Spring is finally coming around with everything getting into some nice full bloom. Couple days ago I managed to stop by the Tidal Basin in Washington DC during sunrise and take a few photos. Cherry Blossoms were not in its full awesome “blossomnes” (that seems to be not the right spelling) yet, just a few days short. I won’t be able to see them this year during the peak time, but some photos I have are nice too and I’ll try to share them over weekend or next week.

Since there would be no mystery in posting those photos, I’m pulling something out from archive, maybe not as obvious to all. The mystery here is not only the mountain that you see in the background, but from where it was taken. Can you name both of them? btw, that guys there on a rocky cliff is not me, it is…

A nest east of High River that I have watched for a few years is home to a new brood of Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) owlets again this spring.  I went on a backroad tour last weekend and when I saw the nest occupied I set up the long lens and watched the owl as it dozed.  I watched her shift her weight around a few times and hoped that there were nestlings who might want to peek out from under their feathery blanket.  It didn’t take too long for one and then two of these babies to have a look around.

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On this latest visit, a fellow admirer told me that the nest has been used to raise owlets annually for over forty years.  I love that and it makes sense as the nest is in a great location with access to fields, shade, protection…

I took this on Wednesday morning at Tidal Basin in Washington DC. If you happen to be in DC this weekend then you’ll see it in full bloom. It is probably going to be very crowded, but pretty with all those pink flowers.

Jim Rohn has long been one of my favourite authors and although he doesn’t directly speak or write on photography it seems to me that creativity is at the heart of all he speaks about.  In several of his books which I have as audio books he talks about how you create something from nothing and he goes on to say that you start with idea’s and imagination.  I agree with him completely and whether we are talking about creating photographs or losing weight to have your ideal body , changing career to find the job of your dreams or finding and living in your dream house the journey starts in the imagination.  Creating photographs for me is similar sometimes.  The image above comes from a long line of ideas that have been percolating through my mind for quite a while.  I came across this scene last night while out…

Canon 5D III + 300mm f/4 lens: 1/200 seconds at f/4 on ISO 800

This squirrel has been a resident in the trees behind our house for five years.  He’s feisty and acts like the backyard, our deck and everywhere else he travels is under his dominion.  In this encounter I had my feet up on the railing and he squared off staring at me.  It became pretty clear that he was impatiently waiting for me to put my feet down so he could pass.  I obliged, but snapped off a couple of frames before removing the barricade.  He chirped as he ran by and kept up the chatter as he climbed up a tree.  I thought a simple thank you would have sufficed!