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Today is the official date of Memorial Day in the United States. Originally, a day to remember the fallen soldiers of the US Civil War, after WWI it was expanded to remember all the fallen US military in all conflicts.
Raindrops on a blade of grass after the storm passed. The reflections in the drops were accidental but I liked how they came out.
It's a sunny day in Schenectady and the birds are singing from every tree!
I used to wonder how large trees could be knocked down by the wind, but after seeing some of these old maples I guess I wonder how they stay up!
At least I think it's a butterfly. Moths have feathery antennae I think. Hm. This critter was more interested in flitting about than in standing still for a portrait, so I feel lucky to have got this one. The late afternoon light seems a good match.
My camera does such a nice job with macros, I tend to try them a lot. I liked this close-up of our irises.
I'm blessed by living in a city where birds and other wildlife are all around me. There are two pairs of cardinals with nests in the area - I see them almost every day, although I haven't spotted the nests yet. Taking their photo has been something of a challenge, given my old camera (it has great macro capability. Zoom, not so much.) If I'd taken this with my old film camera, I probably wouldn't have kept the print, but somehow, with this camera, I found this a keeper.
There's a bullfrog poking his head out of the water here. It might seem like Where's Waldo? but I guess that's the point of natural camouflage! He's still young. I hope he eats lots and lots of those bugs that have recently hatched!
This is the clock tower of City Hall on a day when the sky had many interesting clouds.
Well the natural cycle is about complete. The insects have begun to hatch. This is down on the Cowhorn Creek, in Vale. They wouldn't stay still for their portrait! I bet they're getting the next generation ready...
I would have been happy never to have seen one of these things in use, but I won't be complaining when the city comes round and flushes the hydrants this summer!
Last night around supper time we saw billowing clouds of dark smoke. From here, it seemed as if the corner store was on fire. Walking down there, it was clear that the store was OK, but the building on the south side of State Street was not.
One of these poles is vertical. I hope!
Not only the clear blue sky, but a male and female cardinal, too.
We bought several flats of plants on Mother's Day, and now that the cold snap is over, they're going outside to harden off. Hopefully we can get them in the garden this weekend. It's not easy finding room for 5 flats of plants on our porch!
The temperatures dropped to near freezing for the past 2 nights, and fortunately all the flowers here in the city made it OK. The orchards were burning smudge pots and even had helicopters fly overhead to stir the sir enough to keep the very cold off of the trees!
Maple trees flower early and produce seeds quickly. The seeds are carried in wings that every child here has thrown up to watch spin slowly to the ground. They come in all sizes ad colours, and it turns out, they're edible after cooking!
Our family has a tradition of buying the new plants for the garden on Mother's Day. We try different greenhouses, but every year keep coming back to Pigliavento's over on Lydius Street. Family operation, beautiful plants; who could ask for more?
It's Skywatch Friday, the day when many photo bloggers from round the world post a photo of their sky. Click the link to see many more!
Got some rain yesterday. The first real thunderstorms of the season rolled through. Lightning, hail, wind and lots and lots of water. That seems early to me.
My Lily of the Valley are just beginning to flower. The French have a tradition of giving these on May day; they call them muguet de mai. They smell so sweet; it's a great way to start the day with the scent of these flowers.
One of the neighbours has a lilac bush, and with the warm weather over the weekend, it sprang into bloom. You can smell the flowers up and down the street!
On the first of the month, the City Daily photo bloggers post photos representing one particular theme. This month, the theme is statues. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
