Lindy Low LeCoq

Telling Time – Time Will Tell – Daily Prompt: Back to the Future

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

1878 Seth Thomas Calendar Clock

It was his maternal grandfather’s clock, then his mother’s and now it is his and mine. A spring powered Seth Thomas Calendar Clock, c.1878, it chimes on the hour and in the lower window has a calendar that displays the day, week, month and year. Patented by Mix Brothers, the perpetual calendar mechanism operates on a twenty-four hour time cycle and self corrects for short months (30 vs 31 days) and leap years, provided the clock’s time never stops, or if it does, the mechanism is advanced correctly.

This parlor clock is one hundred thirty-five years old and with repairs by an expert (totaling just $325.00) it works like new. Will the same be true for my MacBook Air c. 2012, one hundred thirty-five years from now? Not likely. Some anachronisms are well worth preserving.

Posted in antiques, Art, nostalgia | Tagged calendar clock, daily prompt, leap years, macbook, parlor clock, perpetual calendar, photography, post a day, postaday, seth thomas | 1 Comment

Silver Cedars – Weekly Photo Challenge (Masterpiece)

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

Silver Cedars

Trees are my totem. I love to be with them, in them, around them, under them. Here is a photo taken at Crater Lake National Park of Silver Cedars; majestic survivors, temples in their own right.

Posted in Art, nature, outdoors | Tagged nature, photography, post a day, postaday, relationship, weekly photo challenge | Leave a comment

Birds Abound – Feeders Chockablock With Fledglings

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

Sitting on my deck, camera at hand, surrounded by birds. More birds in my yard than ever before: Towhees, Juncos, Robins and Mourning Doves scurry over the gravel paths and under the shrubs, Black-capped and Chestnut-back Chickadees vie for space at one feeder while a family of Goldfinch and a fledgling Purple Finch occupy another. Bushtits and a young Red-breasted Nuthatch whittle away at the suet until a Downy Woodpecker arrives. Later I set a sprinkler out by the pond in a dry area and was treated to a Chickadee splash dance in the Forsythia branches. Such simple pleasures. Love it.

Purple Finch fledge

Red-breasted Nuthatch fledge

Downy Woodpecker fledge

Posted in Being, birds, Feathers, Gardening, nature, outdoors, Photographs | Tagged animals, being, birds, fun, gardening, landscape gardening, love, nature, photography, plants, relationship | Leave a comment

Splash! Weekly Photo Challenge (Show Me Fresh!)

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

On mid July afternoons the temperature rises into the nineties at Crescent Creek in the high desert wilds of Willamette Pass, Oregon. To refresh ourselves, my sister and I would sit on this log then soak & float in the shallows. Brisk, clear water – that’s what fresh means to me.

Splash!

(Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47 using Sports Indoor setting, no edits or effects.)

Posted in Being, nature, outdoors, Photographs, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged family, fun, nature, outdoors, photography, plants, post a day, relationship, sisters, weekly photo challenge | Leave a comment

Crescent Creek Dawn = Weekly Photo Challenge (The Golden Hour)

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

Crescent Creek Dawn

Crescent Creek flows into Crescent Lake which is 5000 ft. above sea level at the summit of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon, USA. This photo was taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMCfZ47 camera using the indoor sports setting. It captures the flowing water and also the soft light of dawn rising behind me shining on the grasses and lifting a mist from the creek and land. Other than straightening the image I made no additional adjustments to this photo.

Posted in Art, Being, nature, Photographs, travel, weekly photo challenge | Tagged dawn, nature, photography, weekly photo challenge | 2 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge – Companionable

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

He still asks me why I waited for him that first date when he was twenty minutes late. I sat in the lobby of the all-female dorm, sure he would show. At eighteen, I’d never been stood up in my life. Finally I saw him dash out of a new, blue VW Bug, and rush through the glass doors to greet me with profuse apologies.

Lindy & Creighton
September 13, 1969

Why did I wait? Because the first time I looked into his bright blue eyes, I fell in; I knew in my bones this was real and for keeps. Forty-six years later he is still my soulmate, my darlin‘ companion.

Creighton

Posted in Being, family, Photographs | Tagged being, family, fun, grace, love, photography, postaday, relationship, stories, weekly photo challenge | 2 Comments

Striking Gold with Finches

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

The American Goldfinch is the state bird of Washington, and a lovely addition to any landscape. In late spring – early summer (breeding time) the adult male is a brilliant yellow with sharp lines of white and black feathers.

Adult Male American Goldfinch

The adult female is a demure lighter yellow. Two years ago I had no Goldfinch visiting my gardens. Thanks to the advice of my dear sister Diana, I added feeders and food that attract them. Now I have two breeding pair, and some fledges. They are not keen to share feeders with other breeds and are also flighty around movement. I was able to snap this series of shots because I had been sitting still with my camera at the ready for some time. Another joy of being in retirement.

Male fledgling American Goldfinch.

Female fledgling American Goldfinch.

2 + 1 = fledgling American Goldfinch.

A tale of 2 tails.

And now there are 4.

Made in the shade.

Posted in Art, Being, birds, family, Feathers, Gardening, nature, Photographs, Writing | Tagged being, birds, fledglings, fun, gold, joy, landscape gardening, nature, photography | 1 Comment

Fledglings

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

Fledglings have been appearing at my feeders for some time now. Their parents coax them into the Holly tree, then bring a morsel of seed or suet. There’s always a kerfluffle in the Holly branches as the fledges vie for first dibs. I am fascinated at how patient the adult birds are as they show their offspring how to feed themselves. After the safety of the Holly branches, the fledges enter the feeder domain.

Chestnut Back Chickadee chick perched atop the suet feeder.

Adult Chestnut Back Chickadee feeding fledgling.

More steady on their wings than their legs, landing in the right place is an iffy proposition. Soon they figure it out, and fly over to try their luck at the feeders.

Chestnut Back Chickadee fledgling

Designed to keep squirrels out, the enclosed suet feeder also provides a safe place where the little ones can get their land legs and feast on high energy food.

Baby Bush Tit and CB Chickadee size one another up.

Bush Tit and Chestnut Back Chickadee fledges feeding on suet.

By the next day the fledges appear to be getting the hang of it!

CB Chick checks me out.

CB Chick at seed feeder.

CB Chickadee with seed.

Posted in Art, Being, birds, family, Feathers, Gardening, nature, Photographs, Writing | Tagged animals, being, birds, fun, gardening, landscape, landscape gardening, love, nature, photography, plants, relationship, stories, writing | Leave a comment

Goldfinch dominate bird feeder – Chickadees fight back – daily post (ripped into the headlines)

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

In a fight for survival the late arriving American Goldfinch have taken control of the Pagoda bird station. Chickadees and Nuthatches who wintered over in the area filed a complaint with the owners sighting their ‘squatter’s rights.’

“We’ve been here every day entertaining you through rain and freezing cold. What gives these sassy Goldfinch the right to horn in on our favorite feeder? It’s the best grub around. We demand and deserve first dibs.”

A spokesperson for the demur Goldfinch read a statement asserting the right of all birds to use the preferred feeder.

“Those Chickadees are such whiners with their chickadee-dee-deeing all day long, just like the fancy-pants Nuthatches out there yank-yank-yanking away in the branches, acting like they own the forest. Jeez – they all just need to get over it. The Goldfinches have as much right to rule that Pagoda feeder as anyone else – maybe more since they haven’t mooched off the place all winter long.”

A meeting between representatives of all concerned parties will be held later this week. The arbiter expects a long and bitter rivalry. Meanwhile, the owner intends to keep all the feeders full and fresh.

“It is nesting time, after all.” She offered, while snapping photos of the contenders.

American Goldfinch

Black Capped Chicadee

American Goldfinch

Posted in Art, Being, birds, nature, Writing | Tagged animals, art, being, birds, fun, nature, photography, post a day, postaday, stories | 1 Comment

Gossamer Wings – Weekly Photo Challenge (fleeting)

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Lindy Le Coq

Who doesn’t love watching a beautiful butterfly? They flit and float, land on flowers to sip, lift and fly away on gossamer wings. From brightly colored Swallowtails to sheer white Pale Beauty Moths, they are another life form that I find fascinating. One morning while I sipped coffee on the deck, a Pale Swallowtail landed on the Holly tree right in front of me. I snapped a series of shots while it perched and soaked in the sunshine to dry and unfurl its wings. Such an elusive moment I was blessed to behold. And then it was gone.

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