VENUS and MOON

LAST NIGHT WE COULD SEE VENUS!

venus and the crescent moon low in the sky

closer view - interesting venus

A friend posted a link about the planet, Venus, in the night sky, 

last evening, June 19, 2015,

So after reading this link:

venus planet info 

I went to my window looking west. 

(the same window from which I take many of my MOUNTAIN photos.)

The crescent moon was low, just above the mountain ridge, 

and the bright orb above it - eureka!!

VENUS!  

:-)

I'm in Plains, PA, next to Wilkes-Barre, looking west across the Susquehanna river, 

towards Dallas Twp, "the Back Mountain"... and all points West.

BERRY TIME!!

The camera draws me in closer... closer... 

from the branches, 

to a berry, up close and personal. 

(the last is a macro photo - very close)

I don't know - What kind of berry is this?

SPRING is here!

FINALLY- Spring has arrived!

 Here are just a few of the beauties all around us.

this next is a closeup of japanese maple leaves, back when they were just opening, infurling themselves in the warm sunshine.

Eagles & hawks in the sky, OH MY!

A few days ago, while we were crossing the Susquehanna River on the CrossValley (Rt 309) , 
I saw a large hawk of some sort flying alongside, but down near the water. As I scrambled to get my camera out, it, rose... flew beside us, then rose up over the car. I remember how we used to watch hawks soaring in the sky as kids with Dad. This is the only shot I got - still a YAY day! :-) 

The next day I saw an eagle in the same area. It was flying high enough to clear the cars, 
but had to climb up quickly, about 4 more feet, to soar over a truck.

SNOW TREE Reflection

Today the Northeast got lots of snow.

We expected 1-3"

We got 4-6"

Heavy wet snow to shovel, so I took a break and tried out my new camera.

Here's my 1st  photo with "reflection" setting.

(hard to believe the tree's really surrounded by houses, cars...)

A VERY TALL TREE with treeline in the background... and a telephone pole to the right.

SIMPLE WINTER JOY

I delight in finding a lovely combination of colors and textures... 

even when strolling in supposed barren winter forests.

            Focusing in on something so real gets me to "stop and smell the roses"                               Sharing it, It's like a 2D sculpture - so many facets seen more with ones heart than one's eyes.

Thanksgiving - first snow

THANKSGIVING DAY

 - a day everyone I know in the US celebrates - 

Full of gratitude for all I have and wish the same for others. 

This year we had below normal temps, and our first snow the day before.

My sister's photo.

BEAUTIFUL!

The snowflakes were huge, 

like fluffy pancakes 

flopping down all around us.

(... don't quite taste the same, though) ;-)

"Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand." 

~Henry David Thoreau