Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Textures

As I was picking up small branches around the yard today. I stepped under the big spruce in the front yard, and I just happened to look up. Thankfully, I hadn't walked into the big paper wasp nest that was hidden in the branches right above my head. I'm also glad I didn't get stung as I snapped a couple of pictures. Some of the paper nest had been torn from the branch that it had been attached to on the bottom.

It was hard to get a good photo because I had to face the sun to get the shot of the nest. I find the layers of paper the bees make fascinating, and I love the texture. Isn't it amazing that little bees can make paper to build their nests?

 textures large paper wasp in spruce tree2

I am sure the white faced hornets will rebuild the nest and even make it bigger. I want to take down the nest after we have some cold nights with frost so I can keep it.

textures large paper wasp in spruce tree view from another angle. You can see at the bottom the part of the nest that was torn and is hanging down.

Also under the same spruce tree I found a second and much smaller paper wasp nest that had been torn off the branches with the high winds from the storm. 

textures small paper wasp nest on ground

Then when I was under the mountain ash tree I found this branch that had fallen with grayish/green moss growing on it. The funny thing with this moss is that it very soft when on the tree or when wet, but as it dries out it is very stiff, but wet it, and it gets soft again. I love this stuff.

textures moss

I love texture not only in art but in nature, do you?elaine signature3

Monday, August 29, 2011

Morning after...Hurricane Irene

2011 hummingbird morning after Hurricane Irene1 taken this morning
Thankfully Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm by yesterday morning. I'm sure there would have been more damage if it had stayed a Category 1 hurricane. We only got a 8/10ths of an inch of rain during the whole storm, and most of that came on Saturday, when at times the rain was coming down so hard that the gutters on the roof were overflowing.
Lots of tree branches and leaves came down with the high, whipping winds. I even found lots of the apples from our tree on the ground.  We lost power in the morning, and then it came back on for a short time. Around 11 a.m. we lost power until around 7 p.m. I had just finished lighting lots of candles when the power came back on. I blew out the candles, and we immediately lost power again. Relit the candles, and the power came back on. The lights flickered for a bit, but we have had power since. Area towns are still without power due to so many branches coming down of the electrical wires.
During the storm the little hummingbirds kept coming to my feeders. Sometimes the strong winds would blow the fierce, little birds off the feeders, but they kept coming back. The hummers were the only birds I saw all day long.
Here are a few pictures I took of downed branches.
2011 Hurricane Irene broken maple tree branch you can see where this maple tree lost a big branch
2011 Hurricane Irene downed pine branchbig white pine branch
 2011 Hurricane Irene downed pine branches3
2011 Hurricane Irene tomato plant ripped out of ground1Tom's tomato plant...cage tipped over and roots pulled from the ground
2011 Hurricane Irene tomato plants    Tom's tomato garden with the cages tipped over from the winds
2011 hummingbird morning after Hurricane Irene2 this morning as I opened the kitchen slider to the deck to take a few photos of the hummingbirds on my feeders one little bird kept trying to land on my camera lens. At first it startled me having it hovering so close to my face. Wish I could have gotten a picture of that. All summer long I hadn't seen as many hummingbirds that were going to the feeders this morning. By the time I got my lens adjusted they were off and fighting.
My friend called me this morning to tell me that someone she knows had gone to a birthday party not far from where I live yesterday, and two bears showed up in the back yard, and were busy ripping down the feeders. I guess her friend took photos of the bears. We have been reading in the paper that there had been
 sightings in our area and in neighboring towns. Yikes!!!

While out doing errands today I couldn't believe the number of huge trees that were knocked down in the storm, and big limbs were everywhere. Many big limbs are still on telephone and electric wires.
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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Cape Cod Lighthouses and Windmills

Today I am sharing with you some of the photos I took while I was on Cape Cod last week of several of Cape Cod's lighthouses and Cape Cod windmill photos.  I hope you enjoy my photos.
Cape Cod lighhouse lewis Bay closeup Lewis Bay Harbor Lighthouse, Hyannis
Cape Cod Lewis Bay lighthouse3 Lewis Bay lighthouse

 Copy (2) of Cape Cod lighhouse Lewis Bay2Lewis Bay Lighthouse
chatham lighthouse with ccstationchatham lighthouse Chatham Light, Cape Cod
Cape Cod Nauset Lighthouse Nauset Lighthouse
Cape Cod 3 sisters first lighthouse Nausett 1st of the 3 sisters lighthouses..Nauset, Cape Cod, and the only one that still has its light.
Cape Cod 3 sister 2 lighthouse with no top  2nd of the 3 sister lights...now without a top
Cape Cod 3 sister 3 lighthouse with no top3rd of the 3 sister lights also now without it's light. The 3 sisters lighthouses were moved. Cape Cod 3 sisters sign with 1st part sign Nauset Cape Cod lighthouse 3 sisters sign WayCape COd 3 sisters lighthouse sign 
 Cape Cod lighthouse 3 sisters postcardcouldn't get the whole sign in when I took the photo. So to read double click on each sign.
Cape Cod 3 sisters sign with cc map Nauset
Nauset Lighthouse...Nauset, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Windmills of Cape Cod
Cape Cod Dennis windmill Dennis, Cape Cod
Cape Cod Lighthouse Orleans3Cape Cod Orleans lighthouse2 Orleans, Cape CodCape Cod stone in windmill2 upstairs in the windmill looking down at the mill stone
Cape Cod stone in windmill mill stone inside the top of the windmill
Cape Cod windmill upstairs with grain storage bins upstairs in the windmill grain hopper for corn waiting to be ground
Cape Cod windmill downstairs looking up at stone   Looking up at the grinding stone from downstairs in the windmill.
    Cape Cod Eastham windmill placqueCape Cod Eastham windmill3 windmill with cloth sailsCape Cod Eastham windmill Cape Cod Eastham windmill and horse trougth granite watering trough in front of windmill
Cape Cod Windmill Brewster
Cape Cod Brewster windmill Higgins farm
Brewster Grist Mill
Cape Cod Brewester grist mill2 Brewster Grist MillCape Cod Brester grist mill partial sign2 diagram of the workings of a grist mill
Cape Cod Brester grist mill partial sign3 Cape Cod Brester grist mill partial sign4  Cape Cod grist mill partial sign1 Cape Cod Brewster grist mill sign2
Cape Cod Brester grist mill water on side of GM on the left side of the grist mill
Cape Cod Brewester grist mill1Brewster, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Grist Mill
When I was a young girl, I would go with my brothers, mother, grandfather and aunts to the Brewster Herring Run each spring, and we would stop at the Grist Mill.
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More Cape Cod photos to share

Cape heartbeat quilts mermaid1 

Cape Heart Beat Quilts mermaid and wall hanging Heart Beat Quilts on display....mermaid doll and seashell wall hanging. I love stopping at this little quilt shop in Hyannis.

Cape Cod fishing boat returning to Hyannis docks fishing boat coming back to the Hyannis docks in Lewis Bay

Cape Cod fishing lewis bay and Nantucket boat Lewis Bay, fast boat leaving for Nantucket, and someone fishing from shore.

Cape Cod harbor 2 lower Cape Harbor with pleasure boats

Dora the Explorer Cape Cod kite I thought this Dora the Explorer kite was funny, as it had big eyes that moved with the kite's movement.

Cape Cod kite flying on a windy Sunday afternoon windy Sunday afternoon lots of kites flying at the beach.

Cape Cod wind surferswind surfers

Cape Cod scene with dock

 Cape Cod wild CC red rose Cape Cod wild white CC rose pink and white wild Cape Cod roses..the rose bushes are wicked thorny and have lots of rose hips that can be used in jelly or tea.

Cape Cod Yarmouthport old Cobbler shop sign Cape Cod Yarmouthport old Cobbler shop the cobbler shop is the first building on the small street  leading to the chapel.

Cape Cod Yarmouthport blacksmith shop this blacksmith shop was moved next to the Kelley Chapel

Cape Cod Yarmouthport blacksmith shop sign  sign over the blacksmith shop door

Cape Cod Yarmouthportinside old Kelly chapel sign

Cape Cod Yarmouthportinside old Kelly chapel Yarmouthport  is just off Rte. 6 A. This little chapel is only used in the summers. Weddings are often  held here. The chapel is the last of the 3 small old buildings on the little street.

Cape Cod Yarmouthportinside old Kelly church3   I put my camera lens up against the windows and took a few photos of this plain little chapel that was originally used year round, and was heated with a woodstove.

Cape Cod Yarmouthportinside old Kelly church1 Cape Cod Yarmouthportinside old Kelly church2

I saw this funny birdhouse in the Blue Bird Cafe restaurant on Main Street, Hyannis. I laughed out loud when I saw it...this truly is an Up your nose bird house. The mouth has a branch in it for the birds to sit on. The birdhouse was made of ceramic and wood.

birdhouse up your nose2  birdhouse up your nose1

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