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SNAP: The Lions of Longbeach

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Helena’s meme, SNAP, causes me to be on the lookout for opportunities to make photographic connections. Here’s this week’s edition, and you can find others right here.

There was a small shopping plaza a little over a mile from our condo on Longboat Key, and I walked down there several times to mail letters, make dinner reservations, and pick up a few items. I was interested that the home owners along this stretch of the highway seem to favor lions as decorative elements. I had a collection of five to choose from for SNAP, but ended up using only three so that I could include one that stands outside The Ringling Museum in Sarasota. He was just too beautiful to be left out. (#1 in the collage)

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It occurs to me (a few days late) that some of these are items for one of the alternatives for the Winter Scavenger Hunt (an animal statue). I didn’t worry about finding the alternates once I found all 21 items on the list.

We got home Sunday night after a long, 12 hour drive. That wasn’t the original intent, but Saturday night when we realized it was just 12 hours we decided to go for it. The weather was great, and there wasn’t a lot of traffic. No snow anywhere to be seen, so that was a blessing! It’s chilly here, but no complaints. Last year there were still several feet of snow in our yard when we got back. This year the daffodils are peeking up through the soil. Big improvement!

 

Five in Five: Myakka River State Park

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Sunday we met Tracy’s high school friend and her husband for a boat tour and walk in the Myakka River State Park, about an hour from where we are staying in Florida. The photo opportunities on the boat were not frequent enough to get five in five minutes, but afterwards we walked out to an observation deck next to the weir and I was able to capture 5 in 5.

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The first photo shows an inlet to the fresh water lake (behind me) where there were a variety of birds congregated.

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This is a wood stork, not as sharp as I would have like.

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A white egret in the air, and a blue heron on the shore.

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I’m not sure what kind of snake this is, but he was having a feast with the hundreds of minnows swimming along the shore.

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This was taken when I turned around toward the lake which is filled with alligators. I took several photos of the alligators sunning on the shores of the lake, but this photo might be my favorite.

I’m linking up to Sandie’s Five in Five for March with thanks for hosting another great photography meme.

SNAP: The Rodeo

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When we come to Florida in March, we always try to find something to do about halfway between where we’re staying and where my mother-in-law spends the winter. This year we decided on Arcadia, FL, where the All-Florida Rodeo was being held. It drew cowboys from all over the country and as far as Manitoba in Canada. Although it couldn’t quite compare to the Calgary Stampede, it was lots of fun and the competition was very good.

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There was cattle roping, bronco riding, entertainment by a very talented clown, and barrel racing (the only event for women). These photos are a testament to our great seats and the power of the iPhone camera. I took my “big” camera to the rodeo only to discover that the battery was nearly dead, and I’d left the spare battery at home. I was delighted to get these photos with my phone.

I’m linking up, as always, with Helena and off to see what other collections have been curated this week.

SNAP: Blue

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We arrived on Longboat Key on Sunday. It’s been sunny and warm every day—exactly why we come in March when the temperatures are still chilly and there’s still snow on the ground at home. There are lots of pretty colors here, but blue seems to be predominant.

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Upper left: the view from our condo window. I love to sit in the chair by this window and read.

Upper right: one of the umbrellas at the pool.

Lower left: a row of chairs at the pool.

Lower right: the steps into the pool.

So far, it’s been an ideal vacation:  a little sun, lots of steps (I’m aiming for an average of 10,000 a day), lots of reading (have finished When Breath Becomes Air—highly recommended, and am enjoying My Brilliant Friend), and good meals and conversation with our friends. We’re here with another couple from our church (our daughters were baptized on the same day), and last night we met two other couples from church who are vacationing here as well for dinner and viewing the sunset. I’m linking up with Helena and off to check out the rest of the SNAP photos for this week.

 

SNAP: The Dutch Collection and 5 in 5 Minutes

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This is the second week in a row that I’m posting flowers as the subject of my SNAP meme sponsored by Helena. I admit a slight obsession with flowers during the month of February. Despite unusually warm temperatures this month, we have had plenty of snow recently. Even with two days of temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s the depth of the snow in our front yard has not significantly diminished. So, as I do each year, I visited the George Eastman House this weekend. The Dutch Collection just opened, and it’s a great place to get a glimpse of spring and some good photos of flowering plants.

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The top left are a German primrose. I don’t recall seeing them in previous years, but I love that one plant has so many colors. I was able to purchase one of these, although mine doesn’t have quite as many colors in it. The top right in Clivia. Before I started going to this show, I’d never heard of it, and it remains one of my favorites every year. And who can resist the beauty of the Heleborus and the tulips? Not I.

Here’s a larger view of the conservatory. Although the largest groupings of flowers are here, the Heleborus line a walkway overlooking the gardens on the way into the house, and there are groupings in a smaller solarium as well. Many of the groupings are color coordinated. One of my good friends is a docent here. She was scheduled to water these plants a week ago on the day of the big snow. Luckily, the museum closed, as did most institutions. I had never given any thought to watering these plants, and I forgot to ask her how long it takes.

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I was there on Saturday afternoon after a retreat at our church which is just down East Ave. I was surprised and pleased to discover that there was an organ recital being played. I thought they were just on Sundays, but perhaps I wandered in at a time when the organist was rehearsing

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While I was at the Eastman House, I got my five photos in five minutes for Sandie’s meme. I just have one day left to get it posted, so here are even more beautiful flowers from the Eastman House taken during the first five minutes I was there.

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All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend a half an hour or so on a winter afternoon.

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I thought I knew exactly what I was going to post for Helena’s SNAP meme this week, but I totally changed my mind when I got this beautiful bouquet of flowers for Valentine’s Day. 

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There were just the right number of different flowers to create this week’s SNAP collage.

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We spent yesterday house-bound with the biggest snow of the year, and the greatest accumulation in a day in the last seven years. It’s beautiful, but I hope the roads have improved as I do need to go out today.

 

 

SNAP: RED

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In honor of Valentine’s Day this coming weekend, I thought I’d do a collection of red items. The cyclamen is sitting on our coffee table, and the red throw and pillow are on the red chair in my studio. The other red flowers were photos taken earlier.

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Red is my favorite color, and as I sit and write this post, I’m sipping tea from a red cup. I could have photographed my red kitchen chairs, the red carpet on our stairs, or one of my red sweaters, or even the new red heart charm I purchased this week in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. I’m surrounded with red hearts and valentine stamps as I try to get ready for the weekend. Valentine’s Day was my father’s favorite holiday, and I try to honor his memory by making sure my kids and grandchildren get a special card on Valentine’s Day. I’ll be back on Monday with a look at this year’s projects. 

What’s your favorite color? Linking up with Helena and off to see what other collections have been posted this week.

 

Winter Scavenger Hunt: Part 3

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In addition to finding items on the Winter Scavenger Hunt hosted by Joy and Eileen on our trip, I’ve found a few around town as well.  I think I have just five to find, and all of them are doable for sure. The hardest one has been the robin. I have a photo to share from our walk through the park earlier this week, but all I had with me was my iPhone so he’s pretty tiny. If it warms up again (the temperature is headed down for a few days), I’ll go back with the DSL-R and try sitting quietly on a bench and see if I have more luck. I’d love to get one anywhere near as wonderful as the bird photos Miriam posts, but I don’t have much hope of that!

Here’s the “little” robin in Highland Park. Not very clear because I cropped it so much so you could actually see that it was a robin.

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As I was driving into the library parking lot the other day, I followed this truck. I pulled alongside and hopped out with my iPhone. The driver was very personable, and wanted to know all about this scavenger hunt. He was fascinated that people in Europe as well as across Canada and the United States were playing along with it. Here are three ladders in one shot.

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The driver really wanted me to take a photo of the other side of the truck, so here it is, but not so well composed due to the angle at which he needed to park. I think there were six ladders in total, and he offered to open up the back end where evidently there were even more. I assured him all I needed was one!

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I’m still looking for a more interesting chimney, but this one is quite nice on a home that borders the path Debbie and I walk each week on the canal.

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And lastly, for today, some outside lights. I took this the second week of January as we pulled out of my MIL’s housing development. I was afraid, even then, that most people would have already taken down their Christmas lights. These were particularly nice. You can see my shadow caused by the lights of our car.

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I haven’t gotten around to creating an album in SmugMug for this hunt, but you can see the earlier collections here and here.

SNAP 5: A Walk Through the Park

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Our unseasonably warm weather has continued. Today is supposed to break all the records, but then winter will be returning again. While it’s been warm, we’ve been walking outside nearly every day. Yesterday we walked through Highland Park. Not much in the way of signs of spring, but we always enjoy walking through the Poet’s Garden. It was first planted in 1916 to honor the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. We found a bench inscribed with that date as we walked along the path. The original plants were among those mentioned by Shakespeare in his writings. Many of those plants did not survive, so over the years new plants, trees, and shrubs have been planted. Later in the spring, I’ll take another walk through do another collection.

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The quote by Shakespeare on the plaque reads:

                                                                                                                      And this our life exempt from public haunt
                                                                                               Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
                                                                                               Sermons in stones and good in everything.
                                                                                                                                                                               from As You Like It

It’s already been a lot of fun checking out the collections for SNAP linked to Helena’s blog, and this week is sure to be interesting as well.

  

Winter Scavenger Hunt

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While we were traveling I managed to find some more items for the Winter Scavenger Hunt being hosted by Joy and Eileen. 

As we were leaving Rochester early in the morning, we saw a beautiful sunrise, and I saw some gorgeous bare trees silhouetted in front of it. There was no way to get a photo there, but Tracy (always a great help on these searches) left the expressway at the next exit. Just a few miles down a two lane road I was able to get this shot.

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And here’s a Waterlouged version:

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We love Frederick, MD and often stop there for a meal or to walk the streets downtown on our way south. This year, it was just an excuse to get out of the car for an hour and the only thing we got were two items for the scavenger hunt. Frederick is know for it’s street art, and it is truly amazing. I thought I had previously posted a few of these from an earlier trip, but if I did, I can’t find that post quickly. This one is one of our favorites, just off the main street.

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And here it is close up.

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Also in Frederick, I found my first arrow on the very top of a beautiful church steeple.

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And two more, one in St. Petersburg, FL and the other on the sidewalk in Fort Myers Beach, FL.

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I found these berries along the way on one our walks in Florida.

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Just outside the North Carolina Museum of Art where we saw the fabulous M.C. Escher show, was this line of fountains.

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I like this view of them through the trees.

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Another stop on our way was Savannah, GA. We stopped just to have dinner and found a wonderful restaurant in an old inn. Just down the street was a small park with a fountain.

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We had some amazing wind while we were in Fort Myers Beach. The worst of it was at night, but there were a couple of days where it was a challenge. Sadly, the photos of the palm trees don’t make it look as windy as it really was!

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Since we’ve been home, I’ve found a few more, and I’ll be back to post those in a day or two.

Snap: Week 4

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Last week I debated about a group of snow photos, and chose instead to focus on bright colors. Although the incredible East Coast blizzard stayed east of us, we did get some decent snow last week, and I went out in the yard for some photos.

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It’s been very windy today and quite a bit warmer so the icicles have disappeared from the roof, and lots of the snow has melted. My friend, Debbie and I walked on the canal yesterday. The snow was hard packed by previous walkers and runners, so it wasn’t hard to walk at all. We’re hoping to get our weekly walk in every week from now on, but that’s probably optimistic. 

Linking up to Helena’s blog where you’ll find other SNAP collections.

SNAP Week 3: Fresh Produce

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We make an effort to eat and purchase locally three seasons a year, but during the winter it would be slim pickings. I’m so grateful that one of the best grocery chains in the United States makes its home in Rochester. The flagship store is Pittsford is actually a tourist destination, and it’s my go-to grocery store along with Trader Joe’s. I had a couple things in mind for SNAP this week, but after several gray, snowy days here, when I walked into Wegman’s this morning I knew right away I wanted to feature the bright colors of the produce.

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At least half, maybe more, of my grocery cart each week is produce (except in the summer when I shop at the local farmers’ markets). It’s not inexpensive, but I figure it’s part of our health plan! Linking to Helena’s meme SNAP, and off to see what other finds folks have made this week.

SNAP: Week 2

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Here’s another photographic peek into our road trip from Rochester to Florida. We always make a stop in St. Petersburg to have lunch at The Red Mesa Catina—one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I once had a special posole there that I’ve managed to replicate with some success at home, and their chicken quesadillas are the best I’ve ever had. This time I had the Cuban torta which was wonderful, and big enough for two lunches. Our other stop, Whim-So-Doodle, is just around the corner. It’s the best scrapbook/stamp/stationary store I know. Tracy entertains himself with Facebook while I shop.

This weekend, after our lunch and my shopping, we went to see the Chihuly Collection. We’ve seen one of his garden installations in Atlanta, and a fabulous show at the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate State Park, so we were really looking forward to seeing some new and different pieces. It was, however, a bit of a disappointment as the collection is much smaller than we anticipated. Many of the larger sets are ones we’ve seen elsewhere, although there were a few new pieces I liked a lot, including the white one below. If you don’t know Dale Chihuly, it’s definitely worth a look at his site.

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Check out Helena’s blog for more SNAP collections this week. We’re on our way back to the cold, and evidently very snowy, northeast tomorrow. Although I’ll miss the mild Florida weather, I’m very ready to settle in at home after having been on the road since Christmas. 

 

SNAP 1 and Winter Scavenger Hunt

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Helena has come up with another great photography meme for 2016. I knew I wanted to start with one of the Winter Scavenger Hunt items, and thought I’d post the rest of the items I’ve found at the same time.

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A wreath is #8 on the Winter Scavenger Hunt. The first is over our fireplace, the second hanging above the chapel door at our church, and the bottom two were on the wall at the Chicago Botanic Garden as part of a wreath making competition. I’m quite fond of the rectangular one with the bright red cardinal.

Tinsel is #2. I was beginning to think I’d waited too long for this one, but in the entryway to a restaurant on Sunday I found this tree with silver tinsel.

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A star is #4. 

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Number 5 is a snowman. I’m pretty sure I’ll find one made of snow before winter is over here, but there hasn’t been enough snow in Rochester (thankfully), and the snow in Chicago wasn’t the right kind for making snowmen (much to Caleb’s disappointment.)

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Driving to Whole Foods in Evanston, I passed this park, hopped out of the van, and took this photo of #6: puddle(s).

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And last, for now, is #15: candlelight on our dining room table.

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I’m linking this with Helena’s meme, SNAP, and to Joy and Eileen’s link-up for the Winter Scavenger Hunt. The only item I’m a little worried about is pudding. I think there’s a broader definition in Europe, and I need to do some investigating. 

 

 

Fall Road Trip

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It was a beautiful weekend to be on the road, and I thought I’d share a few photos, and a story about our day in Manchester, VT. It’s one of our favorite places to visit in the fall. The colors aren’t at peak quite yet, but it was still lovely.

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We were up early enough to catch the sunrise as we drove from my brother’s in Pleasant Valley, NY to the Taconic Parkway.

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Our first stop is always Up For Breakfast. Although I’ve tried a couple other items on the menu, I long ago gave up experimenting and stick with their Morning Glory pancakes—basically carrot cake in pancake form. With real Vermont maple syrup and sausage, it’s a breakfast that can’t be beat.

After breakfast, we walked up to Orvis, a high end sports clothing and fishing equipment store that has its flagship store in Manchester. Their fall displays are always beautiful.

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This is a stained glass window on the second floor of the store:

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After visiting Orvis, we walked back to the main shopping area, primarily outlets with great prices. Both of us did a bit of shopping, and I was quite pleased with my purchases. (More about that later!)

On our way out of town, after lunch at a great new (to us) Mexican restaurant with local ingredients, we stopped at the Equinox Valley Garden Center. We were charmed to find a group of artists who had set up easels around the garden center.

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We struck up a conversation with this lovely lady who had traveled from Florida to attend a six day workshop. Her husband was off taking photographs of the area.

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The displays and flowers were gorgeous. I had a great time taking photographs with a new Sony point and shoot I recently purchased for traveling. I got so tired of hauling my DSLR and multiple lenses up mountains this summer that I was determined to get a smaller and lighter camera for travel. I thought I’d buy a mirrorless camera, but when I discovered the lens I wanted cost more than the camera, I reconsidered. The Sony has a long zoom with a set aperture, and I think it’s going to be perfect.

One final photo from the trip. We often stop to take photos at the Tomhannock Reservoir. It’s such a lovely spot right on the highway.

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And if you’ve held on for this long, I have a story to restore your faith in human nature. When we got home Monday night, and unpacked the car, I was shocked to discover that one of my bags was missing. It had a sweater and scarf that I purchased at a local store in Manchester. The sweater was on sale, but this is not an outlet store. I was so disappointed, as it was my favorite purchase of the day. Neither Tracy nor I could imagine where we’d lost it. Tuesday morning I called a couple of stores, but no one had seen it.

Finally, I decided I’d call the store where I purchased it and see if I could order another sweater. (I thought I’d pass on replacing the scarf.) When I reached the clerk, she remembered me, and was delighted to hear from me. Someone found my bag, and returned it to the store. The clerk, of course, had no way to contact me, but was willing to send it on to me. Needless to say, I was thrilled, although I still don’t know where we left the bag. She said she’d weigh the package, and call me back with the cost for postage. In just a minute or so, she called and said the manager told her they would send the package at no cost! It arrived yesterday (sent by priority mail), and last night I made a thank you card to send to them.

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The card uses another of Papertrey Ink’s “Back and White All Over” papers, and a stamp from a new set called “In the Bag.” I think I’ll be using this design again. Quick and easy, but striking, I think–and in my favorite color scheme:  black, white, and red. 

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We have a pretty quiet weekend ahead:  lunch and the movies with friends tomorrow and church on Sunday. Hopefully, I’ll get back to my Project Life pages. I got a good start on them a week or so ago, and they are piled up on a table in my studio.