The Return of the Hummingbirds!

April 2, 2018August 20, 2022 / Donna Robinson Photography / 5 Comments

Late yesterday afternoon, Michael and I had decided to enjoy the beautiful weather along with watching the birds and the squirrels feed. Because there was so much backyard activity I had my camera ready (every day there seems to be a new bird or critter). I had noticed the Hummingbird Feeders were getting low, and because it had been so long since I originally filled them, I assumed the nectar was evaporating or the bees/ants were drinking it. So, I went ahead and cleaned them out and refilled them.

As luck would have it, I had just laid my camera down on the table, when Michael pointed to the newly filled feeders! There he was our first Hummingbird of the year!

I think he was glad I had refilled the feeders because he took several sips!

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I’ve read Hummingbirds have been known to migrate back to the same area each year. I wonder if this little guy is a repeat visitor?

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

If you were following me last year, you know how much I love these little fairies. Pic of the Week 071517- “God Winked” Thoughts: “Hummingbird, Don’t Fly Away”

Hopefully, as the weather continues to warm and the flowers bloom, the other Hummingbirds will be returning soon.

Happy Spring, everyone!

Donna

Spring Cleaning

March 9, 2018March 9, 2018 / Donna Robinson Photography / 4 Comments

I couldn’t help but to get out and enjoy the Spring like weather last weekend. Clear skies and temps knocking on the high 60’s/low 70’s made it very tempting to wander out into the yard and start the prep-work for Spring planting.

My container gardens have all been emptied of the dead annuals from last fall, withered branches from other plants have been snipped, the bird bath cleaned and filled with fresh water and the garden has been cleared (for the most part) of the weeds. With the exception of fresh bark for the garden and bright, colorful plants for my containers, we’re ready for Spring! And, yes……..I’ve even filled the Hummingbird feeders in hopes they will migrate early this year!

It was also perfect for sitting outside and watching the birds and other critters enjoying the warmer weather.

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A Finch and Cardinals feed together

The Red Bellied Woodpecker can’t stay away from this feeder!

A House Finch waits its turn at the feeder

And, of course the other little critters, “Mr. Chipmunk” and our “Squirrel Friends” were out scavenging for some food!

Unfortunately, as I write this post, the temps in Atlanta have dipped to the 30’s with rain expected most of this weekend……it looks like “Spring Cleaning” will be moving indoors. Fingers crossed, the low temps are short lived and we’ll be moving back outside next week.

Enjoy your weekend!

For the Love of Photography: “Out with the old, in with the new”

November 20, 2017August 20, 2022 / Donna Robinson Photography / 8 Comments

A couple of years ago, I wrote about how my husband has lived in Atlanta 20+ years and during that time there have been five (5) stadiums built for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves Life in Black & White: “Another Stadium?”

Neither team has consistently been a champion, but the dedication of the true, die-hard fans has clearly helped sustain and evolve the teams to a new level of earning their own stadiums. And, while opening season for the stadiums hasn’t been without controversy, both opened with elaborate fanfare this year.

Today, however, the city of Atlanta imploded the Georgia Dome which has been the Falcons’ home field for 25 years. At the risk of being overly sentimental, I remember one of the first promotions I worked on at Coca-Cola was a sweepstakes for The Dome’s grand opening. The promotion was called “Roam The Dome” (I kid you not!). Basically, the winners had the opportunity to see The Dome before it was open to the public.

: The Georgia Dome next to the new Mercedes Benz stadium. 11/17/20

And so, like any true photographer I was up at the crack of dawn on a very cold Monday morning and headed downtown. Ok, so maybe my husband had to coax me a little bit into doing it…..after all, this was my first day of vacation and I could have easily watched it on local television.

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Approximately 7:15a.m. EST, 11/20/17 waiting for the implosion

I was debating on heading to higher ground in the warmth of the 15th floor of my Coca-Cola office, but I wanted to make sure I caught all of the right shots and I didn’t know if I would be able to hear the implosion from inside. I opted for the top of the parking deck………along with several other photographers and families! I had hoped to have an unobstructed view, but this was the best available angle.

At just a little after 7:30a.m., with several helicopters and drones hovering high above, the implosion occurred and in a matter of seconds it was over…….just like that……..”out with the old, in with the new.”

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I stayed around for a few minutes to capture shots of the new stadium after the dust settled. It looks a little bit like Darth Vader if you ask me!

Hopefully, this stadium will be around a lot longer than 25 years.

For the Love of Photography: “It’s a Feeding Frenzy!!!”

October 15, 2017October 14, 2017 / Donna Robinson Photography / 8 Comments

So, it’s been five (5) months since we moved into our new home. For the most part, all of the moving containers have been emptied, neatly tucked away behind closet doors or buried in the back of the storage room. Funny how all kinds of emotions and thoughts pop up when you move……especially when you look around at all of the “stuff” you’ve collected over the years. “Stuff” that you spent two thirds of your life collecting, only to find yourself spending the last one third of your life trying to give away! I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a pack rat, but I would say I’m a “memory keeper.” They are different, right?!?!?

Now that we have our own backyard, again, I’m finding one of my favorite things to do is to sit on the patio and watch the wildlife entertainment. With five (5) hanging bird feeders, two (2) hummingbird feeders, a birdbath and several ground feeders we seem to be attracting critters from all around the area.

At any given time we’ve had a multitude of squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, cardinals, doves and a variety of finches circling around. But, the squirrels clearly own the feeders and tend to drain them fairly quickly as you can see from these morning and afternoon shots below……..

Completely full at 8a.m.

By 7p.m. empty

I mean, seriously! These squirrels will do anything to get to the food. Talented beyond any trapeze artist, they will find a way to conquer the feeder!

Coming in for breakfast!

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You would think this guy would make it easy on himself and go for the regular bird feeders.

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I guess they must really like the suet bricks!

Those back feet must really be strong!

I’ve been wondering why my flowers haven’t been growing, lately!

Checking out the drain for food!

I’m willing to bet that we’ve spent a couple of hundred dollars on sunflower seeds, already…….thank goodness Costco sells it in bulk!

For the Love of Photography – “Changes in Latitude….changes in Attitude”

June 30, 2017August 20, 2022 / Donna Robinson Photography / 4 Comments

Lately, I’ve been singing in my head “Changes in Latitude…..Changes in Attitude.” You know, that song by Jimmy Buffet where he sings about “…..taking off for a weekend last month just to try and recall the whole year….” We’ve had a lot of changes happening lately and one that I alluded to in an earlier post (For the Love of Photography – “More to the Story”) involves our recent move. With a slight twist of Jimmy Buffet’s phrase, we’re changing our latitude as we move from our condo on the mountain and we’re changing our attitude as we quickly adjust to living in a house again!

To say, I’m excited about the move would be an understatement. Life in a condo has its positives, but having a little extra elbow room, green grass under your bare feet and being able to crank up the music without getting a complaint letter…..well, let’s just say it’s “priceless.” But, there is one thing I will miss about our condo. I’ll miss the spectacular, every changing view where each day is unique offering up a different perspective from the day before. I’ve stretched my photography skills with this view….skills that I will continue to use for many years to come.

And so, today, as we officially close the chapter of “One Vinings Mountain” I thought it only fitting to share a few of the views from our last few weeks of “living above it all.” Enjoy!

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Ominous Clouds

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“Life is a journey, not a destination…..you are the artist, paint what you will!”

For the Love of Photography – “More to the Story”

June 14, 2017 / Donna Robinson Photography / 2 Comments

We’re having some incredible storms tonight and I’ve had my camera in hand to capture what I can. To me, this one photo is a story in and of itself. But….there is more that I will share in the near future. For now, it is up to you to tell the story you see in this photo…….

For the Love of Photography – “Walks on Sunday”

April 2, 2017April 2, 2017 / Donna Robinson Photography / 5 Comments

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone today and posting photos I took with my cell phone. You see, our Sunday morning walks are not for the faint of heart! And, schlepping 10lbs of camera gear really isn’t a good idea…..let alone the fact you tend to draw a LOT of attention when you’re carrying a camera around your neck looking like a tourist who just stepped off a cruise ship in the Bahamas! Trust me……..I speak from experience.

So, when Michael said he had a new path for us this morning and that it would take us from the Condo down to (and through) Rottenwood Creek, by The Weather Channel, by the new Braves Stadium and back home……….I decided my handy Samsung 6 would do just fine!

RottenWood Creek

Walking under I-285.

Walking over I-75 to SunTrust Park

The entrance to Delta’s parking garage at SunTrust Park

Bronze Statue

Another Bronze Statue

Cool Billboard

Braves Chop House

I can’t forget Coca-Cola!

To put into perspective just how far we walked, this is a picture of our condo. It’s hard to tell, but there are two (2) major interstates (I-285 and I-75), a six (6) lane parkway (Cobb Parkway), a mall and several hills between where I was standing (in front of the stadium) and the condo!

2 1/2 hours and 8 miles later we made it back…….I was glad I opted for the cell phone!

For the Love of Photography – Cuban Chicken Night

February 12, 2017 / Donna Robinson Photography / 2 Comments

It seems that Social Media (I.e. Facebook) has caused a phenomenon of people taking photos of their food and posting it out there for friends to “ooh” and “ah” over. Whether it be a gigantic burrito at a favorite Mexican restaurant, or a colorful cocktail from a local watering hole, society is obsessed with taking pictures of food! But, one thing that drives me crazy is to see a post from a restaurant who is trying to entice you to come in for today’s soup special and it looks like……..well…..let’s just say something very unappetizing. They may have good intentions and I’m sure that the special is really good, but the photo is NOT going to entice me to try it!

And so, with that I’ve discovered a need (and desire) to expand my skills into food photography. I’ve always said cooking is an art, so why not try my hand at photographing food?!?

Which leads me to this past weekend when our good friends “JB” and “JB” (husband and wife) invited us over for dinner. The “JBs” love to cook, grill and fire up their smoker. Lucky for Michael and I we are often called upon to be the “taste testers.” It really isn’t a hard job….good food, good drinks, great conversations…..never have we been disappointed!

The menu for the evening was “Cuban Chicken, Black Beans & Rice.” Their method of preparation was a VERY fancy pressure cooker (not your mother’s stovetop pressure cooker with a whistle that blasted like a civil defense siren).

Stand back! She’s going to explode!

As the timer went off and the food rested, I pulled out my camera and flash and began snapping away.

First, the chicken…….

Then the yellow rice………

And, lastly……….the final plating with black beans garnished with a lime…..

And, what’s a great meal without a dog sitting nearby waiting for a morsel or two to drop?!

We’ve had countless “taste tests” at the “JBs” and this one did not disappoint. Not to mention, what a fun way to practice photography!

BON APPETIT!!!

For the Love of Photography – “From Flip Flops to Snow Boots”

January 8, 2017 / Donna Robinson Photography / 3 Comments

From a weather standpoint the first week of January has been somewhat of a roller coaster. The beginning of the week we found ourselves wearing flip flops, but ending the week bundling up in layers of long johns, gloves and snow boots!

The local Atlanta weather forecasters had the entire city on “Blizzard Alert,” with everyone racing to the grocery stores wiping out all of the milk, eggs and bread. But, as usual, we only ended up with a little ice in the trees and a dusting…..not as pretty as the snow that the suburbs had, but pretty enough to give our little town of Vinings some glitter in the early dawn hours.

The coming week looks like Mother Nature is going to do an about face and the temps will be gradually rising to above average highs. I suppose I should keep those flip flops handy!

For the Love of Photography – “Gone But Not Forgotten”

July 17, 2016December 23, 2016 / Donna Robinson Photography / 3 Comments

One of our favorite routes to SSI Casa de Playa is Hwy 341, or as its better known, the “Golden Isles Parkway.” A four (4) lane highway along the backroads of middle Georgia running Southwest between Perry (Macon) and Brunswick, Hwy 341 is like taking a step back in time where families made their living off the land. For miles and miles (168 miles to be exact) the roads are lined with the most beautiful pecan orchards, cotton fields and timber farms.

About an hour in to our first drive down Hwy 341 we noticed an old windmill and rusted water tower off in the distance. They stood just high enough over the tree line that we didn’t see them until we were about half a mile away.

As we approached closer, we noticed an old house at the base. Brush and trees had grown up all around it. It was obvious a front porch once framed the house, but had long ago deteriorated to the point where it was dismantled and hauled away.

The front door with its faded blue paint leaned against the door jam and dingy brown curtains still hung in the window. Collectively, the house, the windmill and the water tower were reminders of times gone with questions running through our minds…..who lived there? why did they leave this beautiful land behind? where did the family go?

While I was taking pictures a white pick-up truck drove up. The driver stepped out of the truck and I then noticed the “posted no trespassing signs.” Quickly, I complimented him on the property and asked if I could take a few more pictures. He smiled and obliged not seeming at all bothered with my request.

And then, as I pulled back on the lens for a wider shot of the property, I noticed that the times that appeared to be gone were not forgotten. A neatly built wooden fence and freshly cut grass carefully framed the house and its two (2) towers. To someone (perhaps the gentleman in the pick-up truck), this was still a part of their family and their history.