06/09/12 - Field of Daisies My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/field-of-daisies.html Well, it's not exactly a field, but it is a large group in the center of my front yard. It's about the only sunny spot I have. This is the 3rd or 4th year that these gloriosa daisies have come back, and they are fuller than ever. I am happy. I need to set out my gazing globe (cement pillar) and birdbath. No tenants in the bluebird box right now. SmugMug Link This box turtle was my company while taking the shots. SmugMug Link I tried swordfish for dinner last night. Using a cast iron pan on the outdoor gas grill works great! It's Italian dressing and coconut oil. SmugMug Link Spider at Madi's pool was kindof neat too! SmugMug Link Thanks for all your comments on my recent butterfly series... Out the door NOW to baseball practice and Madagascar 3:-) HAGD, Maryann

Thanks for stopping by to view my daily photo! I will post a new photo each day to this gallery. Typically, I will post early morning, and the photo will have been taken the day before. Sometimes the photo may be from sometime earlier in the week, but all the pictures posted will be relatively new. I hope you see something that makes you smile. Feel free to leave professionally appropriate comments.

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06/09/12 - Field of Daisies

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/field-of-daisies.html

Well, it's not exactly a field, but it is a large group in the center of my front yard. It's about the only sunny spot I have.  This is the 3rd or 4th year that these gloriosa daisies have come back, and they are fuller than ever.  I am happy.  I need to set out my gazing globe (cement pillar) and birdbath.  No tenants in the bluebird box right now.

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This box turtle was my company while taking the shots.

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I tried swordfish for dinner last night.  Using a cast iron pan on the outdoor gas grill works great!  It's Italian dressing and coconut oil.

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Spider at Madi's pool was kindof neat too!

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Thanks for all your comments on my recent butterfly series...

Out the door NOW to baseball practice and Madagascar 3:-)
HAGD,
Maryann

06/08/12 - More Butterflies

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/more-butterflies.html

I stopped  by Porter Farms and Nursery for some green beans and an onion and hopped out to take pics of the butterflies on their orange colored butterfly bushes.  There are 5 huge bushes, and they were just covered in various sulphurs, crescents, painted ladies, and buckeyes.  Wow!  I shot off over 350 shots in about 20 minutes.  Here are the ones I think are the best besides the daily.  Some were shot with my Canon S3 IS and some with my Canon SX40 HS.  I even put the SX40 HS in continuous shooting mode trying to capture inflight shots!  Take a look at the bees flying into the shots!

Watch out here I come!

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Just stopping by!

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Butterfly Angel...

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These guys are relatively tiny in comparison to a swallowtail but larger than a gray streak

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This is a Buckeye.

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HAGD,
Maryann

06/07/12 - Pink Out of the Dark

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/pink-out-of-dark.html

My daily photo today is a fancy pink coneflower shot taken in my friend and neighbor Judy's yard.  I darkened the background and cropped it a bit plus using Picasa to add the border.

Judy also has this allium? growing in her yard.  It's a neat round ball, and I've captured just a corner of it in the shot below.

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We had rain in the AM, and I thought this sweetgum tree leaf looked neat wet.

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This fly just sat there for me.  He was tiny,and I liked the details in the show below.  It always amazes me how hairy flies are!

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Still checking out the butterflies on my butterfly bush.  Yep, if you hardiness zone will support one of these bushes, planting one in your yard is sure to get you a few butterfly shots each summer!

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Joey's team, the Lugnuts, had a baseball game last night.  Here the team is having the opening 'prayer'.  Joey and Donnie are both in the line-up.  Can you spot them?

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What a sky it was at game time!

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Here's Aiden on 3rd working to get the sliding player from the other team out.  The ball got to Aiden too ltae, was a bad throw, but he stopped it and got it back to the pitcher with no more runs scoring.

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I used PhotoScape to combine a series of shots of Hunter and Cam pitching.  Kindof neat to see the progression of their pitch!

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We had concession stand duty last night, and here's helper Johnny ready to serve up your snack!

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Joey's team did go on to win.  I think the final score was 7-3.  Way to go Lugnuts!  That was the last regular season game with the tournament starting next week.

Thanks for all your comments on my butterfly shot from yesterday. They really made my day!

HAGD,
Maryann

06/06/12 - Butterflyfest!

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/butterflyfest.html

It was a good day for shooting butterflies yesterday.  At one point I had a black and a yellow Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on my butterfly bush. I could seem them flutter by from the window where I was working at my computer.  I took a few breaks to stretch my legs and came away with these shots. So hard to choose!

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I'm not sure what kindof bug is eating the tiny bee, but I really loved the pollen details in this one!

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HAGD,
Maryann

06/05/12 - Ben's Baseball Enthusiasm

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/bens-baseball-enthusiasm.html

Johnny's team, the Ironbirds, had a game last night.  Unfortunately they lost.  Even so, there are always moments out on the field that are a joy to watch.  This is Ben, the coaches son, and boy can he hit, run, throw, and catch!  A real thrill to watch all around!

I made collages of two of the other kids too:

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I get a real sense of joy capturing these memories and sharing with the other parents...

It is of course much harder to get shots of the action on the field. I missed several plays I would like to have captured.  Maybe next time!

Thank you for all your comments on my portrait of Salvo.

HAGD,
Maryann

06/04/12 - Sweet Salvo

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/good-boy-salvo.html

Madi's dog, Salvo, was being such a sweetheart poolside yesterday!

Here is Salvo's neighborhood friend Petey the bulldog looking very cute too.

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It was a laid back day yesterday with home cooked meals, a nice swim, relaxing time with Donnie, and the boys coming home for their dad's house.

Teen and Danny picked their first tomato, and there are more on the way!

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They also have this gorgeous hydrangea in their yard.  I feel like I can never fully capture the beauty and details of this bush, but I try.

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It's back to work and baseball for us today...

HAGD,
Maryann

06/03/12 - Bullets!

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/bullets.html

Do you know what car this is before I tell you?  Donnie and I went to the Tarheel Tigers Pontiac Club 12th Annual Car Show yesterday at MacGregor village.

We saw a lot of great Pontiacs, Buicks, and Cadillacs.  My favorite car in the show was a 1959 Caddy:-)  If I ever win the lottery (I don't play), I'm going to have to buy one of these!  It's a woman's car...what can I say.  IA woman actually owns it too and I talked to her.

Sweet!

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Best in show!  Also best shine.  Well deserved on both counts!

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My favorite hood!  Being at this show was like watching Smokey and the Bandit all over again!

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Gotta share this 1950 Caddy too!

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Donnie had a lot of fun making me guess where the gas caps are on the 1959 Caddy and the 1950 Caddy.  On the 1959 you pull out some of the bullets on the rear bumper to open a small panel.  On the 1950, it's under the left tail light.  That's right, the tail light.  Too cool!

It's really great going to car shows with Donnie...one more thing we really like to do together!

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Yesterday I shared a blog post of what was for dinner last night with this photo.

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I also shared a blog post on backing bacon  with this photo.

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HAGD,
Maryann

06/02/12 - Dreamy Daisies

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/dreamy-daisies.html

We continue to have a good bit of rain, so many of the flower pics I take are wet.  I took some roadside and neighborhood flower  pics on the school run and a short errand trip yesterday.  I liked the tiny daisy shot best for it's dreaminess and being something unique relative to what I've already posted this year.  But these wet lilies sure are pretty too!

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Cute anole lizard in my yard.

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And mourning dove love birds.

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That's a thistle sock for the goldfinch (not pictured) behind them.

Donnie and I had a chance to go to the Museum of Life and Science last night for their adult Disco Tech party.  Our good friends Joe and Debbie (below) invited us.  It was a fundraiser with a silent and live auction plus lots of adults dressed in their 70's best having too much fun dancing to the Bee Gees.  My kindof music!  Debbie and I waited until 10PM to get on the dance floor and then danced on and off with the guys for the next hour.  I left out of breath, sweaty, and with a big smile on my face!

The following shots were taken on the train ride.  Yes, the dressed up adults got to go without kids on the train!  Woo hoo!

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Back inside the museum, we had a bit more fun too:-)  Who says museums are just for kids!

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HAGD,
Maryann

06/01/12 - Flutterby

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/flutterby.html

This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail showed up on my butterfly bush yesterday.  Technically I was late to go get the boys from school already, but I just had to get out of my car and take a few pics before i headed down the road.  This was the best one I got for sharpness and color and exposure.  I hate it the leaf is in front of his head:-(

This shot is Madi's dog Salvo poolside yesterday.  He's so handsome!  We love this dog.  He's such a well behaved boy!

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This is Joey asking to have his picture taken.  He was really enjoyed the water!  Thanks to Teen and Madi for having us over!

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All my kid shots at the pool were blurry.  Too much action and not enough light but at least when the shade is over the pool we can sip the sunscreen/chemicals and no worry about sunburn.  The water was reasonably warm.  It felt great!  The kids are doing this new thing this year where they somersault into the pool:-)  I did talk to them about neck safety since the pool is not that deep.  I think they're OK with what they are doing at least this year.

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The video describes it better:-)

And the obligatory daily food shot.  How to have a hamburger without a bun.  Put homemade cheese sauce on it and then add a little sour cream salsa mixture as a pseudo ketchup.  Yum!

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HAGD,
Maryann

06/09/12 - Field of Daisies

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/field-of-daisies.html

Well, it's not exactly a field, but it is a large group in the center of my front yard. It's about the only sunny spot I have. This is the 3rd or 4th year that these gloriosa daisies have come back, and they are fuller than ever. I am happy. I need to set out my gazing globe (cement pillar) and birdbath. No tenants in the bluebird box right now.

SmugMug Link

This box turtle was my company while taking the shots.

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I tried swordfish for dinner last night. Using a cast iron pan on the outdoor gas grill works great! It's Italian dressing and coconut oil.

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Spider at Madi's pool was kindof neat too!

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Thanks for all your comments on my recent butterfly series...

Out the door NOW to baseball practice and Madagascar 3:-)
HAGD,
Maryann

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