Avalus has an eye for the small things of this world and it seems he also has an eye-out.
This little fella’ was hopping on the sidewalk next to a shop. I warded it from traffic and overly curious people that try to touch it for about ten minutes. It tried to fly but only managed big hops until eventually it succeeded and flew away.
Birdy ©Avalus, all rights reserved
From Nightjar,
D is for Desert, ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Desert.
A deep tone of beige that resembles the color of the flat areas of the desert. Lacking a nearby desert I went to the beach and found a desert-colored seashell.
Jack and Leo at the Park, ©voyager, all rights reserved
It’s another hot and humid day here and Jack and I only walked as far as the corner and back. Jack was a good boy and got his business done quickly (Good poop, Mr. Schnoop!) and then he turned toward home, anxious for his cool tile floor and A/C vent. He’s still limping a bit on his rt. leg, but you have to look closely to see it. I’ve been watching that leg from behind every day for 11 years so I notice the small stuff. One more day and he’ll be totally back to normal and hopefully he won’t get quite as excited next time he and Leo play together. This photo from early spring is Jack playing with Leo at the park.
From Nightjar…
C is for Crimson ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Crimson.
A strong red with a slight bluish tint. Historically, it’s the color of the kermes dye, a red dye derived from the dried bodies of insects belonging to the genus Kermes. Kermesic acid is the pigment that gives the dye its color. I found a similar hue on a sunburnt rose.
Mt. Joli with the Perce Rock in the background ©voyager, all rights reserved
Well, it’s not raining. In fact, it’s a hot, sunny day here which just goes to show that weather forecasting is an inexact science. Jack and I haven’t gone for a walk today partly because of the heat and partly because Jack got a bit over-excited last evening while playing with his best friend Leo (who is only 4 and half Jack’s size) and he’s limping a bit on his right back leg. It’s not serious, Bubba has a bit of arthritis in that hip and sometimes it gives him a bit of grief. Maybe tonight when the temp goes down a bit (it’s 30° C right now) I’ll take him down to the end of the street and back, but for now Jack has positioned himself in front of the A/C vent and is happily asleep. Our photo today is where Jack and I wish we were. This is the beach across the street from my mother-in-law’s house in Perce, Quebec.
From Nightjar…
B is for Black ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Black.
My cat Mia was kind enough to help with this one by posing for me.
©voyager, all rights reserved
It’s been ridiculously humid here today and it’s given me a good dose of double gravity. Even Jack was moving slowly on our walk this morning and without his usual wagging wiggle. He’s normally so puppy-like that I forget he’s 11 years old, but watching him this morning I saw every one of those 11 years in his plodding slowness. Normally, I’d say tomorrow will be a better day, but it’s supposed to rain for the next 4 days so it might be better, but probably not.
From Nightjar…
A is for Amber ©Nightjar, all rights reserved
Amber.
The name comes from the fossilized tree resin, but I found the color amber all over the sky.
Happy Canada Day ©voyager, all rights reserved
Last year on Canada Day Jack and I celebrated our 100th Jack’s Walk. This Canada Day we’re celebrating walk #358 …and still counting. We had a lovely, slow walk around our little forest this morning and I would love to show you a picture from there, but I forgot to take my camera. It’s one of those days when I’m just glad I remembered shoes (I have been known to show up in slippers) and water for the dog. To make up for the lack forest, here is a photo of Jack and I on our front porch as we wish you our annual Canada Day greeting. I wonder how many walks we’ll be at by next July 1?
Lasz week I came up the stairs from the cellar and look what I found!
I have no clue what species this is, apart from “fucking big”, as it is about two inches across. I took some pics and then carefully relocated it to where it was less likely to lead to demands of “immediate violent death” from other people.
In case you’re wondering the strange surface, the previous owners glued carpet scraps to the stairs. If there’s a hell for bad DIY, the dude is going to spend eternity scraping glue off things. Pics below the fold.
Nightjar has been hard at work on a project…
Ten months ago it occurred to me that doing an alphabet round based on colors could be a fun challenge. I was going through a difficult phase at the time and needed something to keep me distracted, so I had this idea of picking a color for each letter of the alphabet, trying to find it in nature and capturing it in a photo. Easier said than done, it turns out! For many letters there aren’t that many (or any) options available and some colors can be difficult to interpret and capture. I tried to stay away from silly color names and stick to the natural world as a source of inspiration. Those were the only rules. It was a fun and instructive exercise and I’m excited to finally share the results. I hope you enjoy it. But before we get to the letter A I thought I’d start with an introduction to the theme of colors in nature: a close-up of a rainbow!
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
It’s that wonderful time of the month when Nightjar shares her portraits of light.
In the month of the Summer Solstice sunlight is brighter than ever and nature is bracing for the dry season. Many wildflowers have gone to seed and are drying out already (some are doing weird stuff like the wild chive in the last photo… perhaps confused by the unstable weather?) and bugs are very busy. Backlighting is trickier this time of the year but I tried to play with June Light from all angles and I think it was worth it.
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
©voyager, all rights reserved
Our weather has finally warmed up and the past few days have been pleasantly warm and summer-like. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for many of our readers, especially those across Europe who are enduring a heat wave. Jack and I hope you find ways to stay cool, safe and hydrated. Jack says all you need is water – drink, splash, swim and stay cool. I say a little air-conditioning might be a good thing, too.