~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Hooray, Hooray for a Sunny Day! ~

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq
Daphne X ‘Carol Mackie’
Mexican Mock Orange – Choisya ternata and Lilac
Viburnum plicatum tomentosum

Wherever you bask in the sun, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

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~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #196: Humor ~

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq

Life would be so drab without a touch of humor here and there, and occasionally a good belly laugh. This week John Holmes, aka JohnRH of John’s Space asks us to look on the lighter side and share a bit of frivolity through our photography.

As I watched this wren start to gyrate in one of my bird baths I was captivated. Soon it went from a little splatter to what you see above, a full-fledged splash party! By the time it was finished, I was laughing out loud.

The fanciful garden containers (above) caught my attention and brought a smile to my face, as did the comical re-purposed metal sculpture (below) of a dog relieving itself!

Long Beach Peninsula artist Sue Raymond, creates these small whimsical sculptures in clay. No two are alike, and each one exhibits a unique take on life. They consistently tickle my funny-bone!

http://sueraymond.com/
http://sueraymond.com/

In conclusion, what’s not to love about frogs?!

This metal sculpture of a frog on its concrete lily pad reading is an absolute favorite of mine. It’s in front of the local branch of our Vancouver, WA library. Since I took this shot the lily pad has been painted green. I like the original look better, but hey it’s still fun, playful, whimsical, light-hearted and fanciful. Who could ask for anything more?

Wherever your sense of humor takes you, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

Thanks to John for keeping us balanced with a bit of humor to offset all the yucky stuff going on in our world.

LENS-ARTISTS CHALLENGE #196 – Humor
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~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Beach Scenes ~

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq

Wherever you are, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

Posted in Beagles, nature, nature photography, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Report from the Edge of a Continent, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #195: Colorful Expressions ~

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq

What can I say? The dogs ate my homework?! Well in a way, that is partly why I’m so late posting to this challenge. Just about the time I have all my “must do’s” on the computer finished, Max or Daisy comes up to me and puts a paw on my laptop, insisting it’s time for me to take them out. At home they have a doggie door, at the beach (where we are now), I’m their ticket out! So, in an effort to at least play with colorful expressions of the photographic kind, I offer some favorites from my archives.

December Sunset

Long Beach, WA sunsets are always lovely, and often stunningly colorful!

I love the POP of bright yellow on a clear blue sky. This Delphinium is such a gorgeous hue of blue, I couldn’t resist snapping its portrait. My summer rudbeckia and cone flowers make a cheerful perennial splash.

In late spring my rhododendrons bloom a spectacular dark pink, made more vivid by their deep evergreen foliage.

Under dense Coastal Pines, a forest of moss creates a lush green carpet.

Wherever you find colorful expressions, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

Lens-Artist Challenge #195: Colorful Expressions
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~ Wordless Wednesday + Cee’s FOTD ~

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq
Flowering Plum
Weeping Cherry
Snowball Viburnum Viburnum burkwoodii

Wherever you enjoy spring flowers, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

Posted in Cee's Flower Of The Day, flowers, landscape gardening, nature photography, pacific northwest, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #194: Bokeh ~

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq

For this week’s challenge, Sophie invites us to use the out of focus areas in our photos as the primary reason for selecting the shot. The first two and fourth photos in this series were taken at Long Beach, WA.

I open with a shot of a misty sunset behind stark spikes of dune grass. Photographing background with the focus on an image in the foreground is one of my favorite ways to achieve Bokeh.

Bald Eagle ~ Haliaeetus leucocephalus

As I crept through the dunes to get as close to this perching eagle as I could, I wondered if the out of focus grasses between us would detract from the image. To my eye, they add softness and context to the photograph.

San Diego Botanical Gardens

Bright red seed pods dangling in the foreground are given a frame of reference and a color pop by the unfocused tree branches, foliage and sky of the background.

Barn Swallow ~ Hirundo rustica

As marshes recede and return to meadows, gnats and mosquitos multiply, creating excellent foraging for swallows. The birds dart through the air so rapidly, it’s impossible for me to get a shot of them on the wing. For an instant this one settled on a branch, and I was able to get a photo in its natural habitat.

Crescent Creek Dawn – Oregon

One of my favorites, this ground level shot creates a lush misty mood with all the meadow greenery in the foreground and the creek gently flowing into a foggy distance.

Thanks to Sophie for stretching my understanding of photography to include the term Bokeh!

Wherever your camera takes you, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

Lens-Artists Challenge – Bokeh
Posted in Birding, birds, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, ornithology, pacific northwest, photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday + Cee’s FOTD ~ April Snow ~

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq

Whatever the weather in “your neck of the woods,” please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

Posted in Cee's Flower Of The Day, flowers, nature photography, pacific northwest, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #193 ~ They Say It’s Your Birthday! ~

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq

Today marks 8 weeks since Max and Daisy arrived at our home, so it’s time for our two month anniversary update!

Daisy

Both beagles are adapting to the rhythms and patterns of our daily life. They get a walk or a trip to the dog park every day, and have a doggie door for access to the back yard day and night. They are good with people and other dogs, and are very loving with us.

I must admit Daisy has been a challenge. She is a hunter, always after squirrels and rabbits in the yard yapping like a crazy dog. We have resorted to using a bark-collar to curb that behavior, which is helping. Tiny enough to get through holes only 3 to 4 inches in diameter, when a scent is on the other side of the fence, and if the integrity of the wood at the base of the plank is compromised, Daisy rips right through it and the chase is on.

On the other hand, Max is content to hang out in the sunshine, though he would go with Daisy if he wasn’t as stocky as he is! Protective of her, when Daisy escapes, Max starts whining – a sure sign to me to grab their harnesses and start the search.

Fortunately my neighbors are very helpful and sympathetic with my plight, as Max and I trail my little scamp Daisy around their yards, through their shrubs and flower beds until, with their help, we eventually catch her.

This morning it happened again. Dear neighbor Dennis helped me corral her, and when we got home I told Daisy she has to keep her harness and leash on until I can get out there and mend the fence.

She wasn’t at all happy with this, as dogs have a keen sense of fairness, and if Max doesn’t have to wear his harness inside, why should she?

Max delivers a camelia blossom to me as I set to repairing the fence!

Wherever you mend your fences, please honor our earth, continue to be kind and stay safe.🐾

https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/2022/04/02/lapc-193-they-say-its-your-birthday/
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~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #192: Earth Story ~

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq

This week, Amy invites us to share stories of the natural world on Earth through photos. I begin with a close up shot of a Bovista mushroom, about the size of my fist – 3″ (8 cm), as it emerged in a dirt field.

Tree roots exposed in this rocky shoreline exemplify the symbiotic relationship of Earth elements; water, soil and flora.

Lion’s Mane Jellyfish

At the edge of Orcas Island, rock emerges from boulders, as barnacle and seaweeds cling to the surfaces.

Humans use Earth’s resources, often to the detriment of the planet. Above wind turbines generate clean energy along the crest of the Columbia River Gorge, near Goldendale, Washington.

Queen Anne’s Lace

Which came first? Chicken or egg, flower or seed, summer or winter?

From mountain streams, to volcanic caldera lakes, to rivers and the oceans, water is essential to Earth’s Story.

Crater Lake, Oregon
Pacific Ocean Waves
Long-beaked Dowitcher – Limnodromus scolopaceus

“There’s no longer really any doubt that birds are a type of dinosaur. These days, the debate is about details. The strong evidence doesn’t just come from fossilized bones and similarities found across the skeleton, but from fossilized soft tissue – especially feathers.” Roger Benson

Wherever your camera takes you, please honor our earth, be kind and stay safe.🐾

Lens-Artists Challenge #192: Earth Story
Posted in Birding, Lens-Artists, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~ A Walk in the Dogpark ~

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Lindy Le Coq
Daisy and Max
Max, Creighton & Daisy

Wherever you walk, please honor our earth, continue to be kind and stay safe.🐾

Posted in Beagles, pacific northwest, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , | 6 Comments