Thursday, February 28, 2013

Spring.....



My wife set up a new arrangement on our dining room table and it seems so refreshing.  The tulips are ceramic ones that Della's mother had in her home.  They haven't been on display for quite some time so they seem like a good thing to see.  When you look out the window at all that snow and cold they give the feeling of fresh flowers from the spring flower garden.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Almost Ten Inches.........


I finally stopped snowing this Wednesday morning. We did get the wet snow this time so we have more moisture for the ground.  School was eventually cancelled today.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Snowing Again......


Our new coating of snow started this morning and it is to continue to snow into Wednesday noon.  School was dismissed early and we have five and a half inches of snow so far.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Remembering 1957.......



Here are a couple of shots of my smaller version of a '57 Chevy.  I don't remember seeing them in many different colors.  For some reason I remember them in white. I think turquoise colored Chevy vehicles were out there too. I am sure they offered many colors but I just don't have the ability to real them.  I guess it was a long time ago.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

A Guest Photographer........


Today's guest photographer is my son Andy who snapped this photo of our new grandson.  He is probably 7 hours old and already taking a nap. He hasn't been named yet as he arrived a week and a half early.  They weren't ready to go to the hospital and I guess didn't have the names ready either.  I bet they hang around him long enough that he will tell them his name.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Natural Sculptural Form


I have returned to this post to write a few words.  My neighbor just cleared out my driveway with this farmers tractor and scoop.  I just had finished shoveling my sidewalks and thought it was powder like that I could have shoveled the drive.  But I was glad to have him use his equipment to clear it for me. I know that he likes to play with his tractor as he doesn't farm, he just uses the scoop to lift wood pieces for his wood pile.

I just noticed in the photo that our neighbor's cat has walked through my perfect snow.  He likes to hid under the shrub while he waits for my wife to put out food for him.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Snowstorm or Begonia?


I am not waiting to show photos of the snowstorm as it has not arrived.  It will be visiting our area at four o'clock sharp this afternoon.  So I will share one more photo of the blooming begonia and blue bottles in the background before the storm.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

You lost me......


I am sorry that I messed up all of your links to my sites.  I made a decision to fix my blog addresses.  I had stupidly incorporated my full name in the web address of two of my blogs.  I have one other that I need to fix but I hate to loose the large group of followers.

Apparently all is still working ok.  I changed my web address and blogger made the correction without stopping you from finding me. So never mind!!!!!
Once you have opened my blog you need to create a new bookmark if that is how you get to my blog.  Otherwise you need to stay on my blog and renew your follow button on my site by clicking follow and reset to the new address.

Below it the Creative Zone  blog if you choose to follow it again.  Just click on it and it will bring you to the site and then renew your follow button by hitting follow.



Larry's Creative Zone


Painting by my wife Della

I wouldn't blame you to stop following me for messing things up so greatly but if you do decided to refollow me thanks.

ps.  I am getting comments that people are finding me with the changed address.  I guess it took blogger a while to correct the address thing but it is still working,  I am so glad that I didn't lose any of you.

Ford Woody......


My chosen photo to share today is of a model of a 1949 Ford.  It is a woody with the wood panels portrayed on the sides of the vehicle. I like the wide white band on the tires and the hubcaps look fancy for a car like this.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Warm Blur.........


I would like to blame the blur on all the strong winds we are having for the second day but it wasn't that.  It was low light that caused it to be blurry and grainy.  I kind of liked the effect so I am sharing it today.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Happy Monday......


Mondays are hard on a body when you are going back to the job.  We are expecting storms by Friday and that will mean more moisture in the ground.  I am willing to feed the birds and tolerate snow storms  if it means this spring we will have good submoisture and a good growing season this year..

Thursday, February 14, 2013

A Rocky Ledge.......


My rock on the ledge that determines my weather has a few friends joining him.  It really is blah and brown out there.  We do have a few snow drifts in places around town but most has melted away to leave the brown.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

On Duty.......


Barnabas is doing his job watching for any loose neighbor cat that might be creeping out from under the porch or behind a tree.  He has enjoyed our warmer weather but the early strong winds made him a little bit shy of being outside.  The sound of roaring winds are not to his liking.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Just For Show........



I was experimenting with a couple of settings that my wife discovered on the camera.  One setting is used to do indoor photography. It seems to open the shutter more to let in light.


I also was doing an experiment with arranging the three objects into a still life.  One formal setting and the bottom one informal.  I tried to balance the visual weight of the white stoneware bowl with the off center wooded croquett ball.  When I placed the ball to the left it created a diagonal visual line so I moved it to the right.  It sort of anchored the two, ball and bowl as a counter balance to the off center blue bowl.

Monday, February 11, 2013

An Old Shed.......


Behind our main street sits this shed.  It has a lot of history as it looks old.  It is covered with the fake asphalt rolled shingle material which probably is full of asbestos. I drive by this building regularly and I ignore its state of decline.   It is a visible eyesore that seems to blend into the cityscape after while.

My one time memory of being in the building was 30 years ago when I went inside.  There was a garage sale being held in the shed.  I bought two non matching ceramic lamps  that were of a classical style with stencil decals of roses on them.  They were from the 20's or 30's and we still have the in our bedroom today. They are like classic urn shaped and have gold accents painted on them.  I paid five dollars for the two of them.  I remember the price was low and they lay on the floor in the dirt.  Someone had emptied an attic or an old apartment from main street and was getting rid of the junk.

Note the ice and water that surrounds the building. The melted snow doesn't sink into the ground.  It freezes and melts daily.  The strong winds we are having today is evaporating some of the moisture now.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Pink and Blue Sunday.....


The begonia loves the south window and the steam from the dishwashing processes.  I know most of you have seen the Ruby Begonia before now.  As long it keeps putting out great color I will shoot it.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Seeing green........


The view from my porch to the alley way shows that there is still green grass under all that snow. It freezes then thaws and freezes again. The frost is still in the ground so it isn't as muddy as it could be.  More rain coming on this evening through Sunday.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Two moods.........


Same pot, different lighting used to share a piece that I created on the potter's wheel a few years back.



I really like to use red clay on the potters wheel.  That particular clay has a fine grit in it.  It is fired clay that has been ground up and put into the wet clay.  While working on the wheel with this  kind of clay, you find that your hands are being sanded and smoothed out. The rubbing of the clay on your hands works like sandpaper on your skin..  I see this pot also has white clay mixed into it as is evidenced in the grooves that I had made in the side of it.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Onlookers.......


When I was editing the photo, I noticed a couple of things.  The male cockatiel was singing to me and that caused a little bit of a blur and that he is turning so he looks like he only has one foot.  He does have two feet.

The audience in the background is his mom and dad watching while I snap the shot.  Jack Sparrow and Canola produced five young ones in two nestings in less than a year. I gave a pair of them away and still have two males and one female of their offspring.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Showing Red......


I really don't have a full understanding of how the poinsettia is treated in order to create the colors on  the new leaves .  I skimmed an article at the bookstore in a garden magazine about a local company that creates 100 or more varieties of poinsettia to sell to retailers during the Christmas season.  Their company grew 100,000 plants for sale each season and many of the varieties are variegated plants.

My plant came in from outside and was placed in the spare storeroom where we keep the birds.  I didn't dream I would get any red on any of it.  I know there is suppose to be time for the plant to spend in complete darkness with specific number of hours required each day.  The spontaneous gardener in me just slops through and these accidents just happen, in a good way.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Some Melting Today!!!!!



To overlap or not to overlap?  That is the question.  Somedays when I make the photo extra large the photo is overlapped by the side bar items.  It looks good or acceptable somedays as if it is a part of the design.  On other days the entire photo is balanced better if there is no overlap as the items hide important things.  Enough of that drivel for the day.  I will make a decision on it day by day.
The bike is the one that was left in my yard next to the garbage can.  I need to start riding it in the spring.

Monday, February 4, 2013

A simple statement........


Branches fall throughout the four seasons as they are trimmed because of the different weather conditions.  Wind, ice and snow seem to be the ones that mostly do the work but a good hard rain can also loosen up branches.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Saturday's Shot


A glass stopper to an antique decanter that was given to me many years ago shines like ice cubes.  It is so cold outside that ice cubes wouldn't melt even if they were exposed to the sunshine.  More about the decanter is shared on my blog Larry's Creative Zone.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Cold, snow and hunger........


It is colder this morning than yesterday morning.  We are now at -6 degrees F. but it is warming up.  Right now it is only -5 degrees.  It has been said that it will get up to 20 degrees this morning and that will be great. The weekend is predicted to actually be warmer than that.

I lost a squirrel last summer so I am down to this one.  He was out getting filled up early morning hoping that the dogs would not see him there filling his cheeks with seed.  I really don't mind him as long as he doesn't eat the whole batch at one sitting.  This one has a stub tail from some accident and lives in our big silver maple tree.  The neighbor lady announced she had one at her house so I guess the guy is going from place to place to see who has the best supply.


Blurry Blue Cup Day.....

 It is Monday and I am a little blurry eyed today. It is fitting then my blue cup is blurred a little because it is in low light. I was too ...