07/05/12 - Red-Bellied Woodpecker My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-bellied-woodpecker.html While cooking breakfast yesterday, the mother red-bellied woodpecker came up with two of her babies to feed on the suet in my backyard. The suet is about 15 -20 feed from my kitchen window past the deck rail. Of course I stopped what I was doing, grabbed the camera, and tried to take a few decent pics of them. It was cute how the babies scooted up and down and around the small sweetgum tree. Looks close at the upper left picture and you'll see the one baby on the backside of the tree poking his head around for mom's beak full of suet. Lower right you'll see the baby mouth open below mom. The female adult red-bellied woodpeckers don't have the red crown coming all the way to their front beak. There's a break in the red. The males have a fuller red crown. I didn't see the father although I am sure he comes to the suet also since I frequently see males feeding too. Here's Madi with her Martha Washington impersonation:-) SmugMug Link Donnie and Madi in the pool yesterday. She begs him to 'throw' her now:-) We gave her some lessons yesterday on how to push off better like Johnny does and she was getting the hang of propelling herself even farther. SmugMug Link Me and Donnie poolside. See, I really do have hair now:-) SmugMug Link Thanks for your comments on my fireworks shots. 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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07/06/12 - Wool E. Bull

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/wool-e-bull.html

Donnie and Wally let me tag along with them to the Durham Bulls baseball game last night at the DBAP (Durham Bulls Athletic Park).  Although the Bulls lost 10-5, the game was interesting, and we had a great time with all the between inning festivities and crowd encouraging music.  They even had fireworks after the game!  Donnie and I tried to get up on the Kiss Cam with no luck but did get up on the big screen dancing to one of the upbeat songs.  Too bad there's no picture of that!  Featured in my daily is the team mascot Wool E. Bull with some kids they picked out of the seats to dress up and follow him on a humorous tour around the field.  The kids LOVE Wool E. Bull!  He gets out there in mini cars and drives like a crazy person around the field too!

A big thanks to the guys for the pink hat which they picked up for me at the last game.  I like!

In the collage is a cell phone picture of the 3 of us (center), a scene from the sumo wrestling (lower right), and the field crew (upper right) dragging the infield and dancing to M. C. Hammer Can't Touch this:-)  I loved that!

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Bye bye fireworks until next year...

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HAGD,
Maryann

07/05/12 - Red-Bellied Woodpecker

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-bellied-woodpecker.html

While cooking breakfast yesterday, the mother red-bellied woodpecker came up with two of her babies to feed on the suet in my backyard.  The suet is about 15 -20 feed from my kitchen window past the deck rail. Of course I stopped what I was doing, grabbed the camera, and tried to take a few decent pics of them.  It was cute how the babies scooted up and down and around the small sweetgum tree.  Looks close at the upper left picture and you'll see the one baby on the backside of the tree poking his head around for mom's beak full of suet.  Lower right you'll see the baby mouth open below mom.  The female adult red-bellied woodpeckers don't have the red crown coming all the way to their front beak.  There's a break in the red.  The males have a fuller red crown.  I didn't see the father although I am sure he comes to the suet also since I frequently see males feeding too.

Here's Madi with her Martha Washington impersonation:-)

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Donnie and Madi in the pool yesterday.  She begs him to 'throw' her now:-)  We gave her some lessons yesterday on how to push off better like Johnny does and she was getting the hang of propelling herself even farther.

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Me and Donnie poolside.  See, I really do have hair now:-)

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Thanks for your comments on my fireworks shots.

HAGD,
Maryann

07/04/12 - Happy 4th of July!

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-4th-of-july.html

The town of Fuquay-Varina, NC always has their fireworks display on July 3rd.  I like it!  That way if you are so inclined you can get to a great fireworks display in the area on both the 3rd and the 4th:-)  Don't know that I'll get to more tonight as it's scheduled to be another volleyball day in the pool, but I like the option.  Donnie and I were able to park and set up chairs on the southwest side of the field where they were putting them up from.  We really lucked out getting there at 8:50PM and the display starting at 9PM prompt.  A big cloud came up a few minutes before 9 and lightning was filling the skies, so the town wasted no time starting the 15+ minute show.  Usually they might have waited until 9:15 for it to get a tad darker.  The first few shots I took had a blue background!  Just as the show ended big drops of rain started to fall.  Donnie and I got to the car quick and all was well.  I think the bulk of the rain stayed east giving the 1000s of people at the event time to get to their cars too although some had a much longer walk than we did!

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The shot below moves on my screen.  How about yours?

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HAGD,
Maryann

07/03/12 - Tufted Titmouse

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/tufted-titmouse.html

A quick shot of a tufted titmouse in my camellia tree taken out my master bathroom window.

The daily food shot...2 eggs made like a crepe with hamburer and Wisconsin cheddar cheese int center served with salsa.  Yum!  We eat eggs every day now. 

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HAGD,
Maryann

07/02/12 - Lights a Flutter

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/lights-flutter.html

No vignette...had trouble making up my mind:-)

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My daily shot is a composite of two images.

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I inverted the colors and applied some pseudo HDR and cropped and adjust colors and used select and eraser and added the vignette and framing.  You know, highly tweaked:-)

A slightly wider/different one.

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The most normal pp'ed shot from yesterday.

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If I can't get a real butterfly shot I guess I've got to create a butterfly shot.  The cool lights came from Target.  I have some dragonfly ones too:-)  Donnie suggested I tape the cord on the kitchen table to keep them where I wanted them while I shot them.  Great idea!

HAGD,
Maryann

07/01/12 - Star Heat Map

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/star-heat-map.html

Just playing around with a picture I took of a flag windwock yesterday.  My yearly use of the Heat Map filter:-)

It was just too hot yesterday.  We hit 102 at my house again.  And it's cranking back up today.  I had to go out in the heat and emergency water some flowers to try to save them...a bit sad seeing them wilted.

A SP of me in my gazing globe.  Too bad I couldn't see the birdhouse on top of my head in the background when I took it!

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Another spiny orb-weaver in my yard this time showing more of the web.  I was going to post this as my daily but didn't want to put a spider in your face two days in a row:-)

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Another yummy dinner.  A beef fillet from Wilkerson Farms with green beans and onions.

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Thanks for your comments on my spider shot yesterday even though many of you don't like spiders.

HAGD,
Maryann

06/30/12 - Spiny Orb-Weaver Spider

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/spiny-orb-weaver-spider.html

Each year I take at least one daily of this type of spider found ALL OVER my yard.  I like them.  Tiny guys with a pretty web.  There are usually 4 connection points (2 each side) and some thicker and darker areas of web plus a really nice round shaped to the center.  They are harmless and a curiosity to me not to mention a photo op.  This guy was right outside my front door.  Nice of him to pose for me.

I saw 102 on my house thermometer.  101 in the car.  Repeat today!

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HAGD,
Maryann

06/29/12 - Lily in the Light

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/lily-in-light.html

I didn't take too many pics yesterday...only 14 which is way low for me.  Instead I spent my time cropping 150 pictures to 4X6 size and printing at Wal-Mart and creating a photo album for Joey and Johnny.  The pics span from February - June.  The boys are headed to NY with their dad for a week, and they enjoy taking some memories of home with them.

The shots I did take were on the ride home from school (red-tailed hawk), and at the pool.

Here's a highly Picasa pp'ed shot of the daily.  I'm not thrilled with the daily, and I didn't like this artistic version better either.

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The hawk was using the bathroom:-)

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Helmet girl:-)

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Dinner the night before.  I've lost 25lbs. eating like this...really.

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HAGD,
Maryann

06/28/12 - Pink Landing

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/06/pink-landing.html

I took today's daily at a neighbor's mailbox.  Each time I drive by the beautiful pink and orange lantana bush, I hope to see a butterfly on it.  I've been bummed the last week not seeing any, so today when I saw a black eastern tiger swallowtail on the lantana, I pulled over quick and got out with my camera.  Not only did I capture the swallowtail, but I got a few Skipper butterfly shots too.

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It was awards ceremony day today for the boys.  The boys get out of school Friday and return to their year round school on July 30th for the next grade.  Joey will be starting 4th grade, and Johnny will be starting 2nd grade.  Each of the boys received the Panther Gold Award today, and Johnny also got Perfect Attendance.  Joey was really bummed that he didn't get the perfect attendance award too.  The rule is you can have one tardy and/or one absence and still get the award, but Joey missed two days due to fevers:-(  I told him not to worry about it.  I was proud of the effort he made to go to school even on a few days when he didn't feel well.

This is Joey with his award.

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Here Ms. Simmons the principal is greeting Johnny with a big smile.  And then Johnny is holding up his awards.

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HAGD,
Maryann

07/05/12 - Red-Bellied Woodpecker

My Blog: http://maryanng.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-bellied-woodpecker.html

While cooking breakfast yesterday, the mother red-bellied woodpecker came up with two of her babies to feed on the suet in my backyard. The suet is about 15 -20 feed from my kitchen window past the deck rail. Of course I stopped what I was doing, grabbed the camera, and tried to take a few decent pics of them. It was cute how the babies scooted up and down and around the small sweetgum tree. Looks close at the upper left picture and you'll see the one baby on the backside of the tree poking his head around for mom's beak full of suet. Lower right you'll see the baby mouth open below mom. The female adult red-bellied woodpeckers don't have the red crown coming all the way to their front beak. There's a break in the red. The males have a fuller red crown. I didn't see the father although I am sure he comes to the suet also since I frequently see males feeding too.

Here's Madi with her Martha Washington impersonation:-)

SmugMug Link

Donnie and Madi in the pool yesterday. She begs him to 'throw' her now:-) We gave her some lessons yesterday on how to push off better like Johnny does and she was getting the hang of propelling herself even farther.

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Me and Donnie poolside. See, I really do have hair now:-)

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Thanks for your comments on my fireworks shots.

HAGD,
Maryann

SmugMug Link Donnie and Madi in the pool yesterday. She begs him to 'throw' her now:-) We gave her some lessons yesterday on how to push off better like Johnny does and she was getting the hang of propelling herself even farther. SmugMug Link Me and Donnie poolside. See, I really do have hair now:-) SmugMug Link Thanks for your comments on my fireworks shots. HAGD, Maryann" href="javascript:openLB(1946496202,'',XLarge,'',960,768);">