Photos, videos and docs of Janet Brien, with the keywords: "low-key"

Pictures for Pam, Day 97: Valentine's Day Rose

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 01:41:53 +0000

(+3 insets!)

Another cold, wet, and dreary day greeted me today and I simply didn't have the heart to go outside in the mud and icky weather. However, I did have a lot of fun looking through some of my archive photography and found the perfect picture to post for Valentine's Day. It's officially tomorrow for all of us in the United States, but since so many people on ipernity live in Europe, it's a better idea to post this picture today!

Steve and I live near the town of Medford, Oregon, and a large company called Harry & David is located there. They have a huge public garden and specialize in endless species of roses. We've gone there for photo shoots a couple of times and my mind is always spinning by the time we leave because I've photographed so many incredible blossoms. This one in deep, rich red, is the classic Valentine's rose, and so it's my pick of the day. I hope you like it Pam! :D I'm also including some past Valentine cards I've posted. (If you'd like to see more pictures from the Harry & David garden, click on the album to the right and you'll see what I've posted so far.)

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and romantic day!

Pam, I looked on your photo stream for Valentine's Day pictures and found a lovely golden crocus that bloomed that day in 2014. What a wonderful gift! I wonder if it bloomed for you this year or did it get eaten like all of ours did? Anyway, I hope that you can find something pretty to enjoy on your Valentine's Day this year! *BIG HUGGGGGS* from southern Oregon!

Explored on 2/14/19, highest placement, #1.

Pictures for Pam, Day 80: Nature's Jewelry

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 00:04:04 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+1 inset!) (please view large to see the dew drops!)

It was another very foggy, chilly day and even though I was bundled up, my feet and hands still got very cold during my walk. It was lovely though and I enjoyed seeing the grass twinkling with dew drops as I made my way up and down our driveway.

On my last lap I noticed something sparkling on the road and thought it seemed too light to be a leaf. Bending closer I could see that it was a feather that was completely covered in dew drops! Amazing! I hadn't planned on taking any pictures outside today because I'd be working on my Macro Monday images but I simply HAD to get pictures of this feather!

I soon returned with my camera and got lots of shots from many angles--I managed to get some very nice ones which I'll be sharing soon!

Since I was outside I couldn't resist the temptation to wander off the road a bit. I had something in mind…spider webs. Yesterday I'd taken some pictures of dewdrops on a strand of spiderweb and I wasn't really satisfied with the outcome. I'd brought my macro flash but discovered the batteries were dead and the slight breeze ruined most of the pictures I took. Still feeling a bit disappointed, I wanted to find some more webs now that I'd replaced the batteries in my macro flash.

Instantly I found plenty of strands to photograph, so tiny and fine that I would have had a hard time seeing them without the dew to make them stand out. At one point I looked up and OH!! A whole web was sparkling back at me, how exciting! I think dew-covered webs are some of the most beautiful things in nature and this one had such a lovely shape.

Once I got back inside I copied my pictures over to my computer but I noticed a problem with the use of my flash. The reflection of light in the droplets worked fine in the pictures I'm sharing today but It was much too harsh in my other photos. I need to put diffusers on the flashes to soften the reflections. It's too bad because there were lots of pretty strands of "water pearls" but the pictures need to be retaken. Live and learn, right?

For today's main image I decided to use the cropped version because the dew is larger and prettier. I have also included an inset of the whole web so you can see how cool it is. :)

Pam, I did a search on your stream for "web" and found a delightful picture and story about Esmerelda that you shared back in 2014. It was wonderful to read again. I also enjoyed our back and forth commentary about your picture and story. I think you would have loved the spider webs I photographed today because they were almost invisible and not scary at all! :) Still, like I'd said then, I do not like spiders crawling on me, and feeling spider webs clinging to me gives me the heeby-jeebies! If they are strong webs and I walk through them and they are all over me…you'll hear me screaming from Oregon and soon you'll see me running past in a blur! :D Here's hoping that your day was as good as can be. :)

Explored on 1/28/19, highest placement, #1.

Pictures for Pam, Day 65: Cuphea Blossom

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 12 Jan 2019 23:50:18 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+4 insets!) (please view large!)

I am having so much fun posting pictures from our trip down to San Anselmo to visit my brother Brian and his wife Nathalie. Every day I get to work on a few more images and it's wonderful to wander through the photos and decide which one(s) to post today. As I look through them, I am reminded of what was going through my mind when I took the pictures.

Today's choice was growing on a bush on Nathalie's patio. These flowers are very small but so bright and pretty that you can't help noticing them. When standing away from them, they aren't all that distinctive, but when you crouch down and take a good look, why…"THEY HAVE PURPLE EARS!!" I couldn't help exclaiming in glee and beamed at the lovely little blossoms.

These flowers are also an extremely challenging prospect for a macro photographer. There's a reason I chose the side view as my main image: it's completely in focus. This type of flower, with its long tube shape and sort of a flat face, makes it easy to show excellent detail of the front part of the blossom. But if you're close to the flower, good luck on getting the whole tube in focus! For example, one of my insets is a face-on view and my aperture was set to 22. The back is out of focus! Not intended! *cry*

One solution to get crisp focus is to back up a bit and get another aperture set. If you really want to be sure, you'll have to back up a bit more and get another set. (Aperture set: an identical picture of a subject taken at each aperture through a range, or one picture per several apertures through a range) However, by backing up you run the risk of a picture that cannot be cropped as tightly as you want if you back up too far. Also, the background is also going to lose that lovely bokeh you're after. Likewise, the higher the aperture number, the sharper the background is going to be. Basically, one needs to experiment a lot and fill your camera card in the process. Personally, there's only so many pictures I want to look through so I crossed my fingers when I took my dozen or so attempts. I didn't nail the focus for the whole flower at either an angle or head on, but I did get entire crispness for the side view so I'm happy. Providing a couple of extra pictures shows this entire, gorgeous flower and thus, a successful presentation for all of you to enjoy! :)

(I'm also including a couple of insets of yesterday's sunrise and the night before's sunset!)

Pam, I wouldn't be surprised if you had these flowers growing in your garden. Then again, they can be hard to get established so maybe not? They are deer-resistant though! They are also fabulous for attracting insects and hummingbirds. It would be so nice to have them here but I refuse to have another garden due to our low amount of water and fighting with the ground squirrels. I hope you have had a nice day my dear! :)

Explored on 1/13/19, highest placement, #2.

Pictures for Pam, Day 45: Diva Dahlia

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 22:03:04 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(Please view at full size!) :) (+1 inset)

I was very pleased as I stepped outside this morning because I got to start my walk a little earlier than usual. I try to get out by 7:30am if I can but if I wake up before 7am I'm usually walking by about 7:20am. That's really nice. As much as I've been moaning about the darkness of the mornings, it does give me more of an opportunity to immerse myself in the world waking up around me. This really is a gift and I appreciate every moment. Especially because getting up voluntarily at this time was something I never did in the past. I've missed out on decades of these special times and I don't take a single moment for granted.

It was still quite dim outside but ten degrees warmer than yesterday. At 36 degrees, it was positively comfortable in comparison and I began my walk in extra happy spirits.

"Hoo-hoo.." I heard, followed by "Hoo. Hoo-hoo-hoo." I stopped in my tracks and stared across our valley across the main road to the neighbor's property beyond. "OWLS!!!" I shouted in my head and cocked my head to the side, listening intently.

Again the two called back and forth, their hooting echoing back at me. "Hoo-hoo.." and "Hoo. Hoo-hoo-hoo." A beaming smile radiated from me in response.

I simply love owls. Unfortunately, the only wild owl I've ever seen was a Tawny Frogmouth in Costa Rica many years ago. And the only reason I saw it was because our guide knew where this one slept and pointed it out to us. So perfectly camouflaged, it looked like it was part of the tree! What an odd but incredible looking bird that was. Steve and I still talk about that morning!

Regarding owl photography, I have such admiration for anyone who gets pictures of these beautiful birds. I hope that someday I'll be so lucky. But for now I stood silently on our road. I listened blissfully to the sounds of these two birds calling back and forth to their hidden spots in the trees across the road. I felt so fortunate and overjoyed to get this awesome experience.

After a while I started walking again and was happy to learn that my footsteps didn't disturb their conversation. In fact, they kept hooting until the sun lightened the sky and finally put an official end to the night. I whispered to myself, "That is so cool..."

Today is perfect timing to share another dahlia picture! I hope that you are enjoying the show and aren't getting bored. I simply must post these images! The dahlias yell and scream for attention and if they had it their way, they'd highjack my photo stream and fill every day with piles of their lovely blossoms! But I won't have it! They don't understand that so much beauty must be doled out one at a time for the best appreciation!

So, in honor of the colors of this holiday season, I bring to you a most dramatic red dahlia. It laughs at the poinsettias and amaryllis that dare to compare themselves to it. Holly berries? Pshaw! No, this dahlia takes the stage like a runway model. I am only here to share it with all of you. If she were a person, you'd surely find her sipping wine in Paris. :)

Pam, I wish I could present this diva to you because then she would see what a true beauty is in this world. Thinking of you all the time...

Explored on 12/24/18, highest placement, #6.

Pictures for Pam, Day 35: Mushroom Couple

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 00:25:58 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Today while I was on my daily walk, Steve stepped out in his fluffy blue robe and thick warm slippers to say good morning--he usually gets up an hour later because he's got the "sleeping in" thing down to a luxuriant science! Huzzah!

At a chilly 31 degrees, no way was he stepping off the porch so I marched over to greet him with a hug and kiss.

"ACK!!!" He yelled, reeling back from my affectionate peck. "Your lips are frozen, woman!" I couldn't stop laughing as I gave him a hug. He pulled me tight in an affectionate embrace and then shrieked, "OH MY GOD, you're an ICEBERG!" He rubbed my back bravely but quickly stepped away with a shudder, staring with abject horror. Receding towards the door with a slightly terrified expression on his face, he left me with, "I'm going back into the house where it's warm!" My maniacal giggling followed him as he shut the door. Gee whiz, I've repulsed my own husband! :D

And now, let us all bow our heads and take this moment of silence to remember Triangle Man.

The other day I posted an image of two lovely mushrooms that I discovered on my way up to our ridgeline trail. At the time I noticed a couple of smaller ones erupting from the earth nearby. In the following days I kept an eye on them but apparently something else was too. In fact, the day after I'd photographed the pair of mushrooms I found one of them laying upside-down nearby and the other one was just plain gone! A few days later, one of the mushrooms I'd been keeping track of disappeared. That left Triangle Man. Oddly shaped with a perfect, rounded-triangle cap, I watched this mushroom slowly force its way up from the soil and grow in size. Yesterday I saw him and burst into song!

"Triangle Man, Triangle Man,
Triangle Man hates Particle Man
They have a fight, Triangle wins
Triangle Man"
~ Lyrics from Particle Man, by They Might Be Giants (This is such a fun song that I linked it…ENJOY!!)

I thought about taking pictures of Triangle Man but decided against it. The grass was very long in that area and to prep for a picture would have taken too long to be bothered. I decided that instead I would appreciate this fun-looking fungus every day as I walked up and down the driveway. At last he was rising up off the ground and I thought that maybe I would take his picture after all. What's 20 minutes of prepping? Triangle Man was worth it! I planned to take his picture that day but it began to rain and didn't stop all day.

This morning Triangle Man was gone. I looked around to see if he might be hiding under a leaf but he was nowhere to be found. Poor Triangle Man. Rudely plucked from the earth and wolfed down by a denizen of the night. His chance at an immortal photograph was dashed. Oh, the cruel, cruel world! We loved you Triangle Man!

Since I can't show a picture of Triangle Man, I thought it would be appropriate to share another mushroom picture. This photogenic pair was found a few days ago when I took a walk along the ridgeline trail that runs from our property about a mile away where it peters out. It's a mecca for plants and animals, ever-brimming with photo opportunities. These two were spotted on an Oak stick that fell to the forest floor and was partially covered with leaves. Only when I kneeled down to peer carefully at ground-level did I spot these extremely tiny mushrooms. They are only about ¼" in height! What an awesome find!

Pam, I invite you to listen to the song, "Particle Man," which is sure to put a beaming smile on your face while you think about the mushrooms you've seen in your wanderings that are gone the next time you come around. We were so lucky to see them! I'm looking out the window now and thinking of you as I watch the mist drift slowly past the Upper Table Rock. Beautiful...just like you.

Explored on 12/14/18, highest placement, #6.

142/366: Frost on Rusted Barbed Wire

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 24 May 2016 03:48:26 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Frost on barbed wire is such fun to photograph! The sparkling frost dissolves into starry bokeh, the crisp frost crystals are so sharp and yet "furry" looking, and if you should get lucky, the colorful rust on the barbed wire makes a perfect contrast! And of course, you have a natural leading line of the wire to guide the eye. What's not to love?! :)

Explored on 5/25/16. Highest placement #24.

20/366: Frosted Barbed Wire

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 02:47:31 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

One of the wonderful things about living in southern Oregon is experiencing four distinct seasons. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and it's about the same temperature year-round. So for me, frost and snow are amazing to see and naturally, frost is a favorite subject to photograph. This is a close-up of the tines on a strand of rusted barbed wire that I captured in November 2013.

J is for Jaunty Jonquils (+ 5 more inset pictures!)

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:30:11 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(5 more pictures above in notes! :D)

I used to think that a Jonquil was any kind of daffodil, but I found out that it's actually a specific type. In truth, "Jonquil" is an accepted term for "daffodil in some places, so I was very tempted to open my selection to every daffodil in my archives. But...no, I wanted to show a true jonquil. Narcissus jonquilla flowers are smaller in size and grow as clusters from one stem. They are also the most fragrant of all daffodils.

To my surprise, I have very few pictures of these fragrant beauties. Although we have some growing in our yard, I immediately remembered the grouping I photographed last Spring at my friend's home. The same friend who has the beautiful irises in fact! :) Weeks before, we visited to take pictures of her daffodils, and she'd picked a bunch of them for the house. I remember how wonderful these smelled!

If you would like to know more about these flowers, Wiki has a page here: Wikipedia: Jonquils

Explored on April 15, 2014. Highest placement, #1.

Underside of Fern

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 03:39:08 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This fern plant isn't large, with each frond being only a few inches long, so I thought it would be fun to try getting some close-ups of the undersides, which are so fascinating to me. What you are looking at are spores, which is how ferns reproduce. Ferns are one of the world's oldest plants, and they do not reproduce by flower pollination like most other plants. The next time you are admiring a fern, take a look at the underside, and you'll be surprised how interesting the spores look! In fact, the spore vary drastically from one species to another, and I find them quite beautiful! :)

If you would like to know more about spore reproduction in plants, Wiki has a very nice page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporogenesis

362/365: "Art takes nature as its model." ~ Aristotle

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 05:02:14 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

What a frosty day it was! Frozen fog, mist everywhere, and frost covering the world! I took a quick walk outside to look around and found these dried weeds covered with nature's jewelry, and I thought to myself how much it reminded me of fireworks! (I have been buried in too much to do for weeks now, I'm so sorry for my lack of commenting!)

Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato's teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. Aristotle's writings were the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality, aesthetics, logic, science, politics, and metaphysics. Wikipedia: Aristotle

Explored on December 29, 2013. Highest placement, page 9.

361/365: "Direct observation of the luminous essence of nature is for me indispensable." ~ Robert Delaunay

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 04:39:39 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

1 more picture above in a note! :)

It wasn't horribly cold today--just about freezing, but sometimes it feels extra cold. I'm not sure why. It wasn't windy, but the cold just went right to the bone! However, that certainly didn't stop me! I wandered up onto our hill and soon found droplets on lichen that had me fascinated. Many were frozen and I looked for lichen that had just the right frozen droplets, positioned so that I'd be able to make them stand out, and I looked for distance from other subjects to create a solid, low-key background. That was a challenge because this type of moss usually clings closely to the branch it's growing on, or there are clusters all together. But I was able to find a few that were just right! :)

Robert Delaunay (12 April 1885 – 25 October 1941) was a French artist who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay and others, cofounded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric shapes. His later works were more abstract, reminiscent of Paul Klee. His key influence related to bold use of colour, and a clear love of experimentation of both depth and tone. Wikipedia: Robert Delaunay

Frosted Spider Web

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 04:39:27 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

As I studied the lichen for just the right frozen droplets, I discovered many fine spider webs here and there with frozen tiny droplets on them! I enjoyed trying to get crisp images, and this picture turned out the best! :)

360/365: "What matters is to live in the present, live now, for every moment is now. It is your thoughts and acts of the moment that create your future. The outline of your future path already exists, for you created its pattern by your past."

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 02:16:55 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

It was a cold and misty day today, so I took the dogs out into our larger meadow and looked around for interesting subjects to photograph. I found some tiny spider web strands and neat droplets clinging to various plants, but I really liked the droplets on this dried foxtail because they remind me of crystal balls! :)

Śri Sathya Sai Baba (born as Sathyanarayana Raju; 23 November 1926 – 24 April 2011) was an Indian guru. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, who was also considered by his followers to be an avatar, spiritual saint and miracle worker, and who died in 1918. Wikipedia: Sai Baba

Explored on December 27, 2013. Highest placement, page 9.

329/365: "It's the cursed cold, and it's got right hold, till I'm chilled clean through to the bone." ~ The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 04:58:55 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

3 more pictures in notes above ! :)

The forecast last night said it would be cold this morning...they weren't kidding! When I went down to the gate at 7am to open and close the gate for Steve as he left for work, it was 27°F (-2.8°C)!! We stepped outside and the cold just hit me in the face. WOW, take a step back, Jack Frost, you're freezing my face with that frosty breath of yours!!

I was bristling with sweaters and a coat, warm socks, hat, boots, gloves, and I had my camera with me too as I waved goodbye to Steve. I wanted to get some images of frost while I was down by the fence that borders the main road. However, I also knew I didn't have much time, because no matter how bundled up I was, that cold would find its way in through my worst defenses: my gloves and rubber boots. Knowing the clock was ticking, I quickly went to the fence and started snapping away, admiring the amazing crystals on the barbed wire along the top of the fence as I moved this way and that. Soon, my fingers started to tell me they were cold. Then I noticed the frosty pine needles on the Ponderosa Pine tree nearby and challenged myself to try for some good dof images. (Fail!) Looking down I saw pine cones with frosty edges and managed to get some nice pictures (I'll share that picture in the next few days!). At that point, my fingers were really beginning to hurt and my toes were beginning to yell. Making my way back up the drive way I stopped to take pictures of frosted gravel (I got a really great picture but...the gravel looks too much like...frosted doggy doo...*cackle*...so I can't use it! :D), and on the way I couldn't resist a few more pictures of frosted barbed wire, and then I couldn't stand it anymore and rushed up the hill and into the house, and got my hands under hot water to warm them up again...I can't believe it. I was out there for TEN MINUTES and my body was screaming from the cold!! Unbelievable!! It took a long, hot shower to completely warm up again. Totally crazy cold out there!!!

Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a poet and writer who has often been called "the Bard of the Yukon". Service is best known for his poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough (1907; also published as The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses). "These humorous tales in verse were considered doggerel by the literary set, yet remain extremely popular to this day." Wikipedia: Robert Service

Explored on November 25, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#41).

Frosted Rusty Fence Post (and intro to "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert W. Service

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 04:58:41 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Originally painted green, this fence post is slowly rusting all the paint off of it! I love the texture and adding frost makes it even prettier!

This is the first stanza from my favorite poem, The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert W. Service
:

The Cremation of Sam McGee

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

The rest of the poem is on the next picture!

Frosted Wire and "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert W. Service (my favorite poem!)

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 04:58:33 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This was a long piece of smooth wire, covered in frost!
I hope you'll take a few moments to read this poem, it's fantastic and so visual, you'll need to put on a coat by the time you're done! :D My 9th grade English teacher introduced poetry to me and this was the one that made me love poetry! :)

The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell."

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see;
It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and "Cap," says he, "I'll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I'm asking that you won't refuse my last request."

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
"It's the cursèd cold, and it's got right hold, till I'm chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet 'tain't being dead — it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains."

A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: "You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it's up to you, to cremate those last remains."

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows — Oh God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May."
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared — such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside.
I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; ... then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and said: "Please close that door.
It's fine in here, but I greatly fear, you'll let in the cold and storm —
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm."

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Frosted Dagger!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 04:58:20 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This is a very tight crop but I wanted to include it because the frosted barb looks so much like a dagger covered in crystals!

Rose Hip Wabi-Sabi

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 05:01:18 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

While wandering around my front yard yesterday, I saw the magnificent, enormous rose hips on our rose bushes and I instantly thought of the ipernity group, "The Sunday Challenge", which has a theme this week called "Wabi-Sabi". I thought this would fill the bill perfectly! :)

From Wiki:
Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete". It is a concept derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence, specifically impermanence, the other two being suffering and emptiness or absence of self-nature.

Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.

306/365: "Chance favors the prepared mind." ~ Louis Pasteur

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 02:30:48 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

5 more pictures in notes above ! :)

Sometimes picture opportunities present themselves when you're not even thinking about photography! This morning I went downstairs into the kitchen and as I glanced out the window, I noticed the sunlight streaming in, bouncing off a cabinet and landing on one of our pumpkins. It was shining past our parrot's perch that we have attached to the window and casting a very cool, curved shadow over the pumpkin's surface. "Oooooo, LOOK AT THAT!!" I said to myself, and as I appreciated the light and shadow, it suddenly occurred to me that this was not an opportunity that would last forever because even as I looked, clouds moved over and past the sun, changing the intensity of the shadow. I ran for my camera an took pictures from different angles, and then a thick cloud caused the shadow to diminish and leave only a diffused light glowing on the surface. I looked at the different pictures and picked out my favorite image with the shadow, and my favorite with just a diffused light. What I love most about this pair of pictures is that the situation was totally unplanned. The pumpkins were sitting in that position from the night before when I pushed them out of the way for dinner preparation.

Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist who is well known for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases, and his discoveries have saved countless lives ever since. He reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and created the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax. His medical discoveries provided direct support for the germ theory of disease and its application in clinical medicine. He is best known to the general public for his invention of the technique of treating milk and wine to stop bacterial contamination, a process now called pasteurization. He is regarded as one of the three main founders of bacteriology, together with Ferdinand Cohn and Robert Koch, and is popularly known as the "father of microbiology". Wikipedia: Louis Pasteur

Explored on November 4, 2013. Highest placement, page 7.

305/365: "Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil." ~ Plato

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 04:40:33 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

2 more pictures in notes above ! :)

Last night when I was done taking pictures for Bokeh Thursday, I saw another picture I could take, but it required a flash or a tripod, and I just didn't have it in me to set things up for another series of images.

Today I planned to take this picture, but before I got to it, I had taken pictures of tomatoes with dewdrops on them and I wasn't sure if I should wait to take this picture tomorrow. However, after I processed my chosen tomato picture, I wasn't totally happy with it. That's all the incentive I needed! :D Downstairs I zoomed and into the kitchen to set things up. A few minutes later I had a set of curling pumpkin stem images to look through, and this picture was the second one! :D It's also almost straight out of the camera, other than a bit of adjustment with levels! By the way, that strange color you see is how this wierd pinky-peachy-green mottled pumpkin looks! :D

Plato (BC[a] – 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece. He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Wikipedia: Plato

Explored on November 4, 2013. Highest placement, page 9.