Blossoms and Tulips

The neighbours' tree is blossoming splendidly, but the local composition with cars and townhouses isn't the best, so we drove to St James Park where there is a row of similar trees. They were also showing nicely, so the camera was pressed into service. 

Considering the background (signs, poll, fire hydrant), it can also be difficult here to get a good composition, but here is a photo.

It was near noon and the light was getting harsh. I would like to return earlier in the day and with my tripod and take a bit more time and care.

Here is another photo with just a corner of blossoms along with some tulips and town hall in the background.

Speaking of tulips, I took two other photos. The building in the background is the former Boulton Brown Mill, now condos.

Sue took some tulip photos too.

I  must endeavour to return soon, weather permitting.

Gardening Begins

May is gardening month hereabouts. This is so despite the Tuesday night frost warning, which, thankfully, didn't eventuate with the mercury stopping its descent a few degrees above freezing.

With my legs still a little stiff from doing work out back earlier in the week, I decided that it was time to tackle the front.

As you know, the little patch of grass had already been mowed, but it was chock full of dandelions, and it was time to try to extricate them from the lawn, a process that they resisted mightily.

In the upper left background, we can see that  the neighbour's side is quite full with dandelions. In the past we (as in Sue) have weeded their half too, but as toils become more difficult on our aging bods, we will leave it up to them from now on. Doing our little patch was demanding enough, even though I was sitting on the job in the above photo.

Then it was time to whack the edges with our new whacker, and quite possibly our final weed whacker. They don't last though, so you never know. I wonder how many we have purchased in the past 45 years? I think it is the third such purchase in our 18 years at this address.

It is alarming how difficult it is on an older body to take care of little chores like this.

Meanwhile, the tulips are looking good. Other perennials will emerge in due course, but they will be greatly enhanced by the pots that Sue will put together to place here, there. thither and yon. It is still probably a week too early to do those bedding plants, but I will get back to you when we do.

The Greening Copse

On my recent silly trilly (aka trillium) morning, I happened to drive by a field with a greening copse of trees over yonder. As you know, I am currently quite taken with the greening stage.

This roadside stop compensated a little bit for my trilly troubles. 

I think most trees are pretty well leafed now, so I doubt if I will have any more springy greeny photos to share. You never know what I might still come across, though.

Trillium Time

I had a post written about my hunt for trilliums earlier this week. But when I was editing it just a little while ago, I was trying to undo something that I had typed. I hit ctrl-z too many times, and the whole post disappeared, and I could retrieve it.

So, not I am just going to show you the two or three photos that I have from the shoot. You have been saved from my tedious ramblings: no detailed description and explanation today.

First Light and First Mowing

The next morning after posting the moon from my bedroom, I photographed it again: much earlier this time — 4:38 to be precise. This time, I used my iPhone right from where I lay on the bed. I raised the phone, snapped the pic, and tried to go back to sleep. Of course, the attempt proved to be futile.

I only saw the top third from my pillow. I was surprised to see the
other lights from raising the camera up.

So that was my first light of day, which was just really the moon. Then later that morning, well after first light, came the first mowing, but of course, there's a little backstory to be told.

The grandkid's father had helped us the get the lawnmower down from the shelves in the garage. That was the previous day, Sunday, and I purposed to cut the grass the next day, Monday.

We share a tiny lawn with our neighbour. While most of our half is garden or mulch, we do have some grass. Her side is mostly grass. I mow more often than she does, which is fine. She cuts the grass sometimes, but whoever does the job, we mow the other person's portion as well.

She's away right now, but some folk are looking after her place, and we were pleased to see the guy get out the lawnmower. Him doing it on Sunday would save me from doing it on Monday.

Or so I thought.

Except he left our little section.

Who can tell the mind of a 20-something male?

We took some pictures before I mowed on Monday, and we had a good laugh over the absurdity.

Hopefully, you can see the difference between their left side and our right portion. You are seeing just about all of our grassy section, on the right in the photos. Who knows why he decided that leaving it was preferable to taking extra 3 minutes to mow it as well.

Sunday Shooting

I had a photo in mind when I went to bed on Saturday night, but it wasn't this one.

I took it from the bedroom window upon awakening at 6:30, thus also awakening Sue as a fumbled with the camera. I had grabbed my older camera because it was closer to hand and my telephoto lens was already attached. But it isn't the camera that I am most familiar with now, and trying to figure it all out in my morning stupor was problematic. Oh well, I got something.

After getting my coffee fix, I did head out to get the photo that I had had in mind since the day before. I had seen this possible composition on the previous day, but the sun had been in the wrong place and the light wasn't good. While it didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped on Sunday morning, I think it was worth the effort.

I had been anxious to get that photo soon while the skeleton of the tree was quite noticeable before the leaves would fully emerge.

The light and reflections highlighted some other trees, so I took a few other photos looking across our Mississippi. This one seemed to work best in mono as a bit of an abstract. I do like the textures. 

I turned and looked along the riverbank instead of across and liked the shape and reflections. The water is fairly high after the recent rain. As the water level subsides, there soon won't be as much of a reflection. I should try it again next year during high water season when the river may run even higher, making the reflection fuller.

I thought that I saw a goose moving about but didn't think much of it when I zoomed in more and took a closer photo. When I peered on the monitor at home later, I was surprised to see that it was a raccoon and not a goose..

If I known at the time that it was a raccoon, I would have likely tried to get closer still.

Saturday Night Cruisin with my Baby

I am not sure that I ever cruised back then, but on this Saturday evening, Danica texted about going driving. You see, she has her permit and is eager to hit the roads. Both Mom and Dad were unavailable, so Buppa became the stand-in.

We had a good time toodling around town for probably less than an hour.

I love my Saturday night date.