Can You...

Spot Mrs. Coyote in this photo? 

She's in the red circle.  I didn't really spot her when I took this photo; I just liked the sun and shadows.  When she started down the little slope I spotted her. 

These photos were taken in late spring a couple of years ago, but I know that the coyote family is still up on the hillside above me because I hear them singing every now and then.

This is a corner of my art studio in the early morning sun.  The flowers aren't real but I think they look pretty with the sunlight shining on them. 

I'm linking with Saturday's Critters and Pink Saturday.

Finally

We finally got a bit of snow this week, the first storm arrived a couple of days ago and the second storm came in yesterday. 

The amounts of snow from both were paltry, just a couple of inches. 

But the snow made a pretty frosting on things, like this glass globe in my back yard. 

I even found a little violet bravely sticking up above the snow.  I'm sure there are more underneath the snow patiently waiting for the sun.  Our high temperature today was only 29, but it's supposed to be up around 40 by Sunday so those violets won't have to wait too long to feel the sun on their petals.

To see more pretty skies and flowers click here and here.

A Pretty Day

Lake Gregory on a particularly pretty day in October of 2016. 

Linking with Through My Lens

Cute and Pretty

I saw this little guy in someone's yard recently.  So cute! 

Down in Waterman Canyon a cherry tree that's already in bloom caught my eye. 

The blossoms are so pretty, and so fragile in appearance. 

I wish the cherry trees in my garden bloomed in pink, but they only have white blossoms.  However, they produce delicious cherries, so it's all good. 

To see more beautiful animals and pretty pink things, click here and here.

Skywatch Friday

This was taken on Wednesday, Valentine's Day.  A friend and I went out to lunch and this was the view from the restaurant's windows.  It's perched right on the edge of the mountain on Highway 18.  I guess the Cloud Creator was in a Valentine's day mood too because the cloud in the center is vaguely heart-shaped.  But, I didn't notice that until I got home and uploaded the photos from my camera to my computer and then I wondered about my powers of observation.  I mean, I was looking right at the cloud when I took the photo, lol. 

To see beautiful skies around the world, click here.

Patience

I took these photos in April of 2012.  I'm not exactly sure what kind of tree this was, but a safe bet is either pine or cedar.

I think the way this fallen giant weathered is so beautiful.

Some of the striations and grain make it look like it was almost under water.

Of course, it was never under any water since it's on the top of a mountain.  But, imagine how patient the wind and rain and snow must have been, working together, to create such a beautiful sculpture over hundreds of years...

Linking with:

Through My Lens

Beautiful Blues

A beautiful Steller's Jay was in the garden this morning.  There have been a pair of them visiting lately, so I hope there will be babies in the spring!

He seemed a little suspicious of the peanuts.

But eventually he grabbed one and flew off.  Really, I've never known jays to turn their beaks up at any food...when I have breakfast or dinner in the back garden they try to snatch the food right off my plate.  Cheeky little guys, but I love them.

To see more beautiful creatures click here.

Skywatch Friday

The skies have been relentlessly blue for far too long.  We have some chances for rain next week, and I'm praying the clouds will deliver. 

My mother's violets are liking all the sun.  I'm surprised they've managed to make any blooms, given the tiny amount of rain they've had this season...and, due to where they're located, I always forget to water them!  Soon, I'm going to transplant them to a spot where I won't forget to give them water.

To see beautiful skies around the world click here.

Down at the Lake

Down at Lake Gregory, a cormorant was watching something up in the sky. 

She (or he) was keeping a close eye on whatever it was. 

Cormorants have the most beautiful jade green eyes. 

I overheard Mr. Mallard say to his wife, "I think that cormorant guy is watching an eagle."

Miss Coot said, "An eagle!?  Oh, I'm sooooo outa here!"

To see more beautiful creatures click here.

The Way it Was

I took this photo in February of 2009; you could pretty much count on February looking like this until about 7 years ago.  This year the ground is totally bare, and the soil is so dry I'm surprised it doesn't blow away.  We got about 5 inches of rain back at the beginning of January, but that's all we've received since the start of our rainy season in October.  The climatologists are saying that this forest is drier than it was at the end of our five year drought that ended in 2016. 


I'm wondering if there will even be any wildflowers blooming this Spring...