My own mood is just fine but I decided to dig deep (really it's quite shallow) into the archives to find some photos of blue-coloured subjects. My last post had a bit of a gold hue to it and I've always thought that blue and gold worked together quite nicely - much like a sapphire ring. This may well be a new series of monochromatic posts as suggested by Meeko Fabulous in my last set of comments.
So please sit back, listen to some music (the blues, perhaps) and enjoy a bit of a blue mood. Please remember to click on each of the images to enlarge them.
On a cool spring evening Benny sits at the edge of the dock, welcoming you to the blue waters of the cottage lake. He's hoping you'll notice him, and that you'll come along and throw that speedy-worm-on-a-string out into the water so that he can bark at it.
It looks like Frank came along in his blue jeans and took the bait. And tossed it. Benny stands alongside watching as he casts.
While we're revisiting the cottage, take a look at this blue caterpillar which was in a bit of a standoff with the green dragonfly seen out of focus in the background.
Last summer, we wandered around a nearby town which had these bright blue bleachers (say that three times fast) by their baseball diamond.
This was taken at our annual street party in the summer of '07. Our theme was Mardi Gras and for our craft table, the kidlets were making their own masks using feathers, pompoms and glitter. This is Brittany with her colourful, blue creation.
Early one summer morning, neighbours might have been scratching their heads to see the woman with the camera lying down on the park path beneath the level of a low-growing wild blue chicory in order to catch the sun's rays from behind it.
Nobody would have been surprised to see me snap photo after photo of this beautiful Great Blue Heron on the day he came to fish off of the dam at the end of the pond.
Back to winter and back to reality. The snow often appears to be blue at dusk. I hope you enjoyed your visit through my archives and that it didn't leave you feeling blue. I'll be back soon with a different colour.
86 comments:
Lovely blue things.
Nuts in May
I love the picture of the chicory with the blue sky and the sun showing it's 'star' quality. And, of course, the blue heron.
Hilary, It is the tiny little critter in blue that me. LOVe blue and enjoyed the post!
I haven't been drinking ;0, just not wearing contacts! Ooops, sorry for the typos. The little caterpillar GOT me!
This is a precious visual ode to blue in its grey background. Lovely.
have you tagged your archives? It would take me forever to find such photos in a certain color! I fell in love with that second photo when I first saw it and loved the hues of the dog and man and dock. I also remember that first photo and thought what a lovely poster it could make.
The blue heron is as majestic as your blue post - king to your queen of the camera!
I love blue, and the chicory is simply gorgeous! Nice work.
Maggie
This Life Thru the Lens
Your "blue" mood is making me quite happy. :)
I shall now dive gleefully into writing the chapter I have been avoiding all weekend...
Fabulous photos. You can't feel blue with such beauty!
As always beautiful shots. My favourite is the shot of the chicory looking towards the sun. Fantastic!
Oh. I just love your blue pictures. Love them so much : ) Especially the one you had to lay in the grass for! Perfection!
I like the picture of the dog best of this series. They are all wonderful, but I love that there's this almost vibrating energy to his still little form. It's always fascinating when a photograph can give a sense of action, but you don't normally see it from something sitting. It's just that "Play with me. Play with me. Play with me. You should play with me." terrier posture he has going.
That and the caterpillar picture. Oh, and the one of the blue snow and...
Yes, as usual, impossible to actually pick one I like the best :-)
Your pictures never make me feel blue. My personal favorite is the first and second photo. I love decks and water and Benny. Haha. I also like the blue mask. Your photo of the flower with the sun's rays behind it is absolutely stunning, but still I like the deck and the dog.
How fun! Love that blue Heron and the sun one...gorgeous!
your blues are warming me up hilary...to be on the end fo the dock, a good friend by your side...come on spring!
Lovely blue pics.....and I WAS feeling blue, but no more!
Hilary,
Somehow, I managed to miss the "golden" post, so I've just read it along with this one, and I am...speechless. What a wonderful theme!
I had no idea blue caterpillars existed in this world. Priceless photo! The geese "basking in the last of the golden sunlight" - incredible. The back seat rainy view, that eerie tree and snow-covered park, the golden beauty of two giant burrs, a blue chicory turning its' face toward the sun, and the majesty of a blue heron against reflected green waters - good grief, THIS is a photo essay worthy of publication. Have you thought of a book based on your "color" theme?
These are incredible photos, each and every one! I'm in awe!
Brenda
These are absolutely breath taking. Your photography looks professional. Are you a professional? I guess I could look on your profile. I don't know which picture I like the best. The Caterpillar is beautiful.
QMM
BENNY!
Your photography never ceases to amaze. That heron is breathtaking.
All I can say is - WOW I like.
My favorite is the flower with the sunburst in the sky.
The chicory is my favourite among a bevy of beauties. It nicely illustrates the difference between taking a great shot and creating one. :)
A lot of nice blues. Benny is one cool dog.
Love blue! Love the chicory with the sun behind it--very inventive. Exit to chorus of Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues..." (or whatever the real title is).
wow woW wOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
A good idea using colours for a theme Hilary. - Dave
Love the blue caterpillar and the blue mask is lovely. Of course that doesn't make the rest any less beautiful.
Great variety of blue. I, too, love the chicory and the blue bleachers.
Well, I'm sorry you were feeling blue but happy that hunting up these photos helped! A little self-therapy, I guess. They are all just wonderful but I think my favorite is the first. The picture of that sweet pup at the end of the dock is priceless.
Wonderful, Hilary! (And thanks for the reminder that the snow will melt and there will be blue flowers and birds again!)
Hilary, what a neat idea! I loved the close-up of the catipillar. That was a soothing set of pics.
Oh, thanks for trying to help me be techie. One day I'll get a wider blog, or something. In the meantime, I'll watch yours. :)
How beautiful. I love your view on things. Hope you and your had a good weekend. :) Lori
What a perfectly delightful idea. All with something in common yet all very, very different.. Hurray for the blues!
Blue is my favorite color and your pictures are gorgeous.
Thanks for posting them.
jj
I love the blue bleachers.
• Thank you, Maggie. :)
• Thanks, Ellen. They both bring back a few warm summer memories for me. I'm glad you like them. :)
• Amy, thank you. I'm glad you like the caterpillar and maybe you should have yourself a drink. ;) Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Thank you, Lakeviewer. I'm pleased that you like this post. :)
• Tabor, thank you so much for such kind words. I'm glad you like seeing these photos and that you don't mind the repeats. I haven't tagged my archives but I do keep copies of all of the photos which I've used in blog posts in one folder. If I select all of them, I can view them about 12 or 16 images at time. I scrolled through the screens this way to pick out blue photos. I'll probably do that again for a different colour. Any suggestions? :)
• Jinsky, thank you so much for such sweet words. He's a beauty, eh? :)
• Thanks very kindly, Maggie. Much appreciated. :)
• FL, I'm glad my blues have put you in a happy mood. Good luck with the writing. :)
• Thanks very much, LadyFi. I'm glad you think so. :)
• NJ, thank you very kindly. I'm so pleased that you think so. :)
• LWK, thank you. I'm just glad that nobody saw me. Good thing it was early in the morning. Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Shimp, you sure read Benny well. His little body is always vibrating in anticipation and especially when someone is fishing. He goes all nutso on us. He's quite exhausting but oh so much fun. Yes, you read him well. Thanks so much for your always-kind words. :)
• JarieLyn, thanks very much for your warm comments. I'm so pleased that you like the photos. I'm partial to those dock and Benny photos myself. Thanks for the visit. :)
• SD, thanks very much. I'm glad you think so. :)
• Brian, I could use that as my mantra "come on spring!" Think it would help? Thanks for the warm comment. :)
• Hilary, I'm glad to hear it. Keep on feeling in the pink! ;)
• EthelMae, I'm glad you like my colour theme (so far). The blue caterpillar quite surprised me too. I'll bet it turned into a beautiful butterfly. You have such a lovely way of describing the photos. I think we need to collaborate - your words with my photos. ;) Thank you so much for your kind and supportive comments. :)
• Welcome, Brenda and thank for such kind words. Very much appreciated. :)
• QMM, thanks for your kind compliment. No, I'm not. I started (semi-seriously) taking and posting photos about 2 and a half years ago and sure am enjoying it. Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Gary, Benny WooFs right back at you!
• Elizabeth, thank you very kindly. I'm so glad you like it :)
• Grayquill, thanks so much. I'm very pleased that you do. :)
• Well thank you, Frank. As always, you make my day. :)
• Thanks, Larry. He is indeed. And a little crazy. OK a lot crazy but also a lot of cool. Thanks for the visit. :)
• Thank you, DS. I believe that's the name of the song.. one of my favourites. :)
• MPM, did you know that if you flipped that it would say MOM MOm Mom mom? ;) Thank you. :)
• Thanks, Dave. I'm glad you think so. :)
• Reb, or bluetiful? ;) Thanks kindly. Much appreciated. :)
• Thank you, Bonnie. I'm pleased that you do. :)
• Cheryl, I wasn't really feeling blue. The blue part was strictly my colour theme. How could I feel blue when I have so many kind comments - yours among them. Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Baggie, thank you. You're most welcome for that reminder. This too shall pass. But not before I freeze my... sentence in mid-type. ;)
• Thank you, Karen. I'm glad you found them soothing. And I'm sure you'll do just fine with that slideshow when you change your blog format. Thanks for the visit. :)
• Thank you, Lori. Much appreciated. I'm glad you are doing better than last week. Thanks for the visit. :)
• Susie, thank you for your kind, supportive comment. Much appreciated. :)
• Thanks very much, Joanna. I'm glad I happened to pick your favourite colour today. :)
• Jo, I'm glad to hear that. :)
Blue? My favorite color
Blue + gold? My high school colors
Blue heron & blue caterpillar? My favorite shots... although that first one with Benny on the dock made me wish it was spring already!
The blue heron - incredible.
The blue benches - my favorite.
Hilary,
this is a wonderful strand of blue and sometimes gold images! wow. I agree blue and gold are wonderful together.
I am always left speechless when it comes to your photography dear Hilary. What an amazing collection of "blues". I love them all, but the one of the wild blue chicory is very appealing. Perhaps as it signifies the season I love.;) I also enjoy the composition of the colours and light, with the sun in the center.
xoxo
Zuzana
Hi.
True blue on blue. Such beauty, in words and in pictures. Thank you.
I love the caterpillar pic. It's so fuzzy I want to bring it home for a pet.
And the blue chicory with the sun is magnificent.
Wonderful pics all around.
I love the blue bleachers!!
and sweet Benny sitting on the dock of the bay
he's very soulful :)
These are indeed bluetiful! And blue just happens to be my favorite color.
Blue is my favorite color after black ... and I think the catepillar was listening to the dragonfly explain why they were different.
Wow - you really do get good pictures. I would imagine, like my wife, you keep only the good ones, but still. Especially like the chicory/sun, as do many others.
My mental soundtrack for this would be Miles Davis' Blue In Green.
Well, I was feeling a little bit blue, (the after Christmas blue-blahs I suspect) but now I feel a lot bluer.... in a good way, of course!
The move from B'ville to S'ville is now complete, I'm going to miss those trips along the 401. But hopefully we'll get together when the weather is a bit nicer!
Lovely blue photos!! I especially loved the "blue" lake pic and the snow pic. So calming. Thank you!
Hugs
SueAnn
Simply Spectacular photos, Hilary...I don't think it is possible for me to pick a favorite! But gosh...love your dog...love the blue dandelion seeds...love the caterpillar!!! Extraordinary!!! Thanks so much for your visit!!! It is always wonderful to see you, and to visit here as well!!!! Love, Janine XO
I could say that the photo presentation just blue by, but Benny might bite me for that... ;)
You can't go wrong with blue. It is such a versatile colour.
that shot of the blue chicory is my favorite, just lovely. the blue heron is pretty regal looking and i love his color.
what a terrific post.
Your post reminds me of Barbra Streisand, playing Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.
"I'd rather be blue....."
I especially loved the angle you got on that chicory flower.
Cuzzie P
I don't like committing, but I will say blue is often my favorite color. I like that blue/gold combo too. Benny is so cute and love the way the water looks in those two shots. The chicory, all of them are magnificent!
Hillary -- While I loved all the pictures, I was very taken by the picture on the dock. I loved the reflections of the two chairs and the dog in the still water.
I laughed at what you said about lying down on the path to catch the rays of light through the flower.
I'm always trying to capture light as it shines through the thin petals of a flower...mine just aren't quite as good at this one:~)
These are wonderful "blue" pictures, Thanks for sharing them:~)
These are great. what got me is that Bennie and the caterpillar seem to take the same shape in their respective photos. Which was so endearing because they are both adorable on one level and quite in charge on another.
Lovely, lovely, lovely! Who could feel the least bit blue after looking at all these wonderful photos? The first one, of Bennie, the dock and the chairs reflected in the still waters of the lake is my favorite. Fantastico!
Oh. My. Gosh.
And here I thought you were feeling 'down'. Am so glad you're not.
This was so lovely! Every single picture was worthy of being framed! Seriously.
Geeze, you're talented! These are all wonderful pix. I think your laying on the ground was totally worth it to get the sun shining past those petals. The blue bleachers! Eye candy! And I love the first and last pictures... you captured the mood of each beautifully. You have a whole other career on your hands, apparently!
I can only echo 'Lovely Blue Shots!" particularly the first one. So much of mood in that.
What a neat idea! Beautiful photos - love the heron.
• KC, you have a lot of favourites. I'm glad I could oblige you with a couple of them. Thanks for your always kind comments, my friend. :)
• MJ, thanks so much. :)
• Tammie Lee, thanks very much. I'm glad you like them. :)
• Zuzana, how sweet you are. Thank you so much for such generous comments. I know how you feel about summer.. exactly as I do. I'm glad you enjoyed the shots. Hugs to you, dear friend. :)
• Welcome, Ocean Girl and thanks very much for the kind words. I hope you'll be back again soon. :)
• Leah, you made me laugh. I do like caterpillars but never thought of them as a pet. It sure would be cool when it flies away, though. Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Thanks, Dianne. He is indeed - sometimes. Other (most) times he's just a nut job. But he's always lovable. Thanks for the visit. :)
• Crabby, thank you. I'm glad I could oblige with your favourite hue. :)
• Daryl, I like black too. Actually the dragonfly and caterpillar had quite a little encounter. I did catch it on video and posted it once before. Perhaps I'll share it again soon. :)
• Cricket, you would be right. I tend to delete about half the photos I take - perhaps more. I like that you have a mental soundtrack going for this post. I should consult you for the next one. You could devise my playlist. ;) Thanks for the kind words. Very much appreciated. :)
• Shammie, I'm glad the blues are the good kind. :) I'm sure we'll manage to get together at some point. But you're going to have to email me - I don't see your addie on your blog. Thanks for stopping by. :)
• SueAnn, thanks very much for the kind words. Much appreciated. :)
• Thanks kindly, Janine. No need to select a favourite. I have no problem with you enjoying them all. ;) Thanks for stopping by. Always a pleasure. :)
• Skunkfeather, I'll bet you just came up with that out of the blue. Thanks for stopping by. ;)
• Cheshire Wife, I suppose it is. I'd like to test some of the other colours that way too. Thanks for the visit. :)
• Lime, thanks so much. I'll have to consider a green post next.. inspired by your nickname, of course. And maybe a black and white one for Skunkfeathers. Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Cuzzie, thanks so much. I'm amused by how some folks are inspired to put music to this post. Thanks for the kindness, Phyl. :)
• Margo, I'm sure that the colour blue wouldn't mind sharing the spotlight with gold. ;) Thanks so much for the very kind words. I'm glad you like the photos. Much appreciated. :)
• Sara, thank you kindly. I'm glad you like that image of the dock. It's one of my personal favourites. I'm sure we've both done our share of putting ourselves in odd spots for a shot. I'm glad I'm not alone in that. Thanks so much for stopping by with your kind words. :)
• Sandy, you're so right. I'd never noticed that. You have such an incredibly keen eye. Thank you for your poetic observations. Your comments always make me smile. :)
• Thank you so much, Pat. I'm really pleased that you enjoyed this photos. Your kind words mean a lot to me. :)
• Thanks, Kate. I'm just fine, thanks. It's a good thing I didn't select green or you'd think I was sick. ;)
• Nancy, that's such a nice thing to say. Thank you so much. :)
• Rochelle, thank you very kindly. It mean a lot to me that you think so. Thanks so much for stopping by with your encouraging comments. :)
• Indrani, thank you. I'm so glad you think so. Nice to see you drop by. :)
• TSannie, thanks kindly. Very much appreciated. :)
I wanted another look at your great blue. I bet he's thinking nobody's getting his feathers for a mask! He is one regal fellow.
Excellent photos, I love the blue heron, it looks so proud.
CJ xx
You sure went deep into that great blue wonder of your archive! :-)
I have not seen your post before, so imagine my surprise. *giggles* I also consider blue a happy color, even when I am blue. Loved the bright blue bleachers word play! :-)
Happy Tuesday!
P.S.:
Hilary, would you please be so kind to share what kind of lens(es) are you using, especially for the caterpillar and the flower? Thank you!
It's a beautiful post and I'm sure no one would appreciate this post more than my little puppy Blu! =)
It's amazing how many hues of blues we have out there in nature that we really don't notice until you bring it to our attention. Very nice indeed!!
Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.
Hugs♥
MJ
I love the Chicory photo, good series.
I always wonder what people think when I'm on my back or in some other odd position to make a photograph. But this is New York you get to see people doing weird stuff often. Your blue mood made my day.
Beautiful!!! The photo of the blue chicory is stunning!! OMG, I absolutely love that heron photo. I've never been able to get so close, I hope to change that this summer and be more stealthy, lol! Great series Hilary! :)
Visiting from Joanna, and am thrilled to see a "blue" post, as I've done a couple. And I also live in Ontario. So I'm already smitten.
Can't wait to look around and get to know you more.
Wow Hilary, I didn't think it was possible your photos could get any better! I found myself from the beginning to the end saying "wow, THAT is perfect-- my favourite".
Really,the crazy lady lying on her back in the park really pulled off some fabulous blue shots.
Beautiful blues, Hilary!
amazing photos of the heron....
and blue was very soothing to me today....
And I'm a tellin' you, I'm so BLUE! Great post Hilary.... you're something else! Great idea for a post theme... and of course you always have the perfect photos to enhance your theme! Hope you are having a great week. We are starting to count the days until Spring. The Bach
All very nice, Hliary! I especially like Frank's jeans and the dog against the water, and the simple, yet not so simple, benches.
You manage to capture such beautiful images. My favourite is that delightful caterpillar. I've never seen anything like it.
What a gorgeous shot of that heron, I love those birds!
I'm very fond of the caterpillar shot, too. Those are my favourite kind. They were everywhere when I was a kid.
• Sandy, it always make me feel so happy to know that you sometimes come back for another look at my posts. I hadn't connected the mask with the blue heron. You have a great perspective. Thanks for the repeat visit. :)
• CJ, thanks very kindly. I'm glad you like this proud fellow. He's a very cool bird, isn't he? Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Thanks very much, Merisi. It pleases me to know that you liked this post. By now, you have that camera information via email. For anyone else who was wondering, I didn't have my DSLR yet at the time that I took those two photos. It was snapped with my trusty Canon PowerShot S3 IS. :)
• Michele, had I known Blu, I'm sure I'd have included a photo of him in this blue post. Thanks for your always kind words, my friend. It's so nice to see you out and about. :)
• Steve, thanks so much for such kind words. I'm not so sure I would have scrunched down there had it not been so early and quiet on the paths. I'm entirely certain that I wouldn't have done it in a city, so you're way gutsier than I am. Thanks for the visit. :)
• Rain, I like your new avatar! Thanks so much for your lovely comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Welcome, Deb. Always nice to see a fellow Ontarian drop in here. Thanks so much for the kind words. I hope you'll have yourself a good look around and return soon. :)
• IBHH, thank you so much for such a sweet comment. It's so worth being that crazy lady for such lovely comments in return. Thanks for that. :)
• Thanks very much, Sandra. :)
• Thank you, Beth. I'm glad to hear that. I'm also glad you liked the heron. :)
• Thank you so much, Bach. You never fail to make my day with your kind words. I too am looking forward to spring. That pining usually starts at around.. September. ;) Thanks for stopping by. :)
• Anita, thank you for stopping by to let me know that you liked these. Very much appreciated. :)
• BPG, thank you. I'm so glad you feel that way. There's more of that same caterpillar coming up in my next post (after the Posts of the Week) so stand by for that. :)
• Tattytiara, thanks very much for your kind words. I'm glad you like them. You might know what kind of butterfly they morph into at least that's what I'm hoping because I have no clue. thanks for stopping by. :)
Love the photo of chicory. Great post!
Ohhh Hilary, there are such pretty shots in here, especially that undershot of the flower. Always lots to enjoy when I am by.
xo
erin
I absolutely love that first photo. The subject, lighting and composition are beautiful but Benny really makes the shot. :)
Hilary, do you sell your photography? These compositions are better than most professionals produce, if you don't already, I would strongly urge you to.
* Thanks very much, Latte Mom. Much appreciated. :)
• Thank you, Erin. I'm always happy to see you stop by too. Your kind words mean a lot to me. :)
• MP, thank you very kindly. It's one of my personal favourites.. largely because of Benny. I'm really pleased that you like it. Thank you. :)
• Shrinky, thank you so much for saying so. I haven't sold any, or tried to yet. You might twist my arm though. ;) Truly, I appreciate it. :)
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