I realized yesterday that I had tentatively selected pictures for February color week of Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge but did not upload and post them. Imagine that!
I wasn’t convinced they met the challenge of having the color teal or turquoise. I’m still not sure.
Nevertheless, here they are. Because a blueish-turquoisish colored flamingo from my Aunt Clara’s yard in Arizona makes me smile. And because a dog named Moose was willing to pose when I met him the week of the original challenge in February.
With the first Wednesday of February comes Cee’s Midweek Madness monthly challenge of Close Up or Macro. I took these photos along the Merkle Trail in Usery Mountain Regional Park, Mesa, Arizona, at the end of December 2021. It had just rained and I could not resist trying to capture drops of water digitally (I was going to say “on film” but I haven’t used film in years).
The only photo editing software I have what came with the laptop so it’s nothing fancy. I almost always crop a picture and will occasionally fiddle with the exposure. That’s what you see in these first pictures.
I do play with the ‘filter’ option just to see what happens, rarely keeping the result. But the color that popped in this last picture was so unexpected, I decided to share.
Ginkgo Leaves. Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. November 5, 2021.Maple and Other Leaves. Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. November 5, 2021.Leaves against Sky. Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. November 5, 2021.Oak Leaves. Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. November 5, 2021.
Usery Mountain Regional Park, Mesa, Arizona. December 28, 2021.
This month’s Midweek Madness Challenge Pick-a-Topic from Cee’s photo sent me searching for pictures of trees against the sky. Here are five I have taken in the last fourteen months.
East Fork Boulder River Absaroka Range, Montana. May 12, 2021.Shiloh Conservation Area, Billings, Montana. May 7, 2021.Bald Cypress Trees, Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. April 13, 2021.Yellowstone River, Billings, Montana. December 19, 2020.
The January color for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge color is white. Pictures of frost and snow would make sense and I have many to choose from. But if I wait to sort through them, I probably won’t get around to posting. So here are three other photos with objects that are white (or white’ish).
Aspen Trees. Near East Boulder River, Montana. May 2021.Custer National Cemetery, Battle of the Little Bighorn National Monument, Montana. May 2021.
Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge this week was, well, challenging. I don’t have pictures of a vintage kitchen or antique dishes. Nor do I have pictures of cast iron pots and pans or a wood burning stove. And the one place nearby I considered for field trip photo possibilities is closed for the season.
So, how about tables and chairs from two recent volunteer efforts?
The pictures of the box under the table and the tables full of books were taken with my cell phone when volunteering at the Planned Parenthood Book Sale (read about it here). I’d donated books long before Covid-19 paused book donations and the sale; I took the picture because that particular box came from my house! All the table legs captured my imagination when I looked at the photo later.
Having received a Cheer Box last holiday season (the first after my husband’s death), I was eager to help wrap gifts and deliver boxes this year. (Read about Amanda the Panda and the Cheer Box program by clicking here). The bear poking his head over the box just makes me smile!
Big Creek Lake, Big Creek Marina, Polk City, Iowa. November 9, 2021.
Blue sky, blue water, blue polyethylene (maybe?), blue fiberglass (or more plastic?), blue rope, blue boat covers, and even a blue boat carrier. Pictures taken just for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge November Color Blue!
Hydro Bikes. Big Creek Marina, Polk City, Iowa. November 9, 2021. Paddle Boats. Big Creek Marina, Polk City, Iowa. November 9, 2021.Knot. Big Creek Marina, Polk City, Iowa. November 9, 2021.Ready for Winter. Big Creek Marina, Polk City, Iowa. November 9, 2021.
With the first hard freeze of the season earlier this week, we have definitely said good-bye to summer here in central Iowa. The forecast calls for a few more warmish days but the nip in the air says it is definitely autumn.
I think you should be able to click on one photo to see the full image and then scroll through all of them.
ADDED: So interesting that the images are square when post is read through the WordPress Reader. When read on the Another LQQK page, the photos are cropped round and can be pulled up one by one in their original rectangular shape. – Teressa