Faithfulness

"For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come ..." Song of Solomon 2:11-12

"Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love."

Queen of Palms

In the north temperate zone (this year also known as the north polar zone) I could reasonably expect to see some trees starting to flower in May. I haven't quite figured out what the flowering season is in the subtropic zone. For instance, we have some 'annual' dianthus here that have been blooming continuously for almost 3 years. Hibiscus seem to bloom whenever they feel like it, and that also seems to be the case with palm trees - I haven't discovered their cycle yet either. I'm constantly amazed at God's creativity when I see the variety that exists in nature, whether that be in the plant or tree world, the animal world, landscapes ....

One of our queen palms (Syagrus Romanzoffiana) has been developing several flower pods which are 5-6 ft tall. Today we noticed one that had burst open. In the first photo you can see the large yellow flower and the open flower pod to the left of it. To the left of the open pod you can see another, unopened pod. I'll leave the flowers for a few weeks at which point a heavy cluster of large green grape-like seeds will develop. These will gradually turn an attractive orange-yellow colour and that's my cue to take action. I've learned from past experience not to let them ripen to the point where they start dropping to the ground. They become extremely soft and very sticky, and rather nasty to pick up. Instead I'll position a large garbage can beneath the cluster before it ripens and saw it off so it drops directly in the can - no fuss, no muss, no bother. In the meantime we'll enjoy the flowers.

As I was looking through some shots of this flower, I thought I noticed a smudge in the 2nd photo. Take a look at a crop of that photo (3rd photo below) to see the 'smudge'.

A time for everything

For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing ...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-5


He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding ...

Daniel 2:21


And the time for capturing these was drawing to a close as the light was fading, and the flowers themselves would soon fade.

A pause for the cause

Our first set of visitors has come and gone, with impeccable timing - they enjoyed sunshine and warm weather every day, and in their wake we've been 'blessed' with several inches of rain and (for us) unseasonably cool temperatures. But that presented me with the opportunity to crack open the camera manual again (page 166 of 404 now) and I played around with picture style settings in the back yard.

Hopefully I learn enough about all the AF and AF Drive settings in order to capture some keepers of our grandson who arrives (with his parents) this week. Family truly is one of God's greatest blessings to us on this earth. And not to worry - temperatures in the mid-80s are expected in time for their arrival.

If you also need a pause for the cause, have a listen to The Fureys (link below photos) and kick back for a few minutes. Hope to 'meet' you in blogland before company arrives.

plumbago

star jasmine

First steps

There's learning by reading and there's learning by trying. I've done a bit of both to start figuring out all the buttons and menu items on the new 5D. Today's lesson was on shooting stills - starting with first steps on the AF system. Centre AF point for now - will leave the other 60 for another day.

Since the EF-S series of lenses aren't compatible with Canon's full frame sensor cameras, I bought a 'nifty fifty' (EF 50mm f1.8) lens for 2 reasons - (1) reviewers gave it high marks, (2) it cost $94. I stepped 10' out the back door and found some willing subjects. I wasn't looking for challenging subjects - that's the camera's role for now. The 4 shots below are SOOC.

Since the 50mm has neither macro nor zoom capability, I cropped each of the 2 photos (#2,4) to simulate a close-up shot (#1,3). Lesson 1 completed - I was happy with the colour, focusing, and sharpness.

on tripod  f5.6  1/160 sec  ISO160 (cropped)

 hand held  f5.0  1/400 sec  ISO160 (cropped)

His hand the wonders wrought

"We are so impressed by scientific clank that we feel we ought not to say that the sunflower turns because it knows where the sun is. It is almost second nature to us to prefer explanations . . . with a large vocabulary. We are much more comfortable when we are assured that the sunflower turns because it is heliotropic. The trouble with that kind of talk is that it tempts us to think that we know what the sunflower is up to. But we don't. The sunflower is a mystery, just as every single thing in the universe is."  --Robert Farrer Capon

"I am often asked if I am not lonely on my solitary excursions. It seems so self-evident that one cannot be lonesome where everything is wild and beautiful and busy and steeped with God that the question is hard to answer." --John Muir

"If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life."  --Rachel Carson

For the beauty of the earth ...

     "To look out at this kind of creation and
       not believe in God is to me impossible."
       (Astronaut John Glenn)
   
       "Beauty... is the shadow of God on the universe."
        (Gabriela Mistral, Desolacíon)

       “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
        to receive glory and honour and power,
        for you created all things,
        and by your will they were created
        and have their being.”
        (Revelation 4:11)

        "For since the creation of the world,
         God's invisible qualities - his eternal
         power and divine nature - have been
         clearly seen, being understood from
         what has been made, so that men are
         without excuse."
         (Romans 1:20)

(60mm  f5.6  1/60 sec  ISO200)


(60mm  f2.8  1/1400 sec  ISO200)

 (60mm  f5.6  1/160 sec  ISO200)

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs ... Part I

It's true. Our thermometer registered 2C/35F this morning !

Despite our reluctance to acknowledge the changing of the seasons, the signs are everywhere. I wandered around the yard today looking for them. In fact I found so many, I decided to split the results into a couple of posts.

You might enjoy this whilst viewing today's photos.

[internet update: I don't want to bore you with the whole saga, but I'm sure my name is well-known at my ISP. Almost daily discussions take place between the ISP engineering group, field ops and level 3 experts. Fortunately (?) I'm not the only one in the area who suffers from internet issues. Several equipment problems have been addressed with the wireless tower, and this weekend (I'm told) a major component is being replaced that is supposed to resolve the issues. In the meantime I try to find periods when the connection is working in order to post and to visit as many of you as possible. Evenings are especially bad when it becomes almost completely unusable. I remain hopeful, although my patience is becoming razor thin. Postscript: I started this post at 7:00 pm ... it's now 8:05 pm; am going to remove a video I was trying to embed and just give you the link]

(all shots made with a 60mm lens with apertures ranging from f5.0 to f8.0, and shutter speeds of 1/400 to 1/60 sec)

Close to home

The summer is going by quickly, and this summer is more like the ones I remember as a kid - hot, dry, and sunny every day; virtually no rain to speak of. I decided to walk around the yard yesterday, camera in tow, to capture a little of the colour before what remains succumbs even further to the heat and drought.

(all shots made with a 70-200mm lens at ISO200, apertures ranging from f5.6 to f14 and shutter speeds from 1/320 to 1/4 sec)

Indecision

We had one of those weather days where it wasn't sure whether to rain, shine, be cold, be warm, and almost everything in between (except SNOW !). Our temperatures jumped around from 13C/55F to 24C/75F and back and forth between these points. The sun shone brilliantly, if briefly, through the odd patch of blue. We had dark, threatening skies which morphed into dull grey skies which then unloaded on us. Let me show you instead of blathering on.

(I won't regale you with more tales of my internet woes. Suffice to say that upload 'speeds' are 6x faster than download speeds, and for the technically inclined, a simple ping consumes 129 ms ! I believe that my dial-up service of 5 years ago ran faster.)

(10-22mm  f11  1/400 sec  ISO200)

 (10-22mm  f11  1/640 sec  ISO200)

 (10-22mm  f8.0  1/25 sec  ISO200)

The hike ... continued

You might want to freshen up your mosquito repellent - seems they really appreciate visitors to their neck of the woods.

After walking down the trail to get nearer the river, we'll scramble over a few moss-covered rocks to get down by the water.

(18-55mm  f11  1/5 sec  ISO200)

Now we can see the waterfalls from below.

(18-55mm  f11  1/125 sec  ISO200)

Scrambling back up over the rocks we rejoin Sasha by the trail, and start following it again as it meanders along the river. A few people had come along but now we have the place to ourselves again. The river seems to disappear around a corner up ahead. After avoiding some very muddy areas we come to solid rock. Bushes block our view but we can hear rushing water. We work our way around the bushes and then come upon this sight.

(18-55mm  f14  1/40 sec  ISO200)

This explains why the river 'disappeared' from our earlier vantage point. After tumbling over these falls, the river enters a narrow 'canyon' with steep walls that make access difficult. So we'll content ourselves by lingering awhile and looking at some of the wild flowering bushes that are in their spring glory. No need to hurry back to civilization.

(both of the following shots: 70-200mm  f5.6  1/60 sec  ISO200)

A bee's world

When I was out among the lilac bushes a few days ago, the air was filled with a constant buzzing. Not only are we blessed with many beautiful lilacs, but we also have a healthy crop of dandelions. I don't think bees have a preference - I had to be a little careful before sticking my camera into a lilac bush and I also had to tread carefully. I didn't want to be mistaken for and treated as an invader. We all got along famously. I did use my long lens for this shot, however - I'm not THAT brave (or foolhardy).

Today was another of those "ya win some, ya lose some" days. In the win column, I discovered why my photos display at a smaller size when you click on them than what I uploaded - I've used all my free blogger storage (1 Gb) and blogger automatically reduces the size of further uploaded photos. I've deleted some old photos so tonight's post will be a test to see if the original size is maintained. Thanks to those who tried to help me with this one.

In the lose column I'm again having internet connection issues - I couldn't even display my own blog tonight, let alone visit anyone. While I write this (late, because I spent over an hour with the ISP - again !), I have no idea how long it will take, or even if I can post this - if you're reading this, at least it uploaded. Since I've had so many issues (yes, I log all my calls to them) I'm finally getting a 3rd level engineer assigned to do a complete assessment. So - I hope they can find the root cause and fix it. soon. I will again try to come visit you when my connection allows. Thank you for your visits and comments.

(70-200mm  f5.6  1/320 sec  ISO100)

The payoff

The promises attached to April showers are starting to materialize around the house. I went out this afternoon to capture some of its ethereal beauty, however, more drizzle, along with a breeze that makes macro shots impossible, cut that short. A window of opportunity opened up right after dinner and I only had to travel 10 feet out the front door. Now don't get the impression that we have beds full of these hyacinths - I wish. In fact, we only have a few, and these hardy souls have struggled to get established. I think I'll get some more in the fall though.

(60mm  f4.5  1/8 sec  ISO200)

(60mm  f10  1/3 sec  ISO200)

Mellow Yellow

It's difficult to avoid mentioning the weather since it plays a large role in our lives. Just 2 days ago, we painted the living room during a humid 30C/86F day, livened up a little with a couple of thunderstorms. Yesterday dawned warm again, but by late morning the wind had picked up, and our grandson, Graydon, wasn't too happy going out for a stroll in it. By early afternoon we were experiencing sustained winds over 80 km/50 mi per hour, with gusts up to 120 km/75 mi per hour. Then the power failed.

The high winds continued into the late afternoon, and they gradually decreased by evening. We were spared any wind damage and the power was restored after about 8 hours. I can't imagine what those poor folks in the southern US endured when tornado winds of 320 km/200 mi per hour came roaring through - they surely need our prayers.

The wacky weather blew the heat away - temperatures dipped to 6C/43F overnight and only rose to 12C/54F today - but I was pleasantly surprised to see that our forsythias barely lost a blossom, despite the howling winds. Many utility poles and large trees were snapped like toothpicks and yet these fragile little flowers clung tenaciously to their stems. It defies logic.

(60mm  f5.6  1/80 sec  ISO200)

(10-22mm  f9.0  1/50 sec  ISO200)


My backyard photo shoot was cut a little shorter than planned when this sky moved directly overhead and more blessings rained down upon us.

(18-55mm  f8.0  1/1000 sec  ISO200)

Sayōnara ... soon

[for some musical accompaniment while you read this, click here]. Our sojourn in these warmer climes is coming to an end very soon. Reports say that the snow back home is mostly gone. Of course we realize that we're not out of the woods yet in that regard - last year we had a last winter fling on April 27 !

But we're looking forward to spring taking a firm hold 'back home' and producing scenes more like this.

(60mm  f11  1/6 sec  ISO100)

click on photo to enlarge

Beach beauty

Now you might have thought from the title that I'd been shooting some of the wildlife that frequents the beaches here during spring break. Sorry - wrong blog. No, I'd noticed these beauties on a number of previous walks along the beach and today I had the opportunity to make a few shots while the ladies went shopping (yes, I know - another difficult decision).

These are named helianthus debilis, but are more commonly known as dune sunflowers. They bloom year round and are drought and salt tolerant. As you can see from this shot, I think they must also be sand tolerant - these were growing near a pathway and likely receive a regular spray of sand from kids running by.

(70-200mm  f5.6  1/320 sec  ISO200)

A brief moment in time

I mentioned our wilderness tour in my last post, where we bounced around over the trail in an old school bus (affectionately referred to as a 'buggy' by the tour guide - I suppose as in 'swamp buggy'). The focus of the adventure was definitely on the wildlife to be found there, but I also noticed some plants and flowers and I tried hard to get a decent shot of them. That was a bit difficult because the buggy didn't really stop at those points. I managed to get this one in my sights just as we stopped briefly to get a glimpse of a gator partly hidden behind a tree in the swamp. It will be another 3 months before we have an abundance of these back home in Canada.

(70-200mm  f5.6  1/500 sec  ISO200)

A confederate star

No, I'm not trying to rouse any long dormant feelings about a tragic event. The plant shown below, which we purchased a few weeks ago, has an unusual name - 'confederate jasmine' (or 'star jasmine') - and I have no idea how it got its 'confederate' label. Apparently it isn't a true jasmine, but it does exude a fine fragrance, which makes it a star on our pool deck.

(70-200mm  f7.1  1/160 sec  ISO200)

Winter blahs be gone !

In my virtual travels around blogland I've seen people take different approaches to winter. [I need to digress momentarily and let you know that this is the first year we voted with our feet not to enjoy the many pleasures that winter can offer by heading to warmer climes. We're also all too familiar with the dreaded feeling that usually sets in around this time of year that winter simply will not end.]

Some people tackle winter head on: they strap on skis or skates, or hurtle downhill on toboggans and other conveyances and later gather round a bonfire with rosy cheeks while defrosting various parts of the body. Others ensure a good supply of books and firewood and hunker down to wait for spring. Still others deny the existence of winter altogether and pass the time viewing and posting photos of happier (read 'non-winter') times. But most of them by this point in the winter are more than willing to close this chapter and get on with spring.

So I thought I'd share a couple of shots made today to help move the yardsticks forward - no, nothing that will affect the weather - I'm talking about the mental yardsticks. And no, these aren't growing outdoors here (although our bougainvillea are lovely).

Enjoy - spring is just around the corner ! It's never failed to come yet.

(60mm  f6.3  1.6 sec  ISO200)

(60mm  f5.6  1.0 sec  ISO400)

Back to the future

As I was combing through the archives I came upon a series of shots I made in spring last year (although I only needed one shot per day for the 365 project last year, I quite often found myself carried away and I'd make 50 or 100 shots in a day - no, not all were keepers). If all goes as planned (which is largely out of our hands), I hope to see scenes like this soon after we make our way back north.

(60mm  f2.8  1/500 sec  ISO200)