tucked around me, the sun is shining at 11am and the snow is melting quickly. It sounds like rain as it drips from the roof. Part of me wants to run out and take more pictures. But I haven't even looked at the pictures I took today and I also have my Macro Monday pictures to take so...NO MORE pictures of the snow, even if it's melting and...what If it doesn't snow any more this season! LOL...such a silly photographer. :) It's later now and I decided that I would post snowy views for my pictures today and the star shows part of our "thistle army" at the top of our meadow along with a view of the Table Rocks in the distance. I have five insets that I hope you'll like which include my first track of footprints down to the gate! Pam, I hope this day has treated you well. How fun it would be to wander around in the snow together and take pictures of the cool things we see. I thought about your dogs and how much fun they would have in this snow. And of course I thought about our dear Moosie and Zoey and I sorely missed them as I remembered them frolicking like silly fools in the snow. Sending a snowball fight and a big *HUGGGGG* your way!

(+4 insets!) Yes! It's another Macro Monday! This week's challenge is "Perfume Bottle." This presented a problem for me because I don't wear perfume. Other than a tiniest hint of natural fragrance like vanilla or almond, I don't like perfume. Steve doesn't wear or like cologne either. This means that our house has exactly zero bottles of perfume. A few days ago I wrote a post about our hunt for a perfume bottle and as it so happened, I found exactly what I was hoping for at a local craft store. Namely, a lovely faceted bottle that would be fun to photograph and provide nice bokeh possibilities as well as fun details to look at. I didn't count on finding a bottle that had holographic rainbow tape adhered to the base! In fact, the idea didn't even occur to me, but when I saw this collection of bottles, I was SOLD! :D (It measures 2.625"/6.667cm tall) I spent some time taking lots of pictures and had a great time fooling around with different ideas. In the end I've selected four pictures as insets to go along with my main image. One of my biggest joys of macro photography is the incredible bokeh you can get. There's just no way to know exactly how this will turn out so looking at my pictures on the computer is a little bit like opening Christmas presents when they turn out nicely. This main image was a lovely present for me and I hope you like it too! :) Pam, the storm has finally passed us by and it's been bright and beautiful all day. I've been thinking about you as I've worked on my perfume bottle pictures and wishing that this lovely day is the same for you too. Please give all the dogs big hugs for me…it's World Hug Day and everyone needs as many hugs as possible. I am sure they'll all hug you back as much as they can, but I can't promise you they won't get excited and tip you over in their attempts to turn that hug into playtime! :) Explored on 1/22/19, highest placement, #2.

(+3 insets) Today it was raining when I got up and it's been coming down all day long without a break! Steve couldn't work on the deck which turned out to be perfect because we needed to do our weekly shopping anyway. We also had a mission to find a perfume bottle for my Macro Monday project I'll be working on this weekend! We first went to a local dollar store because I figured I'd find some silly thing there I could use. Macro photography can turn any horrid thing into a masterpiece if you put your mind to it and I expected to find some choices there…or at least one thing. WRONG! We found fragrant soap, body wash, candles, some other stuff, but no bottles or containers of any kind! SHOCK! Moving on, we decided to try a new hobby store that opened up in the past few months. I hadn't been inside yet so it was fun to look around. So much STUFF! Ooooooo, if I could wander around taking pictures I would have such FUN! However, the last time I tried that (YEARS ago) I was verbally spanked by staff for taking pictures of store products…"It's against store policy." I felt both annoyed and humiliated by being treated like a child molester because I had a camera in my hands and these days I would never dare such a thing unless I felt comfortable asking beforehand. I'm happy to say that I hit the jackpot at the craft store! There were about a dozen choices and a few that weren't too expensive to justify for a photography project…$8.00 later I had my bottle, hooray!! It will be great fun to play around this weekend with various ideas! :) Today's picture is again from our trip down to San Anselmo. Outside of Nathalie and Brian's home is a lovely birch tree that was covered with beautiful catkins. Oh my, it was a fun challenge to get proper dof for the ones in back to be in a pleasantly blurred focus! I have another one as an inset! I am also sharing two other catkins that I've photographed in the past. Aren't catkins cool? They come in so many shapes and sizes! :) Pam, I hope that you are doing ok today after yesterday's disappointing news. Needing to wait nine more months before a possibility for medical intervention is such a total bummer. I feel very sad and wish that I could do something more to help you right now. Please know that you're in my thoughts all the time my dear. Explored on 1/19/19, highest placement, #1.