iSpy 07.2021

Shutterbugs and photo-lovin’ friends glad to have you join me for iSpy 07.2021.  Today I am sharing my snapshots for some of the iSpy July prompts.  Teaming up with my friend Lysha at A Camera and a Cookbook for today’s post.  Lysha gives us 5 prompts each week and shares her own photos with an iSPY link up on Saturdays.  I try to share 2 photography posts a month so I am always and consistently behind!!  But would you expect anything more?

iSpy 07.2021

 

This post just keeps growing.  It started with 2 weeks worth of photos for the iSpy challenge, and then 3 weeks and now 4 weeks.  Going to publish it tonight come heck or high water.  Before it goes from being iSpy 07.2021 to iSpy 07.2021 & 08.2021.  Plus, I keep typing iSpay instead of iSpy.  Must be tired, huh?

ISPY #26

– rocky:

Hueco Tanks is an area of low rocky mountains in far east El Paso.  I enjoyed a morning hike there recently with the Hikerbabes Community of El Paso.

 

 

 

– bird:

you might remember I don’t particularly like birds.  Although, with Covid, I learned to enjoy watching them a little bit more.  We had these cute little green birds that showed up last spring and summer but have never been seen round here before or since.  Anyway, I decided some birds aren’t all that bad.  To include the seagulls I found pleasure in watching at the beach.

 

 

– natural:

these hearts were growing naturally on the prickly pear cactus that dotted the trails at Hueco Tanks park.  Some of the plants had a half-dozen hearts or more.  PC and I pick up heart-shaped rocks on our hikes.  Thought better of picking one of these prickly pear hearts, though.

 

 

– starts with M:

mosaic outside the library created by the creative genius of local artist Terry Wright.

 

 

 

– your choice:

must be feeling nostalgic today.  Took this photo of hydrangeas while in Kentucky visiting Mom this spring.  Have always loved them because my grandmother had a beautiful bush in her front yard.  Tried my hand at growing them but no luck.  Pretty sure they don’t care for our desert dryness.  Enhanced this photo with the ‘spider’ filter on Prisma.

 

 

ISPY #27

– loud:

so, on yesterday’s walk around the lake before PC’s ball game, I accidentally disturbed a gaggle of…geese? swans? ducks?  Clearly, I don’t know my birds.  But whatever the species or genus or familia, these birds were preening themselves on the lakeside after an early morning swim.  And doing so very loudly.

 

 

– cup:

of all the types of sippy cups we have in our house, this one is the favorite.  Lucia was using it with her pizza at dinner at our house on Sunday night.  What did we do before spill-proof sippy cups?  Clean our carpets, I guess.  A lot.

 

 

– floating:

the orange color of the blooms from our Mexican bird of paradise looks so pretty floating against the blue of the pool water.

 

 

– open:

the bloom on our cactus was open for only a day.  So glad I was able to catch it with my camera.

 

 

– your choice:

not really sure when I took this photo…or why!!  I think it was the colors that attracted me.  And I remembered road trips as a little girl traveling in my parents’ station wagon at night or very early morning because it was cooler.  And we didn’t have AC.  The road would go on for miles in the dark and the only light coming from our headlights and the dashboard.  Can almost smell my dad’s pipe tobacco.

 

 

ISPY #28

– torn:

you know how I am making altered houses through a workshop with Jennifer Chamberlin.  You can join us, here.  Super duper fun.  Anyway, to make the houses we deconstruct boxes and then tear paper into pieces to cover them.  Here is my second house in its first stages…using a very old Equal box and torn scrapbook paper.

 

 

– newsprint:

work with me on this one.  The cave paintings on the rocks at Hueco Tanks served as a form of communication – something like the once-popular newspaper of last century.  The rock’s surface was the newsprint and the ink was created with minerals, sometimes enhanced by vegetable dyes.  You can learn more, here.  

 

 

– connected:

this fish was on display at the Harlingen airport.  It is made up of all kinds of trash that has washed up on the beaches at South Padre Island.  The sculptor connected the toothbrushes, disposable razors, water bottles, combs, plastic toys with wire to create this bright, beautiful but disturbing art.  Wish we loved Mother Earth better than we do. Please click on the individual images to enlarge them.

 

 

– curved: 

an arch of rock along the hike at Hueco Tanks.

 

 

– your choice:

this bright magenta bench was sitting along side the road on the way out to Hueco Tanks.  I thought it looked inviting.  Had to stop long enough to capture it with a photo.

 

 

ISPY #29

– backyard (Summer) – quarterly pic

hmmm, not sure I have taken a picture of the backyard for this photo challenge.  This is our pool at the golden hour right before a storm.  Love the lighting.

 

 

– road sign

this one is a s-t-r-e-t-c-h, I know.  First of all, it isn’t a road sign exactly.  More of a beach parking lot sign.  And second of all, it is a terrible photo.  But if I wait to find a better road sign photo, this post will be all that much later.  My granddaughter Cady pointed the sign out to me.  It says clean up after your dog.  And then there is a big pile of you-know-what in front of the sign.  Can you spot it?

 

 

– strip (no, not that kind!)

my summer garland is strips of fabric tied to a piece of thick twine.

 

 

– lazy day

Fluffy kitty AKA Jasper, depending on who you ask, spends a lot of time being lazy on our patio furniture.  She/he belongs to a neighbor but we take better care of her/him than they do.

 

 

– your choice

discovered this pretty sand castle on the beach our first night in South Padre.  Would love to have the the tools they had to make this.  Isn’t it enchanting?

 

 

Going to quick push ‘publish’ and get this post out there!!  Will be sharing a World Through My Lens post this weekend….probably more of my photography than anyone cares to see.  But I so enjoy taking photos!!

 

Your Turn

 

What have you captured lately in your lens?  Would you have photos to satisfy some of these iSpy photos?  If so, share a couple with me on my Facebook page, here.

Have had a headache all day.  Found myself squinting as I finished up this post.  Think I will turn in early and read my book.  Thank you for stopping by, my friends.  I appreciate your friendship!!

Hugs and kisses,