Roses were my Mom's favorite flower, and I guess they're mine too. 

They're so intricate. 

and they are fun to photograph. 

Frosty Morning

I live in the Midwest US, so we definitely have four seasons. We joke that we sometimes have all four in a single day! This morning is the first really chilly morning of this fall, it was 21 degrees  F. when I got up. (about 10 deg. colder than it's been the past few mornings.) The predicted high for today is 47, not a bad day for November. But a cool, crisp morning sure reminds one that winter's not far off! There was frost on the ground and I was able to get a few photos. There is beauty in every season if we pause to pay attention. 

sunrise!

Sunrise, Friday.
Yes I recently wrote that I don't often see sunrises, or am not able to photograph them. (Lots of trees in the way at home, and i am not a morning gal!)  But Friday morning, my timing was good, and got a few shots by the river. (at Wooton park boat landing) The clouds are so beautiful!!

The river was quite smooth, so the reflection was almost hypnotically beautiful. 

Reminder, all the photos and writings on this blog are my own, unless credited otherwise. All are  licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

sunset photo

I love sunset! The golden light in the last hour before, the colors that can develop in the clouds. It is often a serene time of day. Here in town there's a nice river, with boat landings and a park alongside. It makes for nice viewing of a sunset. (It works for sunrises too, but that early I am rarely coherent enough to take a decent picture!) 

Sunset photo

This was the sunset one recent evening.The colors were spectacular. This photo was taken from my back porch, (NO filters or photoshop!)

Fall Photos

The Autumn Leaves....

Blog post with Autumn photos

Haven't been keeping up well with blogging. It's one of the things that gets shoved to the back burner, so to speak. But NaBloPoMo is coming, National Blog Post Month, which is November. It's a take-off on NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Folks write every single day during November to get a novel written in 30 days! Those of us who are not fiction writers can blog instead.

My blog posts will often include photographs. I suspect that will not surprise anyone who knows me :) I love to take photos and to get some nice nature shots is relaxing and rewarding for me. To notice and record the beauty of nature, even in ordinary moments, a single leaf or flower, a bird soaring, or the patterns of tree leaves against the sky, is a way for me to experience and share the joy and wonder of creation. I take other photos too, including around our church activities.

Just yesterday I got a message on my phone while I was driving, between errands. I stopped at a park to make the return phone call. Didn't intend to take any pics. But as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed an alignment of colorful trees in front of the historic old water tower. I parked again, grabbed the camera, and got some nice shots. Then I walked around for about 15 min or so, getting other pics of the autumn beauty. It was relaxing and fed my soul. Some photographers who are believers in God say that they do not “take” photographs, but rather they “receive” them. I don't use that verbiage, but I believe that sometimes I'm led to stop and take photos.  

A pause to refresh

This weekend was very nice, warm for December in the Midwest! Saturday I heard a woodpecker tapping away in a tree. I didn't remember that some of them are here all winter! I enjoyed watching the little bird for a few minutes. Then yesterday afternoon, I went outside and noticed these clouds. I love the look of the 'curls' against the blue sky, with bare tree branches echoing some of the cloud shapes. It was a fleeting few minutes as they blew past and heavier clouds rolled in. It reminded me that beauty comes in many forms and we may miss it if we fail to pay attention. Had I not gone outside, or if i'd been texting, or cleaning out my car, i would have missed these 'curly' clouds! 

How often do we miss a glimpse of beauty because we are so absorbed by tasks? There is so much in nature for us to enjoy. May I suggest you take a moment today to pause and take a look around you. and look up to see what there is. I pray you find some refreshment in nature today. 

Job 37:14-16 "Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders.

 Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? 

Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?