Macro Monday: Mums

A few little autumn flowers to brighten up a day! Visit Lisa for more macros:)

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #8: Reflections

Carly over at Ellipsis said show me a reflection..be reflective! I was reflective all week loooong! I kept waiting for our weather to clear up so I could go down to the lake and get some shots. The lake being a huge reflective surface, I thought ..no problem. Last night I began to panic..the weather was still lousy. So were my reflective photographs, the one of my foot being reflective in the shiny surface of my oven door..was pretty hilarious..as was my attempt at a self portrait in the side mirror on a frosty morning. Last night I was at my wits end..and was wandering aimlessly around the house, when I said.. "I give up." As soon as I gave up..it came to me.. Far Guys birthday gift a number of years ago. "Reflections "a print by Lee Teter that is hanging on the wall in our living room. I had to shoot it from the side so I could avoid unwanted reflections in it's glass. Lee Teter was a Vietnam Veteran and all the proceeds from this print go to Vietnam Veterans. Far Guy is a Vietnam Era Veteran, he was stateside and never had to go to Vietnam, but many of his friends were there.



"Reflections" by Lee Teter in 1988

Sometimes the most poignant reflections are right in our own home:)

Bloggers Community Photo Challenge : Spooky

I took this photograph last July. Many people are afraid of "The Woods" and may see this as a Spooky photograph.. what do you think? Spooky or not?
Head on over to The Bloggers Community Photo Challenge to check out the other entries:)

A-Z Photo Challenge:O is for Oxeye Daisy

Oxeye Daisy's real name is Leucanthemum vulgare..now if you had a name like that you would probably change it! Oxeye Daisy will grow almost anywhere, I wanted just a sprinkling of them along our front driveway. I planted half a dozen plants...they don't stay put..their seeds go everywhere. Over the years they have moved down the road toward my Perennial Gardens. Alas... I have finally discovered why one reference said " The Oxeye Daisy is often grown in flower gardens, from which it may escape." Escape..you betcha it does ..it escapes running with wild abandon! Many States consider it a noxious weed. I read recently that the State of North Carolina actually does plantings of it.
I like the whole Asteraceae Family of plants, and these little daisy's are no exception.
If the Deer shear them off at ground level, they just become shorter more compact plants with lots more flowers to enjoy..and then of course much more seed to spread.

Thanks to Martha for hosting the A-Z Challenge! :)

Macro Monday: Heuchera (Coral Bells)

This is Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple' or Coral Bells. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Check out more macro shots at Lisa's chaos. :)

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #7: Furniture

Carly over at Ellipsis said show me your comfy, cozy furniture indoors or outdoors!

This is my lawn swing. It sits out in the front of the house. I love to sit here early in the morning in my jammies and watch the birds. I have been known to stretch out here and have a nap. One of Far Guys home made out of a tree really hard benches is in the background, it is our all season bench and resides there year round. Yesterday we carried off the soft cozy lawn swing to my garage for the winter..only the made from a tree bench remains to greet the snow that will be here any day:)

Round Robin Photo Challenge:Your Hometown!

Chance Welcomes you to Osage! August 2008

Welcome to Osage, Minnesota! I was not born here because Osage has no Hospital. I grew up on a farm six miles from Osage, and we now live three miles from Osage.

The entire township (35.8 square miles) has a population of 774. They must have done this census in the summer! It is a "lake" area, along with big farms..most of the small farmers are gone. I went to school in Osage, first to sixth grade. There is no picture of the school that I went to from 1st to 4th grade..because it is now a condo complex..I did not take a picture of it because I am in denial. So as far as "Home Towns" this is as close as I get.

Coming into Osage from the east...we had been to the bigger town of Park Rapids and were on our way home. Cindy Q's is on the left ( Cafe and Gas Station) Lymburner Awning ( A Family business that used to make Awnings..the young man that runs it has been sent to Bosnia and Iraq so many times that it is barely surviving) on the right.

This is the public beach, where I went to swimming lessons when I was little, it did not look like this way back when. It looks great now! It is a Lions Club Project and is a great safe place to swim.

Got MILK ? If you need it you can get it here!

Need Stamps?

The local pub, and bait shop.

Grace Community Church and the Community Center
The Community Center, this was where I went to school for 5th and 6th Grade. The building was divided into two rooms each with a cloak hall. It did have indoor bathrooms..but there were a couple of outhouses out back! We walked to the other school for Gym and Lunch. Far Guys Grandmother belonged to a group of women called the "Chatterbug Club".. these ladies banded together and raised funds to restore this building. The bell you see out front was donated by his Grandmother. The building is used as a meeting place for the Lions, Sportsman's Club, 4-H, Osage Township and Senior Citizens meetings and meals.
Riverside Cemetery founded in 1883....a sad but beautiful place where family, friends and neighbors are buried. Some of my ashes will be here..the others scattered in my favorite places.
We headed out of town on the gravel road..headed toward home. Those are the Smoky Hills in the background...hills always in view from the farm where I grew up. I cannot see them from my home because we have way to many trees!

Now If you blink twice you might miss the little town of Osage but I wanted to make sure you didn't miss this sign on the pub!

Thanks to Marie of Photographs and Memories for this idea for The Round Robin Challenge. Are you curious where all the other "Robins" home towns are. I sure am! Thanks for coming along to my hometown! :)

Macro Monday: Hibiscus

Lisa has the Macro Monday Challenge check her out! I always have trouble with close up shots. So by joining this challenge maybe I will improve. I am not even sure if this qualifies as macro enough for the challenge..so I would appreciate feedback!

This is a Hibiscus, that was potted up and on a patio at the neighbors, it was so healthy and perfect to photograph:)

A -Z Photo Challenge: N is for Noah!

N is for Noah! He is standing Next to a Norway pine. Noah is Nine and his favorite N words are Newt, No and Now. Notice his Nifty socks! Noah is my grandson:)

Transforming a Grey Day

Yesterday was a really grey day in Minnesota, in between rain showers I went out behind my house and took some photographs. I wasn't impressed. Then it got so dark and dreary that my flash went off. Funny how just a little bit of light will transform your view!
This photography "stuff" is all about experimentation. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This beholder likes her flash! A grey day transformed..right before my cameras eye! :)

Bloggers Community Photo Challenge: Change

Change: This old boat used to be in the lake at my parents resort in Northern Minnesota.

Maybe it had a leak, but now it doesn't matter..it is standing proud and holds containers of flowers. This is a Bloggers Community Photo Challenge. :)

EMPS #6: Fences And What's Behind Them

Behind my fence is the woods. This used to be a wildflower area..now it is just wild. The mound in the center of the photo with the tall golden grass often serves as a lookout for deer. What do you suppose they are looking out for??? Chance the Border Collie who is our faithful companion ball herder run like the wind handsome photo model who loves kids and barks at the deer and wild turkeys kind of dog:)
You can find out more about The Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot here!

Populus deltoides

This "Aspen" is showing off! It is really Populus deltoides...we call it piss popple here in Minnesota. WHY?? When you cut a popple into firewood, throw it into a fire it spits and sputters and droplets of water come out. It has little to no heat (BTU)value. It grows well in Minnesota..and in the last few years it has been used inside cottages. The logs are cut, planed and sawed into tongue and groove boards, a much better use for the trees than firewood. People in Colorado call this tree Aspen, or Quaking Aspen or just Quakies...sounds a bit better than piss popple:)

Sunset September 20, 2008

A sunset view from out by our mailbox.