I didn't have to look very hard. Mother Nature is putting on quite the show this year. (click on the photo to make it bigger)
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| The intrepid photographer |
Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2012
Mother Nature Is Showing Off
Today was one of my rare days in which both kids were gone for an extended period of time. I had the day planned out and then unexpectedly found myself with a block of free time. So I grabbed my camera bag, hopped in the car, and went on a drive looking for spectacular fall color.
I didn't have to look very hard. Mother Nature is putting on quite the show this year. (click on the photo to make it bigger)
I didn't have to look very hard. Mother Nature is putting on quite the show this year. (click on the photo to make it bigger)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
A Trip To Phipps
This week has been incredibly stressful and difficult. I feel like I've lived through 3 months worth of crises in the space of seven days and, frankly, I don't like it very much. Neither does anyone else in the house and we're all pretty cranky.
So, this morning we took the kids and went to Phipps. We haven't been in several months and this is usually a very relaxing family outing for us. It wasn't so awesome this morning (if you saw a woman carrying a yelling, screaming red-headed demon toward the exit, that would have been me) but we did our best to enjoy it regardless.
The fall flower shower is in full swing and the place is stuffed to the gills with mums - all colors, shapes, sizes, and statures. The main room off the rotunda has been turned into a massive train display.
As we left, a quintessential Pittsburgh scene greeted us.
So, this morning we took the kids and went to Phipps. We haven't been in several months and this is usually a very relaxing family outing for us. It wasn't so awesome this morning (if you saw a woman carrying a yelling, screaming red-headed demon toward the exit, that would have been me) but we did our best to enjoy it regardless.
The fall flower shower is in full swing and the place is stuffed to the gills with mums - all colors, shapes, sizes, and statures. The main room off the rotunda has been turned into a massive train display.
This was Jamie's favorite room. Hence the screaming when informed it was time to leave.
"Choo-choo!"
As usual, the display designers at Phipps have left their unique twist on things. Left amidst the idyllic scenes of farms, the country store, and outdoor activities we find a barn...
...with dinosaurs. RAWR!
And oh, the colors! Reds! Oranges! Yellows!
If this isn't the definition of fall, I don't know what is.
As we left, a quintessential Pittsburgh scene greeted us.
The Cathedral of Learning against a perfect sky
The most exciting part of our visit (for me) was that I took my very first fully manual picture on my DSLR. I wanted to get a picture of one of the waterfalls in the Tropical Room and I wanted to slow the shutter speed down enough to get some nice blur on the water.
I did it!
It might not be the most interesting or most perfectly composed shot ever but I used the full manual function and I got the camera to do what I was hoping to make the camera do. Holy cats, I'm not a complete camera imbecile!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Fall Color
I took a drive the other day hoping to get some fall color shots. While there were a lot of leaves already on the ground, I did manage to get a few I wanted to share. I hate cleaning up those leaves once they fall but I sure do love the colors they bring before they do.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Saturday, November 7, 2009
All We Need Is A Car Up On Blocks in The Driveway
Living in suburbia has a culture all its own. We moved into our house in the 'burbs almost 2.5 years ago and we're still trying to adjust. Before we lived here we lived within Pittsburgh city limits (don't blame Lukey on me! I never voted for him!) on a teeny tiny lot with about 3 trees - one of which was really the neighbor's. Our lawn was approximately the size of a postage stamp (as was our kitchen) and took precisely 87 seconds to mow. Yard care was not a high priority nor a time consuming task.
The reason I tell you this is to explain why it is that when we were looking for a new house we never even considered how much yard care a given house would involve. Well, we found THE house and it just happens to be situated on half an acre and is surrounded by large maples and oaks. Like many homes in and around Pittsburgh, our backyard is a hill. We've got about 20 feet or so of flat ground directly out the back of the house and then it starts going up. So, the whole back hill is woods. The rest of the property is ringed with trees.
You can imagine what this means come Fall.
Now, it seems like the people in my neighborhood all belong to the Lawn Mafia. I'm not lying when I tell you that I once came home on a 20 degree day when it was snowing to find my neighbor across the cul de sac mowing his lawn and picking up leaves. The man is obsessed. He's the worst example but everyone around here puts in a lot of work from early spring to early winter caring for their yards, gardens, and lawns.
Us? Well, not so much. It's not that I don't want to be able to devote time to to it but we have the youngest kids in the neighborhood and it always seems like there's something else going on to prevent us from doing more than the bare minimum. Last Fall I was pregnant, had a 3.5 year old, and my husband had a broken wrist. The few nice days we had, I just didn't have the energy to spend all day on leaf clean up. This year, I have an infant, a 4.5 year old, and a husband with the Hamthrax.
To top it off, our leaves tend to blow onto the lawns of at least 4 of our neighbors. I know they don't appreciate it. Last year Neighbor Man (he of the 20 degree lawn mowing) left several bags of leaves out with OUR trash just as a silent dig to the fact that he was cleaning up our mess thankyouverymuch. This year, another neighbor has erected a leaf fence to defend themselves from our leaves.
I feel so bad, but I also feel torn. I only have so much time and energy and while I *do* make an effort, I can't seem to get completely on top of the job, and keep the house clean, the laundry done, the kids fed, and myself remotely sane. It seems like every year I throw in the towel on the leaves in an effort to keep up with everything else. You'd think that with a college degree and no job, I'd be better at this. But I'm so not. Sigh.
So, yeah, we're those neighbors you give the evil eye for bringing down your property values.
UPDATE: After writing this post I felt so guilty about not raking leaves that I went outside and raked for an hour and a half. The job isn't even close to done but it's the thought that counts, right? RIGHT?
The reason I tell you this is to explain why it is that when we were looking for a new house we never even considered how much yard care a given house would involve. Well, we found THE house and it just happens to be situated on half an acre and is surrounded by large maples and oaks. Like many homes in and around Pittsburgh, our backyard is a hill. We've got about 20 feet or so of flat ground directly out the back of the house and then it starts going up. So, the whole back hill is woods. The rest of the property is ringed with trees.
You can imagine what this means come Fall.
Now, it seems like the people in my neighborhood all belong to the Lawn Mafia. I'm not lying when I tell you that I once came home on a 20 degree day when it was snowing to find my neighbor across the cul de sac mowing his lawn and picking up leaves. The man is obsessed. He's the worst example but everyone around here puts in a lot of work from early spring to early winter caring for their yards, gardens, and lawns.
Us? Well, not so much. It's not that I don't want to be able to devote time to to it but we have the youngest kids in the neighborhood and it always seems like there's something else going on to prevent us from doing more than the bare minimum. Last Fall I was pregnant, had a 3.5 year old, and my husband had a broken wrist. The few nice days we had, I just didn't have the energy to spend all day on leaf clean up. This year, I have an infant, a 4.5 year old, and a husband with the Hamthrax.
To top it off, our leaves tend to blow onto the lawns of at least 4 of our neighbors. I know they don't appreciate it. Last year Neighbor Man (he of the 20 degree lawn mowing) left several bags of leaves out with OUR trash just as a silent dig to the fact that he was cleaning up our mess thankyouverymuch. This year, another neighbor has erected a leaf fence to defend themselves from our leaves.
I feel so bad, but I also feel torn. I only have so much time and energy and while I *do* make an effort, I can't seem to get completely on top of the job, and keep the house clean, the laundry done, the kids fed, and myself remotely sane. It seems like every year I throw in the towel on the leaves in an effort to keep up with everything else. You'd think that with a college degree and no job, I'd be better at this. But I'm so not. Sigh.
So, yeah, we're those neighbors you give the evil eye for bringing down your property values.
UPDATE: After writing this post I felt so guilty about not raking leaves that I went outside and raked for an hour and a half. The job isn't even close to done but it's the thought that counts, right? RIGHT?
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