TGIF! For many of us, since Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, we will enjoy a four-day holiday. Sadly, our time off will pass far too quickly!
Over the past few weeks, I’ve collected some photos and stories and I’m going to combine them into one big blog post.
The Winter Solstice has arrived.
Today is the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year and the first day of Winter, my least-favorite season. I remember when I still worked on site, it was depressing to leave for work in the dark and arrive home in the dark. But, starting tomorrow, we’ll gain a mere second to our day as we crawl slowly toward those longer warm and sunshiny days that we all crave so much. My favorite meteorologist did an article today retracting that promise of an El Nino, or very mild Winter, that he originally crowed about back in early October. Well, I’m no climatologist, nor am I a meteorologist, but after we had a hard freeze in late September, a very cold October and sleet, snow and ice in early November, I didn’t think El Nino would be happening for us. The new consensus is we will have warmer temps until mid-January, then colder and stormier weather for the last half of the Winter. I hope Parker and his pals remember where they hid all their peanuts in case the walking days are scarce. The jury is still out on whether we will have a white Christmas and I’m 100% fine if those snowflakes don’t arrive. Yes I know “Bah Humbug Linda” … I hear you.
You sir deserve a lump of coal in your Christmas stocking!
This past Wednesday was bitter cold and very frosty out. Jack Frost left his etchings on every blade of grass and the Ecorse Creek had a film of ice over most of it. This caused some consternation with the geese as they veered to avoid the thin veil of ice and I watched them playing follow the leader along the Creek bank. This picture shows a couple of the geese and you can see where the ice ends.
For some reason, we’ve had a gaggle of geese at the Park that number at least fifty all week. They’ve been grazing on the grass in a large group and not bothering any of the walkers as they gather in the area I call “the donut” as it is in the middle of the walking loop. Consequently, there is no hissing or wing-flapping at the walkers, but one of the Canada geese got in a snit about something and took it out on what I believe was his mate. I’ve seen this before – everything is hunky dory and suddenly the gander will turn to its mate or companion and just start hissing for no reason. This goose kept it up and the other goose just watched him as if to say “ho hum, have your hissy fit –Santa will leave you a lump of coal for Christmas.” Watch the sequence of pictures … they are hissterical.
Holiday monikers … and then some.
Everyone knows who Santa Claus is, whether he goes by the name of Santa, the Jolly Old Elf, St. Nick or Kris Kringle. Yup, the big guy in red goes by several monikers, just like I do when walking at the Park. More and more I’ve lost my identity of “Linda” because many of the other walkers refer to me as “The Peanut Lady” or “The Camera Lady” … well, I can’t complain about being slapped with either of those monikers. I have said in the past that I imagine the squirrels see me and there are tiny squeaks of delight, akin to those you’d hear by Alvin and the Chipmunks, as they whisper to one another “Linda’s here!” I wrote a post one time about how we walkers refer to one another – most of the walkers either arrive with a friend or they walk alone. Since we don’t always know one another’s names, we are “the guy in the green van”, “the fellow who takes his shirt off when it’s hot”, “the pole walker”, “the rollerblader” … and so on, so being Mr. Peanut’s sidekick is not so bad. And I always have my camera in hand while I am doling out peanuts and walking.
I’ll be watching you.
The squirrels have a good thing going these days because there are even more walkers feeding them after seeing me interacting with Parker and his buddies. Those squirrels are relentless in their quest for peanuts. Basically, it is not just me who is a squirrel magnet, though Parker will run over to see me as soon as he sees the whites of my eyes and start nuzzling my shoe tops. The other squirrels caught on to those actions too –now we have a passel of imposters! But, I oblige them nonetheless. For the squirrels, we walkers are treated like any port in a storm – we can’t take it personally though. They equate all humans with peanuts, so they scurry to pose on haunches with endearing looks. So we are all suckers for the squirrels … they are savvy and I am sure that when Mama squirrels teach their young ‘uns how to survive, the #1 part of the learning process is “how to beg for peanuts” and the follow-up would be “how to keep the peanuts coming, once you’ve got those humans wrapped around your little paw”.
You’ll recall I have fallen under the spell of Grady, the gray squirrel who hangs around my house. I threw him a few peanuts one morning on the way home from my walk when he was sitting on the sidewalk, and yup, we have become fast friends, except for one small detail. The only difference between Grady and the Park squirrels is that Grady usually shows up when I’m not there, except the one time I was out running errands and forgot to put peanuts out before I left. I returned home to find Grady waiting on the porch, with arms crossed, tapping his foot and a look on his face that wavered between mad and sad. So now, I fulfill my obligations for the little squirrel I’ve taken under my wing, and I place five or six peanuts in the same spot every morning, and they have been snatched up by the time I return from my walk, no questions asked. I even reached my arm out the front door this morning, in the pouring rain, to toss out some peanuts for him. He is a grab-and-go kinda guy, who doesn’t even leave the peanut shells. Grady is such a polite little squirrel, but one day he’ll slip up and I can get a close-up picture of him. I first saw this little gray squirrel in the backyard in mid-November when I was taking pictures of the snow-covered roses. He was inquisitive and came down the tree to get a better look at me.
I got these pictures of him, though blurry, and, since I am never without peanuts in my coat pocket, I tossed him a couple but he ran the other way.
I’m thinking about the song by The Police, “Every Breath You Take”” when I get to the Park some days. Yup, the squirrels are there eyeing me.
But the other critters are watching too – like the geese.
And then there are the cardinals. They watch from their perch high up in the tree – “oh there she is, I’ll just swoop down and grab me a peanut when the squirrel isn’t looking.” They study my every move, and this particular cardinal sat in a low branch of a tree staring straight at me for about five minutes– it was a little unnerving, and I couldn’t resist taking his picture as he was so close to where I was standing. Maybe I should add “The Cardinal Whisperer” to my string of names?
P.S. Sometimes the Park wildlife are content to have better subjects to study, like the male and female mallards making goo-goo eyes at one another.
People I’ve met along the way …
I really like when the other walkers at Council Point Park come rushing over to tell me to check out something, like the Great Blue Heron …
… or the pair of Black Ducks that have landed on the Ecorse Creek and are sitting there relaxing and preening. I took some pictures of those Black Ducks, a real rarity at our little Park.
I enjoy chitchatting with the other walkers who notice things about this Park that I miss as they walk at all different times and I usually walk in the morning only. I like the mornings at my favorite nature nook as it is quieter there … often the only sound is nature … the ducks quacking, the geese honking and sometimes they fly so low I swear I can hear their wings flapping. Even the heron’s horrible screeching sound is Mother Nature at her finest. Sometimes the other walkers and I compare notes and last Sunday there were four of us gazing at Harry the Great Blue Heron who was entertaining us with his fishing prowess. He was catching and downing fish much to our fascination.
Nature lovers abound at other parks as well. When I visited the five different Parks two weekends ago, I met some nice people, besides the couple who were the subject of the feeding frenzy with the ducks tale.
For instance, there was this fisherman at Lake Erie Metropark. He was leaning over the water, as he dropped his line from a wooden overhang in the marshland area of the Cherry Island Trail.
Like me, you see how he was bundled up on that very cold morning, when the temperature and wind-chill hovered around 15 degrees. In this part of the marsh, the current was stronger and the water was not frozen. “Catch anything?” I asked him as I approached where he stood. “Nope” was the answer, and then he added “I just came here to get away in nature for a while” and he winked at me. We stood together companionably for a few minutes, saying nothing, admiring the drab scenery, dried reeds, or the many Phragmites plants with their feathery seed pods waving in the wind in the background, and, in the foreground, many mallards silently slipped in and out of the those dried reeds as they paddled in the cold water.
It was quite peaceful until we heard a noise. I’d been at the Park for about three hours by then and I’d heard that same noise and figured it was someone shooting off firecrackers. As if he read my mind, this gentleman chuckled and said “these mallards are smart because they stay here at this Park so the hunters can’t shoot ‘em.” I responded “those are gunshots?” He nodded his head slowly, pointed and said “they’re hunting over at Point Mouillee, just 5 ½ miles down the road.” I felt kind of dumb mistaking firecrackers for gunshots and told him I thought duck hunting season was over. He said not until the end of the year. We chitchatted, and he asked if saw the gaggle of geese, 100 strong, that were near Cove Point. I told him I, too, was captivated by the sight and we both saw them as we pulled into the parking lot. I went over to take a picture as they literally carpeted the frosty grass. I couldn’t get the entire group of them in one photo.
There were many sunken spots in the grass where water had collected and frozen, and the geese walked gingerly on the ice, trying not to let their webbed feet go out from beneath them … I know that feeling geese, I take baby steps on the ice too sometimes!
We chitchatted a little more and I told him I saw the “seven swans a swimming” from the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” …
He said he was sorry he missed them because he was likely studying the water for fish nibbling at the end of his line. We said our goodbyes and I hiked back to my car, thinking how nice it was to be out and about and meeting other nature lovers like myself.
I then drove to Elizabeth Park where I saw the couple feeding the ducks. You have already read about that sweet story. I kept walking, enjoying the sun, though no warmth was coming my way from that bright orb. As I walked toward the big footbridge, something sparkly caught my eye … I honed in on all that twinkling to find a bride standing near the base of the bridge.
Her gown had rhinestones or sequins and the sun’s rays caught them. There she was on this very cold day wearing a white stole and carrying her bridal bouquet. From afar, I watched as the photographer and his assistant fiddled with her stole and flowers, then took a lot of shots, then gently removed her stole from her shoulders. I seized that moment to walk closer to the action, just as her new husband joined her.
I called out my congratulations and told them after all these rainy Saturdays, they were blessed to have sunny, albeit cold, weather for their wedding day. They agreed with me. A pair of groomsmen ran over and asked me to take their photos as well … well, okay … I did and then they scurried across the footbridge to a bus that awaited the wedding party.
The next day, at Heritage Park I arrived very early in the morning and the shallower portions of Coan Lake were frozen solid. The mallards huddled together for warmth, their webbed feet planted solidly on the ice. I’m going to do a separate post about that Park and the beautiful mallards, but it was at Heritage Park where I met Shelley and Beauregard.
They were walking around the historical part of the village and I just had to ask, (because I am nosy), … “what kind of dog is that?”
And that is how I met this pair. Beauregard (or “Bo” for short) is a breed called a Bouvier, and he was full of energy. I asked if I could take his picture and this was the best I could do as he was like a whirling dervish … always in motion. So you’ll excuse the fact that I cut his ears out of this one picture, but it is an up-close photo of his face so I used it anyway.
Shelley and I lingered on the pathway as we chatted about how we enjoyed walking in this Park. Bo was straining at the bit, anxious to get going on his walk, so we decided to just walk around the entire Park together and continue our chat.
I didn’t plan to make this post so long, but it seems I had pictures to share, stories to tell, and, you wouldn’t have read this entire post if you didn’t enjoy reading about nature … so I’ll leave you with this quote:
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
What a wonderful post. I like the bridge where the fisherman is, the squirrels, the geese and the cardinal…so red and royal! Thank you for your writing and sharing your beautiful photography with us. It is a gift to the imagination, the mind and the eyes.
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Thank you Martha – that cardinal was looking at me so intensely … I have some nice profile pictures of it as well which I may use for Christmas. It was nice on that wooden bridge and you had asked me about riding a bike on that wooden bridge – I took some more pictures which I’ll use another time – there were some frozen and snowy spots on the wooden walkway and looked interesting. I am glad you liked this post. I know it is really long but people who like nature will enjoy it to the very end. Thank you for your nice comments.
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Nice Pics.
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Thank you, I am glad you liked them.
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Lovely post with little stories about the nice photos.😊 Here we celebrate Christmas on December 24, one day before you. I ended the job at 12 am yesterday and will have 2 weeks holiday.
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Thank you John – I’m glad you liked them. I was going to make separate posts, but decided to just make one large post instead. I didn’t know that Sweden celebrates Christmas on what is our Christmas Eve here in North America. Many people here do gather with family and open gifts on Christmas Eve in order to spend time with other family/in-laws on Christmas – especially if their family members do not live near one another. Enjoy your two weeks off – I know it goes speeding by too quickly. I hope you get out to take a lot of pictures on your time off. We don’t have any snow yet, maybe a dusting for Christmas Day, how about you?
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Came a little snow today, but it sure is melting soon.
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That’s good (unless you like the snow) – I had these little pellets of snow stinging my face while walking home … at least they didn’t amount to anything.
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I did enjoy this post Linda. Not too long at all. We have a pair of cardinals that keep visiting our court yard at our house. I’m not sure if they are living in the arborvitaes. I hope not because I also see the neighbors cat out there often and climbing the arborvitaes. I don’t like the cat being there but would like to keep peace with the neighbors. I just hope/pray that I don’t start seeing dead birds.
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Thanks Ruth – I am glad you liked it … it seemed longer than usual, but I had all those little stories to tell. The cardinals are so beautiful. This one posed nicely and I have some pictures of it in profile as well. I hope that cat doesn’t climb up the arborvitae either – I can’t think of anything to deter its climbing as you’d have to put it all around the bush. I can understand your dilemma. Sometimes the cardinals build nests low in the bush which I’ve never understood as any predator can get at the nest with little effort. We lost a lot of cardinals and blue jays in the mid-80s during the height of the West Nile Virus. We came home from visiting my grandmother in Toronto and were gone four days. I went into the yard to fill the feeders and bird baths and found many blue jays dead in the backyard. The DNR had said to call them and they would retrieve the bodies and test them for West Nile Virus – the bodies were not marred in any way. It was quite disturbing to see this sight. The DNR tested and confirmed they all died of West Nile Virus. Good luck with your cardinals.
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Wow! You had a very productive day at the park! Love the name you gave yourself “The Cardinal Whisperer”! And Bo looks like he could use a napkin! 🙂
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I did – there was lots to see and write about Laurie. I was watching this cardinal and got some nice pictures of it in profile, but the intense look here really made me want to call myself ‘The Cardinal Whisperer” … it did not even try to fly down to the pathway to grab a peanut, so intense was the staring at me. Today I had a blue jay fly down from the tree twice to grab a peanut from the trail. He was too quick for me to get a picture … but he sat up there, waiting for the squirrel to move, then he made his move – two times in five minutes. As to Bo, I have heard of the breed, but never saw one before, in person or even in a picture. Shelley told me that this breed is popular in a darker color (black or salt and pepper), but she wanted a fawn-colored dog and was on a waiting list almost two years to get him. I read up on this breed when I came home from seeing him, and apparently the “beard” is a different color from the rest of the fur, and that is characteristic of the breed. I think his face was wet as he was running through the frosty grass with his down. Shelly said he is quite headstrong and she had to keep reining him in as he would take off on the leash and pull her with him. 🙂
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Ha! I used to have a headstrong dog like that. She had a mind of her own. We went running with a group today, and one man brought his dog along. The dog had a “beard” like Bo, but he was not a furry as Bo. Still very pretty, though.
The nature pictures you get are just amazing. Mine always look blurry and like the subject is too far away!
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Yes, Bo had a mind of his own and Shelley said that was characteristic of the breed. The “beard” was interesting to me.
Thanks for saying the photos are amazing Laurie, I include some in posts that are a little blurry, or not always close-up, as I figure they are part of the story and I was lucky enough to get them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to get a picture of the heron with the fish in his mouth. I was finally successful and will include it in tomorrow’s post. I decided to include Grady’s picture from the backyard because I may be talking about him for months and never get a picture and I wanted to show he was not a figment of my imagination. He is quite skittish and was that day I was taking pictures of the snowy roses, but … he was still curious enough to come down to take a peek at what I was doing. I follow a blogger who likes to walk on a nature trail year ’round … she has beautiful photos and she had many deer on her last walk – I was so ecstatic to see those deer at Hines Park earlier this year and they essentially looked like two beige blogs when I look at Carolyn’s photos. I mention Carolyn’s blog because someone gave her and her husband a huge sheep dog named Mabel. They lost their beloved dog who walked with them on the trail almost two years ago. Mabel is a huge dog and they must have had her trimmed as she is not hairy looking – remember the sheep dog on “My Three Sons”? I think that was the one and only Old English Sheepdog I’ve ever seen. I thought of you tonight as I was drafting a post for later about an elderly lady I knew years ago and I used to go over and dust and she would pay me money to do this. My mom said it wasn’t right to do this and said I could not take the money – I remember you wrote about your mom telling you that volunteering was a good thing to do. Here is Carolyn’s post to see the beautiful deer shots and her dog Mabel:
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/2031697/posts/2108892541
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Thanks for sending the link. I will check it out!
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I love Carolyn’s photos – her birds and deer photos are amazing. Mabel is as big as “Bo”.
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Nice collection of short stories with wonderful pics!
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Thanks Kate – I really had quite a collection of nice people met while walking and stories to tell from the past few weeks. I am glad you liked this post.
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Knowing I may have the chance to see wildlife is one way to get me out walking! WA state has so much beautiful wildlife. I love it when we walk down by the river and I see an American Bald Eagle or a Downy Woodpecker in the trees. We went walking the other day and I saw the Woodpeckers and some chickadees. I really need to get myself some binoculars for bird-watching.
That Bouvier is so handsome! I have a thing for going to dog shows so I know most of the breeds. Myself, I am partial to the Boston Terrier and hope to adopt one someday 🙂 They’re my absolute favorite dog breed and I get all giddy when I see one out and about.
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It is a good incentive Sarah, and this morning, it was so cold and there were icy pellets coming down and I saw nothing – just a few squirrels coming to grab peanuts, but sometimes there is such a collection of critters that I don’t know where to look first. In the next few days ‘m going to write about the shad running, which is something I learned this past week. They are like a bait fish and they are filling up the Ecorse Creek and the seagulls and herons are in hog heaven with these fish and just feasting on them.
When I was young I remember I had a book with all kinds of dog breeds in it, but I don’t remember seeing a Bouvier … I just had to ask Shelley what type of dog he was as he was unusual looking. She said she wanted a fawn-colored Bouvier and was on a wait list for two years to get him. Bo was rambunctious and was a bundle of energy and pulling her along. I did think you liked Boston Terriers as you had shared some pictures on Twitter … I am trying to remember what blogger, or maybe a friend (???) I know that has a Boston Terrier and mentions him. It will come to me … it’s going to bother me now as I picture seeing him. It seems most people I know are “cat people”. Boston Terriers look perpetually happy to me.
The best place for me to see a bald eagle is in the Winter down at the Detroit River. They nest high up in the trees on a small uninhabited island and fly down and sit on the ice floes to watch for fish. I went last year and all the professional photographers were there – I had a compact digital camera and my pictures of the eagle I did see looked like a dark brown speck on the ice floe!
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I am a cat person above and beyond but I do like dogs as well. I’ve grown up with both my whole life but cats are where my heart is 🙂
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I have more friends that are cat people, than dog people and they are multiple kitty households, so you are in the majority it seems.
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I have one cat now but we had two but she went across the rainbow bridge at the beginning of the year from kidney disease. I want to get another one when we relocate. I just can’t not have multiple cats in my life.
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It is so sad when our pets cross the rainbow bridge – I lost my canary two years ago and because I work from home, he was with me all day long and such a joy. His cage sat on the butcher block just across the kitchen from where I sit, so it was a real void in my life when I lost him. He had a stroke and I had to have him euthanized. I am not ready to have another pet yet and likely will not get one … it was really painful for me.
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That was a very excellent post…..not too long at all…..very interesting with the strange looking dog, the cardinals, the wedding party, the black ducks. And that goose looks very fat and the cardinal is plump too…..I think we are in for a bad winter.
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Thank you Joan – glad you enjoyed it and didn’t think it was overly long. I wanted to include everything. I have another longish post, hopefully can get it done tomorrow. I still have some nice shots of the frost and snow at Lake Erie Metropark, as well as all the ducks sitting together on the ice at Heritage Park. It was quite frosty that morning, only 15 degrees, even colder than the day before. It is beautiful there anyway with the historical village. If I didn’t mind driving in the snow, I’d like to go there in Winter and take some pictures of the snow on the village buildings. I will do those two posts before the end of the years and start out fresh with “new adventures” in the new year.
I had to ask about the dog as it was so big and had the dark-colored “beard” … that is apparently characteristic of this breed. I think all the waterfowl and birds at Council Point Park have had extra time to forage for food – there are still berries on the trees for the birds and the grass is not covered in snow yet – perhaps that is why they are so plump. The geese better watch a hunter does not nab one for their Christmas dinner.
I was excited when I heard we were having a mild Winter as predicted back in October. We had 62 inches (157 centimeters) of snow in 2017-2018 … you said you had a lot of snow as well. It was fun when we were kids and played in it and made snow forts, but the novelty wears off when you get our age, doesn’t it?
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I don’t mind snow so much now that I don’t have to drive in it, but I don’t want too much as in needing shoveling! Too late to read tonight, so I’ll have to read your latest post tomorrow.
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I don’t mind looking at it, but I took the bus so many years … and the bus was at the end of the street so I just walked up there to the stop, that my Winter driving skills are not so great. However, my grandmother’s funeral was on February 1, 1986. We left the church (no trip to the cemetery as it was too cold for the burial that day and my mom could not have walked on the uneven ground anyway) and when we went into the church for the service it was clear as a bell – came out to a few snowflakes twinkling down. It was a full-fledged snowstorm about one hour into our trip home. A white-knuckle drive and it took us nearly eight hours instead of four hours to arrive home, but we did it and arrived home safely. I had a GMC Pacer at the time … a very light car and it fishtailed like crazy. For a long time I followed behind a snow plow on the 401. I hope I never have to do that again.
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I can relate – I had a 2 seater Fiero in the 90’s and it was horrible in snow – had a few close calls but no accidents…..but I had many bad drives to work including whiteouts at night….so grateful I don’t have to go through that again – if it’s snowing, I just stay home….if I have an appointment I reschedule!
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The millage did not pass for our schools in 10th and 11th grade so my sophomore and junior year of high school we just went to school for four hours a day. We went the morning sessions. When we got to our senior year (12th … we never had Grade 13), the millage passed and we had amenities like clubs (joined the horseback riding club … want to mention that as you like horses), and also we had sports, music and drama. However we never got all the amenities back and had to pay for our own driver’s education classes. My father said to take it in the Winter so I could learn how to drive in bad weather. We never had a bad Winter that year and the times we had to go out in the driver’s ed car it was completely clear. My first car was a VW Beetle (not a stick shift, you only shifted in Gear 2 when you went over 55 mph) … anyway, my first Winter, I hit a patch of ice and spun around three or four times. What is now a huge shopping mall, was just a big empty field but a big ditch was all around it … I came feet from landing in the ditch. I had exams that morning – I was shaking like a leaf when I got to school and since that day, I dislike driving in the snow, and won’t go in ice. I try to never schedule anything in the Winter – I have to go to the allergist for my allergy shots once a month and I worry about the weather being bad and missing it … it is not a set appointment, but I have to go within a week. I have walked there, rather than drive, but walking is dicey on the sidewalk sometimes too.
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Sounds like a bad experience. I had many bad experiences as I did not have the option of staying home – now I look back and wonder why I risked my life like that!
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I agree – I one time was walking down the street to catch the bus after we had a March ice storm. The entire street was glaze ice and I really didn’t know how or where to walk to not wipe out. It took me an hour to get down the street and over to the bus stop and my heart was in my mouth the entire time.
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What an awesome post! First, I think it’s Christmas every day for your park pals thanks to you. Bo was adorable and what a beautiful place for a wedding! I loved all the pictures…as alaways!
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Thank you Diane – glad you enjoyed the pictures. Yes seeing Bo was a first for me – he was so huge and full of energy!
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Your walks in the parks are wonderful! All the wildlife, the friendly humans, the scenery make this an especially nice way to get in your walking Linda! I only saw a cardinal once. In Hawaii of all places! Happy weekend and walking Linda!
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Thank you Sabine – this has been a nice few weeks of seeing lots of wildlife and meeting nice people. Interestingly, on the heels of this post, I went to the Park today, saw one person, no critters, except a few squirrels … it was a very dark and dismal day and so cold (19 degrees) and snow pellets, that I think all the birds were hiding somewhere warm. Oh yes, a blue jay came down twice to grab a peanut, but was way too fast for me – I actually didn’t see him on the ground, just a flash of blue and he went up to the tree. They don’t linger on the trail … they grab and go with that peanut. Interesting that you saw a cardinal in Hawaii … I would think it would be more tropical-type birds there. It is looking like I’ll be okay a few more days with no snow or ice – will keep my fingers crossed for each day I can get out and walk. Enjoy your weekend as well!
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I was totally snared by this one. You just adding more neat stuff. If I were better with a camera, I would probably do like you and take a lot of pictures. Today with the digital medium the cost is reduced, for that great shot. You have had a great run this year, or at least for the few weeks that I have been following you. I want to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, This not forgetting all the other seasonal celebrations. John
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Thank you very much John … this post kept growing and growing. Originally I intended to break the stories/pictures up into smaller posts and then I decided to just do one long post and separate them by topics. I did do film photography for years, mostly with a pocket camera, and then I got a 35 mm camera around 1979 and used it for trips. I used to travel a lot when I was younger … cruises and tours, and you sure could rack up a large bill for developing a lot of pictures. It did get costly. This is so much easier, but that said … I take way too many pictures because they are usually wildlife and the subject moves, or is blurry and so I just compensate by taking many pictures and sorting them down later. I’ll go through my shots and see a squirrel tail and no body, or birds missing heads as they run out of the frame. I still have photos to share and blog about from the parks I went to two weeks ago today. If you get a point-and-shoot digital camera, you can take good pictures and it is very easy … the only drawback for me is there is no viewfinder, so if you are taking pictures when it is sunny, all you see is your face and you have to shoot blindly. I really like Canon cameras and have never had any issues with them. I always carry the digital compact with me … it is a Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS. This year I bought a Canon DSLR T6 Rebel. It is supposed to be the easiest DSLR to use. So far, I like the smaller camera better. I’ve only used it about 10 times so far, and I need to learn how to shoot on manual … I need to study the book over the Winter. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours too as well John.
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Awesome! ! ! ! !
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If you look at this post John, the pictures up until the fisherman were taken with the compact digital … the fisherman and the rest of the pictures are taken with the bigger camera – I personally like the beginning pictures better, and most are taken “on the fly” in the morning.
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Marvelous post and photos, Linda! I enjoyed your walks with all the animals and interesting people.
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Thanks Anne – I am glad you enjoyed this very long post … I had a lot of stories in my head and didn’t want to forget them, along with using all the pictures as well. Hope you are feeling better.
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I was very pleased to be able to sing today without going into a coughing (coffin) fit.
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Great pun there Anne – I know you are feeling better for sure. 🙂
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I loved this post- it wasn’t too long for me.
I felt saddened to hear of those gun shots. I had to say it- it bothers me. I try to wipe away thing like this under the carpet but they are there.
The grey squirrel is fast becoming a favorite.
I want to see a picture of Parker nuzzling shoes.
Were you able to hug or pat Bo ? From so far off, I wanted to nuzzle him.
Thanks for the long post.
Susie
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Hi Susie – glad you liked this post … I thought it might be too long and it took me forever to gather the pics and do the little stories. I have another nature post I hope to do later today – it will be fun to do. It was dark and I was waiting to leave to ensure there is no frozen precip … we were supposed to have some freezing rain overnight. I hate to think of the ducks and gunshot too … made me feel sick. We have people shooting off firecrackers all the time so I never thought about gunshots and duck hunting season. I decided to use this picture of the grey squirrel, Grady, from back in November – I took his picture while taking photos of the snowy roses and he was nosy and came over to see me from his perch on the tree and fence, but I didn’t want to use his photo with the roses, but decided to use it so people do know that he does exist, even though he hides from me. I never thought to hug Bo who was so fuzzy and big and looked cuddly as I had my bigger camera with me that day and was a little encumbered with it, the case which hangs off my shoulder and forever falling down, and he never stopped moving! I wasn’t going to use the one photo of him which I didn’t get his ears into the frame, but it was a close-up of his face and the “beard” which is characteristic for this type of breed, that I decided to include it. Shelley was so friendly that we spent a long time talking on the pathway and Bo was yanking at his leash to get going so we just decided to walk the perimeter of the entire Heritage Park.
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Wow ! That is a nice story on its own. I hope you get to meet Bo again.
Isn’t it nice to get to know people without really knowing them( like their identity) and just knowing them for shared interests or who they are rather than what they are.
After all a rose is a rose whatever name it is called by.
Susie
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You are right Susie – you have told it exactly how it is. We were complete strangers and enjoyed at least an hour’s conversation – in fact, now that you mention us not really knowing one another … we were talking a good half hour and I suddenly asked what her name was … I said “I know Bo’s name and not yours!” Then I introduced myself. I actually gave her the name of my blog site and told her that I’d be sharing the pictures in the next week or so and to feel free to download them or send me a comment and I’d e-mail them to her. Hopefully she remembers Susie.
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Lovely photos as always. 🙂 And what a wonderful place for the newly wed couple to have photos. 🙂 xxx
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Thank you Heather – it is a beautiful site for photos, especially in the Summer when everything is green. I could not get over that I didn’t see that bride until a sparkle from her dress caught my eye. I am glad I got a picture of the white stole – it was a beautiful gown and she made a beautiful bride. {{{ }}}
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beautiful photos. LOVE seeing Grady make an appearance too. Shelley & her pup look like fun new friends too! xo
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Yes, he is a furry cutie for sure Mackenzie. Bo was huge and furry … first time to encounter a Bouvier, though I’ve heard of the name, never saw a photo of the breed. He was fun but full of mischief. Always have good furry friend encounters and Shelly was very nice too!
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