As half the country is getting snow, it's a good time just to sit by the fire and read a book.  So tonight I tell you about my fire photos.
I contradict myself.  I am pirophobic, and fascinated by fire.  I guess that means I play with fire as safely as I can.
One day while camping I sat by the fire and played with my camera taking pictures of the fire. These two are the results.
The second photo you can see a flame in the center of the shot by its self.  I isolated that flame and used it on a book mark.  That way if you don't have a fire place you can put the book mark next to you and pretend your sitting by the fire reading your book.
I have since built a fire pit in my back yard and have taken many fire photos working on blurring the flames.  A hint for any one trying this, use a tripod and afterwards spray Fabreeze on a cloth and wipe your camera.  The first time I did it, my camera smelled of smoke for days until I thought of it.

About this time of year in 2013 I thought I would start 2014 with a 365 challenge.  Every day of 2014 I would take a photo.  Even if I got sick I would take a photo. One day I stuck the camera out the drapes above my bed and took a photo between coughing and sniffling. So as you might guess I got a lot of photos, I mean A LOT.  It did challenge me to take photos that are not just boring point and shoot shots.  I spent a couple of days on mushrooms, and many ducks at the park.
I was just looking at the external hard drive at photos, and found this one.
It was just as the wheat was ripe, and before the harvest.  I went for a bike ride to this field I pass every day, got off the bike and laid down between the road and field.  I got a few good shots of ripe wheat towering over me.  Then I waited until the sun started setting to get this one.  Two days later the farmer harvested this field.
I am thinking next year I will do it again.  Well maybe not 365, it was annoying taking photos if I was sick.  Lets say 320 challenge.

I carry a book with me to read when waiting in line or the first one to show up to things.  To keep my place, I need to use a bookmark.  Most of the time I use what ever paper I have at hand.  Scrap of paper, candy wrapper I made sure was clean, an envelope.  Once I read a book with a dollar bill as a book mark.
The other night I went to a dinner party.  I knew I would be early and carried my book in with me.  I sat down and opened my book, and pulled out the grocery receipt that was the book mark.  Then as people started showing up I put the receipt back in the book.  That's when I had a thought.  I bet some of my photos would make great official book marks.
The next day I looked through my photos and found some that would be perfect.  To test how they would look I tried to get them the right size and took them to my local printer.  The guy at the photo department watched them come out of the printer.  He turned to me and asked if I was printing things off the internet.  I told him no they are mine, and asked if he meant they were that good.  He really liked the one with the squirrel looking into the camera.  It made my day.
So I will be offering them in the Etsy shop.

A few years ago I was wanting to go on a road trip.  I thought I would go to the Grand Canyon.  Just a trip to there would be a little dull so why not go to Vegas and Grand Canyon.  So I called a friend who at the time was single and we went.
We planed two days at the Grand Canyon but both decided a half day would have been enough.
The Native American ruins we went to the second morning was interesting, but really anywhere you went along the rim had the same view.  Don't get me wrong, it's  big and deep and a natural wonder, but that's all its got going for it.  I did get some cool sunset photos of it with the different layers.  I have not gotten  a proof of it and have not put it for sale.
Some would say 'why didn't you go down into it and see from the inside?'  Well the friend I went with is disabled and limited mobility so we stayed on the rim.

I am wondering, is anyone reading this?  The stats say there are, but maybe it is just me checking if anyone comments.  So if your a person reading, leave a comment and say hi. Or if you want to know about something on my Etsy.com/shop/waterfallandart then ask about it.

I was just a little tike when Mount St Helens blew up in 1980.  I don't really remember it, but was told there was small amounts of ash here in eastern Idaho.  In 2001 I moved to western Washington.  In 2008 the volcano started smoking, but they decided it was safe enough to let the public close enough to see it.  So what else was I to do but drive down and see it.
I drove down and went to the visitor area that had a view, the closest one was to close they decided.
I saw the smoke billowing out, the top of the new formed dome, the trees leveled in '80, I even followed a Ranger giving a tour.  It was on the tour when we stopped for him to talk about the trees mowed down by the force that I was looking around.  With my back to the belching volcano I saw this view.  I took a photo of it and here it is for sale.
It was interesting enough sight for the half hour drive through a forest.  I don't think I will go back now that I have seen it.  I moved back to Idaho 3 months later, and miss the area.  I may have been born in Idaho, but my soul is from Washington.

Here are photos of the snake by the Snake.  We (my nephew was off work for the day and bored, and had a week before his first date with his future bride.) went to a place called Cress Creek, a little nature trail up to a spring that goes into the Snake River.  While on the trail we had to stop to let a rattle snake cross our path.  We gave him plenty of room but he moved to fast to get a photo.
The trail is a little dull for photo taking so we crossed the road and went down to the river. We were walking along the river, the path ended and we turned back.  I spotted  this little guy on the branch over hanging the river so I stopped and took pictures.  He is a harmless little guy so we picked him up to take more pictures.  My nephew wanted to take a photo and send it to his step dad who has issues with snakes.
After we took photos, we set him down under the same branch we found him on, and he disappeared happy and healthy.  Both photos are available at my Etsy shop.
I do wish I had gotten photos of the Rattle snake, but this guy is a good second.

For living in a desert we have a lot of tall trees.   Those trees along with many open fields that attract mice and other small furry mammals, makes it a great environment. It is very common to see birds of pray circling over head.  This one is my neighborhood hawk.
One day I looked out the window and saw him/her sitting on the freeway light post watching for dinner.  I grabbed my camera and rushed out.  Walking calmly and quietly I got to the fence.  The bird spotted me as soon as I came out and watched me all the way.
I got to the fence, checked my settings and focused.  Then I looked up at him/her and said I'm ready.
He/She looked around one last time then took off, low and slow, right over me.  Then he/she turned, flew higher and headed off to home.  It was like he/she knew what I wanted and posed for a photo.
This one, the Osprey that lives at the park with a lake, and the Bald Eagles at the river, would make a good grouping.



 Eagle.  I got some great shots of this guy, but the camera focused on the back ground river and not on the bird flying just below the cliff.  Then it wouldn't fly by me again.

Osprey








Another Hawk, I got this guy at the Teton Damn site.