Sunlight in the Trees

I caught this nice sunburst through the trees this afternoon.

f/16, 1/200 sec, 85 mm

And I liked the striking contrast of these trees in the back pasture.

f/2.8, 1/800 sec, 85 mm

Popcorn and a Movie

We watched Alaric and Barrett tonight and then they had a sleepover. I made them popcorn and they watch Scooby-Doo cartoons with Steve. Here's Barrett relaxing and enjoying himself!

Down the Lane

I walked down the driveway to get a package that had been delivered and the sun was shining beautifully golden on the trees.

f/2.4, 1/28 sec, Samsung Galaxy S10+

Making Cupcakes with Alaric

Alisa and the boys came over today and we made cupcakes. Alaric helped mix the batter and then he added the sprinkles after I frosted them. It was a fun day!

Dandelion Flower

The dandelions are beginning to bloom already. It has been unusually warm this past week - in the high 60's and the low 70's.

f/4.2, 1/400 sec, 105 mm

Going to Seed

 
Another plant going to seed. I love the textures!

f/11, 1/60 sec, 105 mm

Steps

I have been trying to increase my exercise and have been walking daily from the house back to the shooting range a few times. My goal this month has been 6000 steps a day and I'm starting to hit that goal consistently. So today I increased my walking time by 5 minutes and thought I would also increase my goal to 7500 steps a day. 

After my walk today I went to get the safety inspection done on the car but they told me it didn't pass because I needed new tires. So, off to get new tires, uggh. They had a 2 hour wait so I went grocery shopping while I waited. A few more steps than a regular day spent at home, but not an unusual number. As I was working on the computer tonight, I glanced down at my watch and was amazed! Over 10,000 steps! I don't think I've had that many steps in many years!!

f/5.6, 1/15 sec, 105 mm

Beautiful Water Droplets

It rained during the night and this morning when I was out walking, I noticed that the water droplets on the spiderwebs made them show up everywhere! I'm sure they are usually there but they were very visible today.

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There was also water droplets on the leaves and I love how they magnified the world around them.

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I found this Milkweed Assassin Bug hiding in the remains of my garden. They are beneficial bugs so I was happy to see him there.

f/8, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

Copper Edged Coins

Trying to find something to take a photo of tonight and I came across our coin jar. I liked how the worn edges of the coins show the green copper.

f/10, 1/15 sec, 105 mm

A Rose Is a Rose, Except When It Isn't

I found these seed pods on the side of our tractor barn. They remind so much of miniature rosebuds, even the color!

f/7.1, 1/50 sec, 105 mm

The Tree of Many Colors

I really wanted to take a photo today of something more colorful in this dreary January weather. I found this tree with so many colors!

f/3, 1/25 sec, 105 mm

Spooky Spider

It was a nice day today so Alisa brought the boys up and we had a picnic at the park. While the boys were playing I found this very small spider on a leaf. It wasn't nearly as interesting in person as it was after I looked at it zoomed in. I really enjoy macro photography and seeing the extremely small details.

f/3.2, 1/500 sec, 105 mm

Red Robin Red Robin

There was a robin in the yard today and I very slowly got closer and closer so I could take a photo of it. It was busy having a nice snack so it stayed put for awhile and I was able to get a good photo - even without a zoom lens!

f/16, 1/20 sec,105 mm

Sahara the Goat

This is one of my Nubian dairy goats, Sahara. I was out taking photos this afternoon and she kept climbing up on the fence and bawling for attention. I guess she won!

f/3, 1/100 sec, 105 mm

Making Cookies with Grandpa

Steve made cookies with the boys tonight at Braxton and Alisa's. Barrett always covers his ears when the mixer is going :)

f/8, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

f/8, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

f/8, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

f/8, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

Barrett

Barrett and Alaric got new tablets for Christmas. This was Barrett this evening - completely enthralled in watching it. It's amazing what a 2 yr. old can figure out!

f/3.2, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

More Wood Than the Eye Can See

Today Steve and I went downtown to a couple of hardwood stores. Steve needed some walnut to make more cutting boards and some other wood for cabinets and other projects. Everywhere you look there are stacks and stacks of wood. They bring out a pallet of the type of wood you are interested in and you choose what you want. Then they take that pallet back and bring out the next type of wood. It's very interesting. This stack of wood was a larger one off to the side.

f/2.4, 1/120 sec, Samsung Galaxy 10+

Momma Kitty Went a Hunting

Momma kitty catches many moles, mice, birds, and even rabbits sometimes. She is an awesome hunter! Today she caught a bird and then enjoyed a nice nap :)

f/2.4, 1/120 sec, Samsung Galaxy 10+

f/7.1, 1/200 sec, 105 mm

Wasp

I found a type of black wasp on my walk today. I think it's a oxyrrhexis carbonator texana. We have a lot of wasp varieties here! Too many!

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f/3.5, 1/250 sec, 105 mm

Frosty Mirror

There was frost this morning on the car. This is a photo of frost on my side mirror.

f/13, 1/40 sec, 105 mm

Valentine's Day Tic-Tac-Toe

I just started as a pattern designer for My Girlfriend's Quilt Shoppe in Utah and today I finished my first sample! It's a table topper for Valentine's Day, 16 1/2" square, with tic-tac-toe felt playing pieces done on the embroidery machine. So much fun to design and make!

f/14, 1/50 sec, 85 mm

Sweet Gum Ball

We have Sweet Gum trees on our property here and we had them when we lived in The Woodlands as well. They have the most interesting seed balls. I picked one up on my walk the other day and brought it into the house to use on a day like today when it was raining and I couldn't go outside to take a photo. It poured all day long and we even got some sleet but unfortunately no snow. Some parts of Houston did get snow today, but not us.

f/3, 1/60 sec, 105 mm

Wrapped in Vines

We have some large vines that wrap around some of the tree trunks and have very pretty yellow trumpet flowers in the spring. But for now they just pose some interesting spirals.

f/3, 1/20 sec, 105 mm

Yaupon Berries

I found these berries on my walk on the back of our property.

f/3.5, 1/160 sec, 105 mm

Last Leaf Hanging

Even though we don't have much in the way of autumn leaves, we had a few this year since it was a little colder earlier. This was the last leaf hanging on the tree.

f/3.3, 1/60 sec, 105 mm

Twice Stabbed Lady Beetle

Yes, that is really the name of this black lady bug - the Twice Stabbed Lady Beetle! It's a variety of lady bug. I found it on one of our trees on my walk this morning.

f/29, 1/125 sec, 105 mm

Fire Remnants

Steve built a fire last week to burn some trash on the back of our property. This is a photo of the remains of a tape measure.

f/11, 1/60 sec, 105 mm

Thread Shelf

This is a portion of one of two shelves that Steve made me to hold my threads. As you can see they are filling up fast! He may have to make me another one soon! Hint, hint.

f/9, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

Nature Walk

I love having such a large variety of things to take photos of on our property - even in the middle of winter when everything is brown. We have at least 4 varieties of mushrooms that grow on our land. This variety is a vivid orange and has such an interesting texture. As far as I can tell from research, it is a type of chanterelle mushroom and it is edible - but I won't risk testing it!

f/3, 1/160 sec, 105 mm

I also found more beautiful weeds on my walk today. I love the ethereal feel of this photo.

f/5, 1/50 sec, 105 mm

Woven Bookmark

Steve's mom made this beautiful bookmark for me for Christmas. It's cut and and folded to look like it is woven. I love how you can see the texture of the fabric in the photo. The actual bookmark is just smooth cotton fabric.

f/11, 1/30 sec, 105 mm

Great Grandmother's Irons

These irons belonged to my great grandmother, Carolina Abplanalp Alder. When my mother, Sharron, was about 15 years old  (around 1957) she visited her grandma Alder in their log cabin in Salmon, Idaho. She watched her grandma use these irons to iron their clothing and asked to help. She and her grandmother heated the iron on a wood stove until it was hot and then ironed with it. Due to continuous use over the years, the handle on the iron broke. Carolina's son, Glen Alder (my grandfather) repaired it when he was a teenager (around 1934) so she could keep using it. I'm sure it needed repairs multiple times and my grandpa finally repaired it years later with electrical tape. My mother loved her grandmother so much that when she passed away she asked for her irons and one of her oil lamps. She waited many years after her grandma died to get these and was given them by my grandpa a couple of years ago. He was using them as door stops. I asked my mother if I could have them when she died and she surprised me for my birthday a year ago and gave them to me! I have them displayed in my sewing room and I love them!

f/9, 1/30 sec, 105 mm