While visiting a dear friend on Saturday, I was struck by the clarity of his beautiful farmhouse reflected in the pond.
While the house and pond looked great in B&W, I had to retain Mother Nature’s colors in this final image.
February 18, 2014 Update
My blogging friend, Lynda, over at Life on the Farmlet, used the last photo as inspiration for one of her marvelous short stories! What an honor it is for me, especially because I love the way this woman writes!
Please check it out at http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/die-grauen-schlund/#comment-11015
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 
That second photo is riveting!!!!!! The last holds my attention….searching for all the details available. Wonderful!!!!! Hugs…………………..
Thank you, Doreen! I too liked the difference between the very clear reflection in the first and the pond leaves and grass in the second. Thank you!
Keep ’em coming!!!!! Your blog is stunning!!!!! Hugs………
The last photo is what I love about trolling through the woodlands… so many interesting facets to tree life that we often overlook. Lovely post!
So true! The colors, the variety, and of course the wonderful smell of the woods. Thank you!
This is beautiful…I don’t blame you for pulling over and capturing this moment. Your eye is learning to see things others don’t see…kudos to you.
Laurie, I just read your most recent post and I also read many of the comments from those who have come to admire and love you. I too wish you strength and courage as you move through what must be a huge trial. I’m with you in spirit!
AMAZING photos!
Thank you! It was beautiful to see 🙂
I can smell the fecundity of happiness in these images…the friendship and grace
I just mentioned smell in responding to a previous comment. You are so right on with that … AND the friendship. We laughed as he shared a funny story about he and his wife checking on the horses. Good life / good friends.
Great photos Laura!!!
Thank you! It was a fun afternoon!
So lovely and interesting. It’s such a pleasure to visit your blog–I always know I’m in for a treat. I love all three photos, but yes, the second is riveting, as another commenter pointed out. Something about photos of reflections always draws me, seem so deep, in some peculiar way. Worth exploring more someday–why.
Like you, I can not resist a reflection. And thank you so much for your comments, Deborah. Truly, your words mean much to me. Smiling!
Number three…
Die Grauen Schlund
There in the ground
the hoary maw quietly waited.
Watching through squinty eyes
he grabbed the hapless little things
that scurried past, and scooped them in,
but…
it was the toes that he relished!
~~~
Sometimes I can’t help myself Laurie. I hope you don’t mind.
I saw its teeth first, and a very close look revealed those squinting eyes. 😉
(the title is “the gray throat” in German)
And just so you know, I am in total agreement with Deborah Brasket on your post today, and your blog in general. It truly is a pleasure to visit here with you!
How could I mind? I absolutely love it!! The last line is perfect 🙂 So clever, you are! And thank you for your sweet comment … That means alot!
WHEW! After I hit the post button yesterday I began to imagine that perhaps I’d crossed the line. 😯
You definitely chose the correct medium to display the first two images Laurie, I couldn’t imagine them in anything but black and white 😀 and with the third photo a little splash of color never hurts 😀 Really nice job.
Thank you Joe … you know I’m always grateful for critique (even if you are just being nice to me!) 🙂
SUPER!
Why thank you! And so nice to have you visit Life on the Bike … 🙂
For me it is the first photo – it took my breath away!
When I first looked, it was just the house and that looked pretty cool – I love houses like that – I scrolled down and got the first 1/4 inch of refection and liked that. I guess my mind thought that was all there was because as I scrolled to reveal the full photo I gasped – I actually gasped – out loud Laurie!!
It is that magic moment of perfection and surprise – so I am in love with that photo 🙂
Pauline, you are making me glow with happy! I’ve had that happen to me too, where I have gasped out loud with the beauty of a photo. I’m so glad one of mine did this for you.
Love the 2nd photo..the B&W makes it really stand out.
Thank you!!
The first is stunning in B&W. You do such a great job with framing. That water is like glass. And the third photo is magical.
I wonder how you have the time to post so often and also find the time to read and comment on so many blogs. And you work. And you spend time with friends. You are making the most of life. 🙂
I have found that the one thing that has really been impacted by adding blogging to my already full life is book reading. The amount of time I spend reading books has decreased significantly. NOT good!
Thankfully, I am in a book group so at least I read one book a month (( am not proud of that).
The loss of books is sad indeed. The book group is a great idea to keep you reading. One book a month is good, try not to feel bad about it. You have added writing and reading (via blogging), which is something to be proud of.
Beautiful photos! Number three makes me want to go take a walk in the woods! 🙂
I’m so glad that folks have liked number 3. To me, it was a great depiction of the woods. How’s the training going?
The training is going great, thanks for asking!
Fabulous reflections!!!
Don’t you just love reflections? Thank you!
I love reflections, too. They’re a little spooky — sometimes, I think, what if I look at the reflection and the details on the reflection are just a little bit different . . .? Which would be a great idea for a series of photos!!
Also, to Lynda above: I see the teeth, too!!
Lovely photos!
ooohhh … the spooky idea of a subtle difference in the reflection is so cool! If you get a moment, check out Lynda’s story that she wrote after looking at the teeth in that photo!
http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/die-grauen-schlund/
The pictures are lovely. . .and the b&w photography works perfectly to show the reflections.
Thank you Sheryl. The B&W did seem to work best. Isn’t that farmhouse lovely?
that is wonderful 🙂
Thank you Joshi!
Those reflections really are wonderful! Beautiful photos Laurie and they work so well in black and white. I would have left the third one in color also. 🙂
Thank you Elina. If you like, check out the story Lynda wrote after viewing that last photo.
http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/die-grauen-schlund/
Good eye LB, it’s like a big ol’ mirror in the back yard. Hey, no snow there? I can’t wait till things green up. It feels like we live in B&W for months so your last photo is my favourite
Hiya!!! I took these photos about two days before the snow came … it was cold but no snow yet. I’d just made gingerbread cookies to deliver to my friend Bill and his wife, and the reflections stopped me in my tracks.
If you have time, check out the story that Lynda wrote after viewing that last photo:
http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/die-grauen-schlund/
WOW, that was a spooky but fun story. What an imagination to see all that in your photo. LOL, great, now every old tree root I walk by is going to freak me out. I’m a-following now 😀 Thanks for the introduction and congratulations on inspiring a wonderfully written story (assuming its fiction…hehehe) xoK
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