Late spring is probably my favorite time of year, when everything is green and alive before the hush and the heat of summer have settled in. Nothing represents this season more than the sight and sweet smell of honeysuckle. 

That scent always brings back memories. It w… Read full post »

Its been almost 2 years since I decided to take the plunge and try blogging. I came to OS because I was already familar with the site. Someone I know and admire posts regularly on here and I thought, "What the heck? What have I got to lose?" As I started… Read full post »

Although the equinox was earlier this week, the strange non-winter we had in the Northeast has brought spring on quite a bit early. But to celebrate the actual beginning of the season I went to one of my favorite places. 

The minute I got out of my car I could hear… Read full post »

I have a cat, just one cat and that's plenty for me. For those of you that don't have cats, cats play by their own rules. No matter how much you want them to do or NOT do something, they pretty much do what they want most of the time and… Read full post »

Over four years after my grandmother's passing I still haven't finished sorting through her belongings. I know, I know....four years? And I'm still not done? Don't ask.

Today I came across a sealed envelope labeled "Private - Do Not Open" below that was my name and the words "Please destroy, do… Read full post »

Well winter finally decided to make his presence known.  Here it is late January and we finally had our first snow.

I must admit its not very impressive, just enough to coat the grass with a thin blanket of white.

All the paths an… Read full post »

Gotta love winters in the Mid-Atlantic or at least in my part of Maryland.  We are either buried under 2ft of snow or as was the case yesterday, its 65 degrees and sunny. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, I grabbed my walking shoes and my camera bag and headed to… Read full post »

The cemetery lies just a little over a mile from my home and going there has been a part my life since I was 8 years old. That's when my great-grandfather died. My great-grandmother followed 2 years later and visits to their grave became a regular occurance.  Not a holiday, birthday… Read full post »

Before....

 The maple tree  in my backyard last weekend.

 After.... 

The maple t… Read full post »

He saw me way before I saw him, watching me from across the creek. At first, my poor eyes without glasses or camera could not make out what it was, then I looked through the lens and.....

If I would have seen nothing else on this walk, just… Read full post »

After a very long and difficult month I was finally able to get out with my camera once again, but I'm afraid the spectacular fall colors have mostly passed thanks in part to Mother Nature's sick sense of humor. No fair hitting us with snow 2 days before Halloween!

None the… Read full post »

Hurricane Irene has come and gone and thankfully, we survived pretty much in tact. I was going to share photos of hurricane damage in my yard, but luckily...there wasn't any.

Just a few small branches and a lot of leaves. The old maple is still standing, for a few anxious… Read full post »

It was a brand no one had ever heard of. It had one lens, no flash and I don't even think the light meter worked half the time, but it opened my eyes, literally and made me actually look  and look again at the world around me.… Read full post »

It would not be summer without a trip to Brookside Gardens to see their "Wings of Fancy" butterfly show. It is a photograper's dream to see so many of these beautiful creatures all in one place. Here is a sampling from this year's show.

This one is called an American… Read full post »

It is early June and once again the world outside my window has turned green.  The trees have all filled in and we have reached that lull between the end of the spring flowers and the full bloom of mid to late summer. 

Walking the wooded trail near my home it… Read full post »

Rose and violet colored sky

Catbird singing a lazy lullabye

Out of the corner of my tired eyes

I see the flickering light of fireflies

While the sun slowly says goodbye.  Read full post »

Every year, come spring, I begin the back breaking task of cleaning, raking, sifting, dumping, potting, and planting my garden. Every year, the task seems to take longer and longer and I start to wonder why do I keep doing it.

Then it happens, for a brief period of time, I… Read full post »

Looking at the date of my last post, I realized I have been away from here for awhile now. Sometime around mid April, my life took a turn for the crazier and I have had neither the inspiration or the motivation to write anything meaningful. And thanks to the gray, gloomy… Read full post »

They look like weeds to some, mainly anyone who is trying to grow grass.

But who doesn't remember picking a bouquet of dandelions for their mom?

In my case it was violets, my grandmother loved violets, so these are fo… Read full post »

Although the cherry blossoms are in full bloom just a few miles down the road from me in DC, this crazy, cold weather seems to have slowed things down a bit in my neck of the woods.  There are signs of spring, only subtle ones. 

The cherry blossoms are… Read full post »

After a roller coaster winter of wind and cold, rain and snow, and more WIND, we've finally had a taste of spring here in MD. Here are the first flowers of the season. from sprout to bloom. You'll have to imagine the theme to "2001" playing in the background. Enjoy!

  … Read full post »

Its early Sunday morning and I'm wide awake, as usual.  I was never much of a late sleeper, besides, my cat starts making noise and being generally annoying if I'm not up by 6:05.  So cat fed, and coffee consumed, I'm ready to start the day. There's only one problem, my… Read full post »

One of my favorite, fictional photographers once said that if the light was good you could always find something to photograph. I learned that lesson early on, since my first 35mm camera did not have a flash, but it did have a 50mm, f1.4 lens. For those of you that do… Read full post »