Beach Umbrella
This is a beach umbrella reflected in a thin film of water on the sand. I like it as an abstract image.
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Beach Umbrella
Categories: Travel
Tags: Beach, Beach Umbrella, Colors, Ocean Isle, Ocean Isle Beach
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Green Lynx Spider
Green Lynx Spider
In the Green Swamp, green lynx spiders (Peucetia viridans) live on pitcher plants, enjoying the insects that don’t quite make it into the death trap. Bwah-ha-ha!
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Arachnids, Green Lynx Spider, Lynx Spider, Peucetia, Peucetia viridans, Spider
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The Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder
The Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder
Sleeping in is one of the nice things about being on vacation. That being said, getting up at 6:30 has its advantages, as well. It isn’t exactly the road to Mandalay (and there were no flying fishes, as far as I know) but even in North Carolina, the dawn sometimes comes up like thunder.
Categories: Sunrise/Sunset/Sky
Tags: Beach, Clouds, Dawn, Ocean Isle, Ocean Isle Beach, Orange, Sky, Sunrise
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Another Sunrise
Another Sunrise
Another sunrise at the beach. Every day is different but different in a beautiful way.
Wakin’ Up Is Hard To Do
Dorothy
We didn’t really do anything today but it’s the beach, nothing is what you do there.
This picture makes it look like it’s cold but it’s actually been quite hot here. Dorothy had just gotten up and was still wrapped up from being inside (where it IS pretty cold, particularly first thing in the morning).
Hot Dog Bun People
Hot Dog Bun People
OK, this is a little obscure. On the way to the beach back on July 30, while waiting in traffic on I95 south of Woodbridge, Virginia, we noticed an SUV with two bins and two coolers on the back. In one bin were games and in the other were lots of hot dog buns and a couple (clear) containers of Fruit Loops. They were going faster than we were so naturally we lost track of them.
About 220 miles further along on our trip, we stopped, as we always do, for barbecue at Parkers in Wilson, North Carolina. I dropped mom off and went to park in the only shady spot in the parking lot and guess who was right next to us? The Hot Dog Bun People. I even took a picture showing the back of their car.
Fast forward to today, seven days later. We’re driving west on I-40 out of Wilmington, North Carolina. We are about a hundred miles from Parkers, heading back home. The girls are quiet in the back seat, zoning out, when all of a sudden Dorothy had some sort of seizure. I actually saw the van about the time she did but the rest of the car had no idea what was going on. She was pointing out the window and babbling incoherently in a loud (very) voice.
As you can see from the picture (which matches the picture from last Saturday exactly except one cooler and one bin are gone) we had just been overtaken by… The Hot Dog Bun People.
Alec and Audrey
Alec and Audrey
This afternoon we had a nice visit with my cousin, Lisa, and her lovely family. This is Alec and Audrey, her two children and Dorothy’s second cousins. We certainly don’t see them as often as we should but it’s always a treat when we do. We shouldn’t need the extra incentive but Dorothy actually does have more reason to visit Tampa now, so perhaps we’ll make our way south sometime.
Sphinx Moth
Sphinx Moth
Taking pictures of bees and butterflies on flowers is hard, but at least they land, if only momentarily. This is a sphinx moth and I’ve only very rarely seen one actually land. Certainly when feeding on flowers they tend to hover. Unfortunately this one was not in the sun, so it’s not shown as nicely as it might be, but beggars cannot be choosers. I’m guessing that this is Hemaris diffinis, the snowberry clearwing, but I really don’t know.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Hemaris, Hemaris diffinis, Lepidoptera, Moth, Sphinx Moth
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Cabbage White
Cabbage White
The cabbage white (Pieris rapae) is cosmopolitan and ubiquitous. This one is in my back garden.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Butterfly, Cabbage White, Lepidoptera, Pieris, Pieris rapae
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Katydid
Katydid
I went out into the woods next to my building today and took a few pictures. As I was heading back I came across this Katydid, probably a Pterophylla camellifolia, who flew up onto the trunk of a tree as I approached. He somewhat reluctantly allowed me to get close enough for a few pictures.
I remember Cathy had one of these on her shoulder one time and when she noticed it but before she knew what it was, she totally freaked out. Pretty funny.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Green, Katydid, Orthoptera, Pterophylla, Pterophylla camellifolia
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Morning Glory
Morning Glory
I rarely give this plant any name but bindweed and I spend a lot of time pulling it out of my garden. I do have to say, though, that for colors in the deepest registers, this is just about as good as it gets. The morning glory (along with the lowly petunia) has some of the most beautiful, deep, rich, colors in the world of flowers.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Morning Glory, Purple
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Cæsar
Cæsar
Hanging upside down in his cage, as is is wont, the yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), Cæsar, casts a wary eye at the photographer. (Except it turns out that he is a she, so perhaps we should call her Cleopatra, instead.)
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Amazon Parrot, Amazona, Amazona oratrix, Cæsar, Parrot, yellow-headed Amazon
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Tomato Hornworm
Tomato Hornworm
After not being able to go out to the farm for three straight Saturdays it was nice to be able to again this morning. It was quiet and I enjoyed a little photography time in the vegetable garden. I came upon this caterpillar, which I believe is a tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) that is covered with eggs from some parasitic insect, possibly a Braconid wasp of some sort. A little less spectacular than Alien and no Sigourney Weaver but that’s the general idea.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Lepidoptera, Manduca, Manduca quinquemaculata, Moth, Tomato Hornworm
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D
D
Youth pool party this afternoon and I was allowed to come take pictures. This is Darien (a.k.a. D) on his way to a belly-flop.
Monarch
Monarch
This is the first monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) I’ve seen this year. All of a sudden there are lots of them in the yard, on the buddleia, the black-eyed Susans, and here, on the Conoclinium coelestinum.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Butterfly, Danaus, Danaus plexippus, Lepidoptera, Monarch, Orange
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County Fair
County Fair
The county fair is always a good source of interesting photographs. Taking three kids (ages 1, 5, and 7) plus Dorothy should make it even better. Unfortunately I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera this morning. So, this is a picture of Zeke on a camel, taken on Dorothy’s phone (but by me, don’t worry).
Black-eyed Susans
Black-eyed Susans
The black-eyed Susans are the predominant source of color (except for the color green, of course) in the garden right now. They are holding up their end marvelously, I might add.
Oh, and I passed the 20,000 mark on my camera today. This is photo number 20,004 (since Christmas).
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Black-eyed Susans, Blooms, Flowers, Hardy Perennial, Native Plants, Perennial, Yellow
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27th Anniversary
27th Anniversary
Cathy and I went out to dinner tonight to celebrate our 27th anniversary. The waiter brought us this dessert, which was delish.
Mowing the Lawn
Mowing the Lawn
A good friend of ours said she liked mowing the lawn because it was the only thing she could do around the house that her two sons couldn’t undo in half an hour.
I think Cathy does it for a similar reason to why I do the cooking. She considers the lawn in need of attention before I do. I consider dinner in need of attention before she does.
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
The horizontal wire just above the bird bothers me a bit but otherwise I really like this picture. It is a female American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) taking off from a dried sunflower growing between rows of grape vines (which is what the wire is for) at Rocklands Farm.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: American Goldfinch, Bird, Birds, Carduelis, Carduelis tristis, Goldfinch
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Wacky Sophomores*
Wacky Sophomores
School starts on Wednesday and the sophomore and junior classes had a joint “back to school” party this afternoon. In this photo, Dorothy and some of her friends are… well, I’m not sure what they’re doing.
*I know, Hannah is a junior. Sorry.
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk
A juvenile red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), flying over the parking lot outside my office today. He gave a single scream which alerted me to his presence and I got quite a few half-decent pictures (with my less than decent long lens). Gotta get me a good telephoto.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Buteo, Buteo jamaicensis, Hawk, Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk
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Green Hair Man
Green Hair Man
A funny thing happened on the way to an earthquake. Actually, I was driving to the Verizon store to get new phones for all of us when I looked in my rear view mirror. This is what I saw. This picture was taken from the driver’s seat, stopped at a light, with the lens pointed into the interior rear view mirror. Not a bad picture, considering that. Anyway, that’s about the greenest hair I’ve ever seen.
Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar
Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar
This thing is huge. It’s as big around as my thumb and as long as my middle finger. Actually, I think it’s pretty amazing that this big, squishy, green blob turns into a beautiful (and quite large) moth. In this case, a Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus). It’s named after the Cyclops Polyphemus in Homer’s Odyssey because of the large “eye spot” on its hindwings.
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Antheraea, Antheraea polyphemus, Caterpillar, Insect, Insects, Lepidoptera, Moth, Polyphemus Moth
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Parking Lot Accident
Parking Lot Accident
A friend and coworker asked me to take some pictures today of what happened to her car in the parking lot. Someone driving a Chevy Impala hit her car in the rear left corner hard enough to push it (violently) into another friend and coworker’s van. In this picture, you can see how far the car has been moved.
We know it was an Impala and we know the license number. One weird thing about all this is that the driver of the car parked it and walked away. He was watched from a window. He left the car right there. He didn’t leave a note or anything, just walked away. As I was leaving work he had returned and was changing his tire (which had blown in the accident). Yes, I took another picture then. Thanks for asking.
Pale Beauty
Pale Beauty
I saw a few of these little moths today. I believe it is a pale beauty (Campaea perlata).
Categories: Creatures
Tags: Campaea, Campaea perlata, Insect, Insects, Lepidoptera, Moth, Pale Beauty
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Tire Swing
Tire Swing
It was so wonderful to spend a little more time with Erin and her lovely family today. Thanks for putting up with us. I especially enjoyed pushing Marit and Zeke on the tire swing. What a delight your children are. God speed and and a good voyage to you all.
Jenny and Nayo
Jenny and Nayo
I asked Dorothy for help picking a picture for today and this was her favorite. It’s hard to argue with her — these are two adorable girls. That’s the secret to taking good pictures, by the way. Only take pictures of attractive people. Hard to go wrong with this pair.
Logs
Logs
As I approach the ⅔ mark in my year-long project, I find that I’m not particularly motivated. It isn’t that I’m not enjoying taking pictures and I’ve managed to take pictures every day, I’m just not motivated to go looking for pictures lately. I’m not sure what to do about it. Life is like that sometimes — you just do what you are supposed to do even though you don’t really fell like it.
I did take a few pictures of the trees I’ve been cutting up in the back yard. These range in size up to about 10 inches in diameter. The larger pieces are yet to be cut, though. Still, it’s a start.
Self-Portrait
Self-Portrait
I guess this is what I look like to a lot of people. I thought I’d post something a little different today. I did go out in the early afternoon, since it was such a beautiful day and there is a picture from my wandering in Extras. This is a self-portrait I did as I came back to the building. It’s a reflection in the mirrored glass door to my building (and then flipped so as not to be a mirror image).
Lounging Wood
Lounging Wood
I saw this piece of wood lounging on the patio table this afternoon. Doesn’t it look relaxed? I also have a nice picture of a digger wasp (Scolia dubia) but Dorothy thinks I’ve posted enough stinging things on mountain mint.