The Daily Joe

  Caught my first butterfly of the year   We've been looking at homes in our efforts to downsize and look to retirement.  While walking around one of the homes, this butterfly just flitted across the yard.  I followed it until it lit on this rock.  It was the first "real" butterfly I've seen this year and had to try to capture it.

  Sun setting over our little country church Out for a walk in the early evening - we caught the sun behind the trees near our local country church.  The clouds made the sunset more beautiful and colorful. The arch seen in the center left is the entrance to a little church graveyard. A fitting short for the Memorial Day holiday here in the US.

  Farm road into the big blue sky My wife and I belong to a  CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) near us and we visited to pick up some farm grown items. On the way back to my car, I marveled at how the straight road led up to the top of the hill and seemed to go right into the blue spring sky.  The clouds just made it seem like it was from a story book.

  Late afternoon snack for the boys   I was out for walk with my family when I noticed that all the horses were out for their late afternoon / evening stroll and grazing in the pasture. The yellow in the foreground grasses caught my eye.  However, when I tried to get this shot, I accidentally laid my arms across the electric fence - quite the shocking photo!

Late afternoon clouds over the fields and trees I took this photo against the sunset.  Due to the hills behind me, I could not see the sunset. The clouds on the other side of the sky had caught the colors of the setting sun and displayed them nicely over the field and trees. It was quite the beautiful sky.

  Purple irises in the sunlight Purple is my favorite color and my wife planted these purple irises some years ago. They keep coming up year after year. Each year I see the buds forma and can't wait until they spread their blossoms.  The shades of purple this year just shone in the sunlight.

Willow in the backyard just before sunrise This scene was taken, in my backyard, just before dawn.  The wispy clouds tinged with the sun's colors made the photo with the lines leading from the newly mown lawn. Hope everyone has a good day!

  Overgrown trail through the woods This photo was taken a few years ago.  Life and work have been a little crazy lately, so I have not been out hiking in the woods. I miss it, so I pulled this one from the archives because it represents the lush greenery in the woods right now.  We've had the right amounts of rain and sun to get this type of scenes in the forest trails. Hope the out there again - and SOON.

  Storm clouds over pasture Last evening, I took a walk with my youngest child.  They have become accustomed to my needing to stop to take photos.  It was a dark and stormy afternoon where we live and the sky would change from sunshine to storm clouds seemingly in a heartbeat. We had been waking during a lull in the storms and this storm was fast approaching.

  The Next-to-Last Wedding An odd title, isn't it?  I used to to portraits and wedding on a semi-professional basis.  My studio closed last year for various reasons (my age being the most important).  This bride was co-worker and close friend.  I (hopefully) was a mentor and sounding board about work and life. When she asked me to shoot their engagement and wedding, I couldn't say no.  Today's quote just applies so well to her and to them. Here is one of my favorites.  Shown with her permission.

  Wildflowers in the field leading to the dark woods This photo was taken from my archives. It was taken near to the same time of year but really conveys some thoughts I have of today. I'm shooting a wedding today and the joy of the day looking into the unknown of the future. I know the couple will work out their issues and THEIR future is bright, they may be a bit worried about what tomorrow brings.

  A long way to the top   The view from the base of this tree with the spring foliage, just seemed to say - you've got a long way to go - a long way up.  The lines of the bark almost seem to be highways up to majesty at the top.  This was also at Wintherthur from last weekend.

  Memories of Maine beaches and coastal beauty This is an edited scan from my father's collection of slides. This is from one of our trips to the coast of Maine.  I seem to remember this scene. But I've been there often enough that I may be confused which trip it was from. I love the coast and scenes it affords.

  A bed of ferns on the forest floor We found this peaceful scene, again at Winterthur, while walking the trails.  We were trying to get back for a guided tour, and guessed which trail, while the raindrops started to come down. The lush greenery of the ferns with the gentle sound of raindrops was too good not to capture.

  Bluebells and azaleas in the woods Another scene from Winterthur last weekend. Mr. DuPont planned his gardens so that flowers would bloom at different times on his expansive estate.  Those plans are still moving forward and we get to reap the beauty of his plans. The bluebells were about done for the year, but this little patch kept on blooming and you can see the beginning of the "Azalea Woods" in the background.

  A quiet place to sit amongst the trees   This photo was taken last week while we were on our day trip to Winterthur. There are just so many peaceful scenes there. This is our third visit and I could not recommend it more for anyone who loves landscapes, plants, flowers, or outdoor scenery.

  Still waters and bridge reflections On a day trip to Winterthur, the forecast was for rain and cloudy skies. It didn't matter.  The grounds are so full of flowers and beautiful scenery that it is hard to be disappointed.  This bridge, which is very close to the mansion, just reflected perfectly in the still water of the creek. A nice, springtime scene.

  Azaleas through a Japanese maple We took a day trip to Winterthur Museum and grounds yesterday.  We were told, on the tour that this Japanese maple is one of the most photographed in America.  I can believe it.  It is, as they say, "Azalea Season" at Winterthur so to see them through the maple branches was very pretty. A beautiful spring view, for sure.

  Sunflowers against the sunset sky  This photo is from a number of years  ago.  When you scan in slides, you've got to edit a little to bring back color, especially older one. When I brought this one in, the colors really popped. I thought this was too good to not share it. Quote of the day: "Crazy isn't being broken, or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me, amplified." - Winona Ryder  

  Warm spring afternoon along the creek  At work, I took a walk at lunch rather than sit at my desk. There are days when it is just too nice, too necessary, to take a walk and clear your head.  This view greeted me as I walked along the creek that runs through the campus where I work. The scene looks (and was) very calming and peaceful.

  Purple iris flowers against a white barn This photo was taken some years ago in Pennsylvania's Amish Country.  We were visiting some friends and I still had a film camera (like I said, SOME years ago).  The scene struck me then and the image is still striking today. Purple flowers against the clean white of the barn. Simple and timeless.

  Soggy trail through the woods After the rains - the trails stay wet for some time.  The drainage near the lakeside trails are not great and you've got to step carefully or you'll have wet feet.  The green of the forest and the sounds of the birds and, if you're quite enough, the dripping of the leftover rain from the leaves is quite peaceful.

  Horse barn under a big sky Just yesterday, it was dreary, cool, and windy.  We stopped by at a friend's home to check on their pets and this view greeted me across the way from their place. The sky had lightened up and the sun was shining here and there.  I thought of how this reminded me of the "big sky" country in the western United State.

  Tracks into another day On a cool evening, on my way home from work, I saw the sun setting over our railroad tracks. The sun barely it the tracks but the color that were there led your eyes right to setting sun. The red-tinged clouds gave the scene some extra framing. Happy Mother's Day!!

  Reflections on a misty morning   On a foggy, dreary morning, I decided to make a stop at my favorite lakeside view.  It was quiet and serene. The fog and mist muffled the sounds.  The peace in the air overtook the dreariness and grey of the morning. The green coming on gave the feeling of the summer to come.

  Sunset and jet trails On a warm evening, I happened to catch the sun setting directly behind this clump of trees. The jet trails seemed to stream out from the sunset. A nice ending to the day.

  Dogwood tree blossoms  In our front yard, we have a single dogwood tree.  Every spring I try to capture images of some of the blossoms before they're gone.  Like most spring flowers, if you don't jump at the chance, you'll blink, and they'll be gone. Enjoy the spring, everyone!

  Kayaks by the water on a misty morning Yesterday morning, it was very foggy. The weather people said it wouldn't last long....so I had to take a side trip to the lake to see what it looked like.  I say gents getting their boats out early and these two lonely kayaks down by the water.  With the misty, gray morning, I thought it provided for a different kind of spring mood.

  Birds around the bird house A few weeks ago we visited Winterthur and due to the fact that it is south of our location, Spring had sprung a little earlier. I captured these birds (I thought they were bluebirds but am not sure) just hanging around their birdhouse. A sure sign that spring has arrived.

  Tiny purple flowers in a sea of green   I love purple and I love the spring season when purple flowers come onto the scene.  Some are tiny and some, not so much. These tiny flowers just grabbed my attention.

  Old church in New England   This day, the first day of May, I decided to look into my Dad's old slides and came up with this one.  He loved New England (and passed that love onto me).  He took, literally, thousands of photos on film.  As I go through them, I realize that I can easily discard the "bad" ones, whereas on film, you had to keep at least the set of 4 negatives, to keep one good one.  This is a really nice shot my Dad took somewhere in Massachusetts, I believe.