Janet Brien's photos

(Please view large!) Oh, it's so nice to be home! There's nothing like a bit of perspective and time away to really enjoy being back after a trip! And what a fine trip we had. It was wonderful to visit my brother Brian and his wife Nathalie this past six days. Yet, getting back to your usual routine is really nice when you've been away for a while. I stepped outside this morning feeling totally overjoyed. There was a thick layer of frost blanketing everything around me, the ground crunched an enthusiastic greeting and I eagerly returned to my daily walk up and down the driveway. I was happy to see that the resident fox didn't leave a welcome-home present for me! As I relaxed into my exercise, I reflected on our trip down to the San Francisco Bay Area. We'd originally planned on driving into San Francisco for some night photography but as it turned out, we were perfectly happy just hanging out and relaxing. We've made mistakes in the past of packing way too much into our trips so this time we decided to do what felt right instead of what we'd planned to do, and this made our trip perfect. I brought my camera with the mere desire to take pictures around my brother and wife's home, with anything more being a bonus. I was happy as a clam capturing images of Nathalie's garden, interesting photos inside and out, all manner of stuff that caught my eye. It was such fun. But we also got to go on a couple of hikes into the hills above their home in San Anselmo, and there I got piles of pictures of a zillion different things! I think that what I should do is create some collages to show the neat subjects I captured. When I got home and copied my pictures over, the total number was 1444! Totally amazing! Today's image was from our first hike as the sun was creeping below the hills. It was impossible to miss the sun shining through a huge old oak tree but I had no idea that I would get the result I'm posting today! I have never had an image with so many stars without being a long-exposure shot! Pam, did you get the chance to visit any of the pretty places in Marin? I'm going to bet your friends took you to Muir Woods, which isn't too far from where my brother and wife live. That was one place I would like to visit again, this time with my camera. I'm so happy to hear from you that you'd gotten so many pictures…it will be nice to see a few more from your adventure! Thinking warm thoughts of you my dear! Explored on 1/5/19, highest placement, #6.

(+2 insets: one of them is Pam's picture!) So it's almost 8pm here and we got home about 30 minutes ago. Steve and I drove back to Oregon after a six day visit to see my younger brother and his wife and family just across the Bridge from San Francisco. We had such a fantastic time! In the end we didn't do a lot of stuff but it was exactly the right pace for us. We relaxed, made some delicious food, did some hiking, spent a lot of time with family and had a super time. I also had a terrific time wandering around their property taking pictures inside and out. Couldn't have asked for a better getaway! Today's picture is for Happy Fence Friday, and what better than to use another image of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge? This photo was taken during our motorcycle trip a couple of years ago. However, I didn't take it from the back of motorcycle. We parked and took a bunch of shots before heading into the City. I think it's pretty hard to take a bad picture of this lovely bridge! :) By the way, the other day I posted an abstract view of the Bridge as we were crossing it and I totally forgot to mention something super cool! I would like you to take a look at the two inset images. You will see my picture and you will also see another one. The other is so similar that you might think that I took it too. NO! Pam took that one! Without seeing each other's pictures, we both took two that are totally close in appearance! I find it amazing because that view is unique. And yet, we have the same idea in an inspired image! I just love that. Pam, it was such fun to look at your San Francisco pictures. I hope that you will be able to post more from your visit because I'm sure you have piles of winning shots that we will all love. I really loved seeing the similarity of our GGB photography too, you are so totally my Pod Sister! Thinking of you every day my dear! Explored on 1/4/19, highest placement, #7.

Steve and I are staying at my brother's home in the San Francisco Bay Area and a couple of days ago (and today also!) his wife took us on a hike up into the San Anselmo hills. It was a lovely day, though very windy and on the cold side, but the views were terrific! I brought my camera along with the hopes that I might find a few subjects to take pictures of. As it turned out, we actually found mushrooms! There were a surprising number of them too, and I am crossing my fingers that I'll get some winners when I get the chance to look at them on my computer. Today's mushrooms were photographed quite a while ago but I didn't have the chance to share them until today. I discovered this pair growing on the side of a rotting log while exploring our lower forest. It's amazing how fast a mushroom can appear when the conditions are right. I'd walked by this spot the day before and didn't see anything of interest. But when I investigated one day later, I found this pair of cutie pies, just waiting for their picture! Pam, I noticed that you have taken some pictures of mushrooms too! I love hunting for them as much as you enjoy finding butterflies on your flowers! I sure do hope that you are doing well today. Thanks so much for the lovely comments you've been leaving me, they make me so happy. Thinking of you every day! Explored on 1/3/19, highest placement, #1.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of photography is learning about the subjects I take pictures of. Most specifically, I love to learn the kind of animal or plant I've photographed. And more often than not, I am totally surprised or even amazed by what I learn. Take the dahlia for instance. Did you know there are 42 species that grow in the wild? What's really surprising is the number of hybrids. There are so many that nobody has a number...the closest figure that people can agree on is "countless"! As crazy as that sounds, I'm really not surprised. They come in a zillion colors, sizes and shapes. The thing is, you really do have to visit a dahlia exhibit garden in order to truly understand the staggering variety. Visiting the yearly display at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is just insane. They pack in so many different hybrids that you simply cannot see them anymore after a while. You know how you can't spend too much time at a museum because you can't process what you see after a while? It's just too much and your poor brain blows a fuse. Well, the same thing happens when you go to a massive showing like the dahlia garden! I wish everyone could have the chance to visit because no matter how many pictures I share, there isn't any way to really show you the experience. I can't help trying though! Today's flower is a knockout pink beauty with lovely white striping. I actually tried to find the exact hybrid...lol...what was I thinking?! Let's just call it Pink Passion and call it a day! I hope you enjoy this lovely flower as much as I enjoyed photographing and processing it! Pam, I don't know if you've tried growing dahlias but I will warn you...deer love to eat them! I learned the hard way when I tried to grow them the first time. Just as they were about to bloom, some deer came by and ate every last one. I was so upset! Oh, and by the way, ground squirrels also love to eat them. The second time I tried to grow them, the ground squirrels broke through the deer fencing and gobbled them up just as they were about to bloom. Have you ever had any luck with these flowers? I won't try again until I live in a place that is protected from deer and ground squirrels! We live in wonderful places with lots of wild animals but they sure do like to eat our flowers! :D Explored on 1/2/19, highest placement, #5.

Today is New Year's Eve here in the United States but over in Europe it's New Year's Day!! So I am posting this picture now since it works for both days. :) First off, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and wonderful new year. I'd like to thank all of you for the support and comradery we've shared since I've returned to ipernity a couple of months ago. I feel like I'm a totally new person, and a whole lot of that is because of the community here at ipernity. I am so thankful. I look forward to another year of getting to share our photography and learning more about one another, getting inspired, and growing more creative each day. For today's picture, you will recognize my theme: Christmas Eve and Christmas featured holiday cards of two adorable birds I photographed a couple of years ago. If you didn't read about it in my previous posts, it was a perfectly snowy day so I set up our 100-300mm lens in our kitchen doorway that opens out onto our back porch. It also has a perfect view of our bird feeders, so I sat inside while it snowed and clicked away as the birdies stopped by to have some snacks. I ended up getting hundreds of pictures, most of which were crisp and useable. The majority featured the darling Oregon Junco, but I got lots of pictures of House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, a few Lark Sparrows, and even a Northern Flicker and a White-Breasted Nuthatch! I thought it would be fun to feature a different bird for each card, so this one has an extremely fluffy Lesser Goldfinch. (I will try to post pictures of the other species when I can.) Pam, it's been so nice to see more and more comments from you. You leave them for me, and you have been making the rounds too! That makes me so happy. It's nice to know that you're feeling a little better as time passes. Here's to better health in 2019! Explored on 1/1/19, highest placement, #1.

This picture was taken in Golden Gate Park a couple of years ago when we were visiting my dad in San Francisco. When we went to visit the beautiful dahlia garden at the Conservatory of Flowers, we took our time walking along some of the paved paths that lead through the densely planted park. Because of the mild climate in San Francisco, a surprisingly wide range of plants grow very happily and it's a lot of fun to explore and appreciate. At one point I found an interesting conifer-type bush covered with countless little cones. I loved the shapes of them and also how they attached themselves to the main branches of the bush. My picture of the day features a cluster of cones that I found. Pam, I saw your San Francisco photo album and I was so happy to see that you'd gotten the chance to visit the Japanese Tea Garden--it's an amazing little place. Did you have the chance to walk around in the park? The marvelous nooks and crannies are not in plain sight but they are awesome treasures when you stumble upon them. I would have loved to walk around with you! Hope you're having a good day! Explored on 12/30/18, highest placement, #9.

Steve and I spent the day driving from Oregon to the San Francisco Bay Area to stay with my younger brother Brian and his wife Nathalie. It was a lovely drive! Incredible views everywhere, and we saw a mind-boggling sunset over the Bay, which we were crossing at the time...unbelievable reflections and colors everywhere! This is going to be really short because we're off to eat and hang out! This picture is another one from our motorcycle trip a couple of years ago. As we rode over our beloved Golden Gate Bridge, I pointed my camera up and got this! :) Please forgive my lack of commenting today, and it's going to be severely limited for the next week, but will get back to normal once we return! :) Pam, I know you've been here!! How wonderful that you've set foot on this remarkable bridge. I'm thinking of you and hoping you're feeling good today! Explored on 12/29/18, highest placement, #9.

(+1 inset, showing False Sunflowers grown from seed that Pam gave me!) :) It was a lovely, foggy morning for my walk today and I was warm and fluffy in my soft sweater, gloves and hat. As I walked up and down, I kept looking over at my abandoned garden and thinking about last night. Exactly how many pictures do YOU have stored in your photo folder? Just how BIG is your parent folder? Of course, this size is going to depend on how long ago you began taking pictures and how active you are as a photographer. My oldest folders date back to about 1999 when I wasn't actually a photographer. I didn't really begin generating a lot of pictures until about 2011. Ever since then, there has been a never-ending influx of pictures that's become totally incredulous in size! In fact, my photo directory is so big that checking my computer for the size took nearly 30 seconds to calculate! Ah yes…my photo folder is now a staggering 1.45 TERABYTES. There are 1,928 folders containing 110,623 files. Yes. That's over 100 THOUSAND pictures in my photo folder. Heh. What can I say? I like to take pictures! :D Granted, many of those pictures are aperture sets--the same subject photographed at different apertures, so the actual subjects photographed would probably lower that number closer to 25,000. Heh. *blush* Needless to say, there are gigs upon gigs of pictures I haven't processed. Pictures I only glanced at or not at all. So many pictures that really do deserve to see the light of day. What a tragic reality: the fact is, most will never be processed because I am always taking more pictures! I know I'm not alone though *stares at all of you with a knowing expression*…we all have a glut of unprocessed pictures on our hard drives! So anyway, last night I played a photo game…click on a random folder and see what's inside. I opened up "All the Beautiful Flowers" from July 2014…inside I found 148 pictures from the year I had a garden. I'd only processed six pictures. I could hardly believe my eyes. So many blossoms, bees, critters, bokeh-filled scenes…*sigh*…but what are you going to do? There isn't any way to process them all. But, I could polish one up right now, and that's just what I did! Today's picture is a sunflower with a busy bee! I had many sunflowers that bloomed for me and they were often covered with visitors. I hope you like this bright and cheery picture on this cold December day! Pam, I was thinking of you as I looked through this folder of images. I didn't see any False Sunnies that grew from the seeds you gave me but I certainly have a zillion pictures elsewhere...I'll have to find some to process just for you! It amazes me that they continue to reseed themselves and flower every single year without a bit of help from me. I love them so much because they remind of the bright, sunny, wonderful person you are! (See the inset to enjoy the beauty of these flowers!) Explored on 12/29/18, highest placement, #2.

(+ 2 foggy panorama insets!) Although the days are now beginning to get longer, it was still pitch black when I got up today. I peeked out and saw the reason why. Storm clouds and a thick layer of fog hung heavy over our valley and kept the dawn at bay until Pumpkin and I were downstairs and getting the day started. Finally it began to get light, hooray! :) My morning was its normal bustle of activity as I prepared for my morning exercise. It would be nice to walk in the cool foggy setting. (see my insets!) As I started my first lap down to the gate I heard a wonderful sound. This noise made me stop walking and direct a beaming smile across the road and into a far tree. "Bar! Bar-bar-bar-bar-BAR!" Exactly HOW does one spell the sound of an outraged grey squirrel? I found an audio file that is very close to what I was hearing if you'd like to listen for yourself: Sounds of an annoyed Gray squirrel . (Our grey squirrels have fewer "barks" that are much louder, have more of an echo sound, and their calls carry a long distance.) I listened gleefully as a Western Grey Squirrel yelled an extremely disgruntled string of expletives at an unfortunate target nearby. "BAR-BAR-BAR! Bar! Bar-BAR-BAR-BAR!" Oh dear. Somebody was in BIG TROUBLE. I felt sorry for the recipient of the dressing-down. More yelling ensued. My eyes twinkled mischievously. I couldn't help snickering because whenever I hear this glorious scolding, I immediately picture what it looks like. As we all know, squirrels are hopelessly fluffy. Some might even describe them as blubberously round! When they vocalize, their torsos UNGULATE with each noise! At the same time, their tails flick in time to the furious outburst! If you should be so lucky as to see this, you will likely collapse onto the ground in a helpless fit of hysterics! I ask you: how can anything take a squirrel seriously when they deliver such a hilarious scolding? Grey squirrels aren't usually seen on our property, but I've encountered them a few times. I'll be out taking pictures, minding my own business and suddenly I become the target of a verbal lashing of epic proportion by a grey squirrel! Why, THE NERVE! How RUDE! Looking up, I worry about acorns raining down around me! Angry squirrel yells down at me, "HEY! HUMAN! GET OUTA HERE!!" Gasping in shock, all I can do is laugh in delight and ask for more. "What's that, Mr. Squirrelly Whirlly? I can't hear you!" Disgusted retorts ensue, "YOU HEARD ME! YOU STINK! LEAVE THIS PLACE! YOU'RE NOT WELCOME!" Peering up through the branches I spot the pulsing body and flicking tail. I lose it. "BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!!!!" Outraged squirrel blasts a foul retort. "THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER, YOU DISPICABLE BI-PED!" I trade insults until tears of mirth are rolling down my cheeks and my sides are hurting from my nonstop chortling. I must leave before I die laughing, so I stagger away, giggling weakly as the sounds of a victorious squirrel are heard behind me. "THAT'S RIGHT, YOU DISGUSTING EXCUSE FOR A MAMMAL! FEAR ME, FOR I AM THE MASTER OF THIS PLACE! DO NOT COME BACK HERE OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!!" Wiping the tears from my cheeks I mumble in exhaustion, "Oh dear…I may never recover." What fun…oh how I adore tree squirrels! They have no idea how funny they are! Turning my focus to today's picture, it's HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY! LOL, ok well it's Thursday here in the US but posting my HFF picture today works out the best. I've selected another image from our motorcycle trip back in 2016. Since it was foggy today, I picked a misty image that I hope you'll all enjoy. This particular spot was along the California coast where a Cyprus forest obscured the view of the ocean. It was a rainy day with a thick layer of fog and you can see the mist beyond the trees. This picture was taken from my spot behind Steve as we enjoyed this beautiful ride towards San Francisco. Pam, I saw that you'd gotten to visit San Francisco not too long ago! I would have loved to try to come down from Oregon to meet you but it looks like you had a great time without any help from me! I do know that at some point Steve and I will be going on an RV trip around the US and so eventually there will be pin mark on the map where we visit you! What a fun occasion to think about. :) I can't wait to give you a real, honest to goodness *HUGGGGGGGG*!!!! :D Hope you're having a nice day my dear! Explored on 12/28/18, highest placement, #2.

(please view large!) (+8 insets!) What is your favorite kind of picture to take? Are you drawn to landscapes or street photography? Do you enjoy nature photography of all types or do you prefer city-based themes? Are you a "Jack of all trades" because any type of photography is interesting to you? For me It's always been macro. Ever since I was a little kid in San Francisco, I've loved discovering tiny things. I used to love walking up our neighborhood street and turning over bricks to see what was underneath. Salamanders, ants, spiders, bugs, slugs and snails, and sometimes even centipedes. Lots of mushrooms, weird fungus and molds, it was all interesting to me. I loved finding the smallest flowers in the cracks of the sidewalk and I would collect a miniature bouquet to present to my mother with an ecstatic, "Mom, I brought you a mouse bouquet!" She loved them and put her tiny flowers into a shot glass and placed it on the kitchen table for all to see. Climbing around Mt. Davidson, which was our backyard, I spent hours exploring the different areas and learning about the countless things that grew there. Three of the things I love are tiny details, textures and abstracts. As a kid, I would hold a leaf up to my nose and just stare. The wonderful details, textures and abstracts I saw were so beautiful and fascinating to me, but it's hard to tell someone about these things. You have to show them. And still, people could rarely see what I did...that was pretty frustrating. Discovering macro photography changed everything. For the first time I could finally show everyone exactly what I was looking at! I could zero in on tiny creatures or flowers or I could show the textures of a subject. Abstracts were finally something I could photograph and allow the viewer to ponder and question. And by learning how to use a specialized macro lens, the magic of bokeh can be added into the mix for a magical touch I'd never considered as a child. A new way to explore the world...how cool is that? What adventure! What freedom! Macro photography opens the door to a universe of endless possibilities on a very small scale. That is why it's my favorite kind of photography. Today's picture is another "caught" leaf, but I think it's pretty special because it requires looking closer. It's also both a texture picture and an abstract because at first it's hard to see what it is. A few weeks ago, I was wandering around in our lower forest. At one point I looked up and noticed an Oak leaf stuck on the trunk of a Ponderosa pine tree. Did you know that pine trees can have different looking bark? That never occurred to me until I took a good look at our pine trees. Ponderosa pine bark looks like jigsaw puzzle pieces! I know you don't believe me, so please take a look at the insets so I can show you! The leaf in today's picture got stuck on one of the "puzzle pieces"! Pam, I hope that all is well with you today and that you are happy and comfortable. Give your dogs some pats from me and tell them that they're doing a great job being a good friend to you. I hope they give you lots of good energy and put a smile on your face! I am thinking of you all the time! :) Explored on 12/27/18, highest placement, #6.

(+1 inset) Just like any child the world over, Pumpkin woke up at 5am this Christmas morning and entered my fluffy, comfortable dream. "Peep!" I kept on sleeping, but wondered what that odd sound played in my narrative. Who knows was I was dreaming about but I could surely say that the next announcement woke me up. "Burble-burble-burble-burble…PEEP!" I cringed when I saw the time. "Peep-PEEP!" Nope. I wasn’t going to answer. Without shame, I pretended I didn't hear her. However, she knew it was Christmas and there was no stopping that little beaky of hers from chiming in another "Peep!" every 5 or 10 minutes. *whimper* I felt as one with all parents on the West Coast right now…all of us trying in vain to get our children to allow us another few moments to sleep. At least my child wasn't running all over the house and sneaking peeks at the presents Santa brought! Memories of joyful Christmas mornings as a child brought a smile to my face. However, I wasn't going to get up at 5am. Nor would I arise at 6am or even 6:30am, thank you very much! Pumpkin finally lapsed her "snooze" feature to 15 minute intervals and eventually I dragged my bedraggled corpse out of bed at 6:45am. I stumbled, zombie-like, into the bathroom to start the day. Once I was up, of course, all was well but I certainly wore a pair of very heavy-lidded eyes to begin with! As predicted yesterday, this morning wasn't rainy and it wasn't terribly cold either. As I started my walk, I watched the sun lighten the sky and colors appeared. My present from Mother Nature was a spectacular sunrise full of lemon, orange, purple, blue and magenta. All against lovely cloud and fog formations that whispered around and over the Upper Table Rock in the distance. (See my inset!) The lovely show continued well past the end of my walk, and Steve would go on to mention the beauty of this day. Colors bounced off the clouds. Fog crawled up and down the valley, socking in our property and then falling back again to reveal the valley beyond. Wisps and tendrils of mist created delicate lines into the sky like a diaphanous curtain. It was wondrous. The birds gave me their present too. Early off on my walk I heard the resident turkeys down in the woods making themselves heard and I enjoyed every note. I heard a pair of acorn woodpeckers calling back and forth to each other. Many little song birds--finches, sparrows and juncos--twittered in nearby trees and flew together from tree to tree. As I started my last lap I looked up and was overjoyed to see the flock of turkeys near our shop. I stopped for a moment to listen to their lovely contact trills and purrs, smiling happily. They pecked at the dirt, relaxed and comfortable as they wandered towards the hillside. I resumed my walk, hoping I'd see them when I returned back up the hill. I didn't see them at first but I did hear them and watched as they appeared from the rear of our shop. Quietly I padded up the hill, knowing they hadn't seen me. They wandered up the side of the hill just on the other side of some thick brush next to me. I stood, totally captivated. For the first time I was very close to them as they were vocalizing their beautiful, intimate purrs and trills. Such soft notes was like sweet conversation among a loving family. It was so wonderful to hear them cooing so sweetly, and blissful moments passed as I drank it all in. The flock climbed up the steep hill and disturbed a trio of mule deer does. They trotted away and stopped to turn and stare at me. They could see me, but the turkeys hadn't, or if they could, were far enough away now that they weren't bothered. I heard some deep flapping and tried to spot the birds through the trees. One of the turkeys was putting on some sort of wing-flapping display, and with that, all of the turkeys began making a lot more noise. In fact, they were making such a ruckus I tried to record the racket on my phone--to no avail, unfortunately. The flock was obscured by trees but it sounded like they were having a turkey convention up there! No alarm "gobble-gobbles" but all kinds of noisy calls…it was completely crazy! After a while I crept back down the hill to the house, thoroughly delighted by the amazing Christmas present I'd been given by Mother Nature. I am so happy!! Today's picture is another holiday card! I thought it would be perfect because today is Christmas here in the United States. It also gives me the opportunity to share another picture from my "Birds in the Snow" folder! I spent some time looking through the hundreds of pictures and found lots of really neat shots. I'd set up our 100-300mm lens so I could take multiple pictures in succession, a technique which I have a love-hate relationship with. I love the many choices you get this way but it also means an absolute GLUT of pictures and you must look through them. UGH! The most horrible thing of all was that I discovered that I hadn't processed a single picture from that photo shoot. What a shame, but now I am sharing the second picture. YAY! :) Pam, I hope you had a very merry Christmas! I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you enjoying ipernity more these days. I know you'd like to be 100% better but gosh, you're doing so well! Let's hope you keep seeing more and more improvement…you sure do deserve it. Many, many great big *HUGGGGGGSSSSSS*!!! Explored on 12/26/18, highest placement, #5.

(Please view at full size!) :) (+1 inset) I was very pleased as I stepped outside this morning because I got to start my walk a little earlier than usual. I try to get out by 7:30am if I can but if I wake up before 7am I'm usually walking by about 7:20am. That's really nice. As much as I've been moaning about the darkness of the mornings, it does give me more of an opportunity to immerse myself in the world waking up around me. This really is a gift and I appreciate every moment. Especially because getting up voluntarily at this time was something I never did in the past. I've missed out on decades of these special times and I don't take a single moment for granted. It was still quite dim outside but ten degrees warmer than yesterday. At 36 degrees, it was positively comfortable in comparison and I began my walk in extra happy spirits. "Hoo-hoo.." I heard, followed by "Hoo. Hoo-hoo-hoo." I stopped in my tracks and stared across our valley across the main road to the neighbor's property beyond. "OWLS!!!" I shouted in my head and cocked my head to the side, listening intently. Again the two called back and forth, their hooting echoing back at me. "Hoo-hoo.." and "Hoo. Hoo-hoo-hoo." A beaming smile radiated from me in response. I simply love owls. Unfortunately, the only wild owl I've ever seen was a Tawny Frogmouth in Costa Rica many years ago. And the only reason I saw it was because our guide knew where this one slept and pointed it out to us. So perfectly camouflaged, it looked like it was part of the tree! What an odd but incredible looking bird that was. Steve and I still talk about that morning! Regarding owl photography, I have such admiration for anyone who gets pictures of these beautiful birds. I hope that someday I'll be so lucky. But for now I stood silently on our road. I listened blissfully to the sounds of these two birds calling back and forth to their hidden spots in the trees across the road. I felt so fortunate and overjoyed to get this awesome experience. After a while I started walking again and was happy to learn that my footsteps didn't disturb their conversation. In fact, they kept hooting until the sun lightened the sky and finally put an official end to the night. I whispered to myself, "That is so cool..." Today is perfect timing to share another dahlia picture! I hope that you are enjoying the show and aren't getting bored. I simply must post these images! The dahlias yell and scream for attention and if they had it their way, they'd highjack my photo stream and fill every day with piles of their lovely blossoms! But I won't have it! They don't understand that so much beauty must be doled out one at a time for the best appreciation! So, in honor of the colors of this holiday season, I bring to you a most dramatic red dahlia. It laughs at the poinsettias and amaryllis that dare to compare themselves to it. Holly berries? Pshaw! No, this dahlia takes the stage like a runway model. I am only here to share it with all of you. If she were a person, you'd surely find her sipping wine in Paris. :) Pam, I wish I could present this diva to you because then she would see what a true beauty is in this world. Thinking of you all the time... Explored on 12/24/18, highest placement, #6.

(+2 insets) It's the first day after Winter Solstice and it's already so much lighter out! Ok, not really. LOL, but it is very encouraging to know that the days are now getting longer. I shouldn't complain. After all, parts of Canada, Norway, Greenland, as well as the North and South poles, experience between several weeks and a couple of months where the sun doesn't come up at all! No thank you! When I looked outside this morning, I knew it was going to be really cold. Twinkling back at me, I was excited to see that the meadow was gleaming white with frost! What a nice change. It has been uncharacteristically mild this winter, with few days of frost and not as much rain as normal either. However, today was going to be a "normal" December day. When I headed out for my walk, the freezing cold bit into me instantly, yikes! I wasn't surprised to see it was a mere 26°F/-3.333°C degrees. In fact, no matter how fast I walked today, my extremities refused to do anything but get colder! That's really saying something because the walk up our driveway will really get your heart pumping if you don't dawdle. The grade (steepness) from the main road up to the base of our steep hill is about 15-20° degrees with a spot that's about 25° degrees. Plus, I'm out there for an hour and fifteen minutes of continuous hiking. That's cold! Incidentally, I bet this question has crossed some of your minds: "If you live in such a pretty area, why do you confine yourself to walking up and down your driveway?" The fact is, I love to walk around our lovely 3 miles/4.8km "block" and I used to do this every day. The problem is that it's much more flat and thus, not as good for exercise. It's an obvious difference in terms of exertion and personally, if I'm going to exercise, I'd like to get the most bang for my buck! After I got back inside today, I became one with our heater for the next 20 minutes until I was all fluffy and warm again. Then I got a hot cup of tea and fairly purred up to our "game room", where Steve and I have our computers. Later Steve went on his walk and returned to the house afterwards in utter amazement...he had on two sweaters, a scarf, a coat, a hat and thick gloves and he didn't take off a single thing during his whole hour! In honor of today's ridiculously cold temperatures, I'm sharing a picture of a frosted white Oak acorn cap. I captured this image a few weeks ago when we had one of those perfect frosts with lovely crystals all over everything. (Today's frost was lovely but not quite as dramatic.) I've also included another frost picture, frost covering a barrel with a puncture in the side. Pam, I wonder what the weather is like where you live. Do you get beautiful frosts? I hope that you're keeping warm and dry and getting lots of loving attention from friends and family. Happy holidays my dear! Here's to feeling better every day! :) Explored on 12/23/18, highest placement, #1.

(+2 insets) My fluffy little alarm clock let me sleep in this morning! I woke up at 7am for once and the extra sleep was so wonderful! I sprang out of bed so happy because it's WINTER SOLSTICE!! HOORAY!!! Now the days will finally start to get longer...THANK GOODNESS!! I was buzzing merrily around in the kitchen this morning until I got to the part where I opened the 'fridge to get Pumpkin's bowl of fruits and veggies...ACK! Sound the general alarm! There weren't any! I'd forgotten to cut up a new batch the night before. BOO!! "Ah well," I thought to myself, "no worries! Let's get this party started, shall we?" Reaching down to the veggie compartment, I pulled it open and grabbed the bags of celery, bell peppers, carrots and apples, turned around and plopped them onto the counter as the refrigerator door closed behind me. From her perch at the kitchen window I distinctly heard Pumpkin chuckling at me as she watched the latest episode of the Mama Bird Show... I stepped over to the other counter and grabbed one of our pretty bamboo cutting boards and pulled out my favorite knife. It's a 6" J.A. Henkels from Spain that Steve's had for many years. I just love it because the blade stays so sharp. Perfect for cutting up Chicken's fruits and veggies! (Pumpkin has a million nicknames but our favorite is Chicken . Others include Fluffball, Fuzzball, Fat Pants, Fluffy Butt, Chick-pea, Fruit Bat, the names go on and on!) Pumpkin whistled back and forth with me while I rinsed, sliced and diced two spears of celery, half an apple, a dozen baby carrots and half of a red bell pepper. Before I chopped up the celery, I cut off the ends and tossed them to Molly. She was ready and waiting with perked ears and bright eyes. Enthusiastic crunching soon filled the room, a sound which made me smile and elicited a bemused cackle from Pumpkin. I pulled out a sliver of carrot and handed it to her, who gronked joyfully and munched with gusto. Sweeping the pile of fruits and veggies into a metal bowl, I mixed them up, grabbed one of her blue food dishes and loaded it up as usual. Yay! Now Pumpkin had a brand new batch of fresh food. I covered the metal bowl, put it in the 'fridge and continued with my routine, finally bringing Pumpkin upstairs with her food. As I closed the door to the bedroom, Pumpkin was diving into her bowl and gronking with joy, "YUMMY BREAKFAST!!!" Oh, how I love that little girl! :) Initially I thought that it would be nice to share a snowy picture today to honor Winter Solstice, but instead I've decided to honor Pumpkin instead! I got Steve to hold her on her back, a position she loves--it's also so adorable that I thought you would all enjoy it too! I also included an inset to show the food I cut up for her and a holiday greeting to all of you. :) Pam, it was so wonderful to get such a lovely note from you yesterday on my latest picture! I am overjoyed that things are a little better for you these days. Let's hope for continued improvements in the following days my dear! *BIG HUGGGGGGGGS*!!!!!!

(1 inset, read below for explanation!) December 20…just one more day to go before the shortest day of the year! I'm so happy because of course that means that finally the days will begin getting longer again! Hooray!! I simply can't wait before it starts to get light earlier again! This morning I saw some familiar red envelopes on the counter that needed to be mailed so I grabbed them as I walked out the door for my daily exercise. Netflix. We love these guys. In fact, we've been loyal customers since 2001! In fact, the moment I found out about this new movie and tv service, I was on them like white on rice! Why the fervor? One word: commercials. I hate them. Wait, that's not quite right. I LOATHE commercials. But actually, that wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back. It was the ticker tapes and the pop-ups that began covering the screen during a show. All of this garbage made me so crazy that I stopped watching television entirely, in about 1998. I just couldn't stand it anymore. And you know what? I didn't miss a thing. And I was also much happier. Then I found out there was a new service that actually mailed dvds to you and included free return mailers. What?! Who?! Where?! I couldn't sign up fast enough! No more schlepping out to a video store and dealing with returns the next day? No more wasted time picking out a title? No more disappointment because the movie I wanted was rented? I was instantly in love with Netflix and remain blissfully happy all these years! I walked the envelopes down to our mail box and popped the red flag up to alert the postman that we have mail to pick up. Isn't that the coolest thing?! I just love the fact that I don't have to find a public mail box when I need to send something out! Having spent most of my life in San Francisco or a nearby city, I have always relied on public mail boxes. I know you can clip your mail to your mail slot and it will be picked up but I never liked the idea of a stranger noticing and possibly taking your mail. Of course it's possible that our outgoing mail could be stolen from this rural mailbox but the likelihood is very small. I turned to walk back through our gate when I stopped in my tracks and turned around. On the post that holds our mail box was a zip tie used to hold a sign in place. Somehow an Oak leaf had jammed itself onto the zip tie and was now stuck firmly against the post and the sign. I stared. I goggled. How does that even HAPPEN?! I returned a little while later and took a picture because you guys just have to see this!! (see the inset!) It's Thursday for me but Friday in Europe so I'm posting my HFF picture now! This one is from the five-day motorcycle trip that Steve and I went on a couple of years ago with our friend Andy. On Day 4 we rode up the eastern side of California with the spine of the Sierras to our left. We traveled from a town near eastern Yosemite called Bridgeport all the way up to a small town called Alturas. Along the way were mind-bendingly huge ranches littered with cattle. I took this picture while we rode along on this incredibly beautiful day! (The Sierras can be seen rising up in the distance.) Pam, I hope that you've been doing a little better lately! I have seen more of your comments on people's pictures and everyone is so happy for your visit! Here's a wish for a holiday gift from all of us, a healing present that will push you gently towards a happy, healthy you! Thinking of you every day! *HUGGGGGGGS*! Explored on 12/21/18, highest placement, #1.