Sunny Side UP!

It ain't over 'til it's over.....and it ain't over - yet!

A neighbor put pine park mulch around his flowers a few weeks back and noticed afterwards that unplanted seeds had germinated and were poking up from the corner.

Here is the unexpected last breath of summer!

The sunflowers have company -Black-eyed Susans.

BOO!

Well, just so you know, the videos I post are all of my own photos made into slide shows with music. (I usually upload them on YouTube.) There was one exception and that was a special one for a friend's anniversary using their pictures. Many will agree with my choice of music and some will not like it at all. Well - they are my videos and I put music I like with them!  Because I have just learned how to make these there will sometimes be mistakes in the slideshow, but I try to improve with each one. I have learned that using photos that are in a portrait format don't show up as well as those in landscape format. I don't like to use them but I didn't know how to make slide shows when I was leaning how to take pictures. Now I do. Sometimes I have used movies that I make with the digital camera. I haven't yet figured how to shut off the sound and do not like to have the wind noises or background noises on those. I can make them on iMovie application and kill the camera sounds and add my own. The still slide shows are created mostly on iPhoto application. 

I would now like to share yesterday and today's "creations" because it is the time to do so.

I used 2 photos from a friend - one if a moon behind clouds and the other of flying birds in front of clouds and merged them with one of my tree shots. The ugly eye overlooking my tree photo that was used in a previous post was enlarged from an old graphic I had saved a few years ago. I have a grand time making these "creations" and sharing the results. It's an enjoyable creative outlet for me.

BOO!

from me to you...SheTree!

Trees and Mushrooms in Campground

Birds and Boletus

I spent the afternoon yesterday sitting on the overview ramp that leads to the beach. The sun was warm and it was a great sight when the pelicans and osprey were diving into the ocean for fish. These are their ways: pelicans dive beak first for their catch - osprey dive head first then switch at the last second to grab prey with their feet. Since I had my camera handy, I thought I would try to get their action. What a failure I had with those shots. I'm used to taking pictures of still and close up things and this was VERY different. I pushed to focus then pushed to take a photo and my subject matter was just plain too fast for me. I even had camera set to "sport" which could have stopped action if I could have them in the right place when I shot. Part of my problem was that they were so far away and I'm not a professional photographer with an adequate zoom lens nor knowledge of what tactic and settings to use. The photos below are my poor results but I WILL try again. I took 38 shots so was satisfied to have a few to share. Unfortunately I missed the osprey completely.

After two hours I headed for home and noticed shapely brown clumps on a neighbor's lawn. Curiosity prevailed and these are my best photo accomplishments of the day. Of course, after returning home I had to research and be able to name them. I'm still not sure of identification, as it is tricky, and I NEVER would eat these even though I love tasty fungi.

Boletus queletii otherwise known as the deceiving bolete, is an uncommon, edible mushroom in the genus Boletus. It can be found in deciduous forest, at lower altitudes, mostly under beech.

Boletus is a genus of mushroom, comprising over 100 species. The genus Boletus was originally broadly defined and described by Elias Magnus Fries in 1821, essentially containing all fungi with pores. 

 Boletus queletii

Boletus queletii

 Boletus queletii

 Boletus queletii

 Boletus queletii

Boletus queletii

Thursday Finds...

Next year I plan to grow these beauties. I was experimenting shooting into the sun and two photos are backlit. There are very few flowers in bloom now, but I do see some Angel Trumpet buds on a couple of plants in the park. I'm waiting for a small patch of sunflowers to pop open. Today, as I rode past the sunflower patch, the owner was out raking and I had a short chat with him. It seems that he didn't plant the sunflowers but they grew from the mulch he put around them. He is also waiting for an event of sunflowers in October. They are very late, we think due to being in the mulch until it was spread. We'll know what variety they are soon.

I was admiring a neighbor's tea roses this summer, but there were too many people around and she wasn't at home so I didn't take pictures. Today she was at home and she said she can't buy them any more at her favorite garden center so I looked to see if I could find a source and did. The pictures here are not mine. They are called Rio Samba and start out yellow then the edges turn pink, then it slowly turns orange, then a pinkish red. What a show it puts out for rose lovers. It is named after the Samba dancers at the Carnival in Rio.

 click on photo to view larger

Dahlia

Sunflower Bud

Rio Samba