Arboretum Cottontails

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am very thankful for all of my internet friends. Thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement during my first year of my photo blog. =)

Here are a couple more Arboretum residents I chased around after the birds had enough of my intruding on their bath time.

Bathing Beauties

My son Jake had his Confirmation this weekend. We had friends up from Tennessee. Aren't old friends the best? It was nice just hanging out and spending time with them.

Here are a couple feathered friends. I love watching the birds play around the pond at the UK Arboretum. There were a  couple of cardinals, some sparrows and a very curious mockingbird on this day I visited. =)

Peaceful Pasture

Between trying to get the new computer all set up and lots of painting and home improvements, it has been a very busy week. And did I mention I have 6 kids and an extra precocious almost 11 month old nephew running around? Whew. =) No time to find my way around CS3 so I know these look a little off without my usual processing, but here are a couple of friendly Kentucky residents I stumbled across on one of my drives. 

I totally blew the exposure on this guy, but I love the peaceful scenery.

The Noble And The Brave

I finally broke down and bought a new computer. I have spent a couple of days getting to know my new friend and getting everything transferred. Elements is not up and running, but I was finally able to install CS3 again. Boy that will take some getting used to! In the meantime, here is one I wanted to post yesterday from a recent trip to The Lexington Cemetery. I made adjustments using Adobe Camera RAW (a first for me) and added the watermark in CS3. Hopefully this looks ok to you because I also have a new monitor and everything looks so much brighter and sharper. I think I'm going to have to do something to get it calibrated properly so forgive me if something looks wonky while I adjust to my new toys. =)

The Noble and the Brave:

A Veteran's Day Tribute

When America had an urgent need,

These brave ones raised a hand;

No hesitation held them back;

They were proud to take a stand.

They left their friends and family;

They gave up normal life;
To serve their country and their God,
They plowed into the strife.They fought for freedom and for peace
On strange and foreign shores;
Some lost new friends; some lost their lives
In long and brutal wars.Other veterans answered a call
To support the ones who fought;
Their country had requirements for
The essential skills they brought.We salute every one of them,
The noble and the brave,
The ones still with us here today,
And those who rest in a grave.So here’s to our country’s heroes;
They’re a cut above the rest;
Let’s give the honor that is due
To our country’s very best.By Joanna Fuchs From other visits:

And one from the Eastern Tennessee Veteran's Memorial in Knoxville:

God bless all of our veterans and those currently serving and their families.
Thank you for your sacrifice.

Frosty Morning

We had a hard frost this morning. I ran out to get a few shots of some leaves from the yard just as their icy blanket was beginning to melt off. I can't do any real macros right now since my arm is still weak and I have trouble getting crisp focus. Luckily the fall landscapes have been keeping me occupied. ;)

 

 

Majestic Borders

Nothing says Kentucky like the classic rows of wooden fencing framing many of the local horse farms. Sometimes it is white and elegant like that of Calumet farm, but often it is black plank fencing gracefully winding its way around the rolling hills. I didn't set out to get images of the beautiful fencing. I should probably make a drive of that in itself one afternoon. I noticed looking through a batch of recent images, that I often sneak bits and pieces of the fencing into my shots. Here are a couple more:

Kentucky's Scenic Byways

I promised the little ones we would go for another country drive yesterday and the weather cooperated. We started out down one of Kentucky's designated scenic byways and it didn't disappoint this time of year. We got lost once or twice, but somehow were able to make it home. I refer to these as my "Snap and Dash" trips. The horse owners are not generally very happy about anyone stopping near their horses. I have been shooed off a couple of times. The shoulder is also not the safest place to stop on some of these tiny back roads. I usually jump out, shoot a couple of quick shots (usually over and through fences) and quickly jump back in the van and make my getaway before anyone notices. =)

 

Halloween Treat

Trick-or-treating usually begins as it is getting dark and runs from 6-8pm in our city. This year the time was changed to accommodate the UK football game and an additional hour was added beginning at 5pm. This worked out great for the little ones. They tired out just as the sun was beginning to set.

I mentioned how beautiful sunrises are here in central Kentucky in November and the winter months. Well the sunsets can be even more spectacular. I know we were a day short of November, but this sunset was one of the most amazing I have seen in a long time. At the far end of our street, I noticed a warm, hazy glow starting to fall around us as we walked.

As we turned toward home, the clouds were starting to glow. They were very low in the sky and the cloud formations were incredible. By the time we got back to our end of the street, the sky was almost other-worldly.

Flickr friend and fellow photographer Rebecca Higgins also captured some fantastic images of the Halloween sunset. I am always inspired by her work!

 

What a Halloween treat!

Happy Halloween!

Four of the older kids spent Halloween hanging out and trick-or-treating with friends so we only had the youngest two with us this year. I added it up and I have put together more than 60 costumes over the past 13 Halloweens! I was sort of happy three of the kids decided to skip the costumes this year. I played with a few of the pictures for the kids. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!

Lady N was supposed to be a  kitty cat, but changed her mind at the last minute and decided to be a witch like her big sister because she wanted to "scare people." I think she was way too cute to scare anyone. =)