The sun had just sunk below the horizon and the clouds were raging across the sky. It was a typical, angry winter evening. More snow was in the forecast and the clouds looked ready for the task. It was one of those moments that said “print me in black and white”

We haven’t been down to the lake for a few days so Flan decided she needed to go out on the dock and check things out. There were some guys ice fishing so she spent some time watching them. I think she was afraid they might fall through the ice.

‘Nuff Said!

They may be kind of fuzzy, but the dreams of summer are still fresh. And like little Buster, I stretch forward to see what lies ahead. He looks beneath the blue water and tries to make out what lies beneath the surface. Is it a fish, a turtle, a creepy black snake? No matter what, he is ready to face it for he is a brave Cheagle. And in his actions I see how to face my world, even in the midst of gripping cold, of icy snow I face each day knowing that I am strong and that someday the air will warm, the ground will thaw and the lake will thaw. Buster will gaze into the deep blue water and I will continue to marvel at his courage. But for now, I will dream of summer.

Mom told me that if I’d wear my heavy jacket the winter wind wouldn’t seem so cold. On one hand I’m glad I took her advice, but on the other hand, I still don’t like the way it makes me “LOOK FAT!”

The Acker Woods is a magic place where enchantment happens on a regular basis. There are elfin doors that are opened at night for elves to frolic and dance under the moonlight’s rays while the wise men of the trees keep guard over their world. The trees bow low to their elfin friends and pay them homage for giving them the rule of the forest during the day. And if you are lucky, very lucky you may catch a glimpse of the trees paying their homage. The other day was one of those lucky times

On the right is a photo of one of the many Elfin doors in the Acker Woods!

Say “hello” to Buster, the last of our trio of dogs. Buster is a little over 2 year-old Cheagle, mom was a Beagle and dad was a Chihuahua which makes for an interesting combination. He has the nose and tracking ability of a Beagle he also has the bark and agility of a Chihuahua.

We got Buster when he was about 4 months old at a local garage sale. He and his brother were running around greeting all comers. When the man holding the sales saw our interest in the pups he asked if we wanted one of them. He said it was too hard to try and raise both of them. He said his dogs kept getting hit by cars and when Shirlee asked him if they had their shots he replied that the only shots he gave his dogs was with a gun. With that remark there was no way we wouldn’t take little Buster, even though we had no desire to have another dog. And we have no regrets. He loves playing with Duke, our other indoor 90lb Lab and he loves his kittie kats. He’s picked out Jack, our orange indoor/outdoor cat and protects him from any of the other cats. And he loves to cuddle. Most nights you’ll find him on my bed with Oktober and Black, 2 of our other cats.

Read the post from Light Stalking about the Blue Hours ( http://www.lightstalking.com/blue-hours ) and since this evening was one of those dark and drear kind of times, thought I’d see what my lens would capture. I will admit I set the white balance for a little bluer tone than normal, but this is what I got when I spot metered off the light area of the sky. I thought is was sort of interesting. How about you?

Like many of the “old-time” photographers who are now shooting in digital I started out shooting black & white. I remember the Kodak Duflex twin-lens camera that I was given when I was in 5th grade and then a year later the darkroom outfit with a little contact printer. I remember sawing that 620(?) film back and forth in the developer and seeing the negative images appear and then making contact prints and again watching them come to life in the developer tray. It was magic.

Today it’s all different, but in many ways still the same. You take a raw (or jpeg) color digital image process it through one or more software programs, making adjustments as you go along And then suddenly it all seems to come together and there it is, the image you were looking for. And to me, the feeling is the same, magic.

I’ve been doing some playing around with Silver Effects Pro 2 which does amazing black & white conversions. For this shot I used the Antique Plate effect to get that old time feel.

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? ~J.B. Priestley.

This photo is not in black & White. It was photographed in glorious color on one of those steel grey winter days when the sun refuses to shine after dumping a load of wet snow transforming the world into a magical wonderland. This snowfall reminds me of the scene in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” where the little girl first discovers Narnia. I don’t think I have ever seen this kind of a snowfall that has lasted so long without the trees losing their burden of snow. And as J. B. Priestly said, “if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?”