Lens Artists Photo Challenge #397 – Texture

Anne’s challenge is to show images where texture plays an integral part. She tells us “Texture helps my two-dimensional examples have a three-dimensional quality.”

For me, the beach is a place of many textures. In some places the sand is soft, and others the powerful wave action of the ocean crushes the shells creating a rough texture that’s not fun to walk on in bare feet.

Broken shells on the beach

Powerful ocean waves can also create these smooth rocks

Driftwood on the beach becomes weathered by the elements creating a rough texture on the wood. Barnacles can attach themselves to the driftwood creating a crusty texture. Running your had along these sharp barnacles could easily cause you to get a cut.

Driftwood

Barnacles on driftwood

Salt air, wind, rain and the heat from the sun can cause wooden structures like piers and docks and even homes to become cracked and dried out creating a rough texture. Watch out for splinters if you rub the wood with your fingers.

Weathered wood deck on Tybee Pier

I didn’t see this rabbit at the beach but I’ll finish with the soft texture of the fur of a cottontail rabbit.

Cottontail Rabbit

Last week your responses to Ann-Christine’s Illustrated Quotes challenge were fun and inspirational. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..

Many thanks to Anne for this week’s challenge. If you would like to join the challenge please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her post Lens-Artists #397: Texture.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, May 16 at noon eastern time when Ritva will be your host for the challenge.

You can receive our weekly challenges by subscribing to the Lens-Artists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

For information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #396 – Pick a Favorite Quote and Illustrate it

This week Ann-Christine’s challenge is Pick a Favorite Quote and Illustrate it. We can choose one quote accompanied with a maximum of five pictures or a maximum of five quotes illustrated with one picture each. She asks us to “Make us ”feel”your quote(s) in pictures!”

My first quote is one of my favorite sayings. I have a plaque on my kitchen wall to remind me of it’s message every day. Seeing the sunrise is a beautiful gift to start a new day.

“Yesterday is History

Tomorrow a Mystery

Today is a Gift

That’s why we call it the Present”

— Anonymous

The next quote reminds me to live life to the fullest. One of my greatest adventures was flying in a small plane over mountains and glaciers in Alaska and seeing Mt. Denali from the air. I’m not a fan of flying in small planes!

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing” — Helen Keller

Almost twenty years ago volunteers on Tybee Island planted Oak Trees to help celebrate the 120th anniversary of Tybee Island. Today the trees are thriving and getting taller every year.

“What does he plant who plants a tree?
   He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
   And far-cast thought of civic good—
   His blessings on the neighborhood,
      Who in the hollow of His hand
      Holds all the growth of all our land—
A nation’s growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.”

— “The Heart of the Tree” by Henry Cuyler Bunner

The final two quotes and images need no explanation.

“If there is a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached” — Jimmy Buffett

“Some old fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat” — Laura Ingals Wilder

It was my pleasure to host last week’s challenge. Your responses took us all around the world with fantastic images On the Water. You wowed us with all types of water from puddles to mighty oceans, peaceful landscapes and thundering waterfalls. The variety of animals, people, and plants on the water were great. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..

Many thanks to Ann-Christine for this fun challenge Lens-Artists Challenge #396: Pick a Favorite Quotes and Illustrate It.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, May 9 at noon eastern time when Anne will be hosting the challenge.

You can receive our weekly challenges by subscribing to the Lens-Artists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

For information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #395 – Looking back to #155 On the Water

This week we are looking back to John’s challenge #155: On the Water from July 3, 2021. In his challenge he said “the theme On the Water encompasses whatever manner of water floats your boat (or doesn’t)”. You can see John’s original post here.

For this challenge, I look forward to seeing your interpretation of “On the Water”. The water can be rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, oceans, puddles, swimming pools or water parks. Think about scenic views of water, people having fun on the water, watercraft on the water, macros of water drops, or animals, birds, and plants floating on the water.

When I responded to John’s original challenge I featured images of boats on the water. You can see my response to his challenge here.

In this first gallery are images of people having fun on the water floating in a salt water creek and floating down the lazy river at a water park in Florida.

The next gallery features a floating alligator surrounded by water lilies and two ducks on the water.

A float plane in Alaska, a boat selling hamburgers, and a dragon boat are all watercraft you don’t see every day.

The last gallery features a pilot boat as seen from the deck of a cruise ship, and a fleet of U.S. Coast Guard Ships in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I’ll finish with a peaceful, deserted white sand beach, my favorite kind of place on the water.

Ft. Pickens National Seashore, Florida

Your challenge this week is to show anything on the water. You can choose to show watercraft, things floating, closeups of water, scenic water landscapes, or anything else you can think of. I hope you will join us for this week’s challenge. I can’t wait to see your responses. Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to this post.

Last week your responses to John’s “History Through the Lens” challenge were wonderful. I enjoyed all of the images and learned a lot from your posts. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..

Be sure to check back on Saturday, May 2 at noon eastern time when Ann-Christine will be hosting the challenge.

You can receive our weekly challenges by subscribing to the Lens-Artists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

For information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #394 – History Through the Lens

John’s challenge is to feature places “where history still lives”. One of John’s suggested topics “Where the Past Still Stands”is the inspiration for this post. I chose to feature Fort Pulaski National Monument and Cockspur Island Lighthouse in coastal Georgia between Savannah and Tybee Island.

Fort Pulaski National Monument

Construction for Fort Pulaski began in 1829. During the American Civil War the Confederate army held the fort until they surrendered to the Union Army in 1862 after the Union cannons firing from nearby Tybee Island caused major damage. For more about the history of Fort Pulaski you can visit Fort Pulaski National Monument.

In addition to exploring the fort, visitors can attend Ranger talks or walk on several hiking trails outside the fort.

Holes in the wall are from Union cannons, Ft. Pulaski National Monument
The North Pier Trail leads to this overlook
Remains of the North Pier at Fort Pulaski
Cockspur Island Lighthouse, marks the south channel of the Savannah River and sits on a small piece of land that is covered by water at high tide. This view is from the top of Fort Pulaski.
The Lighthouse Overlook trail at Fort Pulaski leads to a view of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse

On some days visitors can see historic reenactors at Ft. Pulaski
Reenactors at Ft. Pulaski

Last week I enjoyed all of your responses to Sofia’s Lucky Shot. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..

Many thanks to John for this week’s challenge. If you would like to join the challenge please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to his post Lens-Artists #394: History through the Lens.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, April 25 at noon eastern time when I will be your host for the challenge.

If you don’t want to miss any of our challenges you may want to think about subscribing to the Lens-Artists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

For information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #393 – Lucky Shot

Sofia’s challenge is to see how luck can play a big role in capturing some of our best shots.

Most of my lucky shots occurred because I was in the right place at the right time with my camera and the right lens. When we are traveling I always have my camera or my phone handy just in case we see something by the side of the road. When we are home I keep my camera close by so I can grab it if I see something interesting outside. Full disclosure: I have previously posted photos of all of these animals except for the Bald Eagle.

I would never have captured the birds in the following gallery without a little help from friends. Last week a neighbor called to let me know there was an American Bald Eagle perched on the power pole across from our house. I had to scramble to get my camera and telephoto lens ready. Lucky for me he stayed perched on the pole long enough for me to set my camera on burst and start shooting. I grabbed my camera on my way out the door one day last year after a friend texted me about a Roseate Spoonbill in a tree beside the road.

I captured the next three shots as we were riding along in our truck. For each of these shots Henry had to pull over on the side of the road so I could take a few photos. In each case the animal totally ignored us.

Black Bear in field of dandelions on the side of the road, Canada

Bull Elk beside the road in Banff National Park, Canada

Big Horn Sheep posing for the camera in Zion National Park, Utah

I was walking along a beach in Oahu when I came across this sea turtle on the sand. I was so glad I had my camera!

Green Sea Turtle on the beach, Oahu, Hawaii

I’ll finish with my favorite Lucky Shot. The look on this woman’s face is priceless.

Alligator with an attitude at Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

Patti’s challenge last week asked us to explore using the foreground, middle ground, and background when framing our shots. I enjoyed all of your creative responses.

Many thanks to Sofia for this week’s challenge. If you would like to join the challenge please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her post Lens-Artists #393: Lucky Shot.

Be sure to check back on Saturday, April 18 at noon eastern time when John will be hosting the challenge

You can keep up with all the challenges by subscribing to the Lens-Artists team members websites: Tina, Patti, Ann-Christine, John, Sofia, Anne, Egidio, Ritva, Beth.

For information on how to join the Len-Artists challenge please click here.