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From Water to Earth

A red-legged frog sits on a rock beside duckweed-filled water

This red-legged frog had been sitting in the duckweed before hopping up onto a small rock. I wanted to convey a sense of the frog emerging from one world to another, so I placed it at the bottom of the frame with the top third green water, the middle third transitioning from water to earth, the bottom third solid ground.

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Our gray tuxedo cat Templeton watches the yard from the ledge of a large picture window

This is one of the last pictures I took with my Canon 10D before upgrading to the 20D in March of 2005. It certainly wasn’t my last picture with the 10D, not even close, as I like to shoot with two cameras in the field and the 10D has soldiered on as my second camera.

Templeton didn’t care either way.

My Kingdom, My Kingdom

Our cat Templeton sniffing the air while laying down in our backyard

All of our cats are indoor cats, but during the warmer (and drier) months I let them outside into our fenced backyard for some supervised outdoor play. Templeton didn’t just enjoy his time in the backyard, he held court. I love the display of his proud and regal air to the minions who deign to share his kingdom.

Of my many pictures of Templeton, this remains a favorite.

Bottom of the Pecking Order

A young harbor seal perches on a rock near Cobble Beach at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon on March 14, 2005. Original: CRW_6389.crw

This young seal was at the bottom of the pecking order when it came to places to perch and rest, occupying the first place to get covered by the sea as the tide rolled in. This particular wave though didn’t dislodge the little one and it was able to hold its position until the rock was submerged. When I was growing up we had our own bottom rung: the dreaded middle seat in the station wagon, the one with the big transmission hump in the floor where your legs should have been.

A young harbor seal gets hit by a wave near Cobble Beach at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon on March 14, 2005. Original: CRW_6390.crw

Waves swirl around a young harbor seal as it perches on a rock near Cobble Beach at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon on March 14, 2005. Original: CRW_6391.crw

A Question for You Ellie

Our dog Ellie rests her head on her stuffed hedgehog dog toy

Ellie you say that hedgehog loves you as evidenced by how often it stays with you, but would it stay if you weren’t chomping on its head?

Our dog Ellie looks at me with seemingly sad puppy dog eyes as she plays with her stuffed hedgehog dog toy

I’m sorry Ellie, I’m sorry! Of course hedgehog loves you, it does it does. Please don’t look at me with those sad puppy-dog eyes!

Our dog Ellie plays with her stuffed hedgehog dog toy as it falls across her front leg

There’s my happy girl! That’s better … wait, Ellie, why is hedgehog running away?

A Change of Plans

A close up view of a large redwood tree on the Simpson-Reed Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the left half showing moss-covered bark with the right half showing the exposed red pulp

On my journey to the redwoods, I expected to work mostly with the widest angle of my lens, highlighting the immense size and height of these ancient trees. However, my plans changed instantly the moment I stepped on the trails. I was struck both by the myriad colors and textures of the trees as well as their tenacity in hanging onto life despite fire and storm damage. This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip and also one of my earliest, I stopped off for a quick hike around the Simpson-Reed Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park before continuing on to my hotel in Crescent City.

The bark of this redwood was colored green by moss, while on the right of the picture where the bark has been stripped away, you can see the red pulp that gives the redwoods their name.