photography

Thankful Thursday: these two

/ Tracy Abell / 2 Comments

I’m the last one up and about each morning. Zippy, the dog, and cats all get up earlier, leaving me alone in the closed bedroom. When I’m fully awake and ready to greet the day, I call to Zippy and he opens the door so that these two can jump up on the bed to greet me.

According to Zippy, Marcel the cat and Emma the pup pretty much ignore each other until it’s time to come see me. And then it’s a whole lot of head-butting and grooming on Marcel’s part. Not sure what motivates that loving behavior, but it’s a hella nice way to begin my day. And for that, I’m grateful.

Emma, however, might have other feelings.

Twofer Tuesday: feathered intrigue

/ Tracy Abell

Not a high-quality photo, but there’s some drama and intrigue here:

Barr Lake State Park April 8, 2021

I get the sense these two are working hard at ignoring each other because they’re already acquainted. Like, maybe they’ve had prior run-ins and now carry grudges. Or maybe they’ve never met, but that pelican with the stabby, knobby bill scares the bejesus out of the cormorant and beneath the surface it’s paddling like mad to get away.

Maybe they’re both new in town and too shy to strike up a friendship. Or maybe that cormorant’s haughty tilt of the beak is designed to keep other birds at a distance.

Maybe it’s really a well-choreographed water ballet that’s supposed to make us think these two dancers are on a collision course when really they end up executing an elegant near-miss.

More likely, the photo is just a fun little image from two years ago that makes me nostalgic for that day.

Botanic bouquets

/ Tracy Abell / 10 Comments

Today I joined a new friend from Barnraisers and his family for a visit to the Botanic Gardens in Denver. They live out of state and while we’d only met via zoom, he and I  connected through the screen. Happily, his spouse and son were equally fun to talk with. I purposely left my camera at home so as not to be rude about interrupting conversations to take photos, but these beauties were too hard to resist and I used my camera phone to capture their essence.

Here’s another clump highlighting the stems which resemble fluffy evening gowns:

Hooray for the beauty of Pasque Flowers!

Standing at the edge

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

Things can fall apart, or threaten to, for many reasons, and then there’s got to be a leap of faith. Ultimately, when you’re at the edge, you have to go forward or backward; if you go forward, you have to jump together. ~ Yo-Yo Ma

Okay, mourning dove.
It’s just you and me.
One . . . two . . .  three . . . JUMP!

Dust in the wind

/ Tracy Abell / 1 Comment

The wind is BLOWING right now. (Per my phone, weather is currently: “62 degrees and blowing widespread dust.”) It’s warm and very dry here in Colorado and one wildfire’s already burning in Park County. My wildfire anxiety is HIGH. Emma’s pressed up against my feet right now because the house shakes and the roof creaks with each particularly strong gust of wind. Making matters worse, tomorrow’s supposed to be even windier than today. Ugh.

I’m going to abort my writing plans and instead play loud music to drown out the nightmare outside while I create some art. Before I go, here’s a tree I photographed yesterday when we hiked at Castlewood Canyon State Park (where the wind had already started). We still had a lovely time.

I went searching for a wind-related quote and found this which feels like a good antidote to my current windy reality and a good match for this photo.  Enjoy.

We never look deeply into the quality of a tree; we never really touch it, feel its solidity, its rough bark, and hear the sound that is part of the tree. Not the sound of wind through the leaves, not the breeze of a morning that flutters the leaves, but its own sound, the sound of the trunk and the silent sound of the roots.
 ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

Howlin’ for You

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

My days often begin with hoop-dancing in my living room where I put on loud music and dance around for 20 minutes or so, snapping my fingers and singing off-key. In addition to the birds (and squirrels) at the feeders outside the window, I’m also frequently joined by Emma. Typically, she’s in whatever room Zippy is occupying but something about the music and my dancing gets her going, and she’ll suddenly appear in the entryway, wagging her tail and smiling at me. That’s my cue to begin howling.

Emma immediately joins in.

She usually stays out of the way, content to howl from the edge of the dance floor, but this morning she moved in close to the action.

You’ll have to trust that my hoop is spinning around me and my head is thrown back to howl with Emma. Zippy sprang into photographer action when I called to him, but the camera had the long lens on it which didn’t allow for a wide angle shot.

But baby, we were both howlin’ for you.

Thankful Thursday: a world worth fighting for

/ Tracy Abell / 2 Comments

It seems everywhere I look, people and planet are suffering because the powerful are making decisions that benefit a select few. Sometimes (okay, frequently) I’m overwhelmed by the feel of this Whack-a-Mole reality in which it’s one awful thing after another being inflicted on us in the name of capitalism and Christofascism. However, nature always brings me back to myself and while this photo is from another year and another season, its beauty centers me today.

View from Eaglesmere Lake Trail. Sept 28, 2021

Today I am grateful for the many, many people putting themselves on the line for a better world. And today I vow to remain in the fight because this planet and all its inhabitants are worth fighting for.

Thankful Thursday: hiking edition

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

We took a much-needed break today and headed to Staunton State Park for a hike. This is the second photo I took (the first was of the trail map) and, as you can see, Emma was enthusiastic about the clean mountain snow. I caught her mid-submarine and the snow was flying.

It wasn’t all snow, however. There were also patches of treacherous ice and sections of trail with mud thick enough to suck the boots off your feet. (Almost.) Fortunately, Emma isn’t interested in rolling around in mud.

Here are Emma and Zippy on the switchback ahead of me. A forest feels so different when blanketed with snow and while I enjoyed the entire hike, I was especially happy when amongst the trees.

True to form, we didn’t make it to our destination (Elk Falls Pond) because we ran out of time. But this was our view when we  stopped to eat shortly before turning around to head back. Nothing but clean air and warm sunshine.

It was seven miles of rejuvenating happiness and I’m grateful for those hours in nature.

Twofer Tuesday: towhee edition

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

I love me some Spotted Towhees which frequently hang out in our backyard. We often hear them scrabbling through the mulch and leaves as they jump forward and scratch backward with both feet, and over the last two summers they nested in the yard which meant we also got to hear the juveniles making their raspy cries for their parents. Spotted Towhees have a high entertainment value.

These images were taken within days of each other last October and might possibly be the same bird. The only thing I know for sure is that they are not-great images!  But what better way to celebrate Twofer Tuesday than with two poor photos of the same subject?

This first one is woefully out of focus but we still get the the slightly punk rock attitude with those ruffled head feathers and red eye.

The second photo gives us a lovely view of the towhee’s back along with a glimpse of its underside. You know, to help with identification. HA. Mostly, it’s a nice shot of our deteriorating timbers and weed-choked pavers.

My mother-in-law once told Zippy that Spotted Towhees were her favorite bird (but then thanks to her memory issues, she promptly forgot that statement.) No matter, I remember and every time I see one, I think of Alice. Sweet-sweet-teeeeaaa.

Caturday at the condo

/ Tracy Abell

Over the past week, the entire household moved room to room, following the sun. The Costco Box Condo is typically a prime late-morning location, but ever since I put the bed on the upper level, Marcel (in white) won’t go up there because he has an aversion to all non-human beds. This means Brother Loki is free to lounge in the penthouse or on the second floor. He’s happy most anywhere he can nap.

In this image, though, it feels as if Marcel is silently admonishing me for ruining his perch. Know what? I’ve just decided I will remove that little bed.

Well done, Marcel.

Warm imagery

/ Tracy Abell

This morning my phone told me it was –10 degrees outside which would explain the frost and ice on the insides of the bedroom window. It eventually got a little warmer, but was still so cold that when Zippy went out for a few minutes to shovel, he lost feeling in his fingers. I haven’t gone outside today and am exceedingly grateful I had the luxury to make that decision.

In case you’re also enduring brutally cold temperatures, here’s a photo from July 2020 when I crawled beneath the day lilies as they reached for the warm, blue sky:

I look forward to seeing those cheery flowers again.

Wishful thinking

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

It’s currently 6 degrees (and according to the weather app, “feels like  –6”) so I’m warming myself with a memory of last July when we were camping in Routt National Forest.

Not only was it much warmer on that day, we could also hike on the trails. Around here, it’s been so wet and muddy that I haven’t been out in the open space for a couple months. And today I haven’t even ventured outside, not even to walk Emma. It’s too damned cold.

But yesterday? It was in the upper 50s.
Make it make sense.

A little pretty because so much in the world feels really sh*tty

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

Here’s my beautiful orchid that abruptly lost all blooms several weeks ago after blooming for months. And now look!

Not only do we have new orchid blooms (and more on the way), I survived my dental cleaning this morning. Not one tear! Also? I ran in the sunshine with my short-legged doggie and then ran some more after she bailed on me. Endolphins!

Yes, humans are creating much outrage and heartache in this world, but good stuff still happens. I’m calling today a WIN and hope the day also brought you some joy.

Sunday Confessional: my disappearing act

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Not sure what it is, but whenever I take days off from posting here, it’s hard to get going again. The blog-less days stack up and it seems I’m powerless in the face of all that inertia.

Or maybe the truth is that I’m at peace with my state of rest.

Until I’m not. And I guess today was my limit. However, I don’t have a whole lot of energy, news, or imagination right now so I’m going to post a photo from December. This sun-bathing Marcel represents the entire family this winter as we all follow the sun as it shines through different windows throughout the day.

This photo also symbolizes the many ways I’m at peace with my state of rest in terms of housekeeping. As you can see (pun intended), that window is quite dirty. I take the blame for the dust and finger smudges, but those sneeze speckles are Marcel’s fault.

So, that’s the post. Whew.

Etiquette question

/ Tracy Abell

You’ve probably noticed how when someone says hello or smiles at you, your automatic reaction is to say hello or smile back. ~ Shawn Achor

January 3, 2023

Yes, but then there are situations in which that other being stares and flicks its tail. How does a tail-less individual reciprocate?

The more things change

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

I enjoy looking at photos from the same date in earlier years, just to see what I was about to at the time. Apparently, I’m very much a creature of habit.

Here’s what I was thinking about and photographing exactly one year ago today:

And here’s my photographic muse on January 21, 2020:

Clearly, I’ve got robins on the brain. And what about January 21, 2021? Well, I didn’t take any photos that day. However, tomorrow it’ll be exactly two years since I photographed this Cooper’s Hawk which, by the way, is staring quite intently in the direction of the bird bath.

How about you . . . do you check out your photos from earlier years? And if so, do you have a more diverse repertoire than me?