First Attempts At Wildlife! :)

When I first knew I wanted my "Christmas camera", it was for the purpose of being able to take photos of birds and other wildlife! The photos that follow are pretty much (the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), of these first attempts! :) I was lucky to be close enough to take this first clear (Good) photo of a tree swallow, before we noticed each other! Even so, the zoom lens came in handy! :)

Here's how close I was without the zoom! :)

This is one of the female finches! She's either the purple finch or the house finch, - I can never tell them apart! I just know these birds sing like they're rejoicing! :)

I managed to catch two females in the lens! I hope this photo enlarges when you click on it, for greater enjoyment! :)

I've been wishing I had the camera with me whenever I see the elk out in an area close to where we live! Rud took it with him one evening just in case the elk were visable and took some decent photos! We're still trying to learn how to keep some of the zoom photos from being grainy. :)

This (Bad) photo is grainy due to being taken from inside the house, through two pains of window glass! One day I hope to take a photo of the hummers outdoors before they zip away! :)

I always enjoy seeing Canadian Geese fly overhead! :)

I couldn't resist taking (Ugly) photos of these vultures that showed up! Turned out the lens had fog-like dust on it, from being out on the beach! I came in and cleaned the lens, but by then they had gone! I would have loved to have gotten clearer photos! :)

Who would have thought such an unattractive buzzard would have such graceful flight! :)

I Fought And Tamed The Dragon! :)

It takes great courage to fight a dragon! Some tell me it's foolishness in me to have done it! They say I should leave the fight to those warriors who're more experienced and have the better skills and armor! Pay Them to fight my fight! - But I've fought dragons before, and I believed in my own skill and my trusty sword and armor! - For a time, in the midst of the battle, I wondered if I Was being fool-hardy! This turned out to be my toughest dragon yet! There was so much power in this one that I felt emblazonded in it's Fire!!

But as I fought I began to see that, at last, I was getting the upper hand! It's fire was failing and it was beginning to cough on it's own smoke! :)

It wasn't long before I had brought the dragon down to size! :)

I looked deep into it's eyes and sighed! ... Taxes are done for another year! ... I have fought and tamed the dragon!! :)

April Flowers! :)

We're all familiar with the saying "April showers bring May flowers." Here's proof that April has flowers all her own! :)

Thought I'd throw in a photo of the area I planted with succulents! I needed plants that could take the full sun this area will be getting this summer! :)

Had to toss in a photo of these skimmia berries too! :)

While the peonies aren't in bloom yet, some of their buds are noticably swelling! :)

I love seeing flowers that have been kissed by dew and the morning sun, like these, that are in full bloom, right now, in April! :)

So while it's true that April brings alot of showers, (atleast here in western WA), - April also brings flowers, long before May arrives! :)

I could have added the flowering quince, in full bloom, but since I recently posted a couple photos of them, I thought it may be repetitious to add them again.

I, for one, appreciate April flowers and the bees and hummingbirds are enjoying them too! Hope they brightened your day as well! :)

Coastal Celebration! :)

We just got back from celebrating our 30th anniversary at the coast! We had so much fun that it seems only right to share a little of it! :)

The waves were incredible, as you can see! :)

The lens caught this seagull in the act of grooming himself! There were alot of males, and fewer females, so a guy's got to look his best! :)

I think this female may have been impressed! She'd stood watching long enough, that the sand had covered her feet! :)

Here's another handsome fellow! :)

I couldn't resist taking this close-up! :) -

I'll be quiet for a bit and let you just look and imagine the sound of the wind and waves! :)

Our bundled up shadows! :)

Rud took a few of these! We enjoyed taking photos with my Christmas camera! :)

I love this one he took, too! :)

The rest of these are taken with the "Sure shot"! These cute little daisies seemed to be everywhere other than on the beach, itself! :)

Here are some treasures we found while checking out the antique shops! I've always had a soft spot for cabbages with bunnies, so the white dish is now sitting on the kitchen table with Easter candy in it! :) - The rest are "frogs" to add to my collection! They are for placing in the bottom of a flower pot and holding the bouquet in place! I not only collect them, but use them, too! :)

Rud didn't find any treasures for himself, this time around, but we had alot of fun looking! :)

One view of a lake we like to drive by! :)

No trip to the coast is complete, for us, without driving to Oysterville! There are several homes there from the 1800's that we always love to pass by on our way to the oyster shop where they sell oysters, steamer clams, and all kinds of goodies, most with cranberries! :) Next time we go we will bring a bigger cooler with us so we can bring some steamer clams home with us! :)

It was a fun-filled trip that felt like someone was smiling down on us, making sure this special celebration of ours went without a hitch! :)

The only disappointment was how fast the time past that left us wishing we didn't have to leave so soon! :)

As always, we can't wait to go again! :)