Happy Leap Day

Yes, a frog on Leap Day, I'm going for the cheap laugh. A chuckle, at least? O.K. how about a grin? Alright, please except my apologies, then. The good news is it'll be four more years 'til I can do it again.

This frog was found along a mountain stream several summers ago. And, I confess, my daughter took it. But she did win a blue ribbon at the fair for this (unaltered) picture.

Winter Wonderland

I took a ride through the mountains on Sunday. I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I would, considering how beautiful everything was, including the weather. The problem was the snow covered roads didn't allow many places to pull over to take shots. I did stop in the middle of the road a couple times. I'm also glad I didn't run into anyone else, passing would have been even more difficult. Thank goodness someone else had gone before me, at least three places someone had chainsawed trees that had fallen over the road. No wildlife, though. Thank you PA Game Commission.

Miss Ruby Lee (PG XLIX)

More mermaids, I know. These, again, are on Chincoteague Island at the T-Shirt Factory on Main Street straight across the street from the light coming into town at the drawbridge. This collage of merpeople is brought to the world "Dedicated to Miss Ruby Lee... She enhanced the joy... All across this little Island" designed by Egret Moon Artworks... with a little help from friends.

HBC

It warmed up into the 40's today. Before you know it it'll be time to start thinking about the beach. I'll be up before daylight, gathering shells and taking more sunrise pictures.

What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of.

Big Ben

Ben Franklin , as he stands atop the Franklin County Courthouse (in PA), is 8' tall, weighs 25o pounds and is made of pine. Well he used to, at least. This statute was placed on the dome of the new courthouse building in 1865 when it was rebuilt. It was rebuilt after the burning of Chambersburg on July 30, 1864 by Confederate General John McCauland, on orders of General Jubal Early, when the citizens didn't take seriously the demands for $100,000 in gold or half a mill in Union cash. And Ben stood watch over his namesake county until 1991 when he came down got an extreme makeover, cloned himself in fiberglass and sent the new and improved Ben back up to the perch above Memorial Square (Lightning rod in hand) while the original Ben went into retirement across the street in the Heritage Center.

While I'm at it I'm posting the stitched "Illusion" from last week. And for more on the Ben Franklin Statue go here.

Tracks in the Snow

Another day custom made for black and white. Truth is the color version is all but black and white. Yes, Mom, I looked both ways before snapping this one.

Tree Mail

In Redstone, Colorado, beyond the coke ovens, up Coal Creek and overlooking Mr. Osgood‘s mansion you can find these. Along the trails and scattered among the bear clawed aspen are messages or maybe just mountain graffiti. There were a lot of them, some made unreadable by the healing of the trees. Some were legible and even some others, like the second picture, that appears to be a love letter. Who wrote them? Explorers, loggers, hunters, who knows? The trees sure aren’t telling. These picture are from a 1992 hunting trip.