But a Christmas Eve snow

A day early this year...

___________

Even though we remain hovering right at the freezing point, early this morning big, fluffy, and wet snowflakes began to fall, continuing even now and providing a beautiful, fresh white accent to the landscape...the northwoods' annual celebration of the season. This shot, as with so many others over the years, taken from my deck.

[This is also the time of year at which I get confused as to whom I've wished Season's Greetings and to whom I have not. Forgive me if I repeat myself and, in the spirit of the holidays, be patient with an old man, accepting good wishes however often they may be repeated. It's the thought, not the memory, that counts. ;-))]

The Lesser Tenrec has strong, grasping toes with tiny hooked claws, enabling them to to keep a grip on all but the smoothest of surfaces. They can even hang by one foot or even a toe while climbing.

Patagonia, Chile

Vanellus chilensis

Chileense kievit

Vanneau téro

Bronzekiebitz

Avefría Tero / Queltehue / Tero común

Pavoncella del Sudamerica

Quero-quero

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Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

a tiny kingfisher that can be found near water in many parts of sub Saharan Africa

Corythornis cristatus

kleine gekuifde ijsvogel

Martin-pêcheur huppé

Haubenzwergfischer

Martín pescador malaquita

Martin pescatore malachite

Pica-peixe-de-poupa

Nikon Z9

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Weit weg - aber der Leuchtturm Westerhever ist in Sicht!

in der Nähe von St. Peter-Ording an der Nordsee, Der Leuchtturm ist das Wahrzeichen der Halbinsel Eiderstedt in Schleswig-Holstein.

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

Coracias benghalensis

Indische Scharrelaar

Rollier indien

Bengalenracke

Carraca india

Ghiandaia marina indiana

Rolieiro-indiano

Nikon Z9

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... but it was just a paper bag

My Jam

another Common Redstart 2 days ago

Phoenicurus phoenicurus

gekraagde roodstaart

Rougequeue à front blanc

Gartenrotschwanz

Colirrojo Real

Codirosso comune

Rabirruivo-de-testa-branca

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Surrounded by nothing but turquoise lagoon which melts into sapphire blue, the Maldives island of Anantara Kihavah and its pure white sands rise up out of the ocean like a mirage.

For centuries, this was where Arab traders sailing to the Far East took shelter; a lush paradise blessed by coconut, papaya and mango trees. Navigating archipelago to archipelago by the stars, the seafarers were also drawn by the riches of the ocean surrounding the island – where a prehistoric volcano sank back into the depths, leaving blooming corals within a house reef and a wealth of lagoon fish.

Wishing to keep the pristine nature of the island intact, not one tree has been moved – as evidenced by the villas growing up around them. The design pays homage to the seafarers of old, fusing Indian Ocean, Arab and Portuguese motifs with indigenous materials.

But sometimes one can make a pretty good guess.....

…But in My Dreams, I have Ocean Front Property : )

It was a lovely morning to put my toes in the sand; I left before the crowds arrived ; )

(Nikon, 30mm, 1.6 sec @ f/22, ISO 100)

female Common Kingfisher also called Eurasian Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

ijsvogel

martin-pêcheur d'Europe

Eisvogel

Martín Pescador Común

Martin pescatore

guarda-rios

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today at the Baltic Sea -

Durch den steifen Ostwind vom Wasser her war es doch noch sehr kalt heute an der sonnigen Ostsee.

garrulus glandarius

gaai of Vlaamse gaai

geai des chênes

Eichelhäher

Nikon D850 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF + TC 1,4 III

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My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.

Hurray! This photo made it to Explore's front page. It is not photoshopped or superimposed or anything. I used a little digital enhancement to bring out the detail in the clouds and color in the backgroud. The balloon was sharp and detailed in the untouched version. © all rights reserved

Today there were 3 balloons up. I had 10 passengers. It was a pefect flight and a perfect day. Just the right amount of clouds and wind and sun and hassle-free landing fields.

This photo shows the Remax Balloon flown by Bill Baker with Black Mountain (San Diego city park open space area) in the background, and way to the back left can be seen Mount Woodson, between Poway and Ramona, a popular rock climbing spot.

in a clearing in a forest

Muscicapa striata

grauwe vliegenvanger

gobemouche gris

Grauschnäpper

Nikon Z7 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF

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A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort

female Puma in Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

puma concolor

poema

Puma

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A different Cuckoo for a change. This one was seen in Scotland.

texture by /crisbuscagliacom/..

from the archives . 3 years ago .. wonderful Forsythia

FAMILIAR SPECIES, but still in heavy decline, familiar because of its affinity for human habitations, found in small groups, can become remarkably tame. A constant source of entertainment on the trees and feeders around the cottage!

CRAZY MILD WEATHER ! look at the buds on its perch in December !

++++++++++++++++++++++++

THANK YOU for your visit, and kind comments , much appreciated indeed. Enjoy the weekend my dear friends, Stay safe, God bless .................Tomx

in northern Serengeti, Tanzania.

a large and handsome antelope found in herds of a few to over 20 in grassy areas where water is available nearby.

The Defassa subspecies is declining rapidly and is classified as Near Threatened

Kobus ellipsiprymnus subspecies defassa

waterbok

cobe à croissant

Wasserbock

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Please do not use these photos on websites, blogs or in any other media without receiving our explicit permission.

but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does :-)

John Berger

HGGT! HFF! Justice Matters! No one is above the law!

prunus mums, japanese flowering apricot, 'Nicholas', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Everlong/74/195/25

... but I love you, I love you a hundred times stronger

a hundred times stronger than you don't love me... (c)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZf_8_0bAGg

Bronze-tailed plumeleteer (Chalybura urochrysia)

Region of Arenal, Costa Rica

On a road on the eastern side of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA.

while it was still dark we had gone to a simple bird hide to be there before the flocks of Meyer's parrots and African green pigeons arrive at the clay eating site at sunrise.

While we were waiting we heard some noise behind us and after a while we knew these were warthogs ( definitely safer than some other possibilities...)

The family of warthogs came closer and had picked up our scent but they had no clue where we were.

The huge male in this image was walking in front and stopped nearby to look in our direction.

You can clearly see both set of tusks of which the very sharp small ones are used for fighting other warthogs or for defense against predators. The larger ones are used for digging etc.

Kafue National Park, Zambia

phacochoerus africanus

common warthog

knobbelzwijn

phacochère

Warzenschwein

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BUT IT`S NOT MY FAULT !!!!!!!

If you don't know who the loreley was just listen to the song :-)

Dschinghis Kahn - Loreley www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1pPJZQ9OE

Before lockdown , but sign of times to come

1941 Classic Cadillac

Sintiklia - Hair Alex - Fatpack

This hair has female&male sizes: on Man Cave

Brillancia - Naomi dress full pack

100% Original mesh and textures. ** Fitmesh size for -Maitreya-Maitreya Petite - Legacy-Legacy Perky-Ebody Reborn - Kupra + Kups - Kupra

all info in the blog

blog

but my memories are in black and white

with diffuse sepia tones

But they are very hot when you eat them.

The chapel of Queen Mary's heart near Transylvania's Bran Castle.

Little known, but invaluable in beauty, is the Church of the Heart of Queen Mary of Bran

hides an extremely beautiful story about Queen Mary.

A faithful replica of the Stella Maris church from the town of Walsik, which was granted by Romania after World War II in Bulgaria, was built in Byzantine style at the request of Princess Eleana in memory of her mother, Queen.

History says that one of Queen Mary's greatest pleasures was spending time in Balchik's chapel and her wish was to bury her heart there after she died. Because this was no longer possible, the princess demanded the construction of a chapel very close to Bran Castle. The box containing the queen's heart was temporarily deposited in the wooden church of Bran Castle and after a year was transferred to a crypt dug into the rock of Bran Maggiore, awaiting the completion of the church.

In 1947, however, it was the abolition of the monarchy in Romania by the communist regime, so although the chapel was completed in time, it was no longer sanctified and Queen Maria's heart remained hidden in the rock for 27 years! It was not until 1968 that the director of the Bran Museum, together with others, opened the crypt and the sarcophagus and found the golden box containing the queen's heart. Inside the gold box was another silver box wrapped in English and Romanian flags, as well as platinum and gemstones. Since then, Queen Maria's heart is in the National Museum of Romanian History

Παρεκκλήσι η καρδία της Βασίλισσας Μαρίας κοντά στο κάστρο Μπράν της Τρανσυλβανιας.

Λίγο γνωστό, αλλά με ανεκτίμητη ομορφιά, η Εκκλησία της Καρδιάς της Βασίλισσας Μαρίας του Bran

αποκρύπτει μια εξαιρετικά όμορφη ιστορία για τη Βασίλισσα Μαρία.

Πιστό αντίγραφο της εκκλησίας Stella Maris από την πόλη Βάλτσικ , που παραχωρήθηκε από τη Ρουμανία μετά τον Δεύτερο Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο της Βουλγαρίας, χτίστηκε σε βυζαντινό ύφος, κατόπιν αιτήματος της πριγκίπισσας Eλεάνας, στη μνήμη της μητέρας της ,Βασίλισσας Μαίρη.

Η ιστορία λέει ότι μία από τις μεγαλύτερες απολαύσεις της Βασίλισσας Μαρίας ήταν να περάσει ο χρόνος στο παρεκκλήσι του Bάλτσικ και η επιθυμία της ήταν να θάψει την καρδιά της εκεί μετά που πέθανε. Επειδή αυτό δεν ήταν πλέον δυνατό, η πριγκίπισσα απαίτησε την κατασκευή ενός παρεκκλησίου πολύ κοντά στο Κάστρο του Μπράν. Το κουτί που περιείχε την καρδιά της βασίλισσας ήταν προσωρινά κατατεθειμένο στην ξύλινη εκκλησία του Κάστρου Bran και μετά από ένα χρόνο μεταφέρθηκε σε μια κρύπτη που έσκαψε στο βράχο του Bran Maggiore, περιμένοντας την ολοκλήρωση της εκκλησίας.

Το 1947, ωστόσο, αποτελούσε την κατάργηση της μοναρχίας στη Ρουμανία από το κομμουνιστικό καθεστώς, οπότε αν και το παρεκκλήσι ολοκληρώθηκε εγκαίρως, δεν ήταν πλέον αγιασμένο και η καρδιά της Βασίλισσας Μαρίας παρέμεινε κρυμμένη στο βράχο για 27 χρόνια! Μόνο το 1968 ο διευθυντής του Μουσείου Μπραν μαζί με άλλους άνοιξαν την κρύπτη και τη σαρκοφάγο και βρήκαν το χρυσό κουτί που περιείχε την καρδιά της βασίλισσας. Στο εσωτερικό του χρυσού κιβωτίου υπήρχε ένα άλλο κιβώτιο από ασήμι τυλιγμένο σε σημαίες της Αγγλίας και της Ρουμανίας, καθώς πλατίνα και πολύτιμοι λίθοι. Έκτοτε, η καρδιά της Βασίλισσας Μαρίας βρίσκεται στο Μουσείο Εθνικής Ιστορίας της Ρουμανίας.

utterly

…but most of all, that contrary ecstasy

ricocheting inside – the barren racket

love finally makes on its way to silence…

tess gallagher

but to meet you on a hill.

“I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days - three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.” -- within John Keats letter to his Fanny Brawne.

In Loving Memory of April Cerise De Fore - Gaddis.

April 20, 1979 - February 21, 2016

This poor little Echinacea has no petals, but loved its spikey cone.

But I would walk five hundred miles

And I would walk five hundred more

Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles

To fall down at your door

I'm Gonna Be (500 miles) - Writen by Craig Morris Reid & Charles Stobo Reid

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0sTNtWDiI

Created for the Hypothetical Awards Contest "Take a walk or a ride"

Thank you for your visit, comment or fave. All are much appreciated. Thank you also to all who invite my photos to their groups.

All rights reserved. This photo is not authorized for use on your blogs, pin boards, websites or use in any other way.

Photos and textures used are my own.

I found it struggle to make landscape photography work during the summer, but it's fine for planning autumn photography. I have planned this photo from June, and I finally nailed it in this week's trip to the Isle of Skye.

I chose the route from Sligachan with a total of 8 miles hike to the summit. It's only 494 meters in height, but it's steep and tough with 30 KG of camping gear and photography equipment. I had to take a few breaks before reached to the summit. The hike is challenging, but the view is definitely worth it. The northern wind blew fiercely on the summit. I set up my tent just behind these rocks, which created a perfect windbreaker and protected me from the wind gusts. Some incredible sunset I had while I was eating my dinner on the summit. I didn't get much sleep due to the noise of the wind and rain flapped the tent.

No rain, no breeze when I woke up at 5 AM. I have to say I had my faith in meteorologists, and they didn't fail me this time. The photo was taken at the blue hour (around 6 AM), followed by some fantastic sunrise photos.

Uprooted but strongly we hold. The spring that washed away our soil still quenches our thirst. Watch us grow.

"I dwell in a lonely house I know

That vanished many a summer ago,

And left no trace but the cellar walls,

And a cellar in which the daylight falls

And the purple-stemmed wild raspberries grow.

O'er ruined fences the grape-vines shield

The woods come back to the mowing field;

The orchard tree has grown one copse

Of new wood and old where the woodpecker chops;

The footpath down to the well is healed.

I dwell with a strangely aching heart

In that vanished abode there far apart

On that disused and forgotten road

That has no dust-bath now for the toad.

Night comes; the black bats tumble and dart;

The whippoorwill is coming to shout

And hush and cluck and flutter about:

I hear him begin far enough away

Full many a time to say his say

Before he arrives to say it out.

It is under the small, dim, summer star.

I know not who these mute folk are

Who share the unlit place with me—

Those stones out under the low-limbed tree

Doubtless bear names that the mosses mar.

They are tireless folk, but slow and sad—

Though two, close-keeping, are lass and lad,—

With none among them that ever sings,

And yet, in view of how many things,

As sweet companions as might be had."

- Robert Frost, "Ghost House"

Photo Locale, Nightbrook Hollow:

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Parallel%20Universe/92/108/25

the very first of these pretty finches are now arriving from their northern breeding grounds.

This image was taken in March when the last birds had not yet left

sometimes called Mountain Finch

fringilla montifringilla

keep

pinson du nord

Bergfink

Pinzón Real

Peppola

Tentilhão-montês

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he longs to go forth into the fields, to feel its steady stream, to scent its fragrance; to stand under some heavy-foliaged chestnut-tree, and hear the rushing music on the crowded leaves :-)

John Richard Vernon, "The Beauty of Rain," 1863

HMM!! HPPT! we have had a very wet winter...fortunately most of the precipitation has not been frozen ;-)

camellia, 'Nuccio's Cameo', our yard, cary, north carolina

The Western Jackdaw is a smaller member of the crow family.

From research and experiments it is clear that these are very intelligent birds.

Anyone with bird feeders can observe how inventive they can be when trying to get to the food.

They are capable imitators of the human voice and of calls of other birds.

also called European Jackdaw or Eurasian Jackdaw

coloeus monedula

kauw

choucas des tours

Dohle

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Amsterdam - Westertoegang

Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.

Frail but still standing, the Hundred Guinea Oak is now over 600 years old. William John Chute who owned The Vyne in the late Georgian period was offered a hundred pounds and later a hundred guineas for the timber.

He flatly refused to sell the oak which you can see for yourself at the top of the lime avenue.