RETURN TO FARM COUNTRY

 

It was delightful to return to farm country west of Kingsley for the first time in over a month.  The fields were green and gold with wheat and other crops, although many ponds were dry due to the heat and lack of rain.  But the excitement of the evening was seeing my first fawns of summer.  In two locations young ones and their mothers were feeding in fields of tall grasses and wildflowers as dusk rolled in.  They’re always adorable to watch.  I love seeing them flip their white tails as they run from the prying eye of my camera.

EARLY-BIRD CATCHES THE SUNRISE

 

Sleep left me at 4:30 a.m.  I tossed and turned for another hour, finally giving up and heading out for the sunrise.  When I arrived near East Bay Park, the sky and reflections in the water were so pink and I wondered if the sun had already risen behind the haze.  But it finally peeked over Old Mission at the appointed time, turning the pinks to lovely orange and salmon hues.

SIGHTS OF SUMMER

High summer has arrived and it’s great to be out and about capturing the scenes that make up our busiest season.

 

 

LILIES ABOUND

So many varieties, so many colors.  Just when I think I’ve found enough for my blog, one more type pops up and I’ve gotta add it to the mix. 

RIOTS OF COLOR

 

On my back deck, I have three coral Knock-out rose bushes in their original pots.  They’ll go into the ground early fall but I really enjoy the riot of color they provide over the summer when I’m outside or in my study.  I love watching them develop from tight buds to open blooms.  And these shots were all taken with my iPhone!  I’ve heard it said that the best camera is the one you have with you…and these camera phones are darned good.

AIRBORNE GRACKLE

 

I was shooting from a platform overlooking the Boardman River when I spotted this Grackle in a nearby tree.  I had just locked in focus when it took off.  I stayed with it as it flapped its wings, eyes trained on me the whole time.  When I got home and uploaded my images to the computer, I laughed at what I’d gotten.  The bird reminded me of a spaceship:  The Millennium Grackle.

BY THE RIVERSIDE

 

Out shooting with my friends Don and Diana, we ended up beside the Boardman where the river had been returned to its original channel following the removal of Sabin Dam in 2018.  We walked the path from the bend to the bridge, admired the wildflowers along the way, mesmerized by the rush of water around the rocks and eddies they created.  But it was the sounds of the river that captivated us most.