Friday photography - A Week of NZ Natives in Flower

flax

nikau

Pohutakawa

close-up

This is the height of flowering in Auckland, from delicate roses to massive trees blooming. This year seems to be an exceptionally flowery transition from Spring to Summer. And all the lush green makes the perfect backdrop. Add birds singing and flying through succulent air, and you have something close to paradise. I’ve taken some poetic licence here, but not much ; ). There are also mosquito hours which make me especially appreciative of screens.

Thank you to everyone who enjoys and participates in the photography open threads. It’s always a pleasure.

Christmas time in NZ ...

Have a wonderful weekend and holiday time all.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

magiamma's picture

Thanks for the Friday photos janis.

Beautiful photos janis. Great yellow greens.

Saw a bunch of crows in a yard behind the library and stuck my phone over the top of the fence and grabbed a photo. What are they all doing?

Crows.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

janis b's picture

@magiamma

up
0 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@magiamma

Thank you for all you contribute to the POT and your Hot Airs.

up
0 users have voted.
magiamma's picture

@janis b
to the POT. Those crows caught my eye and I went into the parking lot of the library to try to figure out what they were up to and when there were so many I had to take pictures. What you see is a small part of what was there plus there were a bunch in the trees of the parking lot and in the air. Too funny. The library was open. Maybe they take turns going in and checking out books.

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

janis b's picture

@magiamma @magiamma

In The Company of Crows. Pornography for crows ; ).

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

@magiamma

But never Crows. Hmm.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

snoopydawg's picture

@magiamma

This is my guess. Ours have disappeared and I have been wondering where they went. Now I know because I see JoeBob and SallyMae right there next to JanieSue. See them right there in front?

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

magiamma's picture

@snoopydawg
ella bee, lousia may, chico...

my granddaddy from texas used to say, "well, well, well, two's eight, and four's a dozen. lol.

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

dystopian's picture

@magiamma They are all talking about the one that had the ugly baby last year... Wink

up
0 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

@magiamma You however, were witness to a murder.

up
0 users have voted.

@peachcreek a siege of herons, a bloat of hippopotami. heh

peace

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

What's the animal under the 'tree'?

One from a walk a couple of months ago:

And here's Fred, relaxing at a stop during his On the Road/Jack Kerouac years:

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

magiamma's picture

@Bollox Ref
read us some poetry.
Beautiful shot of the trees. Mauve and orange. Sweet. Where is it?

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Bollox Ref's picture

@magiamma
of the St. Croix River in Minnesota.

Fred's too beat to read poetry..... even if he could.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref

the light and colour on your walk. Cool that Fred enjoys his travels ... Travels with Fred.

Does he also write?

You're welcome, and the animals are sheered sheep.

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

@janis b

Makes sense. It looked like a goat.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref

looked more like a goat.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@Bollox Ref

Fred Kerouac.

(wonder what happened to my original comment .. forgot what I said..)

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Bollox Ref's picture

@snoopydawg

feel, so I'm going with it.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

magiamma's picture

Same beach
different time of day
always full of surprises
beach walk.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

janis b's picture

@magiamma

I've missed your photos from your beach walks.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@magiamma

Yes, very cool!

Are you going to get the huge waves this weekend? The SF area is going to be seeing waves as high as 60 feet this weekend. People are told to not even go on the beach. Boy do I want to go to Bodega bay and see them!

IMG_2920.JPG

I climbed out on the cliffs here and it goes past the point where the wave splashed up in the air. The sound it made was incredible! BOOM!

IMG_2921.JPG

This photo doesn't capture how big this was. It was at least twice as big as it looks here. If you're getting them then please try to take some pictures of them if you can and be safe doing it.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

magiamma's picture

@snoopydawg
no, but thanks, you can bet I will go down to the cliffs and watch them. 60 feet! Whoa baby!

Totally will take pics. Cool.

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

janis b's picture

@magiamma

Sounds wild.

up
0 users have voted.

@snoopydawg oh I miss the beach so much! There will be extreme tides (6 foot highs and below zero lows) over Christmas too, good ones. One day we will meet each other there snoopydawg, some day. Camping at Bodega Dunes or something. Anything. lol Make it so. ~magic wand~ You know about Dillon Beach right? Private one farther south, but good dawgs go off leash and it is flat so they can run forever. Ends up way down at Tomales Bay I think, but I could be remembering wrong. Used to be great.

Meanwhile, I am vicariously enjoying this person's recent photography, maybe others will to:
The Natural History of Bodega Head
http://bodegahead.blogspot.com/
12 knots = 13.8 mph in case anyone else was wondering after the "northwest swell, with east winds" set. ta

peace unit

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@eyo

You are in Sonoma county aren't you? I've been thinking Guerneville or somewhere close by there.

Yes I have been to Bodega dunes a few times, but I like how the campground at Wright's beach is laid out. It's 6 miles north from the town and if you blink driving by you will miss it.

This is it. I spent a few Xmas in the spots on the left and many weekends in the overflow parking area for $5 a night. The year I took these photos the front spots were flooded from the huge waves. Just incredible. Hope you can go there some day.

IMG_2928.JPG

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg I don't drive anymore so feel as if I'll never see the ocean again, makes me sad. But in the 80s I lived at the end of Estero Lane in Bodega, the most beautiful and windiest place on earth. And I camped at Bodega Dunes with my little RV back in the 90s, when I lived in Rohnert Park. I grew up in Marin, so Drakes Bay, Abbotts Lagoon, Point Reyes, I was all over Mount Tamalpais and down at Stinson Beach instead of high school. ah memories

I remember the day we decided to buy our little RV, we were blown off Bodega Head while trying to watch the surf. omg the wind was so ridiculous we could hardly stand upright against it. Gorgeous. The Head was the first place we drove after purchase, made coffee on the stove and lol'd as the wind rocked us back and forth.

Doran Beach was a 28 minute drive from my door when I lived in Petaluma, so I'd go there all the time too, never stayed at the campground though. Great birding all over that place.

Truth is my camping days are over, unless I decide to live on the streets like a couple thousand others around here. I'm so bankrupt I don't even own a tent now, what's the point? keep wishing
"You either become dead or more depressed in this system"
Well I'm not dead yet, thanks holy grail. Would have to pay extra for Kaiser Medicare advantage to get that kind of treatment. good times

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@eyo

which I'm planning on doing some day and we will get you back to the dunes and then go to Wright's beach! Yep. This sounds like a plan!

What wonderful memories you must have of the places you have been to. Ditto to those places. The whole area is just incredibly gorgeous and I went there as often as I could. I saw a doctor in Mill Valley and after the appointment I would find a road and follow it. I got lost so many times because it got dark before I headed back home to Modesto. Didn't care for the city, but loved my job and how the city was close to both the mountains and the ocean. And the City.

Heh! Yep that wind will try to blow the skin off everyone and everything. This happened one time I was camping on that beach. I thought my little trailer was going to blow into the ocean.

Yeah lack of money sure puts a crimp in any plan to do something or go somewhere doesn't it? I'm right there with you on this, but in my head I've made lots of plans to go places. Maybe one day that" I'm not going to be poor one day" will come true.
Hang on to your memories of days past. You got to play in some incredible places. And look on the bright side. You could be in Utah!

Smile

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Bollox Ref's picture

@magiamma

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Socialprogressive's picture

A few weeks ago, Boriscleto posted some images he processed on the website Deep Dream Generator. I liked the results so I thought I'd try it on some of my photos.

b09f5cf8c248e668e3d8794ca64595ec6d3e2d0d

cf7568c2452d8a7ec96f3d4d81211b0af8d17058

b0cbefdace94e1b2bb15064e633e7a58057ddf9c

5941af240709851dce14254391df81fc157cbf57

up
0 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

janis b's picture

@Socialprogressive @Socialprogressive

for your experimentation. van Gogh and Gauguin would be proud! I especially enjoyed the roses.

up
0 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

@janis b
The filter I used for the landscape shot was called Van Gogh.

up
0 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

magiamma's picture

@Socialprogressive
the roses rock. what fun. thank you.

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Socialprogressive's picture

@magiamma
It is fun and a little bit addictive.

up
0 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

Bollox Ref's picture

@Socialprogressive

Portrait filter?

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref


attribution: https://twitter.com/velasquezcaleo

up
0 users have voted.
Socialprogressive's picture

@Bollox Ref
there's no Velazquez filter.

up
0 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

snoopydawg's picture

@Socialprogressive

I like what it does to the scenic photo.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Socialprogressive's picture

@snoopydawg
And it's free and easy. Give it a try.

https://deepdreamgenerator.com/

up
0 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

janis b's picture

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@janis b

You did offer a standing invitation? It's so lush there. I'm stopping in CA first though.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

From California, it's a direct flight!

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

IMG_2918.JPG

IMG_2919.JPG

This is the path between golf holes

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

How does the golfer find his ball in the snow, or after bouncing off steps? Nice photos, which seem far from any golf course I can imagine.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@janis b

after Bailey died and before we got Charlie. The course is built in the foothills and is very difficult to play and everyone loses balls there and I'd go to find them. They weren't stolen, just misplaced. I did that when I lived in CA too. This path parallels the course and finding them is very addictive. I found over 5,000 during my walks.

IMG_2923.JPG

Mt. Ogden golf Or google the course and see how easy it is to lose them by clicking images. When I moved I thought the courses there were boring because they were flat. This course the only time your feet are on flat ground is on the tee. Love this course.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

which I suppose explains finding 5,000 lost balls. My father was a golf fanatic, and painted his golf ball red in winter with my mother's nail polish, so that he could find them in the snow. Did you find any of those? Also, a favourite pastime of his was retrieving (not stealing) golf balls from the canals.

up
0 users have voted.
magiamma's picture

@snoopydawg wow gorgeous photos. Smile

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

snoopydawg's picture

@magiamma

I have a thing for trails and this is kind of one through the trees. There is something about trails that draw my eyes. Maybe wondering where it will take me or what's around the corner? Roads too.

Are you still creating your artwork that Wendy essayed?

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

magiamma's picture

@snoopydawg
that I have drawn with for 20 years. Pen and ink. Cause it's the iron chef challenge. We have both come a long way in that time. Other art is slow. working on one but having a hard time finding the time. Once the blog settles down to a dull roar I will do more. Thanks for asking.
Smile

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

janis b's picture

@magiamma

but whatever fulfills you is good.

up
0 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

I love yer flowers Janis! Beautiful, exotic, provocative, wonderful. SD, BR, and Magi, all great pix too! I'll have to ease into the VanGogh, Degas, and Gaugin... Wink I wonder what Vinnie would think of the starry night algo? Magi, often crows or ravens gather in flocks especially if there is a hatch of something, or if the ground flooded and prey items are being pushed up and out. Nuts too, they like orchards.

These are a couple grab-shots from an hour out last weekend...

Here is a Loggerhead Shrike, often called Butcherbird by layfolk. Note hooked tip of bill, they are songbird that is a serious predator. They hang their prey in a cache often on thorny bushes or even barbed wire fences. I have seen birds, lizards, parts of mice, and even a bat once in the prey cache of a Shrike. I have seen them ride birds as big as themselves to the ground in an attempt to take them.

Lshrike120918a.jpg

Here is an LBJ, a LittleBrownJob. This is a Savannah Sparrow.
savsprw120918a.jpg

This is a Say's Phoebe, a type of flycatcher.
says120918a.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

janis b's picture

@dystopian

I listened here to the Loggerhead Strike. I was mesmerised by both the sound and the visual representation of it; and how at the end it sounds like the combination of the two repetitive notes from the beginning.

I really appreciate your documentation, visually and informatively, of nature. I always find something that feeds my soul. So, thank you again.

up
0 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

Hey we can use some smiles tonight right? Puppy love.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

mimi's picture

them.
It reminds me of how much nature is surrounding you and how little is left at some other places around the world.
Thank you all.

up
0 users have voted.