• landscape,  sunrises

    Sunrise at The Prairie House

    August 19, 2015
    This Mornings Sunrise
    This Mornings Sunrise

    I’m entering into my third day on the prairie. Yesterday was my first morning here and I woke to a clear sky with a slight haze on the horizon. The haze caused the rising sun to be a bright orange glob. Clouds moved in by mid-day and rained steadily into the night. As you can see the sun again decided to rise today and offered a good start to the day. This road leads on to their property with the Prairie House directly behind me. So, this is what they wake up to every day.

    The Prairie House
    The Prairie House

    This is a shot of the house with the Front Range in the background. Longs Peak is just to left of the image. Dan has added a room to the original house and a sunroom/porch was added to west side. I think their place is wonderful. I am amazed at the quiet here and realize how appealing the isolation can be. The chicken coop, where the lovely ladies are, is just to the left. So, this mornings breakfast was a fresh two egg cheese omelet with a side of guacamole. Now, on with the day!

    Read More
  • clouds,  landscape

    Chasing Clouds

    August 16, 2015
    Chasing Clouds
    Chasing Clouds

    As the storm clouds were building up in the northeast yesterday afternoon, I grabbed the camera and tripod and headed that way. This storm had some strength as the tail winds were quite powerful making it difficult to steady the camera. There were lightening strikes in the mists of the clouds which gave me an idea on capturing them. I decided to make an experiment with my camera using the interval timer. I closed my aperture down to f22 and set my ISO to 200 to get as long an exposure as I could for each shot. I then was set up my camera to shoot an image every 5 seconds for as many images as I wanted.  No such luck but I think it will work and I’ll try it again some time. Has anyone ever done this before? I did enjoy my time away from the city noise and watching nature show off.

    Next week I will be house sitting for a couple of friends in their straw bale house and 40 acres of prairie. Just me and the chickens for a week at The Prairie House.

    Read More
  • leaves,  Plants

    Suspended in the Web

    August 12, 2015
    Suspended in a Web
    Suspended in a Web

    I discovered this leaf on one of my walks last evening. It caught my attention immediately and from a distance. The attention calling was how suspended it was and in such a large open space. The web it is tangled is one strand that was stretched across a wide opening. The strand going to the right is about 6 feet long and attaches to a tree. The strand on the left is about 3 feet long and attaches to a second tree.

    Small spiders use silk threads for ballooning, an inaccurate term for the dynamic kiting spiderlings (mostly) use for dispersal. They extrude several threads into the air and let themselves be carried away by winds. Although most rides will end a few yards later, it seems to be a common way for spiders to invade islands. Many sailors have reported that spiders have been caught in their ship’s sails, even when far from land. The extremely fine silk that spiders use for ballooning is known as gossamer. In some cases, spiders may even use silk as a source of food. (Wikipedia)

    Read More
  • Candid Portraits,  Documentary/Street,  People/Portraits

    Street Concert

    August 10, 2015
    Street Concert
    Street Concert

    I came across this mother and her son sitting at one of the pianos in Old Town Fort Collins. He was so focused on ticking the ivory and both were singing away. She is holding Winnie the Pooh and has a second baby strapped to her chest. I must admit it was a very entertaining concert. Loved it! I was not familiar with any of their songs but probably will find them on their soon to be released CD.

    Read More