what kind of books and games? Grand Theft Auto?
( i do love the lost cat picture. i have this surreal image of people scoffing, and then to their surprise finding a cat that looks JUST LIKE that wandering around, and the kid saying "Told you so...") (i have watched WAY too many Twilight Zone episodes...)
What did you see on your walk?
Not on my walk today, but in the big oak tree out back. You know the tree that is always in the sunrise photos! LOL Anyways, this may be the big problem of why my rabbits are disappearing along with the golden eagle that does drive-byes.
Sorry it not clear, but my camera only has 10X zoom and I obviously needed more. Very rare for us to see an owl at 4 in the afternoon!!
He looks sleepy, Celeste....he must have been on DG trying to break the post record....Saturday nights seem to be the best for that!! LOL Thanks for posting him.......it fits here....you did have to walk a few steps at least to get him!! There are no rules about how far you have to walk or whether an inside walk to the window counts........It does!! LOL
Cool, Celeste. Have never seen an owl yet, though they are in the woods around here.
We saw an owl last Fall on my birthday trip - it was very cool. Nice shot Celeste.
This white heron (I think I've shown him earlier in the thread) was back in his favorite spot. The herons seem to reliably hang out in a certain spot the same time every morning. For several years, we encountered a little blue heron named Harry. What shall we name this guy??? Any thoughts?
Celeste - I haven't even come close to getting an owl pic so don't feel bad.
Harry is Pirl's dog I think.
We have a tiny burrowing owl that frequents our back yard here. Last winter we saw him several times in the early morning - once on top of our patio umbrella, and a couple times in the orange trees. They have a very unusual call and we have heard it a few times this year. They are really adorable little birds....the subject of a movie made about the destruction of their nests just across the river in Cape Coral. The movie was named "Hoot" and it came out last year....sort of aimed at young teens....Not the best movie I've seen, but it was interesting to us because of the fight for them so close to us. They nest in the ground in burrows.
i think it was based on a book by Carl Hiassen, who usually writes funny Florida-set mysteries for grownups (like Striptease - never mind what Demi Moore did to it). He is very interested in environmental issues, and usually manages to work something in about the destruction of FL's natural environment.
but maybe you knew that, and i'm just going on and on...
(fading back to let people who know something firsthand about FL talk!)
No, I didn't realize it was made from a Hiassen book, although I do like that very thing about his books. I have ready many of them and find them a lot of fun, but with a good message as well. "Hoot" was a bit hokey, but it was based on a real situation in Cape Coral where developers were destroying the habitat of the burrowing owls. It is a constant problem down here with so much of the area overbuilt. The shortage of water is a no-brainer. Some of the mega-mansions here are so irresponsible and can only be the product of glitz gluttony. Who would want to get lost in your own home? Even if we had that kind of money, I would not choose to build such a monument to insecurity. There's just no other way to explain such excess. Ooops, going on a bit here.....Bottom line, I love open spaces and lots of critters! Not big on greed for the sake of greed.
i have totally seen places like that here in CT! As i said to Eric - wow, money sure doesn't buy you good taste! i want to get back to TN or KY, where not only rich people live out in the country...
i think Hoot was a book for YA that Hiassen wrote - i never read it. But i have learned a lot about FL from reading - and being immensely entertained by - his other books.
This shot from this morning show that the river is back up after the winds lowered the water level.......almost back to normal level now....
This hawk was hanging out on a telephone pole until the bigger hawk that I showed yesterday came along and sent this one packing! LOL
We walked a half hour later this morning, and Hillary, the 19-year-old cat that greets me on the sidewalk every morning, had given up on me and curled up in this flower bed. She let me know that I was a laggard by not getting up to see me....LOL
It looks like Fall in January now that this maple has started to turn colors. It is the only maple I know of in the 'hood, and I think it was planted by a New Englander, from what I hear! LOL
Oh, what a lovely walk we had tonight! This sunset was even prettier than the photo. I just had to share its beauty with you all........
Here's one more view of the sunset....
Speaking of maples in strange places - these trees are in the landscaping around the Disney Hotels in Anaheim, CA.
Louise beautiful sunset and palms.
Thanks, Deb! I usually forget to bring my camera.
Cat - what a pretty group of maples....I was surprised to see one here, and I'm equally surprised to see them in California! With our cold snap here last week, "our" maple must have felt right at home!
Even though we did get to 62 degrees today, it was still gray outdoors. I was trying out my new zoom lens. Here are some geese on the partially frozen pond. They were quite noisy.
and a woodpecker taking off
Beautiful, Louise! Cat - Disney landscaping is always great - and unpredictable. I like the takeoff, Deb.
Lovely photos, Deb! You must love your new lens! The photos are really excellent! Thanks for sharing them with us!! With 62 degrees, it must have been a nice walk!
What camera do you use again, Deb? I remember it's a canon. And the new lens?
Beautiful sunset pictures Louise, it makes me warm just looking at them.
Yank, do the maples change color in Cali. like they do here in N.E.?
Deb, nice shots but your pictures made me cold! LOL
Poor birds is all I can think of even though I know they are equipped for this.
I have the rebel xt, and this lens is a sigma 175-500mm zoom. I wanted it to take wildlife shots, and that's all I could come up with today. The gray skies don't help much. The lens is rather large, and it is a little awkward to use. It was a little muddy and icy out in spots, so I didn't always have the best place for the tripod. Hopefully a sunny day will help. And the woodpecker flew off so quick that was the best I could do.
Another shot from today.
How heavy is the lens?
Without pulling out the book, I would say 3-4 lbs.
So I guess the tripod is always a must.
I actually took a few without it and a couple were ok, but that was when I just got it and was playing indoors. It also was looking at the image on the camera, so it might not have been ok once downloaded!
Pixie - I don't remember there being many maples in So. California - so I can't answer that question.
Thanks, Celeste!
Another nice shot, Deb!
I take my winter walks indoors on a treadmill. Right now, it's placed out in one of the cooler, mostly un-used, rooms of the house. It's very boring out there, but I try to get a walk in for a half hour every other day.
The treadmill faces a wall, so I imagine what I am seeing on my walk. Some days I see the kids playing in the school playground. Other days I count the number of red squirrels out chasing each other.
I have a pretty good imagination, so the half hour can go by pretty quickly!
I didn't go for a walk yet today, but my dog did.
Poor baby!!
He loved it! Then he jumped up on my lap and melted all over me. Brrrrr!
That's funny Harper. We used to have a dog that would get those ice Klingons.
Ice Klingons... he he... reminds me of my favorite joke.