Words of the Day: Styles and Drupelets

From each raspberry -- delicious on a gray day (or any day) in color, taste, and composition, tiny styles (which I mistakenly think of as "hairs") poke out of each drupelet (one of as many as 100 little globes that make up one berry) and call Eat me.

And so I do.  

Ten Months Down, Two to Go

October's favorite snaps.

Selfie with Sybil Gibson

Rainy Day Wedding Selfies

Live to Ride Selfie

NYC Blues

Lake Cheston Selfie

Pure D Luck

The Three-day Fall

Full Moon

What Remains

The Blues

Just What I Needed

A short but terrific visit with old friends Sue and her daughter Jena. One of us looks slightly crazed, one of us has no lips, and one of us looks just as she is. I'll leave it to you to decide who's who.

No matter. I loved every minute!

The Camera Curse

Under what freakish celestial (mis)alignment was I born?

Once again, I am visited by the dreaded Camera Curse.

This time, my Panasonic Lumix DMC-200 has failed.

And, ironically, this time, I must shoot with my third Canon G12 (the used one I bought after my first two new ones suffered the same fate of catastrophic sensor failure). I shall have to work hard to remember how to use it. Already, today, after a one-and-half-hour hunt for the elusive Blue-faced Meadowhawk (no such luck, of course), I have remembered why it's hard for me to use the camera (think poor eyesight and tiny screen).

I would beat my fists against my breast (but it would hurt) and rail against the Deity of the Camera Curse (but just who or what is that?), but instead I wait patiently for news from Square Trade. 

This time, I bought a two-year warranty.

Experience is the best teacher.

Photo Opps/Photo Oops

I
One Photo Opp, One Oops
All the slow way round the lake, I thought of only one thing: finding a Blue-faced Meadowhawk. Last year I saw one; the year before none; the year before that three. I reallyreallyreally wanted to see another. Finally, along the path toward the beach, one landed some distance ahead of me. Time for two quick shots; no time to focus properly or adjust the camera.

At home, I see what I expected: a poor photograph. And then I see what I didn't expect: signs of wear and tear. This is an old guy.

I wonder if he'll be around tomorrow?

II
The Second Oops
Trying to shoot the much sought-after meadowhawk, I realized I could no longer depress the rotation wheel on my camera, thus disabling many of the functions I like most.

III
One More Opp
At home, I accessed my Square Trade Warranty. YES! As I thought, I paid for two years. The camera is covered! Now I wait and see.

Is it Halloween yet?

Praying mantis perched on the kitchen screen door,

head centered, silhouetted in the silver-white fat moon,

framed by leafless limbs. 

Where's Tim Burton when I need him?

And The Dogwood Burned Fuschia

Overnight almost every pine needle on almost every pine tree browned and wind-whipped almost every pine needle flew off almost every pine tree and blew and swirled and each and every one plastered the leaf-labeled ground and almost every pine needle from almost every pine tree glowed amber and brown on wet wood and emerald grass and yellow, red, and orange leaf.