Squirrels

Squirrels have been called rodents with bushy tails, a name they have worked hard to earn, but they are fun to watch. The squirrels at our house must have an alarm in the bird feeder. They seem to arrive within minutes when the feeders are filled.
Last year I picked up a bucket of walnuts. I put them next to the house to dry for a couple of days in the sun. Yeah, right. I went back three days and two-thirds of the nuts were gone.
The bucket was surrounded by pieces of shells. I never got a thank you card for collecting the nuts.
The squirrels have damaged bird houses hanging around the house. They have eaten at the hole so they can get in. There is an image of a squirrel at work and another of the damage. I will replace the front of the houses next month before the birds arrive.
We watch them jump from tree to tree to arrive at the bird feeder or the front porch. They love the cat food on the porch and the cat watches them eat the food. She chases chipmunks from the food, but squirrels are another matter.
The squirrels can be seen trying to find new ways to get into the bird feeders. They like to dump out the sunflower seed feeder. I now have the top wired shut which has stopped the dumping, but they still try and I am sure they will figure it out.
They were fun to watch after the big snow. They were no where to be found while the flakes were falling.
When the snow stopped, they went to work. They dug a tunnel from the base of a tree to the bird feeder. The first time I saw one pop-up, I wasn't quite sure what I saw.
I had never saw squirrels dig a tunnel before. You can see the tunnel in a few of the images. I guess they have a little Steve McQueen in them.

Gettysburg in Winter

When you think of Gettysburg, what might come to mind is the heat of July, as the battle was fought on July 1st, 2nd and 3rd in 1863. I was in Gettysburg this week and took a fast (and I do mean fast, think Griswold's at the Grand Canyon in the movie "Vacation") trip though part of the battlefield. I cut through the visitors center parking lot and there was less than 10 cars there. That means no crowds and you could take your time looking at displays. There was one car in the area of the High Water Mark. It was like my own historic site. The hotels had few vehicles on the parking lots also. What snow was on the ground added to the photographs, but there is nothing like a winter sky (unless its a fall sky. Blue in places the clouds were not, but the clouds, oh the clouds they make a perfect background.
So grab that camera and head north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Some Thoughts

Last night when we got home, a Christmas present had arrived, a Sony E-Reader. I knew it was coming, but when was the question? I had downloaded over 30 free books and one magazine prior to it's arrival. The magazine I downloaded was "Celebrate Gettysburg". I have the cover this month, as they featured the magazine's photographers. If you want to see the cover and some of my other images go to www.celebrategettysburg.com
I was up almost until one playing with the reader. The gift was from Shirley and she made me very happy. It was the perfect gift for someone that likes to read. I am very thankful to have her in my life.
So this morning I got ready to take the dog out and Shirley said, you have to come see this. She led me to the computer and there on the screen were her and I. On the screen was "eldersburg.net" with us on their home page.
The photograph was one I sent them for "Who's Who of Eldersburg", which they had selected me to be part of. It was quite an honor to be included on their web site.
You can check out our image along with my write up, plus see some of my work. They ran images of houses decked out for Christmas and also the recent snow storms.
Today we had some errands to run after shooting some snow images, so I did not get to use it again until the this evening.
After driving to Columbia, it was off to Owings Mills. The first stop was Best Buy and then off to Mars Supermarket. I know you are going Mars? There was a good reason. One day this week I saw a piece on channel 2 in the morning about where to find Almond Smash. My ears went up and I took in the whole thing. One of the places they said it was available was Mars.
When I was little, my grandmother ran a liquor store on Main Street in Westminster. The choice for soda was nothing like it is today. I loved Squirt and Almond Smash.
If I remember right, Almond Smash makes a good ice cream float.
Well, Mars had the the soda and for the record and it still good. We all remember things from our youth and wonder if we can ever find it or taste it again. Mars also had Mary Jane candy, which I remember as a penny candy.
When we left Mars, a lady was in the parking lot feeding sea gulls. Shirley said it looks like the movie, "The Birds" and then she said "The Notebook" with all the white birds.
On the way home I was able to capture a shot of the afternoon sun through a woods and also a shot of Morgan Run.
So tomorrow I will read from my E-Reader along with reading a hard back book that is due back to the library by next Wednesday. Now if only the Baltimore Sun and a few magazines I like to read would come available on the Sony.

More Snow

It's great to look out the window and see a winter wonderland. The dog enjoys it too. We went outside early this morning and saw the moon again a deep blue sky as the sun was rising.
It made me think of Bing Crosby and mates singing `Snow, Snow, Snow' from the movie White Christmas.
I was able to get my shooting done before the wind picked up. It's good we did not have that wind after the big storm before Christmas.
Shirley said "It's a shame it didn't snow more, as cold as it is." I guess the Carroll County students thought the same thing as they waited for the school bus.

End of Year Snow

Once again we woke up to a white countryside in Eldersburg. What a pretty sight in Carroll County.
I grabbed my camera on the way out the door with the dog. I was disappointed, even after shooting around the neighborhood last week.
I love the snow and the chances to shoot the white stuff. As I noted last week, it is so quiet in the morning before folks go out to shovel or snow blow.
Shirley threw out peanuts, which attracts the blue jays and squirrels. I will make an entry on the squirrels tomorrow and one about birds in the next week.
Have fun and Happy New Year.

One Last Look

Yes, I know we are a couple weeks into winter. I have a few shots from fall I want to share.
Fall is one of the seasons that reminds me to always carry my camera. The others are summer, spring and winter.
The shot of the barn and woods was shot on Klee Mill Road. I saw it for the first time while a passenger in a vehicle. I have driven by that barn for about four years and never saw it. So we went back the next afternoon to shoot the image.
The image of the barn and fog was captured one morning when I was getting the newspaper.
The shot of the trees and shadows was one morning when I took the dog out.
The next two images came from Morgan Run. We like to stop there every once in a while. Shirley likes peace and quiet and being close to nature, as do I, but I also like to take photographs.
The plow and flag were shot on Old Washington Road.
The street scene is York Street in Gettysburg while we were on a trip north.

A What?

I know I usually write about photography, but I had an experience the other day I want to share.
When you get in your 50's, between elderly parents and grandchildren you think nothing would surprise you in a hospital.
Well, that changed this week.
My mother has had a cold and sinus problems since October. My sister took her to a local hospital one evening this week. They gave her more medicine and sent her home.
The next day, while on the way to see my mom, I got a call.
"Turn around and meet us at the hospital."
My mother had a reaction to the meds, so back to the ER we went. We sat in the ER waiting room for about two hours. Finally back to a room and soon after were two men in scrubs. I figured it was the nurse and doctor, until one spoke.
"I am doctor so-and-so and this is my scribe."
My sister and I almost got whiplash turning to look at one another with a what did he say look on our faces.
My mother and sister have spent their careers in healthcare, mostly in hospitals.
Scribe, this was a new one on us. He had on scrubs and carried a clipboard.
He didn't write down everything as we watched. You can't turn on TV or pick up a paper without seeing something on healthcare. So the question is who is paying for the scribe?
Yes, my sister and I got a lot of jokes out of this. Things like if you were a scribe just starting out, you would be a SIT-scribe in training. If you had a class after becoming a scribe, you would be a SAT-scribe advance training. There were many others. It took the edge out of about a six hour trip to the ER.
Chalk one up for mom. One time doctor came back into the room alone and started talking. When the scribe appeared, she asked the doctor if he had to start over so the scribe knew what was said.
We ended up later in the day at an ER in Baltimore, as my mother still had her original symptoms. The personal there got quite a laugh when we mentioned the scribe.
While the first ER took care of the medicine reaction and gave us a story to retell. The second ER handled her sinus problems.

Sunrise

Now that the snow has stopped falling and you have shoveled out the driveway, don't put the camera away.
Early morning and late afternoon offers great light for photographs. It gives you a chance to snap an image that might make a good Christmas gift showing Carroll County with it winter suit on.
After taking the dog for a walk early Tuesday morning I saw the light in the eastern sky. I went back in the house and said to Shirley "I think I am going to drive down to Liberty Lake."
So away we went. Traffic was light in Eldersburg, so we made good time. I usually like to go the back way, but not knowing the road conditions we traveled on Liberty Road.
We arrived before the sun rose, which was perfect. I was familiar with the area as I have shot there before. By before, I mean when it was warm and green. It helps to know the area, then you do not spend too much time looking for the right angle.
Yea, I know it's cold out, but when you get a good image you feel warmer and having a woman like Shirley along, warms your heart. You will have to find your own partner, as she is mine.
So keep that camera handy.