Learning 

May peace prevail...

After the storm, the sun filled my heart with joy! Everything looked beautiful to me. The way it should be. If the sun can make you feel like that, imagine how it would feel if there really was Peace On Earth! Wow!

extreme wide view of the Western Maine mountains from Bethel's Paradise Hill Vista

Merry Christmas from the animals at the Alaska Zoo. 5 inches of new snow overnight really made the zoo sparkle this morning!

Two nebulae found in the constellation of Auriga captured 12-27-2011

IC443 is a beautiful supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini, produced by a supernova explosion thought to have occurred about 30,000 years ago. X-ray emissions are produced by a neutron star hidden deep within the nebula, which is all that remains of the original star. The neutron star is highly dense and rapidly rotating, representing the end stage of a star with between 1.4 and 3 solar masses. In addition to hydrogen, the nebula is comprised of other more complex elements such as oxygen, silicon, carbon, and iron, which were created during the star's lifetime through nuclear fusion . These elements may someday become part of a solar system that could support life.

Fog and light rain drape the coastline north of Luffenholtz Beach. This has been the dryest December in 120 years here in Humboldt County; the salmon are glad it's finally raining.

Maine Coon enjoying a trip outside in the snow

What a beautiful wintery New Year's Day today. So much snow!

New Years Day

The "bump" in the distance is actually the Continental Divide. The four-lane is Interstate 70. Taken on the day after some much needed snow.

...which began at midnight from 13 to 14 January (by the Julian calendar) and still in some countries is celebrated. But we salute the first snow this winter!!!

A junco puffs up to stay warm in a Montana cold snap.

Juvenile Bald Eagle perches over the Skagit River. Wonder what he thinks of this week's heavy snowfall.

For Papajuan, John I took your suggestion, and draped a length of black fabric over the deck rail, so I could have a dark backdrop for these 'ice dragon' photos. What fun! (but now I'm going in the house! It's -43!)

Really coming down good now. (2 pm) about 2 1/2 inches on the ground. Meatloaf (the lab) is lovin' it!

Not the best due to all the local light pollution but still better than a black sky. It was approximately 5 below with a slight wind while waiting for the lights to appear.

This photo was taken during the latest CME solar energy to arrive from the sun. During this time we are also having our coldest temperatures of the winter, -55F when this photo was taken.

Noooo Babies! Hide, hide! It's a trick! It's too early.

this scene greeted us on our return home - Fall River Valley.

Quiet, clean and fresh

This hoodoo was left behind in volcanic ash flows here on the edge of a massive old cordillera, though it resembles the 'stone boy' piled rock monuments that the Basque shepherds of a century ago left on ridge tops here in the eastern Sierra.

Dedicated to Ylee and his family.

A Tribute to Linda (winddancer357)...She passed away and went Home with the Lord on Sunday, Feb. 26. She is so very, very missed. (I'm the one who's crying!)

Also known as dog tooth violet

Was awakened this morning to this moose stomping around our house looking for something to eat! I watched as it nibbled on cottonwood, birch, and spruce tree tips as little else is available here in late winter.

Northern lights were faintly visible last night low on the horizon out over Lake Superior.

In Tok Alaska, USA. Wee hours this morning.

This -- is little Boomer. He is a 9 week old American Bulldog. Have some fun with a caption to help me out, WU. Just post your caption below, in the comments. The most plusses on a funny caption, get's the win!

We have had tremendous winds all day, with some pretty wicked gusts, so when it seemed to calm down a bit, I went outside to check for broken branches and this is what I see from my side yard! Yikes! It's farther away than it looks, but not far enough for me to feel real comfortable. Waiting for the 6:00 news for details.

Rainy May Day

A pair of geese enjoying the lovely sunset swim!

Abbey finslly saw the dront view of a bunny.

Wonderful evening to catch the partial eclipse here in Olathe KS

I didn't leave yesterday for the farm, but I am leaving today, and when I pulled the car around to load it, I got to see this sight in the front yard. It is totally overcast and only in the forties this morning.

The owlets are now traveling from tree to tree with ease, as the branches are all very close together. I will have to, unfortunately, miss their first flights as I am heading to the farm tomorrow. Oh, well, it's been fun. Here, two of them sit side by side on the tree next to the one with the nest.

The leaves on the surrounding trees have made it more difficult to photograph the owlets, but the bigger ones are starting to venture out onto the branches surrounding the nest and this one was sitting in an open spot this morning. They are so big now and stretching and flapping their wings a lot, so it won't be log before they are testing them for real. It's quite breezy today. You can see his (her?) feathers are ruffled a bit.

La Mancha animal rescue in East Fallowfield, PA.

...all service men, women, horses, dogs and yes, the pigeons, who served our country and gave their lives that we might live to enjoy the freedoms we have today..... thank you.

I noticed a Mom and her little one a couple days ago. They were always on the other side of the field.On the way to capture the sunset, I noticed Mom, and she wasn't running away.I stopped and looked down the bank to find what she was protecting. She bounded off a ways, and waited to see if her distraction worked. I snapped a total of twelve pics. And left them alone, hoping they would stay away from the road.

At Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas. It was so dark there you could see stars from horizon to horizon.

DUNLAP TOWING sister boats Saratoga and Mike ' O Leary

DUNLAP TOWING sister boats Saratoga and Mike ' O Leary