Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: San Anselmo

(+3 HFF insets and a panorama from this morning!) What a wonderful picture-packed day it's been! Pumpkin and I peeked outside when I got up and were very surprised to find it quite frosty. I wondered if it would hang around for more than a few moments after the sun came up but I didn't need to worry--it was a mere 28 degrees, yoiks! That's COLD! In fact, it was cold enough for very nice crystal formations. I went up to the spot where I take my panoramas and noticed something white down the hill. As I approached, I could see that it was a skull fuzzy with frost! That was enough for me. I returned with my camera and enjoyed myself with a large set of slightly morbid but very cool pictures of the long-passed animal of unknown species. Probably a deer but I didn't know for sure. (I'll post some pictures when I get to them!) Of course since I was out, I took pictures of our daffodil buds which were also a little bit frosty…they may be opening in just a few days but it's hard to say. In any event, they will hopefully make a nice choice for Saturday's Self Challenge: "Signs of Spring." It has turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny day that's warmed up considerably from this morning's frosty start. I went out this afternoon on a mission to find new flowers--and if I could spot them, flower buds--all for "Signs of Spring." I ended up finding two new flower species I hadn't seen yet this year but I was surprised that some species which should be in bloom now aren't ready yet due to the extended cold this year. However, the official start of spring is set for 6 days from now--March 20--and it looks like the show is really beginning to spin up around here! :) Today is also when I post my Happy Fence Friday image so I'm choosing a picture from my trip to San Anselmo back in January. I was really pleased with the way it turned out because it was such a cool surprise. In Nathalie's back patio she has a pot of beautiful Jelly Bean succulents and the back fence was nearby. This picture was unique the way the fence appeared and I don't know if you could even plan for that outcome! (I'm also including a view of today's frosty, lovely sunrise with the warm sun on the hills. Also I have added some fence pictures from my archives…enjoy!) Pam, are you a fan of succulents? I think they are really neat but for some reason I cannot keep them alive. I probably overwater them or forget about them…I don't know, but if I ever bring one home, a death sentence begins to tick no matter what I do! Well--apparently you have more success than I do because I found a totally outstanding collage of a Cholla Cactus beaded with dewy spiderwebs! What wonderful images and a total treat for the eyes! Incredible!! I was really sorry to hear that you smacked your eye socket yesterday…that must have hurt so badly AND pissed you off…at least, that's what my reaction would be. :( I hope you don't have a big bruise :( That totally sucks. I am crossing my fingers that you had a better day than yesterday… *HUGGGGGS* Explored on 3/15/19, highest placement, #2.

(+2 insets!) Today I woke up to more rain and dreary weather but I didn't care! Steve and I are so excited about our new RV that no amount of cold and rain can ruin our moods. :) Pumpkin and I hopped into the shower where we whistled and sang to each other as she watched me from her perch. When we got out, I held her up to my face--touching my lips to her beak--closed my eyes and whistled softly to her. She whistled right back and I could feel tiny puffs of her warm sweet breath as she sang to me. My heart threatens to burst with the love I feel for that darling, amazing little girl. How lucky we are to have her in our lives! As I've been commenting on pictures over the past week, I keep running into images of Pam's favorite flower, Snow Drops! Every time I see them, I am reminded of our trip down to San Anselmo back at the beginning of the year. While I was wandering around Nathalie's property I noticed a small, white, spike of flowers that was growing low to the ground. The second I got close enough I recognized them! SNOW DROPS! I'd never seen these in person before so you can imagine how excited I was. However, there was something not quite right about that flower...it didn't look exactly like the Snow Drops I'd seen before. I would need to investigate. I'd planned to process the pretty little white flower image right away. However, you know how things go sometimes. I got distracted by other pictures and time passed. Today though, I was bound and determined...and huzzah, it's now my picture of the day!! Before posting, I wanted to make sure this flower was named correctly...and after comparing mine to a Snow Drop, I could see that it definitely wasn't one. Diminutive, white, green spots, but this little flower is a Snow FLAKE , not a Snow DROP . I found a nice page that showed and explained the difference. I am also including two more pictures from San Anselmo as insets. One of them shows some pretty Alyssum flowers that were growing on Nathalie's back patio (Do you see the little ant visitor?!). The other one was from our first hike and shows the remnants of a kind of wild grass called "Rattlesnake Grass." The seed casings on this grass actually SOUND like a rattlesnake if you shake the stems of several of them! Well Pam, I’m still hoping to find a real Snow Drop for you but I hope that this Snow Flake will make you happy too! I looked on your page for a picture of one of yours and found this little beauty to appreciate. They are so lovely. I hope that you are having a good day! Many hugs from southern Oregon! Explored on 3/07/19, highest placement, #1.

(+3 insets) It's been a while since I posted any pictures from my trip to San Anselmo so I thought I'd fix that today! It's so miserable outside right now that all I want to see right now are blossoms and bright colors! Nathalie's garden featured many different plants and flowers and many of the blossoms were quite small. That meant they were perfect for me! The flower I'm posting today was maybe half an inch long from its pretty face to the end of its tube. Even though it was tiny, it was easy to see that it was covered with hairs! Thank you for all of your help to try to identify this flower! I was able to find some pictures of "Salvia greggii" that Ron Hanko suggested and they are the same! But the blossoms definitely have the traits of the other flowers suggested, so thank you all! I am including two insets to show a front view (Look at the fancy hair!! And the funny mini flower on its forehead!) and also a pretty bokeh view with some flowers in the background. Finally, I have another panorama to show the sort of weather it's been today! :) Pam, I was looking around in your photo stream to see what you had in the way of "purple flowers" and found this delightful picture of an upside-down butterfly on Buddleia flowers …I was particularly tickled that you called the Fritillary a Butterfly Bat! :D I love it! :) It's another warm soup day so I'll be sending some via my virtual teleporter! :) I hope you like cream of mushroom soup, we made a lot of it! :D *HUGS* Explored on 2/21/19, highest placement, #3.

(+2 insets!) It's another drizzly morning and as lovely as can be. The fog was swirling around the Table Rocks when I looked outside and at a comfortable 41°F/5°C I stepped out for my walk feeling energic and happy. Just as I was about to walk down the road for my first lap I heard a sound that filled me with delight. "THE FROGS ARE SINGING!!" I smiled broadly as I heard a handful of frogs croaking down at the seasonal pond. I'd heard the occasional frog here or there but this singing marks the true beginning of breeding season for the Pacific Tree Frogs. For months the frogs and toads will croon to the heavens whenever they feel safe enough to do so. The numbers will increase from the half-dozen of today to a cacophony of perhaps 100 or more at the height of the season. This makes me wiggle with excitement! Oh, how I adore frogs and toads…they are so darn cute! They are so ridiculous looking! And the way their vocal sacks look when they are croaking makes me want to squeal with glee! They think they look cool…I say they look hilarious! :D Whenever I get close to the pond—unless I'm very careful to be as silent as possible—all of the Romeos shut up. Just like the Warner Brother's Frog…they really WERE croaking, I tell you!! Then, after I am far away…CREEEEEEEEK…and one by one they start singing again! Silly froggies. Well, really it's SMART froggies. Best to be silent and live to see another day, right? I had a great idea though and when I heard one frog starting to croak again, I recorded him! You can listen to my audio link to hear our first frog singing this season! Today's picture is for Happy Fence Friday! While visiting my brother and his wife Nathalie in San Anselmo, I wandered around their property and found a tree brimming with gorgeous turning leaves. I was so captivated by this pair that I took pictures from each side! You'll find the front side as an inset. I'm also sharing another fence picture that shows some of the encrusted lichen and moss that I loved so much. Pam, I did a search for fence pictures in your stream and was surprised that you have never participated in the insanity that is Happy Fence Friday! I resisted as long as I could…but well, I couldn't help myself and now I'm one of the gang! :) I did find lots of pictures of yours that have fences though! I really liked this one that featured a trio of lovely critters as well as a fence ! :) I hope you are doing ok today—iand thank you so much for your lovely comment yesterday, it was so wonderful! *big HUGGGGS* from southern Oregon! Explored on 1/25/19, highest placement, #10.

(+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.

(+3 insets!) (this image really shines at full size!) Here's another picture from San Anselmo! On our second hike into the hills, we walked back through the residential streets to get home. Along the way was an endless stream of cool things to take pictures of. I was on a forced march though because Steve and Nathalie rarely stopped to wait for me, so I had to take pictures quickly and move on. I did manage to get some really cool shots though…many hundreds of pictures actually! :D As I trailed behind Steve and Nathalie, I got a really cute picture of a sparrow in a tree, and later a darling hummingbird! At one point we all saw a bird that was hovering on the wind and I got several pictures that turned out! And Steve and Nathalie never noticed that an American Kestral was sitting in a tree nearby, but I did! :) As we emerged into the residential neighborhood, I nearly began hyperventilating with all the sights in front of me. There was a lovely garden with wonderful landscaping and they used many kinds of ornamental grass species to dress it up. One group that caught my eye had some peculiar grass I'd not seen before. I saw that a pair of feathery stems had become intertwined and I couldn't resist trying to capture the beautiful tangle. I usually have very little luck with this sort of thing because my depth of field is usually too shallow or there's too much stuff behind that detract from the delicate grass. However, I will always continue to try improving on my failures because at some point I just HAVE to succeed. And so I did on this day! I don't know what kind of grass this is but it's lovely and this pair reminds me of a delicate sculpture. Kind of like a pair of hands clinging to one another. I am also including insets of the birds that I saw on our walk! Pam, I did a search on your photo stream for birds and my! You've gotten very lucky with some wonderful pictures! I am so envious--even CARDINALS!! Sensational! This collage you presented has me bouncing with joy, you lucky lady! There are so many wonderful bird pictures that wasn't able to look at even a fraction of them, but I also loved your Papa Bluebird collage too, the splishy-splashy bird bath images are just so much fun! I hope that you get the chance to take more pictures sometime soon, I love your photography so much. Sending my love on this cold and brisk day! Explored on 1/23/19, highest placement, #1.

(+3 insets!) "It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring!" Wow, have we been getting a lot of rain! It rained all day yesterday and it's been raining all day today. It's supposed to pour until tomorrow evening too! I wanted to go out last night to see how our water diversion tactics were working on our road but it was too late and we were too tired. We knew it would be raining all day so we could see how things were working in the morning. Peeking outside when I got up, I was rather amazed to see that our big meadow now featured a wide stream pouring down off our steep hill! This really is a big storm! I went out to go on my walk and found that Mother Nature was laughing at our pitiful attempts to keep the water from flowing down our road. At the top of our driveway, Steve's 2" irrigation pipe that crosses the road--designed to protect a buried power line and divert water--was not working at all. Gravel and dirt had covered the pipe and its many entry holes and the water rushed merrily down our road, giggling mischievously. Following the road stream 100 feet further, I came to a stop at the deep furrow designed to pull the water away from the road (You may remember the inset I shared a couple of days ago). Can you say "blowout"? The huge volume of water overflowed our channel and made a new one--which naturally went right down our road, spreading out into a road-wide mess of rivulets. The loud cackling from water imps was hard to miss. Our channel was clogged and in serious need of repair and enlargement. Walking the rest of the way down the road I could see that the rainfall was so heavy that all of our efforts were barely functioning at all. With the small storms we'd had previously, the work we'd done was successful but totally failed with a serious storm. Steve would need to get the big guns out…the TRACTOR! I began by doing the repairs I could, re-dragging the furrows off the road and unclogging any spots fouled with leaves, mud and gravel. I shored up washed-out spots in all of the channels and was pleased to see that I made some great progress on my own. I couldn't help but stand and gawk at our pond. Water was gushing into it from one of our seasonal streams and the level of our pond was now overflowing. The overflow was rushing out the other side in a heavy flow, pooling deeply near the culvert that takes it across the main road in front of our property. I don't know when I've seen it so flooded! Steve is now out there with the tractor, pulling huge furrows with one of the implements we have and making a ditch to keep the water from washing the road out. He's also using the box scraper to repair the road where it's been compromised. And there was a place by the culvert at the gate to create much better drainage and access to the culvert. It continues to pour and pour out there! Let's hope that Steve's efforts will be enough. What a storm! Today's picture and 3 insets are from our trip down to San Anselmo. The stars are a perfectly gorgeous little pair of blossoms that I found on a bush in Nathalie's front yard. While I was taking pictures of these dainty little flowers I couldn't help but be reminded of Sweet Peas. But…on a BUSH? I was delighted when my first search for identification gave me the answer: A Sweet Pea Bush (Polygalaspp.) ! :D It was no surprise these pretty flowers are not related to the flower we are familiar with--Sweet Pea garden flowers (Lathyrus odoratus)--because the stems of the shrub are woody and the plants are entirely different than the tender-stemmed Sweet Pea flower. I hope you find my attempts to share the beautiful details of this stunning little flower successful! :) Pam, I chose these flowers with you in mind. They are so bright and cheery that I hoped they might bring a smile to your face to ease your blues. Thank you so much for your lovely comments and also for letting me know how you are doing. You are in my thoughts and I wish I could send you a hug too… Explored on 1/20/19, highest placement, #1.

(+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.

(+2 insets!) I woke up to the pitter-patter of rain on the windows and smiled because we're behind on our water levels here in southern Oregon. Actually, the forecast suggests rain for the next week! Wonderful! Splashing down the driveway in my new waterproof and stylish sneakers with rain tapping enthusiastically on my umbrella, I noticed our newly made rain diversion channel that's made such a difference to the condition of our road. Since we've lived here, our dirt and gravel road has been a big problem during the rainy season. The water pours down the side of our steep hill and some of it ends up running down the road and making a mess of things. It's required Steve to fix the driveway with our tractor's scraper. And still, the water is relentless and soon erodes new gullies across our driveway. A few weeks ago I was on my morning walk during a heavy downpour. I couldn't help but notice the water racing down the driveway and across to the other side in several places. It was going to be a problem soon and I wondered if there was something I could do. I saw an old metal fence post laying nearby and I thought, "What if I drag a furrow off the side of the road to divert the water?" It took just a few minutes in the softened clay mud and immediately I could see that my idea was working! The water that had been streaming down the road was now redirected down my new pathway and off to the side! Hooray! I worked my way down our driveway, dragging out furrows wherever it made the most sense. Half an hour later I'd gotten most of the water to run off the left or right edge. As I surveyed my handiwork, I was delighted that such a simple solution worked so well. When I walked back up the road, I looked at the only place I couldn't fix by myself. It was the worst spot requiring a deep, large furrow and using a puny metal fence post was not going to do the job. I decided not to tell Steve what I'd done, and instead let him discover my project for himself. A while after I got back to the house, Steve went on his walk. I was absorbed in my photography processing when I got a text from Steve. "Come out and see what I did to add to your great idea!" I bounced outside and joined Steve on the driveway. As we walked down, Steve complimented me on the easy and perfect solution to our water woes and together we wondered why we hadn't thought of this ten years ago. No matter, we'd figured it out now! "WOW!!! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!!" I couldn't contain my excitement as I stared at the deep diversion channel that Steve had dug. At this spot, the large stream of water that properly ran down the gully at the edge of the road used to overrun the bank and cut across the driveway. But now everything would change! Steve used a shovel and pick to dig a channel which captured all of the water and directed it back off the road. Furthermore, he had continued by digging a channel for 50 more feet to connect the channel to the original gully. It was perfect. Together Steve and I stared in satisfaction as the water poured into his channel and off the road. We looked down the driveway and could see no more puddling at all! No rivulets of water, nothing! We walked down to the gate and Steve showed me how he deepened and lengthened the furrows I'd made and both of us bubbled with happiness. You will see an inset picture of the channel that Steve dug and our road falling off into bokeh beyond. It's a fun picture to show the solution of something that's plagued us for years! Today's main picture is for Happy Fence Friday! It was taken in San Anselmo on our second hike as Nathalie led Steve and I down from the open space into the lovely neighborhood streets. As I tried to catch up to them, a splash of light caught my eye and I turned to see these gorgeous African Bush Daisies glowing next to a fence. What a perfect opportunity for a colorful HFF picture! Steve and Nathalie were out of sight around the bend but I couldn't pass up this chance…and I'm so glad I got this image to share today! I also have a picture of our gate and fence that I took the other day--it turned out nice enough that I'm including it as an inset too. :) Pam, do you guys have any problems with flooding? It can be such a pain to deal with. Our road has been our worst nightmare, but other than that, we don't have any issues. Thankfully our house has ditches to keep the water from being an issue. However, in the house where I grew up in San Francisco, the water would pour off Mount Davidson and right through our basement. My dad tried everything to stop it but the mighty mountain won every time…my oldest brother now has to deal with the issue every year. UGH! Here's hoping that today has been good for you Pam. I know it's a big deal and I'm sending all of my healing energy your way, my dear. *BIG HUGGGGGGSSSS*!!!! Explored on 1/18/19, highest placement, #1.

(+3 insets!) Ugh…so tired… My ever-cheerful feathery alarm started going off this morning with a happy "PEEP!" and blearily I reached over to grab my clock…"Please say 5:30…please say 5:30…" I blinked and hoped what I saw was wrong: 6:55. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! *whimper* I had the worst time sleeping last night, and it all had to do with photography. Specifically the next theme for Macro Monday, which is "Perfume Bottle." See, I don't wear perfume. I don't mind a slight hint of something natural smelling like vanilla, but that's about it. Thus, I don't have anything like that in my house. When I went to sleep last night, I couldn't stop thinking about where I'd get a bottle…Dollar store?...Thrift store?...Garage Sale?...Heck, any store would do, it's the bottle that I want so I should find something easily. Then I was thinking about alternatives. Couldn't I use any bottle and fill it with my own perfume recipe? Technically that would be a perfume bottle! Ooooooh…don't we have some super cool crystal salt and pepper shakers? What a neat idea! I wonder what box they are in…hmmm… I wandered around our garage in my mind, mentally opening boxes and peering inside. Then I began thinking about the concept of creating my own perfume…it could be any color…it could be sparkly…maybe the bottle could have something in there too like marbles or something… I lay awake for what seemed like all night thinking about all the possibilities…there were so many interesting ideas to consider… When I tried to shut my mind down, I'd soon begin thinking about another part of the challenge…oh dear… "PEEP-PEEP!" and "BURBLE-BURBLE-BURBLE!" I pictured Pumpkin cheeping with her eyes closed, her darling little body vibrating with every sound and I couldn't help but smile and drag myself out of bed. "Good morning little girl! Oh how I love you!" And so the day began! As it happened, I wasn't as exhausted as I thought I'd be, hooray! I've spent the morning and afternoon appreciating photography from my wonderful and talented contacts and anyone who's left me a comment on my picture from yesterday. How nice. And Steve's coming along with the deck project so it's been a super day for both of us! Today's picture is finally back on track, and it's from our trip down south to San Anselmo. Nathalie has a couple of lemon trees and I couldn't resist the beautiful light on them. I am sharing another inset too! (I'm also including two morning panoramas from the other day showing the lovely light as the sun comes over the hill. You'll see the dramatic change as the sun rises! Also, you'll see our gigantic relic of a bulldozer in our field...it's a many-ton lawn ornament at the moment as it doesn't run!) Pam, I sure do hope that you're able to get a good night's sleep. I have often had trouble with this, unlike my husband who can look at the bed and fall asleep. It's always taken me time to relax and drift off, no matter the methods I've used. Some work better than others, some don't work after a while, some have never worked! What about you? Are you an "easy sleeper"? I sure hope so. All of us need as much rest as we can get, the healing powers are so important! Thinking of you every day my dear!! Explored on 1/17/19, highest placement, #4.

(+2 insets!) It's been such a lovely day! It began with a hint of frost followed by a brilliantly sunny, gorgeous morning and afternoon! Steve has been working on our deck and we've both had such a lovely time. I took pictures this morning and enjoyed hours of happily visiting contacts, and looking through and processing images for my post tomorrow! I was so engrossed in my processing that I nearly forgot…I need to write about and post my picture today! I have a handful ready to go from our trip down south and I thought that some festive red berries would do the trick! On our second hike up into the hills above San Anselmo, Nathalie took Steve and I through another beautiful natural area and then down into the pretty residential streets so we could appreciate the lovely homes and gardens as we strolled along. Strolled along? STROLLED? More like dragged by the ear kicking and screaming! Every inch of the way there were endless things for me to take pictures of! Steve had his camera but he and Nathalie were enjoying their conversation too much for him to think about photography. So, every few moments they'd had to stop and wait for me to catch up with an increasingly guilty look on my face. "But there are so many cool things to take pictures of!" Steve coaxed with a pointed statement, "I am beginning to starve to death!" Heh…well…I ended up getting piles of pictures even if I had to skip 90% of the amazing possibilities! :D Along the way were many different beautiful berries growing on bushes and trees but so far I've only processed two types. The Japanese Barberries is my main image and I was so delighted to find these on our walk. I love them because they look like tiny red Christmas lights to me, blazing red and beautiful! The inset features Nandina berries, and there a were so many of these growing on people's properties. So pretty! I am also including the sunset from a couple of nights ago! :) Pam, I hope all is going ok for you! I was thinking about how much you've changed my life in the past couple of months. In fact, you've changed SO MANY people's lives in the past couple of months. I am a totally different person than I was when I began. Today I am a waggy-tailed, exuberant and overjoyed person with ambition and dreams and big plans for the future. It's totally amazing to me, and it's my wish that some of my boisterous passion for everything positive and happy will transfer to you and make your life better too. Sending my biggest virtual *HUGGGGGGSSSSS*!!!!!! :) Explored on 1/14/19, highest placement, #5.

(+4 insets!) (please view large!) I am having so much fun posting pictures from our trip down to San Anselmo to visit my brother Brian and his wife Nathalie. Every day I get to work on a few more images and it's wonderful to wander through the photos and decide which one(s) to post today. As I look through them, I am reminded of what was going through my mind when I took the pictures. Today's choice was growing on a bush on Nathalie's patio. These flowers are very small but so bright and pretty that you can't help noticing them. When standing away from them, they aren't all that distinctive, but when you crouch down and take a good look, why…"THEY HAVE PURPLE EARS!!" I couldn't help exclaiming in glee and beamed at the lovely little blossoms. These flowers are also an extremely challenging prospect for a macro photographer. There's a reason I chose the side view as my main image: it's completely in focus. This type of flower, with its long tube shape and sort of a flat face, makes it easy to show excellent detail of the front part of the blossom. But if you're close to the flower, good luck on getting the whole tube in focus! For example, one of my insets is a face-on view and my aperture was set to 22. The back is out of focus! Not intended! *cry* One solution to get crisp focus is to back up a bit and get another aperture set. If you really want to be sure, you'll have to back up a bit more and get another set. (Aperture set: an identical picture of a subject taken at each aperture through a range, or one picture per several apertures through a range) However, by backing up you run the risk of a picture that cannot be cropped as tightly as you want if you back up too far. Also, the background is also going to lose that lovely bokeh you're after. Likewise, the higher the aperture number, the sharper the background is going to be. Basically, one needs to experiment a lot and fill your camera card in the process. Personally, there's only so many pictures I want to look through so I crossed my fingers when I took my dozen or so attempts. I didn't nail the focus for the whole flower at either an angle or head on, but I did get entire crispness for the side view so I'm happy. Providing a couple of extra pictures shows this entire, gorgeous flower and thus, a successful presentation for all of you to enjoy! :) (I'm also including a couple of insets of yesterday's sunrise and the night before's sunset!) Pam, I wouldn't be surprised if you had these flowers growing in your garden. Then again, they can be hard to get established so maybe not? They are deer-resistant though! They are also fabulous for attracting insects and hummingbirds. It would be so nice to have them here but I refuse to have another garden due to our low amount of water and fighting with the ground squirrels. I hope you have had a nice day my dear! :) Explored on 1/13/19, highest placement, #2.

(+4 insets!) Steve and I have had the chance to stay at Nathalie and Brian's home in San Anselmo on several occasions but this visit was the first time I'd brought my camera. I was really excited because I knew what was in store for me. It seems like anywhere inside or out, there are super cool things to take pictures of. One of the first places I attacked was Nathalie's amazing patio. She's got all sorts of potted plants and bushes and on the walls are moss and lichen. It's a bit dizzying to decide where to start but I made a beeline for her tree fern, what I call a "dinosaur fern", and these plants are among my very favorite. Because of the low light I was using my macro flash and as I clicked away, I became aware that Nathalie and Steve were talking in the kitchen just a few feet from me inside. Nathalie was wondering what the odd flash of light was, and then Steve noticed. I couldn't help grinning to myself as Steve realized it was my flash and explained to Nathalie. "Ohhhh!!!" I heard her say, as Steve went on to tell her how versatile our flash is. (By the way, if you are looking for a similar flash at a fraction of the price, I'd recommend this one !) She stepped out to see what I was doing and found me literally crawling around under the fronds of her fern. I giggled and told her that I am often splayed on the ground in very strange positions when I'm taking pictures, and have been asked on a number of occasions if I was ok and not, perhaps, dead! :D The biggest problem that I had with this fern was that the unfurling balls of leaves that I love to photograph are quite dark and indistinct and so they aren't as dramatic as others I've photographed in the past. However I think I managed to get some nice pictures and I've included four insets in addition to my main image. I played with some textures on a couple of them because I thought the bland background could use a bit of dressing up. I will definitely try some different ideas the next time I get the chance to take more pictures of Nathalie's awesome tree fern! Pam, I was surprised that you have no fern pictures in your photo stream! I'm going to guess that they don't grow on your property? I thought we didn’t have any on our property but one day I just about fell over when I discovered one by a seasonal stream. Another time I found one on our hillside. They aren't big but they are still super cool! I hope you have had a nice day…you are always in my thoughts! Explored on 1/11/19, highest placement, #5.

(+3 insets!) I'm back to posting pictures from my trip down to San Anselmo, and today I ran into a problem. Let me explain… On our first day at Brian and Nathalie's house, I looked out the kitchen window and could hardly believe what I saw! A six-point Mule deer buck was calmly nibbling the grass on their hillside, a mere thirty feet away! Naturally I didn't have my camera with me, and by the time I got back with it, he'd wandered away. Shucks. Fast forward a couple of hours. I'm wandering around their patio taking pictures and I look up…there at the same spot was a younger buck with four points! AHHHHHH!!!! I went over to the path up the hillside and slowly moved closer. The deer here are extremely used to people so I wasn't surprised when I was able to get much closer. He stared at me as I creeped towards him and only turned to walk off when I was about ten feet away. I'd been focusing on him so intently that I didn't realize he wasn't alone. I noticed movement and was surprised to find yet another four-point buck AND the six-point beauty from earlier! All three of them were eyeing me but weren't especially afraid. I stood and took pictures as they moved around the grassy knoll, watching for any aggression on their part. All of us were calm and quiet so they ate grass and food from the trees and I got lots of pictures. Finally they walked away and I returned to the house, overjoyed at the encounter I had. I ended up getting lots and lots of useable pictures but none of them were very spectacular. Also, they were close enough to trees and bushes so it was going to be some work to get reasonable separation in post-production. I really wanted to use a picture of the six-point buck but the only one that would work was going to be a tough image to fix up. I spent a long time working on the photo but my first attempt was just bad. I ended up working on a picture of one of the four-point bucks and it came out ok but he's walking up the hill and I don't know…it's just nothing special in my opinion. Today I decided to give the six-point buck picture another try. The result was much better but I finally had to admit that it's just "OK". Not a picture I really want to feature as my Picture of the Day. Ugh. So now what? I considered trying another deer picture but abandoned the idea because all of the images were either too similar to what I had or just not interesting enough. MEH!! I gave up on my deer idea. However, I am posting both pictures as insets so you can see! The six-point is a knock-out! But meh on the post-production. I took a look at the pictures I've processed and decided on my Strawberry Tree Berries! These trees are popularly grown in urban areas and feature countless colorful berries that are prickly in appearance. The berries require a whole year to mature and finally ripen in about November in most places. The berries are edible and used in jam and liquor, though rarely eaten off the tree because of their fairly granular texture. The tree on Nathalie's hillside was positively bursting with berries in all colors from yellow to bright red. Such awesome photo subjects. I have included one more as an inset for you to see, and it has pretty white blossoms that are in bokeh. Pam, I hope that you are doing well today after all the excitement of yesterday's scheduled appointment. Crossing my fingers for you…I hope that there will be some treatment which will resolve your issues! Worried but optimistic too…and wishing I could give you a hug! Explored on 1/8/19, highest placement, #2.

(+7 insets!!) This morning I woke up feeling so happy! I was really delighted with how my hammock pictures turned out for my post yesterday and I have been so touched by the wonderful comments I've gotten. I am all a-glow! It feels great when you make a challenge for yourself and achieve the goal you'd hoped for! The fact that you guys like the pictures too is icing on the cake! Hooray! I looked out to see that there was yet another incredible sunrise, along with amazing fog banks swirling around the Table Rocks. Of course I had to take pictures, and I've shared them as insets so you can see how lovely my morning started off! :) On top of that, when I walked down the road on my first lap, the golden light shining on the trees created some really beautiful reflections in our seasonal pond, which has FINALLY filled up (It's usually full by November)! I got a bunch of pictures of the reflections that I'm sharing too! I kind of went crazy, I hope you enjoy them! :) Today's picture is for Happy Fence Friday even though it's actually Thursday here in the United States. In addition to my main picture I am also including an inset. Each was taken on our trip down to San Anselmo over New Years. Nathalie and Brian live on a nice-sized property with endless subjects to photograph. One of the things that kept catching my eye was the cool fencing along one side. Old and weathered, some was crusted with lichen and moss, other spots had rust stains running down from the nails. While I was investigating the front corner, I noticed the sun shining through the trees created a lovely dappling on the fence. It was so pretty that I knew it would be perfect for my Happy Fence Friday picture! The inset fence picture was taken on the first hike we did up in the hills above their home. You may recognize that sun flare and Oak tree from the sepia picture I posted a few days ago. While looking through my photos today, I was surprised to discover that the first sun flare image I took included a fence line. I wondered if I might be able to use it for an inset but wasn’t sure. The picture was kind of uninteresting but it hit me…I could play with textures and I bet it would look great! Picking one textured image is the hardest part…it's such fun to fool around with the various looks! Pam, is your pond full now too? When did yours fill up (if it is)? We haven't had as much rain this year, nor has it been as cold. I wonder what it's like for you guys? Are the dogs playing in the pond or is it frozen over? I had to make sure Zoey didn't jump into our pond when it was icy but I don't think it has ever been solid. I used to imagine what it would be like if she ran onto the frozen pond, tried to stop and then spun around in circles…I never got to see that reality but just thinking about it made me laugh! :) I am thinking good thoughts about you my dear…hope your day has been good! Explored on 1/10/19, highest placement, #4.

(+5 insets) (please view large) :) Time for another picture from our trip to Nathalie and Brian's place down in San Anselmo! First of all, can you tell what this is? I just love an abstract picture and part of the fun is trying to guess what it is. I think it's probably pretty obvious but maybe that's because I'm familiar with it! Read on to discover what this subject is! Nathalie's patio is located at the base of a steep hill (where I photographed the deer from yesterday's insets). Half-way up the hill are a pair of Strawberry Trees and between them hangs a very dead hammock. I don't know when it was last used, but I am positive that any attempt to sit in this hammock would result in you landing on the ground after crashing through the rotted rope strands. It has sat for too many seasons of rain and sun and has turned into a macro photographer's delight! The moment I got close to it, I saw that the rope strands had been covered with lichen and moss. One of the wooden spreader bars had been broken and as I looked up at the jagged end, I saw my picture. Lots of angles, lots of dofs, and I also got some tight shots of lichen growing on the rope strands. It was such fun to play with my creativity here and hopefully you like the results too! I am also posting a pair of sunrise pictures from yesterday that just blew me away! We often have staggeringly beautiful sunrises but I can't post them as main images because you'd all die of boredom! However, adding them as insets is perfect because I can share them without disrupting my photo stream with a million similar pictures. Yay for happy solutions! Pam, do you have hammocks at your home? There is nothing so wonderful as swinging gently back and forth and being lulled to sleep on a warm summer day. I hope this day is full of good things for you and lots of happy doggy kisses. I'm thinking of you all the time and feeling hopeful as the days approach for a few more answers to your stroke solution. Explored on 1/9/19, highest placement, #6.

I have been spending a lot of time looking through the pictures I took while I was down in San Anselmo visiting my brother and his wife. So many photos! (over 1400!!) So many subjects! One of the nicest things was just being out of my usual local. In a new place there are so many more opportunities to find something different and unusual. And then again, there are usual favorites as well! Nathalie, who is my younger brother's wife, took us on two hikes while we were there. Both of them started by merely walking out the door, going down the drive and up the road to the open space that was literally 5 minutes away. This public-accessible open space is filled with trails, meadows, and forest for all to enjoy. Marin County, where San Anselmo is found, has nearly 250 miles of trails and 16,000 acres of land that is set aside for recreation. Needless to say, it's a haven for anyone who loves the outdoors. On our first hike, I kept my eyes open for mushrooms, and boy did we hit the jackpot! Today's picture features a beautiful group that were sitting on the side of a hill, easy to get at and prepare for pictures. Nathalie was interested to see what I was doing and Steve helped me pull away leaves and dirt. I was very hopeful that I'd get some good shots and when I finally got to see them on the computer I couldn't resist diving into this image the moment I saw it! Hooray! Pam, I loved to see the video of your dogs playing in your pond! That was sooooo cute. We also have a seasonal pond and it's finally filling up after a fairly dry autumn and early winter. Watching your dogs playing in the water reminded me of the fun that our Boxer had running in and out of the water when it was full. What a silly dog...how I miss her. It was such fun to think about those great memories though! I hope you are feeling good today my dear! Explored on 1/7/19, highest placement, #1.

(+2 insets) (please view large!) :) I woke up this morning feeling so happy! In fact, for some reason it felt like a proper January 1 to me. Steve and I celebrated New Year's down at my younger brother's home but we didn't actually do anything special. It was just another day to me. But this morning I feel like the New Year has truly arrived and as I walked up and down the driveway, I thought about what this new year might be like for me and my husband. With my rekindled passion for photography and verve for life and adventure, I'm looking forward to our slowly developing plans of purchasing an RV and travelling around the country. Originally we'd planned on diving into the deep end and getting a huge 5th wheel gooseneck trailer and a dually diesel truck. We have since scaled back to plans of a smaller bumper-pull at first, along with a less-massive truck. We will go on short trips at first and work our way up to longer trips if we decide all is going well enough for that magnitude. We recently purchased part of the package--a long-bed diesel truck in very good used condition! It's turned out to be a wonderful deal and has awesome gas mileage for a truck—it averages about 22mpg! (our last truck was a lot smaller and yet, it only got 12mpg.) Being a diesel, it's definitely loud but only if you're outside the cab—inside it's surprisingly quiet. Steve also purchased a matching shell for the bed which will keep everything placed inside much drier. We're both really happy. In fact, our truck just passed its first test with flying colors! We drove it a total of over 750 miles/1200km round trip down to the Bay Area on our visit to see my brother and his wife. We loaded it down with a week's worth of anything we thought we might want with us, including our huge espresso machine! We barely made a dent in the truck bed's capacity! We were really happy that we didn't need to use the snow chains that Steve bought—our trip goes through an area which bogs down in snow whenever winter storms pass through. Luckily the weather was clear both ways, but it was nice to know that we were covered. It will be really fun when the day arrives when we find the right RV for our first adventures. Both of us are looking forward to some really fun trips in the coming year! Today's picture comes from our trip to San Anselmo/Bay Area and features a group of lovely Wisteria leaves that were about to fall off the huge old vine in Nathalie's garden. I was dazzled by the glowing leaves as I walked around taking pictures. Even though Wisterias are known for their lovely flowers and wonderful fragrance, there is so much more to love about these wonderful vines. I was enchanted by the dangling seed pods and the ones on the ground. The seeds scattered all over the ground got my attention too. I managed to get a nice assortment of interesting pictures which I hope to share at some point! (I've added two insets of past pictures to show you what Wisteria flowers look like.) Pam, you know our love for growing from seeds. Well, I bet you know this bit of information but I'd completely forgotten: Wisteria seeds sprout very readily but if you expect to see flowers, you'll have to wait 15 years!!! Holy cow! I seem to recall that you have a flowering Wisteria...is that right? Well, I've got about 100 seeds that I took home but alas, I'm afraid there is no point in planting them. A shame because I adore these vines! Pam, I hope you are doing ok today—I sure did have a nice time visiting all of your doggy pictures and videos...you are such a great mom! *BIG HUGGGGGGS!!!!*