for murdering mice......actually the wonderful dolt just plays with them, undoubtedly terrifying the deer mice out of significant growth (they're all in counseling) carrying them about then leaving them covered in saliva to scurry into hiding.....for another day of fun.

This is our 100 year old Forest Service Summer Cabin that, at 6800 ft. elevation is now buried in several feet of snow (hooray!....wet snow). We used to ski or snowshoe in during the winter, and have had numerous Christmas visits in the past, but are too old to go to the effort now. Good memories!! and a 20 minute drive to Lake Tahoe and it's glorious views. And the really nice part is that when we tire of the snow, we bundle back in the car and the 3 hour drive puts us back in clear snow-free sunny NapaSonoma hillsides. The wine tastes good in either place.

The cat is thinking.....'there are mice out there...I Know It!'

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I actually ended up in a fight with this bear (or one of his siblings). It was between 3 and 4 in the morning and I was sleeping. I woke up by some noises. It turned out to be this bear that was curious about the "window" where I have the camera when I take pictures. When the window is not in use, a small field cloth covers the window. The bear had started to pull on this piece of cloth. I was afraid it would manage to rip it off. Then the bear and I would have been standing almost nose to nose. So, I pulled the cloth to get it back and the bear pulled again on his side. We went on like that for a little while. Luckily, it got bored or gave up. But for a little while there I was very scared and thought it would actually get in. At least with his head. And what if more of the bears joined him…. That was the only time I was scared though. This, despite how close I was to other bigger bears later. I have posted pictures of this before.

Thank you everyone who has taken the time to view, fave or comment on my photo. It is very much appreciated.

Actually, I was going to ditch this when the title occurred to me.

Explore #376

actually this is just a word play, since the plate is from the series Manufacture Rock from Villeroy und Boch.

Same plate differnt day , different light, light shaped by the railings of my balcony, one photo with an addidional reflector zebra gold and silver.

Actually, I was looking for the mating pair of Peregrine Falcons, but the Brown Pelicans did keep doing fly-bys of the seaside cliffs to keep me entertained. This was the only one I got in full breeding color though.

This Was Actually Taken Spotted One Late Evening After Taken Laurel Home ... Mother And I Both Saw It ... Mother Said " It Will Be Beautiful When The Sun Is Hitting It" She Was Right ..

The Next Day I Came And Got the Pic ... I Do Think It Was One Of The Prettiest Trees In All Of Roane County ..

Not Much Of A Story .. But Proved To Be A Swell Shot .. And Not Sweltering ...

Right Now In My Neck Of The Woods... We Are Rejoicing For the Rain ... We Are Getting Hard Rains - ( Much Needed At That ) ... The Mountains Are On Fire.. All Around Us ..

God Shows Up, And Off, Just In The Nick Of Time ..

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HAVE A TREE MENDOUSLY WONDERFUL TUESDAY ... Cindy

Actually this is a cell phone color shot but there was very little color in the photo.

Actually private land but the open gate was very inviting..

Happy Fence Friday

Spider was not big at all, but think it looks it in this photo.

Purple card was placed behind it to create a back drop.

Here is a similar one using Black card.

www.flickr.com/photos/tracyhughes/2891273504

I think coloured cards are really useful for photographing insects, spiders, flowers and such.

perf, gold, macro award.

Actually, I’m not a expert photographer for bird shots, but I never thought to see one of those. The planets were aligned when I was getting off the car with my camera in hand.

I only have a 150mm lens, so I had to come really closer to took this pic.

Enjoy ^^.

Puyehue, Chile.

It's actually remnants of a Moon Snail's shell. I found it while collecting seashells at Sanibel Island in Florida several years ago. This theme is a wonderful challenge: it wasn't until I had been looking for a pareidolia for a few days until I remembered this shell!

photo size: 2.37"W by 1.52"H and 6.03cm W by 3.87cm H

Theme: "Pareidolia" The human brain can create meaningful and significant shapes from patterns and textures. Take a photo of a pareidolia you perceive.

Thank you for taking the time to view this photo, and for the faves and comments you make, thank you.

Actually, one could spend many hours in the pretty little town of Mahone Bay, browsing the quaint little shops and cafes....a great place to find artwork and jewellry, antiques and nautical treasures, and the best shoe store around! We arrived at dark and Wayne stopped for coffee so I grabbed a chance to capture the calm scene across the road.

Actually managed to time a visit to South Wales when storm Ophelia came ashore.

There are always very dramatic seas at this location in Porthcawl and although I'v seen many images from here, I had never been able to time a visit to capture the crashing waves at their high tide peak.

The downside to this is that I'm still trying to get the salt, from all the spray, out of my kit!

Actually I am sure this is a Little Black Cormorant but I could not find any information on the blue skin under its beak. I suppose this is a breeding bird but why none of the books or websites I consulted mentions this blue colour as a breeding sign?

I posted this question on Australian Bird Identification FB page yesterday but no comments so far. I wonder if somebody please may shed more light on this blue colouring?

Or is this something that every Australian child knows and I shouldn't be asking? (-;

"Missing pieces do more than complete the puzzle, they fill in an empty space." - Luanne Rice

Macro Mondays - theme: jigsaw

a small jigsaw 3D puzzle ball (actually a Christmas bauble), lit from the inside with a LED bottle light .... and it wasn't easy at all to remove that piece (it seems these 3D puzzles are built to last) ... the things we do for MM : )

taken with the manual 60mm Laowa ultra macro lens

width of this image: about 4 cm at max (the whole bauble is 7.5 cm in diametre)

HMM, everyone

So it's actually the ferry 'May Gibbs' entering the frame, on its first trek across the harbour, just after sunrise in Sydney.

BUT, with the mega band 'Metallica' currently in Sydney, and performing at the Accor (Olympic) Stadium, here is their brilliant and evocative song 'Enter Sandman':

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZuM4zFg-60

The 'May Gibbs' was photographed from the Blues Point Reserve on a rare morning that I ventured out of bed at 4.30am and bolted down the M2 Motorway to reach Sydney Harbour just before dawn.

In the distance (under the bridge and beyond) you can see the silhouetted shape of Fort Denison.

My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens.

Processed in Adobe Lightroom.

This shot is actually right in Trempealeau...just the cutest little town that is located right on the Mississippi River. The snowy section that is across that lower street is actually a lake. (don't mistake that for the Mississippi, like I did! ha!) The Mississippi River is actually located on the other side of that little rise, which are railroad tracks. If you run through this page of postings, you'll find a few sunset pics that show railroad tracks running off into the sunset. That is the same railroad tracks!

The snow you're seeing, I'm sure is not only snow, but ice as well! It's difficult to make out, but right at the base of the hills, is the lock and dam (No. 6), as it goes across the middle of the river. I'll have to get a better shot of that later, in the spring or summer. Hope you all enjoy!

Trempealeau, Wisconsin

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© Copyright 2023 MEA Images, Merle E. Arbeen, All Rights Reserved. If you would like a copy of this, please feel free to contact me through my FlickrMail, Facebook, or Yahoo email account. Thank you.

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This photograph has earned the following highest awards:

DSLR Autofocus, Hall of Fame (7)

....actually, I should be playing it again. Unfortunately, it's just been gathering dust the last couple of years.

Posted for Window Wednesday

Actually this flower is still blooming around here, can't believe my eyes!

Actually were all swimming downward.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Nelken - Dianthus

Actually the red dianthus is the symbol for the first of may. Therefore my wonderful wife bought a bunch of this beautiful flowers, just for me to photograph. Isn't she great ? Unfortunately it took till now to realize. At least, its still may.

Eigentlich ist die rote Nelke das Symbol für den ersten Mai. Aus diesem Grund hat meine liebe Frau extra einen Strauß von diesen schönen Blumen gekauft, damit ich was zum Fotografieren habe. Ist sie nicht toll ? Hat leider bis jetzt gedauert. Zumindest is ja noch Mai.

Actually, I think this Yellow Warbler was looking for a potential mate, after all, it's that time of year. By the way, this is one of the first shots I took with my new camera.

Thank you for stopping by and for leaving me a comment! Have a great day!

Actually, I've been hoping of late to find a Golden Eagle, but today I'm good with this magnificent female Bald Eagle, stretching her leg, waiting for her mate to return.

Actually I just wanted to cross the street. On my way through Madrid City. Within a fraction of a second I decided to photograph him. His surprised look says it all. I thanked him very kindly and moved on.

This actually wan't taken in Fall but the colours of these leaves reminded me of the season. Fall is most definitely my favourite time of year. Wool hats, boots, crunchy leaves, cool crisp air .... whats not to love!

Actually it's Der Rosengarten or The Rose Garden, a rock massif in the Dolomites in Northern Italy.

This was taken near Bolzano where we had seen Otzi the Iceman, the oldest glacial mummy in the world, in the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology. Otzi is 5,300 years old so he's even older than me!

I was actually going to post the photo of the wilting hydrangea on Monday for Macro Mondays' theme 'curves'. But whatever works out as planned on a Monday? 😉 Therefore, it is now a monochrome image, which fits pretty well with the textures of the leaves in my opinion. Wish you all a peaceful Monochrome Bokeh Thursday 😃

Olympus E-M1 Mark II + Olympus 60mm F2.8 Macro @f4.5

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to watch or leave a comment or award :)

All my photos are © All Rights Reserved. The pictures are for viewing, not to be downloaded and shared on any other site or for personal use without my explicit permission. And definitely do not post ads or your pics in my photos!!! Thank you! :)

Actually its not and it wouldn't be right to say, that it's just a hotel.

i like how the leading lines are crooked and give some weird dimension to the photo.

we're all mad here.

Like most parrots Rainbow Lorikeets generally mate for life, and if conditions allow can reproduce three times annually!

Actually no weather to take pictures in the Värmland's snowy woods in Sweden. Too cloudy, dark and too much snowfall. And then it became foggy, too. And suddenly the mood became a kind of mystical. It was worth just a trial.

© All Rights Reserved. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my prior permission.

IMG_1676-5

Actually, not a very safe spot for cats to cross the street. East 1st Avenue, Vancouver. November 8, 2020.

The majority of photographs actually capture reflected light, i.e the light emitted by earthly objects, when it has practically lost most of its original intensity and might ... I myself am a huge fan of low lighted, long shutter speed images ... In any case to successfully capture light as actually emitted by the "MIGHTY" sun is always a challenge for the photographer ...

The best hours to do this still is and will always remain the "golden hours" ... The hours of the day when sunlight turns from white to gold, mainly dew to sun's position in the sky and the diffusion of its light through the thicker part of earth's atmosphere ... When this moment comes, find an interesting foreground figure and either create a back-light frame (turning the foreground figure into a recognizable shade) or simultaneously use fill in flash at its full intensity to capture foreground detail as well ...

I really adore the photos on which every visible detail tells a story ....

NIKON D90 DSLR with Nikon Nikkor 18 - 55 lens, Manual Mode, shutter speed 1/125s, ISO 125, f 9, focal length 18 mm, use of HOYA ND X 2 filter, cloudy weather white balance, center weighted average metering mode, HDR made by only one original RAW shot, flash went off, use of tripod ...

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The red, present in the middle is actually a huge building. Used to be a shopping centre, now mostly offices.

jeep on the right is my trusty 😜 awaiting orders while I take the shot lol

Actually, it continued to snow for eight hours after this photo was taken.

Actually it was a sunny day but the words just popped into my head.

Saw this lovely flower at Felbrigg Hall and thought it would look good with a bit of sliding and a texture courtesy of Kerstin Frank: www.flickr.com/photos/kerstinfrank-design/6295672180/in/a...

I'm away for a few days with sketchy internet, will try to catch up a bit later or when back. HSS

Actually the gold is now on the plains in the form of grapes ready for the wine harvest. Pinot Noir grows well in Central Otago, with a number of stunning wines being crafted in 6 sub-regions.

There are also excellent aromatics, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Historically the region’s first Gold Medal was for ‘Burgundy’ in Sydney in 1881. However very little wine was made until new vineyards were established in the 1970s, now there are 133.

This vineyard is near Alexandra which is about as far south as grapes will grow.

Actually, most of Idaho is rural. Looking at my map, this looks to be part of the Sawtooth Wilderness region of Idaho. Between Stanley and Sun Valley is what I've been told. (Idaho Road Trip Vacation 957.jpg)

I came across this field full of snow geese and noticed that they were in rows !!!! Very orderly, I must say !! Actually, they had landed in the stubble of a harvested corn field and it is easier for them to navigate by staying in the corn rows !! Maxatawny Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Actually dried up waterfalls at Bluestem Lake

This Wild Fashion Love Actually Bodycon Dress will cause some trouble by bringing along some seriously sultry appeal for your next night out.

The dress features a peekaboo heart bodice and composed in your choice of curve-hugging latex, lace or weaved fabric from its 20 Color HUD arsenal. It also comes with femme fatale heart-shaped gold earrings.

This sexy Love Actually Dress fits Reborn, EBody Curvy, Freya, Hourglass, Kupra Bimbo (+Kups A/B), Kupra Low, Legacy (+ Perky), Maitreya (+Petite), Tonic (Min + Fine + Curvy), and Momma Love mesh bodies.

This beautifully scandalous dress is exclusively available at the Swank Fifty Shades of Red Event for February,

Taxi:

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Swank%20Events/128/124/39

I actually took this shot 4 years ago. Going through my archives I looked at it again and decided I kind of liked how the tree frames the bridge on one side and the boathouse on the other.

Processed in Photomatix & Photoshop.

C&C appreciated.

..i wanted to photograph butterflies...it turned out to be a Haflinger!

actually neither, just flapping around!

Actually, this little finch had a feather stuck to one eye and it really seemed to be bothering her. I watched her for quite a while and, while she could eat just fine, she kept trying to get the feather off. I wished I could just reach out and pull it off for her! :D

That´s actually what I said when I saw the Milky Way. Having been on my yearly tour to the Glaskogen nature reservation canoeing and shooting the sunset I stayed for a while after the sunset to shoot stars and test my new Samyang. When I walked back to my car I looked up and saw this magnificent phenomena. I just stopped stared and said Hello there! It might be hard for people that are not Scandinavian to understand that from march/april until august/september the sun sets very late. During the midsummer the sun does not set at all in north part of the country and just a little earlier in my part of Sweden. Now as the summer is fading I can see the stars and I am in awe when I see can see and shoot the Milky Way again.

Actually, of course, the sunset came first!

Actually, I was just about to pack up the camera and head down into the valley - the sun had practically already set. But suddenly the Alpine panorama in the canton of Aargau began to glow once again. These are the moments of happiness of a photographer.

Actually I was waiting for the light to become green - exceptionally for St. Patrick´s day. But the operator didn´t know how to do it and he had to call another guy from outside. When this one got the lights set to green, it was pitch dark already.

Actually Jamaica Beach is a shore of Lake Garda, but the low water level showed bizzare rock formations.

Lake Garda, Italy.

This lane, which actually makes a Y-shape around the church, takes its name from the church itself: St Edward King and Martyr (though the sign just outside just says St Edward).

The church is medieval, dating to the 13th century, and remodeled around 1400.

The Christmas Eve Midnight Mass held here in 1525 is believed to be the first non-Catholic sermon in what would be the English Reformation (worth nothing is that this was a couple of years before Henry VIII asked the pope for an annulment of the marriage to his first queen, which was famously not granted).

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved

Do not use without permission.