THIS AND THAT AROUND TOWN

Day three of test shots, and my battery ran out.  Had to go home to recharge it before I could finish my walk.  Note to self: Order some spares.  Will definitely be needing them if this becomes the only camera I carry around.

LITTLE GLUTTONS

"I'm only a little sparrow
A bird of low degree
My life is of little value
But the dear Lord cares for me..."
(Author Unknown)

Still undecided as to whether or not to keep my new camera, I took some more test shots today--mostly of some little birds gorging themselves on leftovers outside Panera in Leesburg.

The red sneakers at the very end belong to one of the guys in the Camera Department at Target (not the store I purchased my camera from), who gave me some pointers on using it, and persuaded me to keep it.

 

 

 

 

TESTING MY NEW CAMERA

My new camera arrived yesterday, and this morning I went out to take some test shots--the best of which I'm sharing here. 

Sadly, this camera does not have a viewfinder, and I've never taken pictures using an LCD screen before.  It was quite a challenge trying to see what I was aiming at--especially since it was a bright, sunny day--and even more challenging was trying to focus on the image of a bird or a squirrel, or even a butterfly, through the screen so I could get a shot of it before it flew off or scampered away. 

If anyone reading this does have a camera without a view finder that you are able to take quick point and click impromptu shots with (which is mostly what I would be using it for), please tell me how you do it.  Am I missing something? 

 

A THERAPEUTIC WALK

Nothing like a nice long walk in beautiful surroundings, in the company of a good friend, to alter one's mood and create a change in perspective.

As we set out, the sky was as blue as blue can be.  Not a cloud to be seen.  Nothing but a whispy moon.

We enjoyed the fall colors along the way...

...and did a double take when we came upon these mushrooms.  Neither one of us had ever seen this kind before.  Do any of you know what they are? 

There were many quaint mailboxes... 



...a roaring lion and a little stream...










...and we walked past some landmarks, like this old building (on the left) that once housed the local theatre.




On one street, we  passed a fenced in yard full of the most beautiful morning glories, as well as a couple of homes all decorated for the season.

This clothesline was an unusual sight that brought back memories of days gone by.


On the way back, we were greeted by a Droid pointing cars to the Verizon store up the hill.

 

 A cat followed us for part of the way.

I noticed that one of my favorite trees in town was sporting a new haircut, and wondered why anyone would have thought to do that. 

The last few pictures are of a hardy tomato, an interesting reflection on a garage door, and the bug that greeted me when I got home--exhausted, but in a much better frame of mind than when I first started out.