We had some more snow over the weekend. Maybe this will be the last of this extended winter? One hopes. I've been so busy at work that I've not been outside much, but I'm hoping that will change a bit - very soon....

Euphorbia

Euphorbia, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

From the Richtersveld in South Africa.

Nature studies series: Winter beech leaves

Shale Hollow Preserve in Delaware County. Steve and I visited this park for the first time last weekend. The forest has a lot of young beech trees, which hang onto their leaves through the winter.  The landscape this past weekend was a study in grays and browns, but I like the contrasts for these gentle winter shades.

Bad news?

Bad news?, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another street photo from Paris, 2013. I wonder what article this gent was reading? It looks as if the news might have been disturbing....

Acorn study

Acorn study, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Visited a new park last Saturday (Shale Hollow Preserve) - Delaware County. It was a gray day with mostly shades of browns. I did find this little acorn perched atop some moss, though.

At Sacre Couer

At Sacre Couer, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I wonder what that conversation was about? May, 2013.

At Sacre Couer

At Sacre Couer, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Paris street photography. May 2013.

Face of Paris series

Face of Paris series, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Flickr just announce that they will no longer support Blogger, so I'm not sure what will happen to my backlog of photos on the blog. Just a heads-up.

This photo was made while riding the Paris metro.

Faces of Paris series

Faces of Paris series, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another of my informal portrait series from Paris. Street photography in Paris is an interesting exercise in social interaction. My favorite photos were the ones where I had a chance to talk to the people I ended up photographing.

La Marais scenes

La Marais scenes, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Some street photography near the metro stop at St. James. Paris is such an amazing place for people watching - there is so much openness in the socializing that occurs there. Restaurants, street corners, cafes, brasseries, patisseries, other shops - full of people who communicate with one another. It's not the American way, for sure, where everyone is afraid to make eye contact with strangers. I think citizens in this country have been made paranoid by the "news" that is presented as a fear-mongering machine.

Faces of Paris series

Faces of Paris series, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Wandering the St. James metro stop in Paris, I met some interesting people. This young man was trying to get his music career off to a start.

Faces of Paris series

Faces of Paris series, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I was looking through my photo archive today and decided I should pull out some informal portraits from my Paris trip last May. Steve and I met this gentleman at a park below Sacre Couer in Montmartre. We had a fun time trying to communicate in French with him. I finally pulled out my iPad and used the translate program.... I can't remember what we were talking about, but it might have been something to do with a big storm that had just struck the USA.

Great white pelican in flight

Great white pelican in flight, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve, South Africa.

I want spring to arrive!

I want spring to arrive!, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Sigh. It's taking too long for the warm weather to stick around here in central Ohio. The temps are wandering up and down, and my daffodils are just barely starting to poke up above the ground.... Soon, I hope, flowers will arrive to cheer me up.

Spring will come....

Spring will come...., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

We had a taste of warm weather yesterday. Not enough to finish melting the lingering snow piles, but a good start. We are definitely in mud season, judging by the stuff the dogs picked up on our walk along the bike path. Soon, we'll see some spring ephemerals coming into bloom. I, for one, can't wait!

Pickerington Ponds

Pickerington Ponds, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Early winter scene (actually, late autumn) from last December. Spring Break is next week, but we've still be in Arctic blasts of cold air. It's supposed to warm up today, which will, hopefully, melt the rest of the snow that's hanging about around here.

Fiscal Flycatcher

Fiscal Flycatcher, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Early morning at DeHoop Nature Reserve, South Africa. I was enjoying my first cup of coffee and some rusks when this bold bird came begging for crumbs.

Ohio State University

Ohio State University, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This was the sky yesterday as I was walking back to my car at the end of the day. I had only my iPhone along, so this is not the best quality of photo I could have made, but one uses the camera at hand in circumstances such as this. This bank of clouds passed by very quickly, so there was only the chance at hand to compose this particular image.

Speckled Pigeon

Speckled Pigeon, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another bird from DeHoop Nature Reserve in South Africa - truly a birder's paradise. From September 13, 2013.

Grey Heron

Grey Heron, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve, South Africa - back when I was enjoying warm temps and sunshine. We have another load of snow on the ground today after a weekend storm. Winter is sure hanging around a long time....

Ground squirrel

Ground squirrel, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Richtersveld National Park, South Africa.

Pickerington Ponds

Pickerington Ponds, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I made this photo earlier this winter. At the time I thought to myself, "Cool! We have a good snow this year." Little did I realize that we would be having several good snows throughout the winter, not to mention the multiple polar vortices. I'm in St. Louis today, heading back home after the Botanical Society of America board meeting finishes this morning. We're under a winter storm watch where the forecast is for 8 - 12 inches of snow, starting late tonight. I just hope I can get home before it all starts...