Fall Light

The seasons are changing here as always. Fall is starting to fade into what soon will be winter. Frost covers lawns and breath is visible. Yet the light this time of year is wonderful. The angle of the sun and the color of the foliage makes for glowing leaves. While many trees are bare some still have golden leaves. I wish I was better with the camera to capture the glow. But it was still fun to step outside for a brief moment to capture what I could with my camera. And enjoy the nip in the air with the scent of fall.

Yes, I added the pictures all at once and it's tricky to click between them to add text. Being on my netbook with cat in lap isn't helping either. Not that the pictures need description.

Butterflies in my Garden

We have had more butterflies than normal this year, it was even a news story awhile back. With the baby I haven't been able to get outside with my camera as much as I would have. Yesterday my husband had some daddy daughter time and while I was in the kitchen I noticed a butterfly on my coneflowers. So I grabbed the camera and went outside.

When I first went outside I startled the butterfly. It was fun watching it flutter around me in a great circle before coming to land on the flowers again. The first shot I took had my house siding in the background. I knelt down and got a shot with trees in the background instead.

Later that day when I was carrying my daughter around I saw another butterfly through the window. I handed baby over and grabbed the camera. I again startled the butterfly and watched it fly around. This one was a bit trickier as it kept moving so it took awhile to line up the broad part of the wings. The first nice wing shot ended up a silhouette.

Well, there is some detail on the butterfly. But the lines from the siding make this look more snap shot. I did get a better shot after this.

It had landed in a different part of the garden so I took the shot through a gap in the coneflower stalks. And yes I do need to weed my garden. This guy has something wrong with his wing, but he flew just as well as butterfly 1.

My husband, daughter, and I sat outside together for awhile. The temperature went down after dinner and with the breeze it was pleasant in the shade. We sat in our front yard and enjoyed watching the breeze in the trees. Daughter loves the outdoors. Those little baby eyes watch the green leaves against the blue sky. She also watches people and cars going down our street. I think she was even watching a white moth flit across the garden from the kitchen earlier.

While the three of us were outside I saw a yellow butterfly. I still had the camera, but before I could get a shot it flew across the street and didn't come back. I had taken a picture of a little moth earlier though which turned out alright. One of our front yard chairs is in the background. I think it adds something to the picture.

And that's a wrap for my Saturday photography "trip". It was enjoyable to get out with the camera again, even if it takes more time to then share the pictures. I've gotten rather used to my cell phone with the share button. And I'm glad to be getting this post together before daughter wakes. Yes, insert joke here about baby alarm clock. At least she doesn't cry when she wakes, she just coos and babbles really cute.

New Blog Series

Since A to Z wound down and the cool days of spring are shifting into the warmer days of summer I've been pondering what to write about for my blog. I do like blogging about writing but I don't want to only blog about writing. I want to get some more of my other interests in here, which I'm sure others share some of them.

With those thoughts, and thanks to Julie's Travel's with Clancy I decided it might be fun to have the occasional blog post of my visits to various places around my area. I live in central New York state and I enjoy getting out into more natural settings. Luckily we have parks galore around here; nestled in the rivers, lakes, and mountains. I'm probably going to put up a wish list of places I'm planning on visiting soon along with farther away places that I would like to visit someday.

For this summer I'm hoping to get to both Letchworth state park and Chimney Bluffs. Both destinations are under a two hour drive from where I live.

Letchworth is referred to as the "Grand Canyon of the East". The Genesee river flows through a gorge in the park and down waterfalls. At one of the falls there is a set of stone steps that lead down into the gorge for a closer view. I've been there several times and I'm looking forward to visiting again.

Chimney Bluffs is a park along the shore of Lake Ontario consisting of a series of pointed bluffs perched on the edge of the beach. It looks like some rock formations from the US southwest were dropped into New York. The Wiki page has more detail on this park than the state website does. I've been here once before and unfortunately didn't have time to explore the various hiking trails. When my husband and I heard a thunderstorm approaching we went to the local winery instead.

If I get out towards Buffalo, there is Chestnut Ridge park. I used to go there fairly often when I was younger and wander the creek with my brother. In a book my mom had picked up a few years back I read about the Eternal Flame. In a waterfall just outside the park proper there is a natural gas fissure that causes a flame to burn in a grotto behind the falling water.

So basically this is the start of figuring out where exactly I want to go and what I want to see. I'd really like to go to Letchworth for a weekend trip. While it is fairly close I'd like to stay at the Glen Iris inn. I read in the AAA magazine that the inn has a porch with plenty of chairs within earshot of the falls. It sounds like a relaxing way to enjoy the day after going hiking and taking pictures.

Of course there is Niagara Falls not to far. But for this blog series I think it would be more fun to focus on lesser known places. Though if I wind up at the Niagara Falls park I'd like to photograph Tesla's statue and the three sisters islands are always interesting.