Frost and Fog

It is warming up to be simply a gorgeous day. This morning I got up early to take Annika to school. On the return trip I a took a long detour through the Rock Tree and Little Lake Valleys. A lot of fog, cold and frosty areas. It made for some interesting and beautiful lighting. God's love and blessings to you, chris

Out and About

This morning it was sunny and a positively balmy fifty degrees. I drove down into the Little Lake Valley where it was a brisk twenty-seven degrees,cold and foggy.It has been that way in the valley for the past week. I drove a loop through the valley and then did a short work out at the gym. After that I came home and failed at trying to photograph the Mountain Quail. This time at least there was some sign of them. I could hear them calling down the ridge. So on a positive note they are still up on the ridge. I also photographed some juncos bathing.Here is a mix of images from the past two days. Elk,Blacktail Deer and Juncos along with some scenics. God's light and love to all, chris

Battling Bulls

This morning it was cold and frosty. I did a loop through the valley this morning. Along the way I spotted these two Tule Elk bulls sparring. These are satellite bulls that are starting a new herd along with some cows .A great start to the day. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Steamer Stop

I have driven past this water tank for years.Finally it looked just right with just a touch of frost and the fog.Water tanks like this one used to be a common sight next to railroad tracks all over the world. They were used to fill up the water tanks and tenders on steam locomotives.Surprisingly this one is still in use. It supplies water to the California Western Railroad Locomotive Old #45 a 1924 a Baldwin Mikado. Old #45 pulls tourist excursion trains out of Fort Bragg California and sometimes is used for special events that come to Willits where this tank resides. A bit of bygone history for today's photoblog. Rest in God's blessings, chris

Backyard Birdies and a Squirrel

I spent a fruitful time waiting for the Mountain Quail to show up at my feeder yesterday afternoon. For several days last week they were showing up like clockwork right around three o'clock in the afternoon. I got into the photoblind shortly before two thirty and I waited. I think the quail must have moved to a new time zone because they never showed up. I was content to photograph Spotted Towhees and Dark Eyed Juncos along with a Douglas tree Squirrel that showed up as well. A good time was had by all. God's love and blessings to everyone, chris

Stock Image

Last night we played BannanaGrams. I lost all three games. I had some really cool words too. Like "axiom and quay"."Lenore was the family winner. Maybe it's because she's a Speech Pathologist and she is an expert at language. Just sayin'. This morning when I was cleaning up it popped into my mind that the tiles would be perfect for a stock image. It has been done before I know but probably not in this combination. After all there are tons of sunsets images being taken nightly. In any case here is my take on it. Blessings to all, chris

CBC

Yesterday morning after I finished photographing the roses I settled in for a long, long wait for the elusive Mountain Quail.They never came.Sigh. At least they never came when I sat in the photoblind which was for about three hours in the morning and later on the afternoon for about an hour. Luckily for me there was still plenty of other things for me to photograph.Dark Eyed Juncos,Steller's Jays,Douglas Tree Squirrels and Western Gray Squirrels. My favorite subject for the day was the Chestnut Backed Chickadees (CBC). I think they can gladden anyone's heart. They are such a cute little bird.This was my best image of one from the morning session. God's love and blessings to all, chris