The mottled coloring of this harbor seal at Yaquina Head reminded me of our tortoiseshell cat Trixie, who I would see shortly, as this was the last day of my short trip to the coast.
Tag: Oregon
The Pup Pythagoras
The past couple of days Ellie has only wanted to go on 45 minute walks, still amazing for her age, but not quite the adventurous 60 to 90 minute walks of previous days. One thing I’ve noticed as she’s aged, in addition to the stiff legs and shortness of breath, is that at an intersection she tries to take the diagonal across instead of crossing each street in turn. She I suppose intrinsically understands the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and at her age wants and needs to minimize effort, but it always makes me think of the famous theorem that bears Pythagoras’ name. It made a big impression on my young self when I first learned of it and I realized the world of mathematics, and our world it describes, is both profound and beautiful.
Despite this I make Ellie take the long way round, crossing each street one at a time instead of taking the diagonal, as we live in the world of the automobile and it is their rules that govern our walks. She doesn’t understand, but then neither do I.
Subtle
Subtle is not a word you would use to describe the breeding plumage of the male wood duck, but the light in the shade muted the colors of both the duck and the reflections of the fall color in the water.
Built By Happy Free Spirits
One of my favorite pieces of artwork in our neighborhood.
Migration
As animals migrate, winter brings changes to the wildlife you see in the Pacific Northwest. Our Irvington neighborhood is no exception.
Double Dragon
These pictures may look the same but the top one is from Saturday, the bottom Sunday. We’ve had a spate of sunny and cold weather and Ellie was up for unusually long walks both days, slightly over an hour and a half on Saturday and slightly under on Sunday. She wanted to go past Irvington School on the way home, normally we don’t go that far south and east, she likes it because people walk their dogs in the grass field and I like it because I can photograph her beside the dragon statue. She wanted to go Friday as well, trying several times to get me to go past, but school was in session.
This pup is the best.
One Year Ago Today
Exactly one year ago we were supposed to get a little bit of snow, a rarity for us, so I stayed home from work so I could take the pup out in whatever we got. We’d get quite a bit of snow a month later, not like the dusting here, but of course I had no way of knowing that. A biting wind made our outing less enjoyable than it might have been but I was still thankful for the chance to take Ellie out in the snow. Today was also a bit of a rarity weather-wise, cold but sunny, as it has been all week. No pictures from today, I had a meet-and-greet with a potential employer and was tied up all morning so we had to forego the long walks that have been a staple of our mornings since I got laid off a month ago.
White on Green on Brown
We have two large maple trees between the sidewalk and the street, last winter brought white snow on top of the green moss on top of the brown bark.
Forest Gnome
When I first got started in wildlife photography, when I’d come across a hole or a cavity I assumed that if you waited a while, you’d see the creature that lived there. I learned long ago that you often don’t see the animal, and maybe nothing is living there at all, so when I saw this creature greeting the morning sun from its tree home I approached cautiously and respectfully, took a few pictures, then continued on my way.
Legs Crossed, Holding Tightly
Pity the starfish that does not take advantage of the cover of high tide to go to the bathroom when no one is watching. This poor fellow clinging to a large boulder was left high-and-dry by the receding tide and could do naught but cross its legs and hold it in. Waiting for the inevitable return of the sea but tortured always by the sound of splashing water.
Boolie 