Bosque Ice

Here is another picture of ice and reeds from Bosque Del Apache last weekend. The sun made some interesting rainbow patterns (that may have been some kind of water pollution) that I unfortunately couldn't pull out in Photoshop.

Oh well.

Bosque Del Apache Continued

I spent almost as much time looking at strange ice formations (top) as I did loooking at birds while we were at Bosque Del Apache last weekend. We did see some sandhill cranes and shovelers also though.

Bosque Del Apache

Took sort of an enforced break for a few days in NM there. No internet where I was visiting, at least no what I describe as internet anyway. It was a nice, relaxing few days off. I went to Bosque Del Apache with my friend Chaz and took these pictures. Those are bald eagles on the stump in one of the lagoons and many many snow geese in the other pictures.
It was a beautiful day and a good trip, but I remain unimpressed with Bosque Del Apache. If you want to do serious birding in NM, go to Bitter Lakes down by Roswell. Many more birds with much more variety, and much fewer big city tourist types.

Quilt Photographs

We're working on setting up a studio to photograph quilts and other artwork at the shop.
This is my first attempt. It is Heather's quilt, Magna Chroma. We haven't quite got a gray background set up yet, so I inserted one by way of photoshop.
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Santa Fe Sunset

We made it to Santa Fe and it is every bit as cold as Colorado. So much for the sun belt! I photographed this very cold looking sunset on the way to Heather's class at Santa Fe Quilts.

I think I might go to Bosque Del Apache tomorrow (depending on what my friends want to do) and will try to update tomorrow, but internet is somewhat unreliable in NM.

Snow Spikes II

Went snowshoeing again today, this time on the Mt Herman trail near Monument. It was beautiful and not to cold this morning.

I love the way these plants look in the snow.

We're heading off to NM for a few days. I am hoping to take many pictures-may go to Bosque Del Apache, one of the better wildlife refuges in the southwest. This is one of the best times of the year for birds there. (Although Bitter Lakes, the refuge near Roswell, has just as many birds and not nearly as many yuppies!)

I'll try to update-but internet is pretty unreliable in NM.

Snow Sculpture

While walking home this evening freezing my bazouti off and supposedly looking for my cell phone which I must have dropped somewhere, I noticed this plant peeking though the snow.
The wind did an interesting sculpture job around it.

Happy Siskin

This pine siskin looks happy enough in the cold weather this morning.

Freezing Junco

This junco doesn't look to happy either.

Freezing Finch

Took this one this morning during the storm. The poor guy looks miserable.
"Don't they have nests or houses they can go to?" asked Heather.

Snowshoe Trip to Palmer Reservoir

Took a little snowshoe trip up to Palmer Reservoir above Palmer Lake.
I have been enjoying snowshoeing here a lot more than I did in NM, probably because the snow is a lot colder and lighter.
I've been complaining a lot about the cold and the snow here-I forget that one key to enjoying winter is getting out and enjoying winter sports!

Snowshoe Trip 2

Nothing special here-I just liked the design whatever was eating on this branch made.

Snowshoe Trip 3

Anybody out there who knows this sort of thing recognize these tracks. They were small and it looked like the animal or bird was dragging it's tail.

Snowshoe Trip 4

This pine cone and aspen leaf made for a nice juxtaposition.

Snowshoe Trip 5

Here is the creek above the reservoir. I think my trademark as a photographer may eventually become shooting straight at my light source.
I didn't do it for artistic effect this time though-I was just too lazy to walk around to the other side!

Sunset, Gulf of Nicoya

Here is another picture for the person who asked for more ocean scenes. It's Costa Rica again-I think from the same ferry I took the other sunset picture from.

Dry Fork Coyote

This is another slot canyon, Dry Fork Coyote in Utah, about 100 miles from Buckskin Gulch in the Escalante area.
I had mis-labeled it as Buckskin Gulch when I edited it but just remembered the real name.
It's another super narrow one-2-6 feet wide.

Buckskin Gulch

This Buckskin Gulch, a slot canyon near Page AZ, although the canyon itself is in Utah.
It's an incredible place. The walls are so close you can touch each one at the same time. Sometimes the canyon gets so narrow you have to turn sideways to get through.
By the way, that's a huge tree trunk wedged in the crevasse. They get stuck there in the flash floods that create these canyons.

Barnes and C-Bill at Gemni Bridges

This picture I took about 12 years ago at Gemini Bridges near Moab, Utah. Those are my friends Barnes and C-Bill with their bikes on the butte.
Are you guys still out there?

This is one of the most beautiful, special places I have ever been.

Pine Siskins

Someone at the shop recommended putting out thistle for the birds. I found this "thistle sock" at Wal Mart that fit my budget, and after a few days these pine siskins helped themselves. Haven't gotten any chickadees or goldfinches yet.
I've been trying to keep the feeders out of the pictures-to try to foster an image of an intrepid bird photographer sitting in a forest somewhere in a blind, instead of our living room sitting in my bathrobe drinking coffee on a Sunday morning.

Nicoya Sunset

Messing with more old pictures. This is a picture I took from the ferry going from Nicoya to Puerto Something or Other in Costa Rica about 11 years ago. I took it on film with my old Canon point and shoot.

You have to be careful shooting into the sun with a digital camera-you can mess up the sensor.

Mountains in Utah

Going through some more old pictures this afternoon. I took this near Mexican Hat in Utah almost three years ago.

I guess I'm pining for spring, and winter isn't even a month old!

More Fun with Filters

Okay-I'm just messing with filters in Photoshop-this time I took a picture I took of a prairie rattlesnake in NM a few years ago and applied the "diffuse glow" filter to it.
That's a filter in the Adobe Photoshop program. I led someone to believe a few weeks ago that I had actually put plastic wrap on my camera lens to get an effect that I had actually done on the computer.
But no, if there's an easy way to get the same effect or a good picture I take the easy way every time. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some photographers that wrap lenses in plastic wrap, but not me. I have heard of photographers putting vaseline on lenses to get a soft focus effect, which is something else you can now do the easy way with the computer.

Monument Rock Re-Visited

Boy, I was going through some images from last fall and worked with this one of Monument Rock-I think it came out better than the one I used for the calendar.
I've also learned a thing or two about Photoshop since then. (Hint-play with the Shadows/Highlights settings under Adjust Lighting if you haven't already)

I seem to recall rushing to get something local for the calendar-I guess I missed this one.

Next year.

Dark Eyed Junco

There was a huge windstorm here Friday night, with gusts up to 60 miles an hour they say. It was the most wind I've seen since I lived in Bermuda out in the middle of the Atlantic.
I found the top to our barbecue about a half a block away from the house and our Xmas tree, which I had put out by our back door, completely disappeared. It completely destroyed one of our feeders, and the other is missing a piece which I hope to find when (if!) the snow melts.
The birds are still coming though-here is a dark eyed junco I photographed this morning.

We're thinking about putting together a quiltography pattern/kit with bird pictures. Hopefully I can get more and better pictures of birds other than house finches. The finches are easy because they sit still better-the juncos and the chickadees are movers and shakers.

This is a good start.

Took this one today, mainly to see how the new camera picks up detail. I also violated the rule about photographing straight into your light source, in this case the sun.

I like the way it came out though.

Cold House Finch

This guy looks cold, doesn't he? I took this on New Years Day, when it was about nine degrees here.

Wasn't it a beautiful day today though?