Woman in a Long White Dress

Woman in a long white dress. That's what the steam looked like to me anyway. What do you see? This morning I saw the steam rising from my tea in the sunlight and I thought I would make some images of it. With some imagination I could picture all kinds of things rising up from my cup. Is that stuff safe to drink? In any case it was a great way to start the day. God's blessings to all, What have you done to seek him today? chris

Garden Rose

Lenore's roses in the backyard are coming into bloom. They are really budding out. Here is one of the early ones. Though I can't really say early ones due to the fact that it never really stopped blooming all winter long even when it snowed. There were always a couple of blooms on it. Pretty amazing. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Douglas Iris

The most prolific wildflower around my house at this time of year are the Douglas Iris.I look forward to them blooming every year. Right now they are in bloom in small scattered patches over the ridgetop where I live. They and hundreds of other plants across western North America are named after a Scottish botanist David Douglas (1798-1834) He was a remarkable adventurer who explored from Hudson Bay,the Pacific northwest and down into California collecting plants and seeds for Royal Horticultural Society in England. His name is now associated with hundreds of western plants and trees. His name may be found as the place name on mountains, rivers, counties, schools and even on city streets in many locations in the west. Sadly his life ended in Hawaii in a pit trap set for cows. He fell into it and was mauled to death by a bull. It is unclear whether he or the bull fell into the pit first. God bless and safe journeys, chris

Kickin' Up Their Heels!

A sure sign of spring is the colt that was born last week on the ranch in the pasture below my photoblind. It's amazing how fast colts are up and around. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Yearning to Break the Bonds of Earth

Earlier this week I went down to the Ukiah airport to photograph the B-17 Bomber that was on tour. While it garnered most of my attention I was also drawn to a nondescript, weather beaten old aircraft that was parked not far away on the tarmac. You could truly see it had been a beauty in its day. It looked as though it once again wanted to break the bonds of earth and fly again. Maybe with a lot of work and care it will again. God bless, chris I'm not sure what model of aircaft this is. Any aviation experts out there feel free to chime in. Thanks

B17 Flying Fortress

Yesterday was a banner day for photography between birds and bombers. I left the house well before six so I could go down to the airport in Ukiah to photograph EAA's restored B17 World War Two Bomber "Aluminum Overcast". The B17 was the first mass produced four engine heavy bomber used during WWII. It got the name from a Seattle newspaper reporter who when seeing all its machine guns deemed it a "Flying Fortress". The aircraft is currently on tour of the US with an all volunteer crew and support staff. The aircraft is only one of fourteen left flying in the world today from the thousands built during the war.Over a third were lost after being shot down during the war. Another third were lost due to accidents and crashes. After the war most of the rest were scrapped. Aluminum Overcast never saw combat as it was manufactured close to the end of the war and was never put into a combat role. After seeing the aircraft it was hard to imagine the feelings of all of the young flight crews that flew these aircraft into combat. Holding your position among other aircraft while under fire from flak and fighters must have been a terrifying experience.Even though it was well armed each .50 machine gun on the aircraft only carried roughly a minutes worth of ammunition.The ammunition was stored on a belt next to the gun that was roughly nine yards long. That's where the saying giving them the whole nine yards comes from. What an incredible piece of history and a living monument to those brave men and women of the "Greatest Generation" that served during world War Two and many wars and conflicts after. A Special thank you to them and to the EAA for bringing it to Ukiah,CA. God bless, chris

When Everything Falls Into Place

Some days just seem to work out perfectly. Today was one of those days with my bird photography. The weather and lighting were superb. It was sunny with an overcast layer of clouds. Just perfect for bird photography.I was able to photograph from just a little past eight in the morning until just past eleven thirty before it got too bright to photograph anymore.The birds were cooperative too with California Valley Quail,Goldfinches,House Finches,Wrens,California Towhee and Acorn Woodpeckers all making showings at my photoblind. Badger and I had a wonderful morning in the blind.Thank you Lord for such a beautiful day capturing just a glimpse of the beauty you have provided for us. God's love and blessings to all, chris