Snake Crossing

This picture was taken with my phone, so the quality isn't good but I have finally figured out how to get images from my phone! It's just a basic, cheap phone but since I have it with me most of the time, it is helpful to have the camera. Today, my running goal was to reach a distance for the month. I didn't take a camera along for the run, obviously, I usually don't, yet I often see things I wish I could take a picture of so today this green snake was right in the middle of the trail. I actually almost stepped on it but once I saw it and jumped over it, I decided to go ahead and stop and take a picture. Of course, there's no zoom on the phone so this is as close as I wanted to get, even if it isn't a Copperhead...

Iris

I was excited to see my iris have finally started to bloom. Only two have opened so far, but one is coming along soon. These are some of my favorite flowers to see in the spring garden. I am drawn to them for some reason. One of which is that though I was never a good artist, this was one of the few things I could draw and paint well in art class. They also tend to grow in large groupings and then leave the green behind after they are done blooming. Purple is my favorite color, these show much more blue in the photo but they are a purple variety.

Soccer Saga

I spent 5 hours today watching soccer games, it was a gorgeous day for it, if not a bit windy. The sun was out most of the time, although there were a few clouds crossing over from time to time. The sun cast some great shadows in some of the pictures but in this picture, it was hidden by clouds so there are no problems with light and dark or shadows, there's just action. It's hard to choose a single picture after a day of like today of so many pictures, but I like this moment in time. Amanda fought off these two girls to keep moving the ball.

Chartreux

From Wikipedia: "The Chartreux is an internationally recognized breed of domestic cat from France. The Chartreux is large and muscular, with short fine-boned limbs, big paws, and very fast reflexes. They are known for their blue (grey) water-resistant short hair double-coats and gold- or copper-colored eyes. Chartreux cats are also known for their "smile"; due to the structure of their heads and their long, tapered muzzle, they often appear to be smiling. Chartreux are exceptional hunters and were highly prized by farmers."


My cat Sophie was found abandoned near a creek at the farm in Kansas when she was approximately 5-6 weeks old. She was in a litter of 5 found that day. She was not like the others, there were 2 black and white, 2 black and this one fuzzy grey kitten. Many people have said she looks like a Russian Blue, and we thought that she might have had a Blue as a partne. But her body shape, fur, eyes and even some of her "quirks" all seem to fit the Chartreux. I took this picture to the left, but take a look at the pictures below of Chartreaux cats and see what you think...

Birds of a feather

TGIF! This has been a long and tiring week but it has finally wrapped up and it's getting better. The weather was gorgeous today, 60s and sunny, and I got to get out for lunch and also get home a bit early. As soon as I got home, I hit the trail for a short photo hike and the birds were all singing, the sun was shining and the breeze was cool. I even saw about half a dozen turtles sticking their heads up in the pond. The one turtle that was hanging out at the edge went right under as I tried to get his picture, camera shy, so you'll have to use your imagination. I was aiming to get bird and wildlife, as opposed to flower, pictures today and so I took only one lens. It worked well for the shots I ended up going after and this is one of them. I loved how this guy got on the end of this broken off branch as well as his coloring and the blue sky is a nice background for him.

Bluebonnet time

Despite the recent snow, spring is still coming. At least in my yard, some of the hyacinths survived and the bluebonnets are beginning to open up. They will be fabulous when they are in full bloom. This is just the beginning of the blooms. I planted 6 plants a few years ago and now I give away about 6 dozen every year. It's time to get outside!

A New Beginning

It's midterm week at work, which makes for a very busy time for teachers and students. On top of that, it's the first week back after spring break, adapting back to the schedule takes some time.Add some "life" issues and now the thunderstorms roll in! All that's to say, it's been a rough week and I've been lacking in motivation in most areas, but this is going to be my picture to be defined as seems fit. I took this picture moments before the rain started. I think it can be looked at a couple ways, gloomy, because of the leafless branches and grey skies or new and fresh, a sign of a new beginning. It's hump day, time to get over this hump and move on to the next thing.