No, not the Hendrix kind.
The Japanese Iris kind.
They don’t last long.
But they sure are pretty while they’re here.
Especially after a rain shower.
At night.
Tag Archives: photography
In case you’ve never seen it close up….
Don’t get excited, I’m talking about deer antlers.
And as I was filtering through my hundreds of shots of our buck the other day….
I thought some of you city people might get a kick out of this.
After the fall rut….. (read: deer orgy, where size does matter) ….. the buck will drop his then useless horns.
It’s a slow process that sometimes takes all winter. The blood supply is cut off and they slowly loosen. You often see bucks with one side hanging crookedly… and they’ll rub against trees, fence posts, picnic tables or whatever is around to knock them off.
When this happens, it does look a little bizarre.
And painful, though they assure me it’s not.
But how do the proverbial ‘they’ know?
I doubt anything has fallen off of them lately.
It certainly doesn’t look like fun to me.
The herd.
It’s been deer central at Casa River lately.
With upwards of 14 at a time.
Lots of repeat visitors from past years, and though they might all look the same to you…. we recognize and call quite a few of them by name.
Alright… Pregnant, the Buck, Little Guy and Dark Doe aren’t so much names as designations. But still.
Our resident buck’s antlers are starting to grow back….
Which always makes me think of Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia’s doughnut hairdo.
They’re all currently blowing winter coats and the lawn is full of hair clumps.
Which the birds, chipmunks and squirrels scoop up for their spring nests.
Mother Nature is a wonderful thing.
Ice, ice.. baby.
I just pulled these pictures off my camera.
I’d like to say they were taken last winter.
But actually… it was a few weeks ago.
Rain, that turned to sleet, that froze to ice.
Every single surface was coated.
And while I’ve never managed to do it’s beauty justice….
It doesn’t stop me from trying.
Crazy like a…..
You knew where this was headed.
Our beautiful pair of foxes from last year are back.
Which means I’m laying in a steady supply of grain free vitamin filled dry dog food with taurine.
Along with fresh strawberries and blueberries.
Why?
Because a veterinarian friend told me that’s the best thing to feed them.
And because this:
Is only available for sale in England.
Have you ever watched a deer go apple picking?
Well now you can.
We had a lot of visitors this past winter.
These are pictures from back in January because I’m still playing catch up from the vacation posts.
Our buck kept his rack a lot longer than usual.
But it didn’t stop him from apple picking.
Or sticking his tongue out at the photographer.
Cheeky little bugger.
Father and son…
Or daughter, it’s hard to tell at this stage.
Winter blues….
No, not the depression.
Sorry, not the brothers either.
I’m talking about the colors.
Living in Maine, most of our winters are white. But there’s also a lot of beautiful blue…
And when a storm is moving in?
It’s really quite lovely.
These were all taken through my dirty winter windows last month, so be kind.
But spots and all..
You have to admit winter blues are pretty.
Even the ones that turn out kind of weird.
The one thing you definitely don’t want to see in the winter in Maine.
Even with the milder winters we’re having, we still see our fair share of snow, ice, and sleet. But temperatures are warming and we’re not seeing those epic dumps of the white stuff like we used to.
This used to be a normal February.
Tunneling was a way of life.
Now? We get a few inches and it melts.
Then it freezes.
I am so done with ice.
Yes, it’s pretty.
But when walking to the mailbox means you might slip, fall and crack a rib?
You can have it.
Give me a foot of snow over pretty shining crystals any day.
And with all that snow, melting and ice?
This –
A leak in the roof.
And what looks like an expensive repair to the ceiling.
It’s the worst possible time of year for it.
So from now until spring, when we can get it fixed, I’m going to cringe every time it rains.
Good times.
Cape Cod Day 7…. Woods Hole and the aquarium
The tiny village of Woods Hole.
Home to the famous oceanographic institute… where you can visit, but can’t park your car.
Also home to a drawbridge….
And some wonderfully odd ships popping out of nowhere.
Our original plan was to visit the institute but when we realized we’d have to park downtown and walk ( in a 20 degree wind chill, after just hiking the Knob in a 20 degree wind chill) we opted for the aquarium instead.
I’d read it was small and didn’t get my hopes up…
But they actually had a large diversity of marine life….
As well as some fascinating exhibits.
No, not all the fish were pretty.
But it’s the weirdos I like best anyway.
Like this fellow….
And his large friend.
Pardon all the background noise, it was rather crowded the day we went.
Did anyone else realize loggerhead turtles were so freakin’ big?
Here’s someone you don’t want to step on accidentally.
This next guy looks my husband’s grumpy uncle.
Imagine having that stare at you across the Christmas dinner table every year.
Fish scales can be counted like tree rings?
Another thing I didn’t know.
I was beyond thrilled they had Lion Fish.
They’re my favorite!
Okay, yes.
They’re poisonous as hell and would just as soon kill you as look at you…
But aren’t they grand?
I mean come on…
Wouldn’t you risk a little venom…
To sidle up next to one of these beauties?
Cape Cod Day 7…. The Knob.
Yes, you read that correctly.
We visited the Knob.
I admit to being Knob ignorant before a local told us about it….
But it was our last full day on the Cape and it was on our way to Woods Hole, so why not?
Of course I wasn’t exactly dressed for hiking…
But I never let improper footwear get in the way of a good time.
Most of the trek was through the woods.
But there were a few scenic spots along the way.
And a few blisters in the making later…
There it was.
The Knob.
And one adorable…
Very photogenic dog.
Who I made friends with while the husband…
Started talking politics with a nice guy we met along the way.
45 minutes and numerous dog photos later…
I finally got him on the move again.
Did I mention it was freezing cold with a biting wind?
Well, it was.
But we made it to the Knob….
Where I was glad to see they cared about their rocks.
Some Instagram girls were there ahead of us, making the most of the backdrop.
Until the husband promptly ruined it for them.
Well, if you insist.
The view from the Knob.
Knob seen and photographed, we headed back.
With the inventor of Trip Advisor’s house in the distance.
Duly warned against rock theft, we continued back to the car…
And peaceful Quissett Harbor.
River's world..... 