photography

Columbine and Flanders fields

columbine with marigolds

In memory of the many soldiers that have died serving the U.S. or in any country that allowed the rest of us to have freedom, here’s the famous Flanders fields poem by Canadian John McCrae, written during World War I:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

The two orange “blobs” in my photo (behind the rocket-like white columbine) are marigolds.

flowers Today

On a related topic, What’s a Doughboy?
Doughboy statue of Highland Park, New Jersey

Review with New Hope Bridge

Bridge in New Hope, PA
Bridge over Canal in New Hope, PA

We visited New Hope, PA last Sunday – we went on a train ride, visited the old Parry House and browsed in some shops. This photo of the bridge over the canal is my entry for Sunday Bridges.

FYI, Laura was right about the pickles: ours fermented a few days longer, and they were sharper and more sour! Yum. Use plenty of garlic, if you love the garlic flavor.

Elsewhere on the Web

Here’s a photo of the bridge in sepia:
New Hope bridge in sepia

Ballet Alice in Sepia

ballet alice
This graceful ballet dancer is performing a scene from Alice in Wonderland (she plays Alice). As the room was not well lit, I found it easier set the camera to take photos in sepia than in full color. You will have to imagine the white with a bit of pale blue dress.

ballet dancer fallen
Ah, she has fallen. Perhaps she has just come down the rabbit hole.

For more sepia photos, visit:
Sepia Scenes

Update: Here is the Alice in Wonderland music by Avril Lavigne that the girls used for their dance.

•   •   •

Would you like to win free postcards of your very own photos? Or postcards for your business or cards with photos of your kids. Visit Postcard Giveaway and Catchy Title Contest and leave a comment to enter.

Ballerina in Teal

ballerina in teal 2009
Ballet Dancer in Teal, Winter 2009

This blog got an overhaul this morning, but you may not notice many changes (feel free to comment on the ones you do notice). I updated the theme of the blog to a child of the Twenty Ten theme. What does that mean in English? It just means the code is more 2010 than the previous theme, which I created myself from scratch in 2007. So it helps me out technically with adding new plugins to the blog, such as the Add This plugin so you can easily share a post on your favorite social media site, such as Facebook or Twitter.

There is a contest on my other site, Websites for Small Biz, that offers free postcards. Yay – my first giveaway. Stay tuned to either of these blogs to learn more.

The girl? She’s my daughter in Winter 2009. She’s taller now and even more graceful a dancer.

Thursday Challenge: Guinea Pig

Bingo the guinea pig
How can I pass up an excuse to post a portrait of Bingo the guinea pig? I hope I’m not making his cage mate, Racer, too jealous.

This week’s Thursday Challenge is “PETS” (Dogs, Cats, Birds, Fish,…).
Next Week: HAPPY (Celebrations, Parties, Gifts, Enjoyment,…)

Box Art

art by Jill Caporlingua
These cigarette-box-sized pieces of art designed by Jill Caporlingua will go in an old cigarette machine. Folks can then purchase Jill’s art from the cigarette machine instead of buying cigarettes (see ArtoMat.org). Isn’t that an ingenious way of recycling? I suppose they could buy other artists’ art, too, but wouldn’t you want to own one of these luscious little multi-colored boxes? Jill is my daughter’s art teacher and a friend.

box art by Jill

For more photos with red, visit Ruby Tuesday:
Ruby Tuesday

You can find an ArtoMat at a location near you on this ArtoMat machine listing page.

Andromeda Shrub Flowers – Macro

andromeda flowers
These tiny white flowers are on my andromeda shrub.

andromeda flowers
Same andromeda shrub: these flowers have turned a pinkish red color. What else do you see? Looks almost like blood to me. Click Andromeda and scroll down to see the bush in context – you will see how tiny the flowers are.

For more macros:
Macro Monday

Review with Pink Azalea

pink azalea bush
Azalea season has come to Highland Park

On My Blog

two wet tulips rhododendron taken May 2, 2011 pink magnolia bud
maitake mushrooms white bloom two forsythia blooms
daffodil macro pink petals dogwood north eighth blooms

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Nature Notes: Tulips and Robins

two wet tulips
These two wet tulips are relaying the weather we have in New Jersey today.

pink petals dogwood
The pink petals of my neighbor’s dogwood are showing off.

robin in a tree
Yesterday I spotted this robin in a tree. Do you think he spotted me?

in the gray a robin and another bird
Today in the gray I saw two birds in a tree – the left bottom one is a robin. Can’t make out the right one – he’s so far off! Michelle suspects the one on the right is a “she” robin – the males have the brighter breast. Mating season?

We still have a bunny rabbit living in our backyard.

Rhododendron of May

rhododendron taken May 2, 2011
Here is my rhododendron photo for First of the Month. Not that different than the April rhododendron, is it? I noticed a few brown spots in May.

However, a glance back at February looks a bit chillier and droopier:
rhododendron february snowy

See more first of the month photos:
first of the month

<< <<