GSL Shoreline Preserve

After a team breakfast yesterday in Layton, I took some time to walk the boardwalk at the Shoreline Preserve off Gentile street.  As you can see, it is fall in the wetlands, and both the grasses and the light show that.
The grasses/rushes/cattails are very tall this year, thanks to the very wet spring/early summer. The green, yellow and gold mix is entrancing and worth taking your time to just observe.
There was also a plane buzzing around and it came close enough to photograph - looks like the pilot was having a good day doing circles and ups and downs.

Hand, flower, tomatoes

The last couple of times I've hung out with Mom at her place, we've gone out on the patio and just enjoyed the wind and sun and weather.  Also, some wise soul planted cherry tomatoes and flowers out there, and Mom always loves picking the tomatoes and eating them.
Here's a shot of her 90 year old hand with a flower and tomatoes - we sat and looked at these for a few minutes before she began eating them.

Fall Color

We met Lisa and Sean on the Duschene Ridge road this afternoon in the eastern Uintas. A wonderful fall day, great colors and shapes and just incredible to be alive to experience the beauty, vastness and magnitude of the land.
Here's a few that I liked from today.

Bye Bye Hummers

It's that time of year, with today being the first day of fall (not that the birds and animals care). Last weekend we had 7 to 10 hummingbirds constantly refueling, talking and chasing one another.  Today we are down to two, and they may leave at any time.
Kind of lonely - we got very used to the chatter and the buzzing.  Walking up to within one foot of the feeder and standing still would always get one to come look at you.
But time moves on and we wish them a safe journey and will welcome them back in the spring!

Flowers for the soul

Sometimes we all need the comfort and healing that only beauty can bring - the beauty of nature as expressed in the flowers it provides.
Our backyard provides many such soul-comforting opportunities - here's a few that I found yesterday as the sun started to hide behind the trees next door.

Carey's Rose

Prayer

We've been lucky this year to have quite a number of praying mantis in the garden.  They've grown big and show up at the oddest times.  Here's one that posed for me on the umbrella on the deck - then he disappeared, winging his way across the yard.

And another view: (Looks like a skier!)

Uinta's in September

Murph and I traveled up to the Eastern Uinta's yesterday after the rain Friday.  The roads were good and not very many folks around.  Also, not many animals - other than sheep!
On the way, the maples showed their red - they looked like someone had reached down from the sky with a paintbrush and bright red paint and painted only them! What a vivid statement.
On top, the clouds were low, light was variable, and colors were saturated.  A great day for just being there plus the opportunity to capture beauty.
Here's a few of my favorites from the trip:

West Desert

Anywhere in the desert west of SLC there are innumerable photo opportunities just waiting for your eye. Lines and shadows and light and dark are favorites of mine so here's a couple of ones that jumped out at me for fun.
The B&W has reminders of old motion pictures in it for me.

Bailey's birthday party

Last Saturday, just after the sudden downpour, Bailey had her first birthday party. Lots of fun, food and kids playing.  Bailey was so energetic and seemed to be enjoying everything very much. Here she is playing with the colored balls, and Ozzie watching over her.
Also there was a former resident of Kensington Ave, Leah.  She has been to New Zealand and many other places in her young life, and I always love trying to capture her expressionful facial features.
Kensington Ave is the happening place!

Miscellany

Here's a couple of different views - one an 18 mm wide angle landscape and the other a 200mm closeup.  Is there a common style between them? - not that I can see myself, but then I am not sure I would. How about you?

Feeding time

It is the time of year when hummingbirds are moving fast and furiously; the food supply disappears in a day or two instead of a week. 5 to 10 birds are around at any time, including the rufous who attempts to dominate the feeder. There is another feeder on the other side of the yard, where the intimidated birds can get food away from the intimidator!
For the experience of a lifetime, we walk up to within a foot of the feeder and just stand there quietly. The birds show very little trepidation, often checking us out VERY closely (long sharp beaks). They do their thing right in front of us and treat us to a show and experience of all senses, being that close to them.
I've had more fun watching them this year than trying to capture them in pixels, but here's two that I got watching me. The camera is at chest level and I just fire away as they come in to feed - do battle.  This was shot at 3200 ISO, and 1/20 sec - it was getting dark.

A rufous hummer.

Moonlight

The moon is a wonderful, mysterious visitor these evenings, and I had a couple of ideas that I wanted to try.
Since there are telephone poles in the viewing space, I brought one in as a counterpoint to the moon and as some starkness in the moonglow.
The prayer flags hang from our roof over the deck and a little bit of work in Lightroom brought out the colors as I saw them in the moonlight.

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Two views

One of the most beneficial parts of the garden are some of the insects - specifically the praying mantis. We found a gaggle/herd - whatever the egg container is called - and placed it in the garden.  The little tiny ones are very cute, but the larger ones are beautiful.  Here's a couple of different views of these guys, they liven up the foliage for us.

A walk in the drylands

Murphy J and I took a long walk yesterday out by Farmington Bay Refuge. In many areas, the ground is dry, so we were able to walk quite a ways without 'mudding up'. The patterns on the ground are fascinating and worth a study in themselves.  We also found three eggshells - from birds that had their nest on the ground and the eggs had hatched.

A red-tailed hawk checked us out on the way home to see if we were edible - Murphy spent a bit of time in the pond cooling off after the walk. Here's a couple of different items from the walk.

Home

As much fun as it is to travel (usually), it is very nice to be home. The last two days have been pretty slow around here, as we found ourselves still in ocean mode. The weather has been blue-sky, no clouds, and in the mid-80's, with cool morning breezes. We'd love about two months of this, interspersed with ocasional rain.
Diana does a wonderful job of setting up the front of the house so it is very beautiful. Here's what it looked like.

A few more from the beach

I've been going through my trip photos today, deleting and looking for those that I like.  Here's three that I enjoyed.

I've attempted a lot of shots with these 'hairy' trees to capture what I saw - most of them have been unsuccessful.  But perseverance will overcome!