My wife planted some sunflowers this year. The seed packet indicated they would be the small variety. So far, they  have reached 6 or 7 feet and just the first two flower heads have opened. Their height makes it really convenient for me. They are planted right beside the house under a row of windows, so all I have to do to get a nice close-up shot is to lean out and shoot.

Bees Knees - © Jim Blanchard 2010

It’s also convenient because it’s easy to see while walking through the room if there are any visitors. I was called to quickly bring my camera and captured this one.

Butterfly on Sunflower - © Jim Blanchard 2010

At the last minute I decided to look for a dark sky not too far away and test out my new camera on the Perseid meteor shower.
The Weather Channel had been telling me the sky outside was mostly cloudy but my cat Sam and I opened the window and popped off the screen to see [...]

If you are having major problems with your Charter service, call them (888-438-2427). When the nice recorded lady asks you to parrot what you want help with, clearly say “I want to file a complaint” (even though that’s not a valid response). You will bypass the usual mind-bending menu gauntlet, and land right in the [...]

If this one snuck up on you, you’re not alone. I had begun this a few years ago, got distracted and put it in a drawer with just the water to finish. Why? Good question. In any case, it came to mind yesterday, and I decided to finish it. It’s small at 12-3/8″ x 5-1/2″, [...]

Series of painting sessions
In progress painting is acrylic on gessoed PVC panel 17-3/4″ x 9-1/4″.
While working earlier this year near Glassy Mountain, SC there was a rainstorm. On the way home, I was presented with this scene. I regretted not having my DSLR camera with me, but my iPhone came to the rescue. The [...]

Series of painting sessions
My latest painting is acrylic on gessoed PVC panel 24″ x 14″.
The subject is from a photo I took back in the late 1990’s at Paris Mountain state park. I was wandering off the approved trail along the stream bank where it takes a sharp turn to the right. From the vantage [...]

Breathing a sigh of relief. I haven’t upgraded WordPress before and the instructions gave me pause. The firm warning to backup the server database was especially intimidating because screen grabs didn’t compare precisely with the reality on my server admin pages. For someone with such sparse technical abilities, it turned into a matter of faith. [...]

These dark paths are presumed to be formed as dust devils meander across Martian sand dunes. The dark color is revealed when the lighter surface dust is vacuumed away.
It’s just as beautiful as an abstract work of art, and indeed this is most likely what it is. (Click on the image to navigate to the [...]

Check out this new search engine. It does not return a list of web sites in response to a query, but computes answers from databases. For example, typing “earthquake los angeles” supplies you with a chart of earthquakes in that geographic area and gives the option to adjust the range of dates to include. By the way, [...]

I love flying. Although I would prefer to be not taking this trip. I am going to a funeral. Perhaps I can be a help to my sister who’s husabnd just lost his fight with cancer, so I am at least thankful for that.
I have heard lots of people tell tales of woe about their [...]