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Friday, April 30, 2010

Skywatch Friday

After a batch of April showers, the clouds are parting.

A group of photobloggers post a photo of their skies each Friday - it's called Skywatch Friday. Click the link to see photos from round the world.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Land snail

This is the first snail we've seen since last autumn. It was doing its thing on a skunk cabbage leaf.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Spring snow

It actually is snowing in the hills around us. Here in the valley, we got rain and cold - the current temperature is a little above freezing.

The photo is one of many ornamental flowering trees at the end of the blossoming - they shed all those beautiful flower petals and move on to the important work of making ornamental fruit.

It sure looks like snow though!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Trillium

The trillium have bloomed! I can't say why, but it always makes me happy to see these flowers. Don't smell them though, whew, yuck! Don't pick them, either - they are protected in New York State.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Skywatch Friday

It's Friday, so here's a picture showing my sky. It's a little unusual, but all that...stuff is certainly up in the sky!

For photos of skies round the world, click the link and enjoy!


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Tulip

It seems to me they're early this year, but the tulips are in bloom. We have a Tulip Festival in May, replete with a Tulip Queen - the tulip is as near and dear to our hearts as it was to the Dutch who settled here in the 1600s.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Bleeding hearts

Yesterday I posted a photo of the white bleeding hearts. That plant sits next to this one; a pink colour. The pink ones are the most common.

These plants are so vigorous that they seem to add several inches a day in the first 2 weeks. This branch of flowers didn't exist last week, and today it is poking through the picket fence.

I didn't notice the water droplets inside the flower until I saw this enlarged on the computer. Amazing!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Bleeding hearts

I was away for the weekend, and when I left, these bleeding hearts were mere sprouts 3 inches tall (8cm). When I got back, they were 3 feet tall (1m) and in bloom! These plants amaze me every year.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Pine cones

Went to the park and all the pine trees decided simultaneously to shed their cones. They were everywhere! But no squirrels. Apparently they have no seeds, so they aren't interesting to them.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Geranium leaf

I brought this geranium indoors last autumn, and it patiently sat on my radiator all winter, but patient no more, it strains for the sun just beyond those shades. As soon as I finish this photo, it'll see the sun once more.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Field of violets

The violets appear so quickly, I'm always happy to see them. It seems they're gone before I know it.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Skywatch Friday

Cherry blossoms against the clearest bluest sky.

For more sky photos, click the link!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Wild mushrooms

There used to be a maple tree out front, but it was very old, branches were dead and falling down, so the city came and cut it down. The stump is still there, and although that old maple isn't alive any longer, it has birthed these mushrooms, growing in a pyramid right in the middle.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Lily of the Valley

Not much to look at yet, but this is an example of how plants find a way to grow everywhere! The closest Lily of the Valley is about a yard (meter) to the right. This one grew from a root reaching under the concrete to this crack, where it found enough water and sun to sprout through to the surface.

It's miraculous.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Cherry blossoms

The Congregation Gates of Heaven have these beautiful cherry trees; they are a delicate pink colour. They don't last for very long - this is the first day they've been fully opened.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Old tree

An old tree in Central Park. I like the sun and shadows here. I hope this tree gets buds soon!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Skywatch Friday

A foggy day. Fog isn't that common here, so I haven't much practice trying to capture it.

It's Skywatch Friday - click the link for photos of skies round the world.


Thursday, April 8, 2010

Foggy droplet

Had some fog yesterday and the dew was coating everything including this spider's web.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Spring day at the park

A warm spring day and we went to see the geese and ducks at Central Park's duck pond. The backpack holds bread for the critters and snacks for the people. We were both wearing shorts and aloha shirts (from Hawai'i) and were thoroughly happy about being in the sun again!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Electronics

This project has occupied a bit of my time lately. It's called SAN2PC - Spectrum Analyzer to PC. It's a box that reads analog outputs from a spectrum analyzer and converts it into something a modern PC can process. That's a really cool thing because it means that an instrument made in the early 1970s can interface with a PC!

This project was conceived and designed by a French amateur radio operator named Roland. He published his idea in one of our ham technical magazines (QEX) and I'm very glad that he shared it with the world. Sounds familiar!!

Thanks, Roland!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Early flowers

I don't know their names but how could I resist?

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Fiore di Pasqua

The flowers of Easter - daffodils. These lovely flowers are always here on Easter morning, greeting us with their cheery colour. Happy Easter!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Skywatch Friday

I hope this isn't considered cheating, but my sky today is a clear blue without any distinguishing characteristics at all, so I snuck in this budding tree for something to look at.

Visit the Skywatch Friday web page to see so many other images of skies from round the world!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Theme Day - Red

It's the first of the month, which means that the City Daily Photo community post photos representing a different theme each month. This month, the theme is Red. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

I think this is a difficult theme to realise, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing all the ideas people have. As for myself, I was fixated on Old Red, this Radio Flyer wagon. It's seen many happy days in the past, and now that the weather is warming up, it will be seeing more happy days in the very near future.
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