Winterfest Photofest

We’ve been getting lots of submissions, so I have a few photos to share with you today.

First, two fascinating photos sent in by Sheila Crosby who tell us,

Just to be a bit different.

INTSnow is the Isaac Newton Telescope To the best of my knowledge it’s the biggest telescope that’s ever been moved. It opened on the south coast of England in 1968, then they shut it down in 1979 and moved it to La Palma in the Canary Islands where it reopened in 1983. It’s my favourite telescope because I met my husband in the control room there.

WHTsnow is the William Herschel telescope. When I worked there it was the biggest in Europe, with a main mirror 13ft in diameter. Now it’s dwarfed by S¡Gran Telescopio Canarias, but I don’t think I have a snowy photo of that. one.

The observatory is only 28 º north of the equator, and the Canary Islands are a winter sun destination for much of Europe, but the observatory is at almost 8,000ft, so snow is fairly common in winter – less than it was 30 years ago though.

Sheila also has an interesting website, La Palma Island, that’s full of information about astronomy and the island itself. If you have a chance I encourage you to check it out.

*****

Next, a beautiful home with a long driveway that speaks to the demands of winter from Suzanne Willis.

*****

Finally, we have a beautiful and engaging photo from Todd R. I love the look of wonder on the dog’s face.

Corgi in the Snow,©Todd R.

Thanks to everyone who has sent in photos. We’ll be seeing them all over the next few days, and there is still time to send us your submission to [email protected]. The address is always on the left sidebar underneath the colourful, percolating head.

Winterfest Photofest

Today’s photo is from PZ Myers of Pharyngula fame, and it’s a tranquil look at wintery ice crystals. Brrrr.

Back at the Zoo 3: Roos!

Our zoo seems to attract albino Bennet Roos..

Jack’s Walk

I’ve been struggling to write this post for 2 weeks, but I can’t keep putting it off, so here goes.

Jack and I haven’t had many adventures over the past month because Jack’s gone lame. The problem is mostly with his front end somewhere, but we can’t quite pin down the problem, and his walking is continuing to deteriorate. It may be due in part to the return of Larry the Lump (warning – the bottom photo is gory), who has taken up residence in Jack’s Rt. elbow, but his left shoulder is also inflamed. We see the Dr. again tomorrow, and hopefully, an x-ray will give the vet a better idea of cause, effect and treatment options. He has been started on pain pills, and they allow him to rest comfortably at home, but he isn’t himself.

There is some small good news, however. We have successfully weaned Jack off of his steroidal allergy tablets and onto a plain cetirizine (Reactine) tablet, which means he’ll soon be able to take an anti-inflammatory to help with his arthritic hips and knees. Right now, it’s one day at a time, and I’m letting Jack decide how much he wants to do. On a good day, he goes to the end of the street and back, but on a rainy day like today, Jack only wants to go out to the yard.

About a month ago, when things were better, I took Jack to the wee woods for a walk and did some videotaping while we were there. I’ve put together a small youtube movie of our walk, and I’ll be releasing it on Saturday, Dec. 5th, as part of our Winterfest celebration. It’s my first attempt at videography, and there was a pretty steep learning curve, but I’ve managed to put together about a 5-minute clip that I’ll be releasing on Sat. Dec. 5th as part of our Winterfest celebrations. It’s nothing special, but I’m damned proud of myself for learning a new skill, and some of you might even enjoy it. I had hoped to add singing to the end of the clip, but Jack isn’t in the mood to sing right now, so that will have to wait for our next video. In the meantime, I’m hovering over Jack and waiting on him hand and foot. I’m also struggling with the existential crisis of figuring out what happens to Jack’s Walk if Jack can’t walk.

Winterfest Photofest

Winter is a beautiful season, as evidenced by these elegant photos of hoarfrost from VBFF.

There’s still lots of time to send in your winter photos. Our address is [email protected].

Back at the Zoo 2: Squirrely

Pics NSFI (Not Safe For Iris)

Some versions of squirrels/rodents/chipmunks.

Back at the Zoo 1

On Friday both Mr and I had a day off. We cherish those days when we’re both at home and the kids are not, having some couple’s time. We usually try to get a few of them, a day or an evening, throughout the year, but you can imagine how that’s been going this year…

Now,usually we’d go to the spa or something, have a nice meal, too, but that’s crying over spilled milk right now, so we decided to go to the zoo, which is still open, and given that it was a foggy Friday morning, we pretty much had the whole thing to ourselves. The weather made taking pics difficult, since it was either grainy 6400 ISO pics or longish exposure, but some of them are still nice.

Let’s start with these amazing birds whose names I’ve forgotten. I remember they’re from India, though…

The Art of …

… photography, by Daniel Murtagh

Kate, photograph by Daniel Murtagh. Image from the artist’s site, danielmurtagh.com

Fungi Friday

Thanks to Avalus, we have some new little mushrooms to admire.

Tree Tuesday

Today, our reader VBFF has sent in one of her favourite trees as seen in two seasons. The tree got its name because at one point it held an impressive eagle’s nest.

It’s Founder’s Day

Today would have been Caine’s birthday, and we’d like to celebrate it by officially designating the day as Founder’s Day here at Affinity. Caine started this blog in July of 2016, and her witty, insightful and eloquent writing coupled with her artistic talent, made the blog instantly appealing and quickly beloved. Her birthday seems like the right day to celebrate her legacy and all the gifts she shared with us. We decided as a team that we would celebrate today with a collection of photos that remind us of Caine. We hope you enjoy them and encourage you to share your memories of Caine in the comments section.

Note: This post has been updated to add 2 photographs that I missed from rq.

From Charly,

I remember Caine whenever I pick up my camera because she introduced me to photography and bird watching. By publishing my amateurish pictures, giving them platform and having nothing but kind words about them, she gave me motivation to go out and do something at a time when I was suffering from heavy depression, and doing anything at all was difficult.

I have always admired her ability to make the most beautiful and interesting pictures by photographing the most ordinary things. So I took my camera today and I went in the garden to take pictures of completely ordinary things. Not arranging or changing anything, just pointing and clicking. I think I went a bit overboard and I cannot decide which of these are best to publish. They all remind me of Caine in one way or another – the bird-pecked sunflower, the late dandelion, the thorny hawthorn, the rough patterns on an old chopping block… All ordinary things, but each unique and beautiful.

From Giliell,

Caine taught me to look at things, really look at them. Oh, she loved the grand, spectacular shots, but she also had an amazing eye for the small things, the things people would just walk by, but that are also just as beautiful.

I am very sure that Caine would have loved our resident rodents. She just loved all creatures. She showed me that you needn’t be religious or believe in anything supernatural to feel a deep, spiritual connection with the world around you.

From rq,

From Voyager,

I find it hard to put into words the way that Caine impacted my life. Much like Charly, I was in a bad place when I started blogging here. I’d been sick for years and struggling, but Caine believed in me and was endlessly supportive during a time when her own life was full of pain and turmoil. That support helped me redefine myself as something besides being chronically ill and this beautiful blog that she bequeathed to us continues to nurture me. I thank her for the gift of seeing the beauty in common things and for allowing me to become a part of the wonderful community that she created.

The Art of …

… seeing light. First, the original painting by Vermeer

The Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665, Johannes Vermeer. Image from Wikiart

and last, a photographic reproduction by Ranum

Girl with a pink bunny earring, by Marcus Ranum. Image from Deviantart.

The Art of …

… photography, by Ansel Adams

Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite, c. 1940, by Ansel Adams. Image from The Seagrave Gallery

Affinity

Art, Fun, & Nonsense.

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Origami: Stick Figure

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Hey, Bro

Winterfest Photofest

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Winterfest Photofest

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Back at the Zoo 3: Roos!

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Jack’s Walk

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Winterfest Photofest

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Back at the Zoo 2: Squirrely

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Back at the Zoo 1

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The Art of …

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Fungi Friday

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Tree Tuesday

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It’s Founder’s Day

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The Art of …

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