White Chair, White Lawn

It is Spring and the plants are producing chlorophyl again!  Why does this matter?  Because when I photograph plants with chlorophyl in them, with my specially modified camera that shows everything in infrared light, the grass and foliage appear bright, because chlorophyl reflects a LOT of infrared light!  So this is a magical thing in terms of photography.  When Fall arrives and the leaves turn brown because the chlorophyl goes away, I put away my IR camera because there is nothing in the landscape to transform in this magical way.  But when Spring arrives, it is time to get the camera out of hibernation and go look for photographs in a different world!  This is kind of a cool photograph, right?

A Visit to the Nursery

Kathy wanted to get some flowers to plant in her gardens.  Not a lot, but just a couple of flats to add some color.  So we went out to Schmitts Nursery about 20 miles away.  I get bored shopping at a place like this - we have been here before because their plants are beautiful and their prices are great - so I always bring my camera and walk around looking for pictures while Kathy shops.  I saw this scene and it stopped me in my tracks!  In the foreground are Coleus, then the brilliant Celosia, and in the background are Ageratum.  Seeing this made my day, and being around flowers lifted my spirits.  There were a fair number of people here but it is a huge place, and everyone was wearing their masks and keeping 6 feet away, which made the visit feel safer.

No Dunkin' Donuts, Week 9

You are probably bored seeing photographs at the beach where we have our coffee, tea, and donuts each week since the stay-at-home order, nine weeks ago.  So I thought I would take you to the source.  This is Jose and Karina at "our" Dunkin Donuts where we used to sit and have our breakfast.  We have been coming here maybe 9 years, usually on a Tuesday.  It is one of our small rituals.  So we have been friendly with Jose and Karina for a long time.  They are both such lovely people. Here they are seen behind a Plexiglass panel for protection during the outbreak, and wearing their masks for safety.  It is always so good to see them!

The End of the World at Costco

We went to Costco today, for the first time since lockdown...   They were metering people entering, but the wait was only 10 minutes or so, and it was not that busy inside.  Kathy needed to pick up some meds and we got a few other things.  Interesting that today, Monday, there was no fresh meat or chicken or fish.  They did have frozen meat, just not fresh.  Anyhow, we got all our stuff, and the checkout was really quick because of so few people in the store.  We came out into the parking lot, and I couldn't believe the sky!  There had been a few flashes of lighting and it was clear that a front was coming through.  When I saw this sky I thought it was beautiful.  This would have been better if I was at the beach, or something, but I made the best of the tree and the bright red handles of shopping carts.  It's not an Ansel Adams photograph, however.

Mother's Day Zoom

On Mother's Days in the past we have often driven to Connecticut to have a family dinner at Betsey's.  But not this year, of course.  On Easter Sunday we had our first Zoom family gathering and it was wonderful, talking with everyone, almost as if we were gathered around the dining table.  So Jen decided that we should do this for Mother's Day, and it was just delightful!  So good to see and hear everyone and share laughter and stories.  We get so used to the magic of technology - this conversation connected California and Maine and Connecticut, and New York.  Yeah, magic.

Happy Mother's Day!

This is the bouquet that arrived today, from Liz and Amy!  What a beautiful surprise!  Kathy was thrilled!  As young children, we depend on our moms for everything. As teenagers, we start to retaliate when things do not go our way. And, as we finally get older, we start to realize the significance of a mother. Sometimes, we forget how much our moms have done for us. We grow up thinking our moms will never understand our struggles, but the truth is they invest time making sure we never understand theirs.  It's important to give all moms out there recognition and appreciation for all they have done for us.  I was thinking of qualities that come to mind for all our mothers out there and I came up with these:  selflessness, generosity, empathy, dedication to our family, unwavering love, encouraging words, capacity for forgiveness, her calming presence, and her comforting hugs.  Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

Drops of Rain

I did my normal two and one-half mile walk and then coming up Laurel Avenue, I got to the front fern bank and my eyes caught the glint of water drops on these leaves.  So I took a look with my 100-400mm Macro lens, and when I zoomed in, I saw this scene.  The water drops were just beautiful, acting as lenses to reflect the overcast sky.  I love that this looks as if it was photographed deep in some forest.