Inspiration

Why The Awe Inspired Photographer in Me Loves Foggy, Dew-Drenched Mornings in July

Shelley

Ah, July, good ol’ hot July. Before we say farewell to you for another year, let’s take a peek at our neck of the woods and a few awe-inspiring moments. This time of year things heat up, the crops sprout even more, and we humans look for shade or a spot in the AC.

Any break from the heat comes overnight when the dew drenches the grass and fog greets us in the morning. That’s when creatures I can’t see during the day have been busy, busy, busy.

My favorite creatures of the night are spiders. Because they’re busy outside and not in the house (I hope).

Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They’ll believe anything they see in print.

Charlotte

Upon opening the shade on the kitchen window, I glanced down at the ground by the crab apple tree and noticed two spots I had overlooked the day before when the grass was dry.

I yelled to Mr., “I’m heading outside to take photos!!!” Yeah, I was super excited – Dewy grass, spider webs, and fog – PERFECT for low down-on-the-ground photography!

Plus, I get my squats in while crawling around like a spider.

Of course, I headed right for the two webs.

The next time you see a spider web, please, pause and look a little closer. You’ll be seeing one of the most high-performance materials known to man.

Cheryl Hayashi

I don’t know who Cheryl is, but she’s right.

Spider Web #1

“I think I’ll try again,” said Wilbur, cheerfully. “I believe what I need is a little piece of string to hold me.”

Wilbur

Spider Web #2

I wondered if one was the home and the other a vacation home. No matter what, Spider Web #2 fascinated me enough to take several shots of it.

Isn’t it fascinating?

No birds or rabbits destroyed it. I wonder how long it takes to build one of these masterpieces. I think Charlotte and Wilbur would be impressed.

A week later, with a few rainstorms in between, it appeared a bit less durable.

That foggy morning, I noticed even more spider webs. It must’ve been a contest of some sort. The rabbits and the ground squirrels travel here all the time. Can you imagine having to rebuild these webs every night?

A few more squats to get a better angle. Check out the photos I captured.

I’d be dizzy going back and forth that much!

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.

Pablo Picasso

From above, wow – just wow! I pity the fool that accidentally lands here.

I rounded the corner and saw that scrap of paper Pablo mentioned. . .

To the right of it was this web.

Okay, enough is enough, right? Nope, just one more. This one is a bit more delicate, don’t you agree?

I’m scared of spiders and am thankful that the scariest thing, sporting wild frizzy fog hair, I saw that day after the sun broke through the fog was . . .

Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.

E. B. White

Is it me or an aberration . . .? It’s one photo that I hope won your heart enough to return again next week to see what August adventures take place 😉

Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “one/won.” Use one, use them both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use them both. Enjoy! And Lens-Artists #260 July 29 Janet Webb of This That and The Other Thing will explore OVERLOOKED

PS – Are you afraid of spiders? If not, why? Does it get foggy in the month of July where you live? Did you enjoy reading Charlotte’s Web as a child? Does your hair frizz in the humid air too? Can you believe July has come and gone already? And did you learn today that photography can be a great exercise program too? 🤣

Published by Shelley

Letting my quirk out one post at a time.

56 thoughts on “Why The Awe Inspired Photographer in Me Loves Foggy, Dew-Drenched Mornings in July”

  1. Spiders just creep me out man, I can’t even look at them but the webs they build are beautiful as you have shown us, Shelley. There is something almost magical about fog, walking through it you can feel the tiny droplets and smell the moisture. ❤️😊

    1. I’m glad to hear you’re a ‘fan’ of spiders in the same way I am! 😉🥰
      The fog is magical – I love walking around in it. You know how humid it is in our neck of the woods. I’m guessing you have many fond memories of being in it in Michigan too! 😍

      1. Oh yes! It’s like walking in a cloud! My sister was dreading the 90s and humidity recently. Just 101 degrees here today, a cooling trend! 🔥😂

  2. I’m right there with you about foggy and dewy mornings. The hazy light brings so many objects into focus. Your photos are lovely. I also like and abide by the quote: Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.

    1. Thank you, Ally, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos I took on my stroll in the hazy light.
      That quote is a great goal to live by in our journey here on earth 🌎🥰😉

  3. I really didn’t think much of spiders until a black and yellow one decided to build a web on our front door. The thing was a work of art and she sat right in the middle of it, waiting for something to fly in for dinner. When she left, she left an egg sac, which I took and put in the natural area of the back yard, so they could move on from there. We saw it as a blessing, though I don’t know how we would have felt if she walked into the house… Great pictures!

    1. Yuck…I don’t like those big black and yellow spiders. They give me the creepy crawlies. Like you said, though, their webs are so beautiful. That was kind of you to move the egg sac to a more natural area in the yard. More to eat there too!
      LOL – it’s a good thing she didn’t walk into the house. The greeting may have become a very short meeting. 🤣
      Thanks – I’m glad you enjoyed the photos!

  5. I like all your spider web photos Shelley – there is beauty in those webs – the intricacy of the webs is fascinating as long as a spider doesn’t pop out of a tunnel or where it was hiding and walk out on its web … then I am outta there! Yes, I fear spiders. I was at the Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park early this morning. There was dew on the knot gardens and I took two or three photos of the spider webs on the green barberry bushes … I hope the pics come out, as it was my first time doing so. There were heavy dew drops hanging off part of one web. I remember you won the Saturday award for your dew on the grass and your photo was used for a year. In August we have lots of misty mornings and when I still walked to and from the Park, (instead of driving for the sake of the car), I’d be walking along and all of a sudden walk into a spider web – just long strands strung from tree to tree or across a sidewalk … I’d be pawing and clawing at the air. I don’t like that feeling. Or if I went out in the backyard starting around August … lots of webs strung across where I would walk – I would be freaked out by it.

    I did like reading Charlotte’s Web as a child – I liked Wilbur the pig. My hair falls flat in humid air – when I got my hair layered around my face years ago it was a big mistake … after years of having one-length hair and could put it back in a braid and look the same at the end of the day as the beginning of the day, I knew it was a bad move. This year I am happy to move into August and truly after the past few weeks of severe weather, I’d be happier if it was Labor Day weekend. If I squatted down, I’d never get up – I am not limber enough, no matter how much I walk.

    1. Oh, yes, I’m not a fan of walking through spider webs either. Last weekend we had to clear out a bunch of spider webs in an apartment that is being rented in Aug. It was scary and I save some pictures for a different post.
      Yes, I liked Wilbur too – the drawing of him in the book was so darn cute.
      I stopped trying to control my frizz – it’s just part of having curly hair I guess. It’s up in a bun most of the time.
      We’re having a bit cooler and less humid weather – I hope you get some of this kind of weather so August is more enjoyable for you.
      PS – YAY – I can’t wait to see if your spider web photos turn out!!! 😊

      1. I’d freak out – I haven’t opened the front door since a big black spider ran under the front door … it was on the stoop, then disappeared under the door. I can’t spray as it’s brass on the bottom of the door. When the tree cutter was here, I casually pointed the web out. He swished it with a piece of paper and the spider ran like heck to the other side of the door. Since a centipede ran into the living room two months ago from where it was on the inside door stoop, I have not opened the front door … it’s a pain to go around for the mail, but hey … bugs terrify me. 🙂

        My hair is in a bun all the time – I don’t want it hanging down if it’s hot or it gets in my way.

        I hope the pics come out – the first spider web pics I took with dewy droplets. It will be a Wordless Wednesday I think.

        1. I’m with you on the bugs and spiders. At our apartment we got ready to rent this past weekend there were spiders and webs in SO many places. They seem to like quite places where they can just spread their webs and hang out.
          Me too – the bun is my favorite go to all summer long.
          I look forward to seeing your photos when you decide to share them!

          1. I have to open the front door from outside and sweep the web away – it may be long gone, but I don’t like opening the front door in Summer as I don’t want flies sneaking in either. My bun stays put and is great for the heat. I bought a sunhat with UV protection, but I haven’t worn it yet as it’s been too hot (if that makes sense).

          2. Hopefully, come fall, the spider web is gone and you’re free to exit the front door without worry.

            Yes, there are days when a UV hat is too hot to wear!

          3. Yes, right now I try not to open the door due to flies anyway, but it’s not convenient. The day the centipede shimmied up the outside stoop and ran into the living room is what I picture this huge black spider doing, only at a little slower pace: 8 legs versus 100 legs. 🙂

          4. Hopefully, there’s a spider web near the door to catch those flies! 🤔😏
            Wait until you see the next series of spider photos… 😆

          5. I follow a macro photographer … Tom has some up-close-and-personal-spider photos that could be used at Halloween. He always saves the biggest one for around Halloween. The little jumping spiders look gargantuan! 🙂

          6. Close-ups using a camera is as close as I want to be to spiders too!! Dang…maybe I should’ve saved these photos for Halloween? Time to go catch some more webs in the yard before then 🤔

          7. Definitely! I’ll put Tom’s Halloween spider in a separate comment as you’ll have to moderate it … he’s very philosophical but his close-ups are amazing.

  6. Wonderful photos, Shelley! I’m not usually bothered by spiders. When we find them in the house, we capture them and put them outside. We’ve had some foggy mornings, but we’ve had a ton of rain this month.

    1. Thanks, Dan! You brave spider saving soul. What do you catch them in and how do you transport them to safety outside? 🤔
      The flowers in your area are so stunning – It’s fun to see how they’ve responded to the rain and the sun.
      I enjoyed your interview with Smitha. And, nice job on getting bonus points for the SoCS prompt!

      1. We place a small paper cup over the spider and gently slide a piece of paper under the cup. We do the same if a cricket get in (we’ve never found how/where they do that). The worst is those rare occasions when we get to the door, and there’s no spider 🙂

        1. You’re brave and clever. I somehow always squish them. 😏 I freak out if my squish tool is empty when I toss it into the garbage. Crickets are tricksters. We get them in our basement a lot.

          1. Crickets are tricksters 🙂 We have no idea how they get in. Our cats would take care of them, when we had two and when they were younger. MiMi is definitely a live and let live kitty now.

          2. I think they’re just waiting to pounce in when the doors open. Or as Mr. says, “The house isn’t completely void of holes to the outside.” We found that this summer with an ant invasion.
            Oh, dear, what happened to MuMu? I’m sorry if I missed hearing about her. 😭

          3. MuMu fell last October and dislodged something inside. The vet said she most likely wouldn’t survive the surgery. She said she wouldn’t attempt in on cats older than 5 or 6 (MuMu was 17). MiMi is still hanging in. The vet thought she wouldn’t be around much longer back in 2021. She’s 18 and enjoying life despite numerous health issues.

          4. Aw, I’m sorry about MuMu, the vet was wise to advise a path with the least pain for her. It’s amazing how resilient cats can be, glad to hear MiMi is enjoying life 🤗

  7. Of course you won me over with these wonderful spider web photos Shelley. The combination of water drops and webs is irresistible 🙂

    1. Yay – thanks, Brian, I’m glad you enjoyed the spider webs. You captured the spiders, so I’m linking to your post so the little creatures get some fun exposure too 🥰https://bushboy.blog/2023/07/30/did-you-see-that/

  8. I wonder if they make these in one night? They are very elaborate and dense, I can’t imagine the getting it all done that fast. How big are the spiders that make these? I have not seen webs like this here, though when I used to run I’d see webs in the taller grass at the park. One year at the lake in Alabama there was a spider web near the garage that looked just like a dvd glistening in the sun. Was so cool!

    1. I wonder too, they’re fast if they do! These are just grass spiders. I guess they’re moderately sized. Whatever that means! 🙄
      I love seeing the big spider webs in the dew or the glistening sun – they’re fun to try and capture in photos too. I have better luck in the dew than the sun.

  9. I love how you brought Charlotte and Wilber to this one. A favorite story of mine. The clumps of webs are different from what I have ever seen, and they are interesting in the wet, rainy weather. Great low, close photos. A unique look at how to bring creative art to spiders.

    1. Upon some research, I find that the creators are Grass Spiders. Wisconsin has a gift for naming the obvious. 🤣 I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. I’m in awe at the photos you shared in your post. It made me want to visit Arizona even more (I’ll wait until it’s cooler there though…! 😂) I hope your travels are going well – and are capturing many photos to share with us about your journey!

  10. Wonderful photos… although I had to look carefully in case I saw one of those eight-legged creatures (I really don’t like them!).

    1. Thank you, Nikki. To tell you the truth, I did the same thing and am quite surprised I didn’t see any spiders while I was taking the photos either. Thankfully they like other small bugs more than me and my camera. 🤣

    1. LOL – I only seek them out once a summer when the fog makes them appear. Otherwise, I’m with you on avoiding them at all costs!

  12. I am SO glad you decided to participate, Shelley. I love, love, love the spider web shots, especially when you got down to ground level for the shots. I’ve always loved foggy mornings/days and being out taking photos in them. One of the best things is the way the spider webs stand out and of course, the drops, as in your beautiful drop shot. I’m not a huge fan of spiders, but I do admire their webs. Thanks for highlighting the beauty of them so well!!

    janet

    1. Thank you, Janet, I appreciate the warm welcome to participate and your words of encouragement!!
      I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed my photos. I love to take photos from a different perspective – approaching at it from what does a bunny or a dog or a critter see kind of level. When I’ve played enough I go inside to see what I captured. 😂🤣

    1. Thank you, Khurt – I’m glad you enjoyed them. I read your post on macro photography, WOW – you know A LOT more than I do and your photos are stunning!!!!

  14. This was such a beautiful post, Shelley. No, I don’t like spiders but I do like the beauty of freshly made webs on which dew drops hang like pearls. Once I stood by a window and watched a spider make its entire web. They’re pretty quick and so diligent.
    Your photographs are beautiful and I enjoyed the quotes. I’m definitely returning for your adventures in August🙂. The first photograph is surreal.

    Answer to your question- I don’t like how my hair looks flat when it’s humid.

    1. Hi Smitha – thank you for stopping by to check out the post.
      Wow – that’s so fun that you watched the spider in action. I think I could do that too if there was a window between the two of us.
      Thank you for your kind words of encouragement about my blog and photos 🥰😍 much appreciated!
      Aw…I find it intriguing that our hair is either frizzy or flat in humidity. Is there any hair type that says, “Heck ya, this is the weather I’m talking about as super enhancing!”? 🤣

      1. Hi Shelley, I’m so glad I stopped by. Watching a spider in action leaves you in awe of nature and is pretty therapeutic 😃.
        Ha ha… I don’t think so. If there were, I’d wish for it.

  15. I am glad you didn’t overlook them! Well done and brilliant close-ups. In dewy mornings my whole tree outside my room is filled with spider webs. I love them, but not the spiders…Excellent take on!

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