Backhoe & Apples for Mellow Yellow Monday & Ruby Tuesday

Backhoe & Apples
OK, it's a SIGN and apples!

See more Mellow Yellow Monday, and more Ruby Tuesday.

Wild Turkeys

Earlier this week Dina posted a picture of a domestic turkey as part of her Thanksgiving post. In the comments, she indicated she wasn't familiar with wild turkeys. Since we see them regularly, I volunteered a  post about them. So for Camera Critters I present Wild Turkeys.
The picture above and the last two were taken last August. The flock is made up of adult birds, probably hens, and half-grown chicks. I don't know if there are any toms here, and I don't have any pictures of the toms showing off for the hens, so you'll have to do without!

This one shows two toms--the ones to the left which have beards! Turkey beards are made of special feathers which look more like hair and hang from the breast. Hens sometimes have beards, but not frequently. This picture was taken in October.

 Turkeys are quite alert. These are carefully watching something...

one of our cats, who is trying very hard to look like he is NOT watching them! Our other cat has twice (that I know of) caught and eaten a turkey about the size of the smaller ones here. 

I learned about wild turkeys at this site:  http://www.nwtf.org/all_about_turkeys/wild_turkey_facts.html . They are interesting birds!

A Three-fer: Bench, Sky, and Reflection

This is my post for Bench of the Week, Skywatch Friday and Looking at the Sky on Friday, and James's Weekend Reflections. Please visit their sites to see lots more of everything!

I was waiting for my husband last Friday. It was time for lunch, and I knew he would not be ready for quite a while, so I went to a nice cafe I knew of which was close by. This cafe has seating in the spacious lobby of a new building in town which also houses a bank branch and several office suites. Here are some things I saw:
The seating surrounds a fountain designed like a pool fed by a mountain stream. I could have chosen to sit with my back to the water, using a bench. I decided to use a chair.

The lobby is well lit by both artificial and natural light. Looking into the pool, I saw a reflection of the skylight.

Here is a self-portrait reflected in a sign. That's the photographer in a pink shirt!

After lunch I went up the glass-enclosed elevator to the mezzanine. In this shot the overcast sky is clearly visible. It's not much to look at, but it is November, after all!

As I was leaving, I noticed the reflection in the glass curtain wall--there's that overcast sky again! This part of the building is not being used yet. If you look at the white spot at the bottom of the window, you will see a stop sign which is on the street corner on the opposite side. Enlarge the picture and look closely, it is there!

Lunch being over, I returned to my waiting. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my new friends in the blogosphere, who have affirmed and encouraged me. I hope you each have a blessed day, wherever you live, and that you are rich in thankfulness.

In a Boy's Room

The boy has grown up and moved out, but some things remain.

Visit Hey Harriet for Shadow Shot Sunday. For Mellow Yellow Monday visit Drowsey Monkey, and for Ruby Tuesday, visit Mary at Work of the Poet.

Strange Reflection Revealed

I went for a walk one day last August, following tracks of various farm vehicles that criss-cross  the property. I trekked behind my brother-in-law's place, and this eerie sight met my eyes. I was startled, and even slightly fearful-what was that odd looking thing, anyway??? An extra-terrestrial??

I'm not one for running from stuff that is odd, at least not in broad daylight, so I took a breath and stepped closer.

I recognized that it was light on the wall of a shed, not an alien. Phew! But why is it so weird?

This is the shot I cropped for last week's post:

No one guessed that the light was reflected from the side of a junked gasoline pump, which didn't surprise me: it's not a commonly found item! However, I enjoyed everyone's comments and imaginative ways of looking at this reflection. It was rather like seeing shapes in clouds: everyone sees something different. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

For more reflections, visit James at Newtown Area Photo.

Clear Evening Sky

For more skies, visit Looking at the Sky on Friday and Skywatch Friday.

Aquarium Fish

I don't know how this happened...I was messing around, taking pictures of the fish in our aquarium. This shot was very pink, but I could see that there was something more. I used Picasa to edit it, making a monochrome, and ended up with this negative-like image. Here is a color close-up of the same fish:

It is not good focus, I have a hard time with extreme close-ups. The fish are called Lemon Tetras.

For more wet pictures, visit Watery Wednesday.

Hallway Shadow

I had to go to the county offices recently. It was a sunny afternoon (I remember those!), and after I finished my business, I wandered around a little to see what I could see. This caught my eye, and I thought it would work beautifully for Shadow Shot Sunday over at Hey Harriet's. Drop on over to see more shadows.

Reflections Can Be Strange!

This was taken last August a short way from home. When I first saw it, I wondered what it was. I have cropped out as much of the context as possible....What do you see?

For more reflections of every sort, visit James at Newtown Area Photo

Soft October Sunset

For more skies from all over, visit Skywatch Friday and
Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Fun with Water

These two kids had no idea I was lurking with my camera! The water is in the bucket, and it's soapy.

What a great way to spend a summer afternoon!

Visit 2SweetNSaxy for more of Watery Wednesday.

Machine in my World

Here is the mystery machine! I have used it twice before, those pics are in the upper left. The posts may be seen here and here. Click on the collage to see everything better.

This is called a skidder, it is designed to drag logs from the forest to a place where they can be loaded on a truck. As you can see, it has very large tires (one photo has an auto tire for comparison, and another has a furry model) and a blade for pushing brush into piles or fires. There is a powerful winch with a long cable for retrieving logs from difficult locations.

My husband uses this machine a lot, and it is a regular part of my world.

To see more of the world, click here.

Take the Stairs

For more monochrome pictures, visit Aileni at Monochrome Weekly

Gateway

Last Tuesday was a nice day, and I had a little free time. I hope you enjoy this straight from the camera shot. The view is through a gate to a local cemetery, looking across a river. The plume of smoke behind the near ridge line is from a brush pile; now is the time many people are cleaning up before the snow flies.

For more pictures of the sky, visit Skywatch Friday and Looking at the Sky on Friday. For more reflections, visit Newtown Area Photo, and check out Shadow Shot Sunday for more shadows.

Peeling Paint

Peeling Paint

Dry Putty

Window Pane

To see more interpretations of "P," visit ABC Wednesday.

New Leaf

One morning early last September,
I was waiting for my sister-in-law to finish some business.
This umbrella plant caught my eye.
I liked the round leaves against the straight blinds and the shadows showing through.
And that new leaf, so much smaller than the others--
could I capture it?

Yes!

For more Mellow Yellow Monday, click HERE.