Category: on closer examination

'scene' along the way, boats, friends, fun, gardens, moments, nature, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip, travel

Lakeside views…

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Arriving at Lake Winnipesaukee we found ourselves enjoying the view from a waterfront park.  That the park also had sculptures was a nice added attraction.  But we were a little mystified by the signage announcing that the park was safe for kids and animals, based on the lack of pesticide use.  What they neglected to warn us about was the Canada geese and their droppings, which were tough to avoid.  Not complaining though, it was just funny funny to read how safe it was and find yourself tiptoeing through the, well, not the tulips…Meredithscene6Meredithscene10Meredithscene7Meredithscene3Meredithscene5Meredithscene4Meredithscene2MeredithsceneMeredithscene9Meredith12Meredith13MeredithadirondacksMeredithgateMeredithgeese

bugs, dragonflies, flowers, fun, moments, nature, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, pond creatures, road trip, simple things, travel, weather

Sunflower daze…

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My husband called it the ‘6 Ps’.  Proper Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.  Not very eloquent but he made his point.  Yesterday our planned trip to Coppal Farm for the Sunflower Festival turned out to have been perfectly planned.  Or we were just lucky.  I wondered ahead of time how many pictures I’d get out of a trip to see just a single type of flower.  Only it turned out that there is more than one kind of sunflower.AugNHpalesunflowerAugNHredsunflowerAugNHsunflower1AugNHsunflower5

But the vast fields of sunflowers at Coppal Farm were the traditional variety that comes to mind at the mention of the word sunflower.  Except for one little face in the crowd.AugNHwhere'sWaldo

The farm itself was picture-worthy also.AugNHcoppalfarmAugNHcoppalfarm2AugNHpowerlinesAugNHsunflower4AugNHsunflower3AugNHsunflower2

Honestly, I don’t set out to take pictures of bugs, it just happens.  There were two varieties of black dragonflies at the pond next to the sunflower field.  They are so different from the blue ones I so commonly see that I was determined to get a decent picture.  But not to worry, the blue ones were there too.AugNHdragonfly1AugNHdragonfly2AugNHdragonfly3

a second look, birds, bugs, flowers, gardens, Nature's beautiful creatures, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip, travel

The unexpected…

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It’s not that I was lost exactly.  I was attempting to follow the maps and signs within the Heritage Museum grounds in order to see everything, but I still hadn’t found the treehouse.  I started down the winding path and spotted a hummingbird flitting among the red flowers beside the path.  This was my opportunity to try for photos of a hummingbird on flowers instead of a feeder.  And then I noticed a hummingbird moth also set on feeding from the red flowers and I was really excited.  That has been a rare sight for me.  The flowers were quite close to the path, but these hummingbirds and moths must have been so used to people that having me there zooming in with my camera didn’t appear to bother them at all.  What a fun and unexpected finale to this amazing day.HPmoth1HPmoth3HPmoth4HPhummer2HPhummer3HPhummer4HPhummer5HPhummer6

 

'scene' along the way, fun, history, Just do it, learning, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip, technology, travel, Uncategorized

Leaving Hyannis…

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Leaving Hyannis continued to reveal lovely images as we pulled away from shore.  I do love the new camera with the terrific zoom capability, but it’s the fact that you can get clear shots without the tripod that puts it over the top.  A tripod on that rolling deck wouldn’t have been fun to try to use.  And the zoom let me see a woman using some sort of mystery device, at least from my point of view.  I saw it as a black frame with two pieces of glass and couldn’t imagine what it was.  I put the picture on my Cape Cod group and they thought it was just an iPad!  She was taking pictures, LOL.leavingHyannis1leavingHyannis2

outdooractivityoutdooractivity2There was nothing to see but water and sky after a while, but then I noticed a shape breaking the horizon line.  I wondered if it was a lighthouse, but through the camera’s zoom I could see the triangular shape of sails.  The boat was the ‘fast ferry’, and it was really moving, and of course there was some rock, so trying to get a picture seemed futile but that didn’t stop me.  I probably took more shots of that than I did of anything else that day.  Especially because of the blinking light.  It was performing exactly as the lighthouse lights do, steadily on and off.  I asked about that on the Cape Cod group also, but no one seemed to have an answer.  It did not seem to be moving, it seemed to be stationary.  It is still a mystery.Nantucket1Nantucket2Nantucket3Nantucket4Nantucket6Nantucket5And then Nantucket came into view.  Even the harbor seemed quaint to me as we approached.  I forgot to look for the Brant Point lighthouse until we were right on top of it.  I believe I heard that it’s the second oldest and and also the smallest lighthouse.  But I heard so many facts about the history of Nantucket that day that I was boggled so I will have to try to do some research before I try to repeat them.  I had arrived…

'scene' along the way, finding my way, learning, live and learn, moments, natural wonders, old dogs new tricks, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip, sky, sunset, technology

Millway Beach sunset…

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The trouble with finding that the sunset is going to be especially nice is that you are there with your camera, so you keep clicking away.  Look away for a second and when you look again you would swear that the colors are up a notch and it’s even more beautiful than you thought.  Though later on when you look at your photos in the computer that doesn’t seem to be the case.  Which one is the best?  Our fearless camera club leader says that if you really want to know how to choose between essentially equal photos then look at the metadata and choose the biggest file.  Bigger file means more detail.  Did I do that?  Of course not.

Sunday night I went out to Kalmus beach expecting to take the pictures I got last night.  Nope, I was way off.  And I wasn’t going to be able to find another vantage point in the amount of time available.Sundaysunset

Ah, but last night was a different story.  I should get a compass ap for my phone so I can find west when I need to.MillwaybeachboatMillwaysunset2Millwaysunset3Millwaysunset4Millwaysunset7MillwaysunsetphotographersMillwaysunsetclams

And just when you’ve already taken a million pictures and you think you’ll be heading home soon this happens.Millwaysunsetrings

a second look, Just do it, leap of faith, learning, life goes on, live and learn, on closer examination, perseverance, photography, road trip, second chances, technology, the big picture

Call me superficial…

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I have a friend who might stand beside me while we look at a beautiful mountain landscape, he would want to climb that mountain, as long as it was 4,000 feet high, while I’m content to take pictures.  I’m an observer, and that’s as far as it goes.  Usually.  Not just mountains, there is no telling what will catch my eye, this building certainly did.  And I had taken pictures, and I believe I put a couple on the blog a while back.  But my cousin suggested that I go inside.  “It’s magnificent,” he said.  And I did that the other day.  I snagged one of the three parking spaces at the side of the building and discovered that he was right.  It is startlingly beautiful. Mind-boggling to me.

Bradford, VT was the first town in the state to receive a charter for a dedicated library.  That took place in 1796.  But it took until 1895 for John L. woods to will $15,000 toward that end, and Lambert Packard to design it, and the Woods Library was dedicated on July 4, 1895.  All of which I looked up just now, thank you Google.  But the population of Bradford, VT is currently 2619, and I don’t imagine it was more than that in 1895.  So I find myself astounded at the architecture and detail of the building.  A gem of a building, not in a big city, but in a small byway in the country, and intended for the people of that town.  And I felt that way just looking at the outside.  But the inside looks like a magnificent gentleman’s library.  The wood working, high ceilings, and attention to detail are a wonder to me.  Credit my lack of education in the arts, we didn’t study much of that in dental hygiene school.  Thanks to my cousins for telling me that I needed to see the inside of that building.  It was well worth another trip…Bradfordlibrary6.26

Right from go the reception area with it’s loft above told me I was in for a treat.  But I had to start with the main reading/computer room.  There was a man on one of the computers, and another one at the table smack in the middle.  I felt badly as I tried to take photos around them without disturbing them.  And circled back in case they had left but they hadn’t.BradfordlibraryPITAguyBradfordlibrarywindowsBradfordlibrarywingchairsBradfordlibraryfireplace

And then the loft area was next.BradfordlibrarystairwellBradfordlibrarystairwelldownBradfordlibrarystairwelllightBradfordlibraryloft

Perhaps I’ve spent most of my life with blinders on, distracted by the glitz and glam, and missing the bigger picture all together.  Here I’m on this road trip in search of my youth, the person I used to be, was supposed to be, and what I’m finding is a new appreciation of all that I see…