15_the_circle: (snow oak)
Sunday, December 6th, 2009 11:59 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

the snow moved on and the following day wasn't quite as warm as predicted, which meant that the snow was taking its own time about melting off.  clumps of it remained in the tops of the trees, trapped in the interstices out at the edges and presenting a completely misleading appearance of abundant spring blossoms. 

surely if one waits long enough that will happen, but not just yet. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)



Chestnut Road

not in bloom
not in bloom

15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Saturday, December 13th, 2008 11:50 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

one of the best things about Thanksgiving is the leftovers, not all of which need be culinary in nature. 

for the past several years I have observed a Thanksgiving jointly with friends here in the Grove.  distributed mode cooking makes for a better allocation of tasks and facilities in a way that just makes the day goes better, and entails a certain amount of going back and forth that affords the opportunity to see the Grove during daylight, a pleasure that lately has become too rare a treat. 

this were taken that day; a variety of circumstances have contributed to the delay in posting. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



the Circle

clematis against sky


detail
Clematis virginiana


Grove Avenue (Chestnut Road side)

another example in a different location, looking down rather than up. 


Clematis virginiana

15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Saturday, April 12th, 2008 11:58 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

most hyacinths put up a stalk lined with blossoms from top to bottom.  some, however, are content with just one or two and are no less appealing for their forbearance. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)



Chestnut Road

hyacinth
hyacinth

15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Saturday, April 12th, 2008 11:54 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

the time for daffodils is running out, but things have been cool enough for these ones to hang on. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Chestnut Road

the blending of the colours is quite appealing, particularly the way in which the yellow reflects onto the white petal bases. 

daffodil

don't tell anyone: the concentric circles in the background are, of all mundane things, the lid of a trash can leaning against a wooden fence. 



2nd Avenue

afternoon light highlights texture and gently warms colours. 

daffodil

15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Saturday, April 12th, 2008 11:52 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

last night the evening's spring warmth was briefly disrupted by a front coming through, all thunder and lightning on its leading edge with wind and rain behind it.  by the morning it was long gone but everywhere around the transitions seemed to have picked up their pace a bit. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Grove Avenue

the branches are starting to green out but a couple of elements in this image catch the eye: one is how the high limbs can still cast distinct shadows onto the gravel; the other is the distant white carpet of fallen magnolia blossoms down at the crossing of Oak Street. 

magnolia blossom carpet


Chestnut Road

this forsythia is finishing up with its brilliant yellow flowers and getting on with its green leaves: not at all showy, but much longer lasting. 

forsythia transition
forsythia

15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Sunday, March 16th, 2008 10:15 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

these rhododendron bushes just haven't gotten the word that around here the middle of March is way too early to come into bloom. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Grove Avenue

as seen from the Chestnut Road side:

ahead of their time

rhododendron
rhododendron
15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Monday, March 10th, 2008 10:57 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

the day's respite from cold and rain lasted for only a few hours.  the reversion to cold and wet was abrupt. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Chestnut Road and Acorn Lane

these images were taken only a few seconds apart.  immediately thereafter Meg and I scampered back under rapidly darkening skies, though not quickly enough to avoid being pelted by the first of the drops as the front moved back in. 

reflection

reflection

15_the_circle: (rosette raindrop)
Sunday, December 16th, 2007 11:43 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]



an overcast day with intermittent rain is not normally preferred for gathering images.  nonetheless today was not lacking in opportunity. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



2nd Avenue

these leaves are submerged in a birdbath whose surface, rippled by arriving raindrops, reflects wet branches and grey skies overhead. 

raindrops over submerged leaves

[crossposted to [livejournal.com profile] photogrove]



Chestnut Road

roadside puddles expanding, one drop at a time. 

roadside raindrops

[crossposted to [livejournal.com profile] texture]


15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Monday, December 3rd, 2007 02:09 am

[OT from cottage renovations]

there wasn't much in the way of light today, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything to see. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Chestnut Road

the diversity of the Grove's flora never ceases to amaze. 

the pumpkin fruit of the maple vine
Artificia sinofabricans

this is a new (to me) variant of A. sinofabricans, in the form of a vine, with maple leaves, bearing miniature pumpkins (see, inter alia, entry of 16 October 2006).  at least its colours can be expected to remain bright when the ice and snow come; I suspect the birds and squirrels might leave its attractive fruit alone.  it will be worth stopping by again to check on it. 


maple leaf
Acer

most of the maple trees have finished shedding their leaves but a few are still holding on. 


reflection
trees reflected in Weber Grill

detail sometimes turns up on the oddest places.  the black enamel of this charcoal grill reflects grey skies and leafless trees. 

15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Friday, May 4th, 2007 11:48 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

(click through this image for higher resolution image)



Chestnut Road

White coral bells, upon a slender stalk,
Lilies of the Valley deck my garden walk.

Oh, don't you wish that you could hear them ring?
That will happen only when the fairies sing.

lilies of the valley
Convallaria majalis
15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007 08:53 am

[OT from cottage renovations]

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



the Circle

this tree came down between houses, without damaging either one. 

tree down     tree down

7th Avenue

it fell along this walkway. 

tree down


Brown Street

tree and wires down     wires down
tree and wires are down; the latter can't be strung again until that leaning pole is fixed



somebody got word from the power company that service might be restored in another day and a half.  rain is down to an occasional spatter and the gusts are now peaking at 40 mph rather than 50, a welcome trend that we're hoping will continue.  it we can keep the rest of our trees we will count ourselves as fortunate indeed. 

with power still operating in part of the Grove, it was odd last night to look out the front windows to see the contrast of electric light from across the Circle against kerosene light within. 

this entry comes to you by laptop and somebody's open access point, somewhere. 

15_the_circle: (rosette raindrop)
Friday, April 13th, 2007 11:31 am

[OT from cottage renovations]

yesterday afternoon brought mixed light and rain, out into which I ventured on a random course leading to McCathran Hall, the Parsonage grounds, Center Street and the East Woods.  it was in the latter that I got caught in a passing cloudburst, dashing through its onset across the woods to borrow the use of [livejournal.com profile] m_lightfoot's porch *. 

back tracing my steps I found the coming and going of the rain and the return of sunlight had changed much of what I saw, and many of the images might find use in some future study. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)



Parsonage grounds, Chestnut Road and Center Street

this one was the one I liked the most, enough so that there really wasn't much point in posting any others from the same outing. 

forsythia
forsythia

you really do need to click through to catch everything that's going on. 
(this image available for online purchase)




ordinarily I wouldn't be such a wuss about a little rain, but didn't want to be taking any chances with the camera gear.  but sure enough the following morning I woke up with chills and a clear feeling of having caught something.  it will pass, though, and I'm happy to have taken this image.  a fair trade, I think. 

image would have gone up last night but Verizon was on another denial-of-bandwidth kick, one that lasted 12 hours.  damn the 'phone company and all who sail in her. 

15_the_circle: (snow cottages)
Sunday, February 25th, 2007 06:16 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

this morning the snow returned, making for slippery footing where it fell on remaining ice but also working its magic on the viewscape. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Center Street

road closed
road closed

I'm hoping nobody is in a hurry to get to the Town maintenance shed.  it's still there, behind this bamboo thicket which snow and ice have caused to favour the horizontal. 



Woodward Park

sycamore
sycamore


Chestnut Avenue

dogwood branches seem to be particularly well suited to catching and holding onto snow; it's stacked up even out to the tips.  you might need to click through to the larger image to see the falling snowflakes. 

dogwood
Cornus florida


Chestnut Road

oaks in the background loom out of the snowy sky over the cold stone of Castle McClelland. 

oaks over Castle McClelland

(this image available for online purchase)



Grove Avenue

when one of our cottages gets a makeover in the name of modernisation, more tends to be lost than gained.  one is trapped within these outwalls and though I have little regard for slab walls and modern fenestration, if one has to look at the result today's conditions are probably the most suitable.  the triangular window glass must be tinted, for it seems to be reflecting back a great deal more blue and they sky had to offer, bringing the one touch of colour to this scene. 

triangle
15_the_circle: (snow cottages)
Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 11:46 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

after yesterday's snow, today it was ice.  in the morning there were layers of ice and snow, the latter sometimes lighter but often heavier.  a carefree carfee lifestyle doesn't eliminate the shoveling chore; there was access to clear for carbound visitors as well as some shoveling for a neighbour whose wheelchair has 4 wheel drive but no plow attachment.  since I hadn't any plans to bike anywhere it productively filled the daily exercise gap. 

after sundown it all froze hard and one could walk across the Circle without any chance of breaking through.  any surfaces that haven't been cleared by now won't be for a while. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



the Circle

these branches were encased in ice, buds and all. 

Japanese maple
Japanese maple

dogwood dogwood
dogwood


Hickory Road

pod and vine take on different aspects underneath the ice. 

morning glory
glazed vine
morning glory


Chestnut Road

you can't have Valentine's day without roses, and you can't have roses without stems. 

rose stem

rose stem

rose stem


Railroad Street

I'm not sure how these branches came to develop these neatly shaped holes in their ice shrouds, right at the join. 

holes in the ice
15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Tuesday, February 13th, 2007 05:58 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

yesterday's light dusting persisted through the night and during the day a bit more snow showed up, though mixed at times with sleet and freezing rain.  by the end of the day the accumulation was about an inch. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Grove Avenue

a hush seemed to have fallen upon the avenue, and with extraneous noise subdued the scene took on a solemn grace beyond that which can be conveyed by this image. 

Grove Avenue


Chustnut Road at Center Street

snow on the ground and grey skies above always seem to conspire to drain the colour out of the seasonal landscape, giving a boost to the splash of pastel blue visible from this cottage porch roof. 

pastel splash
15_the_circle: (honeysuckle berries)
Saturday, January 6th, 2007 10:50 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

today's balmy weather came with light that started out intermittent and became quite steady.  in other words, an irresistible lure to head out and about with camera. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)




yuletide is past but the hollies are abundant of berries.  their colours seem to be tracking along with the holidays, tending more toward an orange shade around Halloween and Thanksgiving, settling in to the deeper reds by year's end. 

2nd Avenue

holly leaf with berries

holly leaf with shadow
Ilex



Jackson Park

these bushes are quite large and the berries cluster around the branch stems in pleasing garlands. 

holly garland
Ilex



Grove Road

the pattern of light through these leaves was complemented nicely by the shadow of the branch to which they are (still) attached.  I didn't look closely at the bush but these are probably honeysuckle. 

light through leaves



Chestnut Road

Oak Leaf Hydrangeas
Hydrangea quercifolia

these Oak Leaf Hydranges are growing across from Howard Park, next to the church parking lot. 




dried tracery

a couple of blocks away one is reminded that the tracery of branch doesn't always need the embellishment of leaves. 

15_the_circle: (rosette raindrop)
Sunday, November 12th, 2006 10:02 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

yesterday's warm light was followed by last night's and today's rain which by early afternoon had pretty much blown through, taking with it many of the remaining leaves.  a plugged culvert beneath Chestnut Road at Center Sreet created these opportunities to play with tree reflections against a steel grey sky. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Chestnut Road

reflection

reflection
15_the_circle: (rosette raindrop)
Sunday, September 10th, 2006 11:43 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

as summer eases on into fall some of the late blooms seem to be coming forth with a greater than usual exuberance. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



Brown Street

clematis

clematis
Clematis virginiana L.

I hadn't realised that our common clematis are related to the buttercup. 




Chestnut Road

butterfly bush
Buddleja davidii

this butterfly bush is continuing to put forth its characteristic pointed spray of blossoms. 

15_the_circle: (rosette raindrop)
Saturday, September 2nd, 2006 09:46 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

the rains came and went, giving the earth a badly needed soaking from which all the plants will benefit.  trading water for light I pulled on wellies and went out into the afternoon rain, which was unevenly tapering off.  I am acutely aware that this is quite a few more images than I generally post at once, or even per day or week.  I attribute this lapse of judgement to the novelty of ambient water. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)




the Circle

hibiscus
hibiscus



Hickory Road, behind Post Office

I really must apologise, this has been going on for a while now.  but the section of iron and wood fence behind the Post Office hasn't quite released me from its grip. 

iron fence

wood fence

wood fence paling

blossom in rain



Railroad Street

somewhere along the way they started using Cor-ten steel for guard rails instead of galvanized.  in colour and texture it makes for a interesting backdrop for this flowering honeysuckle vine. 

cor-ten backdrop



Chestnut Road

the rain and winds blew over the trellis for this vine, doing nothing to diminish the dazzling effect of these Passion flower (Maypop) blossoms. 

maypop

maypop
Passiflora incarnata



I headed back to the cottage to download images from the camera, process and upload to LJ for this post.  before I could get on with annotation the light came out, in the face of which I could neither stay inside nor believe that the day's images were done. 

Chestnut Road

what, have they started growing olives with embedded pimentos?

ripening berries

not yet, at least not of which I am aware.  these are just ripening berries. 




Hickory Road, behind Post Office

blossom, drops and light

start with a blossom. 
add and subtract rain, leaving drops. 
then, add light.  I still can't get over what it does. 




Chestnut Road

pine needles

with the sky starting to clear these pine branches are still holding on to a last few of the fallen drops. 

15_the_circle: (cottage sign)
Saturday, July 15th, 2006 10:21 pm

[OT from cottage renovations]

while out for a walk as today's light was running out and found that my attention was drawn to these grass tips. 

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)



church parking lot,
Chestnut Road

tuft
 
tufts


Maple Lake

you never know what you might find floating in Maple Lake. 

disturbing image )