Vivid

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I got good news at the doctor's office yesterday, so I guess it's only appropriate that that I took my daily picture in the parking lot afterward and that it's bursting with bold, vibrant and vivid color.  I think you all know I am no stranger to color:-)  The doctor is running another important test before deciding on treatment going forward, but all the news so far is very positive.

Donnie and I were in a lot of parks yesterday.  Early in the day, we drove through William B. Umstead State Park where I took this shot:

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We also headed over to Lake Crabtree County Park  where I took several Great Blue Heron shots.  Unfortunately, he saw me before I saw him, so my shot is inflight with him going away from me.

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I really had to crop this one.

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After he flew he settled down the shoreline a bit here which was as close as I could get to him.

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And another leaf shot that I enjoyed:

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Later in the afternoon, there weren't too many little kids at Crowder Park, but the big kids sure were having a good time.

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Golden Rays of a Late Fall Day

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As we were driving home from picking up the kids at school yesterday, I asked Donnie to 'turn around' and 'go back' to the little pond we'd just passed.  Being the thoughtful and kind guy that he is and a wonderful photographer's assistant too, of course he did.  The weather cooled down yesterday with some clouds and rain and later in the afternoon the sky began to clear.  And what a clearing it was!  As the sun peeked through the clouds, the autumn tones were lit on fire as the sun cast on them from one direction with darker skies in the background.  I quickly hopped out of the car, well it's more like a slow slide out the door these days but you get the idea, to take pics of the sky opening up in all it's glory before it closed up again.  Donnie hopped out to enjoy the view too.  One minute it was sunny and beautiful, and the next minute it was dark and the wind was biting.  I propped myself up against the only large tree in the area so I could be still enough to take bracketed images, and Donnie came over wrapped his open jacket around me hugging me to block the wind as we waited for the sun to return.  It was a really special moment, and hopefully you enjoy the images I came away with.

Besides my daily, I was really impressed with how the Photomatix HDR pp brought out the details in this shot:

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And, it's really interesting in this shot how the sun is coming across the field and highlighting just the far side of the pond:

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I also had an opportunity to shoot pics of pink sasanqua camellias outside Guardian Angel Thrift today too.  I remember these bushes alongside the old and abandoned McDonald's from previous years.  So pretty!

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Turning Weather

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It reached 80 degrees yesterday, but we had a cold front come through over night, and today we'll be in a more normal mid 50's.  Donnie and I noticed that many of the trees lost a lot of their leaves yesterday.  That gorgeous autumn color is now on the ground instead of on the trees.  I'm sad to see it go but glad that I got to enjoy it so much this year.  Unfortunately it was cloudy for most of the day yesterday, and between that and Johnny having a follow-up eye doctor appt., I didn't get out to a park.  I did take a few pics in Donnie's yard, and I'll share one with you as my daily.  I'm not sure what type of tree this is, but it was a tall beauty standing out in his front yard in it's golden glory.

I continue to heal up OK with each day being a bit better than the day before.

November Doesn't Get Any Nicer Than This!

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I think we hit 75 yesterday.  Gorgeous autumn colors with temps that were nearly too hot.  I guess we're just past peek color now, and boy has it been a show! I'm so lucky to have had some extra time to enjoy it with Donnie this week.  I've been assured that walking is good, and I'm much more comfortable up on my feet moving around than getting stiff in a chair.

After my check-up, which went well and I was told things look normal and I'm healing well, Donnie and I stopped by Aunt Debbie's house.  We've been blessed with some great meals this week from friends like Judy, Christine, and Debbie, and today she sent us home with some wonderful Great Northern Bean Soup.  We got to see the pretty colors in her yard and visit with the cute little boy that she babysits too.

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Afterward, we went to Lake Crabtree County Park.  You might think that we're running out of parks to visit at this point.  Not!  We were greeted to this view entering the park:

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This park is tucked in near the airport, so if you're ever in Raleigh Durham for just a few hours, you've got someplace close-by to check out.

Wow!  And our walk in the woods was equally enjoyable and beautiful!

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What breath taking color!  Donnie and I were having fun learning to identify a few new trees.  We even got to enjoy watching this garden spider wrap up a grasshopper.

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Here's Donnie on the 0.6 mile Old Beech Nature Trail.

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It might be nice to go back and do the 6 mile Lake Trail sometime:-)

I can't say enough good things about Donnie right now and how well he's taking care of me while I'm recovering...  For starters, kind, patient, and helpful all come to mind.

It wasn't until later in the day that we made a last minute stop at a friend's house where I took the picture that I decided to post as my daily.  This structure is some sort of garden shed in the back yard.  It wasn't the plan, but Donnie and I both agreed that that was the most appealing shot of the day to us.

Another Day at a Park

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Donnie took me on my daily photo walk yesterday at Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Park.  It was a gorgeous day with mostly sunny skies and temps near 70 degrees.  The very natural park was filled with autumn color, singing birds, and the sounds of a slow moving creek.  We stopped to study quite a few plants and take pics along our hour walk.

My best guess is that the leaf featured in today's daily is a variation of a white oak leaf.  Of all the ones I took, I liked the clarity, shape, and color of that leaf/shot best.

See below for a collage of other interesting shots in the park.  Donnie used to run through this park, and he had repaired the bird house that he's cleaning out in the upper right picture.  Looks like the house had 2 or 3 tenants after he put it back in service.  It looked like Carolina Wren and Bluebird nests on top of each other in the box.  Woo hoo.

Below is a collage of some of the other sights and sounds along the way.

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I was excited to see the Bess Beetle on the stump.  Known as the decomposers of the forest, they are a very interesting beetle to watch.

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Today we are off to a post surgery check and then hopefully a walk at Lake Crabtree Park.  Gotta see that fall color!

Autumn at Harris Lake

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Donnie and I went to Harris Lake County Park near the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant yesterday.  It was a cloudier, cooler, and windier day, but we had a nice picnic lunch underneath the beautiful yellow-leafed maple tree below.  We tried to walk just a bit out on the Peninsula Trail, but I was too cold with the wind, so we walked around the parking lot area and took the pics below.

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After we left the park, we drove down to one of the boat launch areas where I took this picture of the Shearon Harris cooling tower.  For some reason, I am always amazed.

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Note:  I know some of you missed my original post where I told you about my illness and my surgery.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer back in October.  What a shock!  It looks like it was detected pretty early, and that the cancer is limited to just my left breast.  I had surgery last week.  The good news on the pathology post surgery is that the cancer was not in my lymph nodes.  I'm recuperating nicely at home with the help of friends.  I'm in more pain than I'd like, but I get decent relief from the meds they prescribed.  I'm taking pics and going for walks as I'm able.  I'm a difficult patient to keep still.

The Colors of Lake Wheeler

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I know, I know, I'm supposed to be resting.  Honest, I am mostly resting.  I surely am not picking up anything I'm not supposed to.  I can walk just fine, though, and I am so thankful to Donnie for being willing to take me to Lake Wheeler yesterday to walk around Simpkins Pond.  I would be so depressed inside missing the fall colors.  Instead, my eyes and camera are being treated to gorgeous autumn colors.  I'm very lucky to have such a great photo assistant and so much more:-)

The trail around Simpkins Pond has several benches and  bridges, and we were reading the signs about Eagle Scouts building them.  Here Donnie poses for me.

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I wasn't totally thrilled with how this PSE built collage turned out, but I thought I'd share anyway.  It's a nice at a glance snapshot of the Colors of Lake Wheeler.  The bottom picture is a 5 shot pano I stitched with Micrsoft ICE.  It's a great tool if you've not used it.  Creating panos is really pretty simple.

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I really like this abstract waterscape below.  The colors and patterns appeal to me.

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I think this is a sourwood with both yellow and red leaves.  My second favorite single leaf shot of the day.

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Even the Tulip Populars are sharing their glory right now.

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And, last but not least, this Muscovy Duck sure did have some pretty blue feathers.

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Not sure where we're off to today but hopefully someplace where it's pretty and ripe for taking more pictures.  Joey and Johnny come back home today, and I can't wait to see them.  Thank goodness for Skype and video calls.