Late January Surprise

The Suet Feeder is empty and not all that inviting with snow on the roof and porch. The accumulation is much more evident on the shrubbery.

My personal favorites are the feathery boughs laden with snow.

I was up from 4 to 6 a.m. when I couldn't get back to sleep after having a short nightmare about the I.R.S. How they continue to plague me now that I only get Refunds is beyond me but they were what woke me from a sound sleep. Walked and fed the dogs, had some breakfast and diddled with the computer then went back to sleep from 6 to 9 a.m. I awoke to a Winter Wonderland. Steady snowfall for a few hours now and we've accumulated more than an inch that looks as if it might stay. Forecasters have rain to follow so it shouldn't be much of an inconvenience.

Speaking of Squirrels

The birdbath was frozen this morning but when we returned from the dog walk 'Bunny Baby' was waiting patiently so I threw out a bunch of nuts and shot this from my office window. Then it occurred to me that she is fearless so I went outside with the 50mm lens and shot this at f1.8 at a distance of maybe 3 feet. I cropped the excess and that's why she appears closer. Can't you just hear her saying "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!"

"Brrrrr"

Looking up into the snow laden bough canopy this morning. The snow was still falling lightly as I got up around 8 a.m. It didn't stay long but it brought out the squirrel beggars for a nut cache.

Playing with Photographic Art

I found this wonderful Contemplative Primate at the Oregon Zoo. Somehow the scene I captured reminded me of Vermeer. I decided to transform it to Comtemplative Primate with The Music Lesson. Next year perhaps the Calendar will contain projects relating photographic pieces to fine art paintings.

Photo Safari

Meet Sam, the baby elephant born in July at the Portland Zoo. Sam and his mother, Rose-Tu are obviously delighted to see the elephant keeper who has a snack for them.

A Day of Celebratory Contemplation

Chris came over at 8 a.m. for a day of watching and commenting on the Inauguration. Maybe a new routine since she can network easily here in my living room as we work on our blogs. Biggest impression was made by the Quartet put together brilliantly to reflect our diverse heritage. Perlman has always been a personal favorite of mine.

We had breakfast and a light snack between dog walks and TV watching. All in all a relaxing day.

This Afternoon a Diversion

In spite of the fact that I fall asleep whenever I sit quietly for even a minimal time period I accepted an invitation to the Vancouver Symphony's Schostakovich #10 Concert. I did Ok until I ate the 4 cookies at Intermission and fell asleep during the last 15 minutes of the concert. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 5 Bassists and ended up day dreaming of my High School Orchestra and the Bass I hauled around there. I wonder if it IS like riding a bicycle?