autumn officially arrived yesterday...

Not a moment too soon...

(photo taken in the mountains last year)

hope ahead...

When our children were small, we often read “Frederick” by Leo Lionni. “Frederick” is a fable about a little field mouse and his friends. All the field mice, but Frederick, work all day and night to collect food for the winter. They don’t understand why Frederick isn’t working too. Frederick explains to them that he is gathering the sun’s rays, colors and words for the long, cold winter ahead. “Aren’t we lucky the seasons are four? Think of a year with one less… or one more.”


So we have “Frederick” days. Instead of storing up for the winter, we store up for the summer. This time of year is when I need my “Frederick” days the most. It is still too hot. I want autumn and I want it now.





I need to remember our cool, wet spring that was such a delight.

I need to remember an unexpected dinner outside during an unexpected cool spell in mid-June. I need to remember nights around the fire.

I need to remember cool mornings at the lake watching the herons and egrets.
I need to remember the cold day watching the sandhill cranes last winter.

As I write this, the breeze is picking up. Clouds are forming. The temperature is dropping ever so slightly. Hope ahead…

Edited: Wind brought in a beautiful evening! We ate dinner outside and it was perfect. Hope, indeed.

at last...October

We may live among the saguaros but there is glorious autumn surrounding us in the mountains.

a little night photography...

I love shooting at night. The world just looks so different, so magical. My friend, Kat, has some great night time photos you will want to check out. I don't have the lovely, far away places to explore that she does but you can find wonderful night, no matter where you are.

Most of these were taken with my favorite night lens, 35mm 1.4. The only tripod shot is the first one. The tripod gives you so many opportunities but you can still capture things without it, as long as you can up your ISO and not mind the accompanying graininess. Different cameras and lenses handle graininess in different ways. A little grain never bothers me much. You can use a fence post, the top of your car or a ledge as a tripod.
In this shot you can see that the bike is blurry but the rest of the picture is rather sharp. This is due to the movement of the bike rider and a slow enough shutter speed that doesn't stop the action. Don't forget that you can click on any image to make it larger.
This shot uses a technique called panning. As I took the shot, I followed the car so that the car stays in focus while the background blurs. This is often a hit and miss technique with me. The color and style of the car really caught my eye but obviously I didn't have much time to set this up. I was going for the angle but if I had a redo, I probably would have shot it a little bit differently. Sometimes, you get what you get.



What may look dull and dirty in the daylight, can look amazing at night. Give it a try.

and a matching sunset...

You have to love a man who is driving home after a long day at work who calls to tell you the sunset deserves a peek.

this morning's sunrise...

"There was never a night or a problem that could defeat a sunrise or hope." (Bern Williams)

it's finally pumpkin time...

Pumpkins make me happy. I don't know if it is because it means the beginning of fall or it is just inborn if one happens to have an October birthday. I have been to Trader Joe's three times to get them and I haven't even spotted the white ones yet. They will make me happy all the way through Thanksgiving weekend. Then we'll roast the seeds and leave the rest for the bunnies to enjoy.

Lovely leaves from my lovely, too-far-away daughter who collected and preserved them for my birthday last year. She knows her mama well.




















Pumpkins make me happy.