Day 103

I love it when the tulips come up, they are so cheery, all the colors, red, yellow, orange, purple even white, the funny thing about tulips, at least for me, is that when I see tulips I'm brought right back to when I was a kid. We didn't have tulips at my house but my grandmother did, I think she had a zillion, they were all around her house, they seemed like they were everywhere. Who else remembers being sent to school with a few tulips, stems wrapped in a wet paper towel and then wrapped in tinfoil? I know all of us at good old St. Stephen's remember! How about everyone bringing in flowers for the May Day celebration, I don't seem to remember much from grade school, after all it was about 100 years ago, but I do remember that, I think it's because of all the flowers, and I remember it always being sunny on that day, it probably wasn't but for some reason I remember it as sunny. 

I wish I had more of a green thumb, but I don't so I will have to enjoy everyone else's, so I'll say thank you to everyone who plants flowers for me to enjoy!

"When you stop and smell the flowers life is sweet. Witness the beauty in all that you meet." -Author Unknown

Day 102

I have been lucky, I've lived my whole life on Seneca Lake, but living here my whole life and growing up in a house that overlooks the lake, means there are times I don't even think about it, which is a shame because it's absolutely beautiful. In case you don't know about our lake, here are some interesting facts for you: Seneca Lake is the largest of the glacial Finger Lakes, and takes it's name from the Seneca Nation of Native Americans, it's average depth is 291 feet with a maximum depth of 618, and due to it's unique microclimate it's home to over 50 wineries. It's a crazy lake, it can be as rough as the ocean or as calm as glass, I've gone swimming in it, and caught fish from it. Every fourth of July we watch the fireworks go off over it, and I've helped pile sandbags along the shore when it flooded. Is it any wonder that a lot of the photos for this year long project have something to do with the lake, it's a huge presence, you can see it from my house, you see it driving into the city, you see it from downtown, it's 38 miles long after all and you can see it from everywhere. I've complained for a good portion of my life about living here, small town, lousy cold winters, too much snow, summers that last a month, but as I have gotten older I realize the beauty of the area and also how blessed anyone, including myself, is because we get to live here.

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."  -Ansel Adams

Day 101

I've seen wild turkeys out in fields before, but have never seen a big old tom turkey strutting around, never mind one close enough to photograph. Look at this guy, he thinks he is all that and a bag of chips, there were a few hens nearby so he was all puffed up showing off his stuff. It's spring after all and he's all decked out in his finery looking for love. I guess because I had never seen a wild turkey showing off before so I never realized the colors and patterns of the feathers, look at the iridescent shine on the breast feathers, almost like mirrors they are so shiny. Everyday I am amazed by nature and it's beauty, even in something as ordinary as a turkey.

"To the artis there is never anything ugly in nature." -Auguste Rodin