Friday Shoot Out - Texture

~
Linda of LIVING IN THE EASTERN WOODLANDS chose the subject of Textures for this week's challenge.

The first two photos were taken from my archives. The stones were taken with my Sony P-200 pocket camera. The feathers were taken with my Sony f717 slr camera.

The rest of the photos were taken this week with my Sony f717! That means my arm/shoulder is now strong enough to help hold this camera... only for short times. Maybe by the end of the month I will be back up to the Sony A700 dslr.

I know I could have used a tri-pod, but with my arm/shoulder being weak it would take a good deal of effort to set one up and as sweet and loving as Frank is I did not wish to ask him for help... he does so much already. Besides lifting the camera is probably good for my arm/shoulder :-)

Frank did help me with this shoot. He found me lots of texture! A few of them I didn't do well with the camera, so they got cut. I did leave the dead bug in even though I'm not that pleased with it :-)

A collection of STONES that belong to Frank's parents. We have our own collection now, but I forgot about them until this morning.... so I went into the archives. After tumbling they have a smooth, glossy texture.


A couple of Northern Cardinal Feathers.... soft and fluffy.



The rough texture of the back of a Window Air Conditioner.


The new leaf of an Elephant Ear Plant. The top part was just uncurling and the bottom part had uncurled. The texture and color is different from each other.


The Trunk of a Pecan Tree that is well over a hundred years old. The texture has such character. I wish I could have climbed a ladder to get a different angle, but that wasn't going to happen that day. Maybe in the future I will be able to climb a ladder and get what I really wanted to take a photo of.



A Canvas Cover that covers the burn barrel when not in use.



Wheat


A Rusty Vise. I love the look of old and rusty items.



Rough Sand Paper



Paint Brush.. I like the wood texture also.



Here is the poor dead Cicada. I just could not get this picture to happen the way I pictured it in my mind :-( _ If I didn't get it too light for your monitor you should be able to see some ridges within the wings.



This one did not come out the way I wished either. A Monkey Hologram. He is cute anyway :-)



A Teddy Bear I made many years ago. He is soft.... umm and dusty.



Our Silky Flag with Embroidered Star.

If you would like to join in go to Friday My Town Shoot Out for more information and a list of participants.

Bug - PT - A Rainy Night In Georgia

~

Last evening Frank asked me if I had placed a dead cicada on the window sill in the enclosed carport. I had not. I asked him to remind me to take some pictures of it tomorrow for Friday's Shoot-Out.

This was his way of reminding me. He wrote this on the note board for me see.



One of the reasons I love him... his sense of humor. :-D

So this morning I took pictures. They did not turn out as well as I had hoped. It seems impossible to get a good photo of the wings without getting a shot of the dead creature's butt. I think I will post what I came up with on Friday... but don't be too disappointed if the photo doesn't make the final cut.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I had physical therapy today. I said the wrong name last time... it wasn't Chip, but Chris who was my physical therapist. I can't figure where I pulled the name Chip from. :-) Today I had Chad as my physical therapist. I'm sure I have his name correct... maybe.

More exercises. Who would think three, two and even one pound weights would feel so heavy! I rolled a ball up the wall and did the bike again. This time for a lot longer. Four minutes forward and 4 four minutes backward. The backward part is hard! I made it through it though. I go back Thursday.

Afterward we did a little shopping at Sam's Club and got rained upon on the way back to the car.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

It rained yesterday and overnight too. It reminded me of the song A Rainy Night In Georgia by Brook Benton. Many other artist have had hits with the song, but Brook Benton's voice is the one that I relate to the song.

Pike's Peak

~
My last post pictures were from Pike's Peak in Colorado. I thought I would show y'all a few more pictures of our visit there.

As we get off the train this sign greets us as it stands in front of the gift shop. The gift shop sold many blankets this trip.

The temperature was very comfortable at the beginning of the trip with just a shirt sleeve needed, but on top of the mountain it was cold and windy and that was July 9th of last year. Frank and I were smart and brought our jackets and endured the stares of others as we boarded the train with our jackets in hand.

The computer is wonderful for checking on the temperature changes from one point to another :-) Today's high on top of Pike's Peak is about 45°F with a 3o% chance of thunderstorms. Colorado Springs forecast is a high of 85°F with the same chance of thunderstorms.

Frank and I had made our way over to the America the Beautiful monument while others took pictures in front of the sign. By time we made it back to the sign no one was around to take our photo.

The scenery is breathtaking even with a bit of a haze and you know how Katharine Lee Bates felt as she wrote the words to the poem that we now know as America the Beautiful.

We took the train up to the top. You can also drive to the top. We had hoped to see big-horn sheep on the ride, but that was not to happen. The train ride is very nice. We got to visit with some very nice people in the seats across from us.

As we boarded the train for the return trip this Yellow-Bellied Marmot graced us with its presence. I wish the light would have hit its face just a bit better. Despite that I'm glad I got to see it and take these photos through the train window.

A plaque honoring Zebulon Montgomery Pike.

This is a view from the Garden of the Gods of Pike's Peak.

Pike's Peak Videos.

If you ever get a chance to go to Colorado Springs take it. There is a lot to see and do in the area. A beautiful place to visit.