Today's image is a macro photo of water drops on the window pane. I love the silvery color as it reminds me of metal. Sometimes, water drops produce reflections of the surrounding area or pick up interesting colors from the background. These drops where photographed early in the morning before the sun was fully up. They reflect a gray or colorless sky on the other side of the window.

Today's image is a composite of two photos. I extracted the deer from a stock photo and then edited it to look like an illustration. I then created two layers from my photo of roses, which had also been edited to look more like an illustration or painting, and added the deer. While I may not have captured this lovely little deer amid the roses with my camera, the combination of the two photos illustrates the beauty of nature.

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Today's photo is of a colorful halo around the moon. These halos are created when the light from the moon refracts through tiny ice crystals in the air. They are usually a sign that a storm is nearby.

This image was created by combining two photos in a composite. One photo was taken with the focus on the moon to get the details of the moon, while the second shot was focused on the halo. 

Today's photo is a frozen soap bubble. I love the way it looks like a starry winter night complete with a starburst at the top. The starburst is from the rays of the sun behind the bubble. This shot was taken with a macro lens in the late afternoon as the sun began to drop behind the trees.

To take photos of frozen bubbles, temperatures must be below freezing. I like to shoot them with temps in the teens. Colder temperatures will work, but the crystals form quickly. With slightly warmer temperatures you have more time to focus and get the shot you want. It is also important that there is no breeze as wind will pop the bubble.

If you have difficulty getting the bubble to stay put, try daubing a bit of your bubble solution on the spot where you want the bubble to sit. Let it freeze slightly and then use a straw to blow a bubble on the spot. I find that holding the straw so that it is nearly vertical works best, as the bubble mixture will drip out of the straw if it is held horizontal.

Go ahead and have some fun. Each bubble is different. You may see ferns, stars or other shapes as the crystals form.

Today's photo is the view of Mt. Katahdin taken on Oct. 6, 2018. I believe this shot was taken in Dyer Brook, Maine as we traveled up Rt. 2 to Smyrna and it was taken along the way. Photos cannot do justice to the awe-inspiring views of the mountain from Aroostook County.

Today's photo is a stargazer lily in full bloom. These oriental lilies were introduced in 1974. You may be surprised to learn that the name stargazer has nothing to do with the heavenly color or the dreamy speckles that you may have imagined resembled the night stars. Its name has a less romantic origin. It was given the name stargazer because the open lilies face the sky as though gazing at the heavens.

Regardless of how they got their name, I like to think of the stargazer lily as a little piece of the heavens growing peacefully in my flower bed.

Today's photo is the rays of the rising sun shining through fog and mist. This photo was taken from the bedroom balcony at our new house. Not only does the balcony provide a great sitting area for viewing the stars, it also gives me a bird's-eye view of the surrounding area.
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Because we are near a lake with a backdrop of small mountains, fog and mist is a common sight. Recently, we have been experiencing hot, humid weather which has also given rise to fog, mist and haze, turning the morning sun to a bright orange. 

I look forward to sharing more photos of our scenic view in the future.

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Today's photos have been digitally enhanced and must be rightly referred to as digital art. They were all taken at Old Orchard Beach, Maine last fall.  I wanted to create images with more texture and depth of color than the original photos to give you a feel for the natural elements in the photos. 

Today's photo is a garden or flower fairy.  According to FlowerFairies.com, these magical fairies live in treetops, along the forest floor and in gardens. They are the keepers of flowers and are in charge of taking care of their own flower or plant.

You may spot one perched on the branch of a tree or nestled among the leaves. Sometimes, they sit among the flowers.

According to Maine Garden Ideas, there are several times a day when you are more likely to observe fairies, such as early morning before the dew dries, in the early evening when the sun's rays cast soft shadows and during the light of the moon.