Getting Greener

April showers bring May flowers, right? I heard that somewhere, right? Please Mother Nature. Take pity on us in Minnesota and make May warm and dry. The only reason I'm going with this photo for today is because it was taken in the best half hour on the last day of April! Good riddance April.
The bird sure doesn't seem to mind the blustery day.

Weeds

It's only dried weeds, but COLORFUL dried weeds!! All the rain we've been having has been keeping me inside but today the sun came around for awhile. On a long walk in the woods I found this old bottle and stuck some dead stuff in it. I used my jacket as a backdrop. Ahhhhh. . . . . . Instant Summertime.

Do you feel it?

Flirt Boutique

I pass by this lingerie shop everyday and have always thought about how to photograph it. Tonight the windows were freshly washed and I had the right filter with me to cut down the glare, so I stopped and took a few shots. I toned it with sepia to add a bit more of an old fashioned feel and this is what I got!

Wet Wires

On first glance, this looks like something straight out of a Tim Burton movie to me. A creepy hand reaching out? A strange looking scarecrow maybe? Nope - a telephone pole as seen through my sunroof!
The best part is the perfectly clear reflections in each of the droplets. The more I enlarge the photo, the more clear it becomes. Another picture in a picture today! I hope you are as amused as I am.

Shelter From The Rain

Continuing on with my Tuesday gig
for the Northside - I found this
 couple in a doorway looking out into
the rain soaked streets.  As you can see, they
 had no problem with me taking a few shots.


I was a little disappointed that the many
raindrops didn't show up, but  otherwise
I like it.

Come Fly With Me

I stumbled across a group of kite flyers this afternoon and made myself at home in the grass for awhile. This girl was a spectator like me.  I caught her just as she noticed this dragon kite above her. The way the wind caught her hair looks like she's flying too.

The Bunny

Out taking a walk on this beautiful Spring night, and who did I happen upon??

                   Happy Easter everybody!

Look Close

Today is only day 79 and I've hit a wall (I hope it's just the weather - and the brown everything!) My camera comes with me everywhere and I am always taking shots, but somehow I haven't gotten excited about anything I've posted in awhile.
This squirrel playing peek-a-boo with me is the best of the bunch for today.

Stay tuned,this too shall pass. Tomorrow the sun is supposed to shine!

Mississippi Glass

I had a great shot of a guy out in the rain tonight and I was sure it was the photo for today, but when I looked on my monitor this one had to be it. It was misting and foggy as you can see in the skyline, but the river was absolute glass. I went with black and white to capture the feeling of the soggy night.

Watercolor

This is actually a photo of trees and street lights reflected in a puddle - then I turned it upside down so it would look a bit more like a painting. I think it turned out quite well. You?

4/20

So, if you're one of my blog followers, you will remember that on March 24th I said that would be my last photo with snow for a long time........ I also said that I may be tempting Mother Nature by putting it down in writing. It appears I should have kept my big mouth shut!
I didn't want to use this shot on principal, but it WAS beautiful, and we didn't have to shovel it, AND it was gone by noon.

Paper Flowers

Simple, but beautiful none the less. This is an ultra close-up of a dried flower that made it through the long, cold winter.
I wish I looked this pretty and delicate after all those months!

Perfect Paige

A friend of mine let me have a photo shoot with her baby this afternoon. I took about 200 shots in all - most with props and backdrops, but I keep coming back to this one. It's one of the first I took and it's one of the most unplanned and natural.
This little girl is just 12 weeks old and all she did was smile!!

On Watch

This big guy has always interested me. Today on a walk around the lake, I took a few shots and liked how this one turned out with the bare trees as a backdrop. He seems to be waiting for Spring as much as the rest of us in Minnesota are.

Graveyard Visit

Because the sky was so cloudy and grey this afternoon, I decided to go to the closest graveyard and see if I could get a spooky shot. I like this one because its eerie and sweet at the same time.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

This is my husbands best friend, Tagg. He sat by the door most of the day wanting to go out and play, but when I opened the door, he just backed up and looked at me like I was crazy. I decided to go out and get a few shots from outside looking in. He just watched me patiently - which makes for a very good subject.

Heron For You

Recently, I had a request for a nature shot.  (The nerve of some people!)  I've been stalking this heron all week and finally he posed for me!  I don't mean to sound braggadocios, but if I didn't take this myself I would think it was a painting.
Request granted, Bianca!

Birdhouse

On a walk before work today I came across this rustic bird mansion - there were birds flying and landing all around, but none stopped to perch on the porch. I waited for the perfect shot and then realized I liked it just fine without a bird!

Home Made View

I'm in North Minneapolis looking toward the city skyline. Instead of getting my tripod set up, I decide to steady my camera on the roof of my car. Voila! Instant reflection!
To be fair, this shot was just as much luck as it was skill. I wish I could say that more often.

One on One

When I asked if I could take some shots, they happily obliged. I wandered around the perimeter of the court and finally settled on a spot under the net. When I cropped out the trees, this is what I got.
Thank you for being such willing subjects, gentlemen!

St. Croix Crest

All that snow had to go somewhere! This is the St. Croix lift bridge with the river reaching it this morning. The street sign in the foreground gives you all the information you need. Stillwater is under a tornado warning as I post this.

Saturday Night Slice

Playing with a home made light box tonight. This orange slice was ready for its close-up!

To Infinity and Beyond

How cool is this? I am laying on the basement level of International Market Square looking up 7 floors.
I took a few shots and knew I had my photo for today.
I like when that happens!

Spring Has Sprung

A rather odd Spring photo, you say? Well, my dog Gertie has allergies and she's scratching like a flea bitten hound right now - a sure sign of Spring at our house! This is her newly filled prescription.

Relief is in sight, Gert.

The Doubletake

I had about 2 seconds to compose this shot. I wish the guy with his shirt open was in focus for all of you to see, but what made me smile was the looks on the faces of the three checking him out as he went by.
He was a real head turner!

Graffitti Under Glenwood

Today I embark on a new collaboration with North Mpls. I am one of 7 photographers assigned a day of the week (mine is Tuesday) to take a photo in the city and post it the same day for 365 days! (Sounds familiar, huh?)
Every Tuesday starting today I will post the same photo on my blog as I post for the Northside 365 Project. Wish me luck!

O'Hare Concourse C

I have been wanting this shot for 15 years at least! Every time I'm in Chicago I seem to be in a hurry or not have a camera with me as I pass through this concourse. This time I was ready! I took about 90 shots in all. This one won because the guy framed in white lights stopped to get something out of his bag at the perfect time!

Parting Shot

This is the back door to the Guinness Storehouse in downtown Dublin. I rode by on my way out of town and this was literally my last shot of the trip. Cheers to the creamy beverage that has everyone rushing to the pubs! Goodbye Irish!

Liffey River

I couldn't leave Dublin without posting a shot of the Liffey. Here she is in all her glory - including various walking bridges and hotels.
This is a very deceptive photo because the river and all that surrounds it are filthy, but with the blue sky and fluffy clouds, it's the perfect city scene.

Look Out To The Atlantic

I took this shot at 8:00 this morning on my way back to Dublin. When I asked the bus driver about the tower, he was kind enough to pull over and let me take a steady shot of it. (He also told me the entire history of it in Gaelic.) I couldn't understand a word.  I just respectfully smiled and nodded!