It’s all in the timing, my friends. Sometimes, no matter how I try, I can’t get a photo right. It might be the light, the shadow or it might be me. Then there are those times that I point my camera, in this case my iPhone camera, having no idea what the end result will be. And the end result is lovely. (No retouching here. Just added the watermark.)

I wanted some more photos of the ducks because I love watching them. I was finishing up a long walk in the afternoon and somehow it was the right time. Or, at the very least, an interesting time. The light cast a glow on some of the ducks and turned others into silhouettes. The buildings and the trees were reflected in the water. In the above photo, that building’s reflection looks like a Keith Haring drawing that could be reproduced on some fabric. If you’ve seen photographs of the architect Gaudi’s work, this is right up that particular alley.

The duck in the foreground had the most amazing markings. The blue on his feathers was a rich, iridescent blue.

I love the way the light has put a little spotlight on the two ducks in the foreground. They’re so beautiful.

My iPhone’s camera seems to work the best for me outdoors. It sure has come in handy over the past couple of weeks. I stash it in the back pocket of my jeans and off I go.

Yesterday I walked by the pond and the usual 24 or so ducks that I normally see had increased in numbers.

Questions: Where do the ducks go at night? Where do they go as winter draws near? Do they live here in this pond all the time or do they just spend the day there?

Feel free to leave an answer in the comments.

Well, I’ve officially hit the less than one week left in Hartford mark. I’m winding down. We are in previews and have reached the point where I have to stop giving so many notes to the actors. I call it weaning. In every production, there will be notes that I have given repeatedly, things that jar my professional ear, words that I miss because the actor is facing away from me or because they get too quiet in a particular moment. I give these notes over and over and then I have to come to that place where I simply leave it alone. It is what it is. The actors need to make the performance their own and I need to let them. Darko, the director, feels the same way. As of last night, the weaning has begun. I’ll keep attending previews but I will be very, very selective about my notes. It’s like sending your child off to college. You hope you’ve given that child valuable advice and a solid foundation on which to grow and flourish. And then you send them off, crossing your fingers behind your back.

In other news, the A/C repairman came yesterday and I got all excited because I thought it would finally be fixed. He left an hour later because some machinery that he uses ‘seized.’ Still no air conditioning. I tell you, it will get fixed right before I leave for home. Mark my words.

In other-other news, I mistakenly put almond milk in my coffee instead of half and half. Twice. I love almond milk, but not in my coffee. Time to go make more.

Happy Saturday.