November Colors

Let me give a huge round of applause to another blogger and photographer who has encouraged me to see the Beauty of November!

Generally, November has been the boring month, the brown month. The month of adjusting to light/time change and early darkness...as well as temperature changes. I've always turned a bit inward and ignored the overcast skies and the leafless trees. Nothing seemed to appeal to me outside.

But if you look for it, sometimes you can find some amazing things. 

Points down

Tamarack Trees in full color
with afternoon sunlight 
highlighting part of them!

A stump in the woods. 

The moss picked up some yellow highlights of the subdued sunlight that tried so hard to come through the dull grey overcast.

Charlie and I headed down the ridge trail that our neighbor made years ago with his bulldozer. I sat on the trail to look at some lichen on a rock. I turned to look up the trail and squished my eyes half closed. I wanted to see the forest for the colors and not for the trees. 

Muted greens

yellow

reds

burnished oranges

leaf litter

sticks...

and

bark

make me Happy!

Maybe...
just maybe...

I can start to look with different eyes.

Wild

Strawberries 

make me smile!

Barberries

Pointy 

Sharp

Red,

No
smiles.

Pretty reds

and greens

decorating

creek rocks.

Imagination

drifts while

admiring the trout

in the creek.

Abstract reflections

of 

the grasses above

the water.

At the end of the day, I can honestly conclude that I found this particular November day full of vibrant colors.

Maybe I can change my attitude about November and look for its beauty. After all, I find winter to be fascinating and beautiful.

Get Lost

 

Get lost

in the world of tiny things...in the rain....

I mean look at this beautiful scenery!
See? Brown Season!

Hubby thought I was nuts.

I decided to do a bit of wandering under the oaks and maples in the meadow before heading down to explore.

Who am I kidding? I was randomly following the dog who was randomly following his nose.

I should say that I was practicing DayDream Walking. You know, a way to get into that Zen World of Photography. Be aware of things but be nowhere in your head unless a pattern catches your eye.

I guess I was doing that in a way. Just slowly walking between multiflora rose thorns, blackberry thorns, and small trees mixed in with the detritus of the forest floor.

I stopped and watched the woods for a while. I saw a doe far off leap up the opposite bank of the creek and head into the prickly ash area. I thought she picked a good place to disappear.

We stopped at a favorite log of mine on the forest floor. It has three different mosses on it and some Common Powderhorn Lichen. 

All summer I worried as the moss and Lichen dried out and looked as if it was dying. However with the fall moisture from drastic day/night temperature changes, and the rains, it has come back strong and beautiful.

I am in love with the bright cheery colors, it looks as though the mosses are decorating with Christmas colors of red and green.

Here is a close up of the Lichen with raindrops balanced on the edges. The second is a crop so you can see the forest above reflected in the drop.

30mm macro lens
f 3.5
800 ISO

The macro world is so full of surprises. I sat on the log as Charlie sniffed around near me. That is, until the dampness seeped through my coveralls. 

I couldn't believe my luck when I got to the creek.

Droplets of water were everywhere. The log below ....

gave me this!

I walked down the creek a bit further looking for some more Lichen.

I got lost in a maze of logs with amazing droplets perching on the capsules. Well, I used to call them Moss Flowers but that isn't technically correct.

It wasn't until the rain started up again that I seemed to come out the spell of Enchantment the moss had on me.

So much to see! I was enthralled by the way the droplets hung on the moss capsules. I didn't want to leave at all. 

I wanted to stay lost in logs and mosses and see if the Forest Fairy I'd disturbed would come back and eat his/her fungi!

Sunday Stills ~ Upside Down

 

Sunday Stills ~ Upside Down #28

the song below is an earworm if

you have ever heard it....

Angels watching over me

With smiles upon their face

'Cause I have made it through this far

In an unforgiving place

It feels sometimes this hill's too steep

For a girl like me to climb

But I must knock those thoughts right down

I'll do it in my own time

I don't care 

I'm halfway there 

On a road that leads me straight to who knows where

I'll tell you what 

What I have found

That I'm no fool 

I'm just upside down 

Ain't got no cares 

I ain't got no rules

I think I like ....

Living upside down ~~ Paloma Faith

This one from last winter:

I still find it disorienting.

And the last from this morning's hike in the creek:

A classic view from the fenceline between our land and our west neighbors.

Adventures in the Bathroom

Indeed, this sounds like a very strange and weird title! But what can a person with a camera find interesting in a very familiar place. A place we don't visit often to get visually stimulated. 
[Insert hysterical laughter here...]

Hubby's reaction to seeing me step into our bathroom with a tripod.

"What on earth ARE you doing?"

Me: "Practicing something."

He shakes his head and turns back to the TV. Then he says, "Is this going to make you millions of dollars and make you famous?"

I sigh. "Nope. I am doing this for fun and as a mental and visual exercise."

I glance out of the bathroom and he has tuned me out. After all! It is YouTube Football recaps!

I look around the bathroom and sigh. This could be SO boring or so interesting. I flip the toilet lid down and start to go into my daydream zone where I am not looking at anything but am letting my mind wander. 

[Yes, I am an expert at that and used to get 'called' on it in school. My poor parents would be told that their daughter would be in the middle of class and the teacher noticed that I had this look of being somewhere else while physically sitting at my desk.
I got yelled at, I got chastised, I got lectured to and punished. But I'd still drift off somewhere else in the middle of class. After all, the teacher was less interesting than my day dreams.]

Pretty boring, right? So I spent more time thinking. 
And more time looking. I sat on the floor with my back to the sink and stared at the toilet. I was happy that I'd cleaned the bathroom. 

The toilet tank offered a white on white background for the handmade gift soap that I received from a friend.

The soap begged to be done in High Key.

I don't know why the edges appear darkened when resized for the blog, but there it is. 

And then there was the toilet
paper.

Basically I started just staring a the shapes of the roll and the angle of the metal holder. [It is a horse shoe holder]

Then I got another idea.

Why no one 
likes to change
the roll....

How did you all know that I'd fit toys in here somehow?

Our bathroom is small and I surely didn't want to photograph the inside of the shower. But that could be fun!

My parting shot was of the shower curtain. It is the one item I can change whenever I want to. I have two shower curtains that I had made through different on line companies. This one is not one of my own photographs. 

I love this new bathroom that was put in. The old bathroom was one nightmare after another. If you really want a laugh regarding do it Yourself Plumbing see How to get Your Sink Fixed for some giggles.

Snow today with rain.

I wonder what I'll be up to?

In the mean time

The Brown Season is here. I am not going to complain at all this year. I decided to find some sort of inspiration for when I am un-

inspired.

Part of the issue is that I get stuck in a rut. It is getting cold and sort of dull looking outside. I await the first snow with great anticipation.

Meanwhile I adjust to looking at brown stuff. And that is partly the reason I decided to pursue a few different photographic projects. I know. It seems that is all I do.

Believe me, the mules don't feed themselves or pick out their own hooves. The goat doesn't clean his pen, the pony won't haul buckets of water. And Charlie does not clean up the dog hair and dirt he brings into the house. Hubby would eat instant oatmeal 3 times a day if left to himself and I have yet to figure out how to get the errands to Run To Me, instead of Me Running Errands.

Photography and learning more about nature and Still Life are my mental distractions from being a CareGiver. Usually I can spend about about an hour doing something for myself. I wake up very early to have time before the day arrives to have some quiet writing time. Or time for a cup of coffee and browsing a book on Moss or Lichens. Or another more recent book regarding photography.

I purchased Photography and the Art of Seeing by Freeman Patterson. 

I like some of the photography exercises he suggests that are mental viewing exercises. He reminds us that as children, we think in pictures. I can relate to that. I always preview something that is important to me by trying to imagine how it will go. The steps needed to get there. I think most folks do this anyway. 

One exercise I am looking forward to is walking out to the woods and tossing Charlie's leash in a random spot. The leash is 8 foot long. I will use the leash to make a circle in which I will explore.

Patterson has an exercise with those who take his classes. They toss a hula hoop out and have to photograph what is outside or inside that hula hoop. However, they cannot not move from that circle until the session is done and they have found 30 things to shoot. They don't have to be perfect things, but it is a way to discover that what is around you can be a lesson in learning to 'see'.

The point is to learn to observe. The point is also, that one does not have to travel 100's of miles to search for one good photo.

Some of what he writes about is stuff I just sort of scrunch my face up and say to myself NO WAY! That is stupid! However, being open to new or different ideas is always good.

Five years ago I was challenged in an on line class to do all Black and White photography. When they asked us to do Still Life, I was horrified. But I found I enjoyed it. 

At one point I found that taking photos of two little toys I had paired together reflected my angst and stress at taking care of such an ill and frail person. [This while my husband was struggling with several major health events and depression at the same time]

I was expressing myself through photos. I was expressing care, love, thoughtfulness and not really realizing I was doing so.

Example here:

I wonder if I go out and try the 'hula hoop' exercise or the exercise where he sent his students into a bathroom for an hour!  With the winds, rain, and cold weather I think I will opt for the bathroom.

What on earth can I do there?

~~~~ 

Girry and his adventures are still being worked on. Updates soon.

Teaching Bill to Orienteer...

The above photo is from the steep rise on the West Ridge Trail. We started at Pott's Corners and came up the steep hill. In the winter, this is a snowmobile trail and multi use trail. In the summer, it is used by hikers, equine, and bicyclists.

On a whim I texted Bill late on Sunday and told him I was going to take advantage of the unusual weather to hike on Monday. He texted back "I'm IN!"

The light was amazing and the Autumnal Haze was pretty thick. It created a surreal scene as we walked up through the shadows of the trees.

I gave Bill a running commentary about where I thought we would end up on the West Ridge Trail. I told him we'd probably come right up to those incredible rocks we found in the spring of 2020. He was skeptical.

I wasn't. I'd seen the West Ridge Trail from the top of the rocks and knew it was there. Plus I study the maps from the reserve.

We found the rock formation.

I asked Bill if he wanted a closer look and he asked if we could get up on top. 

And yes, we did.

View from the top looking east.

Bill told me we were looking in another direction by his reckoning. I got out the map of the KVR and dropped my really nice compass on it. I oriented it for him and he was mildly surprised. 

In my backpack, I carry an updated map of the reserve, a compass, and a topographical map.

This way I can be fairly confident when cutting across the land to find my way and not get lost in all of the hills and valleys.

Believe me, directions can get confusing. All it took is one time of going down the wrong trail to convince me that I had to be much more aware.
I include a firestarter cube along with waterproof matches and a lighter. Also included it an emergency blanket in my backpack.

We did get up on top of the rock ridge and that put us on Hanson Rock Trail. There, Bill wanted to head south and I told him we had parked at Pott's Corners to the north. 

I told him if we followed the rock ridge we'd cut off distance back to the vehicles and end up back on the trail we wanted. This time, I had him figure out the direction and carry the compass for a bit.

With no trail to follow, the land looks very intimating. 

Bill said he'd just follow me. But I had him stop and read the compass a few more times.

 

Within a few minutes of walking, we stood on a rock out crop and peered down on the Hanson Rock Trail. Bill recognized the spot. 
Here is Bill, happy that we were not lost in the Wild.

The detour was well worth it.

This is a rock outcrop that cannot be seen from the trail. It is worth meandering about to see these formations.

We descended off the small bluff and Bill handed me the compass. I asked him if he'd like one for Christmas. He said he'd get his wife one. He wants her to enjoy hiking too. She retires from her nursing career in December and he is hoping to get her to enjoy discovering the outdoors. She already is an amazing wild flower gardener.

We walked along enjoying Charlie's fearless leading along with the amazing warm weather.

We stopped to admire some Shining Firmoss Plants. Okay, I didn't know what they were when we found them, but after hours of searching, I did find a name. I believe it is a vascular plant and not truly a moss?

I need to do some more research.

And the rest of the trip was downhill. As .. well, we were walking off a steep ridge.

The shadows were getting long but left incredible patterns across the trail.

And that...

was

my Monday

adventure.

The Loose Lightbulb

I had a fun discussion with my friend BJ on Sunday. We talk every Sunday without fail. How we ended up being long distance friends is really bizarre. It came about by the love of Daschund type dogs.

I mentioned to her that I'd had a project brewing for many years that I called simply The Project. It was to have been observations of how the creek in our valley changed over the years.

Our conversation turned to questions like: What inspires you to write?
What inspires you to photograph certain subjects?
What inspires you to study something you have never studied before?

Writing is like a loose lightbulb connection. You jiggle it and it goes out for a while. Whack it, and sometimes it shines brightly.

There can be long periods of boring nothing-ness and then a sudden insight.

So, with the delivery of the Giraffe Toy, my inspiration exploded into what BJ called a huge ADHD Bomb. 

I had to run around Saturday with a bag of toys to capture photographs while the bulb was shining brightly.

Here enters the ADHD DD H D AA dd a ddd...ddddd... or whatever. 

This morning I was browsing through my Flickr albums in search of my old Teddy Bears and The Project Album caught my eye. So I got sidetracked and began to look through photos in my album called The Project.
The original intent was to observe changes in the creek over a year.  Actually I have been recording changes for about 8 years. Because I just kept adding to the photos and never ended up compiling a project regarding The Creek.

Morris and I 2013

Hunting season 2013

2015

Just after the 

great floods 

of 2016.

All the mosses 

are washed away.

Summer 2016

A new tree came down across the 

creek during the summer storms here.

2017

And the trees keep sinking lower 

and 

lower...

Winter 2018

After the floods of 2019...

the mess of new trees fallen

and washed into 

this spot.

2019

Below, a shot of this same spot just 

beyond the mess and tangle.

Summer 2020

This spot in the creek has always intrigued me. I always stop here and take a comparison shot. It is fairly easy to find in my album because I think I keep renaming it The Spot.

My intent years ago was to combine all these into some sort of study of the creek. I'm not even sure what that means. I've observed the the creek for years and observed how the seasons change the creek and how flash floods change the route each time by rearranging leaves, logs, and rocks. Sometimes the change is so subtle and sometimes it is dramatic.

See? In conclusion, I am like that person who has so many ideas that are scattered here and there in my brain. Once in a while an idea pops up and I chase it.

Maybe I will compile my thoughts and notes about the creek and it's life because it is such an interesting and vital part of our valley and forest.

Just like BJ said. She was ADHD and had to address an idea when it came to her like a lightening bolt. 

I like that explanation because it fits me perfectly. Just like the loose light bulb. I may just be motivated to work on the project now that it gets dark so soon.

Perfect.

I'm going to work on my Loose Lightbulb. May it shine brightly.