She has an intriguing face and expression. A bit of a Mona Lisa smile

The expression on the baby's face in #3 is hilarious. What a cute little muzzle.

Uh-oh, she has a chainsaw. Do you use the fruit?

Pretty. That first tulip looks like it's praying for warmer weather.

It's two cats and a dog. Leaf wears a harness when she's outside so that probably was confusing. They all get along fairly well but the turtle will bite any of them who get too forward. And she means business.

Eighteen years ago, during a brain fart, I adopted a tiny baby turtle the size of a half dollar that someone had bought for their kids who had no interest in actually caring for it. The little creature nearly died of starvation before I figured out what it needed (a basking light). Thinking it was a boy and recalling the popular song "Amos Moses" I named him Amos, changing it to Amy six years later when I found a couple of sterile eggs, each with a bite taken, in the gravel at the bottom of the tank.

Amy has lived in a pond outside for many years now. The pond is within an enclosure, mostly to keep dogs from getting in the water, but come spring Amy begins her "walkabouts," searching pathetically for a mate and digging shallow holes for her hopeless eggs (the skunks dig them up and eat them). She likes my company and is happy when I do pond maintenance, which today meant pulling the periwinkle that encroaches on her space.

We had quite an audience. Miguel, Leaf, and Oliver are opportunists and will try to steal Amy's meals of shrimp, scallops, mussels, or raw beef. All of them are creeped out by what is now a sizable red-eared slider.

I thought some of you might get a smile out of these characters. I certainly do.

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Out here a stream that runs year round is a special thing, and as far as I can tell this one does. Thanks for looking.

Thank you. It's one of those places where it's hard to go wrong, though I have. The area is full of bears so my trail camera should be busy. I just hope they don't chew it up.

I'm glad you liked the photos. Wilson Creek is like a little slice of paradise.

You know the allure of a shady stream in an arid environment. I couldn't believe it when I stumbled upon it.

Thanks! I cheated; those have all been posted before, but who can keep track? I have a couple of new explorations coming up, hopefully beginning tomorrow, and I plan to take my actual camera as well as my phone. Let's see if I remember how to use it.

I do, and I will. There will be trail camera photos soon (though not in the smartphone section).

Thanks. It's a great area and the creek has water most of the summer which isn't always the case around here.

I'm glad you liked the set. What do you mean by "this type of nature photography?" Not trying to cross-examine you, merely curious. Everyone sees different things when they're out in nature. Thanks for looking.

In a post a few days back I mentioned the many fruit trees that are found scattered throughout the forest. Some no doubt originated with hikers tossing out apple cores or peach seeds, but some were obviously planted as part of homesteads. I am sharing a photo of a lovely peach blossom I found a year ago in April; I was too late this year to see anything other than wilted petals.

To give you a sense of the environment in which it is growing, and also to show off beautiful Wilson Creek, I threw in in a few more general photos. I lived in the area for 36 years before I knew of its existence, and now I can't get enough of it. A trail camera now lives out there, at least through the fall. The road is a nightmare in winter.

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