My dog, Tesla, loves to sing along to music. She especially likes harmonica music. Here’s her version of Jingle Bells.
You may not be able to hear it very well in the background, but here’s who Tesla was singing along with. This talented musician plays 10 Christmas carols in 5 minutes.
May music find its way into your holiday celebrations.
Where words fail, music speaks.
Hans Christian Andersen
At this time of the year, you see a lot of waterfowl on the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon. I paused to look at this group of mallards until…
This happened. No he didn’t hit me, but I thought I better continue on my way.
Then I saw this big gray-white camera shy bird next to a pair of common mergansers. What is that?
Oh! It’s a trumpeter swan, not a species I see very often here. It was all by itself.
When I was almost at the end of my walk, I saw this group of buffleheads and mallards. I’ll just zoom in a little since they’re going in the same direction.
Well the Canada geese and common goldeneye cooperated, but this bufflehead decided to go his own way.
You never know what waterfowl on the Deschutes River will do next when they know you’re trying to photograph them. 😉
Bird Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds near or in the water or snow
These three pieces of art with a twist by Dennis McGregor are displayed in the Old Mill District of Bend, Oregon.
Why do they come with a twist? Each piece represents the name of a local wildlife species but you have to figure out what they are. Can you guess?
I like seeing the work of an artist with a sense of humor.
Dennis wrote a children’s book a few years ago titled You Stole My Name. That book exhibits the same type of wordplay as these murals.
Do you give up on what these art with a twist pictures represent? The first one is “mule deer”, the second is “chicken hawk”, and the third is “bull trout.”
To see another slightly twisted piece of art located just down the street from these murals, see Horse of a Different Color.
Wordless Wednesday
It’s time once again for fun with photos. Welcome to Photo Bloopers 4! This is what I do with pictures that don’t quite fit in or turned out weird looking. They needed a few words to make them more interesting. Hope they entertain you!
Do you want to see more of my Photo Bloopers? See:
Wordless Wednesday
This post shows peaceful pets at rest in our home. Yes, they can be very active, but these pictures focus on their time asleep.
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
Anatole France
Our cat, Motor, was very happy to see I bought a new dog bed. He was the first to try it out.
In this picture, Motor is doing his best imitation of a waterfall. Kitty can’t bear to watch this cliffhanger.
She likes to sleep on top of the warm computer tower. Sometimes Kitty sleeps so soundly she rolls right off.
This is the expression she gave me when she learned I bought a new camera. I think she was less than thrilled.
Our peaceful pets get along well. Tesla and Kitty sometimes sleep on the same bed.
Kitty is a Pixie-Bob cat. This breed is known for its “dog-like personality.” She’s taking that part a little too seriously in this picture.
Kitty, like other Pixie-Bobs, loves to play fetch. Pixie-Bobs can also be trained to walk on a leash.
Tesla, the dog, gives a big smile as she rests in front of Tesla, the car. Like her namesake, she can run fast and last a long time on a charge.
Our new dog is named “Shelby.” Both of our dogs are rescue dogs. Tesla is in the process of showing Shelby how to be a dog.
After that lesson, she got the hang of it!
I think sometimes the best training is to rest.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Precious Pets
Wordless Wednesday
It’s time for some fun photos to go along with the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge theme of Just for Fun. Here are some of my photo bloopers for your enjoyment. This is what I do with some of my photos that don’t turn out quite right.
Grizzly bear and ravens at West Yellowstone, Montana
The Three Gossips at Arches National Park, Utah
Swallows at Summer Lake, Oregon
Close-up of western juniper bark, Bend, Oregon
Three mallards in the Deschutes River, Bend, Oregon
My cat, Motor, recovering from his broken leg
For past Blooper posts, see…
My cat, Motor, has to put the brakes on for a while. He was outside a few days ago and when he came in, something was not quite right with one of his front legs. The vet x-rayed him and we were told he had a broken leg.
We don’t know how he did it, but he is not a happy cat right now. Dogs sometimes get to wear the “cone of shame” for a while but cats just have to learn to deal with it.
He keeps asking me if he can go out. No, Motor, not for a while. You get to wear that colorful splint for four to six weeks.
I have been a little distracted lately making sure he doesn’t fall off of things. Why does he have to jump to the highest spots?
Here he is during happier times on my lap with our other cat and not-so-tiny dog.
Motor celebrated his 16th birthday recently. I hope he recovers well and is able to celebrate a few more.
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Silent Sunday
Yesterday I went out early in the morning to see if I could spot the International Space Station going by. I saw it and snapped a quick photo without composing it. I was using the SkyView Free app on my phone. This is the picture I got through the app!
Orion the Hunter is about to smash the International Space Station. Uh oh.
To find the International Space Station where you live, go to this NASA site – Spot the Station. Type in your location, click the pin on the map, and then click “View sighting opportunities.” It tells you when it will be going by, where to look in the sky, and how long it will be visible. Seeing the station zoom by is an impressive sight.
These guys are so helpful at keeping our landscaping plants nice and trimmed – NOT! This is the view out my front window of three mule deer bucks. They were enjoying the plants so much they did not want to leave.
Weekly Photo Challenge – Windows
Here are photos of signs in the town of Coalmont, British Columbia, Canada from my archives. The signs are right next to each other but I split the photo in two to make it easier to read. They do have a unique sense of humor there. 🙂
It’s been a while since I posted any photo bloopers so I figured it was about time for some more. Sometimes an imperfect picture needs a little modification. Here’s what I do with them. Enjoy Photo Bloopers 2!
To see more, go to one of my previous blooper posts here.
So I was sitting in my living room when I saw this lizard scamper across my porch. Seeing a rare opportunity to get a good picture, I jumped up, dropped everything off of my lap, and grabbed my camera. The lizard moved fast but I managed to grab it. After it calmed down from the initial shock of being grabbed by a towering giant, it sunned itself calmly in the warm summer rays while perched on my hand.
I quickly snapped several pictures as it posed for me. After I felt like I had snapped enough photos, I gently placed it down on the grass. That was when the fun began. It climbed up my pants leg and vanished from sight.
I brushed my pants this way and that but no lizard. I went into my bathroom and stripped off my pants and shook them and turned them inside out – no lizard. I took off my shirt and thoroughly searched it – still no lizard. I got dressed and happened to look in the mirror and saw a teeny tiny head peering over the top of my head. The little sneak! I grabbed it and took it back outside.
The pictures that you see at the beginning and end of this post are of the lizard after it had temporarily hidden from me. Do you see the look of satisfaction in its eyes? It took advantage of the situation and saw a rare opportunity to hitch a ride so it could explore new worlds.
Weekly Photo Challenge – Rare
I figured out these were not bad pictures, they were just bird bloopers so I had a little fun with them. Enjoy!
Weekly Photo Challenge – Fun!
