November Tour of My Neighborhood, December Tour of My Archives
December 12, 2021
Claimed by other projects, I haven’t been out with the camera for some time. Here are some photos from my last foray into the neighborhood. At the end of the post—because I couldn’t wait—I’ve included six photos from my archives and explained why.
1 One of the first things to draw my eyes was the silvery bark of the cottonwood trees on Wildflower Hill.
2 I wonder why cottonwoods always have a few leaves at the very top after the leaves lower down have left for the winter.
3 Sumacs were vying for attention, but for me the cottonwoods won out.
4 A friend told me that these purple coneflower seed heads reminded him of New Yorkers rushing around in the city.
5 Sumacs are beautiful in the fall, but they are a little too prolific on Wildflower Hill.
6 I don’t know the identity of this shrub along Island Pond, and my resident botanist isn’t here to ask.
7 But I know this is a birch.
8 The willows were taking their last gasp.
9 Cottonwoods grow on the other side of Island Pond, too.
10 I rarely take views as wide as this one of Island Pond.
11 The low-mow grass along the path that follows our ring road shows a different face almost every time I walk by.
12 Several friends have said that this grass resembles animal fur.
13 Usually the wind disperses the marsh mallow seeds before I can photograph them.
14 The inclusion of this photograph of Island Pond and the ones below need explaining. A few days ago Mark Graf posted information and examples of Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2022. The color is called Very Peri, and Mark posted some of his gorgeous photographs that display the color or something close to it. He invited others to post our own collections, but since I don’t keyword my photos by their colors, it’s hard for me to find them. This one barely makes the cut, but I ventured to post it when I read something Mark wrote in his post. “If I were King,” he said, “I think the ‘periwinkle twilight’ phase deserves a place in our nomenclature because of the soft, comforting color it blankets across the landscape. (perhaps only familiar to those willing to get out early enough to witness it)” His comment triggered my memory of this photograph, taken with my iPhone on an early morning walk. In a quick search I found a few other photos in my archives that almost make the mark. Alex Kunst comes much closer in his outstanding photographs of relevant flowers.
Update: After shutting down my computer—and way past my bedtime—I saw that Lynn Wohlers (bluebrightly) also mined her archives for Very Peri. Take a look at her beautiful examples.
15 Lupines on Deer Isle, Maine
16 Wisteria outside the Oberlin Public Library
17 A Bird of Paradise in Sarasota, Florida
18 New England asters in the Olsen Nature Preserve in Ohio
19 A Leptothrix discophora film on the Vermilion River in Ohio
Romancing Reality 
I like 9, 12 and 19 best 😀
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December 12, 2021 at 4:20 AM
Thanks for commenting, Gerhard. It’s always good to see what people like best.
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December 12, 2021 at 5:53 PM
Very short, my comment, i know, but sometimes u don’t have time.
I liked All the pics…😀
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December 12, 2021 at 6:04 PM
I value your comments, Gerhard, no matter how short they are!
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December 12, 2021 at 6:12 PM
Thats fine!
Nevertheless i wanted somehow to apologize 😀
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December 12, 2021 at 6:14 PM
That’s absolutely not necessary. 🙂
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December 12, 2021 at 6:15 PM
I also value the effort
Some posts need a lot of time..
Good pics dont come by accidentally…
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December 12, 2021 at 6:22 PM
You found your thrill not on Blueberry but on Wildflower Hill.
Good question you asked in #2. If you discover an answer, let us know.
Re #4, your friend has a good imagination. Not sure I ever looked like that when I lived in New York.
Re #5, There can never be too many colorful sumacs for me. That’s especially true this far south, where we don’t get colorful fall leaves on a grand scale. And speaking of scale in connection with #10: is there a particular reason you don’t often take such wide views?
Your mention of the color of the year is at least the third I’ve encountered since yesterday. You might say that’s because it was just announced, yet I never heard about a color of the year in any previous year.
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December 12, 2021 at 7:32 AM
I don’t remember anyone’s ever telling me that one of my nature photographs reminded them of something having to do with a city; yes, my friend has a good imagination, Steve. The problem with the sumacs on Wildflower Hill is that they are crowding out other vegetation. If they continue to spread willy nilly, it will soon be Sumac Hill. As for wide views, I just tend not to see them in my mind’s eye. I’m looking at the trees, not the forest. I’ll let you know if I ever find out why cottonwood trees keep their topmost leaves.
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December 12, 2021 at 5:55 PM
I think Lupine are a great fit for this color in how they have such a blue to purple gradient in them, surely they have some part of them that is a great match for Very Peri! 🙂 I am also glad the color appearing in early twilight resonated with you as I think the club of people that have witnessed it is fairly small.
On a technical note, your links back should have appeared in my comments area, but I think it may be a setting in WordPress Settings > Discussion to notify other blogs of links that is off by default because spammers abuse it. No worries though, I will make a separate manual add.
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December 12, 2021 at 9:56 AM
How nice that you also compiled a “Very Peri” selection and I really like photo #2 – these few leaves look like birds to me, perched up high. Maybe that’s why the cottonwoods do it, as a reminder for the birds to come and… disperse some seeds? 😉
Also, I don’t know if I should mention this, my last name is Kunz but you wrote Kunst.. which is German for “art” so it’s actually better I think! 😀
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December 12, 2021 at 11:27 AM
Oh, Alex, I’m sorry! It was careless of me not to get your name right. The funny thing is when I wrote “Kunst,” I was thinking how coincidental it was that your last name means “art” in English. Try to take my negligence as an indication of how highly I esteem your artistry. I like your explanation of why the leaves stay on the cottonwoods. 🙂
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December 12, 2021 at 6:05 PM
Now that I am a member of the Early Twilight club, I will make an extra effort to get out with camera at that time. I doubt I’ll ever be able to match you, however. Thanks for the link on your site, Mark. I hope the list grows.
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December 12, 2021 at 6:06 PM
Arghhh. Mark, WordPress messed up the order of my replies. My reply to you is now below my reply to Alex.
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December 12, 2021 at 6:08 PM
Ah, what a shimmering symphony that Leptothrix at the end is! I’m glad you joined the color parade…and your Bird of Paradise is striking! The lupines and asters are beautiful too and the wisteria looks stunning against black. And thanks for the neighborhood tour, which is becoming a regular thing. I like that idea. Your friend’s brilliant comment about the seedheads in #4 struck my funny bone. I like the observation about Cottonwood trees’ last leaves – have to think about that. I’m partial to #9 & #14, which remind me of a park near our old apartment that we used to frequent. The Cottonwoods do have a hopeful way of stretching wide-armed into the open sky. It feels good. I hope your projects don’t keep you away any longer!
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December 12, 2021 at 11:32 AM
I can’t remember taking the last photo in this post or seeing it before last night. (“I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine.”) Speaking of a little help from my friends, your detailed encouragement always inspires. Thanks. I have to confess that the processing of the bird of paradise was imitative of someone else’s flower photographs. Still, I was pleased. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I keep finding new things to photograph—or new ways to photograph them—in my neighborhood. After all, for many years I visited the same stretch of a river and always found something new. I do enjoy that process. “[A] hopeful way of stretching wide-armed into the open sky”: Thank you for the poetry. I walked around Oberlin with the camera this morning, so I should—should—be able to post again next week. The one big project is past its most difficult phase, I think.
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December 12, 2021 at 5:56 PM
Once in a while that happens to me, not being able to remember making a photo, but seeing the others made that day in that place helps – at least I’ll remember the outing. But I suppose a time will come when I won’t. sigh. Hey, I don’t think there’s any reason for you to feel bad about imitating someone else, especially when they are adept at a subject that you don’t photograph often. We learn that way. If I were photographing Leptothrix I’d probably start by asking myself, “How would Linda do this?” Same with dumpsters and similar subjects. It’s good to hear the big project is coming along and that you had a good walk – I just got in myself but oh, it was dark and cold!
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December 12, 2021 at 7:31 PM
Well, it wasn’t so much a walk this morning as it was a meander. But I found some cool stuff. My favorite Oberlin dumpster had new colors to show me! And the old bank drive-through had new textures and lines. I was going to go on one of my Wandering Northern Ohio drives, but my tires needed air, and I couldn’t get the valve off the tire to put it in. So I just walked around Oberlin, then drove the couple of miles home. Anyway, the lemonade was good, and tomorrow I’ll take the car to a place where they’ll put the air in for me.
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December 12, 2021 at 7:58 PM
Looking forward to your meandershots…lemonade at this time of year?? I do hope you get out on a wander, too…
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December 16, 2021 at 5:19 PM
Beautiful selection of images, Linda. I love the grass photos. And the last photo is just gorgeous!!!
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December 12, 2021 at 4:04 PM
Thanks, Ken. I love that grass. Walked past it the other day and saw that it looks significantly different now. See my reply to Lynn about the last photo. Take care.
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December 12, 2021 at 5:57 PM
beautiful !
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December 12, 2021 at 5:16 PM
Thanks, Sue.
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December 12, 2021 at 5:57 PM
Such delights, Linda. My favorite is “periwinkle twilight”! :-))
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December 13, 2021 at 12:35 PM
Thanks, Marjorie. Of all the photographs I’ve taken of Island Pond, that may be my favorite, just for the haunting color.
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December 13, 2021 at 2:00 PM