snow – Dutch goes the Photo!

iPhone Friday

Too snowy for golf?

Last I checked, I have taken at least 15,000 photos with my various iPhone versions over the years. While there are a lot of gratuitous snaps and recording of serial numbers among them, there’s a subset of images that I still like.

Here’s another one…

This shot was taken at the Wachusett Country Club in West Boylston on the last day of 2015. As I drive by it frequently, I stopped to take a look at the reflections of the Sun in the snow and its interplay with the glistening trees.

This shot was taken with an iPhone 5s and I toned the highlights down a bit and added a bit of sharpening and vignette to get a more pleasing image.

Snowy Day for Yoga Tree

The quiet of Winter surrounds us

Another little bit of inspiration from our intrepid tree, as she stands firm amidst the elements and whatever the New England climate can bring to bear…

This capture from nearly 9 years ago during a lovely snow fall intends to share a bit of the peace and tranquility that exists during these weather events. I love watching the soft, fluffy snow flakes fall toward the ground, while taking in the near-perfect quiet that comes from having a sound-absorbing blanket of snow.

What do you like about Winter? Or is it the one season that you simply hope to see finish as soon as possible?

Khürt’s New Challenge Series

A lovely way to start the day!

One of the frequent contributors to my weekly Tuesday Photo Challenge is Khürt Williams. Khürt’s photography and writing is always amazing, and a lot of fun too! He also writes about beer, which might interest many… You should definitely check out his blog at Island in the Net.

This week, Khürt has started a new challenge series, the 52 Week Smartphone Challenge, which is described in the link. The concept is fairly straightforward and inspired by the great quality cameras that are in smartphones these days: shoot something that goes with the them and pingback/tag it to have it show up under the challenge.

This week’s theme is ‘Self-Portrait’: “Take a picture that tells us who you are, without actually showing your face.”

Here’s my contribution to the first week, which tells you that snow has really become part of my very being… In New England, we get an adequate supply, and I’m one of those weird people that actually likes the white stuff, as it makes the entire world look gorgeous (for a while).

This shot is from this morning, after we got another dusting (1-2 inches); as it was on the warm side, the snow was heavy, but gorgeous! I took this shot with my iPhone 11Pro Max using the NeuralCam app. This app has become one of my favorite photography tools!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 188

A peaceful day at the beach

Welcome to the 188th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Thank you all very much for your creative posts on this week’s theme of Peace! It’s clear from your posts that each of you are passionate about the subject and that there’s much that we can do around the globe to work toward a more peaceful existence for all! I really appreciate the thought that you put into your posts, as they were wonderful to read!

Thank you for another great week!

Here’s another bit of peace…

For me, spending a cold January day out on the beach and capture some interesting images, as I’m surrounded by the peace and quiet of Nature. This particular day was after a week of heavy snow, so that there was still snow on the beach, which is not a frequent sight. The day was windy and cold, but my heart was filled with peace from the experience.

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

Our theme of peace is kicked off this week by Maria in Sagittarius Viking, as she takes us to a truly peaceful location in the Mojave Desert!
Nicole shares a truly powerful image in her wonderful post in Une Photo, Un Poéme, as her image touches something inside all of us!
In a wonderful post in her blog Sharing Thoughts, Indira captures one of those awesome moments!
TiongHan shares another amazing photo in his post in TiongHan’s Blog; this is one of those images that you can just look at for hours!
Diane provides some great peaceful images in her post in pensivity101; between gardening and dogs, it doesn’t get much better!
Kammie brings some amazing skies in her post in Nut House Central, which provide a truly peaceful backdrop!
The wonderful photo in Land of Images brings a complete sense of peace to my mind; it provides a great subject for meditation!
Xenia, Eivor and Pearl enjoy the peace of the gentle surf that reaches for the shore in a great post in whippetwisdom. Xenia has a second post in Tranature that really breathes peace into life!
I can understand why the location in theOnlyD800intheHameau is their go-to location for peace and relaxation in Abu Dhabi; what a pool!
Na’ama shares another powerful poem in her post in Na’ama Yehuda, as she focuses on a piece of peace!
Maria shares the peace that she feels when going for a walk with her camera in a great set of photos in Kamerapromenader; I particularly like the drops of water on the branch.
Nandini brings us a wonderful set of haikus and images in another excellent post in queennandini; peace speaks loud in this post!
Bren takes us back into the past with a wonderful pair of photos in Bren & Ashley Ryan Photography; both images give that sense of an era that was more peaceful…
Jackie finds a peace sign in her post in Junkboat Travels, that we can find in the Distillery District in Toronto; great photos!
Tatiana has found a great set of cold, snowy locations in her post in Travelways; it may be cold, but Montana, Idaho and Washington look stunning!
Sandy brings us a complete sense of peace in her post in Out of my Write Mind, both through her photos and the stunning poem!
David shares the sense of peace that he experiences photographing sunrises in David M’s Photoblog: I can relate to that sense of being one with the world around us.
In radhikasreflection we get to experience peace through a lovely set of images that range from Nature to the spiritual!
Viveka features a powerful symbol of non-violence in myguiltypleasures; the knotted gun is a centerpiece for activism that focuses on reducing and stopping violence in our society.
Debbie features an amazing set of sculptures of giant hands that were part of the Biennale exhibition in Venice in her post in Travel with Intent; there are a stunning set of examples of how connections can be made!
In another great post in A Day in the Life, we experience a sense of peace that is brought on by being near water; a sentiment that I can relate to!
In a fantastic post in Don’t Hold Your Breath, we are introduced to an elephant orphanage, which allows these lost ones to find peace. Amazing place!
Ann-Christine also features the knotted in To See a World in a Grain of Sand…; this sculpture was inspired by the shooting of John Lennon…
Ken finds a moment’s peace in another great photo in Pictures without Film; wading just a bit into the surf and enjoying the moment is something that we can all appreciate!
Brian features a great photo in his post in Bushboy’s World; the handshake is a strong symbol of reaching out and making peace.
Russell captured a truly stunning stained-glass window in his post in Beautiful Photographs, which provides an inspirational image of peace!
I agree that planting trees provides the seeds of peace and hope, as we see in a magnificent post in sgeoil; well done!
Jez helps us focus on those that make peace possible in a great post in Jez Braithwaite; great reminder and photo!
Hammad shares a poem that really gets to the essence of peace in a great post in the Blog of Hammad Rais; great combination with the photo!
Deb captured a truly interesting post in her post in Twenty Four; its sentiment is spot on for this challenge!
In a wonderful post in That Little Voice, we get to see Sergio and Radar quietly at peace with one another!
A wonderful post in Ghost Dog shares the sentiment of giving peace a chance with a rather wonderful photo!!
In another awesome post in One Letter Up – Diary 2.0, we visit a rather peaceful locale, where it would be nice to experience Nature!
Stef put together an amazing post in Ostendnomadography, where he features a Garden of Peace, which provides a wonderful counterpoint to a war cemetery.
Irene found a truly peaceful spot in Rogers Lakewood Park in her post in Heaven’s Sunshine! Great photo!

Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!

Three Line Tales – Precarious

Life in the balance

Many thanks to Sonya for Week One Hundred and Fifty-Seven of Three Line Tales, part of her awesome blog Only 100 Words!

Three line tales, week 157: a robin in a snowy bird feeder — photo by Clever Visuals via Unsplash

****

Temperatures drop,
Silent snow blankets the land.
Life in the balance.

****

Thank you to Sonya of Only 100 Words for coming up with Three Line Tales.

You’ll find full guidelines on her TLT page, but here’s the tl;dr:

Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible).
Link back to this post.
Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find you in the Reader).
Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
NEW: If you want your post to be included in the round-up, you have until Sunday evening to publish it.
Have fun.

Happy three-lining!

It’s Chilly Outside!

But my heart is warm!

The WordPress Daily Prompt provides the theme of Frigid, which is rather appropriate, given the Spring temperatures here in New England!

Winter is one of my favorite times of year, as there are those days when Nature is stunningly beautiful, as she’s covered by a blanket of snow. Great photography, particularly, as many people prefer to stay indoors on those days!

Here are some examples of the cooler environs, in which we find ourselves…

Winter’s Beauty

Winter Beach

In case your drink needs some…

Winter’s Beauty

Frosts of Atlantis

Variety of cold environments abounds!

Have a wonderful day, and stay warm!

Weathered on the Beach

Drifting snow and wood

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge provides the theme of Weathered.

In my third entry for this challenge, we go to the beach on a rather chilly day. At least, I went to the beach 🙂 The day was fantastic, as I haven’t had alot of opportunities to catch the beach with a snow cover, as the salt water tends to make short work of snow.

On this day, I captured a variety of images, of which lots were of snow swept across the beaches. I also found this rather weathered piece of driftwood…

20150131-Landscape_57A0819 — *Weathered and Snowy*

There are still remnants of the snow on this part of the beach, some of which are clinging to the driftwood.

Have a wonderful day!

Let it snow, let it snow!

Cold beauty

Yesterday, we received a wonderful package of white loveliness in the form of over a foot (>30 cm) of snow in the area. The conditions were enough to keep most people working from home, as the winds were in the 50-70 mph range, which makes driving rather treacherous.

Looking out my office window, there is the pristine beauty of snow against blue skies around, coupled with sufficiently low temperatures (7 F at the moment and falling) to have the promise of no melting for at least a couple of days. So, I’m looking forward to getting some photography in this weekend with snow and extreme cold on the menu.

Here are some images from a couple of years ago…

Cold Morning

Universal Existence

Crashing Waves

Flotsam

Doane’s Falls in Ice

Winter Beach

Winter’s Beauty

Let’s see what I can do this weekend!

Have a wonderful day!

Cloaked in Silence

Snow’s gentle cloak wrapped the landscape

The WordPress Daily Prompt has the theme of Cloaked. This is a very interesting topic, as it can range from deep space to simply wearing a cloak (whatever happened to good old-fashioned cloaks with many pockets?)

The one thing that came to mind immediately was one of the images from a beach excursion during January of 2015; we had just had a tremendous amount of snow, which created one of those rare opportunities to photograph the beaches in the snow. The beaches were very much deserted, as it was not great swimming weather; and with the snow, the landscape was silent and beautiful.

A cold day at the beach…

20150131-Landscape_57A0735 — *Silent Beach*

With the gorgeous light and frozen scenery, it made for a fantastic day to be out there photographing. With ample layers and warm boots, there was no limit to what we could see!

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 76

Wonderful signage!

Welcome to the 76th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! With this installment, I’ll be in sync again this week, which is a good sign!

You’ve certainly come up with some amazing evidence of your creativity and exploring spirit in the contributions that you’ve made to last week’s challenge of Signs! There were some absolute stand-outs and some great humor!! I really enjoyed reading the posts, particularly as there was wonderful variety and plenty of humor; signs seem to bring that opportunity!

And then there are the signs that Winter is coming…

20150131-Landscape_57A0612 — *In case your drink needs some…*

I came across this little scene a couple of years ago, as I was enjoying a day of beach and waterfront photography on a very cold, and photographically awesome day! I found the snow on the letters of the word ‘Ice’ to be a bit amusing!

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

Sarah kicks things off this week with a trio of posts, starting in New Zealand’s Mirror Lake in By Sarah, then taking us to Middle Earth in her second entry in By Sarah and leading us down a path marked by Ahu in the third post in By Sarah.
Ladyleemanilla entertains us with a wide variety of signs, among which I definitely have a favorite; which is yours?
Nicole takes us on a tour in Une Photo, un poéme, and I must say that it’s a good sign to be on the Alsace Wine Road!
Gwenn’s post in Field Notes from over the Hill has some rather eclectic signs, although I question the veracity of one…
Poetry in Pictures has a penchant for posting interesting responses, and this week is no exception!
This week, iball round the world found some rather interesting signs to contribute; wherever we go, we might need one!
Klara’s post in Sliku svoju ljubim II is rather peaceful, as long as we don’t disturb the neighbors!
In Folly’s Photoworld vol. 2‘s entry of this week, we witness the signs of impending Autumn; arachnophobes might want to be careful!
Stella’s array of signs, in her post in Giggles & Tales, are truly impressive. I’ve been to some of those places; how many have you visited?
Photogate brings us a rather humorous view of the use of signs that can indicate a state of mind or a phase of matter.
The Kiwiontheloose provides us with a fantastic photo with a sign; I just wish there was a drink with it!
Miriam brings us the sign of her daughter’s pregnancy in the Shower of Blessing, and we hope that the delivery went well for mom and baby!
Bikurgurl shares both a wonderful photo and poetry in her entry; signs of luminosity are in evidence!
Judith puts us in a quandary in her blog, Nature Knows Best; which way will you decide to go?
Cee finds some rather interesting signs in Cee’s Photography, and there is one that really cracked me up!
Xenia’s poem and photos in whippetwisdom.com tell us about the signs of Autumn that are definitely there!
In this week’s post in ARHtistic License, Andrea shows us the detail of a lamp post that also provides us a sign!
This week’s post in Musin’ with Susan shows a wonderful collage of signs from the Women’s March with messages that need sharing!
This week, theonlyD800inthehameau provides great image of a sign that I can definitely buy into!
LeAnn provides some great views of signs in LeAnn’s Captures! The cacti give us pause to stop and the vintage feel is awesome!
Bushboy’s World shows of a wonderful array of signs that he captured in his post this week!
This week, Urban Liaisons teaches us to say hello in many languages with a wordless sign that tells it all!
Marie brings us an interesting prohibition in The New 3 Rs: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect: no shark fishing!
Frank’s entry in Poetry, Short Prose and Walking commemorates Summer and shows the first signs of Autumn!
In CitySonnet‘s post, we see the end of Summer and signs of Autumn, particularly in the emptiness of the beach!
Mike’s post in Weakly Thoughts questions the messages in the signs he saw. I’m with him that these are not good signs to find…
Robert presents another amazing photo in his entry in Photo Robert’s Blog with a simple, delicate touch!
You’ll find humor in the photo in the post in Linda’s Cr8tions 365, which is a beautiful blog!
Magicandbeauty has a wonderful post with signs around the city of Sarajevo, both commemorating and informing!
Miriam takes us Out an’ About in her post, with signage that is both helpful and humorous, as well as the signs that the universe gives us!
Dawn’s post in Snap That Bug! brings us to Patchewollock, with a beautiful photo and the clear sign that this is a great area to visit!
Sheena’s post in Leaking Ink is wonderful in the nerdy approach that is taken to the theme! Math nerds should love this one!!
Ron’s post in Locating Frankenstein’s Brain is a great array of signs!
Following Him Beside Still Waters gives us a great view of road signs as they are often superfluous.
Bullyboy closes the array of entries with some great signs in Travel387; it seems that the love of signs is everywhere!