Pretty in Pink

It's the April showers that have brought these not-quite May flowers...but tomorrow is May 1st...

ABC WEDNESDAY - "L" is for "Look before you leap"

You won't quite make it to the pool from this diving tower, which was part of Tasmajdan Park's swimming complex. This whole area of the park, like the park itself, is being renovated. Gee, think how people used to climb up those metal rungs in their bare feet. Ow.

See other L's on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Shadows

Took this the other day when it was sunny....oh, how pleased I am that spring is around the corner....

I like this photo, but I think it might be a bit 'busy'....too many details. What do you think?

SKYWATCH--shades of Edgar Allan Poe

Can you hear the crack of thunder and see the flash of lightning? There wasn't any, of course, since this is a winter photo and those phenomena usually don't occur in the winter. Perhaps this crow, perched on a very gnarled tree, reminds you of this previous post of mine?

This does remind me of something Edgar Allan Poe might have used as an illustration for one of his stories or poems.

See other skies, some poetic, some not, at SKYWATCH.

SKYWATCH--Hey, the sky is BLUE!!

I'm using scheduled posting for this, but the sky is NOT blue as I type. I liked the juxtaposition of the cloud, tree, and birds on this shot taken around Seattle's Green Lake.

In the US on family business.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Reflections Weekend--Upside-down

The sky, clouds, trees, and water plants...and a string of electrical wires reflected in a pond near a friend's house here in Washington state. I'm in the US for a family matter for a few months.

See other reflections at James' Reflections Weekend.

Damp....

Seattle has already had just over 4 inches of rain in the first half of March, way above the average. It's cold and damp, and I'd forgotten just how many lichens like this kind of climate. This whole tree was covered. Anyway, it's green, and good for the first day of spring photo!

For those of you who wonder why there's no Belgrade photo, I'm in the US for several months attending to family issues.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY--gnarled tree and wintry sky

The title says it all! I love the colors here, which remind me of the painter Maxfield Parrish.

Check out more skies at SKYWATCH.

Frosty

Last weekend we had about 9 inches of snow, leaving the city all pretty...until it starts to melt. This is a view across the Sava toward New Belgrade. Pretty, frosty trees!

Too late for mistletoe?

Mistletoe is really hard to get, since it grows so high up in the trees. Place your orders with these birds for next Christmas now!

SKYWATCH FRIDAY church tower

The tower of Belgrade's main church, located across the street from the patriarch's residence, stands out against a cold winter sky.

See other skies on SKYWATCH FRIDAY.

Pretty but pesky pests

"Aren't they cute?" is what I said to my friend when we saw scores of these ladybugs on a tree in the province of Vojvodina (VOY-vo-deen-a) north of Belgrade. They are cute and they are ladybugs, but not the domestic kind, as you can see by their variations. They're Asian ladybugs and were imported for use in greenhouses to control aphids, a common pest. These ladybugs have become pests themselves, since they weren't happy being confined just to greenhouses. They apparently threaten the domestic ladybug, they bite (so people claim), and when squashed they release a yellow powder which leaves a stain.

I think they look like bumper cars on this photo.

What's the story here?

So, can you tell me the story behind these two gold slippers tossed aside next to this tree, with a chain that leads to....?

Weekend Reflections--Trees in the Sava River

I love these trees that stand in the river and have taken lots of lots of photos of them, but most I do not keep. I managed to grab this photo in a break between storm clouds the other day.
This post is for James's Reflection Weekend, which I often miss!

SKYWATCH--still gray...

Are you tired of gray where you live? I am. This is the best I can do this week for SKYWATCH

this week. Click on that link to see prettier skies! The church is one posted a while back, still under construction, slowly but surely.

Does anyone know what this tree is? We used to call them paw-paw trees when I was a kid, but I've Googled that and there's not the same.

Trees on tree

I'm really tired of stark trees, cold weather, and snow. I am beginning to understand why people move to warmer climates.... So, since I can't do that, I try to look at starkness differently. Did you notice that these are not really trees, but small branches growing sideways on the trunk of a tree. Tilt your head to the right and look...

Snowy lanterns

I don't know what these are. I remember something similar we called 'lanterns' when I was a kid, but those grew on bushes. These go from green to yellow and then to brown...only to be covered by white.

Anyone know what they are?

ABC Wednesday "V" is for "vespertine"

Yes, here I go again trying to find a word that fits ABC Wednesday, but this one isn't so bad. "Vespertine" means "related to the evening" and this is exactly when I took this photo, last evening. We've had about a foot of snow, and it's still falling lightly.

Have fun and join ABC WEDNESDAY.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Nothing special today. Just a pretty sky with silhouettes.

Join SKYWATCH FRIDAY

SKYWATCH FRIDAY--GRAY SKY

Not a pretty sky in comparison with what most Skywatchers show, but although I changed this photo to black and white, it didn't look too much different in the color version. It was a chilly, gray morning...

To see other skies, probably in color, have a look at SKYWATCH