Sepia Tone Morning

This morning I took Lexi to a place we love to walk in the summer. I realized we had never been there in the winter. In summer, it is lush and vibrant and colorful and beautiful--echoing with birdsong and the rustling of little critters in the underbrush.





How different it looks in winter. It is stark and sparse and serene and still beautiful. The birds still sing there, but it doesn't sound so carefree now. There's a tone of earnestness--the search for those elusive berries of summer a little more intense.

 

     Now I'm off to fill up my bird feeders.

Early Morning

I took a walk early Saturday morning.

I brought my new camera with me in the hope of capturing some deer.

As I walked, I realized I can now tell the difference between the sound of a squirrel moving through the woods and a deer.  You might think that would be a no brainer, but for the longest time, any rustling I heard made my heart skip in the anticipation of seeing a deer.

First, I heard a squirrel.  I wasn't fast enough with the camera to get him.
A short time later, I heard a deer.  I crouched down and got my camera ready.  The rustling became louder and louder.  She was running straight at me!  My nerves got the best of me and I stood up.  She, of course, stopped in her tracks and bounded off in the opposite direction. 
Maybe next time I will stay put and get an amazing photo of a deer leaping over me!

A little while later, I saw her and another doe playing in the woods.  They were jumping at each other like two puppies.   I didn't even try to snap a picture--I just stood there enjoying them.

I did manage to get these photos of the beautiful winter foliage though.  I was able to sneak up on these plants with no problems--I'm a cagey one like that.