A Shadow of Things to Come

Our Autumn Blaze maple is just itching to come back to life, but right now it's still naked.  Come on, spring!

There's life in them thar bones, I can feel it!

Spring is Coming

 

MELT, I SAY, MELT!!!  The holidays are over and we've made it through the worst of winter.  The birds have been tweeting again for about a week now.  All that, combined with the bunny tracks criss-crossing our yard, tells me that creatures great and small are very ready for spring.

While I was outside getting the woodland creatures some grub, I saw this icicle giving up it's last gasp in the sun.  After I took this shot, I could see in the viewfinder that it was swaying precariously.  I know it's only March, and we could still get some major snow, but I think I can see the light at the end of the icicle...er tunnel.

Techie Corner

My new camera has HDR built in.  HDR (high dynamic range) has it's place, and I like to experiment with it once in awhile.  I tried it on this shot because there was such a wide range of exposure between the sky, the light shining on the icicle, and the shadows under the eves.  The image came out a little soft, but I still like it.

True Love

Since the "month of love" has come to an end,  I thought I would start March with a mushy blog.  I loved this image the moment I saw it!

This is my pastor and his wife.  He looks like the cat who ate the canary.  He's got a good thing going and he knows it.

Nothing says true love like 40 years of marriage and still getting along.

The Ordinary as Beautiful

 

Since about 1987,  I've called this area the "Land of Oz" because it looks like the Emerald City.  You can't see the green as much in this image, but the green is there in person.

Sometimes people get so caught up in the literalness of objects that they can't see them any other way.  I think this place is beautiful with it's glittering lights, never-mind what it really is.  Just don't stand downwind on a bad day.

Techie Corner

I've tried to get shots of this several times over the years.  It's no easy task, let me tell you!  I think the best shot would be aerial, but with security these days, I don't see that happening.  I tried a different vantage point this time, and it worked pretty well.  I was standing right by the highway though, so that was a little nerve-wracking with cars speeding by at 70mph.  It did make for some interesting red and white lights in the foreground.

When I took my first shot, I was just trying to get a decent image of the lighted towers.  However, with a 30 second exposure, the tiny wisps of steam in the background became beautiful sprays.

I had to edit out some power lines in Photoshop.  Power lines are the bane of my existence!

Bridge on a Cold Night

Time to cool off after all those images of Rex.  By the time you see this image of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, several days will have passed.  Gotta love scheduled blogs!

I took a similar shot almost a year ago now, but I wanted to get out there again with the new camera.  I practically froze to death though!  An icy wind was blowing and it took forever for this half of the bridge to light up.

Techie Corner
I used a much slower shutter speed this year.  I like the smooth look it gave the water.