Weekly Photo Challenge: Worn

Blue sky through pine trees

I hope everybunny is enjoying a wonderful day.

WordPress had suggested a photo challenge this week of worn and for me that just kept coming out as worn out.  It has been a long and tiring week of on and off storms rolling through.  For us that means powering down computer equipment a lot and then sometimes working late into the night trying to catch up.

When I am worn out, I love nature as a pick me up.  This photo is sunshine and blue skies shining down through Georgia pines, the view you get laid out in a lounge chair or hammock.  I hope you all had or have a chance today to kick back, relax and just look up at a beautiful sky.  So relaxing!

Photo Challenge: Morning

Good Morning Concrete Cottontail
Good Morning Concrete Cottontail

In our garden we have many cottontail bunnies.  Some of them are brown with fluffy white tails and we scare them off if we move too fast.  Others are concrete cottontails that we have placed around our garden. This cute little guy is our first greeter for visitors walking up to our front door.  I love the way the morning light is playing up the bushes on one side but still leaving our little friend some shadows to hide in and surprise people when they first see him.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Numbers

Recipe for a Happy Kitchen

This photo challenge was a tough one, I discovered I really don’t think in numbers and don’t really have things with numbers around me except clocks and calendars. However, I do have this print in my kitchen of a recipe and recipes are one thing I do go by the numbers. Here is the text of the Happy Kitchen print:

Happy Kitchen

4 cups Love
2 cups of Loyalty
3 cups of Forgiveness
1 cup of Friendship
5 spoons of Hope
2 spoons of Tenderness
4 quarts of Faith
1 barrel of Laughter

Take love and loyalty, mix it thoroughly with faith.
Blend it with tenderness, kindness and understanding.
Add friendship and hope, sprinkle abundantly with laughter.
Bake it with sunshine. Serve generously daily.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Water

Ducks on Blue Water Pond
Back to Blue Water Swimming

I rounded a curve in the pond and took this picture of the ducks starting off swimming.  From this direction, the water has changed to reflecting cool blues, deep greens and charcoals from the sky and trees. 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Water

Ducks on Reflection Painted Water
Movement on Impressionistic Pond

Here is the second water reflection photo today showing how the first painted water image changes with the duck flapping its wings and moving the water.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Water

Ducks in Painted Water
Impressionistic Pond

Today, a photo study in water reflections.  On May 8th, I shared a photo of napping ducks I had taken at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  The pond they are in is round and I took many pictures of them as Blaine and I walked around it. 

In just a few minutes, I caught shots as they slept, as they woke up and flapped their wings and then started to swim on the pond.  I was snapping away taking pictures of the ducks and not really taking in the reflections and changing colors of the water that were there from the different directions of the shots. 

It was amazing to open up the photos full screen size on the computer and see this lovely impressionistic painted landscape showing the blooming spring trees reflected in the water.  I will post a couple more photos from that day later on today.  One shows the difference to the painted water landscape when one duck begins flapping its wings.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Tiny

Tiny Hedgehog
Small enough to sit on a US dime

This is a miniature I fell in love with long ago on a family vacation to Canada.  Mr. Hedehog came home with me and has traveled with me through many moves and life changes.  He is the smallest miniature in my collection.  His original label shows he was made and hand painted in Scotland.   

Weekly Photo Challenge: Red

Red and Floral Origami Crane

I learned Origami as a child.  My uncle went to Japan and came home with a Japanese bride.  She was so patient showing me as a young child the intricate folds and beautiful papers used in this wonderful art form.  I was fascinated by having flat squares of paper transform before my eyes into a fox, balloon, fish, hat, crane and so many other items and animals.

The crane holds special significance.  In the Japanese culture, the paper cranes have symbolism as wishes for good fortune, long life, and prosperity. They are given as wedding gifts and to newborns. Since it is thought that folding a thousand cranes will grant the folder a wish, some young girls will fold and give a thousand to a boy they admire.

My red crane is shared to wish all a good day today and good fortune in the days to come …