Day 157 – Around the grounds

I took a little walk around the grounds late this afternoon. Everything was a bit damp from yesterday’s rain.

Backyard Visitor

We put the dogs out in the backyard after supper to do their business and almost immediately both of them went off, barking the way they do when there is some kind of intruder onto the property. As we live out in the country, pedestrians are a rarity, and about the only vehicle that pulls into our driveway is the UPS truck, so when they bark like this we wonder what’s going on and we always investigate.

Here’s what had them going: a three-foot gopher snake under the roses. He was trying to make his get-away and at first crawled into the bush. I ran for my camera. Sorry, these are a bit blurry.

Brad got him out of the bush and the snake made a beeline toward the house, passing by the garage door and ultimately slithering under the foundation.

Knowing he isn’t venomous and is a predator of the pocket gophers and other rodents we’ve got around here soothes my initial shock at seeing the guy. Now, if he’ll just stay out of the backyard.

Day 150 – Pollinators

I went out shooting this afternoon and focused in on these flowering shrubs. I was surprised at the different kinds of pollinators doing their thing. Moths too!

Weekly Photo Challenge – Summer

It used to be that summer to me meant beaches and barbecues. But since I’ve moved to northern Nevada, it never really feels like summer until I can put on my shorts and hiking boots, pack the dogs in the car, and head up to the trees.

Hiking through the woods at Spooner Lake. Good for the eyes, good for the psyche.

Day 149 – My roses are not flawless

But they have the most wondrous perfume.

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

~ William Shakespeare, Sonnet 130

Day 148 – Birthday Present!

Yes, I’m spoiled rotten. I know it.

Sweetie gave me a Canon EOS 7D EF-28-135 IS USM kit for my birthday. I’ve had my eye on one for a while and I’m really, really happy with it. It’s much heftier that my Rebel T1i, and has a wider range of capabilities. ISO starts at 100 and increases at 1/3 stop intervals up to 6400. Very, very little noise at the highest ISO (one of the comments I read over and over and over again about this model). Also, 100% field of view means the photo I compose in my viewfinder will be the photo the camera will produce. No unknown stuff around the edges. I took it out for a whirl today. Here are just a few of my shots. Very little processing done to these, just a bit of sharpening of the RAW files.

Close-up of a buckle on my leather jacket.

Rose in the backyard.

Nina on a walk-about in the backyard.

Jezebel by the light of the living room window.

This was my only flash photo…Maya by the front door. Exposed for outdoors with flash used to equalize the indoor lighting.

Day 141 – Solar Eclipse

Reno was right in the line of the annular eclipse, and I did my best to capture it. Shot at ISO 100, 1/4000s, f/32. And I still had to underexpose in Bridge and Photoshop, and changed the color balance to give them a glow.

But what a show! Fortunately, we has eclipse viewing glasses! These look very close to what we saw through the glasses.

Day 140 – 15 Years

15 years ago yesterday I found the love of my life. 10 years ago yesterday we officially said I do.

I made reservations for us at Zephyr Cove at Lake Tahoe. Our cabin was a sweet little one-bedroom with kitchenette and a fireplace.

After checking in we walked about 50 yards to this beach. You can see the cabins through the trees.

I got a photo of Sweetie in the cabin.

We had reservations for the Captain’s Dinner & Dance Cruise on the M.S. Dixie. I’d never done the cruise around Lake Tahoe, so this was a first for me but not Sweetie. It was a very short walk to the dock where she is berthed.

A view of the lake from the pier.

Another photo of Sweetie across the dinner table.

We went to Emerald Bay and back. This is Vikingsholm.

The food was just okay, and the dance floor was about the size of a postage stamp, but the two-man band was pretty good, and there were people having a great time, and we did too. Some were celebrating birthdays and others were celebrating anniversaries like us.