A day at the beach...

This is a flower that the Hummingbirds love!

My spinach in its early stages.

Spring flowers...

My two beautiful nephews...

Miscellaneous Nature Photos

This was taken on one of those very cold winter mornings. There was a mist of frost in the air that had settled on the trees.

Two versions of a lone winter tree in the meadow.

Herons on a nearby pond....

New Baby!!!

Precious little hands.

A mother's love.

Digitally altered silhouette.

We love every part of the little one!

So peaceful and content.

Miscellaneous Pics

Father & Son.
In this particular photo, they are looking over the bank at the creek. My Nephew was fascinated by the water. I ended up taking him down to the creek to explore...

Bird at the feeder at my Dad's house.

Digitally altered photo of my Nephew. He is such a cutie!!!

Just another car photo......

A fiery sunset at my neighbor's house.

Fiery Sunrise...

It's A Baby Shower...

Christmas time.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Vacation in Kentucky - Bardstown the "Bourbon Capital of the World."

This is the "mash" - a combination of wheat, corn, barley and water. If you click to make the picture larger, you can see the bubbling. This is from the yeast - not from being "boiled."


After the mash goes through its process, the liquor product is then put into brand new barrels that have been charred with flame for 40 seconds on the inside - this is what helps to give the natural color to the whiskey. One of the requirements for a whiskey to be a bourbon is that it can not contain any artificial coloring. These barrels start at the very top of the five-story storage building and make their way down to the bottom over a 5 - 1/2 to 6 - 1/2 year process.
Once the bourbon matures, it is then bottled - each one of the bottles is hand-dipped in the trademark red wax.You can even dip your own bottle after the tour.....
We decided to visit the Makers Mark distillery - I am glad we did. According to the guide, Makers Mark is a "top shelf" bourbon because of the process they use in comparison to the other bourbon distilleries. Other bourbons made in the Bardstown, KY area are: Jim Beam, Heaven Hill and Tom Moore. There are many more within an hour or two. Like upstate NY - they have a trail - except it is a bourbon trail instead of a wine trail.

If you ever get a chance to visit Kentucky - Bardstown is certainly worth a stop.



And for the REAL entertainment of the trip, this is Gonzo.....
He did a great job at keeping us entertained. He is one of the most energetic kittens I have seen in a long time. He was in to EVERYTHING!

Suset in the Autumn

Cornell Greenhouse

This shot was taken at night while driving by the greenhouses at Cornell University. I believe this particular greenhouse is part of the Hydroponic studies at the university.

Geese Flying South

The geese are on their way to a warmer climate. I was fortunate to get these shots on the way home from my sister's house on Sunday. These were taken on the outskirts of the city of Ithaca. The sunset was a beautiful background. If I thought I could have made it to Cayuga Lake before the colors of the sunset completely disappeared, I probably would have risked a speeding ticket to get the shot. But, I knew that I could not possibly get there in time! These shots will have to do.

Countryside Sunrise

Backyard Visitor

As the leaves fall and the food becomes scarce, the animals get a little closer to the house. Here is a young buck foraging for food in the backyard.

Digitally Altered........

Miscellaneous Photos

The Beginning Signs of Fall

Decorative, potted grass seeing the effects of cool nights...

A bee's final work...
Golden rod - not my favorite fall flower but the yellow color absolutely shines in the afternoon sunlight.




The leaves are just beginning to fall from the trees.

HAPPY FALL!!

High School Football

Remember the days of going to your high school's football games...??

I almost forgot - and then a friend of mine invited me to join her to watch her child's high school game. Her daughter is a cheerleader and she wanted some company at the game so I agreed to ride along. I am glad I did. It was a great time - especially watching the kids run around and hang out and listening to the band play the traditional game songs - some out of tune.

I did not attend a lot of games when I was in high school but I did go to enough to experience the joys of being a carefree teen hanging out with friends on a Friday night.

As an adult, it was nice to see the game from a different perspective. I had my camera with me and was able to capture many shots. To follow are just a few from the evening...

We call her "Dixie." You can also see the glow of Peaches' eyes in the background.


"Tackling the hill."

The fog is so beautiful in the countryside.

Miscellaneous photos

The picture above was taken at a large pond along the 4-wheel trails near our home. The birds had already "hatched" their young and moved on.


A typical country scene...


This was a storm front that "let loose" about 15 minutes after capturing this shot.

Sunset

This is a sunset on nearby property. We regularly go "4-wheeling" and this particular sunset can be seen from one of the clearings along the riding trail. I love the "lines" of clouds in this particular sunset. If you click on the image, it will make it large enough to see the lines that I am describing.

On the one hand, Upstate NY is so beautiful...




On the other, there's a Bear print right next to my house!

However beautiful it may be, sometimes I think I am a little too close to nature.

Miscellaneous Photos

"Sisters" on the windowsill.



Her name is "Angel" and she fits the part.


Stairway at the glen.


Not exactly the first steps - but clumsy ones at that...


Slightly altered digitally. But, another beautiful landscape in upstate NY.

Calendar Cars..........

A few cars/trucks worthy of being featured in a custom calendar.

Early Morning in Central NY

I was on my way to an appointment and saw this photo-op. I had ALMOST continued driving and decided to turn around - after all, I was plenty early for the appointment ( I still had time to stop at Dunkin Donuts for coffee). I am glad I turned around...



Click on the image and take notice of the crows taking flight.


Here is one in color:

New Outdoor Friend - Tuffy II

Tuffy came back from his neuter appointment, today. He came back much more friendly and tame than when he went. Although he would come to us with A LOT of calling, he was extremely timid before going with Susan at Wildrun. When she brought him today, he never even thought about bolting away.



In this picture, he was coming out from under our porch after I called him. (Even though he looks as though he is trying to escape, don't let him fool you.) He came right to me when I called.



I had to hurry to get this shot before he got too close for the picture. He appears much happier than just a couple of weeks ago when he was hungry and full of ear mites.

A Second Trip to Watkins Glen, NY

With the bright sun in these photos, it is hard to believe that we got "stuck" in a thunderstorm for about 40 minutes. My sister, nephew and I went for a hike through the glen while she was visiting here from out of state. It was really a beautiful day - until the very end of our walk. We ended up "hiding" under an old, dilapidated garage's eave from the storm.

This nest was tucked up underneath a ledge along the trail. I happened to see the momma bird fly out from under the ledge as we approached. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the eggs in the nest were still undisturbed by tourists. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge enough to see one of the eggs. I love this picture!

This chipmunk was captured just by chance - the little critter was running around so quickly, it was hard to get it in focus. Which is why this shot has some blur. My nephew loved seeing the chipmunk - he called him "Alvin."

This part of the trail at the glen was blocked off for repairs in the spring when my daughter and I went for our hike. It is the only part of the trail that you can access the water and "get your feet wet."

Nature is a wonderful thing!

A friend/neighbor posted a comment (back in June) asking about the camera that I use in my photography. I use a Cannon Rebel XTI, 35mm digital. However, the lens is the important piece of equipment in these shots. I used a 70-300mm with image stabilizer to get the close ups. Here is the other shot of the daddy long-legs that I got, along with other shots of the clematis vine and flowers:

We found this poor little bird in the road on a walk.
Don't think she/he will make it....




Daddy long legs came out for Father's day.


Our neighbor's dog in action.


Found this "fall" leaf in the middle of June.....

Random Pictures

Blue Angels over Richmond International Speedway.




Springtime flowers:




Hike on our property ...

Night-time Pictures

The reflection of the clouds kept changing to provide for a couple of neat shots.


The moon wasn't quite full - but there was some extra light from a passing car to get this shot of the old Mercury in the driveway.


This photo was done free-handed, no tripod. I was pleasantly surprised at the clarity.

Party at the Pond - Spencer, NY

The Raptor Project, on a national tour, stopped in to perform two shows for an eager audience. They did a great job educating the crowd about the birds and their habitats!

Primitive Pursuits - Ithaca, NY shows onlookers how to make a fire - primitive style.








To end the day, there was a cardboard boat race.
(only one of them made it back to the finish)

Happy 1st Birthday!!

It is so hard to believe that it has been a whole year already!!

Then......

...and now....

She is so full of personality - I got a ton of great portraits!!

It's Springtime!!

My father sent me this photo of a goose and her babes...

A Hike On Nearby Property

Photos at the Glen

My daughter thought the leaves in the sunlight would be a neat shot - she was right!

This black and white of one of the cascades didn't look much different from the original. The rocks and water lend themselves very nicely to black and white photography.

The plant life was so refreshing after a long, dull brown winter!

I have labeled this picture of a small pine, growing on the side of the gorge, "nature's fireworks."

A rejuvenating afternoon. A beautiful day for a hike through the Glen. The sounds of water, the sunshine and the beautiful plant life made for a wonderful experience. I was pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the falls after the rain we had the day before.