More of December...

Working to catch up on my blog with the new year approaching.  Will post some of my favorite photos from the past couple weeks.  Fantastic December here in the country!  Sometimes I long to be near the sea, but my camera helps me  connect deeply with a sense of place in this rural setting.  I am surrounded by tremendous beauty. 

Brilliant morning sky


 

just around the corner


 

fog on the river


 

love these clouds!




 

view from my living room

 

a dusting of snow mid-December

Christmas 2016

Christmas morning was perfect.  A little sun and misty fog surrounding the barn across the street.  Definitely the warmest December I  remember.  Yes we had a couple days of winter, but then the unusually balmy days returned.  No complaints on my end and not even sad at not having a white Christmas.  Right now it's noon and 50 degrees.  Wow!
Today I am grateful for my friends, my health, my humble abode here in the country. and the lake house up the road that my friends share with me.  The list goes on...life is good!

Christmas morning - all is calm, all is bright

December's Beauty

Time has slipped away and all of a sudden it's December.  I'm taking photos every day, but not always remembering to post in my blog.  This was today:

Magical December morning. I don't remember a December with such lush late fall colors. Plus, a hint of winter's chill in the air combined with a little mist. Perfect.

on the way to work just around the corner from my house

 

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I love the smell of woodsmoke on the wind, the faded colours and the low lying fog.

                                                  ~Mary Oliver

 Fall is upon us with a hint of a winter chill in the air.  I continue to have an infatuation with fog and here are some photos of a recent misty morning.  As I left my house early for work that day  the light felt perfect.   I saw the fog blanketing the field across the street and I knew I'd be jumping in and out of the car as I commuted to work.  Perfect start to the work day.

Fall

It seems  too often that fall is the harbinger of a harsh winter.  Despite these thoughts, I've found myself completely enthralled once again by fall colors and the way light plays upon the leaves, their intense colors and the wonderful reflections I often stumble upon in my travels.    It's a magical time.   I'll post these photos to hold onto the season.  Because, soon the snow.

 

 

 

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

                             ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fall seemed to happen overnight here.  The colors are lovely, but not as dramatic as some years.  However, autumn's peak has not yet arrived.  But, we're having endless days of rain that might alter the stunning show we all  hope for every year.  Time will tell.  Meanwhile, I'm posting some photos I took along my morning commute a couple days ago.

The little tree with the golden leaves just across the street from my house appears to be the "show-off" tree.

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A month seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye.  Fall is upon us now, but I managed to extend my summer by spending a week in Florida.  Found a wonderfully pristine beach in Pass-a-Grille FL, the southernmost tip of St. Pete Beach FL.  It was only about 3 miles long, but a world all its own.  Reminiscent of my old Key West days, I loved walking the narrow streets of the little town with small cottages surrounded by the sea.   The turquoise green color of the water pulled me right back to the islands of the  Keys and the Caribbean.  Weather was tropical in nature and I fell comfortably into lazy days at the beach, swimming and swimming, reading, and just relaxing.  Ah, summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Mystical Magical Fog

Delaware River -Deposit NY

Hard to believe my last post was on June 29.  Yikes!  Summer is slipping away, but not without its share of events.  Summer days have been crazy busy, plus  I dislocated my toe the second week in July.  Not a serious situation, but enough to curtail some of my summer activities for a short while.  Fortunately, I was able to hobble about well enough to take photos, my biggest passion these days.

I'm sure I've mentioned in previous blogs that the sea is truly my place of belonging. It is where I feel I am "home".  However, lately I feel as if my camera is connecting me to my landlocked country home in a different way.  I see and feel this area in a different perspective with my camera. It is a truly peaceful bucolic place.  I grow to love it more each day.  This past month I've taken some wonderful shots that have given  me  a renewed appreciation for my country home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer

Well, summer finally arrived but it has been feeling more like fall.  Chilly temperatures, even during the day, and too much rain.  Which is supposed to continue with only intermittent breaks.  Getting lots of inside chores completed, but longing to swim and spend more time on my friends' lake.  Summer is too short!

I did manage to catch a gorgeous sunrise a few days ago before the rain came.  Saw these incredible colors in the sky from my bedroom window (it was 5:10 a.m.) and raced outside with my camera, half asleep.  Sometimes these colors only last a few minutes.   Then there was the field with the morning mist that drew me in.  And, the old gas station that put me in an Edward Hopper state of mind.

Deposit, NY


 

Hankins NY, a gas station once upon a time

Definitely one of those "red sky in the morning..." days.






 

'Almost' Summer

It's not officially summer yet, but I already feel the busyness of the season.   The lawn needs mowing, my garden needs tending, and oh yeah, there's the day job.  Not to mention the family of groundhogs that have recently moved in presenting an ominous threat to my garden!  Regardless, I'm loving this time of year and managing to squeeze in some fun times.  Enjoying my friends' lake - so peaceful there.   I'm fortunate to have the lake close to home.  And, I continue to take photos on my daily commute and all around the neighborhood.  Life is good!

Will share some photos from the past couple days.

Sunset on the lake last night - gorgeous!

 

Fog and cows

 

Misty morning cows


 

East Branch, Delaware River.  Downsville NY









 

June 10

Too much time away..

I haven't posted in my blog for awhile.  My computer crashed and I was without it for 2 weeks.  Missed it terribly.  I was still taking pictures, but wasn't able to get onto my blog.  I'm going to post a handful of miscellaneous photos today.

I often realize how many times I "see" a photo in my daily travels.  Sometimes I'm in too much of a hurry with work to stop and it kills me.  Sometimes I find a place to turn around and then I feel fulfilled.  Yesterday I saw a group of cows lying on a mound of dirt.  They looked utterly content  (udderly??)  But, I was late for a client with work, so had to keep going.  Hope they're on that mound again one of these days because that image remains in my head.

I had a cancellation with work this morning.  Loving the extra time.  A foggy morning today and I love fog, the way the day slowly unfolds and the sun creeps in ever so slowly.   The misty sunrise photo in the mix of photos is one I took this morning.




Before the rain a few days ago.  I'm forever watching clouds.

A photo from a couple years ago on Block Island.  The sea is my place of belonging.  These days, despite the hint of summer, and a beautiful lake to spend time on, I long for salt air on my skin and that stretch of sea where I can fix my eye on the horizon.



On Swago Pond last summer.  Boats are back in the water for the season, soon we'll be swimming, kayaking, and rowing.
 

The girls are back - my nearest neighbors.

Rhododendrons after the rain.

Misty morning - today




















 

My Daily Commute

My work takes me on many country roads.  It's often a long commute, but many fantastic photo opportunities along the way.  I typically give myself extra time to hop out of my car and shoot a few pictures.
Most of these pictures were taken in Delaware County, a particularly beautiful area in the Catskills.

I turned my car around for this shot. Saw this scene and was mesmerized.

Hard to believe this was a rainy day shot.  Rainy days are some of the best for great photos.