Thursday, April 30, 2009

Sky Watch Friday #42

Sky Watch Friday is doing really well. Please check out the site and link in if you wish to participate. There were over 380 people last week with beautiful Sky photos. You can link in from my side bar or at the start of this post.

Just last week we had snow but a week in Ohio can cause some big changes. The trees are starting to flower and Spring beauty abounds with this red blossom tree.
This white blossom shows it beauty in the sky. You can see some of the other trees are yet to bud.
There are some great skies if you go and visit.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Wednesday Potpourri

For my Wednesday Potpourri I thought I show you some results of a fun photo day for me. You can click on any photo to get in closer.

I went out for my daily morning walk and saw this Black Squirrel completely hidden from me. Wait, I think I can see him, after all I was right under his tree. His black color isn't much help when hiding. I was so surprised when I returned to see a deer in the back yard behind my garden at 10 in the morning. I take my camera with me for these opportunities. I snapped quite a few shots but this was the first. Did you spot him right away? Our weather has made a strong change and you can see blossoms on the tree in the woods and my Hostas next to the house sending out spikes.The weather had started to cloud up but I wad wanted to go back to see the progress at the heron rookery. There was still a lot of building activity going on. This is one of three full trees.
I started home when it began to rain and as I came around a bend found a dead opossum with two Turkey Vultures. The birds were on the road doing their job. They are a big brave birds and one didn't leave until a car came from the other direction. Luckily the road was lightly traveled in the park. I approached slowly and then turned and came back to get some more photos.
This is only a splash into coming post but it was a fun photo opt day.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

What Is It XXIII - Answers

What great guesse we had this week and all were guessed correctly.

The first one is moss that was growing on a driveway culvert, I'm not sure where the shells came from but it made it trickier. Joan from South Africa was right on the moss with the first guess. She had the nuts from a mahogany tree on her site this week. Boy did I blow that guess even with two guesses. Check out her site. The second was a deer's footprint in the mud near home, this is a place the deer have crossing a lot and you can see the trail. Becky got this one, she must have a deer crossing her NC farm. She always has neat stories.
I found this shortly after I had seen seven deer crossing a railroad track bed.
The last is my gardens mortal enemy the groundhog. They love to dig under my fence and eat my vegetables. Willard was the first to get this one. He is a super wildlife photographer from the mountains of Pennsylvania. Check out his site for great photos.
There were some great early guesses a lot of other people did well on the answers.

Monday, April 27, 2009

What Is It - XXIII

Here are three finds, let us see how you do.

What do you think I found here? It may be too easy or am I tricking you?
This one may surprise you.
This is my late addition, you have to be pretty smart to grab this one.
Okay, there they are, did you get any right?

My World #29

This is my posting for the My World Meme. It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, Louise and myself. Last week there were 125 people showing their worlds to us. Won't you join in, I want to see where you live and thrive. Here is part of 'My World'.

Today I'm going to show you the Village of Brady Lake. It was named after Captain Samuel Brady an Indian fighter in the 1780's. You can read more about him in a previous post here and here.
Note to self: "Wind down your window when shooting into the Sun".

I do not fish this lake and all my photos from the lake are drive-by. They do not give you a good place to pull off or park to take photos. This is a look from the North End of the lake through a privacy fence.
This is a little ways around the corner of the lake looking to the mud dam. If you click on this one you will see the Canada Goose that snuck into the shot on the right shoreline.
It is a fun place to capture ducks, geese and heron.
BTW: The Cavs swept the Pistons and move to the second round of the play-offs. King James is doing his thing. They will play Miami or Atlanta.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Today's Flowers #38

My friend Luiz from Brazil does the Today's Flowers Meme, check it out. Come and join with your flower photos. Sunday at 7 GMT is the post time.

Today I'm showing my patriotic Hyacinths from the front flower bed. The red ones.
The white ones.
The blue ones, the colors of our flag. Another photo rotation, I don't know why.
My youngest daughter had another orchid bloom this week, it is a white and rose beauty.
Don't you think she does a good job in neglecting these orchids.
There are a lot of neat flowers blooming in the world.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Camera Critter #55

Camera Critters by Misty Dawn, go here to see who's participating.

Photos from Brady Lake of the Great Blue Heron. This is the same place I shot the ducks on the lake in the previous. I saw this guy one day last week but received no co-operation.
Well mister heron what is the idea of sticking out your tongue at me?
Okay okay, I get it, I'm disturbing you and you are moving. Could you give me more warning. I'm zoomed in you see.
So across the lake he goes.
Onto the other shore he flew and now into mixed company. Do you notice the male mallard? You can see a lot of other neat critters by visiting the site and linking in.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Friday Fun Shots - Ducks

I have been hoping to see some unusual ducks rather then just the mallard. I finally got a Wood Duck at a distance on Brady Lake. I found this family of bad hair ducks. Tried my best to identify and finally gave up. What are they, they have funny head dresses and long bills?
They are a diving duck and are often underwater. The photo doesn't help much but I took several of them. It is Friday fun.
How about a duck we all know. This is a Ruddy Duck, how do you like that blue bill. First one I ever saw. There are no Photo Shop tricks here.
So just for fun, this is an albino Mallard Duck. Well, it was swimming with the mallards. Too bad the eye isn't red.

I hope you had fun with my recent duck finds.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Sky Watch Friday #41

Sky Watch Friday is doing really well. Please check out the site and link in if you wish to participate. There were over 300 people last week with beautiful Sky photos. You can link in from my side bar or at the start of this post.

The skies started out a little scary yesterday morning. The temperature at ground level was 39F. The dark skies turned into a snow flurries and the start of a tough day with high winds.
The high winds didn't stop but the sky definitely changed. Check out Old Glory flapping in the wind. This was a drive-by bridge shot.
The next bridge down was also being buffeted by the wind.
I was going to the doctors for a check up with some great results. My weight was down 12# and my bad cholesterol dropped from 99 to 59. The medicine is working and everything is going well.
There are some great skies if you go and visit.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Wednesday Potpourri - Turtles

My walk in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park gave me some small turtle photos. Here are a pair of Painted Turtles sharing a log. One has just emerged from the water. They have some great colors and I have kept them as a kid.
The other turtle I saw was a Red Eared Slider that I used in my What Is It. This was my first shots as I saw him. He was posed so neatly on a cool log. Did you notice his foot and tail reflection?
I zoomed in to get a better look.
My daughter spotted them both, she has a good I for finding nature, Thanks T.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won the first two games of the basket ball play-offs. They easily beat Detroit and now head there to close out the series in 4 games. King James looks unstoppable and is heading for MVP of the league.

What Is It XXII - Answers

What Is It Answers: Every year the squirrels raid the Ohio Buckeye Tree and bury some Buckeye nuts for the spring. This is the baby tree directly in front of a Blue Hibiscus in my front flower bed.
The fossilized stone found at the Cuyahoga River. There are several heart shapes on the sandstone. Becky definitely got this one first guess. She does some neat stories on her site. Lisa got the fossil idea which was neat. She has a neat post on photos from Indiana.
I went there with with my youngest grandson and he took the photo with the rock below my right hand. This area was underwater until they eliminated the Kent Dam. It is now a rapids area.
I think this is a Red Eared Slider Turtle I saw on a log. I shot him from behind just for What Is It.
Darla was the first one on this one. She always has beautiful flowers showing.
Joan had a turtle this week on her game so I thought she would slay this one. Check out her beautiful tortoise.
The final is the Canada Goose captured on a lawn in Stow. My daughter called and said there was a turkey in the area but it was gone by the time I got there. Darla got it on her second guess.
They are easy when you see the complete photo.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What Is It XXII

Here are four finds, let us see how you do.

#1 It comes in this beautiful rust color, do you know what it is?
#2 This was a special find, what is it.
#3 Now don't let this one fool you, or will it.
#4 Here is the last one, is it tricky?
Okay, there they are, how many are you sure you got?

Monday, April 20, 2009

My World #28

This is my posting for the My World Meme. It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, Louise and myself. Last week there were 125 people showing their worlds to us. Won't you join in, I want to see where you live and thrive. Here is part of 'My World'.

I have a field directly behind my city lot. I have seen birds, rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, foxes and deer that live in the woods. It used to be a nursery 30 years ago and you can see some overgrown shrubs from the edge of the woods. You can plainly see the deer trail I went in on.
This is one of the more unusual tree trunks I saw. I do think it looks like a cross between a frog and an anteater. Can you see the eye, mouth, legs and snout?
There are definitely some areas that say no trespass.
You also get into some misty areas and wonder which way to go.
It can get darker in the woods so you must take care.
I took my youngest grandson back into the woods. We found a groundhog mound. He found two tails from baby squirrels. The fox must have eaten the rest. I still don't know where the fox lives and haven't seen him for a while.