Sign in

etaylorc

@etaylorc.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.8K following 854 posts

The delight is in the finding out. Inveterate traveler, incorrigible animal rescuer, English teacher by trade. Mostly lurking/liking here. All photos by me unless otherwise stated.

PostsRepliesMedia
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
No cheating. Share the last picture of the sky from your camera roll. Is a reflection of the sky cheating? It's probably cheating.
The photo is of the sky and several tall, yellowing buildings reflected on wet paving stones.
240
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Introduce yourself as what almost killed you. Hi, I'm the conjunction of a kelp forest, rough water, and panic.
010
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Bicycle Thieves, 1948 #AlphabetChallenge #WeekFforFilms
The photo is of two bicycles - one red and one blue - leaned against a weathered white wall on an old, narrow stone walkway. In the immediate foreground is a new, low cement wall, making it clear that there is a ditch (actually a canal) between this wall and the walkway. There are some plants visible growing in the cracks on the walkway, indicating neglect the of it and the weathered wall. The sun is very strong, and casts sharp shadows of trees on the bicycles and wall.
1241
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Happy #InternationalCatDay and #Caturday! I usually #rescue dogs, but there are sometimes cats - here are a few of the most recent. The fancy cats were sick and dumped by breeders or pet shops. The orange cats all clearly wanted homes. All are now healthy and homed. #cat #cats #adoptdontshop
The photo is a collage of seven photos of cats. 

Top row: one white cat with a round face is stretched on a blue blanket; one orange and white cat is in close up.

Middle row: one white cat with huge ears and a slightly curly coat sits on furniture; one orange cat lounges in the sun on a faded reddish pillow.

Bottom row: a grey, light tan, and white cat stands in a metal clinic cage (this cat has stubby legs); an orange kitten stands between the edge of a chair and a person's shoulder; and orange cat sits in a clear plastic bowl suspended from a cat tree.
291
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Shallow, rippling, glass-clear water, at low tide. There's probably a hermit crab living in that shell - they were in all the tiny shells. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #TidesOutTuesday (available as a 1000 piece puzzle, if you want to keep someone quiet for a while)
The photo is of a single bright orange snail shell under shallow water, on an undulating sand bottom. The shell is the type that is very long thin rather than the more common rounder ones. The water is rippling and catching the light, creating an intricate pattern as it plays off the surface and the sandy bottom.
1241
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Clouds of the moment. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekEforEphemeral #BlueSkyMonday
The photo is of different kinds of clouds against a clear blue sky, from wisps to cotton ball-like. The sun is still rising here, with the sun coming up on the right. This means that the sky is darker blue on the left, fading into a pale blue on the right.
1160
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Darkness begins to fall over the edges of the ancient water town of Fenghuang, China. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekDforDark #Stunday
The photo is of a river with buildings lining both sides and a bridge with buildings on it crossing the water. The roofs are a classical Chinese shape, with upward curving edges. It is dusk, so almost all the buildings and their reflections are in deep shadow. The edges of a small boat are visible on the right side, along with trees. The sky is somewhat cloudy, and the water has ripples.
1120
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Darkness under Istanbul - one of the cisterns under the city. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekDforDark #UrbanGaze
The photo is of two rows of columns with an arched brick roof and horizontal support rods. The columns in the foreground are almost all in shadow; about midway to the end, the columns are illuminated from the base. The columns and roof are reflected in shallow water (the cisterns were there as water storage for the city).
1221
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Interior in western China, not sure exactly where. I remember it was unbearably hot outside, but it was cool in this darkness. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekDforDark
The photo is of inside a mostly dark room, lit from a window on the right and a small lamp hung behind a screen in the top middle. In the middle of the room is an elevated platform with a dark red carpet with a floral design. On top of that is a short table, covered by a patterned cloth in shades of yellows and browns. On top are some clay jars and a tea cup, as well as a pile of what looks like twisted spaghetti (but is actually something fried. The platform and table are the only things in the room well lit from the window. The wall on the left has a dark wood screen accent covering almost the entire light-colored wall. The back wall as what appears to also be a screen with a patterned cloth hanging behind it, possibly closing off an alcove behind it.
0223
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Harris does curves in chiaroscuro for #caturday. (I have a replacement segment for his tree, just need to find time to dis- and reassemble the thing.) #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves #cats #rescue #adoptdontshop
The photo is of a cat sitting in a plastic bowl hanging from a scratching tree from a wooden ring. The tree is wound with heavy string, and three string-covered balls hang from above. The cat is orange with a white chin, and is sitting so that he is in profile, with his head hanging over the edge of the bowl facing straight up. The light highlights mostly the cat's chest and chin, while most of the photo is much darker.
0161
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Vines curve around a tree in a rainforest in Bali's central hills. I can't unsee a man in a helmet-beard-thing. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves #ForestFriday
The photo is a close up of a large tree trunk with dense forest behind it. There is a large knot at the top, facing left. Vines curve around the trunk, from the top right towards the bottom left, covering about three quarters of the width of the photo. Everything is covered in moss and other small living things. The weather is somewhat overcast, making the colors all greens and browns, with little harsh light or dark.
1190
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Exterior of the Central Market in Phnom Penh, with large #curves created out of angled art deco details. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves #UrbanGaze
The photo is of a large domed building, framed symmetrically against a blue sky with some clouds. The sun is strong and clear, so the shadows are sharp. The shape of the dome is created by layers of rectangular yellow segments, with smooth white spaces of the actual domed roof between them. Below this are two covered pavilions leading into the building, with the center covered by a light blue metal lattice that looks like a fan from this angle.
1170
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Looking up through a chandelier at part of the dome and ceiling of the Hagia Sofia, Istanbul. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCurves
The photo appears to be a chaotic jumble of shapes and colors. It is a view looking up into the very tall space of a huge dome, from just inside a shorter hallway. Immediately above me is a huge round iron chandelier with rings to hold candles, above that is part of the dome, including arched windows. Parts of the hallway are painted in intricate designs, in golds and blues. The dome is also painted, primarily in golds. At the very top of the dome is intricate Arabic calligraphy.
0140
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Sneaking in this morning's sunrise for #stunday. For scale, the buildings at the bottom are 25-30 stories tall.
The photo is of a sunrise where the clouds are all on fire. At the very bottom is a cluster of tall buildings.
0164
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Happy #caturday from #rescue baby Finnegan! He's in a cage because I have five adult dogs and two adult cats here, and he's tiny. It's quite large, but hopefully he's out soon - talking to several potential adopters this week. #adoptdontshop
The photo is a closeup of an orange tabby kitten lying on a cardboard scratch pad, inside a white wire cage. He is backlit, so he is surrounded by a soft halo. Some of the bars are reflected in his wide, slightly green eyes, as am I.
153
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Some of the oldest colonial headstones in the US seen from behind, making a different kind of #scape. Pretty sure this is in the Granary Burying Ground (1660s), definitely in Boston. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind
The photo is of many rows of very old stone headstones in a very old cemetery. The photo is taken from a low angle, so the spaces between  rows is hidden, leaving the frame full almost entirely of headstones. There are shadows from patchy sun, trees, and the angles of the stones. The stones vary in color, ad they are nearly all askew at different angles, but most of them have the same basic shape: a tall and wide central arch with shorter and very narrow sides. The backs of these headstones are left rough, and many are also broken. Between the stones is short, mostly brown grass with a few bits of weeds.
2191
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Behind the scenes of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Shanghai, peeking through the glass door from the alley around back one early morning. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #UrbanGaze
The photo is looking through slightly blurry glass doors into a narrow restaurant kitchen before it opens and before the lights are on, casting most of it in darkness. On the left side is a line of industrial refrigerators and shelves of supplies. In the middle are shelves and workspaces, including a chopping block, plastic collinders and bins, ceramic dishes, and various bottles of sauce and jars of spices. The right side is mostly hidden by a shelf at the front with a plastic bin with metal bowls in it. In the background on the right there is a bit of cooking surface visible.
180
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Behind a brave family standing in front of the precariously-balanced Krishna's Butterball, in Mahabilipuram, India. For scale, those tiny figures under it are people and goats. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #TravelMemories #RockinTuesday
The photo is of an enormous, nearly spherical (from this angle) boulder balanced on a rock slope. More than half the photo is blue sky with wispy clouds, with the boulder mostly against the sky. People and goats sit in the shade under the boulder. The rock slope is light brown with sparse low bushes on top, and ends on a flat grassy lawn below. In front of the boulder is a family in brightly colored clothes.

Info on the size from Wikipedia: The boulder is approximately six metres (20 ft) high and five metres (16 ft) wide and weighs around 250 tons. It seems to float and barely stand on a slope on top of a 1.2-meter (4 ft) high plinth which is a naturally eroded hill.
0161
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Waiting... No idea whether this fishing boat was still in use. On a beach somewhere around Da Nang, by the impossibly blue water of the South China Sea. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #TravelMemories #BlueSkyMonday
The photo is vertical, of the back of a small, weathered wooden fishing boat in the center. It is a row boat, but there are no oars. It is not painted, except for the very front tip, which is bright red. The top half of the photo is of a strips of dark blue sea with an edge of small breaking waves. The sky above is clear pale blue. The bottom half of the photo is a clean white sand beach. The sun is extremely strong and bright, so the only shadow is directly under the boat.
0190
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
The Three Graces, two-thirds from behind. In the museum in Side, Türkiye. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekBforBehind #AncientBluesky #TravelMemories
The photo is of statues of three naked figures of women; they are headless and armless, and their legs are broken off about mid-thigh. They are displayed to look like they might have been linking arms, but the two figures at the sides are faced away, while the middle figure is facing the viewer. 

The museum space is a restored Roman bath house, with a large arch at the end. Smaller statues and fragments are also visible. The whole interior, including all the statues, are in a warm light.
2292
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Nemrut Dağı is one of those places I saw once in a photo and decided to go - made it on a road trip, 2012. Almost didn't make it due to 15 feet of snow on the only road up. Which also meant it felt really and truly #abandoned. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #Stunday #Türkiye
The photo is of a rounded mound with several huge stone seated figures in front of it. The heads of the statues on on the ground below. The ground is all browns, with some snow cover. The sky is a spectacular clear blue.
0253
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
#abandoned and rebuilt over centuries until it was finally destroyed in the 6th-7th century CE - Roman Diana Fortress near Kladovo, Serbia. Now unabandoned again as a historical site, but I don't think it gets a lot of visitors. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #RomanFortThursday #Archaeology
The photo is of two huge curved stone walls with a field and square pillars behind them. These walls form the towers of the primary gate to this roman fortress. The walls are wide layers of large rocks and horizontally-placed red bricks. The sky above is bright blue with white clouds.

If I recall, this whole complex was almost entirely buried; I'm not sure how much of these walls are original versus reconstructed.
2132
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Fish trap #abandoned on a beach between Da Nang and Hoi An. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #TidesOutTuesday
The photo is of water and sand on a beach. Partly sunk into the sand are the remains of the frame and mesh of a fish trap, with sticks and weeds caught in the wires. The trap appears to be rusty and misshapen, and the soft reflection of it appears on the wet sand.
1150
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
No idea what it is, just have always thought this pic was dorky and funny. It's a large, long-legged, long-necked bird, seen in a bird park in Cape Town. #BirdOfTheDay #Cutie #Birds #BirdPhotography
The photo is looking straight down into an enclosure with mostly grey soil, and a few large green leaves. In the middle, a grey bird looks straight up into the lens. The focus is (unfortunately) on the body more than the face, making its eyes and beak less clear than the intricate pattern of feathers on its body. This makes its face look even more absurd, because since it has a long neck its face looks almost like a mask.
1286
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Early stages of #abandonment? Definitely unused and miles from anything else, somewhere between Quebec City and Saguenay. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekAforAbandoned #BlueSkyMonday
The photo is of the short side of a very large, grey and weathered barn standing alone in a small, rough and brown clearing. There are windows that appear intact, so it can't be too-long abandoned. Broken pieces of what used to be a wire fence are visible in places, although partly knocked over and tangled in the long grass. All around the edges of the clearing are smallish pine trees, and in the distance are low mountains with some snow. The sky is a faultless clear blue.
0201
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Ages ago I posted a relative of this sculpture, I think with a spigot for a face? I thought they were temporary installations, but apparently not... #AlphabetChallenge #WeekZforZany
The photo is of a sculpture seated on a stone bench in a green park. The sculpture is brightly colored. The legs appear to be a woman's, one red and one blue, crossed at the knee. The upper half is several random shapes and colors, including a pink funnel and a light blue clock arranged around a red and green "spine." The whole thing is topped with a pink fedora-type hat.
060
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Zany is proving to be a difficult. Is it clever? Is it clownish? It only made me think, who are you that you would choose to do this to your car? (Fwiw, it's a Tesla model Y.) #AlphabetChallenge #WeekZforZany #BlueSkyMonday
The photo is of a close up of the side of a car; at the top you can see the passenger windows, at the bottom left is a bit of the wheel well and tire, and door handles and the seam between the front and rear doors is visible. But. The car has been wrapped entirely in advertising for a cutsie character called Dimoo, who looks kind of like the "precious moments" kids of yore. The background is a bright blue sky with fluffy white and purple clouds, and chalk-drawing doodles of what looks like the planet Saturn and clouds. Dimoo himself is wearing green and orange, and is holding what looks like a red prop propeller plane. On his head is what looks like a tan butt with a face - but it might be his hair. There's a lot about the aesthetics of Asia that I really don't understand.
1110
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Karst mountains stretching way out yonder. View from atop one at Xingping - felt like standing in the classical Chinese painting. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekYforYonder #Stunday #TravelMemories
The top third of the photo is a cloudy grey sky. Below that is a deep range of very steep hills, mostly covered in green, but with sheer bare rock faces visible. These go to about the middle of the photo, and the layers of these mountains fade into the distance. Roughly the bottom half of the photo is flat, with a horseshoe bend of a river with flat fields filling any land that isn't karst mountain. There are a few pockets of houses along the river, and boats on the river. In the foreground is a large rock and the tops of some trees, showing that I am standing basically on a cliff taking this photo.
0162
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
#Cloudscape on a Sri Lankan beach. Those specks on the water are the tall sails of boats, way out yonder. Negombo, a resort area on the west coast, circa 2007. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekYforYonder #Scape #TravelMemories
The photo is about three-quarters sky with tall, dramatic clouds in a blue sky. Below that is a thin strip of the green-blue water of the Indian Ocean. Atop that strip are tiny dots in different colors - the sails of traditional catamarans. Below that is a thicker strip of golden sand.
2222
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Blue sky reflected in a gently curved exterior of a skyscraper. #BlueSkyArtShow #Curve #Reflections
The photo is of several stories of exterior windows on a large structure. Because the exterior is curved, there are many tall, thin windows slightly angled, making the reflections of the sky and clouds fragmented. Between each floor is a small overhang, making a series of curved lines between the stripes of fragmented sky. In the top right corner a different pattern of curves is visible, in metal.
1210
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Sort of a forest? Definitely could get lost if you entered. Houses on wooden stilts along the Mekong River, between Vietnam and Cambodia. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekXforXyloid #ForestFriday #TravelMemories
The photo is of horizontal layers: At the top is a light blue sky with thin clouds. At the bottom is flowing yellowish-brownish water. In the middle is a layer of huts and shacks with corrugated tin walls sitting atop thin poles that are about the height of the huts on top, giving a good indication of how much the river regularly rises.
1140
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Side of an old gorengan (snack) push cart in Jakarta. The weather there does a number on #wood. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekXforXyloid #TravelMemories
The photo is a closeup of extremely worn and weathered wooden panels. In the middle in the bottom third  is part of a wheel, with thin spokes and rim of blue metal, and a thick black tire.
1120
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Tiny moment seen on this misty morning's walk with the pups. For me it goes back and forth between lovely and grotesque - something about the scale is off. But it was also so sweet and quiet and innocent. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekWforWater #Bloomscrolling #Stunday #ECK
The photo is a closeup of a very small yellow rose fully open and covered in water drops, against a background of a white flower pot and some of the plant and soil. The rose petals are edged in orange. The water drops range in size from small dew drops to what seems like disproportionately large for the size of the flower.
1160
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Seaweed #forest in a murky bay near Danang. As a kid I was nearly drowned by seaweed, so this was as terrifying as any deep dark forest on land. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekWforWater #ForestFriday
The photo is all shades of greens, yellow-greens, and blue-greens, and the image itself appears blurry and unsettled. The bottom third is full of tangled bushy plants growing from the bottom. The top third is the surface of the water from underneath, showing ripples and reflecting the plants.
2161
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Rocks in a quick-flowing stream on a sunny day. Hard to tell from this, but that green rock was heart-shaped. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekWforWater #RockinTuesday
The photo is of mostly light brown rocks in various sizes and shapes, with a single pale blue-green stone just off center. The rocks are all under shallow flowing water, with the irregular ripples and light on the surface making the whole thing look like a mosaic, or stained glass.
1162
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Tide's out on a shallow beach on #HavelockIsland. This was several years after the 2004 tsunami, and the mangroves and tourist infrastructure were in rough shape. The beaches, though, and the diving - wow. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekWforWater #BlueSkyMonday #TravelMemories
The photo is of a beach with a long, shallow expanse of white sand and scattered rocks to the turquoise, and eventually crystal blue water on the horizon. The sky is a pale but clear blue. On the beach in the foreground, a lone tree stands at a steep angle. The roots are half exposed, making it look like it is clinging on with fingers. The branches are mostly broken or stripped, but what is growing is tenacious. Shadows on the sand indicate similar trees behind us.
2150
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
You haven't heard "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" until you've heard it done by exuberant kids on percussion. Here, the Soweto Marimba Youth League, ca. 2012. Kudos to the kids for helping reclaim the song. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekVforVocal #LiveMusic #Musicians #UrbanGaze #HumansOfBlueSky
The photo shows two rows of kids singing and playing instruments in a paved public area with a wall close behind. All the kids look like they are between about 8 and 12 years old, and they are playing in bright hot direct sun.

In the front row, four kids are playing five white steel drums of different sizes. These are hammered metal drums - all the same diameter but of different depths - and are played with mallets. These are painted white with colorful decorations, with the name of the group painted on the front of the largest ones. The back row consists of kids playing marimbas, also with colorful mallets. The kids are having a blast; the audience was too, although they are not in the photo.
1110
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, probably in Frankfurt circa 2007. When I lived in India and was getting overwhelmed (love it, but India could be a lot) I went to Germany. Happy to be able to time it for this. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekVforVocal #LiveMusic #Musicians
The photo is looking down at a stage from fairly close on a left-side, front-row balcony seat. Two men are on stage with acoustic guitars. One man stands; the other sits, and is singing. Tall red drapes hang behind them and there are colored lights on the floor, but otherwise there is no decoration - just two men, two chairs, two mikes. Some of the crowd in front are visible.
190
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Turkey tail #scape in the forest, reminding us of the passage of time. Probably a stretch for all three tags, but it's been a long week #ForestFriday #AlphabetChallenge #WeekTforTime #Mushrooms
The photo is a closeup of turkey tail mushrooms and lichens on a decaying log. these turkey tails are mostly white and orange, with some green, and the lichens are pale green. Under the log, and visible blurred in the background, are the regular dead leaves and sticks of an undisturbed forest floor.
1191
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
I Can't Stand the Rain I first remember this song from the movie "The Commitments" but there are so many awesome interpretations. Here, starring Bakso. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekSforSongs #Caturday
The photo is a closeup of a cat looking out a window on a rainy day, so it's shadowy fur on the right, whiskers in the middle, and rainy window and beyond on the left.
0211
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Only happy when it rains - Garbage #AlphabetChallenge #WeekSforSongs #TravelMemories
The photo is of a pushcart food vendor with his cart and a potential customer. The cart is standard for Jakarta - a metal box on bicycle wheels, with a glass front, on which is painted what he makes (in this case, a kind of sweet mung bean porridge). In the window, various pots and bowls are visible. There is a plastic stool tied on top, which he can take down for customers. The vendor is standing at the push poles, facing a out at a potential customer. Both are standing in mid-calf deep flood waters, under umbrellas, because it is absolutely bucketing down rain.
2192
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Early morning reflection made #soft by thin ice on a pond. From earlier this year. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekRforReflections #BlueSkyArtShow
The photo is of of trees reflected on ice in early morning light. There is a small glare of sun and some light patches, but most of the image is the pale green reflection of trees and a small fence.
1130
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
A bit of summer forest reflected in a small pond in southern New Hampshire, and inverted. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekRforReflections #ForestFriday
The photo is of a sunny day in a tangle of mostly young forest in summer, reflected in a small, still pond. Most of the photo is reflection, though it is hard to tell where the water starts. The water is covered with patches of dust and leaves, but the photo is upside-down, making those flecks look a little like daytime stars, and if you look closely making tufts of grass seem to appear hanging from nothing. It looks like multiple exposures, or just trippy.
0140
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Sunrise reflection and shadows on a metal wall in an urban park, pre-spring. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekRforReflections #UrbanGaze
The photo is of several bare branches of small trees standing against a metal wall. The wall is usually silver, but at this early hour the sun is hitting it almost directly, making it glow more in shades of golds and oranges - where the sun itself is reflected it is bright hot yellow. The metal is smooth enough that both shadows and reflections of the tree branches are visible on the wall's surface.
1396
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Deoria Tal in northern India, Shiva's Himalayan abode in the background, maybe 2007? This reflection happens for maybe 15 minutes around 8 am, so beware the advertised treks. (It's also just a long walk up stairs, not a trek.) #AlphabetChallenge #WeekRforReflections #BlueSkyMonday #MountainMonday
The photo is of snow covered mountains and lower layers of hills in browns and greens under a clear blue sky, reflected in a perfectly clear blue lake. Horizontally in the middle is a strip of early spring pale green land and a few trees, with a couple of small shacks (snack stalls).

This is a photo from an earlier digital camera, so it's not great. Pretty amazing view, though, and was way better in person.
1566
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Queen Molly is not amused. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekQforQueens #Caturday
The photo is a closeup of an orange tabby cat with pale green eyes in a delicate face. She looks decidedly unimpressed.
2230
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Haven't seen any dancing queens yet 🙃 (Stage show in Yunnan.) #AlphabetChallenge #WeekQforQueens
The photo is of a young female dancer spinning in flowing light yellow, brightly lit by a spotlight. She is surrounded by male dancers in traditional darker yellow costumes. The background is shades of green, with a peacock flying at the top. In the foreground are people holding cameras and phones to capture the dance.
3100
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Layers of a #purple mountain-and-sky #scape; also for a #stunday. Collapsing tags because this week has been a lot. This pic is from the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, from an August long ago. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekPforPurple #ECK #Landscape
About the bottom third is of 5-7 layers of mountains. The closest layers are dark purple, the more distant grow paler. The top two-thirds are sky and layers of wispy clouds. The darkest bits of the clouds are purple, while the lightest are a pale silvery-grey.
1422
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Some purple hydrangea for #bloomscrolling. At least I think it is hydrangea... the blossoms seem more complicated than that? I don't know. The color was striking. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekPforPurple
Closeup of bright purple blossoms, with some pink and blue shades. Each blossom appears to have four or five layers of petals, larger at the bottom and smaller at the top. Like hydrangea, the blossoms are clustered into a ball-like shape, although that isn't apparent in the photo.
1140
etaylorc @etaylorc.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
This is periwinkle, and it is invasive almost everywhere. So... not the best flower for #EarthDay. But it is thriving - which I hope for the Earth - and it's purple and pretty, and hopefully not triggering for folks like the last time I posted it 🙃 #AlphabetChallenge #WeekPforPurple #bloomscrolling
The photo is a closeup of a single five-petal flower against vibrant green vines and leaves. The center of the flower is tiny and yellow; it is set in a five-pointed star shape. The petals fade from white in the center to a darker lavender at the outer edges.
1120