Archive for the ‘Images Captured’ Category
Recent Images
It was a quiet but beautiful Sunday yesterday at Wintervale. Between watching Olympic Curling and Hockey, I got outside for a midday walk with Asher and, back indoors, tweaked some leaf photo files in my library from the previous week.
That last one was notable for the surprising amount of shredded leaf matter beneath a large oak that had no leaves in its branches to shred. It was baffling. The mess appeared one morning and continued to intensify over several days, just beneath this particular tree. Did a squirrel that was nesting in the tree decide it no longer needed as much insulation?
Ya got me.
By early afternoon, the meltwater was flowing down the drainage swale that passes across our fields. It’s an unsettling reality in February. I haven’t seen any news reporting the crazy weather occurring in the UK lately, but our friend, Ian Rowcliffe, in Portugal, informed me of their ongoing doses of heavy rain causing flooding.
The region is receiving strong storms because of the warmer atmosphere holding more moisture, and the jet stream positioning is holding the high and low pressure systems in place for the moment. The weather is swinging between drought and flooding from one year to the next.
It has me not wanting to think about what’s in store for us next in the Midwest of the US. Hopefully, the summer of ’26 won’t bring down as many large trees as we were forced to deal with last year.
I’m afraid we are just going to have to hang on and find ways to cope with whatever outcome is delivered. It’s hard because weather is one of the few things that sending love doesn’t seem to influence.
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Evening Lights
Last night, Cyndie and I ventured out for dinner to Hudson on the eve of their annual hot air balloon festival with the intention of maybe hanging around to take in the torchlight parade. We enjoyed a first visit to the basement restaurant, Black Rooster Bistro, where I dined on an excellent walleye entrée.
Our reservation was early, so we were able to observe the energy rise as tables filled with festival-goers while we ate. After our meal, we browsed a few shops along the main drag and witnessed a dramatic display of noise and flames jetting skyward from the apparatus atop one of the balloon-less balloon baskets.
Even though the day had been above-freezing and sunny, the temperature of the evening was dropping significantly, making our stroll a little more stiff than our moods preferred. We decided to walk down to gawk at the colored lights display in the trees of Lakefront Park on the shore of the St. Croix River.
Then we decided to go home and watch the Olympic opening ceremonies on television in warmth. We didn’t wait for the parade, but I took some pictures before we headed home for you to enjoy.
The lights were fun, but the leftover glow of sunshine from below the horizon is what really makes the photos pop for me. The way the little white lights looked up close against the rough bark of the tree trunks obviously caught my attention. It looked even cooler to the naked eye.
It was a fun night. Now, bring on the Olympic competitions!
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Actually Happening
Our politicians, all of them, have failed all of us by not holding each other accountable to the oaths of office they took to carry out the duties outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, bad people will take advantage of opportunities to do wrong when they get the chance. Groups of bad people playing a long game appear to have figured out a strategy to get around the guidelines of ethical behavior that our democracy assumed would govern the intended protections of having three separate branches of power.
One might surmise that money is the root cause of the mess we now find ourselves in under the current suspiciously elected administration, taking overt steps to achieve a fascist and highly profitable control of this country.
There was a time when a multitude of the actions currently playing out in plain sight would have led to arrest. Behaviors that once resulted in universal condemnation started being overlooked until it now seems as though no level of shameful words or actions will result in rational consequences.
It doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
To counter that, I offer a few pretty pictures I’ve taken and a thrilling distraction depicting an example that not everyone gives in to the lure of money over ethics or laws.
First, the distraction: Cyndie and I enjoyed the latest movie with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together again, “The Rip,” for its crafty hold on maintaining an enduring tension throughout (it’s a crime thriller!), the great performances of all the actors, and the intelligent script. Pay attention and keep up. For added depth to this cinematic adventure, it is based on a real-life police raid in Miami. If you are up for a break from the tension of today’s news, this movie will let you vent some of that energy in the safe confines of home (it’s on Netflix) and get you to a rewarding (pun acknowledged) resolution after just 2 hours and 13 minutes. Don’t hold your breath the whole time.
Looking down, here is one scene from the start of falling snow yesterday, and two from this morning:
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Slippery Mess
Yesterday, the 13th of January, we endured another day of serious melting, having not dropped below freezing the previous night. Our trails in the woods look like a super-highway for deer traffic in some areas. There isn’t a single trail where at least one deer has left its hoof prints.
We found a spot where deer had lain down and melted the snow right in the middle of one of the trails. They must be well aware of Asher’s presence because, despite all the tracks, they are conspicuously nonexistent during the daytime hours.
The songbirds sounded pretty happy about the big thaw. The false echoes of spring floated in the air as we made our way among the leafless trees of our woods.
Mid-40s(F) in the middle of the day allowed for a stroll without my outer layer insulated shirt-jacket. My vest was perfectly adequate. Playing with Asher rendered my mitts soaked from the wet snow.
One of my favorite things is when Cyndie sends me pictures she took that look exactly like something I would capture. She knows me oh so well. At least the melting mess makes for interesting photos.
I have done some custom cropping of her images, but she gets all the credit for capturing these views for my entertainment.
Where was I while she was walking the dog and seeing all this beautiful scenery? In the house, finishing the jigsaw puzzle and reading more chapters of Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography.
At the afternoon feeding for the horses, Mia got covered with a blanket again, which she calmly accepted. I believe it helps our cause to remove the blankets when the temperatures warm up. They tend to fret less when the time comes to put them on again. We like to get them on before bad weather makes them cold and wet, but that can find them less interested, if you know what I mean.
Since I believe they are picking up information that we’re not always aware of sending, it’s on us to visualize the desire to keep them as warm and dry as possible when the weather is expected to change. Mia must have sensed this yesterday.
At this point, I’m hoping we can get some new snow on the ground soon to offer a little added traction. The paddocks are a ghastly, icy mess to navigate across until that happens. Twice yesterday, when Mia tried to execute her hurried escape from the reach of maneuvering horses, her hooves slipped dramatically.
That’s a rather nerve-wracking sound when it happens right next to where I’m standing.
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Guess What 14
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s the last day of 2025. It’s been an odd year. Tomorrow, we will get even. I think this occasion calls for a celebration. How about a game?
It’s back again! Another edition of everyone’s favorite image-guessing game. The 14th edition, if my survey was correct. It’s not entirely clear in searching because I started using titles with “What” and then, at some point, changed more to the word “Guess.”
To simplify, I’ve decided to call them all “Guess What” from now on, and just increment the number next time I decide to play.
It’s simple to play. All you need to do is guess what is depicted in the image below.
Do you trust your first impression, or ponder the possibilities? Can you hold off long enough to wait for the answer to come to you, or will you look for the solution right away?
You are in charge, but it is strongly recommended that you come up with some kind of guess for yourself before clicking on the image to find out what this could possibly be. Guess your best, and enjoy the mental exercise! What are you looking at?
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Relative Something 