Blue Jay Way (281/366)

The rain held off overnight so when I got up, we had a lot of bird action in our yard.  The first bird was a woodpecker and while I did capture him, it was through the screen and I was not at all pleased with the outcome.  Then of course we had a few robins and various others but my favorite was a pair of Blue Jays.  I captured one up in the trees and one down on the ground under our dogwood.

Shots like this are when I wish I had a 400mm or 500mm lens but this shot was my favorite of the two.  Now that the butterflies are on their way south, I will stick with the birds that will frequent the yard over the winter.

Soon will be the break of day
Sitting here in Blue Jay Way
~The Beatles

No Place Like Home (280/366)

A crisp fall day and nothing better than some Fall Baseball!  Our Green Tree team was taking on Bridgeville and going for yet another win.  Now, the field we were at is not the easiest to get too but I always love what the Bridgeville coaches do with the kids Fall Ball shirts!

This was the first inning and their right fielder was waiting for the game to begin and what a game it was.  Very close till the very end when Daniel tied the game with a sacrifice fly and then Francis came through and with another sacrifice to take the lead 4-3. They held them in the bottom of the 6th and it was over!  Ice Cream and chips to all the kids for a game well played!

And yes, there is no place like home.....

Yarn Bombing (279/366)

I love anything pumpkin.  Coffee, bagels, roll, pie, etc.  If it's made with pumpkin I know I am going to like it.  A few days ago there is a young girl in the elevator of the Parking Garage in her Yogli Mogli shirt as she works for the new Frozen Yogurt shop down the street.  Well somehow the topic of flavors came up and she said they had Pumpkin.  My eyes lit up as did my taste buds.

I had a good food day(ie, I behaved with my caloric intake) and I sent a message out for anyone in the office wanting to join me for a quick walk to the new store.  Michelle and Kelly joined me and on our way down the street I saw the strangest thing.  Doily's wrapped around the light pole and what looked like a small blanket wrapped around another.  I had to stop and take a pictures.  Michelle said she had heard about this kind of thing and of course, she was Googling as soon as we got back to the office.

It's called Yarn Bombing and it started in the US in 2005 by Magda Sayeg who put a knit cozy on her businesses door knob and it sorta caught on.  It's a form of graffiti or street art and apparently it's hit Pittsburgh.  Never saw anything like this until today but it's kind of cool!  And hey, if you get cold, these are about scarf size....go for it!

For more info...check it out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

Home Improvements (278/366)

The time has come to start doing things to the house.  The very first thing is the exterior because it needs work.  All new gutters, downspouts, soffit, fascia, shutters and a new roof.  Then we move on to a new garage door.  By the time that's all done, it will be time to move inside and I have a floor guy coming this weekend because I need to understand the cost of what I want done upstairs and in the living room and dining room.  The entry way and the kitchen are going to have to wait a bit.

This shot is of the soffit area on my porch.  Yes, it's that bad.  I can't wait to have it all be NO MAINTENANCE and for my house to not look like the "white trash" house on the street.  Before and after pics will most definitely be taken and shared!

Fire In The Sky (277/366)

Sometimes you just had to stop and look at the beauty of nature.  Tonight, while watching one of Dan's game, more than a few of us took time to capture this moment.  Even Dan's coach told all the boys to check it out.

Then of course, the only thing that came to mind was Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water".  And since that song is stuck in my head now, I will share the love with you all........LOL

Smoke on the water and fire in the sky
Smoke on the water......
~Deep Purple

Bursting With Color (276/366)

It rained most of today and when I took the kids to CCD tonight, I honestly thought I had to go to the monthly PFO meeting for Aiken.  I was early so I took a few moments with my iPhone and shot some of the flowers in the garden outside the school.  The color in these lovely flowers was amazing and really brightened what had been a dreary, gray day.

Now, what was also funny was that the PFO meeting is next week...LOL  I so need a secretary.

Orange is the happiest color!
~Frank Sinatra

October 1 (275/366)

It was a crazy day today and picture taking was at a premium.  When I finally got home and had some dinner, I took a stroll up the street to see if I could find something fun.  First time I have taken the 7D out in these conditions so I was hoping to see what it can do.  If the weather had been nice I might have shot the moon, but Mother Nature was having none of that.

So most of my neighbors have all their Fall and Halloween decorations out and while disturbing George, our neighbors dog, I took a few shots of the neighbor's home.  The Foreman's always give out glow sticks for the kids to wear while trick or treating and it's the first place we go.

I am hoping the kids are not into dressing up this year but I think I will be trekking up our hill and down again for an hour while they collect more calories than we know what to do with!

The farther we have gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we've come to need Halloween.
~Paula Curan