12/4 Christmas Memories

Christmas Memories- Choir Collection

12/4 Photograph Christmas Past

Memories / Heritage / Heirlooms

Before I came down to Florida, I had put up some of our Christmas decorations the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Just to make sure that I had some holiday photos for Captureyour365, I had read ahead on the prompts and took a couple of pictures that would work for the next two weeks, if needed. The picture above is one of the choir singers from my Mother-in-law's Byer Choice Caroler collections. I am not into collections, but kept this one for our Christmas display for a nice holiday family memory. My in-laws loved decorating for Christmas and this collection used to be displayed on the fireplace mantle each year. 

Today in Florida, everyone on the "Space Coast" was up early for the launch of the Orion launch, but it was delayed. It was a shame, because the sunrise was beautiful this morning. 

Alligators sunning on the River Golf Course

After a day of golf and food shopping, I went back over to my Aunt and Uncles's for leftovers and I brought over a Spicy Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes, a new recipe that I found at the Food network. It met the criteria for gluten free for me since I am in the process of cutting back on flour and sugar even though the recommendation was for me to try vegan, which won't happen for me. I am not that creative when it comes to substituting foods. I also brought over this fresh Winter Black Bean Salsa recipe that I had at my friend A's the other day that was so addicting. I added a whole jalapeño that I chopped in my mini chopper and this is a recipe that I will make often. 

11/21 The Unpredictable

Sunflare on the Golf Course

11/ 21 Give Thanks for the Unpredictable

Random / Erratic / Surprising

Today's prompt was looking for a sun flare and I used this picture from last week. The weather this week has been cloudy and cool after our storm on Tuesday, no sun flares. 

Today we golfed non-stop, 7 AM tee time for 18, lunch at home and then back to the course at 1 PM for another 18. After the last 18 it was 3:40 PM and we had just enough time to golf another 9, but this time my husband and I golfed a best ball scramble to get done before it was dark. We did use a cart all day, which was a good break after being on our feet the whole day before at Disney.  My husband golfed his best and my score was respectable. On our scramble, we ended up 6 over which we attributed to being rushed by the daylight. I did bring my camera along for the afternoon golf and even though there were no sun flares, I did get a couple of good shots. You can never predict what you will see on the golf course for birds and animals. 

Osprey in flight (aka killing bird…)

Just checking us out

Too cold to be out, but has his eye out for us

11/14 to 11/18 Thankful to be Caught up!!!!

Thankful for the Quiet Times

11/14 Give Thanks for Quiet Times

Solitude / Relax / Quiet Spot

My quiet spot here with a book and cozy afghan. This morning I comfortably read a book and contemplated taking a nap until I realized that I had too many things to do today. (After I had already golfed 18 holes of course) I shot quite a few of the same scene focusing on different elements and ended up using the above photo taken with the 100 mm macro lens. I liked the combination of textures with the table, couch, afghan and pillows along with the cup of coffee and book that set the scene. The text was added with PSE10, I had the time to play with photos finally!

Pelican Landing

11/15 Give Thanks for the Beauty of Nature

Animals / Natural / Alive

Posting a picture like this makes me think of what I would be able to get for an animal shot in NH this week. Last Friday on the boat ride, I caught this shot just as the pelican landed and shook off the water. The pelican is graceful as it flies along the waves, but what a klutzy dive when they go in for a fish. When my friend K was here, the pelicans were her favorite birds and she was on the watch constantly for her favorite birds. 

Today on the golf course, I once again hit a ball within 10 feet of a sunning alligator. With the iPhone, I couldn't get close for the shot and wasn't happy with the photo. You can tell it's an alligator, but there too many shadows. 

Pelican with lightroom post processing using Eric Kim Porta Punch preset

Homemade Soup

11/16 Give Thanks for Home Cooking

Homemade / Family Recipe / From Scratch

I made this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla soup in the crockpot last week and when my friend was here, it was good to come home after a busy day to a home cooked meal. I knew that my husband would like this recipe and made sure to save a batch of it for when he was here. We enjoyed it today after 36 holes of golf. It is a soup that I will make again and it is now pinned in my soup board on Pinterest. After a month of traveling, he is happy to have home cooked meals and we loved the pulled chicken that a friend, D sent home with me after a dinner eaten at her home here in Florida. Everyone is getting ready for holidays at home and cleaning out their refrigerators. The pulled chicken was also a crock pot recipe using a mccormick seasoning package, it made a great hot sandwich. Now I am on the lookout here for a small crockpot similar to what I have at home for leftovers. 

Baby Raccoons Missing their Mom

11/17 Give Thanks for Comfort

Cozy / Warmth / Content

I could be reaching for this prompt on the shot above, but it was a warm day yesterday and the 4 babies were lounging under a bush near the pool. The suggestion for this prompt was all about taking pictures of soup or soup cans, really? That was so yesterday for me and I decided that this shot of the baby raccoons needed to be in my Capturemy365 collection. Today the weather turned in the afternoon, and we were lucky to finish 36 holes of golf as we saw lightning in the distance while on the last hole and  the rain started when we were in the parking lot.

The 4 baby raccoons were seen the day before and luckily nobody here fed them and when there was no sight of their mother, neighbors worked on taking care of the babies. I know that the golf course has been trapping raccoons because of the damage they cause on the greens and one of the neighbors had their boat cushions torn apart so who knows where the mother ended up. When I saw them on Sunday, I googled the county wild life services and forwarded the link to a neighbor. Another neighbor ended up catching them with a blanket, gloves and cat carrier and all were brought safely to a wildlife animal hospital. I am thankful that we are in a community where people care about animals. It's a fine line when you know that the animals are going through the dumpsters at night, but when they are this close to the water they are going to become somebody's dinner. 

A few dolphin shots from this weekend, if you look closely at the top right picture, this dolphin is playing with his food. They were jumping but every time I went out with my camera, they would stop.

The End of the Stormy Weather

11/18 Give Thanks for The Final Stages

The End / Latest / Conclude

Today I got caught up with all the blog posts for the Captureyour365 photos that I took from 10/26 to today. The prompt for today was fitting and sure, I didn't know what the picture would be until we went out in the afternoon for a ride. This prompt suggestion was appropriate for me today, " Prompts are meant to guide you, challenge you, and to get you to pick up the camera no matter what you shoot!" 

I did not bring my big camera but had the iPhone along with me to get this shot. When we were driving north on the main road, I could see the skies to the west and took a left. At the end of this street, I captured the end of the storm at the end of the day. With my DSLR, I would have been able to get the beams of light from the clouds, but I am happy with the composition of this shot. Compared to other parts of the country, I know that the weather here can't really be considered cold, however for Florida, 52 degrees with a wind chill to the 40s is very cold. It was a good day to stay inside and get caught up with my photography. 

It was also a good afternoon to stop by the local brewery and enjoy some Cocoa beach micro brews. Nice to have a laid back day!

4/10 A Perfect Duo

Wine and Cheese- A Perfect Duo

4/10 Photograph a Perfect Duo

Two / Together / Complementary

My brother is here this week and treated me to a very nice bottle of wine which we enjoyed after a day of golf. The goal for this prompt today was to take a picture of food that included complementary foods. Wine with cheese and crackers, on a sunny, beautiful day where we saw a rocket launch over the golf course. It was a gorgeous day on the golf course again, with my father joining us for our fun nine after the early 18 holes. Getting out early has begun to spoil us since the pace of play is quick with the "serious" early morning golfers. My brother and I tried to make to 36 holes in the afternoon, but gave up when we were the fourth group on a hole. It was best to leave with a satisfied feeling about playing versus frustration from waiting and not being able to get a rhythm for play. 

Today's golf course adventures included mating sand cranes, an overly friendly snapping turtle and a rocket launch from Kennedy Space center. We were lucky to catch the launch as we had a perfect view of it. What surprised me was that the group behind us never saw the rocket even with me yelling at my father, brother and uncle while we on the tee box. It was a very cool thing to see.  The order of the pictures below in the collage match the order of how I took the pictures. I had to quickly get the camera in focus and get the exposure right as the rocket was going through the clouds, then I got the exposure perfect. 

The sound comes after the rocket has been in the air for a few minutes. We aren't sure if the growling noise was from an alligator disturbed by the rocket's sound or my yelling. 

This is what I get for following directions

I bought a new camera this weekend and followed the directions where it says to take the battery out when not in use. Silly me, I always have a camera ready to go in my kitchen, I know, dumb place, but it's the center of our life.

This morning when I was saying hello to all the cats and went out on our three season porch, something caught my eye! This little deer passing through to join a larger deer in my neighbor's yard. All these years of my hosta being chewed down, I have never seen a deer in my yard and now that my hostas are nibble free, I finally see a deer in my backyard. Luckily, my Sony cybershot was within reach and I got a couple of photos.




But I do wish I had my camera so I could have gotten a picture like this one of the pond I pass each day on my way to work!

Nature in my backyard and on the road

One morning at work, we discussed the meaning of certain animals running in front of our cars. For example, what does it mean when a beaver crosses in front of you? Well, we came up with a few R-rated meanings for that and for the filthy, mangy cat that ran out in front of my car that same week. The conversation came to mind today, as I had a deer leap out in front of my car, not close enough to scare me, but close enough to make me sit up. I know that black cats bring bad luck, but what does a deer crossing your path mean?

I grew up in a suburb of Boston where the only wildlife we had were skunks. Living further north, I have had a few close encounters with animals previously only seen on the safe side of a cage or fence. On the same road that I saw the deer this morning, I have had deer jumping out at least four other times. Just around the corner, on a state highway, I hit a moose, not head on, but his big butt tore off my side mirror and left a dent the length of the van. Then last year, we came home to find a bear at our bird feeder and if we don't use our grill for awhile, tenants such as the mouse above move in. Sometimes, we just need to see creatures up close and personal to remind us that we share the neighborhood with more than just the occupants in the houses.

We can't let our cats out of the house because we have a creek in our backyard that leads to a beaver pond. Among the beavers in our swampy woods, there are fisher cats. These weasels are notorious for killing smaller animals, even though I read an article that indicated owls may be the predator attacking cats. Either way, my spoiled pets stay indoors while the rest of the wild life enjoy my backyard. In writing about my little spot on planet earth, I am curious, what critters share your space?