View from the neighboring bluff yesterday. Used my darkglasses as a neutral density filter for my iPhone (to lessen the glare) when I saw the clouds spilling over the Chugach and Kenai mountain ranges, and the light with the tide moving in swiftly.

RedBubble

Emily’s List has this to say:

“At EMILY’s List, we do more than just talk about women voters. We talk to them, we learn from them, and we help to mobilize them — because we know that women voters often determine the outcome of elections. Women tend to favor Democratic candidates, so when women vote, Democrats win. But when they stay home, as they did in 1994, Republicans win.

“That’s why we launched WOMEN VOTE! in 1995 — to harness the power of the gender gap and get women voters to the polls.“

I live in Alaska, and Sarah doesn’t speak for me. I have heard Sarah speak un-truths. She appeared on CNN at a time in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) when caribou weren’t mating or traveling, and said there were no caribou there. Drill, baby, drill.

Her words and the big money guys who support her frighten me. They could damage the beautiful state I love.
(p.s. There ARE caribou in Alaska and in ANWR.)

Or not. That’s the narrative or almost-apparent visual story behind this shot. (And I love rain.)

Dedicated to several artistic friends.

One dog and I headed for the bluff, where all one could hear was rain on leaves, on my hat and shoulders, and the shorebirds calling to one another. And a deep background of silence.

Meanwhile, back inside, I shot this. Love the way rain makes our windows look cleaner than they are.

(Photo links to my portfolio at RedBubble. Postcards and cards cost very little and help to justify my new full-frame D700 camera body!)

Almost unedited, except for slight curves. Natural light.
Nikon full-frame D700, Nikkor 105mm macro lens, 105mm, F/14, 1/25, -0.3ev, ISO 1000, manual exposure and focus, spot metering, Manfrotto tripod. Converted from RAW (14 bit) to jpeg using Nikon’s Capture NX2.

Ah, life in the ‘burbs. Sometimes unusual.

The Black-capped Chickadee appears in most of Canada and the upper two-thirds of the United States. (I wonder if they include Alaska, or if we’re considered a territory, still.)

““Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.”
~ Rachel Carson

Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and nature writer whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

“Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.”
~ John Updike

“A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.”
~ Frederick The Great

Unedited except to crop. Natural light.
Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm 1/4 lens, f/1.4, 1/80, ISO 200, manual, spot metering, Manfrotto tripod. Converted from RAW/NEF to B&W jpeg using Nikon’s Capture NX2.

This is a closeup looking up at the tiny, tiny fruit of a cyclamen flower—a round pod that opens with 5 flaps at maturity and containing numerous sticky, amber seeds.

Such fine tiny beauty doesn’t need any editing by me. These are unedited shots, playing with extension tubes and joy.

Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of perennials growing from tubers, valued for their flowers with upswept petals and variably patterned leaves. Each flower is on its own stem, bent downwards 150-180° at the end. There are 5 petals, connected at the base, bent outwards or up, and sometimes twisted.

And now a word from another sponsor. cyclamen photos (I had to add this to try another website.)

That’s a lot of pink and magenta for someone who didn’t notice flowers or like those hues rather recently. Something’s happening, and I don’t know where I am going. Do you know what changes will occur for you?