There's always a story behind the picture and that is certainly true about this photo.  The lunar eclipse started just before the moon rise and peaked at 8:45pm, so at 7:30 Andy and I jumped in the car with the intention of heading up to the Flagstaff Amphitheater.  As we loaded up the car, we looked east and noticed a huge and beautiful moon rising.  I hardly stopped to admire it, but mentioned to Andy that we might want to go up the street to a small hill and take some pictures from there.  In the two minutes it took for us to get there, the moon was gone!  Clouds!  I kicked myself for not looking at the moon longer while I had the chance.  We decided to try our luck with going higher up on Flagstaff.  Unbelievable.  It seemed like all of Boulder was camped along the side of the road waiting for nature's  show!  Unfortunately, the clouds persisted and we were left with that sinking feeling that we were missing it all.  After a slow and crowded drive up,  we decided to head back down and call it a night.  Back at home, we checked on the moon often and by 9pm it had finally risen above the clouds. This picture was taken from our front yard.  Lunar eclipse pictures are difficult to take due to the low light and the camera's difficulty focusing, but the camera is able to capture the rich red glow of the "blood moon".  Notice how on a typical moon picture you would not be able to see the stars nearby.  With an eclipsed moon, however, the stars share in the glory. (Click on image to enlarge).

Last year I discovered the secrets to taking Milky Way pictures and I've longed for a clear, high-altitude evening ever since.  Andy and I tried to take Milky Way pictures earlier in the year, but our rainy early summer prevented anything interesting.  Then, we had a glorious fall.  This picture was taken from Brainard Lake .  Our photos of the of the stars over the southern hills were nice and we were satisfied that we'd seen enough, so we started to head home.  Once in the parking lot, though, I noticed how the trees lit up when a car drove by.  I set up the camera again and waited for another car.   I just love the glow!  Below are some pictures taken from Chautauqua Park.  As you can see, we have a lot more light pollution in Boulder, but it still makes for some neat pictures. (Click on images to enlarge).

Every year I look forward to the helianthus (sunflower) blooming period.  After months of watering, it is my reward.  The bees love them, and I love to be able to take pictures of the insects at eye level.  One day I was playing around with taking just a flower picture and look who stopped by?  It just goes to show that you need to be there waiting (with your camera) in order to photograph the exceptional.