Sunset on the Storm

I was at my son's football practice and noticed the sun setting on the storm clouds from earlier. Just before the sun sets is the best time to see dramatic colors in the clouds. I could see people in the bleachers looking at me and then looking in the direction of where I was shooting to trying to fingure out what I was looking at. (Since the practice was in the oppositie direction). They probably thought I was loosing my mind. I am sure I was the topic of converstation for some on the way home, espcially when I started to move around to compose the pictures. Too bad they didn't notice what they were missing!

Morning Visitor

While sitting on my deck I heard something whiz by my head coming very close to hitting me. I discovered that it was one of the humming birds that have been coming to our honeysuckle bush every year for a few years now. My children have named him "Zippy" and he has become a seasonal pet that we look for every spring and feed all summer long. Whether or not it is actually the same humming bird is unknown, but my kids believe it is and get a kick out of watching for Zippy and taking care of him all summer. Zippy has become very accustom to us being on the deck because let's face it, my kids have yet to master the ability to be quiet for long periods of time. When I took these photos my son was playing on the deck and I was only a few feet away with nothing hiding me.

It's Been a While but I am Back to Blogging

Wow, I can't believe I haven't made any posts since October! Life has been busy to say the least. Both my children have been involved in school sports, scouts, and my son has been diagnosed with a learning disability, most likely moderate dyslexia. So most of my time has been spent on the Basketball court side lines, being assistant leader to my son's cub scout den, and researching special education laws and learning strategies for dyslexia. ( I am considering starting another blog about what I have learned, and techniques I am trying with my son for other families that may be going through a similar experience.)

We had some wildlife visitors in our backyard visible through our kitchen window. We think they are after our chickens that we got last spring. Seeing these guys outside my kitchen window reminded me of the title of my blog "Outside Your Window" and made me realize I have been so busy taking care of everyone else I haven't been taking care of myself and the things I enjoy.

So I have made a point to get back outside with my camera (even though winter is in full force here in New England). I have been doing some hiking in the woods behind my house, and my children have joined me for some. They haven't gotten the whole quite in the woods to see the wildlife thing, but we have been able to see lots of tracks that we have identified and it has released some of their built up energy!

So here I am back to photography and blogging!

My son starting out on our hike and tracks we found in the snow.

Weekend Hiking

I decided to make it time to go hiking up in the White Mountains, NH this past weekend. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see the foliage in all it's splendour. I was a little disappointed to see that I had missed the peak, but it was still absolutely beautiful. My children were amazed by the snow cap mountain peaks while they were only in sweaters at the base. We took a small hike at Franconia's Notch Waterfall Trail and then we Walked around at The Basin. My children got a kick out of following the river. My son noticed that part of the river looked like a natural waterslide. It's also funny how when we think of waterfalls we think of warm, exotic places. Until I picked up a NH hiking map, I didn't even know how many waterfalls were in my home state, and they are just as beautiful. I can't wait to explore and photograph more of them!

Little Bit of Everything

It has been a while since my last post. I have been enjoying being outdoors with my family. We have been doing a little bit of everything. Camping, hiking, beach, and so much more. I also have been putting together my website (www.treasuredmomentsbydaniele.com) when I have had some free time. Last week my children and I enjoyed a nice picnic dinner on the beach after work. It was so nice to do something different and enjoy the evening air outdoors. My children enjoyed it so much they want to do it again this week. This week we are going to go to a local state park, have our picnic, do a little hiking, and if it's warm enough a little swimming. Most places in my area do not charge an entrance fee after a certain time, so it is a very inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors and it breaks up the weekly routine. We are probably going to make this a weekly event until it gets to cold (which I hope isn't for a long time!) Climbing the rocks at the beach

Dragonflies we saw on one of our hikes around a pond.

More pictures from the pond.

Summer Colors

Driving home from a family get together my son and daughter and I saw the rainbow below as we pulled on our road. Of course I had to pull over and take a picture. When I got home my son said "Mommy I am going to look for the pot of gold!" I love how excited he was about something occurring in the natural world. My daughter thought it was a good luck sign for a softball game she was in the next day. I felt very proud that both my children took time to look at the rainbow and appreciate it.

Riding the Waves

We all need family and friends to ride the waves of life.

I went to the coast clear my head from a very hectic morning. This is what I saw when I got there. The scene in front of me made me think about my friends and family that have helped me the past two weeks while I was recovering from surgery.

Later that night when I got home I saw these frogs in my water garden. Usually there has been one little guy in there but this night there was two. Hmmmm.

My children became very excited to see that our "pet frog" had a new friend.

We Can't Control Everything

With all the technology and power we have, we still can not control everything. We have to make the best out of some situations.






A few years ago you would have never found me out in a thunderstorm trying to capture a picture of lightning. But as I continue to challenge myself to get better shots, I find and take opportunities that I would have never taken before. This is starting to trickle down to my children as well. The last storm we had, no one was scared and they almost enjoyed watching the lightning create different designs in the sky. (Of course the storms were not sever and it was safe for us to do so. There is a difference between taking a photographic opportunity and risking your safety.) After the storm we walked around our yard and noticed how interesting the raindrops looked on everything.

Patients is a Virtue

Sometimes you have to wait for good things to come to you.

The old saying "patients is a virtue" is certainly true. I worked on practicing patients, as I would say to my children, these past two weeks. Sometimes this is not easy to do, especially in a world of almost instant gratification. But as hard as it was to stay still and focused, my patients paid off. I would have missed these great opportunities if I had not taken the time to be still and wait. It is amazing what you will see when you take the time to wait and watch.

Making Time

In a previous post I wrote about balancing our time and taking time to appreciate what is around us. I had to do this very consciously this past week. Both my children began their baseball and softball activities. They are fully enjoying it, however it has been a very challenging schedule for our family. Here are some pictures I took in my own yard.

This last picture I took while we were at one of my children's baseball games. Even then you can take a moment to notice things.

Take a Closer Look

With the spring blossoms in full bloom, you can't help but notice the beautiful sights. We usually notice the blossoms, but how often do we stop to pay attention to the delicate details in them. Here are some photos I took this weekend. The first one is what we usually notice if we were driving by or walking by, the second is what you can really see if you take a closer look. These were all taken in my backyard. I encourage you to take a few minutes in your backyard and look closer at some of the flowers or blossoms in your yard, you might be amazed at what you have you never noticed!