What's in a name?

Haddy Nuff?  Me too.  That's why I chose it as my blogger name.  After 20 years of education and nearly 30 years spent in the corporate world I decided I had enough.  Time to do something else, or nothing, or whatever comes along.  This blog is dedicated to living life one day at a time - and trying my best to make the most of it.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Memorial Day Weekend

Summer has arrived complete with muggy afternoons and thundershowers, deer flies, and vacationers. Deb has planted her gardens and now is learning about fungus infections and evening slug-fests. What a difference a few months makes! Below are two pictures - one taken back in February and the other today.


It has been fascinating watching the grass grow. Okay, well fascinating is perhaps a bit too strong, but interesting none the less. The poverty grasses that cover the meadows have grown at a rate of up to an inch a day - some are already starting to go to seed. All this accomplished in about 6 weeks. With a growing season of about 90 days there is no time to waste. The milkweed plants are about 18 inches tall - on a par with their cousins in southern Canada. Various butterflies have been witnessed - but no Monarchs - these guys probably won't show until late July.

There are hummingbirds about, several varieties of sparrows and warblers, and the occasional hawk. Turkey Vultures float on the currents and ever so often one catches a glimpse of a falcon. The eagles still frequent the ponds below our house, but are seen less frequently now.

Frogs fill the quite pools and crawfish can be found in the larger, colder, faster moving streams. Snapping turtles cruise the ponds as do geese, beaver and muskrats.

As something of an experiment and learning experience I've begun to play with a variety of camera filters. The following two shots (compositionally not particularly interesting) were taken alongside the Blackwater River. The color one using a polarizing filter. The black & white one using an infrared filter. Interesting highlights can be seen in the infrared shot. I'm thinking this technique might prove worth exploring when the landscape is once again coated with white snow and I find it challenging to capture differentiation in the subtle highlights.



If I loaded them correctly, double-clicking the images above should expand them.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

A Late Spring Stroll

It has been quite dry this spring, however more than sufficient rain has been received to allow for vegetation to emerge. Most trees have finally leafed-out over the past couple of weeks; the leaves on the ash last to emerge are just beginning to show.

Today's weather was spectacular - sufficient inducement for Tucker and me to take an extended stroll in the woods.

We started at the top of Cabin Mt. and followed a set of trails through woods, around bogs, and across streams out to a location known as Pointy Knob. A small selection of images follow...

Woodland Trail

Upper Stonecoal Bog

Upper Stonecoal Run

Stonecoal Waterfall

The View from Pointy Knob (other way Tuck!)