Hanging Out with the Birds

Last week we spent an hour or so at Willow Lake one morning, just hanging out and watching the birds- AND we were the only people there! We were on the lookout for sandhill cranes which have been photographed over there recently. I think I spotted one flying, but didn’t grab the binoculars or camera in time, unfortunately. Although I’ve seen them in the air and at a distance several times since I started doing photography, I’ve never been close enough to get good photos. At one point, I was able to get two herons and one egret in my frame as they were busily looking for food. Toward the end of our time at the lake, one of the herons flew over to a little island, and I was able to get this photo of him taking a break from fishing.


 

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Shine On!

But we all shine on

Like the moon and the stars and the sun,

And we all shine on

Come on and on and on on on.

                                                                                                                                      John Lennon

I’m holding a vision of a shiny new year ahead!

HAPPY 2021!

 

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Goodbye, 2020!

Goodbye, 2020!

2020 may have left us battered and bruised, mourning our losses and maybe our innocence as we come to the end of this terrible year, but we can still find hope and inspiration in our heroes, the resilience of the human heart, and in the beauty of our world.

Moonrise- the last full moon of 2020

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Christmas Day Egret

On Christmas Day, we went for a leisurely walk at Willow Lake and watched a heron and egret fishing for an hour. We are used to seeing the heron slowly wade through the shallows looking for fish- an example of patience and perseverance. The egrets are normally farther away, but this day we were lucky to be able to watch one close to where we were walking. It was less patient (maybe more hungry) than the heron and was constantly moving along the shore, eventually ending up in a little area by the rocks. This photo was taken as he spotted a fish, which he caught a moment later.

 

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Roofline Abstract No. 3- Homebound

This is the third in my series of roofline abstracts and was not taken on a photo trip like the other two. This is a multiple exposure, multi-layered image from photos shot from my own driveway. Since March, I have missed trips to Alaska, Minnesota, and southern Arizona- as well as several likely California trips, so it’s up to me to find (or make) photo opportunities where I can. Unlike many others, I have not suffered during the pandemic- but I am getting eager to experience some new places beyond home.

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Let the Sun Shine

As I write this, we are having snow flurries and very welcome rain- but when I took this photo on Friday the sun was shining. We walked along the trail by Watson Lake and admired the yellow, orange, and still green leaves- knowing that many of those leaves would be off the trees over the next few days. Autumn is my favorite season, and this autumn I’m holding onto the hope of better days ahead with a less volatile political climate, a more united country and an end in sight to the pandemic. Sunnier days ahead!

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I Left My Heart in California

Dry. Parched. Windy. Smoky. Burning.

Those are the words that come to mind when I think of the west these days. October is always fire season, but in recent years ever more so. My home state of California has been on fire this last month, causing tens of thousands to evacuate and thousands of others to be without power. We have a massive drought going on here in Arizona as well- no monsoon season the last two years. Add in a pandemic, an election, and political upheavals- the world of 2020 is not the world we thought we were promised.

I’ve learned in recent years that the process of taking and editing photos soothes my worried soul. Below is a little piece of photo art I created this week. As always, a camera (or in this case an iPhone) and Photoshop ease my worries.

Pray for rain.

 

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