Cottage Days and Journeys

Handmade Greeting Cards

2012-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Have you checked out the price of greeting cards these days? Oh, it’s enough to give you a fright! Several years ago, I decided to forgo my regular visits to the local Hallmark store and avoid the greeting card aisle at Wal-Mart. What’s a budget conscious gal going to do? Make her own!

I started out doing stamped designs, but then later changed to making cards using my own photographs. The cost per card is a fraction of store prices. It’s also much more satisfying to create something uniquely beautiful. As a bonus, recipients appreciate the thoughtfulness of receiving a handmade card in this cookie-cutter world.

I like to make two cards out of regular size cardstock. A finished card is 4-¼ ” by 5-½”. Envelopes are easily found for this size at office and paper supply stores. For a double border, I size rectangular photos down to a maximum width of 4-¼” and print four to a page. I use to Epson's Premium Presentation Paper with a matte finish. I also go through through my stash of cardstock to find colors that complement the photos.

I gather up my other supplies and tools, such as my nifty paper trimmer with a rotary cutting head, double-sided adhesive, bone folder, basic cardstock, black cardstock, and custom self-adhesive labels.

The background colors I picked are keepers!

Next, the photos get trimmed up and stacked.

The photo stacks are ready!

Then I start taping the photos to black cardstock pieces (to help make the images “pop”) and colored card stock.

The next step is to cut the matted photos apart and trim, leaving a ¼” margin all around.

I cut the cardstock in half and score each half down the middle for folding. I forgot to take a picture of the scoring board earlier! You don’t have to have one of these, but it does make the job a little easier. And you’ll notice that I didn’t use a plain white cardstock for the cards, but one with multi-colored speckles.

Then I start taping the photos onto the cards. The final step is to apply a decorated adhesive label on the back of each card. I designed and printed out the labels using a free Avery software program. The rabbit silhouette was created with a Martha Steward punch.

And here are the final results of my card-making endeavor. It is a little time consuming, but I enjoy the whole process. If I ever get to the point of selling my cards, then I will be exploring the use of printing services.

Katmai Brown Bears - Fishing for Supper

2012-01-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

The Katmai brown bears series continues at the Brooks Falls fishing hole!

There are a lot of considerations that go into photographing these big furry creatures while they are fishing. First of all, they are far quicker than the your trigger finger. When they catch a fish, you need to be ready to snap that shot! And you better have your camera setting on a fast speed or else that bear will turn into a blurry mess.

At the same time, you have to consider the subject’s background. Do you want it in focus or out of focus? How is the quality of light? Is it sunny, cloudy, or raining? What direction is the light coming from? Front, side, back? Where are the shadows? Glare is coming off the water, so how much is it tricking the camera meter? Which lens should you use? Of course, the longer the telephoto, the more impact any motion will have on image sharpness. Adding to all the technical restrictions, you are literally wedged on a platform, elbow to elbow, with a multitude of other photographers. So you can’t move around for an optimum shot. The list goes on. What you see is what you get. Deal with it!

And as you are doing the mental gymnastics about all of those factors and making camera adjustments, those bears are not going to wait and pose for you. They don’t care if you get a good shot or not! They want their fish! The big boys at the Brooks Falls fishing hole were definitely a challenge to photograph. I was really pleased this particular image. It’s a tight shot and sharp. I was able to catch a straight-on position of both the bear and the fish. A viewer gets the impression of being right there in the water with the bear, perhaps located only an arm’s length or two away. The droopy ears and the overall soggy condition of the bear are downright comical. Drips of water cascading off of the bear and the fish help tell the story of how fast the action happened. The river beneath the falls is so turbulent that it foams. And the expression on the fish is priceless. This photo was one of my favorites of the bears.

Most of the time, I was mentally pleading with the bears to pose for me when they caught a fish. “Hey, mister bear! Turn around! Pretty please, with honey on top?” Not a chance. If they stood still for a millisecond, they would be pointed the other way. What to do? Take the picture anyway!

Ah, but then there were the scavenging bears. They would let the big boys do the hard work of fishing. After a salmon meal was finished, then a member of the cleanup crew would venture forth and compete with the seagulls to pick up the scraps. Now these fellows were easier to photograph! Can you see that this bear has some scars on his noggin from a previous tussle?

The next post in the series is a fishing tale!

4-Year Blogging Anniversary Celebration!

2012-01-22T17:16:00.000-05:00

My blog turned 4 years old on January 1st, and I promised to have a little celebration to commemorate this milestone. I planned way back in early December to have a different kind of giveaway this time. Unlike most giveaways, you don’t enter on this post. All my faithful friends who commented during the month of December were included in a surprise drawing!

December was a tough month for us because of hubby’s surgery. So I wasn’t able to post as much as usual. My dear blogging friends stuck with me, faithfully commented when I posted, and lifted our spirits. You have no idea how much you brightened our days! And it is precisely because of such dedication that I continue this blog and try to bring a little cheer back to you.

So here is the surprise gift! I recently made up a batch of handmade cards that feature some of my scenic Alaska photos.

As a token of my appreciation, a set of cards will go out to the following four winners:

Kim of Homesteader's Heart

Donna of Made in Heaven

Irene of Irene's Desk

Ann of Ann's Snap, Edit, & Scrap

Congratulations! And THANK YOU for being my friend!

Lovely Scene, Lovely News

2012-01-21T15:38:00.001-05:00

Ah, we need a bit of a break from the furry bears, don’t you think? Yes, we do! Here is a lovely photo to cheer your day! I captured this vignette of wild roses and a picket fence when we visited Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. The lone flower, nodding over the fence railing, was begging for my camera’s attention. I adore cottage scenes like this! I processed the image with a high dynamic range (HDR) filter, added some “glow”, and toned down the saturation. Viola!

So what is the lovely news, you ask? My sweet baboo visited the doctor yesterday for a 6-week checkup. The verdict? Hubby is doing splendidly with his new bionic hip! He no longer needs to use the cane and does not require any outpatient therapy. And, he was also delighted to hear that he can now drive again, so he’s not tethered to my weekend chauffeuring services. He will continue with his at-home exercises and have another follow-up doctor's visit in three months. He appreciates all your inquiries and good wishes!

Katmai Brown Bears - Big Boys at the Fishing Hole

2012-01-20T19:01:00.000-05:00

When my husband and I first arrived at Brooks Falls, we were shuffled over to the riffles overlook because the falls overlook was already at maximum capacity. We had to wait an hour before it would be our turn to get on the closer platform. Even at the riffles overlook, the photographers and day-trippers were packed in tight, and were two-people deep in most places. When you’re as short as me (5’1”), it is impossible to photograph over the heads of anybody except a small child.

But I soon got settled in along a railing and was able to use my camera lens to zoom into the falls area a couple hundred feet away. This big boy was one of the first big bears I was able to watch. His fishing area was staked out near some moss-covered boulders, and he was jumping up and around them like it dry land.

Bear coats come in various shades, ranging from blonde to dark brown, and even red. This fellow was obviously a natural redhead. Bears also begin to shed their winter fur in the early spring and summer. So their appearance can be quite tattered. I believe that this bear was definitely having a bad hair day!

Eventually, we got moved over to the falls overlook and I was able to observe him closer. He was clearly one of the best fishermen of the falls area. He caught a salmon about every half an hour. While the salmon are running, a large bear like this will eat about 100 pounds a day.

One of the things that was totally surprising was the agility of these big brown bears. In the blink of an eye, this guy hopped up on the top of the falls with his trophy, and then scampered off into the woods to eat his meal in peace.

This bear’s name was purported to be Genghis, presumably because he was so huge. He probably weighed around 900 to 1000 pounds. By far, he was the best fisherman of the falls and commanded a designated, extra foamy area called the “jacuzzi”. He occasionally had a few other bears challenges him for that fishing spot, but he always won the discussions.

It seemed like Genghis caught a salmon every 10 to 15 minutes. He had a voracious appetite! He had a really funny eating style too. Every time he caught a fish, he would temporarily leave the "jacuzzi", walk over to the shallow bank, and lay down facing away from the viewing stand. Then he would proceed to eat his catch like a popsicle!

Stay tuned for more fishing tales!

Katmai Brown Bears - Platforms and Trails

2012-01-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

At this point, you are probably wondering how the Brooks Camp area is set up for bear viewing. Let me try to explain it for you, with the help of this map provided by the National Park Service. There are three platforms that have been constructed by the Park Service to allow visitors to safely observe the bears for long periods of time: lower river, riffles, and falls.

The closest to the lodge is the lower river platform. It is located about 1200 feet from the lodge and is reached by a trail and then a bridge that goes over the Brooks River.

There is a park ranger stationed on the land point before the bridge and also one on the platform. They radio back and forth to confer about any bears spotted in the area and whether visitors are permitted to cross the bridge. In bear safety class, we were taught to maintain a minimum distance of 50 yards. It is a very long bridge, so the rangers consider how long it will take someone to cross and how quickly a bear could possibly approach the structure.

There are times when bear activity prevents crossing for a significant period of time. When this happens, it is called a “bear jam”. During our last day, we waited for over an hour to cross the bridge to go back to the lodge!

In the photo below, this bear came right around the point from the lake and beach area (probably after greeting a floatplane, LOL). The ranger (wearing the backpack) was in the process of getting a group of visitors to back up on the trail. From the looks of them, this crowd consisted mostly of day-trippers. They were not well equipped (e.g., no raingear or hiking boots), and there was even a older toddler in the mix being carried by an adult (go figure). The bear acted in typical fashion and totally ignored them.

The lower platform is quite extensive. The bear action in this area is less than near the falls. As a result, we found this overlook to be rarely crowded. It provided a great opportunity for photographers to see some of the smaller bears traverse the marshlands and fish, and it was located close to the lodge.

The scenery was incredible from this vantage point. Here is a wide-angle view, looking northwest, over the marshland. A young ranger is shown on the left. Hubby (in the middle) and another photographer are searching the horizons for bears. There is one that shows up at a tiny little dot in the water, located above the back of the ranger’s hat. (And yes, it was raining.)

To get to where the heavy bear action is located, Brooks Falls, we had to hike over a mile and a half, mostly on a bear trail through dense forest. No rangers are stationed along the trail. We walked in groups, paid attention to our surroundings, didn’t dawdle, and made constant noise. Our tour guide carried bear spray, but we didn’t always walk with him. We never stopped long enough to take a picture of the trail through the forest. But here is a bear trail example near the lodge that goes down to the beach. (Please note that this is hubby’s photo.) The trail going to Brooks Falls is wider and much more worn.

So after a long hike to the falls platform, this glorious scene was our reward!

Next, you’ll get to see some of these bears up close!

Katmai Brown Bears - Arrival at Brooks Camp

2012-01-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

Wasn’t the bear from the welcoming committee a nice start to our adventure? All of us were howling at the sight. Later on, I noticed from the vantage point of the overlook platform nearest the lodge, a bear would venture out toward any incoming floatplanes. It was like - “Hey, more tourists are coming to take our pictures!”

Once the bear plodded off further down the beach, we disembarked. Oh, how I hate those tiny little stairs on the plane! But the burly guys help steady me so I wouldn’t accidently dismount into the lake. As the bags got unloaded, we looked at the beautiful distant mountain views and began to pinch ourselves.

We had arrived at the famous Brooks Camp!

First things first. We were quickly hustled off to the ranger’s station right up from the beach. It was time for a bear safety and orientation class! We sat through a video and lecture by a “Ranger Rick”, which drilled into us the rules of how we were supposed to behave around the bears. This area is known to possess one of the highest concentrations of brown bears in the world. We were also visiting in July, which is a peak month for visitors and bears. So the park was going to be crowded with photographers and fishermen. And sure enough, we were packed in like sardines in the classroom. Hmm, that’s probably not a good metaphor since bears are so fond of fish…

After our training session was completed, we headed off to Brooks Lodge for a hearty lunch. A huge rack of antlers on the main lodge building greeted us. Some online photos of Brooks Lodge can be found HERE. The building is quite comfortable inside, with a large fire pit area in the front for relaxing, the food serving bars in the middle, and the dining hall, equipped with picnic tables and benches, in the back. Hey, the food was terrific - hearty, tasty, and plentiful!

After we got our bellies full, we followed our tour guide, Eric, to the bunkhouse. Here he is, carting our luggage up the trail. Eric was a gem and took such good care of us on our Alaskan adventure! He was also our tour guide on the British Columbia trip we took in 2010 to photograph grizzly bears in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.

The bunkhouse was rustic, but reasonably clean. The rooms were small and furnished in vintage camp style. The bathrooms were tiny and included a curtain to pull across for a little privacy for exits from the shower. Each room was equipped with four bunk beds, a table crammed into a corner, and a solitary chair. There were 14 of us in the tour group, including our guide, so we got assigned a total of 4 rooms. I bunked with two other gals, and hubby got to bunk with our guide and another fellow. The walls were paper thin, so we could hear everything from the adjacent rooms. We were asked to refrain from flushing the toilet at night because it made too much noise. On one side, we heard loudmouth fishermen. On the other side, we heard one of our gal travelers fall out of the top bunk in the middle of the night (unhurt, thank goodness).

I didn’t sleep much at all. I have to admit that the room was the worst I have ever had. It was also the most expensive. To top it off, we went to a lot of trouble to get there.

Ah, but it was worth it!

We weren't there for the accommodations.

We were there for THIS!

Katmai Brown Bears - The Trip Begins!

2012-01-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

Hold on to your bonnets and bloomers! This is the first, long-awaited post about our trip to Katmai National Park to see the famed brown bears! I have teased you long enough. Now I am starting to even get pestered by my (normally) sweet hubby to hurry up and start this series. All right, all right! It is time to roll out the photos and tell the tales of this wondrous adventure of a lifetime.

You may have a vague recollection of some National Geographic or nature television shows that feature brown bears standing on the top of the waterfall, and the salmon are jumping into their waiting mouths. Despair, Inc., even features ones of these iconic images on their outrageously popular “ambition” poster.

We ventured thousands of miles this past summer to that tiny, exact spot on this big earth. It is located at a place called Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park. Undoubtedly, our time spent here was the highlight of our Alaska trip experience. I captured a multitude of photos that will help provide me a lifetime of memories. And I now have a deeper appreciation for the word “incredible.”

So where is this isolated spot on the globe? Katmai is located several hundred miles southwest of Anchorage. This is the remote bush country of Alaska, so it is not an easy place to get to. In terms of visitation, it is rated in the bottom ten of the National Parks. But the time, trouble, and expense are so worth it if you have a passion to see extraordinary wildlife such as brown bears!

We first flew from Anchorage to King Salmon. Then we transferred over to an air taxi for the final leg of our trip to Brooks Camp. A drizzle of rain had already started to fall, the wind was whipping up, and the air was filled with mosquitoes. But there was no turning back now.

Yes, the air taxi is a floatplane! Our tour group got split up into two flights. Eight us (including the pilot) squeezed ourselves into the little aircraft, along with our duffel bags and camera gear. Hubby tells me that it was a DeHavilland Beaver, a favorite of Alaska bush pilots. He got to sit up next to the pilot and enjoy the view out of the front window. I’m sure that it brought back many fond memories of the youthful years he lived, hunted, and fished in the wild countryside of our 49th state.

We didn’t fly very high in elevation, so we could easily see the marshes and lakes that finger-painted the terrain. After a smooth landing on beautiful Naknek Lake, the floatplane coasted up to the beach.

At this point, we were all wired up with anticipation for our brown bear photo expedition to begin. A couple of young men got the aircraft secured and opened the doors. Just as we were about to embark, we were quickly told to stay put. There was a husky bear coming toward us on the beach. It was the head of the welcoming committee, LOL! After watching this furry fellow run into the water and dive around for fish a few minutes, he finally ambled along in back of the plane and went on his merry way. As he strode past, I popped out of my seat and took this photo from the plane’s open door. Our bear adventure was underway!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Coyote

2012-01-10T17:27:00.000-05:00

This handsome fellow is dubbed Wile E. by the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center staff. He was named after the famed coyote that got outwitted by a roadrunner bird, time and time again, in “The Road Runner” cartoons (1940s–1960s). Wile E. lives in the brown bear enclosure at the Center and is normally quite elusive. On the day of our visit, he ventured out just a few brief moments to check us out. We never did see any of the bears!

Here’s the tender background story that the staff told us about Wile E. He came to the Center as an abandoned pup and was raised to adulthood. Then they decided to release him back into the wild. Wile E. must have decided that life was pretty good at the Center, because he showed back up several months later and managed to get back in the enclosure. They never did figure out how he managed these feats. This was the only home he knew, so he found a way!

This is the last of my series Wildlife Wonders of Alaska series. I hope you have enjoyed seeing photos of many of God’s great creatures!

Counting the Bears

2012-01-08T16:46:00.001-05:00

I have been working on a few more of my bear pictures this Sunday afternoon. Oh my, they are such beautiful creatures! I know that you are counting the days until the Katmai brown bears series begins.

By happenstance, one of the gals who was on our Alaska trip last year just sent me the link to this video. It shows a field counting and tagging exercise for black bears in Ontario, Canada. Perhaps this will tide you over a bit. Enjoy!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Harbor Seals

2012-01-05T18:46:00.000-05:00

One of the marine mammals that you can usually spot during a cruise around the coast of Alaska is the harbor seal. We saw this group off of Aialik Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park. The harbor seal is known as a “sea dog” since it looks like an earless dog when it sticks its head out of the water. Their faces are quite adorable, and some of the ones in this photo look like they are sharing a private joke about the pesky tourists.

The thick coats of the harbor seals tend to be grayish color with black spots or rings. Even though they molt yearly, these markings will remain and are unique to individual seals. Most of the darker colors appear on their backs. This is a defense mechanism so that they blend in with the water when viewed from above.

Harbor seals are excellent divers and have something called a dive reflex. This dive reflex is activated when the seal submerges its head. It automatically causes the seal to hold its breath, slow its heartbeat, and reduce the amount of oxygen being delivered to all organs except the brain and the heart. This dive reflex works so well that the seal is even able to sleep underwater and subconsciously come to the surface for oxygen throughout its slumber. What a trick!

January - A Look Ahead

2012-01-03T19:14:00.002-05:00

My blog is now four years old! It’s hard to believe that it has reached that milestone. I started this little spot on the web a couple of months after I retired, thinking that it would be a good pastime. Little did I realize how many great friends I would make along the way! I also had no idea how much it would spur me to improve my photography. It’s been a wild ride!

I have traditionally held a giveaway whenever I have a “blogaversary”. This time is no different, except there is going to be a little twist. No entering will be involved. Stay tuned for a later post!

This is a month for us to hunker down, stay warm, and stay healthy. I am over the nasty cold that flung itself on me right before Christmas, thank goodness. Hubby will continue to do his regular exercises and heal up from his hip replacement surgery last month. He’ll have another follow-up visit to the doctor in a couple of weeks. Until then, I remain the designated driver for shopping errands. He is progressing very well and deeply appreciates all the good wishes that my blogging friends have expressed.

It is a month of indoor pursuits. Soups and chili will probably get featured a lot on our menus. We’ll feed the birds and watch their antics. My consulting work will continue. Our Kindles will stay loaded up with electronic books to entertain our minds. And, we'll be processing digital travel photos in our spare time.

The famed Katmai brown bears will finally make their appearance this month on my blog. No ifs, ands, or buts. (Except for a furry kind of butt, LOL). The photos are long overdue. I am still torn about processing a few more. I can’t keep tinkering with the images of these charming creatures. I hope you will be mesmerized too.

A Look Back at 2011

2012-01-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

It was an incredible year! Looking in my mind’s rearview mirror, 2011 is chocked full with memories and adventures.

We spent our first entire year at our new Grey Havens cottage, experiencing every season. It no longer feels like we are visiting. It feels like home!
In January, I started a new consulting job with my former employer and put my retirement status on hold. The work continued throughout the year, and it will finally come to a close in a few more months. It has seriously impacted my free time, but the unexpected income has provided us a welcomed financial cushion in these difficult economic times.
We had several snowfalls early in the year, giving us an opportunity to photograph the cheerful birds that visited our bird feeders and our lovely neighborhood shrouded in a white cloak.
Our cottage welcomed the completion of some landscaping projects in the spring. We continued to spot deer and other wildlife as they venture into our yard from the adjacent woodlands.
In April, we explored national parks and other scenic areas in north-central New Mexico. We saw incredible vistas like the one shown above at Tent Rocks National Park.
During the month of May, we bit the Apple and switched over from old PC computers to new iMacs. Though the transition took a little adjustment (you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks), we haven’t experienced a single computer system problem since then.
My photo editing skills continued to improve during the year. We added Nik Complete software to our arsenal of digital processing tools. I also started to feature larger-sized images on my blog, linked to my flickr account.
My blog celebrated its 3-year anniversary, 500th post, and 600th post. Though I worked, my wee blog ended the year with an all-time high of posts. Numerous series about our travels and participation in the photo challenge contributed to this prolific achievement. I also featured custom blog headers and backgrounds throughout the year!
In July, we traveled throughout Alaska, photographing astonishing scenery and wildlife for three memorable weeks. It was truly a trip of a lifetime that we will fondly remember. If you followed my blog this year, you got a visual taste of our legendary 49th state.
In late September and early October, we traveled to the Canadian Maritimes and enjoyed quaint coastal scenery. I’ll be featuring photos from that trip later on this year.
My sweet hubby received a bionic hip this past month and spent three weeks at a rehabilitation facility to assist in his recovery. We celebrated a very low-key Christmas and gave thanks to the miracles of modern medicine.

We have had our share of personal challenges throughout the year. Life at Grey Havens is not always a bed of roses. But we strive to focus on those moments that bring us joy, live our lives to the fullest, and show kindnesses along the way. Some of you started last year’s journey with me, and some began to visit later on. I hope that you enjoyed the ride. I certainly did!

2011 is put to bed. It’s history.

Okay, 2012 - bring it ON! Won’t you join me?

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T14:18:00.002-05:00

Goodbye, 2011 ~ Hello, 2012!

Coming Home

2011-12-30T15:14:00.000-05:00

My sweet baboo is coming home tomorrow morning! He has gotten so much stronger and steadier, thanks to the daily therapy. And the once-upon-a-time, terrible pain in his right hip is gone. It’s history. Thank goodness for modern medicine!

I joined him for his last lunch at the rehab facility earlier today. Tonight, I’ll keep him company during his last dinner there. I dropped off some duffle bags in his room so that he can pack up tonight. It is bittersweet for him to say goodbye to the kind staff that have taken such good care of him. He’s gotten quite a few hugs. They will miss him and his cheerful spirit.

Ah, but their loss is my gain! It’s been incredibly quiet around the cottage for the past three and a half weeks, and I am ready for my man to come back home. We’re both anxious to resume our normal lives.

And as the calendar gets replaced on Sunday, we’re ready to start planning more traveling adventures in 2012!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Porcupine

2011-12-27T18:28:00.001-05:00

Let me introduce you to a little ball of quills called Snickers. He is a porcupine that was originally raised as a pet and now resides at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. A staff member was feeding him one of his favorite foods during our visit: peanuts. Oh, he was a happy critter! With that kind of rugged exterior, it is hard to photograph an expression on a porcupine. But I thought it was cute when he held out his paw in anticipation for his next unshelled peanut. An appropriate thought bubble would be “gimme”!

Snickers has gotten to be a rather famous YouTube star. Here he is, showing off his playful character.

An interesting fact about porcupines is that they make a variety of sounds, including whistles, whines, mumbles, grunts, and snuffles. It is really amusing to hear them carry on! Here is Snickers, showing you some of his vocal skills.

That sounds a lot like the hungry diner sitting across from you at the Golden Corral restaurant, doesn’t it?!

Christmas Gifts

2011-12-24T09:06:00.001-05:00

Upon reflection of what this special time of year means and the countless moments that have shaped my world, I am filled with love and gratitude.

May your Christmas celebrations touch your heart, and may you discover those same gifts.

Christmas is Almost Here!

2011-12-23T18:05:00.002-05:00

Where has the time flown? This month has zipped past faster than any other this year. It’s to be expected since we’re still living in that alternate universe! Hubby is doing incredibly well at the rehab facility and getting stronger each day. He has been a big hit with the staff and several have already mentioned how much they are going to miss him when he leaves there. Right now, he still working on his balance and he is beginning to learn how to walk with a cane. We expect that he will come home in another week.

Things haven’t been going quite as smoothly for me. After being immersed with so many people the past few weeks and all the “to and fro” activities, I have caught a nasty cold. Yep, somebody flung cold cooties on me! Grrrr… I woke up with the telltale onset of symptoms Monday morning. What lovely timing! {sarcasm} I am using an arsenal of over-the-counter medicines, resting when I can, and trucking along anyway when I can’t. At least my workweek is now over and I have a long weekend to rest up and visit with my sweet baboo.

With sickness descended upon me, I freely admit that I am less than enthused than ever about taking photos now of this year’s decorations. But here are a few scenes I took in our cozy great room. Garland is strung on the stairway banisters and a few Santas are hanging out on the staircase in back of the loveseat. A Santa needlepoint pillow also gives a little pop of color. In case you are wondering, that is some of our Alaskan Native art collection peeking off to the right of the photo. And a cherished grandfather clock resides on the stairway landing (made by hubby’s uncle, now deceased).

The commanding feature of our great room is the expanse of built-in bookcases along one wall. I put out a few cheery decorations on either side of the television. Though I have an extensive Santa collection, I decided to display a minimum amount this year. A snowman that I made in 1998 dominates this scene. (A tag on the bottom serves as a reminder!) With an apparent burst of energy, I made about a dozen snowmen that year and gave all but two away. The bookcases hold a small assortment of treasures, books, pictures, and small antiques that we have accumulated over the years. If you look closely, you can spot a corner of an antique cowbell in the background on the right-hand side of this photo.

A large, wild-eyed Santa is the focal point in this scene. It looks like he is ready to deliver a couple of miniature pull toys to some lucky children. We got this folk art piece from Colonial Williamsburg last year. A hand-carved wooden Santa to the right is holding on to a very plump bear. Each piece has a story of its own. Many of them were acquired during our travels or at craft fairs. Some were gifts. And this particular photo gives you a little taste of the types of treasures that we have in the bookcases, including pottery, carvings, and baskets.

I hope that the hustle and bustle of activities is winding down for all of my blogging friends so that you may enjoy the joys of the season!

Progress...

2011-12-18T13:52:00.000-05:00

My hubby has been making considerable progress this past week at the rehabilitation facility. They are taking great care of him, and he has been fulfilling his part of by bargain by being exceptionally diligent with exercising. Within the past few days, he has been walking to and from the dining hall (about 100 yard from his room) and the therapy center. He is using a walker, of course, but it is a major stride from traversing the territory with a wheelchair conveyance. This week, he will get the staples removed and enjoy the company of visiting friends.

I have been traveling over to the rehab facility to see Jim almost every day and joining him for either lunches or dinners. Yes, I am making progress as well by catching up on my sleep and making a dent in completing the backlog of household chores. I still have every intention of going around and taking photos of Christmas decorations scattered throughout the cottage. But a few selected photographs here and there may have to suffice this year. My plate is abundantly full.

I hope that you enjoy this tenderhearted scene of an artisan’s vintage-style ornament, hanging from a weathered knob on our antique Jackson press. May the light be shining in your world too.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Stellar Sea Lions

2011-12-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

When we enjoyed our daylong cruise of the inlets and along the shorelines of Kenai Fjords National Park, we were lucky enough to see some colonies of stellar sea lions.

There are seven different species of sea lions, and stellar is the largest. They are quite impressive, with the males averaging about nine feet long and 1250 pounds. The females are about a foot and a half smaller and top the scales at less than half of the males. Bulls command a harem of three to twenty females during breeding season and display an extremely aggressive and territorial personality. What rogues!

They dive into the ocean for their food, going as deep as 600 feet and staying submerged for up to 40 minutes. Fish and cephalopods sustain them, including octopus and squid. Stellar sea lions are currently a threatened species. Thousands were once killed each year in the nets of Alaskan fishermen. Changes in fishing gear and techniques a couple of decades ago have resulted in a reduction of those being inadvertently killed.

The stellar sea lion is considered a pinniped, which means it is equipped with a winged foot. And one of the things that they love to do is lay out on the rocks and bask in the afternoon sun! Don’t they look quite content?

Living in an Alternate Universe

2011-12-14T19:48:00.000-05:00

We both feel like we have been living in an alternate universe for the past week. Hubby is settled in quite comfortably now at the rehab facility. He wants everyone to know in blogland how much he appreciates your thoughts and prayers! His therapy and healing are progressing quite well. We sure couldn’t ask for a better facility for him. The staff has been terrific. This link shows where he is temporarily residing. And it is located less than 10 miles from our home! I sorely regret not knowing about the place when I had my knee replacement in 2009. Ah, but that is water under the bridge.

I have the night off from visiting. A reprieve, LOL! So I am able to do a quick post and let everyone know that all is well with both of us. I have been quite busy with the consulting work, maintaining the cottage, and running to and fro. You can continue to expect very few posts from me for at least the next month and possibly longer. There are just so many hours in the day. I have been able to pop in and visit very quickly with some of my blogging friends, but I don’t always leave a comment.

I hope you are enjoying this lovely season and not getting stressed out by all of the extra tasks such as decorating and shopping. Count those blessings instead of the number of items on your “to do” list! I know, it’s easier said than done!

And what is the story about the bear in the picture shown above? Here is a summary:

This artisan created bear is quite large and proudly sits in an antique Shaker child's chair in our dining room. During a business trip, hubby adopted him from a Kennebunkport shop and successfully brought him home on several Delta flights as "carry on". With his easy-going personality, he created quite a stir during his journey. I was called out to the garage at about midnight and was surprised to find him in the passenger seat of hubby's truck. I almost fell over when I picked him up, due to my laughter and his weight. His name is Kevin, and he is a limited edition #1 bear, created to fund a hospice in honor of a young Kennebunkport man (Kevin) who died of AIDS.

Kevin has been a quiet companion for over 17 years, residing in the great room of our former cottage and now in the dining room of our current cottage. He has a view of the front door so that he can properly greet our visitors. In addition to the collar of large bells that he wears on his neck year round, Kevin loves to don a wizard-style Santa hat during the Christmas season. After all, he is magical.

Hubby's Hip

2011-12-09T19:15:00.001-05:00

My sweet baboo’s hip replacement surgery on Wednesday went well. He has been experiencing typical pain and weakness. But he is bouncing back and starting his personal trek on recovery’s road. I am immensely proud of him toughing it out with the therapy sessions and relearning how to walk. Jim’s natural good humor and spirits will bode him well in the weeks ahead.

The days have flown by and I feel like I have been living in an alternate universe this week. A hospital’s microcosm is so familiar to me. But it is rare occurrence to experience it as a visitor/helpmate rather than as a patient. I have found that worrying can be very tiring, LOL.

Jim will be released from the hospital tomorrow afternoon. From there, I will be taking him over to the rehab facility. It will serve as his home away from home while he continues to recuperate and receive attentive therapy. The place is quite lovely, with gourmet meals, ample staff, and a bevy of activities for the temporary residents.

Thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes. We both appreciate it so much!

December - A Look Ahead

2011-12-02T19:44:00.001-05:00

We are not going to have a typical December or holiday this year. Our world is going to be a bit topsy-turvy for a while, and we’re anxious to get on with it. My husband is going to have hip replacement surgery next week! He’ll be in the hospital for 3-4 days and then recuperate for several weeks at a rehab facility. I sorely regret not going to a rehab facility after my knee replacement surgery in 2009, and we’re not going to make that mistake again. A local facility is quite wonderful and my sweet hubby will get much better care (and food, LOL) there than at home.

In addition to working this month, I will be looking after my sweet baboo while he is at the hospital, and then I’ll be visiting him daily at the rehab center. Of course, I will minding the cottage by myself during his recovery period. Yes, that means I will also be responsible for cooking! Now that ought to help me lose weight, don’t you think? In a nutshell, my time will be quite limited, so don’t look for many blog posts for a while.

How are the Christmas festivities going, you ask? I got the Christmas cards done and mailed them out this week. I’ll send out some e-cards a few weeks from now. Except for hanging glass ornaments on the big feather tree in the dining room, I’m done decorating. About 20% of the decorations made it out of the boxes this year. (And that is probably a generous estimate.) I arranged a couple of Santa displays. Three feather trees are substituting for two big trees. Candle lights are lit in the front windows of our cottage. The Christmas theme this year is “simple and manageable”. After all, I’m going to be the only one putting everything away a month from now. My shopping isn’t done. I’m going to worry about that later, LOL!

I have many more photos to share from the Alaskan adventure that we took this last summer. You can look forward to a few more of the “wildlife wonders” series. Then, I’ll begin to feature some exciting images of grizzly bears that live along Brooks River in Katmai National Park.

Prayers and good wishes are most welcomed for my sweet hubby. May the blessings, joys, and love of the Christmas season be with you this month!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Willow Ptarmigan

2011-11-29T19:06:00.001-05:00

The willow ptarmigan is an arctic grouse and shaped similar to a chicken. It was designated as the Alaska state bird in 1955. A cool thing about these birds is that they change colors, from brown in summer to white in winter, for camouflage from their predators. They also have feathers on their legs and feet for protection from cold and to help them move across snow. These birds spend most of their time on the ground, but will explode into rapid flight if startled. Also, a ptarmigan will fly directly into a snow bank to sleep under the snow. They fly into their beds because walking in would leave tracks for predators to follow.

The willow ptarmigan is the only grouse in the world where the males are regularly involved in parental care. The parents remain together from the beginning of the breeding season until their chicks are independent. The males help protect the families against predators and even raise the young if the female dies.

The male birds in these photos successfully diverted our attention so that the females and chicks could escape in the tall tundra grass and willow thicket!

Time to Deck the Halls!

2011-11-26T09:04:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner celebration with dear friends of ours. We hope all of you had a great day of reflection and gratitude as well.

Now that this holiday milestone has past, there is no denying that Christmas is right around the corner. It’s time to deck the halls! With the help of digital scrapbooking software, I created a new header and background yesterday to dress up my little blog. Today, we are going to start toting boxes down from the attic storage room and decorating Grey Havens. We have decided to only put up the little trees this year and not wrestle with carrying the large trees up and down the stairway. I haven’t put out my Santa collection for a couple of years now, but it may see the light of day this year if I feel ambitious enough.

rosemary window decoration at Colonial Williamsburg

I fondly remember our trip to Colonial Williamsburg last year and witnessing all of their inspirational wreaths and decorations. We can’t make the trip this year, but we would dearly love to go again. Natural adornments, such as the one shown above, help remind us that Christmas decorating doesn’t need to be cluttered, gaudy, inflatable, or expensive.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not,

But rejoices for those which he has.

~ Epictetus ~

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Mallard Duck

2011-11-22T19:12:00.001-05:00

During our Alaska travels in July, we even found the common mallard duck. We saw this drake and his partner at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks, minding a nest near the edge of a pond. His colorful plumage had started to molt, which is typical after the mating season has ended.

I can’t help but think of the Peabody Hotel whenever I see a mallard duck. The Peabody is famous for its daily duck marches to and from the beautiful fountain in the hotel’s lobby. The ducks have a cozy home on the top of the building and arrive in the lobby via the elevator. I have seen the sight, and it was fun to witness the quacky procession along a red carpet! The origin of the Peabody ducks is quite a classic, involving some men who returned from a hunting trip and copious amounts of Tennessee’s Jack Daniels whiskey. See, it makes sense now, doesn’t it?

A New Basket

2011-11-20T11:22:00.001-05:00

When we went to the annual fall show of the Foothills Crafts Guild this past Friday, I promised myself that I wouldn’t buy another basket. Yes, folk art baskets are a weakness of mine. (Pottery too.) But promises are made to be broken and I purchased a beautiful Nantucket style basket made by an acquaintance from my former workplace.

The fellow has gotten on in years and will soon quit his crafting pastime. His primary hobby was woodworking, and he specialized in creating Shaker boxes. (We have a big set of Shaker boxes stacked up in our master bedroom, but another artisan made them.) Eventually, he branched out into making the most exquisite Nantucket baskets.

Though I had admired his work over the years, I had never made a purchase. The dark and light interplay of the weaving cane of this basket caught my eye, along with the cherry handle and base. It was time. So I brought this little treasure home and it now resides in my home office, tucked in on a cabinet shelf along with other cherished folk art pieces and small antiques.

And to do a little creating of my own, I couldn’t resist transforming one of my photos into an oil painting rendition.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Red Squirrel

2011-11-19T11:00:00.001-05:00

Ah, it was nice to take a little break from blogging. I’ve been occupied with everyday living tasks, and I finally have a free moment to load up another Alaska photo post!

While we stayed at the Kantishna Roadhouse in Denali National Park, we spotted this red squirrel zipping through the property. When he wasn’t chowing down wild blueberries, he was devouring tender spruce needles. And luckily, he stayed still long enough for me to capture his impish good looks.

The red squirrel has an extensive range throughout most of North American. But don’t let the cute bushy tail and pointed ears of these rodents fool you! Like all squirrels, they can cause considerable damage if they ever find a way into your house. A voracious appetite supports their super-charged energy levels.

Here is an interesting tidbit about them. The red squirrel drinks tree sap from maple trees! It bites into a tree until the sap flows out, leaves temporarily, and then returns to drink the sap after the water has evaporated.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Arctic Ground Squirrels

2011-11-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

Arctic ground squirrels are the largest and most northern of the North American ground squirrels. They are established residents of Denali National Park, and this particular fellow entertained us when we traveled along the park road.

These squirrels burrow and establish colonies in areas with well-drained soils, creating a maze of tunnels beneath the surface. They are one of the most important summer food sources for golden eagles, gyrfalcons, foxes, and grizzly bears. Remember the photo I showed last month of the large area that was dug up by a grizzly bear? The bear was undoubtedly in search of a ground squirrel snack!

Arctic ground squirrels certainly enjoy their summer hiatus after a long winter hibernation of 7 to 8 months. During hibernation, their body temperature drops below freezing, a condition referred to as supercooling. Every two to three weeks, while still sleeping, the squirrels shiver and shake for 12 to 15 hours to create enough heat to warm them back to a normal body temperature of about 98 degrees Fahrenheit. When the shivering and shaking stops, their body temperature drops back to the minimal temperature. Weird, huh?

During the summer, they eat many types of vegetation including the leaves, seeds, fruits, stems, mushrooms, flowers, and roots of many species of grasses, forbs, and woody plants. The squirrels also eat meat from freshly killed animals. As foragers, their goal is to build up fat stores and almost double their body weight by the time they enter hibernation again in fall. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just use winter hibernation as our excuse for consuming a second piece of pie after our Thanksgiving feast?!

Tennessee's Heavenly Ham

2011-11-13T16:33:00.000-05:00

Question: What’s shiny, blue, and smells like smoked pork? Answer: Hubby’s car after we stopped yesterday in Madisonville, Tennessee, to buy a half of a smoked country ham!

If you want the real deal, it can be found at Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams. This small business started in 1947 and is currently owned by Allan Benton. Benton’s doesn’t advertise. They’ve never gotten around to issuing a catalog either. You see, they don’t have to! When your business has been featured in the New York Times and magazines such as Southern Living and Gourmet magazine, you know you’ve hit the big time.

Discerning, gourmet restaurants from the big cities are Benton’s regular customers. But average day folks like us swear by Benton’s country pork products too. The magic all happens in this humble, concrete block building. The meat is dry-cured the old-fashioned way and hung on wooden racks for months at a time.

They sliced it up for us, no extra charge. Hubby unwrapped it from the butcher paper earlier this afternoon and had a vacuum sealing party in the kitchen. We now have 14 beautiful center-cut slices tucked away for future fried ham dinners. We also got a few end pieces that will be put to good use for seasoning large pots of pinto beans during the winter months ahead. Of course, we couldn’t resist having some fried up for lunch today and slapped between some biscuits. (I drizzle yellow mustard on mine.) Oh my, it is smoked pork heaven!

Perhaps you can order one of Benton's hams as a holiday present for a serious chef or foodie friend on your gift list. While you’re at it, go on and get one for yourself too!

A Time-Lapse Journey of D.C.

2011-11-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

Are you ready to hit the "pause" button in your noggin for a little bit and take a short armchair journey? What comes out of D.C. is not a thing of beauty. But the street scenes and the hustle/bustle can be mesmerizing. Enjoy...

District 1.5 : HDR Time-lapse from Drew Geraci on Vimeo

Veterans Day - 11.11.11

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Please honor our veterans today,

and thank them for the sacrifices they have made for us!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Sea Otter

2011-11-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

We were absolutely delighted to spot a sea otter when we traveled by boat on Resurrection Bay from Seward to Fox Island. Our guide told us to start looking for these comical creatures as soon as we left the dock. Sure enough, we quickly found one to make us giggle. Sea otters can look small in the water, but they measure between four and five feet in length, not including their 10-inch tail. Because of their cute faces, they have been nicknamed, “old man of the sea”.

Sea otters habitually float on their backs to rest and feed. At times, they can be seen bending slightly backwards, shading their eyes with a paw, and scanning the water surface for a killer whale, the only sea mammal that preys on them. If an otter sees a whale fin, it flops down on its belly and start swimming to the nearest kelp bed. It uses its powerful, flipper-like hind feet to move through the water at a speed of about 10 miles per hour. Kelp beds are not only used for sanctuary, but also for resting, sleeping, and whelping quarters.

A sea otter primarily dines on sea urchins and mussels. It will eat several times a day, diving down for its food in shallow waters. It is quite entertaining to watch an otter devour a meal while floating on its back, using its chest as a table. To eat mussels, it uses a rock to crack them open. After finishing its meal, an otter evens lick its paws!

The males take no responsibility for raising their young, but the mothers more than make up for it. A mother otter not only protects her pup from danger, but she also shows affection by fondling and kissing. She measures out discipline too, spanking a pup during diving lessons until the pup has mastered the technique.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Groundhog

2011-11-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

You probably would have never guessed that I photographed a groundhog in Alaska! It was sheer happenstance. This particular fellow isn’t the famous Punxsutawney Phil, but he apparently is a resident pest at Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks. We went to the refuge to photograph birds. But we ended up being entertained for quite a while by the antics of this groundhog, skillfully hiding, scampering, and devouring the crops in the garden planted by local rangers. I was able to capture this up-close mug shot while he was playing hide and seek under a concrete ramp to the refuge’s farmhouse visitor center.

These animals thrive in an extensive geographic range from Alaska to Alabama. Also known as woodchucks, the groundhog is a member of the rodent family and belongs to the group of large ground squirrels called marmots. They have been referred to as “whistle pigs” because they will use a high-pitch whistle to warn the groundhog colony of danger.

Gardeners universally hate these animals that notoriously raid vegetable gardens. Groundhogs gorge themselves in the summer to build up reserves for winter hibernation. They also love to create deep burrows for sleeping, rearing young, and hibernating. As you can expect, they are not popular creatures with horse owners either. We have personally had several tussles with them over the years!

Here’s an interesting fact: they can climb trees! You wouldn’t guess they would have that skill with those pudgy bodies.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Seabirds

2011-11-05T10:46:00.000-04:00

I have already introduced you with the tufted puffin, which so politely posed for me during a memorable photo shoot. The tufted variety has strands of “hair” billowing off on the sides of its head. They are not as well known as the horned puffin, which gets most of the publicity. We got to see the horned puffin at the Alaska SeaLife Center and also when we had our boat tour around the Kenai Fjords National Park.

The horned puffin has quite a fan base, and sailors have dubbed them as the “sea parrot” because of their distinctive looks and colorful beak. It is interesting to note that a puffin sheds the colorful outer part of its bill after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Standing at 15 inches tall, their wingspan is 23 inches. These short wings are adapted for both swimming and flying. In the water, the wings propel them and the large webbed feet are used for maneuvering.

Like many seabirds, puffins nest underground. They use clawed toes to scratch out nest burrows, digging down 3 to 4 feet. Where soil is scarce, they will nest in rocky slopes on cliff faces.

The common murre looks a bit like a penguin, but it is actually in the same Alcidae family as puffins. We saw several of these fascinating birds out at sea, but we weren’t close enough for me to get clear pictures of them. The one shown below resides at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. The common murre is almost always seen in the water, except during the breed season. They are not agile in the air. But they make up for it in water, excelling in swimming and diving. Incredibly, the common murre can dive more than 100 meters down in search of fish.

Adults are 17 inches tall and have a wingspan of 28 inches. Considering their size, they have the most densely packed nesting colonies of any bird. The common murre must get along with their neighbors because the nests are so close that the incubating adults touch on either side. Another interesting fact is that a “nest” is located on a steep cliff but not constructed. It merely consists on one egg on bare rock. One little bobble, and the egg can easily drop off!

November - A Look Ahead

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Wow. Only two months left in the year. When did that happen? I swear, it is like I am caught in a time warp. I come up for a swallow of air on weekends and during vacations, and then I dive back down in the abyss of time that stands still. I have no idea where all the minutes and hours flee to!

I would dearly love to get some Photoshop work done this month. How many photos from our Canadian Maritimes trip do you think I have completed processing? Try two. Yes, you heard right. Two out of over 1500. Silly me, I’m still working on some of the Alaska images! Oh well, I will have plenty to keep me occupied when I eventually resume retirement status next spring. The Wildlife Wonders of Alaska series of posts will continue this month. Eventually, you’ll get to see the Katmai bears too! I’m really smitten with several of them. Yep, there are some hum-dingers yet for you to see.

It should be a rather quiet month. We don’t have any work projects scheduled around the cottage. Hubby and I have a few medical/dental appointments. My right thumb is still stiff and sore, but it’s rapidly getting back to normal. I was so relieved to get the stitches taken out this past Tuesday. Other than celebrating Thanksgiving and starting the very beginning of Christmas festivities, it should be a rather sedate, boring month. Three cheers for boring! Mr. Jim and I could use some rest.

Ah, now I am off to see about borrowing some of the energizing batteries that Marty uses...

And the winner is...

2011-11-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

It’s been a wild workweek for me, and I’ve had no spare time to prepare any blog posts. So this is going to be short and sweet.

Thank you so much for all the good wishes on my 600th post celebration. I have gotten heapings of encouragement from many of you over the past (almost) four years, and it touches my heart. I’m going to keep plugging along on this labor of love for many more years to come!

Marty spun the digital wheel this morning with a random number generator to determine the winner. And who is going to receive the 600th post giveaway goodies?

Jann of A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson!

Congratulations, Jann! Oh, aren't you going to have some crafting fun with that glitter?! I hope that you will like the other prizes too. I will be contacting you and sending your package right out to you this weekend!

It's Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Lesser Yellowlegs

2011-10-30T17:29:00.001-04:00

I certainly didn’t expect to take a photo of a cute lesser yellowlegs while we were in Alaska. But it really begged for a portrait! While we were standing on the Lower Platform at Brooks Lodge, patiently waiting for brown bears to appear, we heard a loud tweeting in the adjacent treetops. After a bit of a search, we found the source of the racket: a lesser yellowlegs. The sky was heavily overcast and bright. So I had to adjust my camera settings to take the sky into account. If I had taken the photo in fully automatic mode, the image of the bird would have been rendered much darker. It is funny that the bird quieted down once it had our attention!

This long-legged shorebird is found in Alaska during the summer breeding season. Its habitat is an open boreal forest with scatter shallow wetlands. The yellowlegs forage in the water, sometimes using their bill to stir and search for food. Their diet consists mainly of insects, small fish, and crustaceans.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Bald Eagle

2011-10-29T16:48:00.000-04:00

This is one of my most memorable and cherished photos from our Alaskan adventure this past summer. We actually saw very few bald eagles during our three-week stay. The only opportunity that I had to record one was at Brooks Falls. Shortly after we arrived by floatplane, we hiked out to the famous falls area where most of the bear fishing activity is located. I was on the Riffles Platform, located about 100 meters south of Brooks Falls. I hadn’t yet been allowed up to the Falls Platform. (Because of space limitations, you have to take turns and are limited on the length of your stay.) There were just a couple of bears downriver, and I had already photographed them extensively.

As I was looking through my viewfinder, I heard the seagulls making a big racket of noise. Looking up, I soon saw that an eagle was swooping in to grab a fish from the river. I was only able to fire off a couple of shots and they all turned out too blurry. I underestimated his speed, and I wasn’t panning at the same rate. I missed a good photo, but I got a second chance because the eagle missed the fish! He quickly swooped back down and I clicked the shutter as fast as I could, praying that at least one shot would turn out clear. This time, the eagle and I were both successful! (Be sure to click the photo to see it bigger.)

Here are a few tidbits about the eagle’s legendary eyesight. Like all birds, they have color vision. Their eyes are almost as big as ours, but sharpness is almost four times greater. Thanks to two different centers of focus, eagles can see both forward and to the sides at the same time. What a cool trick! Their eyesight is so keen that they can spot fish while soaring several hundred feet above the water. And eagles are also capable of identifying ground prey moving almost a mile away. So if they are flying at 1000 feet, they can spot prey over an area of almost three square miles.

Marty says that it was a good thing that he stayed home!

600th Post Celebration and Giveaway!

2011-10-28T14:36:00.001-04:00

It’s my 600th blog post celebration! Hip, hip, Hooray! And what’s a celebration without a giveaway, right? Marty helped me gather up a few goodies to raffle off to a lucky blogging friend. The winner could be YOU!

What’s up for grabs? The main prize is a Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter Set! With this assortment, you can glitter up your world with 24 delicious jewel colors. And the set’s arrival in your mailbox will be just in time for your Christmas crafting projects. The prizes also include three Prince Edward Island souvenirs featuring Anne of Green Gables: a magnetic note pad, pin, and post card. Last in the mix is a set of four of handmade photo note cards. I recently created a new batch featuring some of my favorite Alaskan scenes.

Here’s how to get your name in the proverbial hat to win these lovely prizes:

Leave a comment on this post to get one entry.
If you follow my blog, leave another comment to get a second entry.
If you publish a post about this giveaway or put a picture link on your blog’s sidebar, leave another comment for a third entry. (Yes, snag the picture shown above!}
Participants outside the U.S. are welcomed. However, only entries from bloggers with active web sites will be eligible for the drawing.

The last day to enter is Wednesday, November 2. So please help me celebrate my chatty milestone of 600 posts!

P.S. Marty is deleting comments from those who are not following the rules. It's not fair to the others.

Not So Newsy News

2011-10-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Wow, this old image is so NOT me that it is truly frightening. Holy cow. But there is one thing we have in common: the thumb is out of the picture.

Some of you have been asking how my right thumb is doing since the surgery Tuesday last week. I was doing pretty well until I accidentally bent it too far over the weekend while picking up a laundry basket, of all things. I pulled a stitch. Yee-OUCH! It’s now buried deep. The pulled stitch results in a constantly annoying sting, and the joint remains swollen. So now I have to really baby the digit until I can get the sutures removed next Tuesday. Otherwise, I am on the mend. It has slowed down my typing a bit, particularly when the huge bandage was still on. Writing by hand has been a challenge. And there are a lot of other things that are extremely difficult with a thumb out of commission. Like getting dressed. I get impatient when it comes to healing time. But the end is in sight, and it’s just a silly, small thing. So please ignore my grumbling, okay? I sure do appreciate all of your get-well wishes!

We finally got the gutter helmet installed today on the back of our home. Gosh, we were just talking during lunchtime about how we need to verbally blast away at the company for dragging their feet. We put down a deposit over 6 weeks ago! A couple of hours later, the workers magically showed up. They got the job done in no time at all. Cleaning gutters is one less thing we will have on our maintenance to–do list, thank goodness! Now, if we an only get a company to give us a bid for a block retaining wall for the landscaping bed on the left-hand side of our home. All we can figure out is that landscaping companies must be raking in the business because we can’t get anybody to even give us a bid, let alone do the job.

And, did you know that my very next post will be number 600? That means Marty and I are putting together a bloggy giveaway to celebrate! You won’t want to miss it!

P.S. I purchased a new desk chair, and it is working out great.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Sandhill Cranes

2011-10-24T19:09:00.001-04:00

A sandhill crane is not the type of bird that one normally associates with Alaska, but they make regular appearances in locations such as Fairbanks. These are large migratory birds that are predominately found in North America. In fact, they are Alaska’s largest game bird, favoring grasslands, meadows, and wetlands. Sandhill cranes begin to flock at Creamers Field in May and then stay for several months.

Creamers Field is a former dairy in Fairbanks and now an 1800-acre wildlife refuge managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This was one of the places where we headed after getting into Fairbanks a couple of days early. Upon arrival, we spotted a flock of sandhill cranes in the distant fields. We bolted out of the rental car and started to photograph them immediately. As expected, they quickly moved away the crazy people with cameras. This was one of my initial images before the flock commenced to be a mere speck in our viewfinders.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Musk Ox

2011-10-22T16:22:00.000-04:00

The musk ox is an ancient animal that is unfamiliar to most people. We got to see these incredible creatures at the Large Animal Research Station in Fairbanks and also the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. They hail from the Pleistocene period, when they walked the earth with the wooly mammoth, saber-toothed cat, and giant ground sloth. Numbering about 150,000 worldwide, the largest population of musk ox can now be found in Canada. They became extinct in Alaska by the late 1800s and were reintroduced in the 1930s from wild herds in Greenland. Musk ox currently number about 3000 in Alaska.

adult male musk ox at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

An adult male stands about six feet at the shoulder and weighs up to 1000 pounds. Despite their name, they are not oxen and do not have musk glands. The Inuit peoples of the far north call them Oomingmak, meaning “one with skin like a beard”. Based on appearance, it is frequently assumed that they are a close relative of the bison, buffalo, or yak. But they are actually more closely related to sheep and goats.

juvenile musk ox

taking a mid-day nap at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

These animals have adapted to frigid temperatures with a layer of downy underwool called qiviut (pronounced kiv-ee-ute). The fibers are extremely fine, soft, and warm, thus protecting the musk ox in temperatures less than minus 40 degrees. The qivuit is shed each spring to keep the animals cool in the summer and collected to support a thriving cottage industry. Thanks to a cooperative of native Alaskan knitters, you can buy hand knit products made from 100% qivuit. The items are pricey, but take into consideration the rarity of the raw material, its superior warmth characteristics, and crafting by skilled artisans. Qiviut is eight times warmer than wool, incredibly soft, light in weight, and easy to clean. You might want to consider adding a qivuit clothing article to your Christmas wish list!

Ups and Downs

2011-10-20T19:08:00.000-04:00

I took off my HUGE bandage this morning and was able to take a shower without a plastic bag over my hand. Progress! The incision looks pretty good, and I’ve got it covered with some gauze and tape.

Oh my, I can now type, hit the spacebar with my thumb, and not hit about half of the entire keyboard! Life is good if I can use a keyboard, LOL. So I got online this afternoon and commenced to do some consulting work. Ah, I was doing really well until my chair decided to roll out from under me. Ker-PLOP, I fell to the floor! OK, it was louder than a standard, run-of-the-mill ker-PLOP. It was probably more like a ker-BOOM. And I added some verbal commentary for good measure and emphasis. Of course.

Thankfully, I fell cleanly on my ample backside and didn’t mess up my bionic knee or any other appendage while I was ker-PLOPping. Dear hubby helped me get back up and quickly loaned me his office chair (which is not possessed with an unsettling mean streak). The offending chair is my sewing chair, with no arms and a small base with rollers. It was never meant to serve as an office chair. But I put it into temporary use while I’ve had the extra desk and work computer set up.

The stupid chair is going to be replaced. Now I’m sore all over!

Thumb-Bunny Is Sore

2011-10-18T18:19:00.000-04:00

I’m not doing any hand puppets right now, that’s for sure! The surgery on my right thumb went well today. I had a clean removal of a ganglion cyst that has been growing for the past couple of months on the top of the knuckle and causing me some discomfort. I wanted to have it taken care of before it caused further trouble.

My thumb is currently wrapped up tight and looks like a mummified watermelon! I’ll be able to take the dressing off and put on a band-aid on Thursday. The stitches will remain in for two weeks. I’ll be spending a little less time on the computer and a little more time with my Kindle as I mend.

Thank you for all of your get well wishes wishes!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Caribou

2011-10-17T18:42:00.000-04:00

We saw only a few of caribou while we visited Denali National Park, and they were all at a considerable distance. We found the one grazing below while we were traveling on the park road. We watched him eat for a while and took several profile shots. Briefly, he turned and looked at us, as if he wanted to ask, “what are YOU looking at?” I thought it was a cute pose. By the way, the disturbed dirt shown in the background was the result of digging by some brown bears!

Here are come tidbits about these handsome creatures, also known as a reindeer. Both the males and females have antlers and grow them each year. They are herbivores, eating up to 12 pounds a day of lichens, mosses, grasses, and plants. The low-bush cranberry shrub is one of their favorites! Caribou have concave shaped hooves that hold them up like snowshoes on deep snow. They make a characteristic clicking sound when they move, the result of tendons slipping over the bones in their feet. Finally, caribou are famously known for their long migrations, with their summer and winter ranges located hundreds of miles apart. Some herds have been observed to travel up to an incredible 3000 miles per year!

Autumn Glory

2011-10-16T11:07:00.000-04:00

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

~ Albert Camus ~

fall colors at the Maroon Bells, Aspen, Colorado

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Moose!

2011-10-15T11:24:00.000-04:00

My Alaska photos aren’t over, so dry those tears. Now I’m going to start sharing some of my wildlife photos! And first up is an animal that you immediately associate with Alaska: the stately moose.

These creatures are the largest of the deer family. Weighing in from 800 -1600 pounds, they stand about 5-6.5 feet at the shoulder. They are BIG! As vegetarians, they eat massive amounts of twigs, leaves, shrubs, and other plants – up to 44 pounds a day.

Of course, their most recognizable feature of the males is the pair of antlers. Bull moose antlers are grown and cast off each year. The size of the palms, antler spread, and number of tines increase each year until the bulls reach about six years old. Antler development starts in April or May and they are covered with a dark brown, velvety skin. They drop their antlers from late November through February.

Isn’t this a handsome fellow? He resides at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which takes care of injured or orphaned animals. I really enjoyed the aerial perspective. No, I wasn’t hanging out over a pond from the upper branches of a tree! I was able to observe this moose from the safety of an observation tower.

We spotted this momma moose and calf just as we were leaving Denali National Park. While they wandered through the tall brush, we were able to take a few photos from the transport bus. Isn’t this sweet?

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Denali (aka, Mount McKinley)

2011-10-12T18:30:00.000-04:00

This post brings to a close the Grand Scenics of Alaska series of posts. What better way to end it than with something REALLY grand – the famed Denali peak and its neighboring mountains!

There’s been a lot of controversy about the mountain’s name over the years. Mister Jim still calls it Mount McKinley, from the time that he used to work there as a young whippersnapper. This national park saw the start of his photographic career. He started working at the park as a park naturalist and shuttle bus driver. When Lady Bird Johnson started the “Keep America Beautiful” campaign, they needed someone to take photographs. Jim volunteered! The rest, as they famously say, is history. In the 1970s, he moved from Alaska down to the lower 48 states. So our journey this summer was a bit of a homecoming for him.

The Denali peak is hidden behind clouds the majority of the time. It is a gamble whether it will show itself during a brief vacation visit. We were so grateful that the mountain came out to say hello to Mister Jim once again and hello to me for the first time. It was an incredible sight that will forever be remembered in our hearts.

What Alaska photo series is next? Wildlife Wonders!

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Seward Highway

2011-10-10T13:54:00.000-04:00

I still have a few more scenic photos of Alaska to share! These are examples of the dazzling landscape found along the Seward Highway.

Even with overcast skies, the views are still spectacular.

Making Photographic Lemonade

2011-10-09T15:40:00.000-04:00

Scenario: It’s rainy and there is heavy fog. Visibility is dismal. You are trapped on a tour bus, zooming down one of the most scenic roads in North America. You are sitting in the front seat with a camera in your hands.

Question: What do you do?

Answer: You set the ISO up high and dial the aperture number down low, ensuring a high shutter speed. You crank the zoom lens out and aim through the bus window located about four feet away, dodging the windshield wiper. Click. Back on the computer, you tweak the image with some simple editing, add a graduated filter for a wee bit of moody color punch, and top it off with a distressed texture layer. Then you sit back and call it art.

Well, at least that’s what I do!

Cape Breton foggy silhouettes

October - A Look Ahead

2011-10-08T19:47:00.000-04:00

This “look ahead” post is a bit late this month because of our trip. Better late than never! The fall colors are starting to appear in East Tennessee. Hooray! And the temperatures are blessedly moderate. We’re ready to settle in and enjoy the seasonal transition.

We are still in the midst of playing “catch up” since we came back from our travels on Thursday. But we have some semblance of order emerging now. It is always surprising how much energy and time is required to get back on track with normal, everyday routines.

We had a good trip, but it wasn’t spectacular. The photo opportunities were slim compared to what we expected and wanted. We saw some mighty nice scenery zipping by the bus windows! We have concluded that traditional, large group tours are just not our thing. This tour’s itinerary was constantly filled and required a lot of sitting time on the bus. As a result, explorations on our own were limited. I’ll be going through my photos in the next month or so and show you some of the highlights. We found the charming countryside similar to New England and the residents quite friendly. It was too early for the fall colors, but we saw some pretty vistas. We were also delighted to find our traveling companions to be the most congenial of large group tours that we have taken, so that was a bonus!

I will have some minor surgery in a few weeks to remove a cyst on my right thumb knuckle. Before our trip, I noticed that my thumb was starting to hurt whenever I bent it. I initially ignored it, thinking that the source was arthritis. But I then noticed a lump on top of the joint. A quick visit to an orthopedic surgeon (specializing in hands) confirmed it is a cyst. Over a decade ago, I had a cyst removed from my right-hand pinkie finger. It took three tries. A dermatologist removed it twice, and a hand surgeon removed it once and for all. So this time I am not messing around!

On the home front, we will have gutter guard installed along the back of our home. With our sloped lot, the back portion of the house is effectively 3 stories tall. We are both very allergic to ladders, and standing on a ladder at that height is sheer insanity. And the woods in our backyard will contribute to an annual accumulation of leaves in the gutters if we don’t take action now. This will be one less thing we have to worry about for long-term maintenance!

I will soon resume posts that feature my Alaska photos. After just a few more “grand scenic”, you will be treated to “wildlife wonders” and “Katmai bears”. It’s a bit surprising to see from my blogger statistics that I am closing in on another milestone: 600 posts. Holey moley! Marty and I need to quickly make some plans for an anniversary giveaway! I also will be catching up with my blogging friends to discover what is happening in their world.

Back Home!

2011-10-07T19:34:00.000-04:00

dancing clouds at a Prince Edward Island beach

We got back home safely yesterday. There are a multitude of things that need my attention at the moment. I will resume blogging as soon as I catch my breath!

A Pretty Bouquet for You

2011-09-22T13:05:00.000-04:00

Until I return...

Kantishna Roadhouse, Denali National Park

The Trip is a GO!

2011-09-21T18:58:00.000-04:00

The Air Canada strike has been averted, so our trip is a GO! Unless our local airport has finally installed the whole body scanner, I will be standing in the “groping” line on Friday morning. It’s one of the prices I have to pay for my knee replacement, radical extremists who are determined to kill us, and an overzealous government agency that refuses to profile. Sigh. But I will be humming a song in my heart and soldier though it because we are definitely going on our next vacation!

And not a minute too soon! I haven’t had enough hours left in the days to prepare scheduled posts during my absence. So you will have to patiently wait for my return. You CAN do it! It’s only a couple of weeks. And Marty will post a photo for you tomorrow so that you have a pretty picture to look while I am gone. Oh yeah!

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Hidden Denali Mountains

2011-09-20T19:14:00.000-04:00

When you visit Denali National Park, you are taking a gamble with the fickle weather and clouds. The majority of the time, the Denali peak and adjacent range are hidden from view. You travel all that way up there, endure a long, bumpy bus ride out to the end of the park road, and whether you get to see the elusive mountains is all up to lady luck. On any given day, the odds are against you.

Thank goodness we stayed several nights in the park! Of the three days we were there, it was clear on only one day. When I took this photo at Wonder Lake, my hubby assured me that there was a mountain range beyond the tree line. Yeah, right. I had to conjure up a very wild imagination! And yes, I admit that I grumbled.

But lady luck arrived the next day and the weather broke! Lo and behold, there WERE rocky peaks beyond that chorus line of dancing pines! My hubby wasn’t telling me a tale of whopper proportions! There are dramatic differences between what is hidden and visible in these photos, but also in the quality of light.

With an overcast sky, light is diffused and colors are softened. Flat lighting like this is perfect for close-up photography, eliminating hot spots. But it is a tad boring for an overall scenic view.

But bring out the sun and paint a blue sky, and we now have shadows, texture, and crisp colors! The landscape takes on vibrancy. And we can actually see a mountain range! Well hello, Denali!

Tribute in Light

2011-09-19T19:51:00.000-04:00

I thought that my blogging friends would appreciate this time-lapse video. Please expand it to get the full effect.

Tribute in Light from Duncan Davidson on Vimeo.

Packing the Bags for Eastern Canada

2011-09-18T10:06:00.000-04:00

Map courtesy of Tauck World Discovery

We’ll be packing our bags and heading out next weekend for eastern Canada! It’s time for a sightseeing adventure in the enchanting locales of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Brenton Island. We haven’t ever traveled to these areas, but we know we are in for a treat of scenic beauty, friendly folks, and delectable seafood. We have our fingers crossed that fall colors will grace the landscape during our visit. And you know that we will be packing the camera gear!

The map indicates that we will have a busy itinerary on this 2-week tour. We’ll be staying overnight at:

Halifax, NS

Digby, NS

Moncton, NB

Charlottetown, PEI

Ingonish Beach, CBI

Liscomb Mills, NS

And yes, I have completed my reading assignment of “Anne of Green Gables”! We’ll be visiting the farm where author Lucy Laud Montgomery created her precocious orphan character, Anne Shirley. And we will also see the Green Gables farmhouse in Cavendish that served as inspiration for the story. At least I am prepared for that part of the itinerary! We also hope to see some rugged scenery and charming fishing villages along the coastlines, echoing back to many fond memories we have of Maine vacations.

Marty will be in charge of the blog while I am gone, making sure that any carrots thrown his way are promptly devoured and with enthusiasm. I don’t know how frantic my work load will be this week, so I can’t make any promises about whether I’ll be able to schedule any postings of Alaska photos during my absence. We’ll be taking along our iPad so I may sporadically pop in on blogging friends when time permits.

P.S. Right after this post went up, hubby informed me that Air Canada flight attendants may go on strike later on this week. (I admit that I am thinking some uncharitable thoughts right now.) We'll be talking to our tour operator tomorrow and finding out what options we have. They made the flight reservations for us, so they have some responsibility to get us to our destination and back. We have travel insurance, but we would be sorely disappointed if this trip doesn't come to fruition.

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Russian Orthodox Church

2011-09-16T19:48:00.000-04:00

When we were traveling down to Homer on the western side of the Kenai Peninsula, my husband surprised me by turning off and heading to the town of Ninilchik. Little did I realize that he was taking me to see a charming Russian Orthodox Church. Though it was a drizzly day with heavy grey clouds, this picturesque sight lifted our spirits.

Surrounded by an old cemetery (filled with unpronouncable Russian names), the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Church sits high on the peninsula, overlooking a small fishing village. Russian colonists settled this area in the early 1800s. The church was dedicated in 1901. The five ornate gold domes are said to represent Christ and the four Evangelists.

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Denali Foothills

2011-09-14T20:06:00.001-04:00

I appreciate all the terrific comments on my last post about photography. It looks like the topic really hit a chord and even raised some additional questions! Rest assured, I plan to do more posts about photography once I get back in retirement mode. It will probably be none too soon for you and me.

In the meantime, I need to finish up this photo series and there are a few more posts to go! Tonight, I am going to share a few scenes around the foothills of Denali National Park. Though the weather wasn’t the best when these were taken, you can still appreciate the stark beauty of this wilderness landscape and the expansive tundra.

There is a dramatic contrast between the green vegetation and jagged mountain peaks. The misty fog gives the scene a bit of a mysterious edge.

Ice and snow have already melted off of these lower mountains, so meandering streams are sometimes reduced to a trickle.

During our ride to the lodge, we were delighted to see a little waterfall next to the road, cascading over mossy rocks and surrounded by hearty shrubs and colorful wildflowers.

And we got a rare glimpse of these rugged foothills from the air too, marveling in nature’s texture.

Photo Decisions for a Blogger

2011-09-12T19:38:00.000-04:00

A long-time internet friend of mine, Jackie, sent me an e-mail recently that gave me pause. She’s excited to be taking some really good pictures lately. Yeah, Jackie! But she had a million dollar question for me. Jackie wanted know how I figure out which few of my photos to share on my blog. It is quite a dilemma. Just on the Alaska trip, I took over 7000 photos. So she hit on a great inquiry about the thought process I use to whittle them down for sharing purposes.

Let me begin to explain by wandering around the question for a minute. I’m going to talk about writing first. Now, I wish I had one tenth of the eloquence that my friend, Jenny, possesses. She is a wordsmith of considerable talent, cut from the cloth of legendary southern writers with natural born ability. I’ve already told her that I will be busting my buttons when (not if) she is a celebrated, published author. That’s not to say that I can’t turn a phrase and hold my own with thoughtful prose. I surely can. But all those decades I spent in the technical and corporate worlds have stunted my vocabulary and routine sentence structure. I readily admit that my writing style is very direct. You don’t mince words in business. You say what needs to be said, without fanfare and descriptive adjectives.

So writing in this blogging venue the past (almost) four years has been a bit of a marathon training session for me. It doesn’t come easy to get stories out of my head and share my experiences. I’m still learning. I will probably never graduate beyond the novice class. But I know that I can tell a story or two with my photographs! And it is easier to describe my experiences with a few pictures to help prop me up.

Photography, thank goodness, is a language that everyone understands. Most of the photos I take may never see the light of day. That’s okay because they mean sometime to me. At this point in my life, I know how to take a good photo from a technical standpoint. And my digital editing has improved greatly since starting this blog. Presently, I am trying to stretch my compositions and search for scenes that are a bit different and/or have some whimsy. I am searching for moments in time that I can encapsulate for retelling or memory safekeeping.

Little did Jackie know that I am currently wrestling with decisions on which Katmai bear photographs to share with you. I have about 2000 of them! I will only visit the famous Alaskan Brooks River and cavort with grizzly bears once in this lifetime. So I filled up my digital cards with abandonment. But the ones with personalities will get top billing here on my blog. For example, there was a juvenile bear that proceeded to jump on a rock in the middle of the Brooks River and patiently waited there for well over an hour. I have dozens of images of her that are just precious - at least they are to me! I could bore you silly if I shared all the photos of the same bear sitting on the same rock. So I’ll restrain myself and narrow it down to perhaps two. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. In the art of sharing on a blog post, less is actually more.

As another example, I spent over an hour taking photos of puffins at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward. Yes, I can be a tad focused to the point of going overboard. I confess! But I had always wanted to see a puffin in real life and there was one in particular that practically flirted with me, coming so close that I could have reached out and petted it while he floated by. I cooed. He primped. We became friends. I have about two hundred photos of him, with all different kinds of expressions and poses. You have already seen a previous photo of him. I can’t resist sharing one more with you today. The rest in my digital library will comprise my personal travel memories, frozen in time, reminding me of when I got to spend a magical morning with a puffin. One doesn’t get to do such a thing very often. This wild creature was giving me a gift, by posing and allowing me to appreciate its beauty. I am confident that Mister Puffin would be exceedingly proud to be immortalized on the worldwide web. Hopefully, that message is clear when you gaze at his image.

So that’s the answer, dear Jackie and blogging friends. I select which photos to share by first deciding what I am trying to communicate. Images are a universal form of communication. You don’t need to consult a dictionary or thesaurus to understand a photograph. No translator is required! If my photographs entertain you, give you a sense of wonderment, teach you something new, tickle your funny bone, or move you in some way, then I successfully wove the tale (or tail) and shared my experience. We are both richer as a result.

9-11 Remembrance and Lessons

2011-09-10T16:56:00.003-04:00

personal photo, created to commemorate the 10-year anniversary

September 11, 2001. It started out as an ordinary day. My husband and I went to our respective jobs. It was a Tuesday. At my office, the management team had already begun their monthly meeting. I was hunkered down in the land of corporate cubicles. I was working and writing in my office, every now and then glancing out at my aerial view of downtown Knoxville. I was thankful that everyone had finally finished the usual morning chit-chat sessions. It was quiet. I was digging deep for some writing inspirations so I could complete the latest report, missive, or procedure assignment.

Then a co-worker got a phone call. His wife said that the news reported a plane had flown into a New York City building. I popped out of my chair, rocking on my toes to look over the grey fabricated walls that boxed me in. I asked, “On purpose?” He said they didn’t know. I asked which building. He said the World Trade Center. I knew then that we were under attack and I answered my own question out loud. “Of course, it was on purpose.”

Our world changed that day. Innocent citizens, going about their normal, everyday lives were killed that day. Murdered in cold blood. The terrorists were part of a radical Islamist group, fanatics who hate our way of life and freedoms. And it should not be a news flash that these zealots still hate our guts and want to kill us.

Hate is a powerful thing. It can turn into evil in the blink of an eye.

In the days that followed that fateful day, Americans stood in solidarity against a common enemy. While the Nation healed, we supported and respected each other. Time passed. It’s now been 10 years. In many ways, it seems so long ago. Sadly, the unity is gone now and this country seems more fractured than ever, only made worse by the uncivil discourse of those currently in power.

I sadly shake my head, amazed at how many have lost their way and perspective in the past decade. Did 9-11 not teach us anything?

We should remember those lives that were lost and honor their memory. They were everyday folks. They were just like us. It could have been us.

We should remember the heroes, who faced the chaos and gambled with their lives to save others. If we had been in their shoes, would we have made the same sacrifices?

We should remember how we once stood as One Nation, Under God. We mourned together. We treated each other with kindness, respect, and tolerance.

We should remember that we have enemies who want to annihilate us and our way of life. As a result, we need to stay vigilant, strong, resolute, and united.

America will never be destroyed from the outside.

If we falter and lose our freedoms,

it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

~ Abraham Lincoln ~

Photo Challenge: Dog Daze of Summer

2011-09-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

It’s time for another Brenda Photo Challenge! The theme this time is Dog Daze of Summer. I had to wrack my brain to figure out how to best capture this theme. But it turns out that I took an image during our Alaska trip that sums it up perfectly!

When we were visiting the kennel at Kantishna Road House in Denali National Park, I happened to spot a charming scene with Reba, a lead sled dog. She was comfortably resting in her wooden doghouse, with her head at the doorway, thoughtfully pondering the swarm of photographers who had descended upon the kennel for a photo shoot. Gentle as a breeze in personality, I immediately recognized that Reba appreciated simple beauty. Though there was a well-worn dirt track that circled her house, she made sure that she didn’t disturb a dandelion plant growing right outside her doorstep. Sure enough, I caught Reba admiring this iconic summer wildflower bloom and I quickly snapped the shutter. Priceless!

And just for the fun of it, here is a black and white version with the flower colorized.

I hope that you will visit the challenge’s web link and check out the contributions of the other participants. And please continue to keep Miz Brenda in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time for her and her family.

A Request

2011-09-09T09:16:00.000-04:00

Please keep my blogging friend Brenda (What's Up Down South and Brenda's Photo Challenge Blog) in your thoughts and prayers. She unexpectedly lost her husband.

Thank you.

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Water and Rocks

2011-09-07T18:39:00.000-04:00

For residents, the Alaskan waterways are essential for transportation and the fishing industry. For tourists, these waterways contrast with rugged mountains, creating breathtaking scenes around every bend. Here are a few of my favorites.

looking across Resurrection Bay from Fox Island,

toward Caines Head State Recreation Area

Three Hole Point, Aialik Bay

Bear Glacier Point, Harding Gateway

looking across Kachemak Bay from Homer,

as the morning sun lights up Kenai Fjords National Park mountains

P.S. And Happy 85th Birthday to my Mom!

Rainy Day Relaxation and a Giveaway Thank You!

2011-09-05T14:11:00.000-04:00

The tropical storm that was in the Gulf has finally settled in here in east Tennessee. We’re getting some much-needed rain, though we’ll end up with about eight or nine inches of the wet stuff before the storm system moves out of here. It’s a non-work day for me too. So we were relaxing earlier out on the screened-in back porch, enjoying the cool temperatures and listening to the rain’s musical pitter-patter outside our cottage. It’s a day to catch my breath before I start into a new week of writing, reviewing, and editing technical procedures. Too bad I can’t add a few of my pictures to the procedures to spice them up a bit, LOL!

And here’s a shout-out and hearty thank you to Janice of Gypsy Farm Girl! I won the My Memories scrapbooking program (along with a $10 gift code for shopping) in her giveaway last week, and I’ve been having fun playing with it. I see some good possibilities to use it for custom blog backgrounds and headers! Here is the result of my first practice session. Not bad, huh? Especially since I just dove right in and didn’t read the instructions!

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Alaska Railroad

2011-09-03T16:16:00.000-04:00

As part of our tour, we hopped the grand Alaska Railroad to travel from Denali National Park to Wasilla, where we were met by a motor coach. The trip took about six hours and we were comfortably seated at the top of a luxurious double-decker Gold Star railcar located right behind the engines. Once we got underway, we went to the downstairs dining area and enjoyed a delicious lunch. During our ride, we had glorious views from inside the domed car, but we also enjoyed a private outdoor viewing deck. The deck was a favorite spot for the avid photographers, and I spent at least half of the train ride out there! It was fascinating to see how the Alaska landscape changed over as the miles passed by.

There were picturesque mountains edged with lakes and marshes.

Meadows were tucked into forested hillsides and painted with fireweed blooms.

Distant rain clouds hovered over expansive lakes.

Wild ferns grew with abandon in forest edges and danced in the wind.

On this special train journey, we couldn't help but appreciate the immensity and the majesty of the Alaska countryside. It was a trip to remember! If you ever have a chance to visit Alaska, please try to work the train trip into your itinerary!

Photo Challenge: Black and White

2011-09-02T08:58:00.001-04:00

Kelsey of A Ray of Sunshine announced a photo challenge earlier this week. The theme is Black and White. Oh yeah, I love black and white photos, so I jumped into the fray!

This is an overall view of the Quarai ruins, an ancient Pueblo mission that dates back to 1630. It is located in the Salinas Valley, southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico. My camera settings were f/8.0, 1/125 second, and ISO 200. I used Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 software to give the digital image a dramatic emphasis.

If you want to see photos by the other participants, please hop over to Kelsey’s blog for the links!

September - A Look Ahead

2011-09-01T18:50:00.001-04:00

Hello, September, I’ve been waiting all summer for you to arrive! During this time of the year, I am anxiously waiting for cooler weather, and Mother Nature better deliver this month! Looking at the long-range weather forecast, it looks like I will get my wish. A cool front is predicted to roll in next week, and we’ll drop out of the 90s and get into the high 70s and low 80s. Hooray!

The big event marked on our calendars this month is another journey! Yes, we’re heading out on another tour in about three weeks. This tour will be with Tauck World Discovery, and the destinations are Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. We will be seeing these areas for the first time, and we’re excited about the action-packed itinerary. Tauck is well known for their pampered style of touring, and we are looking forward to lots of sightseeing, learning, and relaxing. Of course, we'll be toting our camera equipment and photographing scenes along the way too! I will post more about the trip before we go.

The consulting work continues this month. August was tough for me because I was gone for three weeks in July. Payback is you-know-what. Right now I have more work than I can shake a stick at! I’m fondly looking ahead to completing my contract term in mid-January and resuming a blissful retirement schedule. In the meantime, I thank my lucky stars for the opportunity to earn some good, old-fashioned cash in these uncertain and inflationary economic times.

I have two new computer programs to learn and play with this month. One is a digital scrapbook software product by My Memories that I won in a sponsored giveaway by Janice of Gypsy Farm Girl. Yeah, Janice! The other is the new Black & White Effects software that Topaz Labs released this week. It is a plug-in program that works with Photoshop, Elements, Lightroom, and Aperture. (And right now it is a steal at its special introductory price of $30!) I’m still discovering new ways to use the Nik Complete photo imaging programs that we got earlier this year too. So I have a lot of digital assistance at my disposal when it comes to improving and showcasing my photographic images.

Here on my blog, I will be featuring more Alaska photos. Images of bears and wildlife will be gracing your screens soon! I will also be participating in two photo challenges this month. So be looking for those posts as well. And, I will enjoy reading about how you and your households begin the transition into the cozy fall season ahead and say goodbye to the summer of 2011.

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Glaciers

2011-08-30T19:27:00.000-04:00

Are you still being bothered by the summer heat? These glacier pictures will help to cool you off!

Bear Glacier, Resurrection Bay

Kenai Fjords National Park

Aialik Glacier, Aialik Bay

Kenai Fjords National Park

aerial view of a glacial ice field

Denali National Park

Begonia Mystery Solved

2011-08-28T12:20:00.000-04:00

This was the first year that we’ve been able to set out annual flowers along the front walkway of our new home. We decided to plant red begonias for a nice pop of color. Sadly, the plants look just as small now as when we first planted them in April, despite routine watering and fertilizing. We chalked up the poor performance to the thin layer of topsoil that the builder put on our lot.

By happenstance, I found out the true culprit when I glanced out my home office window yesterday. It’s MARTY! The little booger! I watched him happily munching away on the flowers and leaves, quite content in the fact that we unwittingly provided him a garden buffet this summer.

I quickly grabbed my camera while he was cooling off under the shade of our pint-sized Japanese maple. I got this picture of him, in-between bites, and applied an oil painting filter to the image.

Marty, you better get your fill while you can because this will be the last year that we plant begonias! You are so busted!

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Mountain Peaks

2011-08-27T17:35:00.000-04:00

I hope that my dear visitors are not getting bored with my Grand Scenics series of Alaska photographs! If you are, please tell me and I will switch to some other topics for a while! Can you stand another week of them? And yes, it is quite permissible to repeat adjectives in your comments, in case you are running out of them in your vocabulary, LOL.

Since many of us are still suffering from the hot summer temperatures, we need a little “virtual” cool breeze right now. Don’t you think so? Flying high over beautiful snow-capped mountains should cool us off in a hurry! And please click each photograph to see it bigger!

aerial view of craggy Mordor-like mountains,

north of Talkeetna,

Denali National Park

(black & white processing)

sunny mountain range east of Seward,

Resurrection Peninsula

majestic Denali crest,

long-range view from Wonder Lake,

Denali National Park

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Ships at Sea

2011-08-25T22:34:00.001-04:00

Oh the time will come up

When the breeze will stop.

And the breeze will cease to be a'breathin'.

Like the stillness in the wind

Before the hurricane begins.

The hour when the ship comes in.

"When the Ship Comes In" by Bob Dylan

passenger ship leaving Whittier harbor,

Passage Canal, Prince Edward Sound

fishing trawler at daybreak,

Homer Spit, Kachemak Bay

crabber vessel heading out to sea,

Homer Spit, Kachemak Bay

I hope that my blogging friends on the east coast will be safe this weekend when Hurricane Irene blows through!

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Porcupine Cove

2011-08-23T19:06:00.000-04:00

No story tonight, just a couple of pretty pictures to soothe your soul…

cliff cave of Porcupine Cove,

Harding Gateway, Kenai Fjords National Park

rocky islands of Porcupine Cove,

Harding Gateway, Kenai Fjords National Park

Grand Scenics of Alaska - More Fox Island

2011-08-22T18:24:00.000-04:00

We couldn’t help but relax at this intimate island retreat, with no television or internet. It was perfect for “chilling”. We visited with each other, took photographs, watched the clouds and boats pass by, and marveled at the majestic mountains of Kenai Fjords National Park located across Resurrection Bay. At night, the lodge served us a scrumptious dinner. After one more visit to the rocky beach, we retreated to our cozy cabins. The one assigned to us had a lovely view of a large, freshwater lagoon.

When we woke up, our tour group was happy to see a continuation of the beautiful weather for the scheduled boat trip around Kenai Fjords. This glorious view, looking north toward Seward, was waiting for us at sunrise. After enjoying a big breakfast and copious amounts of hot coffee, we hated to say goodbye to this tranquil setting.

And here are some little learning tidbits about Resurrection Bay!

It acquired its name from Alexander Baranov (1747-1819), a Russian-born merchant. He was forced to retreat into the bay during a bad storm in the Gulf of Alaska. When the storm settled, it was Easter Sunday. So the bay and nearby Resurrection River were named in honor of the event.
The Bay remains ice-free throughout the year, making it easily navigable.
The opening of The Hunt for Red October (one of my favorites!) was filmed here, with the bay serving as a stand-in for Russia’s Murmansk Fjord.

Grand Scenics of Alaska - Fox Island

2011-08-21T18:02:00.003-04:00

Thank you for all of your kind words about my photo challenge images! I am glad that you are enjoying these unique Alaska scenes and hope you continue to come back to see more. Your armchair journey has just begun!

Today I am featuring a couple of photos from Fox Island. Many tourists who make their way down to Seward decide to take a boat tour of Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Peninsula. Some go ever further and opt to have lunch at Fox Island, located on the southern end of the bay. But a few take the time to stay on the island overnight! We were excited that our tour booked us at Kenai Fjords Lodge so that we could relax and enjoy the island. It was an incredibly beautiful setting.

Before dinnertime, about half of our tour group went kayaking out in the little bay. Some of us went for a walk with a park ranger. And a few stayed behind to skip stones along the shore from the rocky beach and watch the boats sail by in the distance.

During my walk across the beach, I got a chance to admire many “ghost trees” along the way. There is an interesting story to these trees. When earthquakes occur, the ground sinks and the land is flooded. Salt water kills the trees, yet preserves the trunks. These particular ones serve as a ghostly reminder of the major earthquake that rocked Alaska in 1964.

I’ll share a couple more images from this magical place tomorrow!

Photo Challenge: Portraits

2011-08-20T07:00:00.006-04:00

It’s time for another Brenda Photo Challenge! The theme this time is Portraits. As my long-time blogging friends know, I am not a portrait photographer. First of all, a ready supply of willing subjects is not available to me. There is also an art and a science to posing people, proper lighting indoors, and then digitally processing the images to get flattering skin tones. Portrait photography is just not my thing! But I took some photos during our recent Alaska trip that fits the bill well enough for this challenge.

When our little tour group traveled on the Alaska Railroad between Denali and Wasilla, we couldn’t believe how well our conductor fit the image of his position. He was handsomely distinguished in his uniform and had a charming personality. As photographers, we were all smitten. We wanted him to model for us! Our tour guide worked his magic and the conductor agreed. What a good sport! So at the next stop, we momentarily disembarked and had a quick photo shoot with him. I decided to take one of my images and digitally process it for an antique, weathered look. The camera settings were f/6.3, ISO 1000, and 1/2000 second. I had to laugh when I saw my statistics later on because I forgot to change the settings I used to take photos from a moving train. A speed of 1/2000 second for this portrait is overkill of the highest order!

I finally got a long-awaited wish fulfilled when I saw puffins on this last trip. I just love how funny they look! We saw some on the boat trip, but I was excited to find them at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward where I could see them up close. I spent almost all of my allotted time on the tour in the Seabird Habitat room, photographing puffins! There are two species found in the North Pacific Ocean habitats: horned and tufted. There were a few tufted puffins that swam close to the edge of the giant exhibit pool, so I proceeded to fill up one of my digital photo cards, LOL. The lighting was horrible for photography, with a mix of tungsten-type overhead fixtures and harsh, direct light coming in through some windows. So trying to get the right color balance on the raw images is quite a challenge. Ah, but the results are so worth it! This puffin portrait was taken at f/5.6, ISO 1000, and 1/400 second.

This last portrait is kind of wild, but I want to mix things up a bit with a fun digital effect! We had a delightful visit with the dogs at the Kantishna Roadhouse’s kennel (Denali National Park). Emmitt Peters, Jr., a past winner of the Junior Iditarod, rescues the dogs and trains them for competitions and demonstrations. Emmitt learned mushing skills from his father, an Iditarod champion and member of the Hall of Fame. We could tell that all of the dogs had unique personalities. One of the most photogenic of the group was Eddie, with piercing blue eyes. I had fun playing with this photo crop of him. I recently downloaded Adobe’s free pixel bender plug-in for the Photoshop CS5 program, and the “oil paint” filter results in cool effects. So this photo is of sled dog Eddie on a pixel bender, so to speak! The camera settings were f/9.0, ISO 500, and 1/320 second.

I hope you go check out the photos of the other challenge participants!