Snowstorm!

Hello readers~greetings from snowy Michigan!
Around here we often say “wait a minute….the weather will change”.    And often, what is forecasted in the weather report does not happen.  So it was a surprise to see more snow than what was predicted when we awoke this morning!  We got about 10″ of snow and under that was a coating of ice.  It was not a nice commute for those who had to be somewhere early.

By 10 a.m. the sun was melting the snow and it was sliding off rooftops, trees, and cars.  In its wake, the storm left many trees, branches and power lines down, and thousands without power.

But at 8 a.m. this morning, it was very pretty.  Everything was coated softly with white.  There was a stillness; a silence that comes with new snow.   The sun was just coming up behind the trees in our woods, and I could not resist a chance to capture that “fairyland” look.  Come along with me~

A blue spruce decorated naturally for Christmas with sunlight and sparkly snow...........

a snowy overhead branch and a snowy tree still hanging on to its leaves.............

almost a heart "arch"

catching the sun's rays.........

the glow of the sun through the woods, dusted with white..........

Thanks for stopping by…..come visit again~
Judy 

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Bringing some sun to a dreary day~

Dear Readers,

Today was a dreary day here.  I decided I needed some sunshine!  I’ve also been working on my macro photography (close up photos).  For these photos I used my Nikon D-80 and 3 PROMASTER 7- Extension Tubes: 36mm, 20mm, and 12mm.  The extension tubes can be used singly or in any combination to get the shot you desire.  They are cheaper than purchasing many macro lenses, and with three of them, gives me several options to play with.

I’m posting a few of my recent macro photos.  I was fortunate to have a few flowers left in the garden beds to practice on!  It’s still a work in progress.  I have to work a lot on technique, and it’s scary for me to put this out on the internet!

Coreopsis above.

 Black-Eyed Susan above.                                          Rose above.

At least the flowers give us a bit of sunshine today!

Have a lovely Thursday evening and thanks for coming to visit~

Fall Photos

Dear Readers…

The season is beginning to change rapidly here.  Most of the yellow maples have lost their leaves in our woods.  The red maples have lost their leaves within just the last week.  The Japanese Maple is the last to hang onto her leaves at this point.  It seems like it was a fast moving fall around here.

But we were lucky.  The people in the East had huge amounts of snow this past weekend and that would make it seem as though fall has disappeared.  My thoughts go out to those who have had quite a lot of weather to deal with in 2011.

The first photo is from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  It was taken in late September.  The golden Birch leaves make a good frame for the view of Lake Michigan.  The sun was not shining very brightly, which was perfect.   I was able to catch the sunlight in the leaves.  I had to maneuver around quite a bit under the trees to get to the right spot and the correct angle, so when I emerged from this photo I had leaves, twigs and probably some bugs in my hair!   For this shot I used my Nikon Coolpix S-8000.

I enjoyed finding the Beech leaf cradling the Maple leaf in the second photo.  I like the translucency of the leaf.   I moved slightly so the trunk of the tree in front was blocking the sun, yet the sun was still lighting the leaf.  I used my Nikon D-80 for this photo. Thanks for looking at the pictures!

Fall Colors~

The maple trees are golden, red and orange;  leaves falling like snow now.  The sky is a pale blue, but the sun is gracing us with her presence~hurrah!  Come visit my Michigan world of color…….

….and finally~Salamander Glacier!

This is Salamander Glacier, part of the Many Glacier section of Glacier National Park.  The water IS that blue, from the glacial silt.
It’s a very beautiful spot!

Mountain Goat

We saw this mountain goat on our hike from Logan’s pass to Hidden Lake.  Her baby was nearby.  She is shedding, so she looks a little rough around the edges.  In front of her is Hidden Lake.

Corn Chowder

Six ingredients!

Boil together: 1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2″ chunks.  Any kind of potato: white, red, Yukon gold…

2 cups baby carrots, sliced

2 cups chicken broth  (vegetable broth will work also)

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in: 2 cans (15 oz) creamed corn

3/4 cup light cream, Half & Half, or whatever you choose.  (make sure it’s not boiling at this point)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Serve!  (serves 4)

If you need to reheat, do not bring to a boil.  Just return soup to a hot temperature.  Enjoy!!