Icy Robin

Poor bird has to be miserable. But he and some friends found a frozen berry feast from a tree down the street.

(Happy 500th post to me!)

Island of the Sea Lions

Rocky island resort of barking sea lions and screeching gulls, complete with crashing waves and salty sea spray. Click the image for a larger view.

Claw

Empty shell of a crab claw. Exoskelotons are still one of the strangest things to me. Bones on the outside of a body. Weird, weird, weird. And the whole molting thing? What must that feel like?

Mine!

A gull in mid-squawk. Makes me think this clip from the animated movie "Finding Nemo" with all the gulls in a squawking chorus of "Mine-mine! Mine! Mine!".

Lion Around

Sleepy sea lion at Cape Arago on the Oregon Coast near Coos Bay. Couldn't believe how close we were able to get to this guy.

Ribsy

Water spray and sunset almost make Ribsy seem alive. This statue at Grant Park in Portland pays honor to the beloved pet of fictional Henry Huggins in Beverly Cleary's children's book by the same name.

Return of the Chicken

Watchful eye of the Chickenland Strut. I think I've developed a chicken phobia. Probably will dream about ninja chickens tonight.

Gulliver

Speckled gull striking a pose by the Willamette River waterfront.

This summer has been so beautiful, that I had forgotten about the gray days Portland can be famous for. A welcome change from 90-degree weather.

Bee Buffet

For weeks now, countless fuzzy bees have swarmed in a neighbor's front yard, snacking constantly on abundant nectar.

Take a Bow

A gallant horse with noble manners. Or maybe he's just eating.

Chickenland Strut

Ruler of the roost struts his stuff. No doubting who's boss in Chickenland tonight.

Itsy Bitsy Brown

Teeny spider traversing a bumpy landscape of tree bark.

Makin' Honey

Luck in my favor. I was snapping a shot of this flower just this evening when the buzzy guy popped right in the middle of it.

Feathered Blue

Any birders out there? I was lucky enough to catch this guy on film, but I haven't a clue what kind of bird he is. Taken at the Chinese Classical Garden in downtown Portland--such a peaceful, natural oasis in the midst of urban glass and steel.

Kitty Kitty

Looks fierce, doesn't he? He's actually very lovable. Neighbor's cat from way down the street.

Elephant Eye

Figurine in a store. Just seemed like an interesting thing to shoot.

Pachyderm Portrait

What do roses, elephants and the world have in common?

Beats me. This odd mural on the building at Burnside and 1st Avenue in Portland is being painted over, so I consider it my duty to archive it for future generations to puzzle over.

And if you can decipher its meaning--please, enlighten the rest of us.

Pigeon Fountain

Thirsty pigeons grab a drink from a water fountain, unfazed by the rush of a city train passing by.

Galloping Away

Horses have to be one of the most elegant creatures. These were happy to show off for me one afternoon this summer, dashing past as if to dare me to get a shutter speed fast enough.

Black on Blue

A black bird's silhouette cuts across a steel blue sky.

Quirky Peacock

A stray peacock shoots a curious look at the camera while strutting outside the Portland Zoo.

Off!

Out of town last week, so no time to post. Another busy one this week, so don't expect much here for another good bit.

Mosquitos have hatched in plague proportions here lately, so it wasn't too hard to find one to photograph. Maybe I shoulda just swatted him.

Horse and Colt

Horse and Fence Post

Hungry horse grazes in his peaceful meadow.

Song Birds

Two birds sit on telephone wires like a couple of tiny notes on a musical staff.

Bzzzzzzzzz

There's yet another exotic flower in our back yard that I don't know the name of. Fragrant white flowers hang upside down clustered over a tall stalk. The bees sure love it.

Horsin' Around

One of the horses from our carriage ride (from the previous post). Never been on a carriage ride through the city before. Would have been quite romantic if there weren't nine of us piled in the carriage, plus the driver.

Blue Heron

I was out on the pier in Lakeside, Ohio thinking I could snap a few photos of boats and got something much better. As I was happily snapping away, a large heron swooped and landed fairly close to me. I stalked him slowly for about 10 minutes to get close enough for this shot. As soon as I turned my back, I missed him diving for a fish. For a landlubber like me, it was pretty cool.