Sunrise, sunset. Its the same sun, and yet so dramatically different. Even a storm looming over head couldn't distract from the beauty of the setting sun.
My hunting season ended unsuccessfully in terms of meat, but the experience I had wandering the mountain, being close to nature and close to my husband was very fruitful. I am already looking forward to next year.
Flintlock by BlueDragonfyr; Powderhorn by Cayote44
Its big game season in Colorado, and although I am a nature watcher, I am also a hunter. My favorite method of hunting is with my .54 flintlock blackpowder muzzleloader. I have dropped two elk with it so far. Tomorrow I hope to make it three.
The rifle was custom made and presented to me along with other hunting items by some very special and wonderful people I had met online at a blackpowder message board. The powderhorn was also made for me as part of a barter by another member from the board.
While it is true that one must be cautious when meeting people online, I have been very fortunate then and now to have encountered some exceptional people whom I feel honored to share this piece of cyber space with. People I am honored to call friends. To all of my new friends here, thank you for allowing me to be part of your world as I share mine with you.
My oldest daughter Becca is facinated with macabre movies and decided after watching The Grudge that she wanted to be a make-up artist when she grew up. She also decided that she wanted to be a zombie for Halloween. We actually took these pictures in April of this year when she was practicing her craft.
If I Were Judith... this would be a real painting.
I have always admired paintings like Judithheartsong's but my expertise is limited to fingerpaints so when I discovered the many different tools available in my Paintshop Pro I went crazy and turned just about every picture into a water color. Of course if I were an artist I'd probably be striving to get my paintings to look like a photograph. Theres just no pleasing me.
The Accidental Portrait
I gave up on this picture as soon as I took it several weeks ago. It wasn't until this morning when I opened it up and cropped the center to enlarge it that I discovered the bee who had been buzzing around while I had been taking pictures. Of course, if I had a camera like Sepintx's you'd be able to see up the bee's nose! Maybe if I'm good for the rest of the year Santa might bring me a macro lens.
Last Flight
Winter is almost upon us and this weathered monarch searches wearily for any remaining nectar before embarking on its last flight.
Doe Eyes
Female mule deer are protected from hunters in this area so they show little fear of humans. These little ladies gazed back at me with curious and trusting eyes. Sometimes I have a hard time resisting the urge to reach out and pet them.
Fog Bank Rolling In
As a picture of a mountain this would surely be considered to be mediocre. But this is not a picture of a mountain. It is a picture of bone chilling cold. I sat there in the early morning light watching the fog pushing back the sun. Not only could you feel the cold setting in, you could actually see it. Within moments the fog completely encircled the ridge I was sitting on. The temperature plunged drastically and then, just as swiftly and silently as it rolled in, the fog moved on.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for nominating me for the 2005 ViVi Awards. Photography has long been a passion of mine, one of the few things I take seriously, and you all have been so supportive and encouraging. I have been fortunate to encounter so many people who see the world and all of its wonders through the same vision as I.
I am also honored to share the ballot with 7 very gifted photographers, many whom I hold in high regard and have learned so much from over the past months. Just being placed in the same category as them has been a reward in itself. I encourage you all to visit their photo journals if you are not already familiar with them. I'm sure you will be delighted by what you see there.
BEST USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
Ellipsis...- ondinemonet
F-Stop - botdotdotdot
From Every Angle - mskatdabrat
Picture of the Day - deveil
The Road Less Taken - djzgirl71
(sometimes) photoblog - sepintx
WonderGirl - cneinhorn
Again, thank you all for this honor.
Single Pinon Rose
What I love most about photographing nature is that you never have to pose or set it up. The beauty is always right there in front of you, all you have to do is look.
Season's End for the Oak
This little oak sapling valiantly clings to the green of summer. It has survived the season, but foraging animals in the chill of winter continue to threaten its future.
Summer Moss
The moisture this past year has been plentiful and moss thrives on trees which succumbed to the past drought that left the mountains so dry and brittle not so long ago.
Little by little, inch by inch, autumn is making its way up the mountain, but at the top its already winter!
I never paid much attention to butterflies until I got my camera. Oh, I enjoyed them when they fluttered by, but I never really tried to identify them, to track their lifestyle. I took them for granted (gasp!). Now I worry because the cold weather is setting in. Some of my brilliantly colored friends now dip and flit on tattered wings. They take longer breaks on the pebbled ground. Other insects swoop down on them and chase them off the few remaining blossoms. In a short time the butterflies, like the flowers, will be gone. For that reason alone I regret the winter.
The lush green grasses of the cattails have dried and snap in the breeze. Birds pick at the velvet heads of the cattails. Soon they too will bow to the approaching season. I am sad to see them go, but with their departure comes the arrival of winter. I eagerly await winter. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Each year a little pixie named Midas flits through the mountains and turns all of the aspen trees into gold. Soon the leaves will fall to the ground and I will kick through them and laugh as they crunch beneath my feet. I still vividly remember running through freshly raked piles as a child. My father would always pretend to be angry but I think secretly he was jealous.
I went for a little stroll by the pond today. The milkweed has dried up and the pods have burst without me seeing one single monarch catepillar. Oh well, maybe next year.
I did come across a locust resting in a pod. It was quite relaxed and I probably could have gotten an even closer picture if I had a close-up lens.
I completely overlooked this beetle at first as I tried to get a picture of a fickle butterfly. I had just about given up on a picture when I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and this little guy stepped into view.
I have no idea what this plant is. My older sister (and up and coming photographer) hates when I post things that have not been formally identified, so for Islandredbird's sake I shall call this 'fuzzy white flower'.
Cliff swallow colony
It hangs like an ancient ruin of a by gone era. Once upon a time it was populated. It was a hub of activity as the occupants carried on their busy lives. Young ones flourished and learned from their elders. Traditions were passed on to the next generation. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone, leaving us to wonder if they were ever really there. Or had we just imagined it?
It snowed today. The ground was too wet and warm to stick where I live, but the foothills just to the west were delicately dusted in white. I can count the number of times I've had a white Christmas on one hand, and yet there is something about snow that just puts me in the mood. I have a confession to make. I watched the Trans Siberian Ghosts of Christmas Eve dvd last week. I'm soooo in the spirit of the Yuletide, and I haven't even gotten through Halloween and Thanksgiving yet!
I love photographing animals and it was hard to pick just a couple of my favorites, so I just gathered a few from earlier entries and put them into an album for easier viewing. Click on the thumbnail above to view the album larger or as a slideshow.
I watched the world waking up this morning. It was worth getting up early for. It held all the peace, innocence and wisdom of a sleeping baby. Those moments just before sunrise are so breathtakingly beautiful but are too often missed. If you haven't seen it lately, take the time, get up little earlier and watch the world wake up.
