Our wonderful beagle, Jello, was born on the Winter Solstice eleven years ago. She came to live with us when she was four. The young man who gave her to us had her papers from Maryland, so we know her birthday and that originally she was named Blue, likely due to her blue-tick coloring.
In our seven years together, Jello has been my constant companion on walks and adventures. She is as sweet and smart in equal portions as any dog I’ve known. Often in my blog posts, I’ve featured a photo of her, and today I’m choosing to give her the spotlight – center stage!
Among her favorite activities are running free and sniffing – always that nose is busy!
When riding in the truck, instead of settling in for a nap, Jello likes to watch the world go by out the window. She knows when we’re going to the beach, and savors big whiffs of the salty ocean air, as we pass through Astoria!
Taking me for a walk every day is her one job, and Jello is very conscientious about this duty!
Although fishing is “not her thing,” being with me wherever I go is a must.
After all the activity (and sometimes right in the middle of it!) another of Jello’s favorite things is snoozing – or as we call it – snooze cruising. 🙂
I’ll close with one of my favorite photos, Jello silhouetted against the golden dune grasses at sunrise.
Thanks to Tina and all the Lens-Artists hosts for giving us creative purpose and focus.
🐾 As we enter the holiday season, please continue to be kind and stay safe.🐾
Being a word-nerd, I couldn’t help but look up the synonyms for celebrate. Oh, my! What a wonderful mix of options celebrate offers. Here are a few with photos from my archives.
To have fun and raise a glass of cheer most certainly fits the theme. The photo above was taken by Jocelyn when Creighton and I visited her at Priest Lake, Idaho. We were basking in the beautiful scenery at Elkins Resort, near her cabin and making plans for future get-togethers.
In the summer of 2017, Creighton and I attended my 50th high school reunion in Pullman,Washington. We connected with old friends, and made new ones during this celebration that commemorates life when we were young, remembers our history together and honors those no longer with us.
When my father passed away in 2016, I took it upon myself to locate my long-lost cousin, Duncan (center left). He and I were the same age and had been close when we were in grade school. Thanks to linked-in we reconnected. What a delight it was for my sister Diana (center right) and I to meet up with him at Crescent Creek, Oregon. Must say we did a fair amount of toasting to celebrate this reunion!
When my dear sweet friend Joellene married her beau John, they threw quite a party. I felt honored to be there to celebrate them, and to rejoice in the wonder of their union.
Friends since we met in 1982, John, Greg, Ruth and I are compadres. Now all retired and well into our elder years, we make a point of having lunch together once a year to enjoy being together, catch up and celebrate a lifetime of friendship.
“At this festive season of the year,” please remember to be kind and stay safe.🐾
“Charadrius ~ Late Latin: ‘a yellowish bird’ vociferus ~ vocal, strident, vehement…”
Evasion dance in full-furtive flare a plaintive call sounds across mown fields and meadow;
“follow me over here away from my fledglings see – I’m injured easy prey.”
What dynamic is taking place among these three Bald Eagles?
Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The two are a mature pair mated for life this is their territory.
Who is this immature interloper? A prodigal son returning? Friend, foe or rival?
Ours to conjecture!
Thanks to Anne Christine (Leya) for this adventure into story-telling! And thank you to all who joined me last week for the Lens-Artists Challenge #175 – Follow Your Bliss. I very much enjoyed seeing and reading your thoughtful responses.
What does it mean to “follow your bliss”? We all make choices in our approach to life and art – to follow your bliss is to pursue that which provides you happiness and joy. It is quite likely you have more than one focus that gives you deep pleasure. For this week’s challenge, in words and photographs, show us your sense of wonder and excitement. Whether it be one activity that is your passion, or many different interests you follow, this is a wide-open opportunity to showcase how you “follow your bliss.”
Caspian Tern Swirl
Whether scanning the sky or focusing on a row of tiny mushrooms, when I’m engaged and learning ~ that’s my idea of bliss!
Since November 13th was the start of the 2021-2022 Project Feederwatch season, and marks the beginning of my 14th year as a Cornell Lab of Ornithology Citizen Scientist, today I’ll showcase my passion for birds. What fun it continues to be for me to observe these amazing creatures, to learn their names and what they are up to in any given season of the year.
Breeding male American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis
The state bird of Washington, American Goldfinches are always a delight to behold in their bright spring feathers. This guy, perched atop a Coastal Pine, is pouring out a love song to attract a mate!
Breeding male Black-bellied Plover – Pluvialis squatarola
“A widespread shorebird (occuring on six continents), Black-bellied Plovers breed at the very top of the world, farther north than other species.” As with many other birds their feathering is muted when they are not into the breeding season, so I was excited to spot this one in full feather!
Adult male Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The journey from cracking the egg to full-breeding maturity is a five year process for Bald Eagles. When everything shut down in March – May 2020, I was able to observe many Bald Eagles at fairly close range on the Long Beach Peninsula. What a treat to get excellent portraits and then study the characteristics of each phase in their development. Subsequently, I created a folio of poems and photos, Walking With Eagles.
Semipalmated Plover – Charadrius semipalmatus and Sanderling – Calidris alba
Rarely do I see a Sanderling standing and alone, as they more typically gather in groups and chase the ebbing tide in and out probing for prey in the wet sand. “One of the world’s most widespread shorebirds, Sanderling nest only in the High Arctic. In fall and winter you can find them on nearly all temperate and tropical sandy beaches throughout the world. During migration, Semipalmated Plovers can show up almost anywhere across North America. The dark back and a single black band across their breast, along with their run-and-stop foraging style helps to pick them out from other small shorebirds.”
Purple Finch – Haemorhous purpureus
What a delight to look up to the swaying branches of this fir tree and see the bright feathers of a breeding male Purple Finch! “Although these chunky, big-beaked finches do breed in northern North America and the West Coast, they’re often irregular winter visitors to our feeders. Backyard sunflower seed feeders are where you might find Purple Finches, if you live within their winter range.”
Short-billed Dowitcher – Limnodromus griseus
Short-billed? Well, only compared to their relatives the Long-billed Dowitcher! “Widespread shorebirds, they are relatively easy to find during migration and winter in coastal areas. They probe for food by rhythmically inserting their bill straight up and down (like a sewing machine needle) in mudflats, tidal wetlands, or shallow freshwater sloughs.”
Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis
I just never know what I’ll find when I crest the berm and look out across the vast shoreline of Long Beach. On this lovely June day in 2019, a flock of Brown Pelicans were resting and refreshing in the surf. “Brown Pelicans live year-round in estuaries and coastal marine habitats along both the east and west coasts. On the west coast they breed between southern California and southern Ecuador—often wandering farther north after breeding as far as British Columbia.”
It is truly an honor to be your guest host this week joinimg Amy, Ann-Christine, Patti and Tina in providing opportunities for visual expression. We hope you’ll join us in sharing how you follow YOUR bliss. Be sure to include a link to my post and to use the Lens-Artists tag so we can all find you in the Reader.
Next week, Christine will lead the challenge, so we invite you to stop by her Leya blog on Saturday, November 27, at noon to join us.
Nature offers us many interesting shapes and designs. Sometimes I’ll take a picture of a scene, like the field of dandelions and sky filled with light puffy clouds below, simply because the repeated pattern delights me!
Bubbles on the beach, tossed ashore by a frothy ocean, create another fun pattern. Do you see the reflection of my camera in some of the bigger ones?
I have featured sand art and dune runes in other posts. The ocean acts like an etch-a-sketch, always leaving new designs in the shoreline with the ebb and flow of the tide.
Tree bark is another infinite source of lovely patterns and textures, as are moths and butterflies.
And of course there are many plants that I could include, however I’ll leave you with this one of a fern my beagle, Jello was using as a summer shelter from the sun!
As we enter the holiday season, please continue to be kind and stay safe.🐾
In July, 1994 my husband and I flew to France where we were treated to a three-week excursion with his cousin, Catherine, her husband Jean François, and their daughter Adeline. That was 27 years ago, and my camera was a small, point and shoot model, so all the photographs of that journey are less than spectacular! However, the trip itself, the places we visited, and family members who received us were amazing. For this week’s challenge from Tina, I offer these humble photos of some truly wonderful architecture.
Jean-François’ and Catherine’s three story home in Châteaugiron was built of stone in the middle ages. Walls are about two feet thick as you can see in this photo looking out the window of our third floor bedroom, and below of the entrance to their home and Jean-François’ medical practice.
Jean-François’ et Adeline
Creighton’s grandfather. Jean-Pierre Le Coq had studied for the priesthood, then left France for the USA. He never told his siblings that he had married and fathered four children, who in turn had children. It was after his death, when Catherine was sent by the family to recover some letters between Jean-Pierre and George Sand, that she discovered there was a whole other branch of the family tree all over the United States.
Saint-Brieuc where Jean-Pierre was born.
This little church in Saint-Brieuc is likely where Jean-Pierre studied for the priesthood.
Saint-Malo, where Catherine’s parents resided has a rich history. A walled town on the coast of Brittany, it has the highest tides in Europe, with water that can rise 13m (14+ yards) over the course of six hours. When the water goes out, it reveals several kilometres of ocean floor, and when it comes back, it comes back fast. Because the Germans had built bunkers into the structures, the town was three-fourths destroyed during World War II, but it has been rebuilt.
Le Mont Saint-Michel
What an incredible structure in a fascinating landscape this is. Yes, it’s a tourist site, yet such history and well worth the visit.
From Brittany/Normandy we were taken on a tour to the south of France, visiting family and towns along the way. There are many châteaux on the tour-guide lists. We visited two and I liked this one best.
Le Château de Chenonceau
Château de Chenonceau spans the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire Valley.
I’ll finish with one of the most unique places we visited. Creighton’s uncle Guy, was reconstructing this home in Albepierre, to be a summer getaway. Built into the earth in the middle ages, with 3-4 foot thick walls, the remodel was quite an undertaking!
As we enter the holiday season, please continue to be kind and stay safe.🐾
Walking With Eagles is a collection of original poems and photographs by Lindy Low Le Coq. A lifelong naturalist, amateur photographer and bird enthusiast, Lindy’s verse, composition and photographs open a window into the essence of her subjects. Her poems and photography reflect the rich natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
Bald Eagles mature over the course of five years. Walking With Eagles invites the reader to take a poetic and visual tour of this odyssey.
view ~ Walking With Eagles ~ in top menu bar for a preview, though the folio is much nicer!
Lindy Low LeCoq 