bee brook

On the Bee Brook trail at the Steep Rock land trust in Washington Depot, CT

*****

If you love photographic storytelling, take a moment to visit my friend Amanda's new website. She is a generous and very talented photographer. I think you will love her work. :)

places of the heart

There is something so very satisfying about the sight of hay bales in a field, especially as the sun slips down. They are sculptural and beautiful in and of themselves, but I think it must be the feeling of satisfaction at a job well done, and security in the knowledge of a full barn come winter... And this is an almost iconic scene for me, too. It is about a mile from my house, and one of the places from my childhood that lives in my heart.

her dark face

"No one but Night, with tears on her dark face,

Watches beside me in this windy place."

Edna St. Vincent Millay

rush hour

Taken at the park down the road. Fall continues apace. :)

along the stream

a little bit of solitude for your busy day... :)

Reflections on Reflections...

I shot this in May, and somehow forgot to post it... rivers disappearing into the distance, overhung with trees, reflections in the water -- all favorite subjects for me. I just love the reflections here -- reality made magic by the addition of light and water. And I love the way the water leads the eye into the distance here, too. You wonder what is around the corner which, when you think of it, is a metaphor for life, isn't it?

Bullfrog Pond

A new open space/hiking trail has opened recently in our town. My husband and I went to check it out on Saturday, and I took my camera. This little pond, partially hidden by tall rushes, is home to some bullfrogs who were quite noisy as we passed by. It's a pretty spot, and I'm sure we will be visiting again soon.

More White Stuff

This was taken earlier in the season, at my favorite park, Natirar. It seems like we have had a snow storm a week this winter, with another predicted for Thursday.

Whoopty-friggin-do.

Gone Fishing

from my archives :)

Leaving

I played with this image. Really I did. But it just looked better straight out of the camera. So here it is, totally unprocessed, with just my watermark added.

Sometimes the hardest thing for me to do is to just leave well enough alone. :)

Late Afternoon at Natirar

Late afternoon at Natirar. We still have some snow on the ground. This was taken right after Christmas, when all the snow had been washed away. I actually shot it through the car window as my husband was driving. I love the way the land folds in on itself. Maybe I should have been a landscape architect. :)

Happy Monday, dear bloggers!

Blue Skies in Winter

I finally got a nice day warm enough to take the new camera out for a spin. Well, it was in the twenties but I guess maybe I'm getting acclimated. A lot of the paths at my favorite park were covered with ice, but I was able to get a few images.

And oh, the blue sky was marvelous!

winter bench

Twenty degrees and snowy, wind howling strong. Not exactly bench-sitting weather, eh? :)

Edited to add: There is a fantastic giveaway on The Savvy Photographer today! Go check it out for a chance to win the wonderful Florabella Actions and Textures Sets.

My Landscape

We had some beautiful weather here on Sunday, and I finally got out to shoot with my Christmas present -- a new camera! This was taken at my favorite park, Natirar, in Far Hills, NJ. It was bit muddy, but such warm and wonderful weather was worth a little mud. :)

This is the sort of landscape that I grew up with -- riding horses across open fields near our home. And although I have traveled some, and seen some beautiful country, I think this sort of landscape will always be my favorite. It just speaks to me of childhood and home. And even in winter, it has a power to move me.

And that's just about as lyrical as I ever get. ;)

Wishing you all a wonderful new year, filled with joy and blessings.

xoxo,

Mary

Edited to add: Santa brought me a Nikon D300s. Yippee!

Fallow

There are certain days in winter when the air warms slightly, and the light is golden. And they make up for all the dark, dreary and frozen days that sap my soul.

Sort of.

Just do me a favor, and remind me that I said that the next time I'm bitching about the weather, K? ;)

Merry Christmas

I'll be taking some time off to spend with family and friends. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas, and blessings in the new year!

xoxo

Mary

December Snow

Well, I think we got about 12 inches, although it did blow quite a bit so some areas are higher than others. It is nice and fluffy, though, so not a big deal to shovel. It should be sticking around till Christmas, which will be nice. Although they are predicting showers for Christmas day, which might be a little messy. :(

This was taken on our front lawn late yesterday afternoon. I'm thinking I like shadows almost as much as I like fog. :)

The Sentinels

Winter storm warning here in New Jersey -- 8-14 inches of snow. I guess we'll have a white Christmas after all. :)

Silence

"True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."

~William Penn

December Mist

This is from my archives, taken last December. We had some lovely mist here on Sunday, but I didn't have a chance to shoot. We were busy cutting our Christmas tree in the rain.

It's amazing how cold rain down the back of your neck focuses the mind. We chose the tree in record time! :)