Drifting Snow and Sunset

Two weeks ago some friends called and asked if I wanted to go out for a ride/photography.

Of course my answer was a quick yes.

It was a somewhat blustery day,but in the end resulted in good pictures.

As the sun was slowly setting in the west,I took the opportunity to capture a few images.

Positioning the sun at the edge of the picture,gave me a much richer colour.I liked how you can see the drifting snow on the field. It was as cold as it looks,so needless to say,I didn't want to spend more time out of the vehicle than necessary.

I was busy photographing something else,when I turned around and saw this scene.Framing the sun with some low branches,I got a picture which I really like. Again you can see the drifting snow.

The time of sunset can yield so many varied images,depending on which way one looks.

This to me is a typical,frozen Manitoba winter landscape. Cold,yet beautiful.

A little earlier I captured this scene.The trees standing in the open field,buffeted by the wind,looked like a good photo subject.

I may have used this thought before,but I think it bears repeating:

The day is done,the sun has set,

Yet light still tints the sky;

My heart stands still in reverence,

For God is passing by.

Floral Collages

It's Monday and that's as good a reason for some more bright flowers as I can think of.

If one rose is pretty,than a collage of roses should be better.

The beloved hymn "In the Garden" says, "I come to the garden alone,while the dew is still on the roses," then describes meeting Jesus there: "And He walks with me,and He talks with me,and He tells me I am His own.

Another collection of flowers,both in the garden and in the field.

When the day is overcast and gloomy,it's not because the sun has gone away.

God is the same:When our way is dark,He is still there and we are very much in His thoughts.

The thoughts are taken from a perpetual calendar called:

365 Great things About Nature.

Looking For Color and Warmer Days

Manitoba has been in a deep freeze recently and I need something to remind me of warmer days.

I do like winter,but I do not like getting into one cold vehicle after the other.

Enough complaining,time to look at warm weather pictures.

I have been going through all the pictures on my computer and saw some of the older pictures which I had almost forgotten about.

All of the following pictures are from 2008.

One evening we were out just south of town and I saw this scene.The sky was getting dark with an approaching storm.The old building,together with the trees in this warm light were begging to be photographed. 

Taking about half a turn from the previous shot I captured this.Obviously this was taken on a different day,as one can tell by the sky. The cows looked content and using the corner poles of the fence to frame them,I was pleased with this image.

I have to admit that I don't remember where this was taken,but I do know it is somewhere in southern Manitoba.I like the diverse colours and textures in this picture.

Just two blocks south of my home is a research station.The public part of this station has wonderful manicured lawns and gardens. I like this curved path leading to yet another garden area.

Not too far from my home is a series of marshes.Jake and I have spent much time here and have many pictures taken in this area.I like the reflections in the water of the marsh.

I am reminded of the many people,some who are personal friends,who are experiencing hardships in varying degrees. With this in mind,I chose today's thought.

Pray with a friend who has a special need.

I know we cannot always be there in person,but prayers travel over the miles and God can use them to encourage those in need.

Frosty Patterns

It has been very cold the last week or so,but still there is beauty all around.

The frosty pictures are what I see on the side windows of my school bus. Yes it is cold,but isn't that pretty artwork.

I put in one picture of the sky. I just really liked how it looked yesterday before I started my bus.

I am making this post from an App on my phone,so I hope it looks ok.
The pictures were taken with the phone as well.

Memories of Summer

I like winter,actually I like all the seasons,yet each one has its down sides.

There is less work to do in winter and I like that,but I must say that the cold temperatures seem to be getting colder each year.

As I think of trying to keep warm on these days of −20C or −4F I need to see flowers.

I had been looking at some of my older photos and so I went back to 2009 and picked a few of my favourite flowers and turned them into a collage.

Here are the individual flowers with some quotes I found.

Worry is a waste of the imagination.

You are in the driver's seat, but God is holding the map.

The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.

When life knocks you to your knees, pray there.

God is like Scotch tape. You can't see Him, but you know He's there.

I hope these flowers brightened your day like they did mine.

Digging Out

On saturday,January 12 we had a good old fashioned winter blizzard. Actually it started overnight from Friday to Saturday. It wasn't that so much snow fell but as is often the case in Manitoba,we had wind and lots of it. The wind can take whatever loose snow there is and whip it into some fair sized drifts.

I am standing on my yard and looking south-west across the street.You can see that the wind was strong and it was cold as well.

This is what my house looked like.It too,had snow caked on it. Even the windows have snow decorations on them.

I thought the railing around the deck looked quite pretty all caked with snow.

Here Steve is working to make a cut through the drift across the driveway.

He only opened it partway and then left the rest for a front-end loader to finish.

There are all kinds of reflections on this picture,that is because it is taken through my living room window.I stayed much warmer that way.

I tried to capture the blowing snow as well as the patterns left in the snowdrift.I hope you can see this in the picture.

By now everything is back to normal.Streets have been plowed and driveways opened and we are back  doing what we normally would do. Yes,it is still very cold,but that is what we expect in January.

Before long the temperatures will improve and we will be over the worst,or so we think.

I have to say that I enjoy a good storm as long as no one gets hurt. I also enjoy the change of seasons.I really don't mind winter,even with the cold and snow.Having said that I don't mind winter,I still look forward to the arrival of spring. I guess we always have something to look forward to,even if it is only the change in the weather.

Brilliant Color In Winter

Southern Manitoba is under a blizzard warning.

We are having snow,winds up to 60km/h or 35mph.Temperatures are dropping and are right now at −15C,or 7F. Visibility is way down and travel not recommended.

This is the kind of evening it is wonderful to be in a warm house,doing what I enjoy doing.

There you have the bad news,and it really is not that bad.

I do love winter and even a good blizzard,but I do long for some bright colours.

This is why I have decided to share some colourful summer blooms today.

The weather may be cold and blustery,but on my computer and now on yours,the flowers are blooming.

This bright Daylily,photographed at the English Gardens in Winnipeg,is sure to brighten any day.

A Daylily in purple. I would like to dedicate this flower to my dear friend Debbie who loves all things purple. I hope this brings a smile to your heart my friend.

These flowers were all photographed on the same day and in the same gardens.

I love the colors in this lily.I have lots of lilies in my garden,but very few that hang down like this.

I loved the way the sun is shinning through the petals on this one.I never take the time to find the names of each one,but to me this one looks like it could be in the same family as the Stargazer.What I do know for sure is that it is  beautiful flower.

One more Daylily,this time in a beautiful shade of red. The gardens were being watered so this one still shows some water droplets on it. Looking at these flowers makes me wish for summer and more trips to Winnipeg to capture more images like this.

Thanks for taking a few minutes to walk through the flower garden with me. I enjoyed your company.

Matthew 6:28-29 - See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 

29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Special Roses and More

The beginning of January and a layer of snow is on the ground,but that doesn't mean I have no colourful flowers in my life.

My dear Hubby loved all things beautiful and he bought me several flower sculptures. Apparently these are supposed to become more valuable as time goes on and I now know that this is true. They may not have more monetary value,but I cherish them because he chose them for me.

I have them sitting in a china cupboard with mirrors and so I see at least twice the beauty from them.

I have always loved roses and this one is so delicate and beautiful.

One year for my birthday I received this long-stemmed rose from Jake.Now if he had given me a live rose it would have died,but this one is mine to still enjoy every day.

Just another closer shot of the delicate pink rose.I love these and the bird sculptures he gave me over the years. Someday,I will take pictures of the birds and share them.

A drive through the Pembina Valley a few weeks ago gave me this picture.

I look at this and all I can think is that in about 6 weeks the hawk migration should be starting. Yeah!!!

The action is right along this road and I can't wait.

Soon this is what we will be enjoying over the valley,and I can hardly wait.I only hope that the birds will cooperate this year and come through in record numbers.

You can be sure that I will be there,camera in hand, ready to capture the ones that do show up.

I wonder if you can see me smiling as I look forward to the annual Raptor Migration and Count?

This is a special time of year which I enjoy a lot.

Fun With My iPhone

I have decided that from time to time I will post some of my fun shots done with the iPhone.

These are not amazing,have less than ideal quality but I am having fun with them.

I have to start with a picture of my sweetheart.Kai turned 7 on January 3rd. She had been reminding me about this for a while.I gave here a make-up kit with a light up mirror.She was so proud and actually wanted to pose for a picture. This young lady is growing up so fast.

Here is a cool shot.I recently found a new App for my phone,it is called WaterMyPhoto and is free at the App store in iTunes.They say it is free for a limited time.

All I did was open the picture with this App and this was the result.

This is the original shot. I took this at a garden centre just before Christmas.I liked the unusual colouring of this Poinsettia.

On New Year's day,my sister,Becky and I went to Portage La Prairie,this is a town about an hour's drive away.They have what is called an Island of Lights.The park is located on somewhat of an island and is a great place for bird watching in summer,but at Christmas they set up lots of beautiful lights.

This was where we had to drive through as we left the park.I thought it was gorgeous.

The picture was taken through the windshield of my car,so you can even see the crack in the window.

In the background you can see the lights covering the bridge which crosses the river.

We enjoyed the lights ,but the drive home was a little snowy.

2013 Happy New Year

As we stand at the brink of a new year,it reminds me of the start of a new day.

Each day is a new day,but we rarely think about it like that. With the dawn of a New Year just hours away,I want to share a few sunrise pictures with you.

A new year dawns,golden with promise.What will this year have in store for each of us?

We don't know and that is a very good thing.

I don't really care to know what will happen this coming year.Of one thing I am confident,no matter what happens,my God and I will walk through it together.

As the sunlight tints the clouds a soft colour,I am reminded of the love God has for me.

It is a love that is kind and gentle.

The rising sun,adds more depth to the colour of the sky,just as God adds depth to my life.I may not always like the things He allows in my life,but they are able to make me stronger if I allow it.

Finally the sun peeks over the horizon and the day has begun.

The new year will begin shortly and we must make a choice as to how we will use each day.

My prayer is that each one who reads this blog will be richly blessed in 2013.

May you have joy in abundance and peace beyond measure.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

New Lenses

OK,it's time to share a few pictures that are the result of my newest toys.

Some of you may have already heard,but I got a set of camera lenses for my iPhone.

Steve has had some for a while and I thought they were pretty neat.Well,this is what he chose to give me for Christmas.I was thrilled when I opened the package.

This is a picture of the lenses.They are so small,as you can imagine.They attach to the iPhone with a magnet.A small magnetic ring is stuck on to the phone and the lenses go on that.Notice that the Macro is actually two lenses in one.It comes apart to make a macro and together they form a wide angle lens

I was too busy on Sunday,when we had our Christmas to do much,but today I finally had time to try out these lenses.

This is a tiny evergreen frond.It's pretty cool to get a shot like this.

 I stepped outside and got a couple of pictures of the frost around the heated bird bath.

I know that I will be using my phone camera a lot more now.

Here is one more frosty shot.I love all the detail in the frost.

I just had to add this picture,even though it has nothing to do with the new lenses.This female Pileated Woodpecker has been coming to the window feeder several times today.Sure hope she shows up tomorrow for the Christmas Bird Count. I did take this picture with the iPhone.I could get fairly close to the window this time.