359/365: "To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone." ~ Reba McEntire

1 more picture above in a note! :)

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful holiday season! I am overwhelmed by all of the warm wishes, email, greetings and cards sent by everyone--I don't even know where to begin when it comes to replying!! Thanks to each and every one of you for helping to make my Christmas so joyful!

I went up on the hill for about 15 minutes today, and my plan was to find a mushroom to share for Christmas Day. I found one almost immediately, and you'll see it as my second image for today!

I was about to head back to the house, but I found my mushroom so quickly that I thought I'd look around for a few minutes more. I saw a dead manzanita tree with its branches spread out on the hillside, and as stood wondering which way would be the easiest to get around it, I saw something pale on the ground under one of the branches. There I found a couple of bones, probably from a deer, but I can't be sure. What got my attention was the beautiful moss growing on the end of the larger of the two bones. I wondered, "Could I find a way to photograph this bone so that it looks interesting and not gross?" I realized that if I focused on the moss and let the rest of the bone fade away into bokeh, it would be a unique image which I hope would capture everyone's curiosity and attention as it did mine! :)

Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955) is an American country music singer, songwriter and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band,[1] on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. While a sophomore in college, she performed the National Anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City and caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall. He brought her to Nashville, Tennessee, where she signed a contract with Mercury Records a year later in 1975. She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five additional studio albums under the label until 1983. Wikipedia: Reba McEntire