"Ballet" - Postcard

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This week's Take a Word challenge was "Ballet."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.16.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

Summer Solstice / Full Strawberry Moon - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took of the Summer Solstice Full Strawberry Moon last night.

I could not believe my good luck. I had gone to a location, but the moon was nowhere to be seen, and it was past its rise time of 8:31pm local time. I drove to a nearby location and saw the moon on the horizon, and it was red! Crowds had gathered, and I almost couldn't get a parking place. Once I did, I ran out onto the beach to get some photographs before the moon lost its color. The sand gnats were numerous and unrelenting, but I persevered.

In the end, none of my photos came out crisp, but I'm posting a few anyway. The moon was stunning, but my photos don't do justice to its true color. I took these photos shortly after the sun had set at 8:29pm, but prior to the end of civil twilight, which ended at 9:03pm. (Note: in the second photo, both the moon and moon reflection were pink/red, but the moon looks white.)

"Summer Solstice / Full Moon" - Postcard

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I made a Summer Solstice / Full Moon themed piece.

The Full Moon occurred at 7:02am local time, but set at 5:43am, so I could not see it at its peak. It will rise again tonight at 8:31pm. I might try to get photos of it then. The sun will set at 8:29pm, and civil twilight will end at 9:03pm.

As usual, I missed the actual event. That's life. Expect nothing, and then life won't disappoint.

I heard about a great site today: I love Albinoni's Adagio.

It is fitting that I was reconnected with that song. It fits my mood. "Life has been faded into grey..."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.16.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Photograph

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This is a photograph that I took in my yard this past week.

House Sparrow - Photograph

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This is a photograph that I took in my yard this past week.

Blue Jay - Photograph

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This is a photograph that I took in my yard this past week.

The Blue Jay was looking up at the bird feeder.

"Summer Beach" - Postcard

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I made a Summer themed piece.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.16.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Summer Sailboat" - Postcard

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I made a Summer themed piece.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.16.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

Grackle / Poe Raven - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took in my yard this past week.

I thought these Grackle photographs looked like classic Edgar Allan Poe Halloween Raven poses.

The second photograph is my entry for the following:

Camera Critters
I'd Rather Be Birding
Saturday's Critters

Black Bird / Grackle - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took in my yard this past week.

The Grackles monopolize the suet feeder. All of the other birds fly away when they show up. (Although a male Northern Cardinal held his ground on the bird feeder when a Grackle was on it.) Although I love black birds for Halloween, I'm not a fan of taking photographs of them. But the lighting when I took these created some striking images that I liked.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took in my yard this past week.

I liked the blur effect that happened all around the woodpecker in the first photograph.

Blue Jay / House Sparrow - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took in my yard this past week.

Blue Jays and House Sparrows are some of the visitors to my bird feeders.

Bird and Suet Feeders, Chipmunk - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took in my yard this past week.

This chipmunk moved in directly below the bird feeder. Smart thinking. The suet only lasts about one day, so I have to ration my supply by putting one out every Saturday.

Sunlit Green Leaves - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took in my yard this past week.

I liked how the light and shadow looked in these.

"Oriental Birds" - Postcard

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This week’s Sunday Postcard Art challenge was "Asian/Oriental."

I created this using GIMP 2.8.16.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

"Fabric Card - Spring" - Postcard

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I made a Fabric / Spring themed piece. I started with a piece of Fabric, then went where my muse took me.

I created this using GIMP 2.8.16.

The vintage images are from an Internet search. (See the side of my blog for links.)

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Photograph

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This is a photograph that I took of a Red-bellied Woodpecker at my bird feeder this past week.

"If you seed it, they will come." It seems like within a minute (or less) of me putting bird seed in my bird feeder, the birds show up. There is also a chipmunk who has moved in at the base of the bird feeder. He peeks out of his ground hole at me as I approach, and doesn't duck inside until I am within a foot of him. Then he comes back out as soon as I turn and walk away.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took of a Red-bellied Woodpecker at my bird feeder this past week.

I liked how the wind chimes in the background of the first photograph contrasted against the bird. I also got a few good close up shots of him. He is stunning looking.

House Sparrow - Photograph

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This is a photograph that I took of a House Sparrow at my bird feeder this past week.

My wind chimes are in the background.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took of a Red-bellied Woodpecker at my bird feeder this past week.

I liked the bokeh effect that the background leaves highlighted by sunlight took on.

In the third photograph, I liked how the waning sun highlighted his face and some of the leaves in the trees.

The first photo is my entry for the following:

Wild Bird Wednesday

Black Birds / Grackles - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took of Grackles in my yard and trying to land on my bird feeder this past week.

In the first photograph, I got a great action / in flight / motion shot of the Grackle trying to land on the bird feeder.

I liked the contrasting scenery in the second photograph.

When the Grackles show up, all of the other birds fly away.

House Sparrow - Photograph

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These are some photographs that I took of House Sparrows at my bird feeder this past week.

I liked the bokeh effect that the background leaves highlighted by sunlight took on.

Unidentified Spotted Bird Similar Looking To American Robin - Photograph

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This is 1 of 6 posts of some photographs that I took during a walk on the Riverwalk in Westport, CT this past week.

I looked in my Birds of Eastern North America but I could not identify this bird. It was about the same size as an American Robin and had coloring very similar to one. At first I thought it was a juvenile, but it had a dark bill. Other differences from an adult were that it had white spotted wings, a black spotted chest, dark legs, and a pale eye ring.

The spots made me think this could be in the Woodpecker, Flicker, or Sapsucker family, but I didn't find a picture in the book that matched this bird.

Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? Thanks to anyone who leaves comments.

Perfect Shaped Pine Cone - Photograph

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This is 2 of 6 posts of some photographs that I took during a walk on the Riverwalk in Westport, CT this past week.

This is one of those pine trees that has perfect shaped pine cones.

Northern Mockingbird - Photograph

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This is 3 of 6 posts of some photographs that I took during a walk on the Riverwalk in Westport, CT this past week.

This is a Northern Mockingbird. I liked how the sun reflected in his eye in the first photo.

Honeysuckle Flowers - Photograph

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This is 4 of 6 posts of some photographs that I took during a walk on the Riverwalk in Westport, CT this past week.

These fragrant Honeysuckle flowers were blooming along the path edge, and smelled heavenly.

Black-crowned Night-Heron - Photograph

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This is 5 of 6 posts of some photographs that I took during a walk on the Riverwalk in Westport, CT this past week.

This is a Black-crowned Night-Heron (although I think it looks blue).

National Hall building, Westport, Connecticut - Photograph

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This is 6 of 6 posts of some photographs that I took during a walk on the Riverwalk in Westport, CT this past week.

This post is actually of photos taken on the street near the Riverwalk.

The first two photographs are of the National Hall building in Westport, Connecticut, "an 1873 three-story Italianate structure," at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 33. Both sides of the bridge over the Saugatuck River are lined with US flags for most/all of the year. (I'm not 100% sure about Winter.) The third photograph is of the backside of the building across the street, which has a matching brick / color scheme.

The National Hall building has been many things over the years.

The first photograph is my entry for the following:

Tuesday's Treasures