Magenta Rising

Sometimes a photo opportunity doesn't knock for long. Saturday was a cool and breezy day. Overcast and blah. Except for about 20 minute just after 6 AM. It was that window of time from the sun peeking over the South Mountain and it retreating behind the overcast skies. This is what you miss when you sleep in.

Osprey

This is someone you don't see often in these parts. This osprey was enjoying the fishing along the Big Spring on the outskirts of Newville, Pa. I've seen them at the beach before but never this far inland. 

Year 9, Day 1

That's right another year gone. That would be 8 years now that I have been boring you with the same old stuff. And last year was a big-un. I said I had really big plans. And those plans took me to Alaska for a week and a half. Awesome. Blog-Year 8 also took me to Toronto for a baseball game and Niagara Falls. Summer Sky Fest in Greencastle, Colorado on an elk hunt, and Conowingo Dam for the eagles. There was plenty of birds, bushels of flowers and butterflies and more firehouses than I had weekends to post them. Again this past year I had 295 posts, same as last year for a total of 2624 posts. And I had 28,479 page views this past 12 months, a little more than the year before. An all-time total of 133,4789 views. And the World of Pigeons is still my #2 all-time viewed page.

 Auke Bay, Alaska

 Glacier Bay, Alaska

 Alaska Railroad, Anchorage to Denali

Mount McKinley, Denali National Park

 Haines, Alaska

 Ketchikan, Alaska

Point Atkinson Lighthouse, Vancouver, British Columbia

 Council of the Clans, Ketchikan, Alaska

Alaska State Fallen Firefighters Memorial

 Bleeding Hearts

 Blue Jay

 Mountain Bluet

 Lesser Fritillary

 Monarch

Northern Flicker vs. Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Blue Jays vs. Orioles

Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls, Ontario

 American Falls, Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Kill Buck, New York

 Blue Grouse, Flat Tops Wilderness Area, Colorado

 Sheep Mountain Camp, Colorado

 Flat Tops Wilderness Area, Colorado

Indian Cliffs Camp, Colorado

 Summer Sky Fest, Greencastle, Pa

Summer Sky Fest, Greencastle, Pa

Gettysburg, Pa

Conowingo Dam, Maryland

Cody Canada and the Departed

Def Leppard, Mannheim, West Germany, 1986

Franklin Engine House 10, Allentown, Pa.

Cherry Blossoms

Slowly but slowly the Kwanzan Cherry is coming to life. Soon it'll be a big pink trufula tree and then my front yard and driveway will turn pink.

Orange, West to East

Early Saturday morning on West Orange Street in Shippensburg. Looking East towards Memorial Lutheran Church at the South Penn Street corner.

The Fairfield Inn

Sidewalk view of the Fairfield Inn an Main Street in Fairfield, Pa.

The Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad

Just some random pictures on and along the Alaska Railroad between Anchorage and Denali. Some show the Susitna River. That's a lake behind the High Point sign. the high bridge is the Hurricane Bridge, I think.

American Coot

Driving past the Dykeman's Pond last week I saw a black duck swimming around by himself. I pulled over and put the sneak on him. Low light and a black bird is a recipe for iffy pictures. Here is my best iffy picture of an American Coot. He is definitively a mature coot but I don't know if he is an old coot.

I'll Never Tire of Flowers

Spring's springing just keeps rolling along. The folks at Shetron's Tire on West Orange Street in Shippensburg obviously have a green thumb.

HBR