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DailyPhotos > Shelly  > Other > Shelly's Photo Blog 2008
This gallery is a melange of my photographic styles as well as a look into my daily life. I try to capture something new every day or else to find something that fits the day. It's a great excuse to carry my camera with me more often than not, and it allows me to stop and take those pictures that need to be taken.

To see what 2007 looked like, click on this link: http://spccreative.smugmug.com/gallery/2958746_n6VBs#238075802
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Shelly > July 3, 2008

 No News Today

Between my birds and sunflowers, I MUST find something fresh and different to shoot over the holiday weekend or we'll all get bored with my dailies.  

Gracie seems to trust me a little more every day.  She's letting me get within 5 or 6 feet from her little nest, and she stands up to let me check on the eggs, as if she knows that's why I come by. 

It seems like I should bring her gifts; bird seeds, water, peanut butter sandwich, a diet coke and a copy of People Magazine -- but she still won't tell me what she'd enjoy.
Shelly > July 2, 2008

Some people like water lilies,  I happen to have more sunflowers than anything else these days.   

This bud is amazing.  It's got two heads, and several more down stem.   Not like any of the others that I've seen.  I can't wait to watch what unfolds here. 

"Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential. Beyond the raw talent. You need the appropriate training. You need the discipline. You need the inspiration. You need the drive. "
Eric A. Burns, Gossamer Commons, 08-12-05
Shelly > July 1, 2008

All Charged Up and Ready to Go

Yesterday I shot the first annual golf tournament for our high school's athletic booster club.  It was a HOT time, but the organizers did a great job, and everyone seemed to have a very good time.  We prayed off the rain  until everyone was done, and then the skies opened up for just a bit.
Shelly > June 30, 2008

Gracie's still sitting patiently as she awaits hatching day.  I don't expect to see babies for at least another week  but still check on her  and her four little eggs nearly every day. 

On a sad note, there is a second nest near this one.  Charity may be a younger mother.  She only had two eggs, and this morning she stepped off her nest and chirped to show me that she is down to just one.  

I started Grace and Charity's little gallery last week and still have more to add to it.  Perhaps I should pare it down a bit, but I feel like these are all my babies -- and you know how hard it is to cull out pictures of your own babies.  

Here's the link if you want your fill of Kildeer:  http://spccreative.smugmug.com/gallery/5265878_FfVw7#320518361_Ext7Q
Shelly > June 29, 2008

Sunny Days
Shelly > June 27, 2008

Wake up Sleepyhead -- It's Time to Rise and Shine
Shelly > June 25, 2008

First Tomatoes of the Season

Well, maybe not the very first.  The first one was a big full size Celebrity variety, but the birds got it.  The second one was one of these little Sweet 100's.  I ate it almost as fast as I could pick it off the vine.  Had to wait a while for these.

Back when the kids were little, we used to make a huge production of the first produce from our garden.  I'd  put it on a good china plate, and slice it into equal portions for each of us to enjoy even if it wsa just a single little cherry tomato.  Sometimes, we'd even light candles to celebrate.

We'd always share the most legendary stories about past gardens, especially about Ian gorging himself on so many tomatoes that were still hot in the yard, that the juice ran down his bare tummy and turned him red.  Our other most favorite-est tale was about the time Dustin and a neighbor boy went out to play and ate the entire carrot crop, dirt and all.  Each carrot was only about two inches long and as sweet as candy.  

Now I think I'm the only one who still gets excited about the first tomatoes.  Didn't even get out the good china this time, but I decided to give these little beauties a special treatment with selective coloring.  This may be is a rather crude effort, but it was my first try.
Shelly > June 24, 2008

Bat Faced Cuphea -- Tiny little blossoms, just over 1/4 inch each.

I love these little guys, they look so happy, and for some reason they reminded me of the very famous poem, "Warning" by  Jenny Joseph.  


It's the one that starts out . . . 

"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter."
Shelly > June 23, 2008

Meet Grace

Grace will soon be a mama, and I plan to make regular house calls to check on her progress.  If all goes well, we'll create a little gallery for her and I'll tell more of her story as time goes on.  To protect what privacy she has left, that's about all the information I care to share at this time.    

Oh . . . I looked her up and I think she's a Killdeer.
Shelly > June 22, 2008

Mexican Fan Palm

A little bird must have dropped the seed for this tree, because we certainly didn't plant it.  When it got to be about 3' tall, we decided it was about to become a monster out of place, so we dug it up and moved it.  That wasn't an easy job because the leaves are very sharp and spiky.

The first year we thought we had killed it, but as with many things, that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.  In its new location it still became a monster in its own right.  This spring, the tree guys who keep our oaks in shape trimmed the growth up the sides and now we have a lovely straight palm tree about 15' tall and still growing. 

I didn't much like it before, but now I do. 

"Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness." 
  ---  Robertson Davies
Shelly > June 21, 2008

It's officially summer on Planet My Back Yard.  Come on in.  The water's fine. 

This is my first planet ever, and I sure had fun making it. It is mostly water!  Note that the plumeria has been retrieved.  So far it's still green.
Shelly > June 20, 2008

This is NOT what they mean by water gardening!

We had a little weather yesterday.  A line of thunderstorms brought heavy winds and  1 and 1/4inches of much-needed rain within about 30 minutes.  There was even a bit of hail -- something I thankfully haven't seen in a long time.  

We were protected from any serious damage, but I had to laugh when I found this four foot tall  plumeria sitting upright, pot and all, in the bottom of the pool.  No need to water this one today. 

"Don't knock the weather.  If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation."  Kin Hubbard 1868-1930
Shelly > June 19, 2008 

Lying on my back last night watching a storm pass through the palm tree provided some decent images, but not what I went looking for.  

Then I turned my head.  I wasn't looking for this either, but there it was!  

"The world is not yet exhausted; let me see something tomorrow which I never saw before." -- Samuel Johnson 1709-1784
Shelly > June 18, 2008

Celebration

Wine bottles at the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) Excalibur Awards Dinner.  I just got the images processed and posted, and while this is a rather severe crop, I really liked the composition and colors,

Here's a link to the event: http://spccreative.smugmug.com/gallery/5193984_mADoj#315052045_dcV2R
Shelly > June 17, 2008

Green on Green

A Sunflower Bud
June 30, 2008

Gracie's still sitting patiently as she awaits hatching day. I don't expect to see babies for at least another week but still check on her and her four little eggs nearly every day.

On a sad note, there is a second nest near this one. Charity may be a younger mother. She only had two eggs, and this morning she stepped off her nest and chirped to show me that she is down to just one.

I started Grace and Charity's little gallery last week and still have more to add to it. Perhaps I should pare it down a bit, but I feel like these are all my babies -- and you know how hard it is to cull out pictures of your own babies.

Here's the link if you want your fill of Kildeer: http://spccreative.smugmug.com/gallery/5265878_FfVw7#320518361_Ext7Q
Shelly > June 30, 2008

Gracie's still sitting patiently as she awaits hatching day.  I don't expect to see babies for at least another week  but still check on her  and her four little eggs nearly every day. 

On a sad note, there is a second nest near this one.  Charity may be a younger mother.  She only had two eggs, and this morning she stepped off her nest and chirped to show me that she is down to just one.  

I started Grace and Charity's little gallery last week and still have more to add to it.  Perhaps I should pare it down a bit, but I feel like these are all my babies -- and you know how hard it is to cull out pictures of your own babies.  

Here's the link if you want your fill of Kildeer:  http://spccreative.smugmug.com/gallery/5265878_FfVw7#320518361_Ext7Q
June 30, 2008

Gracie's still sitting patiently as she awaits hatching day. I don't expect to see babies for at least another week but still check on her and her four little eggs nearly every day.

On a sad note, there is a second nest near this one. Charity may be a younger mother. She only had two eggs, and this morning she stepped off her nest and chirped to show me that she is down to just one.

I started Grace and Charity's little gallery last week and still have more to add to it. Perhaps I should pare it down a bit, but I feel like these are all my babies -- and you know how hard it is to cull out pictures of your own babies.

Here's the link if you want your fill of Kildeer: http://spccreative.smugmug.com/gallery/5265878_FfVw7#320518361_Ext7Q
Camera: Canon (Canon Eos 40d) |
more details: exif |
original size: 2400px x 3600px |
Current: 300px x 450px |
Other sizes: S · Medium · L |
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Keywords: bird egg grace nest charity kildeer
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