Thursday, November 10, 2016

Finding the beauty

A recent stroll around the neighborhood and rock creek park, taking in the fall colors and beauty.  



Sunday, September 25, 2016

Macro Meander at the Arboretum

A very relaxing stroll this afternoon at the national arboretum with friends.  Played with my macro (close-up) lens without a tripod - a little tricky for focusing but lots of sunshine to help with the exposures.  It was blissfully not in the 90s!






Saturday, September 10, 2016

Escape from Summer

Current temperature in downtown Washington - 93 degrees, feels like 102, according to weather.com.  Or 97 degrees per weather underground.  HATING IT.   So, pulling from the archives, celebrating December 2009 snowfall in Becket, MA, in the Berkshires.










Sunday, August 7, 2016

flowers of massachusetts

Part two of my Northampton trip pics from a few weeks ago...Smith College, right in the heart of Northampton, has not only a beautiful botanical garden, but there's a peaceful second garden in a different corner of campus, the Capen Garden.  And caught a chipmunk right before he disappeared into a crack in a stone bench!
Sculpture by my friend's uncle, Elliot Offner






Sunday, July 24, 2016

mountains of massachusetts

I got back recently from a week in northampton, massachusetts ("Where the coffee is strong and so are the women," according to the downtown parking garage sign (and where parking is 50 cents/hour)).  Did several short, but steep, hikes - one on Pine Cobble Mountain in Williamstown, near the northwest corner of the state; and another on Mount Norwottuck in Amherst.

The days were warm but the nights cooled off quite comfortably.  


View from Pine Cobble, in the Clarksburg State Forest: 





Hiking back down the Pine Cobble trail:




Hiking up the Robert Frost trail in the Mount Holyoke Range:



View of valley from atop Mount Norwottuck:


And heading back along the Metacomet Monadnock Trail:



Monday, July 4, 2016

Cool July day at Kenilworth

Yesterday the temperatures were about 20 degrees cooler than usual for an early July day when I headed out to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Anacostia, DC.  As a result, my friends and I were able to sleep in and enjoy the peak lotus bloom between noon and 2!  I've been so many times, I tried to challenge myself this year with some new and different photos.  It was beautiful, as usual.   Naomi had us all modeling with the flowers, Hiromi and Mary Kay wandered, and Mary Kay helped me spot the dragonfly who was kind enough to pose.










Sunday, May 15, 2016

For Bella

Recently I was in need of a hug, and Bella, the sweetest golden retriever, gave me a two hour hug, and 
let me take photos in her owner's yard, both of which were much appreciated ;-) 










Saturday, April 30, 2016

Hiking photography ~ Patapsco edition

I've gotten some good hikes in during the last several weeks, and it's been mostly about the hikes 
with quick photos along the way.  But last month I enjoyed an outing with a 
hiking photography group (i actually found one!) where we hiked to different spots and
 then had blocks of time to set up the tripod and take the time to shoot.  


 The waterfalls off of Cascade Trail in Patapsco Valley State Park 
made for a nice subject, as did the railroad tracks in the park, and the 
soon-to-be-closed Bloedes Dam (being removed in the not too distant future).