circadianreflections

Christmas Cheer!

December 20, 2016December 20, 2016Posted in Bokeh, Christmas, Holidays, Holidays and Fetes, Nikon, PhotographyTagged Nutcracker; Christmas; Decorations; Holidays; Bokeh; Nikon; Photography;35 Comments

Laura Macky started a post that invited everyone to post something they love about Christmas and I decided to play along.

One of my favorite things about Christmas in addition to the presents are the decorations. I love Santa Claus, trains, the Christmas Tree, lights and Nutcrackers.

Here’s an image of my very first Nutcracker, but I only have a few. I usually set this one and my others on my mantle.

What do you love about Christmas?

To find all the other images shared on Laura’s post click here;

Nikon Df| Nikkor 50mm| Hoodman Digital Film| PS CC 2017

More to come…

Thursday Doors 50/52

December 15, 2016December 15, 2016Posted in Architecture, Doors, Green Doors, Nikon, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Architecture, Doors, Green Doors, Nikon, Photography, San Francisco CA, San Jose West, Thursday Doors, Walk-about29 Comments

Green Doors- gleaned from walk abouts in San Jose West, and San Francisco, CA.

Colorful Doors

Green Door

N°2020 Green Door

Nikon Df| Nikkor 28-105mm| Delkin Digital Film| PS CC 2017

This post is part of Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors. If you love doors and would like to see the doors others are posting, or post doors you’ve photographed and join other door lovers from around the world click here.

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links to view all the posts, and add your own if you’re a door enthusiast too.

More to come…

Sunset Blues

December 14, 2016December 13, 2016Posted in Landscapes, Nikon, Photography, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, SunsetsTagged Clouds, Pond, Reeds, Reflections, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Sunset, Thistle31 Comments

After a day of birding my friends and I closed the day watching the sun dip behind the mountains from the far side of a pond. It was lovely.

Sunset Blues

Nikon Df| Nikkor 17-35mm @35mm| Delkin Digital Film| Tripod| PS CC 2017 & LR CC

More to come…

Belted Kingfisher-Female

December 12, 2016December 13, 2016Posted in Bird Photography, birding, Birds in the Wild, Nikon, Pacific Flyway, PhotographyTagged Belted Kingfisher, Bird Photography, Birding, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, California Pacific Flyway;, Nikon56 Comments

After several years of trying to get a decent image of a Belted Kingfisher I finally got one yesterday while out birding with Gordon and other friends in the Pacific Flyway. I was birding in the refuge rich area north of Sacramento, CA. They asked me to show them around the place and I was eager and happy to do it.

I’m sure Gordon will share many of his images too.

Belted Kingfisher

It was an amazing day of birding. We saw so many great birds. Most notable were the Belted Kingfisher, a Bald Eagle, American Bittern, Ring-necked Pheasants, Hawks, Falcon, Ibis, thousands of Snow Geese, some White Fronted Geese, northern pintails, shovelers, Egrets, Blue Herons, Night Herons, Sparrows, Wrens, Goldfinches, Hummingbirds, Warblers, maybe a Thrush of some sort. Need to work on getting an ID on it.

There were quite a few more types of birds seen. We even saw some other wildlife; skunk, deer, and hares, but for me getting this image means no more agonizing over all the butt shots, missed shots, blurry in flight shots, and how very skittish they are! 🙂 I finally got the shot!! 🙂

This one was quite content to sit on this branch looking at the pond below her while keeping an eye on us too. It was a gift!

Can you see me doing my “happy dance”? Yeah, I’m still dancing. 🙂 We had a GREAT day of birding.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2017

More to come.

Walnut Butterball Cookies

December 11, 2016December 10, 2016Posted in Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Nikon, PhotographyTagged Christmas Decorations, Close up Photography, Dessert, Drop Cookies, Food Photography, Holiday Baking, Nikon31 Comments

Linda over at fabulousfaresisters posted the recipe for these cookies earlier in the week, and I love this type of cookie so thought I’d try them.

Linda credited her Mom for the recipe found here, but I’m giving Linda the credit for nudging me to try them and for the recipe. I changed the recipe just a little by adding Confectioners sugar to the dough too.

I love that there are very few ingredients, and the cookies are not too sweet even with the extra sugar in the dough.

Walnut Butterball Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Extra Confectioner’s sugar for dusting the cookies after baking

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, using a spoon, cream the butter and 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar. Then add the vanilla, flour, and walnuts to the buttercream mixture. Stir until well combined. It will be crumbly. That’s fine!

Next, shape into small balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. ( I lined mine with parchment paper.)

Bake 12 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Roll in confectioner’s sugar while still warm.

(I let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then rolled them in confectioner’s sugar then finished cooling them on a cooling rack)

Store in an airtight container for a week, or freeze.

FWIW: I used a wooden spoon to mix the dough. I always do. When I was young and learning to bake I heard it keeps the dough from getting tough. Is it true? I don’t know. I’ve used my electric mixer to make other cookie dough, and its paddle is metal and the dough hasn’t been tough. However, I don’t over work the dough…so that’s probably the key. 🙂 Knowing when to stop mixing. That’s the key!

I’m giving most of this batch away to neighbors and friends. I think they’ll make a lovely little gift for Christmas.

I’ve eaten two already. They’re delicious!

Thank you Linda! ♥

Nikon Df| Nikkor 105mm| Delkin Digital Film| Tripod| PS CC 2017

More to come…

Moon Set over San Francisco

December 10, 2016Posted in After Dark, Historic Buildings, Low Light Photography, Moonset, National Historic Landmarks, Nikon, Nikon DF, Photography, San Francisco CATagged After Dark Photography, coit tower, Crescent Moon, Historic Buildings, Moon Set, National Historic Places, Nikon, Photography, San Francisco CA, Starbursts28 Comments

and I whispered…”Good-night Moon, and San Francisco sleep tight.”

Moon Set over San Francisco

More to come…

Thursday Doors 49/52

December 8, 2016December 7, 2016Posted in Adorned Doors, Architecture, Doors, iPhone 7 Plus, iphonegraphy, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Doors, Grand Canyon AZ, iPhone 7Plus, Thursday Doors, Wood Doors37 Comments

This is a set of doors from my trip to Sedona/Grand Canyon in early November. Whilst waiting for my friends to check-in to our hotel for the night in Grand Canyon I spied these Saloon doors and drew my cell phone the only camera on me at that moment to shoot the doors. “)

Granted these aren’t the doors I immediately think of when the words Saloon, and American Southwest come to mind, but…aren’t they pretty!

Wagon Wheel Saloon Doors

iPhone 7Plus| PS CC2017

More to come…

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