Pictures for Pam, Day 76: Sweet Gum

(+3 insets!)

This morning I was surprised to find that it wasn't raining as forecasted but instead merely drizzling. With the sprinkles came a heavy fog and I had a peaceful, lovely hour+ of walking. I spent the time admiring the way the trees slowly became obscured by mist--it was so pretty. I also enjoyed hearing the honk of geese and the caw of crows which alerted me to look up and watch. The birds would slowly materialize overhead and then disappear into the mist again—so cool to see! The drizzle was heavy enough that by the time I stepped inside after my walk, my sweater and hat were drenched. They are sitting by our heater to dry during the day. (I also included an inset to show you what it was like this morning!)

Today I'm sharing a trio of pictures from our visit to San Anselmo. On our second hike, we wandered back through the streets of San Anselmo. This adventure gave me far too many subjects to photograph but perhaps that was a good thing. After all, I did come home with over 1400 pictures and that's probably quite enough, don't you think?! I was very lucky with the quality of pictures too, so I'll be posting images from our visit for a long while or until I shift to another project. For now, I'm having a great time going through the photos!

The main image and two insets show the seed pods of the American Sweetgum tree. I have been in love with these spiky balls ever since I discovered them some years ago. Oddly enough, I have no photos here on ipernity. I know I've taken pictures but somehow I've never processed any. That seems so crazy given how much I like their wonderful shapes. Well today I'm fixing that issue! My main image shows how ornament-like these cool seed pods are and showcases their cool shape and texture. The insets are bokeh-fests and also display the beautiful star-shaped leaves. In fact, I mistakenly thought these leaves belonged to Maple trees due to their similar appearance. It's only until you look closely and compare them that it becomes clear. Leaves that are much more star-shaped belong to the Sweetgum.

Pam, I looked to see if you had any pictures of Sweetgum pods but no, I guess you don't have any nearby or surely you could not resist their awesome shapes! However, I did see that your Datura Moonflower creates seed pods which are quite similar and your picture is just terrific. I sure do love the way you see the world, it's a delight to look through your pictures. I hope that you have been having a nice day with your husband and your canine children! Hugggggs from southern Oregon!

Explored on 1/24/19, highest placement, #2.