some delicate snowflakes

I really do not like being cold.  I am a baby about the cold… there, I said it so you do not have to remind me… but, give me beautiful snowflakes, and I can bear the cold.

Crazy thing about Kentucky, it was 60 degrees Saturday, then we had a Tornado Watch, and later that evening, we had a Winter Warning with sleet and cold warnings issued.

Mark Twain is quoted as saying it about New England, but it was true here this week… “don’t like the weather, wait five minutes”.

 

Please enjoy my dear friend Iris in our Macro Monday circle, check her out here, at Iris Nelson Photography

 

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3 Responses to “some delicate snowflakes”

  1. Iris

    These are awesome. It is amazing to me that you got such great details out of the snow flakes. The last snow I saw in person was 25 years ago in Germany.

    • Elizabeth Partin

      I love the snowflakes Iris, and this was with my 100mm macro.. but I really really can pass on being cold. I even had hand warmers and my fingers were ice cubes… but, I have always had trouble staying warm.
      If you come to Kentucky anytime between November and March, you MIGHT see some snow… or 70 degrees 🙂

  2. Jessica Nelson

    These are beautiful Elizabeth! I love photographing snow too but like you, I much prefer being warm. 🙂

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seven =

sea turtle hatching

Last summer, my family and I went to Jekyll Island, Georgia.  The wonderful people at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center called me a few days before we were scheduled to go out with them on a Night Patrol.  The kind lady told me they had no female turtles coming on the beach for a few nights in a row and wondered if we were willing to do a Dawn Patrol instead.  It was early in the season, but there were a few sea turtle nests that could hatch if we went, but no guarantees. Either way, what an education for my girls and my husband and me, so of course, we said yes.

We were up before the sun, which is hard for teens on vacation, and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) workers equipped us with bright green vests to shout to the world “they are with us”.  The GSTC ladies drove us up and down the beach, each one taking turns jumping out of the 4-wheeler to record the number of the nest and record whether there were any predators or any other disturbances, people or other turtles.  Sometimes, other females will lay eggs right next to an existing nest.  We found one nest that had hatched, and the workers began digging the nest up to count how many hatched and unhatched turtle eggs there were.  It was amazing to see the hatched eggs and how rubbery they were, not all like the chicken eggs my grandfather plucked from the nests.  They put the hatched eggs back in the nest after counting and covered it back up.  On to the next nests.  We went on like this for a couple of hours, lots of nests, record numbers that year, the girls said.

The morning was getting later and hotter and finally one couple came running up to the GSTC workers, they saw some turtles hatching!  The workers said most hatching were early in the morning and it was nearly 11 am, and hot, really hot.  These turtles were coming out of the nest and scurrying toward the water.  I had my camera explicitly for this, and have to admit, I didn’t take as many photos as I would like, but I will never forget that.

Nothing makes you feel small like watching these tiny creatures rush to the wide ocean.  Several struggling turtles that hatched and crawled from the nest did not make it to the water.  And some that hatched, crawled from the nest and to the water, did not swim.  But, the ones that made it to the water, ducked their heads and swam on, took my breath away.

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eight nine =

Pumpkins and mums

My youngest daughter is still willing to go with me to pick out pumpkins.

She and I also pick out gourds, mums and tiny pumpkins;

we get a little out of control with our squash choosing, but we have fun.

 

Hope you enjoy these macro selections and enjoy more macro images from Iris in our Monday Macro blog circle

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4 Responses to “Pumpkins and mums”

  1. Iris

    Love the colors of your images. They really set the mood for Fall.
    What a cute little mini pumpkin.

  2. Kathy

    I love all the warm Fall tones here! Makes me want a pumpkin donut 🙂

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four =

a watched pot

 

I found myself waiting this Saturday.  My daughter was away and due to board a plane and I was waiting.  My youngest daughter wanted some dinner, so I was boiling water and realized, again, I was waiting.

I needed a distraction, and, my camera is my friend.  She is so good at soothing my nerves, cooling my anxieties, and generally telling my brain to shut up.

When I finished taking some photos, some good, some not as good, I felt better.  My daughter’s plane was out of my control, but, she would be home soon.  And, as a plus, my youngest would be fed.

It just made me laugh a little when I thought of the old phrase, “a watched pot never boils”, because while I was taking photos, it did.  And, while waiting, my daughter boarded her plane.

While waiting, my younger daughter ate her dinner, so sounds like that old phrase did not apply to me, that day.

Please visit my favorite Macro teacher Tiffany Kelly’s beautiful images in our Macro Monday blog circle!

4 Responses to “a watched pot”

  1. Iris

    What a neat macro image. never thought to photograph boiling water. 🙂

    • Elizabeth Partin

      Thanks, it just occured to me when I was watching it, no joke… I liked the dark tones, and just thought “wonder what this would look like”

  2. Jessica Nelson

    Oh this is super cool. I love the details of the little bubbles. 🙂

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nine =

a walk in the Parklands

Last week, I took the dogs for a walk on the trails in the Parklands of Floyds Fork.  It is a wonderful privately funded park that I (and my fellow Louisvillians) have access to on a daily basis and it continues to grow.

The dogs are always thrilled because there are ponds and rabbits and turtles and smells, and I always have to decide whether I will run or take photos– usually it is both, which probably cuts into the actual

definition of running, but I don’t want to argue semantics, here… I was moving and stopping and there were wildflowers to be captured.  So, for me, all around, it was a good day.

I hope you enjoy these macro photography images.  I love capturing the dew drops and the moths, and the bees, and the chickory petals, so I hope you enjoy them as well.

Please gaze at more macro images by  Jessica next and visit her website at  The Gaggle Photography in our fun Macro Monday Blog circle!

2 Responses to “a walk in the Parklands”

  1. Iris

    Neat that you have a park close by so that you can capture images.
    You have a wonderful selection here. My favorite one is the last image with the dewdrops.

    • Elizabeth Partin

      Thanks Iris! This park keeps growing too, which makes it even better! The dewdrops was the hardest to get so thanks so much for your sweet comments! Can’t wait to meet you in person this week!!!

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five =

spider web in the grass

just a little spider web in the grass  I saw at EP (Tom) Sawyer State Park yesterday morning.

I was chasing some mist before it burned off and saw this perfect little webbing.  I am not a “fan” of the spider itself, I am a fan

of what it does in nature, but crawling on me, no– no thank you.

But, I could appreciate what the beautiful prisms of light that

shone from its webbing yesterday

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five =

He still makes sure I have something to eat

 

I visited my parents this weekend in my hometown of Greenville, Kentucky.  My Dad has always had a garden no matter where we have lived, probably wherever he has lived.

Whatever the time of year,  he is always in his garden or in his yard, checking out his fruit trees or corn or potatoes.

Yesterday, he showed my daughters his figs that were ripe and made them pick them right off the tree and eat them in front of him.  They aren’t used to this, and it is funny for me to watch, because, when I was little, I would sneak out in the garden and eat the ripe strawberries or tomatoes or green peppers.

Before I left yesterday, he asked me if I wanted sweet potatoes.  Of course I did.  He starts digging up potatoes, and gets a little winded.

I forget (and so does he), that he is 85.  Now, I live by a huge grocery store, and you could say, I don’t “need” these potatoes, but there is no way I could ever tell him I do not want those sweet potatoes.

 

I hope you enjoyed my macro photos today. Please visit Tiffany and follow our circle for more in our Macro Monday blog circle.

5 Responses to “He still makes sure I have something to eat”

  1. Iris

    How neat that your dad gardens. My grandparents had a huge garden with fruit and veggies.

  2. Jessica Nelson

    These are so awesome and special. I love that he is sharing his garden. <3 Gorgeous conversion too.

  3. Kathy

    What beautiful images and the story that goes with it! Those hands tell so much. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

    • Elizabeth Partin

      Thanks Kathy, after reading your latest posts, your comments mean a lot, can’t wait to see you soon!

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two nine =

Guinea pig love

It has been a rainy day, and I have a cute chair… so naturally, I put my girls’ guinea pigs on the chair and take photos of them.

I love them, I love their whiskers, their funny little noises and their twitchy noses.  Not everyone loves guinea pigs, and that is OK, I do.

They have comforted my girls when they have been sad, or stressed or upset at what another child or friend has said to them.  They have comforted them in a way, I cannot, with no words, but soft whiskers and little chirpy noises.  I talk too much and while I am still here with hugs, they cannot carry me around to do their homework or to their rooms to listen to their music or to watch anime.  I want to fix things, and the piggies, just like nibbling and being there, and sometimes, that is the answer.

I love the guinea pigs and I hope you enjoy these photos.  I love macro photography with the guinea pigs, Scoobi and Bambi, two little female guinea pigs.  I think macro brings you up close and personal to them, because if you really enjoy these little critters, that is where you will want to be.

 

Enjoy another great photographer in our Macro Monday blog circle

The Gaggle Photography by Jessica Nelson

4 Responses to “Guinea pig love”

  1. Iris

    They are too cute. So neat that you got so close to them.

    • Elizabeth Partin

      Thanks Iris! I have so many really unfocussed shots of them because they shove their noses into my lens!!!

  2. Jessica Nelson

    OMGoodness this is just adorable. I love that little nose. Gorgeous colors too. 🙂 I am gearing up to shoot my daughters hamster soon. So cute.

    • Elizabeth Partin

      Thanks Jessica! They wiggle SO much, really hard to get with the Lensbaby, easier with 100, but, I do love them!

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eight =

Playing in the park with the Hatfield family

I was so lucky to spend the morning with this energetic family.

Hayden was turning one soon and her parents wanted some photos to remember these moments- the standing, grabbing, playing, smiling, laughing moments.

It was so much fun to roll around in the grass with her and to watch this family play together, because they did, they played together- and it was glorious!

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one two =

Visiting the Statue of Liberty

Our family took an amazing trip to New York City.  A visit didn’t seem complete without seeing and climbing into the Statue of Liberty.  I had to get tickets to the Crown over three months in advance, and I could only get three.  My husband had walked into the crown as a teenager and said he could pass this time.  My two daughters and I climbed the many steps — 354, but who counted?  No one has been able to visit the torch since World War II.

I could only imagine coming to this country and being greeted by this copper princess.  Living here my entire life, with generations before me, when our ferry drew up beside her, I felt so many emotions, but our ancestors before us did not have an easy pass to this country.

Medical tests, eye tests, and no guarantees of entry into a country that they had spent months on a ship with only hope and prayers as a guide.

The Statue itself is over 305 feet tall.  The 7 rays on her crown represent the seven continents and seven oceans indicating the universal concept of liberty.  At her feet, lie broken shackles with her right foot is raised, depicting her moving forward, free of oppression and tyranny.

She represents Libertas, the Roman goddess.  And, oh, what a goddess she is!

 

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three =