Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: oak tree

(+7 insets!) I'm not quite ready to get back to posting my travel pictures so today I wanted to share another picture--along with insets--of the adorable micro-mushrooms which are found on some of the younger oak trees on our property during the fall and winter. The funny thing about these little dolls is that I totally missed them for years and years as I wandered around out property taking pictures. As keen an eye as folks may think I have, it's obviously very easy to miss an endless array of tiny treasures--including these adorable little guys. Last year I posted a trio of pictures to show just how eensy-weensy these mushrooms are. I took a picture to show the tree. Then another a lot closer so you could see there are little somethings on the tree, and of course the main picture which shows the amazing little stars of the show. (I've included that set as insets too) One observation I find interesting is that only very rarely do I find these micro mushrooms on older trees with thick bark. Not sure why. I thought I might find them when the bark had moss and lichen on it for more cracks and crevices but no, except for the rare exception I only find these tiny mushrooms on younger saplings. Isn't that fascinating? I would love to know why this is! In any event, I've got another trio of pictures to show you a distant, closer, and in-your-face picture of a fabulous threesome who are hanging out under a cluster of moss. I often go to this sapling when searching for these little mushrooms and they are there again this year! So cute! You'll also see a couple of snowy shots! Today a very cold storm is rolling in and as I was marching up and down my driveway this morning in the rain, it slowly turned into snow! We haven't had much of that this season but I'm including a couple of snowy pictures I captured early last year which turned out nicely. Pam, I loved reading about your rockhounding past! *high five* It is such fun! I am not sure what I'll do with all of the polished stones which I'll be gathering as time goes on but they sure will be nice to have! I have gone ahead and bought a book on basic rockhounding so I can learn the geology and so forth, and also a couple of identification books for this region. What an enjoyable thing to do! I'm surprised that you haven't shared any pictures of your rocks with us! I, for one, would love to see some of your prizes! :) Here's hoping it's warm and cozy for you today! *BIG HUGS* Explored on 1/13/20; highest placement #1.

1 picture above in a note! :) I looked out into the meadow this morning and saw the frosty mist rising up around the lone Oak there. Even though I have taken pictures of this tree in the mist before, I thought it would be wonderful to have a picture where it has snow on its branches and very few leaves! :) (roll your mouse over the image above to see the other misty Oak picture I posted a while ago!)

3 more pictures in notes above! :) Have you ever spent the whole day thinking it was the next day or the day before? This morning I went down to close the gate after Steve left for work and was annoyed to find that the garbage collectors missed our can. I figured we'd need to call them to come and pick up our trash. I carried on with my day, working until lunch and looking forward to my Bokeh Thursday pictures! The theme is "Medicine", so after lunch, I had a great time taking pictures of various pills and tablets that we have. Bokelicious meds galore!! :D After I'd gotten back to work for a couple of hours, I looked at my iPad and when I turned it on, it flashed the date and time...WEDNESDAY! NOT Thursday! WOO HOO, I GAINED A WHOLE DAY!! :D :D I had a very good laugh at myself and then realized...oh brother. I need to take my Picture of the Day...AGAIN! :D Well, I thought I'd wait until after dinner since I was buried in work and couldn't afford to take another break. Steve came home and as we prepared to put our dinner on the table, I looked out the kitchen window and did a double-take... HOLY COW, LOOK AT THAT SKY!!! Dinner could wait! Steve grabbed his iPhone and I grabbed my camera, switching over to our 17-40 wide angle lens, since there was no way I'd be able to get all of those clouds with my 100mm lens. Steve came up with the idea of taking a picture of our beloved meadow Oak tree with the clouds radiating out from behind, but I also have another image showing the sky by itself so you can appreciate it unobstructed. :) Victor Marie Hugo (26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He is considered one of the greatest and best known French writers. In France, Hugo's literary fame comes first from his poetry but also rests upon his novels and his dramatic achievements. Among many volumes of poetry, Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles stand particularly high in critical esteem. Outside France, his best-known works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and Notre-Dame de Paris, 1831 (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). Wikipedia: Victor Hugo Explored on October 10, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#37).

1 more picture in a note above! :) Dashing through the lower forest, everything was so huge all around me, moss as tall as my head, and dried grass as big as trees...and off in the distance I could hear a high pitched voice calling, "8...9...10...READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!!!" I leaped under a moss frond and pulled it over me. Just in the nick of time too, because as I peered through the green branches, a mushroom fairy glided into view and came to a stop, turning this way and that. She moved past me after a moment, calling, "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!" Suddenly I felt a sneeze coming on from the dust under the moss and burst out with a loud, "ACHOOO!!!!" Quick as a flash, the little mushroom fairy flew over and giggled in her tinkling voice, "I FOUND YOU!! I FOUND YOU!!!" I woke up with a start, opening my eyes in the morning light, the laughter from the mushroom fairy fading away from my evaporating dream. Smiling, I knew it was the sign I'd been waiting for! Dressing quickly, I went out into the drizzle and kept my camera under my sweater while I began peering around. This time I chose our smaller meadow. Looking here and there, I suddenly heard a little squeak, a little tinkle of a giggle, and looked down to find a tiny mushroom fairy staring up at me, quivering in delight! "I FOUND YOU! I FOUND YOU!!" Racing around my feet, I laughed out loud in joy and knelt down to say hello to my little friend. "Well, aren't you adorable! You're the first mushroom of the season, wouldn't you like to get your picture taken?!" More squeals of tinkling laughter and she stopped by some moss just long enough for me to capture her dainty form, and then off she zoomed into the meadow, squeaking a happy goodbye! Mushroom season has come at last. :) Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher who is widely considered to be a central figure of modern philosophy. He argued that human concepts and categories structure our view of the world and its laws, and that reason is the source of morality. His thought continues to hold a major influence in contemporary thought, especially in fields such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics. Wikipedia: Immanuel Kant Explored on September 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

2 more pictures in notes above! :) Another drizzly morning had me yanking on my rubber boots and pulling on a jacket, with my sights set for the top of our hill, and my aim being another hunt for the first mushrooms of the season. Yet again, I found none, but I did find some interesting fungus, though the images I got weren't quite good enough to share. On my way up the hill, I spotted some wild iris leaves, which were positively covered with droplets! These leaves repel water so perfectly that the droplets form beautiful round crystal balls all over the surface. I discovered them last year, so I was very happy to see them again today, even though I didn't find any mushrooms. Tomorrow is another day, and the nice thing about not finding mushrooms is that this image can be my Picture of the Day! :) By the way, if you are interested, this is my album of mushroom images, which will give you an idea how crazy I am about them! :D Mushroom Album Isaac McLellan (May 21, 1806-August 20, 1899) was an author and poet, some of whose work has achieved notability by republication in anthologies. Wikipedia: Isaac McLellan Explored on September 23, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.

3 more pictures in notes above! :) I awoke to the sound of rain pattering upon the windows and the fresh smell of a world washed clean drifted inside through the crack. As soon as there was a break in the storm, I got my camera and escaped out into the beautiful fall day. The world glistened around me and as I left for my walk, I hid my camera in my sweater because the droplets were still coming down, but only in a light drizzle. "Ohhhh, little mushrooms...where are you?!! I crept from log to log, and checked the moss in the trees, but it's still too early...or perhaps my little friends are hiding too well and giggling too quietly for me to hear them. That's ok, I can wait. Today I was simply dazzled by the first truly wet day of the season! The world was drenched and dripping everywhere, and it was really wonderful to get the chance to enjoy looking at droplets and moist leaves, and hear the sound of dripping and the happy songs of the birds in the trees. I found several trees with mossy bottoms that were quite torn up, and realized that mule deer bucks must have been rubbing their antlers there. Looking up, I saw the apple-sized wasp gall in the image above and was delighted to see it covered with droplets. In fact, the gall was shedding color, as some of the droplets looked like liquid amber! What a perfect Pick of the Day! :) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy and was one of the five Fireside Poets. Wikipedia: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1 more picture in a notes above! :) For the past few days, it FEELS like Fall has finally arrived, and I just love it! Crisp, cold mornings, bright sunshine, the fresh, clean smell of dried grass with the first hint of Fall dew....it's wonderful!!! I know it's too early yet for mushrooms, but I simply can't keep myself from visiting the places where I first see them appear! First I went up to our marching stand of dry teasel which stare down at us in prickly formation from the hill above the house. This is where I will sometimes find the beautiful golden mushrooms who hide shyly behind the teasel stalks, not sure if they can trust me. But there were none to find, as I expected, so I did an about-face and went purposefully down to the dark woods of the lower forest, where dampness collects first and departs last. I searched the logs where the young mushrooms love to play, and under the plates of fallen bark where I sometimes find one in a game of hide-and-seek. But not today. Maybe tomorrow, for it has rained long and hard today, and perhaps I'll have a dream tonight where tiny mushroom fairies dance around me in a circle and as I awaken, I'll still hear the tinkling of their bell-like laughter. I will know then, that they have woken up and once again I will get to capture their pretty little faces for everyone to enjoy! As I looked for mushrooms, I saw this trio of perfect Black Oak leaves and hoped they would make a pretty picture. I was delighted to find them positioned just right for an image showing all three against the dappling of a tree's branches and the sky above. Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known as George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952), was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States and identified himself as an American, although he always kept a valid Spanish passport. He wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters. At the age of forty-eight, Santayana left his position at Harvard and returned to Europe permanently, never to return to the United States. His last will was to be buried in the Spanish Pantheon of the Cimitero Monumentale del Verano in Rome. Wikipedia: George Santayana Explored on September 21, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Before going out with Steve to take sky images, I went out to see if I could get any intereting shots of the moon through the trees. I found an opening in a twig-filled tree and thought it might look cool...I did not expect to find a "twig web" when I looked at the image on my computer! :D This image was taken on February 6, 2012.