Static8.com  

Tag: August 2016

another death in the family
sat 13 aug 2016

Permalink: http://www.static8.com/journal/2016/20160813.html
Entry #1 on this page (tagged: august)


Lucy the guinea pig died yesterday and has joined her companion Ethel - who died 29 June - in the afterlife.

October Guinea Pigs

A photo from October 2015. This was the first and last official guinea pig photo shoot. We all had a lot of fun with this and I wish I had followed my creativity and had more photo shoots, but it was not to be.

This photo of Ethel and Lucy was made into a postcard and sent all over the world. It makes me happy knowing that many people have seen my sweet guinea pig pair and think they are adorable!





Out Walking
sat 20 aug 2016

Permalink: http://www.static8.com/journal/2016/20160820.html
Entry #2 on this page (tagged: august, )


Every weekend, and any time I can get an extra day off, I go out walking in my neighborhood.

It's not just exercise, although that's important. Walking also fuels my creativity and my passion for my creative pursuits because I've got my camera with me and I take all kinds of interesting photos along the way. In this way, walking is what keeps me sane.

I have decided that the perfect temperature for walking is 52°F / 11°C. At 52° I am comfortable in jeans and a teeshirt with a long sleeved shirt over it. It's a little chilly when I leave the house, walking warms me up but not enough to sweat.

I hate sweating.

And I'm not too fond of summer time, either. You have to get up pretty darn early in the morning in order to walk comfortably... and I'm not exactly a morning person.

We've been experiencing a heat wave the last few days, and I knew I'd have to get up at first light in order to enjoy a walk. The nice things about such earliness: Not many other walkers, bikers, or drivers (I have to cross a couple streets). Also there's a better chance to see wildlife first thing in the morning.

Sure enough, I caught a glimpse of my Belted Kingfisher friend. I first came across him last November. At the time, I got a couple blurry photos of him, but nothing worth displaying. In January, he was gone. I'm so glad to see him again... another chance to get his portrait!! But not today, he flew off before I could even turn my camera on. :)

And last weekend, I finally discovered the speaker of a most extraordinary sound...

a male Bullfrog hanging in the water

An American Bullfrog! Unfortunately, he's an invasive species on the western side of the US. But that's not his fault.

I had been hearing his voice all summer. There's audio on this page. I honestly had no idea this sound was coming from a frog! haha.

My usual goal of my neighborhood walk is the community garden, where I attempt to take photos of the hummingbirds.

Hummingbird silhouette

There are so many hummingbirds, this time of year, that I've totally lost track of my Anna's friend who I watched every weekend this spring. He's around, though, I'm sure I've seen him a few times this summer.

Walking home, and it's still first thing in the morning. At home, I can still drink my morning coffee. I get my photos off my camera and work on them. I'll print the close-up of our 2nd sunflower and turn it into an envelope. The photo of the moon behind the neighbors sunflowers is going to make a very unique and spectacular postcard. Have to think about the gold finch, and google and identify the plant he's standing on. The Green Heron is sadly surrounded by litter, but I can't believe I even saw him. And then there's the cat...

Bike Path Cat

All these lovely beings who I meet while I'm walking. Do you see why it is that I drag myself out of bed?! These creatures keep me going, their portraits remind me, and sharing my photography makes others happy as well.





You Are Here:

Static8 > Journal > Tag: August

<< July 2016 --- Sept 2016 >>


Static8.com

Site Map