American Robin

In order to see birds it is necessary to 

become a part of the silence.

Robert Lynd

American Robin standing on one leg in our backyard. He visited the birdbath, then rested awhile on the fence~

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.  It sings because it has a song.  

~Chinese Proverb

Finals week! Five more days to go and then no books for College Girl until September. 

I've been meaning to plant some flower seeds but the last few weekends have zipped by and I never made it into the backyard other than to photograph this handsome Robin. Handyman and I were lucky enough to spot a Western Tanager - woohoo! - but he did his best to stay hidden in the branches, and I couldn't get a clear shot of him. At first we thought he was an Oriole, but then we noticed his red face. What a treat to spot him on his migration north!

Have you spotted any migrating birds in your neighborhood? Did you know birds collide with windows most often when migrating? 

Migrating birds that are not familiar with the terrain will 

see the reflections of a woodland in a windowpane

 and fly right into it. If the reflection can be removed 

or muted with soap, netting, screening or by hanging

streamers on the outside, the birds will veer away

 from it. Pulling drapes inside will enhance the 

reflection on the outside.  

Click here for tips to attract birds to your backyard.

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Mosaic Monday
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Mamarazzi

I'm teasing you with a sneak peek of one of the projects I made for the upcoming Treasured Times Blog Hop on July 31. The other design team members have been working on fun projects to share with you too! We also have a Challenge starting on August 3rd, so check out the link above to get the challenge details and see photos of the challenge and blog hop prizes.

  I took a break from my Scrap Room and did a photo shoot with College Girl. She needed some updated pictures of herself, and being a scrapbooker at heart - and a doting mom - I was only too happy to oblige!

I can't wait to print out some copies and make a layout!

She is photogenic so I basically gave her a few directions, then started clicking away! I like 'just caught' looks, which are not so stiff as facing straight into the camera. Since it was mid-day it was pretty bright out, but we wanted shots of her wearing sunglasses. Keep the time of day in mind when taking portraits outside - to alleviate squinting, shoot earlier or later in the day, when it is overcast, or in some light shade. I liked the look of the empty road and open hills in the background, which works great for teens and young adults. 

 

I took about 40 photos. Gotta say I am a digital camera convert although I originally drug my feet! Love the ability to shoot, save or delete. Which photo should I scrap first?

 College Girl has been working on faux armor for her cosplay/Halloween costume, so she started a blog to document her progress. It's amazing what you can do with fun foam, styrofoam and paint! She also made a necklace and shares other crafty stuff. Check out her progress:
Managing Her Mischief 

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Cameras, Horses and the Beginning of Moving Pictures

I'm reading a book called The Inventor and The Tycoon by Edward Ball. An unlikely friendship between the man who would become governor of California and an eccentric photographer who would become a murderer is the basis of this story.

Amazon book review: 130 years ago E. Muybridge invented stop-motion photography, making possible motion pictures. He was the first to capture time and play it back for an audience, giving birth to visual media and screen entertainments of all kinds. Yet the artist and inventor Muybridge was also a murderer, his trial one of the early instances of a media sensation. His patron was railroad tycoon Leland Stanford, whose particular obsession was whether four hooves of a running horse ever left the ground at once. Stanford hired Muybridge to answer that question. And between them, the murderer and the railroad mogul launched the age of visual media.

Does the surname Stanford sound familiar?  You're right if you think it's connected with the well known university in California.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, stanford.edu images

  I'm reading this book on my new Nook.

my Nook dressed in it's Jonathan Adler case

I have to admit I like love reading this way. I resisted an e-reader for awhile but am seeing the advantages of having access to so many books, as well as the various features the Nook offers, like word definitions. I looked up the definition for Brobdingnagian by touching the screen and found it meant 'enormous'.

E. MUYBRIDGE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO PHOTOGRAPH YOSEMITE VALLEY

 
I'm half-way through the book and am enjoying it. I like the way it rounds out dates and facts with living, breathing people who traveled in different circles and yet through their interaction gave the world something new - a door from the machine age into the virtual world.



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 It's Monday, What Are You Reading?