Nana's Lens

January 7, 2010

2010-01-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

Emerging

2009-08-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Red. White & Boom

2009-07-06T07:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Flowers

2009-06-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Wild Roses

2009-06-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Honeysuckles

2009-06-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

At our last house, we had dozens of honeysuckle bushes. I miss them. I loved walking out my front door to be overwhelmed with the fragrance. While I was in Kansas over Memorial Day, my friend had these bushes in her backyard and I had to take pictures.

Bleeding Heart

2009-05-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

Morning on the Davenport Riverfront

2009-04-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

A day beside the River

2009-03-21T22:42:00.001-07:00

Waiting

2009-02-28T12:40:00.001-08:00

I sense a theme in my longings

2009-02-24T07:28:00.001-08:00

I can't wait to see this again!

2009-02-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Sunsets

2009-02-03T20:45:00.001-08:00

I've lived several places and I've visited many places and I don't think I've ever been anywhere that had more consistently stunning sunsets. I haven't yet learned to capture the full magnificence with my lens but here's a sample:

My Puppy, Brody

2009-01-04T08:58:00.001-08:00

He's a six-month-old puppy. Mommy was a Black Labrador, and we think Daddy must have been a Golden Retriever.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T19:07:00.001-08:00

Some Serious Bed Head

2008-11-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

Festival of Trees Parade, Davenport, IA

2008-11-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

It was cold.

Only in Iowa.

Variety

2008-11-20T08:29:00.001-08:00

I never cease to be amazed at the variety of God's world. I've never seen a pinecone like this one until my last trip to Oregon!

Two Roads

2008-11-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference

Robert Frost (1920)

Skyward

2008-11-08T18:50:00.001-08:00

Oregon

2008-11-04T07:14:00.001-08:00

Roadside

2008-10-10T14:17:00.001-07:00

On the wind

2008-10-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

Metamorphasis

2008-09-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to the last post with the cicada skins, my Hero caught this one coming out of it's skin last night. This is something you don't get to actually witness very often.

Summer, Bugs, Frogs and a Boy

2008-08-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

Just a warning up front: the last picture is gross. I mean really, snotty, boy gross.

The lazy days of late summer offer many opportunities for boys to explore and learn about the world around them. Cicadas are funny little creatures that are born and live underground feeding off of tree sap from the roots. When they are ready to morph into winged adults, the nymphs come out of the ground and climb up any nearby tree or plant or even fence and shed their skin. They leave behind a great sci-fi shell.

My grandboy was completely fascinated. It took a lot of explaining to convince him that this was not a live creature, and then even more for him to believe that it was not a dead bug.

I tried and tried to get him to pronounce ci-ca-da, but it kept coming out mikayla.

This just isn't the image that Mikayla brings to my mind.

But he enjoyed it.

Then, a few days later he discovered that our yard has an entire community of frogs inhabiting it.
Maybe his mom should have wiped his nose before she snapped this picture. Ya think? It does say "All Boy" though. Oh, and when he saw this picture he found it necessary to remind me that those are the frogs' butts in the picture.

What?!

2008-08-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

This boy is always moving!

2008-08-14T10:35:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

My granddaughter, 2 months, 8 days.

Now this

2008-08-11T07:44:00.001-07:00

First there was this. Now, this is what happens when a 4-year-old dresses the dog.

A marigold afternoon

2008-08-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

You can't see me!

2008-08-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

When 4-year-olds dress themselves

2008-08-07T09:53:00.001-07:00

Yes, the shirt is on inside out.

Hi there!

2008-08-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

Dandelion

2008-08-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

Mrs. McGregor?

2008-08-04T10:21:00.001-07:00

Butterfly and Queen Anne's Lace

2008-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Lost in flight

2008-08-02T15:19:00.001-07:00

Flood aftermath in Iowa City

2008-08-01T07:50:00.001-07:00

Businesses, a church … dreams, lives, livlihoods … rebuilding and moving forward.

Wildflowers

2008-07-31T06:44:00.001-07:00

I'm not thrilled with the focus or the depth of field in this shot, but something about the colors keeps drawing me back. What do you think?

What'cha Doin?

2008-07-30T07:08:00.001-07:00

A long time ago

2008-07-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

That little boy will be 18 in a couple of weeks and the little girl will be 23 shortly after that! I can't believe how fast time flies.

Puppy Love

2008-07-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Our new puppy

2008-07-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday — Summertime Happy

2008-07-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

The clouds last night

2008-07-22T08:13:00.001-07:00

From my front yard, actually facing east, away from the sunset.

Sunset July 20, 2008

2008-07-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

Six weeks after the Iowa floods

2008-07-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

I went to Iowa City yesterday and there is still water where there is normally none.

This is the Iowa Power Dam Pedestrian Bridge over the Iowa River connecting Coralville and Iowa City. It was closed on June 11 due to the flooding and finally reopened on July 7.

There is river where there was no river before.

The waters still churn.

There is spillway where there was no spillway before. (Note the trees.)

And there is still lots and lots of backwater where none was standing before.

Around the block

2008-07-18T06:36:00.001-07:00

On a walk around the block with my Hero, we saw wondrous things.

Clouds prepared by God:
"Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains."

Psalm 147:8

The grass of the field, clothed by God:
"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

Matthew 6:30

A feather from a bird — a bird God feeds:
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Matthew 6:26

The creeping things that God made and called good:
"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1:25

We saw all of this in a walk around the block.

Fruit

2008-07-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

The empty house behind us has a pear and an apple tree in the yard. But no one lives there, and the fruit is left for the birds and squirrels and raccoons.

Maybe I should sneak over there and pick it myself.

Reflecting the Sunset

2008-07-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Wild

2008-07-15T08:53:00.001-07:00

Last Night

2008-07-14T12:12:00.001-07:00

A Few (?) More from Kansas City

2008-07-12T18:04:00.001-07:00

Around my yard

2008-07-11T07:26:00.001-07:00

My herb garden: Oregano, dill, chives & basil.

My cardinal friend: He was singing to me.

My wind chimes: My youngest daughter made these for me several years ago.

A couple that my Hero took

2008-07-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, Skip It! I'll Just Sleep Here!

2008-07-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

(She could pull up, but didn't know how to get down. She's almost 23 now. By the way—all that hair?—she's six months old right here.)

wordless wednesday

Lots of pictures of the fountain and statue in Kansas City

2008-07-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Mississippi River

2008-07-07T09:34:00.001-07:00

The four horses of the JC Nichols fountain represent four world rivers. This is the representation of the Mississippi River.

More to Come

2008-07-06T12:42:00.001-07:00

Kansas City is a beautiful city with lots of interesting architecture and fountains. We lived there for 13 years and loved the sights. While visiting over the 4th of July, I took some shots of some of our favorite things and I'll be posting them in the coming days.

This is one close-up of one of the figures of the J. C. Nichols fountain.

An old favorite

2008-07-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I took this picture in August of 2001 and it is still one of my favorites.

Wordless Wednesday: What WAS I Thinking?

2008-07-02T08:22:00.002-07:00

He thinks he's a cowboy

2008-07-01T11:30:00.001-07:00

My hero loves old Westerns and my grandson discovered them. Now he thinks he's a cowboy. He wore his snow boots to preschool for weeks telling everyone they were his cowboy boots. It's June. Yep. His grandparents (that would be us) finally took pity on him, (or were just embarrassed enough about the snow boots in June) and went out and bought him some cowboy boots.

Now he's certain he's a cowboy, stick horse and all.

Forest Grove School

2008-06-30T10:03:00.001-07:00

This is the one-room school that sits about three miles from my house. I did some research. It opened in 1888 and closed in 1959. And now it sits full of memories of children who marched into this door. They learned to read. They learned math and history. They went on to raise families and work jobs and live their lives.

This is the photo I took this past Saturday afternoon.

I played with it in Photoshop and this is the picture I ended up with. I like it.

Near Sunset

2008-06-29T17:05:00.001-07:00

Just a couple of random pictures

2008-06-28T09:07:00.001-07:00

Consider

2008-06-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

Luke 12:27-28

A walk

2008-06-26T08:56:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I really like any of these photos. I'm getting pretty picky about my shots, maybe too picky. What do you think?

I really liked the bokeh in these first two. Bokeh is the fuzzy background in a photo.

Depth of field is basically how deep your focus is. I'm working on that. I can't decide if I like this shot or not.

I did like the depth of field/bokeh in this shot — particularly the fuzzy bee in the background.

Wordless Wednesday: Showing off for a girl

2008-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

More Flowers

2008-06-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

You'll come back to look at these next January, trust me.

The Quad Cities Air Show

2008-06-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Actually, these photos were taken by my camera, but not by me. My hero absconded my camera during the air show. He loves flight! He has always loved planes. So I sat in the grass and enjoyed watching his excitement as he snapped the shutter.

Maybe it's just me, but I think the guy in the orange is absolutely crazy!!!

Yep, this plane is flying upside down. Why? Like I would know! My hero said this is a P51 from the European theater of World War II. Okay, but he's still upside down.

This is an F16. He's loud, but very impressive.

This is the P51 flying wing-to-wing with his much more powerful eventual replacement. I'm glad they could get along.

I don't know what they are, but they were pretty.

These were the stars of the show — the Navy's Blue Angels!

And since he took all the airplane pictures, here's one I took:

The little baby blue jay was pushed out the nest to learn how to fly. I'm grateful that he stopped long enough to pose.

Around My Yard

2008-06-22T12:13:00.001-07:00

Today, enjoy the wonders I found in my yard.