Shantel Rich's photostream Pro User

Sooo excited - leaving for Scotland soon! Still have to pack and make sure all the ducks are in a row here at the house with the kids for when we are gone. I'm really hoping that I can get some shots of real Scotch thistles while I am there. It is a predominant symbol in the Scottish culture. Here is a little blurb from the cometoscotland.ca website:

The thistle may only be a humble weed, but it is both beautiful and the emblem of the Scottish nation. The prickly-leaved, pink or purple-flowered ‘Scotch’ Thistle is, along with tartan, perhaps the most identifiable symbol of all things Scottish. But how did the thistle earn its place in the proud hearts of the Scots?

Legend has it that a sleeping party of Scots warriors were saved from ambush by an invading band of Vikings when one of the attackers trod on a thistle with his bare feet. His cries raised the alarm, the roused Scots duly defeated the Danes, and the thistle was adopted as the symbol of Scotland.

Scotland's premier Order of Chivalry, established in 1687, is The Most Ancient and Noble Order of the Thistle and its members wear a collar chain whose links are made of golden thistles.

ODC: Curves - while there are quite a few different shapes going on with this little guy...there are a few curves as well.

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A bit of work I did earlier this week. I had a few orders for Mother's Day presents. Always fun to make something for someone special :) This was a grandmother's necklace....lest you think someone has eight kids lol! I mean...it DOES happen..but...

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And what I'm talkin' about is my 365...I'm watching it slowly slip away...oy! When I get a few days behind it really urks me.

I had to fight the wind on this one. It was rocking that drop back and forth on that leaf. I was waiting for it to drop right down the stem!

I shot this with the 50mm 1.4 and a 36mm ext. tube.

ODC: The way out: I guess the way out would have been down the stem and into the dirt eh?

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We had a little visitor right before dinner. I thought I saw something moving on the back patio and glanced out the window really quickly. When I looked, I got mad because I thought it was....well...something the dogs produce and was mad that they had done it on the decking. Abby figured out it was a frog and of course we both went running out to grab a shot (this is our life lol!). I took this one, then started angling around to get him head on and he did three big, awkward leaps off to the bushes which made him pass under our cast iron chimenea. As he passed under the chimenea, he wacked his head three times trying to get past it...and that sent Abby and I into hysterics laughing. Poor guy...I know he has a headache right now.

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