Sepia Scenes: Haunted

Boooo!

This one's a happy accident. The mask is in my brother's garden, and I must have snapped this shot as I moved the camera. I think it turned out better than the in-focus ones.

I'm really short on time these days, so it's doubling as my Halloween entry for Monday Photo Shoot too.

Check out all the entries for both memes here:
Sepia Scenes and Monday Photo Shoot.

Ruby Tuesday: Room With a View

This is from one of my favorite buildings at The Adironack Museum in New York. Click the photo to see the details in the large view on Flickr, and for another view of the building click here: Sunset House.

Be sure to stop by theteach's place, Work of the Poet, for more Ruby Tuesday entries.

Odd Shots: Do You See What I See?

This is my first entry in the excellent Odd Shots meme, hosted at Katney's Kaboodle.

While walking in the woods today, I spotted the top mushroom on this tree and thought I'd found a beautiful white bird. Do you see it too?

(Click here for a closer look and more photos.)

Sepia Scenes: Steam Engine 110

Theteach has a new photo meme, Sepia Scenes, that I just had to try out. The restored engine of a nearby scenic railroad ride seemed like a perfect subject. I couldn't figure out how to sepia-fy it in Photoshop, but the AOL photo editor has a one-click sepia feature that did the trick.

The meme is brand new -- this is the first week -- and happens on Thursdays. I don't know yet whether I like sepia all that much, but it's always fun to try something new. Come by and check it out, OK? Click here: Sepia Scenes

Monday Photo Shoot: Reflections

This week's assignment over at Carly's is to find something shiny.

I just posted a pond shot I like, and I considered using that again, but I thought maybe I'd go with something a little different.

This is the nose cone of a little plane in the hanger at the airport where my son flies. Look closely at the first one, and you'll see the reflection of another plane, too. (Click photos to enlarge.)



Be sure to stop by at Monday Photo Shoot at Ellipsis to see what everyone else found, OK?

P.S. October 27: For those who have asked, this is a Pilatus PC12. It belongs to a local business.

Tuesday: Ruby Red and Golden Glory

Seeing as how my Halloween decorations are still buried under a load of stuff to be moved, I'm going to be about a week late with that one. Meanwhile, I still have lots o' leaves to show off -- and it looks like they'll be gone by next time, given how fast they're falling.

If you're up for more fall color, there's a walk in the autumn woods going on over at Havenwood, and you're invited to come along. The door's always open there, so don't be shy.

The rest of the Ruby Tuesday tribe can be found at theteach's place, Work of the Poet. Also an excellent place to hang out.

Seven Things

Sally at Sallyacious.com has tagged me to reveal seven things about myself, preferably random or weird things.

Here are the rules:

1) Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog
2) Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird
3) Tag 7 more people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4) Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs


So here you go. Seven random and/or weird things about me:

Being home with a bad cold today, the first thing that occurs to me is that I do not suffer well. The hubby can carry on through anything, with never a complaint. I, on the other hand, take to my bed when things get rough, emerging only for juice and to deliver news flashes on my latest symptoms. I know the woman is supposed to be the strong one. But I don't care.

I used to be a lot more things than I am now. And I imagine myself as being more things in the future than I am now. I seem to be stuck between the two. Maybe this is that midlife crisis thing you hear so much about.

I own more books than I will ever be able to read. I love having all those options close at hand, but I feel a little guilty for hoarding them.

On a related note, I am a world-class pack rat.

I am fascinated with the worlds behind the world. That is, I enjoy pondering things like space and time, physics, spirituality, and consciousness. If I were smarter, I'm sure I would love mathematics, too.

OK, that's five. What else, what else...

I keep certain lucky pennies on my keyboard at all times. Some of you already know about that.

Seven! I am a registered Republican who has never voted for a Republican presidential candidate. My family would have disowned me had I registered as a Democrat at age 18, and inertia took over from there. I have no strong affinity for either party, occupying a lonely little land somewhere left of center between the two.

And that's about it. Sally's list is a lot better.

Now for the really hard part, tagging seven friends who haven't done this already. I may be the only person in Blogistan who hasn't done an "About Me" meme before.

I can think of two offhand who might have some good weirdness to share:

There's Karen Funk Blocher of the blog Outpost Mavarin, an amazingly prolific blogger who lives in The Museum of the Weird.

And there's Janet of the delightfully dark Fond of Snape. She has a great sense of humor and knows her way around a camera, too.

Carly at Ellipsis always has interesting things to say and lovely photographs to go with. Let's tag her, shall we?

Sandcastle Momma just did one of these in September, or I'd tag her too. Her blog is a great read, funny and filled will well-built mental images of the family in action... Aw what the hell. I'm tagging her. She deserves a link.

I'm also tagging Kathy at Flamingo Feathers. Kathy wrote a great, private blog over on AOL. She has recently joined us here on Blogger, so please stop by and say Hi, won't you?

Soon as I get a link to the new blog, I'll update this with Marti's new place and tag her. She's another AOLer who deserves a warm welcome. Her old digs were here: Porch Stories.

The last space I leave for you. If you'd like to play, please leave me a link in Comments, and I'll add you to the list.

Thanks, Sally, for a fun afternoon's blogging!

Ruby Tuesday: The Reddest Trees in Town

These maples line both sides of the street for a little way, and it's a real treat to pass under them on my way to work.

This is actually a photo from last year. These trees won't look like this for a while yet, but I wanted to share them for Ruby Tuesday in the Fall.


Check out the other entries at theteach's blog, Work of the Poet.

Photo Hunt: Lazy

Take one sunspot, add one cat, and there you have it: the very picture of laziness.

Stop by PhotoHunt Saturday for more!

Night visitor

I saw my mom last night in a dream. She looked young, rested, and healthy. Her eyes twinkled again, and all the grey had gone out of her hair. I told her how well she looked, and I asked her to let me know when she's around. She didn't say anything; she just smiled her secret smile.

Monday Photo Shoot: Fences and Beyond

At a wedding on Lake Erie, guests gather at the fenced edge of a bluff to watch the sun set over the water.

Just beyond the fence, two sisters wait patiently for Mother Nature to open her paintbox and splash the sky with color.

Mother Nature does not disappoint.
(Click the photos to enlarge.)

Please stop by at Carly's place, Ellipsis, to play and to see what everyone else found.

Ruby Tuesday: First Reds

"Sorrow and the scarlet leaf, sad thoughts and sunny weather; Ah me! This glory and this grief agree not well together!" -- Thomas Parsons, A Song for September



The pasture fence catches the first scattering of red leaves. They'll be falling fast, now that the nights have grown cold.

Sassafrass glows like stained glass in the sun. From another angle, a turtle face appears in profile, practicing his jack-0-lantern smile for Halloween. (Click photos to enlarge.)



There's a whole lotta red going on this week for Ruby Tuesday in the Fall. Check out the link, or you'll miss out!

From Havenwood: To Bee or Not To Bee

When we bought the new place, we inherited a bee hive. Actually, we inherited quite a few, but most were paper wasps and yellow jackets that have since been evicted. This one, however was a honey bee hive, and I wasn't at all sure what to do with it. I didn't want to harm the little beasties, but I didn't want them stinging us, either... Please click here to continue.

Bye Bye, Birdies

Talk about letting the foxes guard the hen house.

As a parting shot at the planet, the Bushies have a proposal in the works to allow any federal agency with a project idea to decide for itself whether that project will have any impact on the environment.

The Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service currently must assure that such projects do not adversely affect wild species or their habitats. Under the new rules, the experts would no longer have any say in the matter.

The Audubon Society is doing its best to spread the word and kill the proposal. You can help by contacting your representatives and by sending your comments here.

I suggest, though, that you write your own letter rather than sending a form. That has a much greater impact. Here's a link to find your congressman.

October 15 is the deadline for public comment. Please do your part ASAP to block this crippling blow to the Environmental Protection Act.