Happy Halloween!

Just for fun

We went to a pumpkin carving party over the weekend. Here are the fruits (ha ha) of our labors.

Nothing out of the ordinary

The red-breasted nuthatch stopped by our feeder for a bite of lunch.

Tool of the trade

No, thank you

Driving down the highway, we passed a truck full of...

Yuck!!

A walnut by any other name...

This Black Walnut hides in its disguise of a green pod.

Note to self...

Forgetting to switch out of manual focus is not good when trying to capture Trumpeter Swans in motion...

Just an ordinary day

A shot of real Wisconsin farm life.

A moment to reflect

An early morning hike through a nearby forest preserve offered up this lush view. Leaves still aren't changing. Used a little Topaz Simplify to tone down all the detail in the leaves.

Light and bright

One of the last seasonal flowers...we're well into fall now.

Lesson in f/stop settings

I took this shot of country-fresh gourds right after getting out of the car, and didn't really check my camera settings. Home, I'm marveling at the very shallow depth of field...only a few are in sharp focus. Why? This was shot at a shutter speed of 1/800, f/4.5.

Because I can't imagine what would have caused me to select that combination of settings, I'm assuming I spun a dial without paying attention, and I certainly didn't check before I depressed the shutter.

Oh! Today is 10-10-10! How cool is that???? Look what time I posted!  :-D

Only one of these fits the category

Hmmmm.....who knew not all pumpkins are orange?

Weathered and worn

One of several tractors still in use at the apple orchard.

For Bobbie and Auntie B

I generally don't post people pictures, but I'm posting this for follow Photo Walker Bobbie in Connecticut. I live in Illinois. Bobbie frequents her local library, where my Aunt Betsy happens to work. Small world, eh??

So...here's a shout-out to Bobbie AND my Auntie B, who posed with me during a summer trip to Rhode Island a couple of summers back.

Photo credit to my DBF Jon.

Swing at the low hanging fruit

On our visit to the orchard, we learned of a new type of apple - the Candy Crisp. Crunchier and just a bit more tart than a Golden Delicious. Very tasty!

Peace and tranquility in the country

These rocking chairs wait for their big (and small) owners on the front porch of an apple orchard farm store.

Steaks, anyone? Anyone?

A hike around the lake at our nearby state park took me past this grill, obviously well used. On closer inspection, I think I'd wait until I got home before surrendering my burger to these irons...