Tuesday, September 11, 2012

What is That and Mini Posts of the Week

I'm spending a fair bit of time away from blog visiting and photo uploading, these days. As a result, the POTW suffers some. And I fall farther and farther behind in my photo postings.

I have dozens of photos waiting to be organized into posts, dozens more that have been uploaded but have not even been looked at yet and hundreds which are still sitting in my camera.

And I'm not even at home to do anything about it.I've been at Frank's for the past week and we're heading out of town for a few days, tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm adding photos to the collection in the camera every day. I'm sure you'll see them all eventually - even if I have to show you summer photos in mid-winter.

For now, I have a few photos that were viewed on my computer a fair while after they were snapped. They were unusual perspectives and they even made me ask "what is THAT?" I eventually remembered (or the next image reminded me) and now I'd like to present them to you.

sap droplet prism
A colourful, round prism. I'm surprised that my camera picked it up as it was a minute little sparkle. Below is where I found it.



sap droplet
This sap droplet sparkled and glimmered and caught my eye in the late day sunlight.


What is this mass
Not nearly as pretty, I would see this sight in the same spot on the park pathway every morning. By afternoon, nothing remained of it but it was back the very next morning and it continued this pattern over the course of about ten days.Let's have a closer look, shall we?


what is this close up
Tiny ants busy doing something. The same something every morning in the same spot. I never did figure out what drew them to that small area of pavement but a couple of weeks later, there was a mysterious square patch of tar laid in that precise spot. Anyone have any idea what that might have been about?



vicious beast
This one is simply a pattern made from water on the wood deck after a rainfall. It formed what I thought looked like a wild animal's profile. Perhaps a weasel of some sort. The knot in the wood effectively gave it an eye.

And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if if your blog post is named as a POTW.



 


JUST PLAIN GOOD

Scintillant
by Cloudia
at Comfort Spiral



PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY


Summer Scenes, the Blue Moon and Labor Day
by King
at King of the New York Hacks

Shadows
by Daryl
at Out and About in New York City

Hover Fly
by Bob
at Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean




A GOOD READ
 
Did You Split Your Head Open?
by Jim
at Suldog



READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: Lady Fi
The Last Rays of Sun
by Fey Girl
at Serenity Spell



Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.

Thank you

31 comments:

ADRIAN said...

The first image is an example of superb observation. It's wonderful.

Brian Miller said...

ha i can see a bear or badger in your water puddle....and pretty cool on the twinkle you got there as well...congrats to the POTWs...and do what you enjoy Hillary and have time for...i imagine we will still be here...smiles...

Daryl said...

thank you .. that was unexpected ... and i believe those ants found their way inside something .. the patch is to keep them out .. what's under that part of the park? is there a maintenance tunnel or some sort of viaduct/conduit?

Anonymous said...

Hello there Hilary! You and me alike. I have totally taken a back seat on blogging over the past several weeks. So many photos just sitting in my computer waiting for a real home! Hope your summer was a good one!

DJan said...

Your macro lens is magnificent! I have no idea what that puddle was all about, but I suspect I'll enjoy seeing your summer pictures in the middle of winter! :-)

ellen abbott said...

Very mysterious ants. And I think the water stain is a badger.

Kat said...

Oooo. I love the sap! Very cool. :)

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

I love mystery photos....they are so eye opening. I especially love the sap. Every once in awhile I "see" what really is but most of the time I like so many are busy getting busy that I miss what is there in life. Thanks. OmaLinda

Gary's third pottery blog said...

eeeeeek, ants!

Suldog said...

Thanks, Hilary! Always an honor to be chosen!

I think the last photo looks like a barking seal.

TexWisGirl said...

badger is a good description of that last photo. and i'd like to know what the ants were after and why someone thought it was necessary to lay tar over it...(visions of a dead body interred in concrete come to mind).

anyway, a great collection of POTW again! thank you!

the Bag Lady said...

Hmmm... your water puddle looks like a shark to me.
Great photos, Hilary, and I can totally relate to not having enough time for proper blogging! Perhaps when winter comes.

Rita said...

No clue what the ants were doing and wish I knew. Love your sap drip sparkle and I saw a seal barking. I don't care whether your pictures are appropriately seasonal or not. I just love to see them whenever you show them, whatever time of year. I think flowers or even mysterious ant activity would be delightful in the middle of winter. And you have to remember you have probably got people visiting from all over the world and it might be an opposite season for some of them, anyways. ;)

Ruth Hiebert said...

I enjoyed looking at nature through your lens. I love the way you 'see' things.Great eye.

Gail Dixon said...

Don't you find that photography has made you hyper-aware of your surroundings? You always manage to bring something interesting to the table with your photography. Congrats to the POTW winners. Will have to check them out.

Red said...

Really like the water on the deck wood and the shape you saw in it.
Must really look at some the posts of the week as they sound very interesting.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

The ants are definitely after something- strange!

Kerry said...

I love it when I find surprises in my camera! Your sparkly little prism is so cool.

I wonder what those ants were doing, too. hmmm.

Kerri Farley said...

These are FAB Hilary!! That last shot really does look like a wild animal!!!

Mental P Mama said...

Now i must know what was up with those ants on that spot. And I see a shark!

Liz Mays said...

I must admit you have me wildly curious about the fervor of those little ants!

Unknown said...

Hilary: It's always a Joy to visit here. Hope you and Frank unwind and relax. We'll all be here and of course, we have your photos to look forward to! Travel safely!!! :)

Cloudia said...

The puddle animal is a grey seal.

The top photo is a religious experience.

Relax and let the abundance wash over you. We will NEVER catch up in our blogs with the daily bounty.

and:

THANK YOU! I've been in something of a slump, secretly disappointed in not achieving a POTW for a looong time.
So I'm feeling REDEEMED!


Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^=

> < } } ( ° >



Enjoy - shoot - post.

Enjoy comes first, pal



Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^=

> < } } ( ° >


Anonymous said...

OH my - I love that rainbow prism in the first shot. Superb!

Rosemary Aubut said...

Very interesting series of photos! Very nice post!

Christina said...

What a beautiful site, with gorgeous images... MANY thanks to you and LadyFi for the POTW nomination! I'm so happy to have found you all.

Gillian Olson said...

The rainbow is amazing, great shot. Like the "animal" you found on the deck too. Thank you for POW's.

Jo said...

I hope you and Frank are off doing something fun, it's nice to get away. Love the sap.

Barbara said...

Wow, those ants are very mysterious!! I can totally sympathize, Hilary... I'm so far behind on my photos and blog reading (and much, much more, including my book and reading submissions from my writing group!)... okay, now I'm hyperventilating again. I'll take another look at your photos...

Christine said...

wonderful :)

I just found some clear sap on my hike the other day, a first for me, is it normal & I've just never seen it or is it rare for sap to be clear rather than amber?

SandyCarlson said...

These are oustanding, of course! Those busy ants sure are their own kind of art!