Aww...some Mondays

This is Lucy's first winter. She celebrated her first birthday in December so all of this cold weather and snow is new to her. We don't get a lot of cold weather or snow here in Northwest Arkansas, but last Tuesday the temperature reached -1 with a windchill of -16 and we got around one inch of snow.

Lucy did not let the snow deter her from checking the fence line for bunnies. There are a lot of rabbits in our area due to new home construction that is displacing the cottontails. They come through our yard all of the time, leaving their unique deposits. Lucy follows the trail to one of several low spots in the fence that the bunnies use as escape routes. She checks those spots every time she goes outside. I have also mounted a couple of bird feeders on the fence and Lucy believes that what ever the birds kick out of the feeder and on to the ground belongs to her.

Lucy has also decided that eating snow is more fun than drinking water from her bowl, so she sniffs, snorts, then hydrates herself with some fresh snow. Once Lucy has checked the fence line, done her business, and gotten a snow snack, she is ready to return to the warmth of the living room. Dogs are funny people. Have a blessed day.

Aww...some Mondays

Lucy: "Dad, I want my own Facebook page. Would you take my profile pic?"

Aww...some Mondays

After 12 days of the temperature never getting above freezing, and staying mostly below twenty degrees, last Friday the sun came out and warmed things up some. There was still a nip in the air, but I decided to head out to a local lake where several people had sighted a black swan. I have never seen a black swan, so the opportunity to see and photograph the bird was more than I could resist.

When I first arrived the bird was swimming in the lake and I was able to get a photo of him/her in the water.

After a few minutes it wandered up on to the shoreline for a photo shoot. I was struck by the red eyes and bill.

Of course any good photo shoot includes a "head shot".

The photographer is also obliged to get the "S-curve" neck image as well. My model was the epitome of cooperation.

After a couple of more poses for the portfolio we decided that I had enough images and parted ways. It was a good afternoon at the lake and I am sure I will get a few more opportunities to photograph this elegant bird again. Have a blessed day.