Bathing Birds

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to capture birds bathing.  And, I happen to have a variety of photos of these lovelies in the midst of their abulations. Let’s go check them out.

Join me in a bath?

Bathing White Pelican

A gull taking a bath on a Carnival Cruise

Now shake it off!

Pulling the water up

Taking care of the back

Now that was good!

Drying in the sun

Cleaning the face

And done! I hope that you enjoyed today’s photos! Have a great day and be well… ^..^

Up Close – Through My Eyes

Brie Anne Demkiw over at WordPress has chosen the topic Up Close for the photo challenge this week. Right up my alley! Ready to see a different world? Click on each photo to see the details in more detail!!

How is this face to face with a bee? Check out her beautiful wings.

Looking at nature up close

Did you know that there are curlicues inside the dandelion blossom? I didn’t!

A dandelion

The heavy pollen is hanging on to this daffodil.

Swimming in Salmon

Lovely colors are found inside an almond blossom.

Almond blossom

The Birds Nest fungus is 1/4 the size of a dime. Imagine my surprise to find the little “eggs” inside of it.

Inside the Birds Nest

I never knew that the inside of a vinca, or periwinkle, was orange and fuzzy.

Periwinkle Center

Did you know that one individual petal of a clover blossom has many parts?

Long stalked clover

As each faerie releases, what is left behind looks like a pin cushion.

The last of the fairies

There you have it! I hope that you did give each of these photos a closer look. There is a lot of detail to be found in a world up close!

Be well…. ^..^

Snow in July – Friday Fictioneers

Snow in July – Photo by Dee Lovering

Snow in July? I guess anything is possible. I put on some winter clothes and headed to the park.

I grabbed a hot chocolate and went inside the pavilion. Sitting on a bench, I looked at the happy faces of the children on the merry-go-round. They always make me smile.

After sitting for a good hour, I put my mittens back on and headed for home. I turned on the news. “Scientists today are giving us a bit of alarming news. Climatologist Dr. Radovich of NOAA reports that the earth is heading for an ice age.”

So much for global warming.

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Thank you Rochelle for hosting Friday Fictioneers and to Dee Lovering for the photo that inspired this story. And, thank you dear reader for taking the time to stop on by for a quick read. Have a fantastic day!

Winner of the 2015 Pretty Feet Contest!

Today is the day that I reveal the winner of the 2015 Pretty Feet Contest! Thanks go out to everyone who took the time to vote.

We have a tie at third place! The two winners of the third place award go to the Koala and the Frog!

Koala

Koala

Frog

Frog

Proud to be in second place in this year’s contest is the Cougar!

Cougar

Cougar

Drum roll please….The first place winner of the 2015 Pretty Feet Contest: Nicholas the Elephant!

Elephant

Let me share with you a bit of his background. He was born on December 19, 1993 at a circus breeding facility. He was an unruly elephant, maybe because they made him ride a tricycle. He was retired from the circus at the young age of 5. His constant companion for years was a female named Gypsy. She became his surrogate mother. When he reached the ripe age of sixteen, he had to be separated from her to “go his own way” which would happen in the wild.

Nicholas is living a happy life in a huge enclosure at the Performing Animal Welfare Society compound located in the small town of San Andreas, CA. His new companion is a deer. Would you like to adopt Nicholas? You can! Here is the link to PAWS to find out how to do it!

Here is Nicholas in all his majestic glory!

Elephant

Thanks again go out to those who voted, and may you have an amazing day. Be well… ^..^

Terrific Topper for Grilled Steaks – Tasty Tuesday

Welcome back for another edition of Tasty Tuesday! With BBQ season in full swing here I thought that we would revisit a very tasty dish that is fabuloso on grilled steaks. It is so easy to make and so flavorful. Today’s recipe is Sauteed Mushrooms. Ready to head into the kitchen?

Ingredients
1/2# crimini mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic
2 TBS butter
fresh ground black pepper

A short list. Let’s get this together. First take the mushrooms, rinse them in water and then towel dry removing any lingering soil from the mushroom. Make thick slices, and take a few to chop up.

Crimini Mushrooms

Next, chop up the garlic. Take out a saute pan and add the butter and the garlic.

4 cloves of garlic with 2 TBS butter

Turn the heat on to medium heat. When you can just smell the aroma of the garlic, add in the mushrooms and a few twists of fresh cracked pepper. Stir. Let the mushrooms sweat. Here is a photo of them mid-way through.

Midway through cooking

The fragrance is amazing isn’t it? Here is what they look like when they are done.

Serve these puppies up!

Total cooking time is between 10-15 minutes. Spoon equal portions over your grilled steaks.

Sauteed Mushrooms

Feel free to use these too over chicken or some juicy pork chops done on the grill!

Well thanks for stopping by today and stay tuned for another excellent recipe coming to your kitchen next week! Be well… ^..^

Big Foot – Mondays Finish the Story

Today, the start of a work week, is the day that I devote to hosting the Mondays Finish the Story flash fiction challenge. In the challenge, I ask that you use between 100-150 words that uses the opening line and the photo prompt to create your story. Here is today’s photo and the opening line is in bold and italics. I hope that you enjoy my story.

© 2015, Barbara W. Beacham

“The petroglyphs told the story of an unusual event.” Now most would look at all the symbols that cover the rock in this photo. What they should be looking at is the area on the upper left.

Do you see the two figures at the left? The one on top is a dog. The one below it is Stands Tall and Points. The two of them used to travel together. The art depicts a story he told the Anasazi.

He tells them that not only would there be a migration of big horned goats, but also snakes. Hunting will be good.  He says the rain is coming. He lets them know to secure the ladder to the cliff dwelling. They were all good signs.

The grandfather looks at his sleeping grandson. He is now asleep. Too bad the grandfather thought. I was just getting to the part where Big Foot comes in. Few paid attention to that symbol.

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Mondays Finish the Story

You too can take part in this challenge. To get there just click HERE!

Enjoy the day and sorry for the late post today. A bit under the weather… Dear reader, be well… ^..^

A King and a Throne – Sunday Photo Fiction

Henry’s New Throne – Photo by Alastair Forbes

This is a story of a king and his throne, and one seldom heard of.

Gertrude is a fine seamstress. She is known to have the swiftest needle in the entire kingdom. You just did not want to piss her off by complaining about anything she made, only because she had a funny way of getting back at you.

Her husband, Rolf, is a fine carpenter. He lovingly worked as quickly as he could to create a new throne after the last one broke. Together with his wife, they crafted a very handsome piece. The following day was to be the unveiling and they hoped it would pass muster.

They stood at the very back of the room as the king swept in. Walking tall and proud he made his way to the throne. Stepping up on the dais, he turned and planted himself on the seat. He held onto the arms tightly as he tested it out. Smiling, he waved Gertrude to the front of the room.

She approached the king. Whispering in her ear, she looked at him in shock. Raising the royal tookis, Gertrude inspected the area, and apologetically pulled the needle from Henry’s backside. Rolf smiled.

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Sunday Photo Fiction

A huge thanks goes out to Alastair Forbes for hosting Sunday Photo Fiction, and for the amazing photo that inspired this story.

Thank you dear reader for stopping by and be well! ^..^

Random Views of Insects

I was thinking about what to post today, and decided I would share with you some random views that I took of insects. I hope that you enjoy the photos today.

A cricket.

A green cricket

A flame skimmer dragonfly.

Loaded with details

Green comma butterfly.

The Green Comma

A swallowtail butterfly.

A White Swallowtail Butterfly

EB’s mothra.

Female Ceanothus Silk Moth

Check out the eye on this wasp! Click twice on this photo to see the detail!

The eye of a wasp

A bumblebee.

The Bumblebee

A Sierra Foothills native. The tarantula!

Coming at you!

I hope that you enjoyed the photos today, and thank you for taking the time to drop on by. Be well… ^..^

Half and Half – A WordPress Photo Challenge

Ben Huberman over at WordPress has chosen the topic “Half and Half” for this week’s photo challenge. He says, “…share an image that has two clear halves, literally or figuratively. You could focus on composition, like me, and take a photo with an explicit dividing line (either vertical, horizontal, or diagonal). Or take the theme in other directions: zoom in on a pair of objects that together form a whole. Show two people whose demeanor or personality complement each other. Or bring into balance two opposing visual elements — light and dark, color and its absence, sharp focus juxtaposed with blurriness.”

Here is my world of half and half.

Half smooth, half rough.

Sea foam

Two halves of a wine barrel.

Pulling the barrel apart

Acorn squash cut in half.

Cut the acorn squash in half

Split image in a reflection.

One lovely reflection

Half on, half off.

I was so tired after flying that I fell asleep on the stairs!

The top half and bottom half.

Yellow cone up close

There you have it! A world of halves. Thank you for stopping by today! Be well… ^..^

Visiting Dijon – Friday Fictioneers

Today I am writing for the Friday Fictioneers flash fiction challenge. Today’s photo was taken by Sandra Crook and it is of a street in Dijon France. Let’s see where this photo takes me…

Dijon – Photo by Sandra Crook

A breeze blew through the street, carrying the aromas of baking bread. It tickled their noses making their stomach’s growl.

“Do you smell that?” Claire asked Jean Luc.

“It smells glorious.”

Following their noses, they found the patisserie. Ordering beer and sandwiches, they sat to eat. Jean Luc got up and asked the gal behind the counter, “Do you have any Grey Poupon?”

“No!” she replied.

Jean Luc returned to the table. “Did they have any?” Claire asked.

He shook his head no showing her his empty hands.

“This is just not going to cut the mustard,” she said smiling.

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Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting Friday Fictioneers, and to Sandra Crook for the photo that inspired this story.

To you dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this sappy tale.  I just had to do something with mustard.  😀

Have an amazing day and be well… ^..^