30/365: Unexpected

This squirrel was an unexpected visitor to Mom's deck! (very poor quality iPhone picture)

25/365: Snowflakes

I'm still on a mission to get crisp snowflake shots!

 

 

24/365: Chill

Snowflakes and frost on the window--these stayed for several days because of the cold temperatures.

19/365: Industrial

Looks like these elevator buttons at the hospital need polished.

18/365: Fresh

These beautiful tulips from my nephew for Mom in the hospital brought a touch of spring to her room! (Taken with iPhone)

17/365: Dangerous

Photos shot with the iPhone (yes, while I was driving but the road was straight!) on the Bluegrass Parkway. Not much snow when I shot these, but it just kept coming down. Later, I saw a car hit a bridge and spin around in the median. I was so happy when there was no snow when I got to I-65!

15/365: Round (well, not quite!)

I was surprised to see some definition of the moon since this shot was taken in the afternoon!

 

14/365: Gathering

A gathering of birds... Looks like the finch invited friends! :)

 

 

13/365: Awful!

The chemical spill that resulted in a "Do not use the water" order for over 300,000 people in nearby West Virginia has dominated our news since it happened on Thursday. At this press conference today, they announced a systematic and gradual by "zone" plan for customers to flush their water pipes.

Obviously not a great photo but I want my 365 to reflect what's happening throughout the year! A local city official posted this last night: "The City of Ashland will be shutting off intake pumps at the river around midnight. We will continue to pump water but from the raw water tanks. The concentration of chemicals from the spill is at 23 ppm. The CDC allows only 1 ppm. We do not want to get this into our water system. Hopefully this will not last long and by Monday will be cleared up. City employees will be monitoring the situation all night." VERY SCARY!!

12/365: Conspicuous

This cardinal definitely meets the definition of this theme: "standing out so as to be clearly visible." I can see the cardinals at the feeder even without wearing my contact lenses.

11/365: Umbrella

This is a new branch on my schefflera, also known as an umbrella plant. It was in a planter I sent my grandfather and when he moved to an apartment, he gave it back to me because of lack of space--I've had it for more than 20 years! When it reached the ceiling, I cut the top off and planted it (after rooting in water first).

10/365: Patterns

I love the colors and patterns in this plant that I've had for many years. I've always called it a prayer plant but learned from Google today that it is a red maranta.

9/365: Plant

It's a good thing this amaryllis bulb was on the clearance table at Home Depot since I'm not sure it will bloom. (My fault since I have forgotten to water it except a couple of times since I planted it before the holidays.) I think it grew an inch overnight when I gave it a good drink the other day. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it blooms! :) 

8/365: Monochrome

Not sure what was up with this bird. It stood on the porch (very close to the door, photo not cropped) breathing heavily for at least 5 minutes, its whole body shaking.

7/365: Cold!

It doesn't look like -0.9 degrees outside my back door, does it? You can see I will have lots of pruning to do this spring!

6/365: Surfaces

Weathered wood, plexiglass (with some snow), metal, and feathers. I think that about covers it!

5/365: Fluffy

 

I love the blooms on our zebra grass in the winter!

4/365: Stand Out

This red-bellied woodpecker's red cap definitely stands out!

And just for fun!

                

3/365: Contrast

The snow was so pretty on the holly bush this morning. I'll admit that I cheated and shot through the door instead of going outside since it was only 10 degrees--much too cold for me to go out with the camera.

2/365: Water

Yesterday was blue skies and sunshine, today was gray with rain and snow and sleet. Water drops on our Japanese Maple:

1/365: Weather(ed)

Happy New Year! 2014 began with a gorgeous sunny day, perfect weather for shooting this weathered barn (built in the early 1930s) at my in-laws home. (I'll admit, I planned to shoot the entire barn but couldn't get far enough away with the 100mm lens on the camera. Too much trouble to change it, so I'll shoot more of the barn later.)

Out with the 365 Challenge and In with 2010 Virtual Photowalk

I only posted about 70% of the 365 photos that was my goal for the 2009 Challenge. Another goal for the challenge was to improve my photography skills and I think I succeeded in that! There's still so much I need to learn but I realize that will take time and lots of practice!

I've joined in the 2010 Virtual Photowalk. (This is not a 365 photo challenge, so I don't have to feel guilty about not posting 365 shots this year.) You can find my new blog here if you want to follow this year's photographic journey!

261/365, #248: Quaint or Quirky

260/365, #283: Silhouette

259/365, #267: Sandy

I took my shoes off for a walk on the beach and when I came back they were covered with sand.

258/365, Sea Life (my own theme)

Click to enlarge and you'll see all of the sea life that took up residence on this stump!

257/365, #208: On the Road

We have to drive 3 miles on the beach to get to the house we stay in on the Outer Banks.  Some years, these stumps are everywhere--not good if we have to drive after dark!  Click to enlarge and you'll see red reflectors on some of the stumps.

256/365, #218: Out to Lunch

The horses on the Outer Banks are descendents of Spanish Mustangs. They are beautiful!

255/365, #164: Kite

Great day for flying a kite at the beach! :-)

254/365, #112: From the Sea

253/365, #95: Favorite Things

This next series of photos was taken at the Outer Banks a couple of months ago.

The ocean is one of my favorite things!

252/365, #278: Shades of Gray

The Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk, NC

251/365, #226: Passion

The Wright Brothers had a passion for flight!