Light Entertainment on CREATIVE ARTS THREE DAY WEEKEND
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Pocono Mountain Back Road
© A. Mac/A.G.
Yaquinta Bay Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon Lighthouse
© A. Mac/A.G.
Monument Valley Sunrise
© A. Mac/A.G.
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Headed to the Mountains tomorrow, so, posting the article tonight (Thursday).
A wonderful group of "light" photos -
being familiar with monument valley, I really like that shot. being there in the daylight will make you feel very small.
Beautiful photos!
Evening Mac....Gorgeous photos..thank you for always sharing them. They really do make my day and I look forward to Friday's to see them. Have a great time, enjoy and hope Mrs Mac has a lovely time.
Greatly appreciate your kind words Shona & kind wishes as well. Thank you.
Exquisite artwork, Mac. They are all representative of the wonders that our world has to offer if we take the time to stop and enjoy it.
Enjoy your trip to the mountains, and hope the fishing is good.
I guess that around the neighborhood I'll be known as the ''Turtle Whisperer'' or Turtle Rescuer''.
Two days ago I rescued a box turtle trying to cross the entryway to our complex and no one was stopping they were driving around the turtle, damn dumb asses. I blocked traffic and got it to a safe spot so he could continue on his way.
Yesterday I found this Florida softshell turtle trying to get across the street in the complex. Picked it up and took it to one of the lakes we have in the complex.
This morning I was taking Wiki out for her morning constitutional and spotted another softshell right in front of our house. The weather was getting hot the sun was out and the pavements were heating up and it looked like it was in distress. I picked it up and took it to the closest pond, about a block away. Warning, softshell have very long necks and they will bite. If you pick one up with your hands too close to its head it can stretch its neck and reach halfway back on its shell. The one this morning was a big boy the shell was close to two feet end to end and yes it did its best to bite me.
Thank you for your care and consideration for the turtles that obviously needed it. While the one turtle tried to bit you, I am sure it really appreciated your help in getting safely to a place out of harms way.
It was simply defending/protecting itself. It was quite happy when I set it down about 5 feet from the water's edge. It waited for a minute to see what was next and then it was gone, splash into the lake...They are really really fast on land and of course in the water.
Glad that it was safe and out of harms way. My SIL found a tortoise in the middle of the parking lot at a very busy grocery store. It was in the middle of one of the lanes and could easily have been run over. So she stopped and picked it up and took it home with her. It was fairly young when she found it, and over the years is made the rounds from their house to most every other family member's house, eventually ending up with my Parents.
One day a person came and knocked on their door and wanted to know if they knew the tortoise was an endangered species. Not being aware of that, my Parents released the tortoise to the person upon examining their State of California credentials. The tortoise was then given to a sanctuary where it would be a contributor to their conservation program. My Mother went to visit the sanctuary and the Manager explained that the tortoise, being a male, was badly needed to help serve their female haram, which consisted of several females, with no other male tortoise on board.
When my Mother saw tortoise fully surrounded by all his female admirers she was very happy that he had finally found a good home where he could happily be of help. (grin)
Great story, RW.
Thanks, Kavika. Glad you enjoyed it.
Side note I read. The noises that the velociraptors make during Jurassic Park are actually turtles making love...
Weird story from a friend in Phoenix.
Her husband had a pair of tortoises he raised in their very large back yard
that they made a fortress/prison out of so the tortoises could not dig their way out.
Husband eventually dies.
Male tortoise starts attacking female tortoise frequently.
Coming home from work, our friend regularly finds the female on her back struggling.
One day, it was too hot and our friend does not arrive home in time to save the female tortoise.
That's a lot to bury.
Now the male turns his ire on our friend, it seems.
He breaks down the storm door and finds the bedroom so he can sleep on the floor next to her husbands closet and his side of the bed like he did as a juvenile.
She replaces the door. He rips it out.
She starts closing and locking the inside door. He trashes it but can't gain access.
He breaks a dining room window and is found sleeping in the same place in the bedroom.
She replaces the dining room window and boards up both lower windows.
She comes home a few weeks later and cannot find him in the back yard but it is trashed.
He was digging everywhere except where his mate was buried.
She found him in her bedroom, asleep between her husband's closet and his side of the bed.
Again.
The only way to avoid destruction was to give him free range of the house.
The Zoo doesn't want them, they have too many of them in Phoenix.
Eventually the Phoenix Herptelogical Society / Surrender a Pet, came and removed him from the house.
True story.
Makes you wonder about their intelligence...and ours.
Great story, Sp, thank you for sharing it with us. Animals have their own sense of right and wrong, and how they choose to express it.
I might have wanted to keep it after all that.
It tried to bite the hand of its rescuer - being so ungrateful is a good way to get itself into the soup.
ugh...
Not to me it doesn't, Buzz. It was simply trying to defend itself from what it didn't know was help or harm. I do not harm animals that are trying to survive it is my duty to help them, not harm them.
Don't take my comment too seriously, Kavika, I was only trying to play on the expression about biting the hand that feeds it.
OK.
Evening Kavika..thank you for rescuing them...have done that here to. One was stuck in a rail way line on the road. He was sticking up vertical..no one stopped. Bloody ferals.
I did picked it up and walked a few metres and plonked him in the lagoon. People are total morons when it comes to animals at times.
That is great, Kavika.
Turtles are awesome.
Snapping turtles can do that too. Stretch that neck way out.
I read some articles that now say turtles can feel from their shells.
We had a neighborhood turtle named Buddy. Big red ear. Or maybe it was yellow...
My neighbor Jeanne painted a heart with a hook on his shell.
He went from back yard to back yard and knocked on our back doors for treats like blueberries or blackberries.
Newlyweds moved in next door a few summers ago.
At a block party, someone mentioned Buddy and the new couple perked up.
The husband said, "I think I found him in my back yard, not just blocking the back door but seemingly taunting our dog
So I picked him up and walked him down to the lake.
The next day, he was back at the back door, so I took him back to the lake again.
The nest day he was back at the back door, this keeps happening,what should I do?"
We all said together "Feed him, he likes cut grapes and berries, but most of all he loves fresh worms!"
True story.
I could not get him out from behind my trash cans.
It was obvious to me that he was listening intently at one spot.
So I moved him back, moved the trash can and dug a few inches with a garden spade
and he snapped that worm out of the loose soil like lightning.
True story.
And yes I have hand fed him fruit and live worms, he prefers the worms.
LOL, the ''Turtle from the Hood''
The Tortoise we had in my family made the rounds of all of us at some point in time over a span of 20 years, depending on who was able to take care of him at the time. When Tommy was with me he loved to play with the dog out in the backyard, and played chase with the cats in the house.
When it came time to feed them all, Tommy wanted his dish beside the cat's dishes so as to eat with them. Tommy loved worms too, as well as squash, tomatoes, melon, and cucumbers.
So I fed Tommy his fruit and veggies in the house, then gave him the worms out on the patio, as they tended to crawl out of the dish in the house and Tommy would turn things upside down in the house chasing after them.
He must have had a very very well-rounded diet with all the various treats he got from each house. He really knew how to play the field.
Obviously he's carnivorous, so be careful with your fingers when you feed him.
And oldie for today....
I remember this one, beautiful.
Thanks, Kavika. I'm very glad you like it.
You bring the best meaning to the expression "Oldies but goodies".
Thank you Buzz.
I love that image. Raven Wing. It brings to mind a mandala, which is described in Wikipedia as "a Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe specifically : a circle enclosing a square with a deity on each side that is used chiefly as an aid to meditation."
Thank you very much, G. The symbol indicates the 4 seasons and the animal totems related to each season.
The mandala you speak of is indeed a very interesting concept. Thank you for sharing it with us.
It definitely does. Mandalas in Buddhism have those same four colors, red, yellow, blue and green. I think they represent the four directions.
Yes they do, Pat. That is also a part of Native American culture. The four colors shown in my artwork here, Red, Blue, Yellow and Green also represent the four directions.
The very similar color designations reflect the Native American Asian ancestry, and was carried with those who crossed the Bering Straight into North America.
So the similarity of the mandala and Native American culture, as well as many other similarities, would not be that strange.
Evening Raven... beautiful thank you. I love your Wolves...there is just something about them and especially their eyes...Really penetrating and look into your soul....
Thank you, shona. To Native Americans the Wolves are a very Spiritual entity. They are a symbol of strength, courage and truth.
For Cherokees they represent one of the 7 Clans, known as the Aniwahya (Wolf or Panther Clan) in the Cherokee language.
They are also Spirit Guides and Totem Spirits. They also are considered to be very Spiritual, and are guardians of the Tribes.
The intensity in their eyes is a reflection of their devotion to the care of the Tribes, and their Spiritual devotion to all Cherokees. It is very similar in other Tribes as well.
I'm very glad you like their presence.
Wish we had them here...they are very majestic and for some reason I feel a strong connection to them..
Hope the bushfires are not near you. Was just on the news...I dread them every year...
It would not be normal for California if there were no brush fires it seems. We moved to California in 1962 when I was a young girl, and there were several brush fires that summer. That has been the case every summer since then.
It's really sad that that so much wildlife is lost due to them, and the ruin of their habitat and fund sources for many of the animals that are left behind.
The worst part is, while many of the fires are sue to natural causes, many of them are due to arson and pyros who set the fires just for the excitement of it. I would like to take them out back and do a bit of educating about the overall cost of the wildfire to the wildlife. It is rare that they find out who set the fires and hold them accountable.
Evening. Yes it is the same here.
You are a far more forgiving soul than I am. I would like to take these fire bugs out there that light them deliberately...and throw them in it.
As we know it is the wildlife that suffers and that purely disgusts me. Yes Mother Nature does have a hand in some fires, but here it is mainly feral humans..
Geez we stuff up so many things...
It's so interesting.
Here is an example of a mandala:
Maybe I will do an article about mandalas for Creative Arts.
Thank you Pat. I'm glad you like it, and find it interesting. It represents an important part of Native American culture and history.
Thanks for sharing the mandala with us, G. It is indeed a very interesting artwork, and an example of the Hindu culture and religious beliefs.
I look forward to your article about the mandalas here in Creative Arts.
Good idea.
Just to add to the interest of the mandalas.....
.......here is an Ojibwe mandala...
and a Navajo mandala....
While there are differences in the appearance between the two, they are similar in that they both signify the four directions, as do most all other Tribal mandalas.
Those are very nice, Raven Wing. I'm intrigued by the similarity between them, your piece and traditional Hindu and Buddhist mandalas.
This gives me an idea … to incorporate a mandala into one of my paintings; I'll try that in the future.
They are all based upon the ancient Asian culture, of which much of the Native American, Alaskan and Canadian First People are descended from. Thus, the similarity of the various Native American mandalas and the Hindu/Buddhist mandalas.
That is an excellent idea, Mac! I would love to see such a painting!
Yes, that is what I realized is the reason, which you also referenced in comment 4.3.3 I almost mentioned something about it in my comment.
The Wikipedia definition of the mandala as a representation of the universe, and the explanations you provided about the representations of the four seasons and the four directions really are manifestations of the same underlying concept. Fascinating stuff.
I'm glad that I could provide you with an inspiration. No doubt you will create something great.
Indeed it is, G. While the artwork of the various Tribes is striking in some cases, the similarities are there if one looks closely. Much of the different artwork among the many Native American, Alaskan and Canadian First People Tribes is dependent upon their environment. From the deserts of the Navajo and Hopi homelands in Arizona to the frozen tundra of Alaska, and the vast areas throughout America.
Yet, the culture, traditions, religions, dances and spiritual beliefs of the many Tribes in America are very much the same. And these similarities are reflected in their artwork, such as their mandalas.
The world of the Indigenous people of America is indeed fascinating stuff.
Do Indians focus on them and meditate in the manner that happens in eastern religions?
Sorry to take so long to answer, Buzz. There may be some Tribes whose culture and beliefs would incorporate meditation with the mandalas, others could utilize them in their Spiritual ceremonies which could also include meditation.
I had fun creating this one.
That is way cool, G. And it does look like it was fun to create. Well done!
Thanks, Raven Wing
A really super creative composition, GG.
Thanks much, Buzz.
Very cool, G.
Thanks, Kavika.
Wow. That's really cool.
Thanks, Dig.
Great start! Thanks to everyone.
Bringing more light to the discussion.
© A. Mac/A.G.
Beautiful sunset, Mac, spreading its very impressive light over the countryside.
Well, nobody needs to tell you to lighten up, considering your contributions to this discussion.
We have two balconies, facing in opposite directions because our apartment stretches across the end of a wing of our building. I've been staying home a lot recently (although my wife and I went out to play ping pong this morning at the rec area beside our building) there seems to be a never-ending series of things to see, and take photos of, from our balconies. Here are some examples:
1. Looking towards the misty mountains.
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2. Day or night, there is always something to see.
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3. The playng field of the next door Primary School that is connected with Chongqing Normal University across the road - this was a special "military" day.
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4. Early sunrise over the Chonqing Normal University campus, looking east past the Primary School.
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5. Looking down, a drum band announces the opening of a new store or restaurant in the mall beside our building
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6. The elevated subway station (train approaching from the left) - across the road behind it a massive new department store/mall, and to the left the wonderfully wooded campus of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.
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7. Again looking down, schoolkids playng some kind of game.
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8. A bicycle rental company introduces itself to the area with a free ride day. Just to the right is where the kiosk opened up in our adjoining outdoor mall that sells the delicious fresh roasted and dressed oysters and scallops on their shells - 4 oysters for the equivalent of US$1.70 or 5 scallops for the equivalent of US$2.50. I get one or the other VERY often - yum.
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9. Just like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to see.
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10. And at the end of the day.....looking towards the mountains.
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Evening Buzz....Wow what a ripper of a view...
Here is one looking toward the elevated subway station and department store/mall at night. In the foreground is the transluscent partial roof of the mall attached to our building.
Yep - love your vernacular.
Those are all lovely photos, and give a great example of what one might be able to see. The one of the sunset is a great view.
Thank you for sharing them with us. It's like getting a personal tour of the various venues and the events at each one.
Thanks and you're welcome - it gives me pleasure to share what I have seen here with all of you.
About the only excitement here today was mum and bub Koala going along my fence. She was heading for the gumtrees out the front. And a ring tailed possum out in the tree last night...🐨🐨🐨
What??? No photos???
Err umm well..I have not worked out how to shove photos on here using my mobile phone...sorry..😖😖
And to be honest I see them all the time and don't think of it..🐨🐨
OK, from now on we'll be expecting to see photos from down under. You're our liaison to OZ, shona.
Ahhhhh. I hate technology..
What's the expression? It ain't rocket science.
Yeah I know but technology if any form does not interest me. For the life of me I cannot see why anyone would get excited over a new mobile phone.
I look upon it as a necessary evil and I know the basics...and as for selfies... don't get me started.
My laptop is 15 years old and still chugging along. Don't care if it takes awhile to fire up etc.. meanwhile by brother has upgraded twice and has had nothing but problems..
I stick to the devil I know...will keep stuffing around, never know I might succeed.. one day...
It's especially nice to see the photos, as many of us here may never have the opportunity to visit China to see the vast scenery in person.
Spectacular, Buzz.
Thanks Kavika.
Are they called the Misty Mountains, or are they just misty mountains? Lol.
Nice shots all.
Lack of capital letters tells the story. All the mountains around here normally appear misty, as is anything from a distance. One of the nicknames for Chongqing is "The Misty City". Another one the city is known as and I am sweating through these days is "one of the three furnaces of China". It's other nickname is The Mountain City, because it's surrounded by mountains blocking the breezes and giving it a cooking bowl effect.
I was just wondering, because, you know, Tolkien. The Misty Mountains run down the middle of Middle Earth.
As for Tolkien - An elderly Bilbo Baggins said there's always time for another adventure, and I took him seriously.
Great series of photos.
Thank you - it's really only a recording of what I can see from my apartment.
And here are a couple more that were taken from my balcony, for the love of trees....
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The Lantana seems to be doing pretty good this year.
This guy likes it...
I love lantana and the bug as well. Mother Nature at her finest.
Have no idea what that little fellow is. Wasn't going to disturb it. It was just sitting there arms outstretched. Pic a little fuzzy, sorry about that.
Morning.. crickey Lantana is regarded as a noxious weed here and sprayed on sight... but must admit it is a rather attractive plant..
Yeah, I thought it was a nice-looking flower myself.
I like that flower, but what kind of bug is that?
I have no idea. I thought it was odd looking and the way it was holding its front legs forward was strange. Like it was waiting for prey.
I guess it wasn't a "preying" mantis.
I think it's a milkweed assassin bug.
I hate those things. Got bit by one once. Nasty buggers.
Oh wow. It does look like that.
Damn. Don't assassinate the milkweeds, the monarchs need them.
By a praying mantis? It must have been a FEMALE praying mantis if it was, mistaking you for its mate.
A kayak race on the St Louis River through Jay Cooke National Park
Is that a painting? That is beautiful.
A photo from July 2018 with a new edit in photoshop.
Great photo, EG, and the scenery is truly beautiful.
Great photo EG.
I've been on the St. Louis many times, of course, I was a hell of a lot younger..
Like the photo, and although I had a kayak at my lakeside Ontario home, I'd be damned to ride rapids like those.
Hey Kavika. You are not going to believe this. I just now found a turtle on my driveway.
He was a little shy until I picked him up. Tried to claw my fingers away from his shell. Haha
I didn't know what to do with it so I just put it in the backyard.
Good chance it’s a female lookin for a place to lay her eggs.
I was thinking maybe a box turtle?
It's an Eastern Box Turtle, Ender.
It is a box turtle; the hind claws look long, characteristic of females that dig into the ground to place their eggs.
How cool is that.
Love the photos and the turtle, Ender.
Great photos Ender. The patterns on the shell of the turtle are very interesting as well.
What's with all those turtles? People here keep them as pets.
I think some here are illegal to have as pets.
That is great!
I was catching a lot of fish, no big ones yet, but it’s raining like hell & I am in my car waiting for it to pass & hoping a barometric change doesn’t kill the fishing.
Post on everyone!
Sorry that the rain has spoiled your fishing. Hopefully, it will soon pass and the big ones will show up.
A Friday newbie. I hope you all enjoy it....
Very nice, RW.
Thank you very much, Kavika. I'm very glad you like it.
Excellent image and well framed - is that a peace pipe?
Thanks Buzz. What the dancer is holding is a ceremonial staff, not a pipe.
Great image. Beautiful colors. Wonderful artwork, Raven Wing.
Thank you so much, G. I'm glad you like it.
These photos were taken earlier by a resident of Stone Creek. An Osprey diving for a fish in one of our ponds, he missed and the fish won.
Awesome photos, Kavika. Thank you and your neighbor for sharing them with us.
Totally awesome photos, Kavika.
With Friday now winding down, a former posting is in order.......
A mysterious image !
Thanks Pat.
A very awesome fantasy with the images semi-appearing in the background, and as well the transition between the burled framing being transcended by the bird in the upper right. Very, very, good.
Thank you, Buzz, I'm glad you like it. The artwork is made up of layers of various sections to create the primary image, and set against a wood burl background.
That is very interesting, Raven Wing.
Thank you G.
Random pic.
A very interesting photo, Pat. While it has some years on it from the looks of the peeling paint, it is a very lovely window and accompanying pink planter box.
This pic was taken in town area of Laguna Beach so I'm not sure if the look is due to neglect or trying for a trendy rustic look.
Either way the shutters and frames are going to need some love pretty soon.
The peeling of the paint could be due to the weather near the beach. Laguna Beach gets a fair amount of wind along with saltwater moisture and erosion. Even when new it can look old within a short time.
Not unusual for beach front locations.
That may appear to many as "just" a window, but the photo has a character that makes it more than that. It could be an illustration to a story.
Thank you Buzz !
I think that is a wonderful photo.
It could be Laguna Beach "shabby chic", but it probably just needs some paint!
A zucchini flower, with a little bug in there going after pollen. They usually only open like this in the mornings.
And since turtles are a thing this week, on the way back from the garden just now I stumbled across this little guy. I think it's a three-toed box turtle.
You counted the toes?
Lol. No, I went to ID it online and it most resembled a three-toed box turtle.
It is turtle week. Haha
That one kinda looks like the one I had.
Yours is more colorful. I couldn't find a match for it online, but I wasn't looking very hard.
Your pics show three little claws on the hind legs, so it might be a three-toed box turtle, too. Just with a brighter shell. I don't really know, though.
Well mine was soaking wet too. Haha
Rain again today.
Turtles Rule.
Indeed, they do!
Saturday it is......
With great images from the north-west tribes.
Thank you Buzz.
Been fishing today, no rain, two small fish … hoping for a nice sunset to post.
The big ones may not be done with you yet, Mac. Just waiting for the right time for the 'meet and greet'. (smile)
Today the fishing was much better; before sunset, I notice fish swirling near the lake surface. I figured there was an insect hatch and tried to match what was hatching with an artificial fly. It worked!
I took the Bluegill's picture, removed the hook and he's back in the lake
So glad that you were finally able to find a pool of fish and were able to catch a few. The Bluegill is a beauty. Now it is back in the water to wait for you to find him another day.
Since we are celebrating Turtle Week here on Creative Arts, here are a couple of photos of the hand-carved wooden sea turtle I got when I was in the Kingdom of Tonga many years ago. It was my carry-on on the plane. It measures about 14 inches by 11 inches and weighs at least 5 or more pounds. Unfortunately, it got a small crack in the wood on the top when it dried out in the L.A. climate. Turtles are very important in Polynesian culture. "Fonu" is Tongan for turtle.
Great photos, G. The wood grain and color variations are truly beautiful and look very authentic to real-life turtles. Turtles are also one of the Clans of various Tribes, as well as Spirit Guides and Birth Totems.
Your wooden turtle is indeed a symbol of the importance turtles play in the Polynesian culture, traditions, beliefs and way of life.
Thank you for sharing it with us.
You're welcome, Raven Wing.
The problem of importing wood items from elsewhere - When I was in Spain I bought a beautiful Flamenco guitar, and after a while in Toronto it cracked into uselessness.
Happily, it only has the one thin crack on the top that you can see in the second photo, and it's just on the surface. I got the turtle in Tonga in 1986, the crack happened fairly soon after I got home, and that was it. Nothing else has happened to it since then.
Love it, G.
Great! Thanks, Kavika.
There is a reason the NA's call north American ''Turtle Island''.
In the Ojibwe creation story earth was built on the back of the Turtle( mishiike). The turtle is extremely important in the Ojibwe culture and in many other native cultures.
This is a Turtle lamp made of diamond willow, basswood and the shade is birchbark.
Just to the left of the lamp is a model birchbark canoe used by the Ojibwe for centuries.
As Saturday now slowly heads into the night, one more to help lead the way......
A Fire-dancer to celebrate the current heat wave?
Beautiful Raven!
Thank you very much Perrie. I'm glad you like it.
I think this video is appropriate for the group. Most of you are aware of the various dances you've seen at Pow Wow's, the Fancy Dance, Shawl Dance, Grass Dance, and the Jingle plus many others, but it's probably not well known that Indians are involved in many types of dances and have combined Hip Hop with traditional Indian music and it all carries a very strong message. I posted videos of Supaman and Red Elk before and this is a group out of Albuquerque NM. Listen to what they are saying and if there are parts you don't understand the meaning or want to discuss just ask me.
The first American Prima Ballerina was an Osage Indian, Maria TallChief. and during that time the top ballerinas in the world were NA's called the Five Moons.
Come, enter my world, a world with a history that dates back millenniums and that America doesn't know a whole lot about.
Please correct me if I am wrong, Kavika, but, wasn't her name Maria Tallchief? She was my Mothers favorite ballet dancer.
You are correct, RW. I saw it too late to make a change. Good catch.
I might not have noticed except for her being my Mother's favorite ballet dancer, and her being Native American, I have never forgotten her name. She was a great inspiration to many young Native American girls to follow in her footsteps when possible. She gave them the courage to dare to dream that one day they too, might have their wish come true.
I got to the change when the internet came back on.
I have seen footage of her dancing and she was as light as air. Totally amazing.
Thank you very much for correcting her name, Perrie. It will make sure that her name will be remembered correctly.
Outstanding addition to the article!
Believe it or not Mac, some of the tribes of the far north are great jiggers. The Metis people of the Red River Valley in Manitoba are great at it and one of their dances is the ''Red River Jig''.
If I recall correctly, didn't you post a video of the Red River Jig some while back?
Yes, I did RW...Good memory.
I loved it to death, so I could never forget it.
Sunday morning is here again.....and here is one to start the day off....
The word that came to my mind when I saw that image was "VIVID", then I remembered seeing it before, because of what looked like a tin cup on the dancer's forehead.
Thanks Buzz. I do remember your asking about the emblem on the dancers forehead. (smile)
Pretty. I am reminded of a bee.
Thanks Ender.
That's a cool one. It makes me think of a fire dancer.
Thank you Dig.
This photo was taken yesterday by one of our neighbors. Yes, it's an owl with a little guy close by. Probably not a great idea for the little guy since Owls are birds of prey and at the high end of the scale of that select group of predators.
Living in Stone Creek, Ocala Fl is an adventure when it comes to birds of all sorts including birds of prey. We also have a large number of snakes, turtles, squirrels (not the type on NT..LOL) rabbits, coyotes, and bobcats. In fact, a bobcat was spotted two houses down from us yesterday. We also have many varieties of fish in our ponds and I've yet to see a gator in one. In the ranches that surround us, we have many different types of cattle, horses, and the occasional wild hog. (stay away from them, they can be very aggressive)
I had two birds perching on the back of one of my chairs on the patio yesterday. They were there shaking off, preening their feathers and trying to dry off.
You kinda get it all there. Haha
The only larger land animal spotted around here has been fox.
That's a cool shot. I hear owls all the time, especially in late evenings and early night, but I never see them well enough to take a picture.
I hear them all the time at night, Dig but I've only seen one during the daylight hours. The photo our neighbor got would be fairly rare I suspect.
We hear owls at night a lot, also. We never see them, but I was out one day at sunset and captured a silhouette of this one:
© G. Gam 2021
Excellent.
Good shot, G. Makes for a great silhouette of the tree as well.
That is a great shot, Kavika. Your neighbors are so very kind to share their photos with you so you can share them with us.
I've never seen or heard an owl, unless I saw one in a zoo's aviary, a VERY long time ago.
This photo was taken a year ago by someone in Stone Creek, they reposted it on our in house group. I though everyone would enjoy the photo, comet and thunder and lightening show.
Wow! That is awesome. A meteor shooting across the open sky, with the fierce thunderstorm brightly paving its way towards it in the distance. Doubling its threatening presence by its reflection on the water as well.
Beautiful in all.
Now that is a keeper. Wow.
That is an extraordinary photo. It reminds me of the time when I saw multiple distant thunder/lightning storms over the lake along the horizon from my lakeside home. Don't know why I never photographed it.
Here's one from the past....
Another great blast from the past.
Thanks Buzz.
Seeing as Sunday is moving to an end, One more for this fun weekend......
The relatively small area of blue, being a spectral opposite of the powerful orange, has the power of intensification of both on the retina of the viewer’s eyes which makes it all explode with wonderful power and vibrancy!
Just great!
Thank you do very much, Mac. Your comments always inspires me to think more deeply into the affect my artwork has on the viewer. I really do appreciate your feedback.
A lot of fiery images lately - could the west coast heat wave have anything to do with that?
Very well could be, Buzz. There are several going on in areas of California now. Some major ones up in Oregon and Washington as well. But, thankfully, none close to where I am. At least so far. But, seeing them on line does seem to stick on my mind, so maybe that is why I have chosen artwork with fiery tones.
Thanks again to all who make the Group the success it continues to be.