11/14 to 11/18 Thankful to be Caught up!!!!

Thankful for the Quiet Times

11/14 Give Thanks for Quiet Times

Solitude / Relax / Quiet Spot

My quiet spot here with a book and cozy afghan. This morning I comfortably read a book and contemplated taking a nap until I realized that I had too many things to do today. (After I had already golfed 18 holes of course) I shot quite a few of the same scene focusing on different elements and ended up using the above photo taken with the 100 mm macro lens. I liked the combination of textures with the table, couch, afghan and pillows along with the cup of coffee and book that set the scene. The text was added with PSE10, I had the time to play with photos finally!

Pelican Landing

11/15 Give Thanks for the Beauty of Nature

Animals / Natural / Alive

Posting a picture like this makes me think of what I would be able to get for an animal shot in NH this week. Last Friday on the boat ride, I caught this shot just as the pelican landed and shook off the water. The pelican is graceful as it flies along the waves, but what a klutzy dive when they go in for a fish. When my friend K was here, the pelicans were her favorite birds and she was on the watch constantly for her favorite birds. 

Today on the golf course, I once again hit a ball within 10 feet of a sunning alligator. With the iPhone, I couldn't get close for the shot and wasn't happy with the photo. You can tell it's an alligator, but there too many shadows. 

Pelican with lightroom post processing using Eric Kim Porta Punch preset

Homemade Soup

11/16 Give Thanks for Home Cooking

Homemade / Family Recipe / From Scratch

I made this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla soup in the crockpot last week and when my friend was here, it was good to come home after a busy day to a home cooked meal. I knew that my husband would like this recipe and made sure to save a batch of it for when he was here. We enjoyed it today after 36 holes of golf. It is a soup that I will make again and it is now pinned in my soup board on Pinterest. After a month of traveling, he is happy to have home cooked meals and we loved the pulled chicken that a friend, D sent home with me after a dinner eaten at her home here in Florida. Everyone is getting ready for holidays at home and cleaning out their refrigerators. The pulled chicken was also a crock pot recipe using a mccormick seasoning package, it made a great hot sandwich. Now I am on the lookout here for a small crockpot similar to what I have at home for leftovers. 

Baby Raccoons Missing their Mom

11/17 Give Thanks for Comfort

Cozy / Warmth / Content

I could be reaching for this prompt on the shot above, but it was a warm day yesterday and the 4 babies were lounging under a bush near the pool. The suggestion for this prompt was all about taking pictures of soup or soup cans, really? That was so yesterday for me and I decided that this shot of the baby raccoons needed to be in my Capturemy365 collection. Today the weather turned in the afternoon, and we were lucky to finish 36 holes of golf as we saw lightning in the distance while on the last hole and  the rain started when we were in the parking lot.

The 4 baby raccoons were seen the day before and luckily nobody here fed them and when there was no sight of their mother, neighbors worked on taking care of the babies. I know that the golf course has been trapping raccoons because of the damage they cause on the greens and one of the neighbors had their boat cushions torn apart so who knows where the mother ended up. When I saw them on Sunday, I googled the county wild life services and forwarded the link to a neighbor. Another neighbor ended up catching them with a blanket, gloves and cat carrier and all were brought safely to a wildlife animal hospital. I am thankful that we are in a community where people care about animals. It's a fine line when you know that the animals are going through the dumpsters at night, but when they are this close to the water they are going to become somebody's dinner. 

A few dolphin shots from this weekend, if you look closely at the top right picture, this dolphin is playing with his food. They were jumping but every time I went out with my camera, they would stop.

The End of the Stormy Weather

11/18 Give Thanks for The Final Stages

The End / Latest / Conclude

Today I got caught up with all the blog posts for the Captureyour365 photos that I took from 10/26 to today. The prompt for today was fitting and sure, I didn't know what the picture would be until we went out in the afternoon for a ride. This prompt suggestion was appropriate for me today, " Prompts are meant to guide you, challenge you, and to get you to pick up the camera no matter what you shoot!" 

I did not bring my big camera but had the iPhone along with me to get this shot. When we were driving north on the main road, I could see the skies to the west and took a left. At the end of this street, I captured the end of the storm at the end of the day. With my DSLR, I would have been able to get the beams of light from the clouds, but I am happy with the composition of this shot. Compared to other parts of the country, I know that the weather here can't really be considered cold, however for Florida, 52 degrees with a wind chill to the 40s is very cold. It was a good day to stay inside and get caught up with my photography. 

It was also a good afternoon to stop by the local brewery and enjoy some Cocoa beach micro brews. Nice to have a laid back day!