Thursday, April 29, 2010

Sky Watch Season # 4 Episode # 42

Sky Watch Friday This is the place. Please check out the site and link in if you wish to participate. There were a lot of people with beautiful Sky photos last week. You can link in from my side bar or at the start of this post. You can link at 3:00 PM EDT on Thursdays. SWF is run by Klaus, Wren, Sandy, Sylvia and myself.


I finally went fishing on the boat this week. This is a sky photo that was full of white clouds above Lake Hodgson. I like the way the clouds melt into the trees at the far end of the lake. This the same sky as in my header after the cold front brought the clouds to the sky.
There was a cold North wind but a beautiful showing of white clouds all over the lake. This is a view looking North toward the dam.
You can see a lot of great skies at the link above.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Header Competition # 29 - Tools of the Trade

The header theme this week by Mac and is "Tools of the Trade". Mac,TomDarlaMarthaGail's Man and I have a little contest to show a new theme header each week.


I'm retired so the tools of the trade consist of my truck and boat trailer for getting me to the lake.
 My boat is how I get around on the water. It is loaded with my fishing tools. Whoops, one of my cases fell over. You can see trolling motor, fish finder, poles, net and oars. All are tools of my trade.
The header is my boat at the dock on Lake Hodgson ready to take me to catch fish. It didn't work today, we had a 10 MPH North wind and 32 degrees F last night with a heavy frost. It was rough on the water.

Monday, April 26, 2010

My World Tuesday Season # 2 Episode # 29

This is my posting for the My World Meme. It is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren,  Sylvia and myself. Won't you join in, I want to see where you live and thrive. Click to visit other sites.

Our group crossed the Alps into Germany and stopped at Fussen. This is the location of two castles. This first one you see is the Royal Castle of Hohenschwangau. It was made in the 12th century. It was rebuilt by King Maximllian II in the 1830's the father of King Ludwig II.
You then look up on a hill and you see Neuschwanstein's Castle 1869-1886, built by (Mad) King Ludwig II.  Some of you who have been to Disneyland may recognize the style of the castle. It was a foggy/rainy day for this photo.
The weather broke as I reached the top of the hill, what a neat place.

The scenery and waterfalls also added to the beauty of the area.

Looking down to his father's castle added to the specialness of this castle. I hope you enjoyed this part of my trip.

You can travel around the world above.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Today's Flowers # 90 - Orchids

My friend Luiz from Brazil does the Today's Flowers Meme, check it out. Come and join with your flower photos. Sunday at 2 GMT is the post time.


I was over to my daughter's office because her orchid is blooming.
It certainly has a beautiful flower.
She also had another plant in bloom. She called it Peter in the Pulpit. It had a hooded green bloom which started white.
Here is a look at the final bloom. It is called spathphyllium per Carver & Lorac. It is also called a Peace Lily. 
You can see a lot of great flowers above.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Camera Critters # 107 - Birds


I was on a walk around the neighborhood when I saw an American Goldfinch in a tree. He posed quite nicely for me in the blue sky.

I went for a walk at the Kent Bog and something neat usually happens when I visit there. I spotted a bird in a Tamarack Tree and immediately knew it was a first for me. I moved around for a confirming photo but he was hard to capture.  It was a black bird with a white breast lined with orange.

Finally it moved, I had captured my first Eastern Towhee and was happy with the photo.

See a lot of great critters above.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Sky Watch Season # 4 Episode # 41

Sky Watch Friday This is the place. Please check out the site and link in if you wish to participate. There were a lot of people with beautiful Sky photos last week. You can link in from my side bar or at the start of this post. You can link at 3:00 PM EDT on Thursdays. SWF is run by Klaus, Wren, Sandy, Sylvia and myself. 

The weather is changing and birds are returning to the area. I was watching the sky as an Osprey winged by, they are a wondrous site.
I thought this was a peaceful scene at the cemetary.
Visit some great skies sites above.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Header Competition # 28 - People

The header theme this week by Tom and is "Sports". Mac,TomDarlaMarthaGail's Man and I have a little contest to show a new theme header each week.
This week Darla chose the theme of "PEOPLE". This is a broad subject and I took a lot of people shots on the trip.

My first person is a fellow flying companion on my tour, Darby. She was just being a kid on the ferry ride to Lido, Italy. We had been up for 28 hours.
A cute little boy at Salzburg, Austria. What a smile.
On the bus to the Neuscwanstien Castle with a friendly rider. She only spoke Japanese.
A neat gentleman in Lido, Italy. I love the hat, he took off his sunglasses for me. He was having his morning smoke break.
A photographer doing his job in Brixen, Italy. I was doing mine in capturing him.
My son, the director of the Shaker High School Band, with his proud parents. Salzburg awarded him a plaque.

Now here is something I've always wanted to do, stand on a post all day. An outfit from "The Wizard of Oz".
But I finally chose the modern girl taking a break on the cell phone. First you have to climb off the post.

Monday, April 19, 2010

My World Tuesday Season # 2 Episode # 28

This is my posting for the My World Meme. It is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Wren,  Sylvia and myself. Won't you join in, I want to see where you live and thrive. Click to visit other sites.

We leave Brixen, Italy and drive across the Alps through the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck, Austria. What do you think this is?
Castles on the hill are a common sight.

But this is the city of Olympic fame and the structure was a restaurant above the Bergisel Ski Jump Hill built in 2001.

The city of Innsbruck settled in the valley between the Alps.

The famous Golden Roof, what a setting in this city. The band performed 100 yards away in the square.

Who is that photographer on his head for the shot?
Why, it is yours truly just behind the band. The crowd of people was quite large.

Travel around the world above.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Today's Flowers # 89


My friend Luiz from Brazil does the Today's Flowers Meme, check it out. Come and join with your flower photos. Sunday at 2 GMT is the post time.

From a walk around the neighborhood I found this Forsythia plant.
They have a great flower when you look close-up.

Check out this patch of wild purple Violets in the park.

They have a very delicate bloom which hides their face.

You can see a lot of great flowers above.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Camera Critters # 106- Pigeons


The pigeons of Brixen, Italy came to lunch with me. They were a neat flock and very respectful. I shared some bread from my sandwich.
They came in a lot of color patterns.

They had really neat eyes and cool red feet.

They all had the regal walk.
I really like this brown and white one.

You can see a lot of critter at the above site.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Sky Watch Season # 4 Episode # 40

Sky Watch Friday This is the place. Please check out the site and link in if you wish to participate. There were a lot of people with beautiful Sky photos last week. You can link in from my side bar or at the start of this post. You can link at 3:00 PM EDT on Thursdays. SWF is run by Klaus, Wren, Sandy, Sylvia and myself. 

My wife saw this large object in the western sky last night. I told her it was a planet. She was seeing a Vee shape. There must have been some reason for the shape.
I had captured it while in Italy at dusk.
I got my good camera and took a photo. It was the planet Venus.

I took this photo a little while ago of the moon with the good camera.

See a lot of great skies above.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Header Competition # 27 - Three

The header theme this week by Tom and is "Sports". Mac,TomDarlaMarthaGail's Man and I have a little contest to show a new theme header each week.

This week I chose the subject of THREE. We will see what everyone discovered during the week. As I traveled Europe, I saw a recurring theme of Three. Here are the three arches of the castle bridge in Verona.
The same castle had three openings in the top of the tower.
A church in Salzburg had three door and a repeating three window theme. Check out the numbers on the doors. Built in 774, rebuilt in 1628 and again in 1959.
This was in Venice and a perfect example of three towers above the city.
Finally, I chose to show this building from Wurzburg, Germany along the Romantic Road to Frankfurt.

This is a close-up of the header. Three levels in the roof, three sets of towers on the two sides and three time pieces.  There is a sundial, a 24 hour clock and a normal clock. Even the windows give a count of three up the slope. As a bonus, did you see the three roof peaks in a row? I didn't until today.