bookMobile Monday: Chipmunk Central

Three guesses who chose this week's reading selections! If you'd like to know more about chipmunks, their habits, and their language, these are the books for you -



And now, say hello to the newest addition to the crew, Chiplet. We would have called her Chip, but she is so tiny, it just seemed like she needed a name that reflected her dimunitive stature. It's hard to tell in this picture; (Chiplet is a little on the shy side still), but she is only about half the size of her big sisters.

She has not taken up residence in the chipmunk hotel yet, preferring instead to hang out in and about the assorted cardboard left lying around from the construction of said hotel, or under this suitcase. Princess Cupcake has been tempting her with peanuts, and we hope to get her out in the open a little more so we can immortalize her here along with the other three. Just look at that face!

Camera Critter Sunday

Princess Cupcake's here for the summer and the fun has begun. She built the chipmunks a "hotel" of cardboard boxes and duct tape, and I'll be darned, the little rascals moved right in!

Theodore is relaxing on one of the decks.

Scratch that itch Theodore!
Grapes anyone?
Alvin is checking out the sign.

With a little patience, it is amazing what you can capture these little critters doing. I could not believe it when Alvin and Simon decided to check out the "theatre" Cupcake put on the side. That is Simon laying down, and Alvin standing up. These are far from being the best pictures I've ever taken (technically speaking) but how could I resist sharing these antics? I had to lighten Alvin up a bit so you could see her better because she was in the shadow of the boxes. She scampered off, but Simon actually laid there in the shade for a couple of minutes, allowing me to capture something up close that I have never seen before.

She's laying down relaxing!

Pay a visit to Camera Critters central and check out some of the other participant's pictures!

Green Thumb Sunday

Time for something other than the flowers to get a little recognition around here!
Visit the Green Thumb Sunday blogroll here and check out some of the other participants!

Round Robin Photo Challenge: Weeds Can Be Beautiful Too

We really had fun with this challenge. I've been doing a lot of flower portraits lately and had found weeds to be surprisingly photogenic, so here we go...

The ubiquitous dandelion gone to seedA tiny vase of tiny weed flowers, about 5 inches tall in it's entirety (from a post a month ago)

Tiny yellow flowers on an unidentified weed (flowers are about 1/2 inch in diameter)

Princess Cupcake chose to photograph some weeds for this challenge too. The wind was blowing when she did most of them, so we'll save those for another post on artistic effects, better known as "happy accidents", but she did manage to get a couple she really liked.

She hasn't quite gotten the hang of shooting vertically, so this one was cropped from a horizontal to a vertical to put the focus on the dandelion buds instead of the ground behind them.

And she says this one of the grass is her favorite of all!

Check out the participants blogroll at Round Robin Photo Challenge headquarters!

Sky Watch Friday

Other Sky Watch participants at Old Wom Tigley's Place!

Sweet Home Blogger Award

Thanks to Maitri at Dragonfly Cottage for bestowing upon me this award. I am flattered and humbled by her sentiments, and hope I continue to be deserving of such kind consideration. I started Robin's Woods as a way of doing what my dear departed mother was not allowed to, and that is to express myself, with grace and dignity, in a manner that enables others to have a glimpse at the world through my eyes.

I'm going to depart from tradition this time around (passing it on to 5 other bloggers) , and not pass this award any further. There are so many blogs I enjoy in so many ways on a daily basis, but I fear that the pyramid effect of these awards that are making the rounds somehow lessens their meaning eventually. I certainly do not mean to imply that I feel any less honored, and I would hope that if I were to choose 5 fellow bloggers to award, that they would not either.

A Day in the Slightly Less Than Hundred Acre Woods

I thought I'd give everyone a glimpse at a typical busy work day here in the Slightly Less Than Hundred Acre Woods. We don't try to manage the whole thing; we have most of it in a timber trust dedicated to old growth forest, and that part pretty much takes care of itself. A few acres around the outbuildings and cabin needs to be maintained though, and that keeps hubby and I hopping. The half mile of driveway in to the house is a dirt and gravel road which gets potholes in it that need repairing (and we won't even talk about the other two miles of road going down to the beach), the blackberry vines and alder trees, etc have to be kept trimmed back from all 2 1/2 miles so they don't grow into the road, firewood has to be cut at least a year ahead of using it, and yard waste like berry vines and old wood too full of bugs to bring in the house has to be dealt with.

We get our firewood from trees that blow down in the wind, get cut down for safety reasons, or just fall down from old age. Hubby has perfected his log recovering equipment and technique. This log was down the side of a hill and is about 150 feet long and 20 inches in diameter at it's largest.

Princess Cupcake is doing her share of the work to help out. She's getting the burn pile ready for another round of burning to get rid of berry vines and insect infested logs.

Yes, the lawn tractor finally made it back and all the grass got cut. Don't worry, it hasn't affected the chipmunk activity around here one bit. Alvin is seen here enjoying the crust off a peanut butter sandwich.


There's an awful lot to do around here just to keep things running smoothly, but no matter how overwhelming things can seem, be it a flooded basement, septic problems, a fallen tree across the road, or just a few hundred out of control berry vines -- a trip down to the beach, especially at low tide, puts it all into perspective.

Life is sweet here in Robin's Woods.

Wordless Wednesday: My Nemesis (Grass in bloom!)

Muse on the Loose

That's muse, not moose, Cupcake. My muse is back, and am I glad to see her. No one person, place, or thing has inspired my work quite like her. Growing up with Nana as a photographer has rendered Cupcake the ideal model. It doesn't hurt that she is a natural at posing and loves to dress up; she also happens to photograph very well and that makes her a delight to work with.


I told the Princess awhile back that she was going to have to learn how to use a camera, and now that she is here for the summer, the lessons have begun. Witness her first try at photographing grass with Nana.
She (naturally) requested her own watermark. Click to enlarge and see the detail she captured!

bookMobile Monday

Continuing with our summer reading theme, Princess Cupcake has chosen some books that are on her must read list. Reading is a fun way to keep kids busy in the summer, and even more so when you're learning to do something new!

Notice also that we have put a widget linking to our library in the sidebar. We are very proud of our library system here in Jefferson County. Not only do we live in the most literate county in the state, it is number one in Washington among libraries serving small rural communities!

Camera Critter Sunday

Can anyone name this bird? I'd look it up myself, but my books are a little, um, inaccessible right now!No need to name this chubby little critter. She's a chipmunk and we call her Theodore.

Other critters found at Camera Critter Sunday Headquarters!

Progress in the Woods!

First, I'd like to thank everyone who has expressed their support and well wishes during a very messy and time consuming "disaster/project" here in Robin's Woods. I do have hot water back on line (yeah!), and our basement is slowly but surely becoming livable again. It'll be awhile before everything is dried out and carpet can go back down, but the worst of it is behind us. Lemme tell ya, 85 gallons is a lot of water!

On a normal day, I would spend 2-3 hours visiting my favorite blogs, commenting here and there, dropping entrecards, returning comments, editing photos, and writing my daily blog post. I'm not sure how soon I'll be getting back to normal with that schedule, but I'm going to be trying my best.

Princess Cupcake has arrived for the summer, and I'm sure she's going to be a source of blogging inspiration for the foreseeable future; maybe I'll even show you some of the pictures she takes. Thanks for being a regular visitor, and keep checking back for more of what Cupcake, her Papa and I are up to!

Three Times, Thank You!

It seems I am the three time recipient of the Arte y Pico Award!

A big thank you to Lynne of The Sewing Mom, Maitri of Magic and Moments at Dragonfly Cottage, and Kathy at Photography by KML for considering me deserving of this award. The Arte y Pico Award was created to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and talent whether it’s writing or artwork in all types of media. When you receive this award it is considered a “special honor”. Upon winning this award you are to explain the rules, then choose 5 other blogs that you feel deserving of this award. The rules are...

1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award. http://arteypico.blogspot.com/.

The five blogs I am sending this award to are:

Shawna Marie Photography for some of the most inspiring baby portraiture I have seen in a long time. Anyone who reads my blog regularly know how much I love taking children's pictures, and Shawna's work is a joy to behold.

Zoey of My Little Gallery for her fresh take on "life seen through the eye of the camera." Zoey's photographs and presentation techniques are intriguing and her compositions inspired.

Will at Healthy Living for keeping us all informed about health and environmental issues and managing it in a way that is not only informational, but well written. For anyone who is not already familiar with Will's blog, it is a must read.

Laura of That Grrl. How one can express so much with such simple drawings is astounding to me. I find her artwork endlessly entertaining!

Gail of Bead all About It! Be sure to visit her Etsy shop, Juicie Julz, for a look at her lovely handcrafted jewelry.

Thank you all again, Lynne, Maitri and Kathy. I am honored, and hope I continue to be deserving of your esteem.

Houston, we have a problem...

I live in a three story log home. The basement, or first story, is fully furnished, with one large room in it dedicated to mechanical, such as heat pump, central vacuum, washer, dryer, hot water heater...

An 85 gallon hot water heater to be precise, and it died in the middle of the night, spilling all 85 gallons into the first floor of my home. Yeah, my sentiments exactly.

I honestly doubt I'm going to have it in me to deal with both the aftermath of this mess, the ensuing repairs, and a blog all at the same time. This would be a really good time for visitors to Robin's Woods to spend perusing my archives, checking out all the pictures I've ever posted, reading past articles I've written. You'll have fun, really you will. And me? You know what I'll be doing for at least the next few days.

Wordless Wednesday

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: The Chipmunks

Presenting Alvin, and his new roommates, Simon and Theodore. Yes, we have three of them now! Actually, they are all females, and believe it or not, I can tell them all apart (their tails are different.) There is a bird feeder hanging directly above them, and they are feasting on what the birds scatter on the ground.

Click to enlarge

I could take pictures of these little guys all day, they are so blasted cute!

bookMobile Monday

In the spirit of a summer reading program, and since my granddaughter will be spending her vacation here in Robin's Woods, I am offering a selection of reading material, titles from the bookshelves of the one and only Princess Cupcake, suitable for children of all ages, or just the young at heart.

Many of these titles are not well known, but they are all time honored classics well worth reading. The first carousel is designated for ages 9-12, but are just as fun for young adults. The second is some easier reading for younger children. All are perfectly enjoyable for anyone, young or old. Buy them through Amazon by clicking on the individual titles, or look for them at your local library, but don't miss out on reading them!

Camera Critter/Green Thumb Sunday: Its a Twofer!

Critters and overgrown grass, a match made in heaven. Eventually, I will get my lawn tractor back, but until then, the wildlife is loving the tall grass, and my Claritin is still working. Alvin decided to get a little frisky with the bird bath bird here, but she's playing hard to get.

Never mind, time to play in the grass with the deer and see if they've left any apples for me!

Fat chance, Alvin.

Our poor deer this year have a bad case of mange, but they appear to be growing and thriving just the same. This, by the way, is Spike. He is two years old now. See the little nubbins on top of his head in the closeup? Those are Spike's new antlers growing. The little doe with him is his baby sister. She was one of the fawns in the picture (taken last year) at the bottom of this page.

In the next picture, taken last June, Spike was with his mama and twin baby sisters just out of the frame. I didn't realize until after I took the picture of the doe and her twins that he was standing off to the side. Unfortunately, we haven't seen the other twin in several weeks now and I fear she may have been cougar food. She had mange the worst, and it weakens them and makes them easy prey.
Fawn season, usually in the end of June, (and again in the fall) is coming up any time now, so hopefully I will have all new pictures of this years "crop" coming up soon. In the meantime, be sure and check out the blogrolls for Green Thumb Sunday and Camera Critter Sunday !

Round Robin Photo Challenge: I Made That!

A friend taught me how to make bead bookmarks the other day; I had so much fun making them, and then photographing them when I was done! Click to enlarge and see details.
Be sure and check out what the other robins have come up with for this challenge!

Sky Watch Friday

One of those seemingly rare, sunny days in the convergence zone of the great Pacific Northwest. Note the storm cloud sneaking in in the upper left corner.

Be sure to check out the Sky Watch Friday blogroll at Wiggers World!

It's All About the Light

Not much turns my crank more than a well lit photograph. When we first moved up here, I remarked to hubby that all the cloudy weather was going to be great for my photography. I was fortunate enough to have met and learned from some of the masters of the profession about soft, indirect lighting, and knew that clouds provided for some of the softest light of all, but nothing prepared me for the sheer loveliness of the perpetually overcast atmosphere here in the Pacific Northwest.

From the bits of sunlight peeking through during the rains...

to a typically overcast sky...

...almost everyday is perfect portrait weather. Even the sunniest days have exquisite light early in the morning.
The rain is no deterrent; I can shoot from under an umbrella if I have an extra pair of hands to help. I would be more likely to run out of things to take pictures of than ever get tired of capturing the ethereal beauty of my surroundings. Click to enlarge any of the pictures and see the effect of cloud diffused light on nature's splendor.

Wordless Wednesday

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Tuesday Edition

My favorite white rhododendron. I've enjoyed photographing the flowers on this shrub more than almost any other. Alas, it is now past it's prime. Oh well, there's always next year. Want to see more? Click here.

bookMobile Monday: This one's for you, Princess Cupcake

Our granddaughter, at the ripe old age of 6, became obsessed with art and the great masters. This was no childish infatuation; she knew her Degas from her Seurat, and as time has passed, she has been quite vocal about who her favorites are. (If I'm correct, they are Van Gogh, Degas, Seurat, Velásquez, and Picasso. If not, I'll hear about it.) Since summer vacation is approaching , and she is going to be with us here in Robin's Woods for her 8th birthday, I thought it appropriate to share a selection of books guaranteed to entertain and educate at the same time.

P.S. If Princess Cupcake would like to leave me any hints for her birthday in the comment section, I'm sure everyone would like to hear her input!

Camera Critter Sunday

I love taking critter pictures, and have just discovered Camera Critter Sunday's. This is a rerun from a post I did a couple days ago. Scroll down to see more of our buddy "Alvin".

Don't forget to check out the blogroll at Camera Critter's headquarters!

Green Thumb Sunday

I don't have much of a green thumb, but around here, Mother Nature does a good job of keeping things plenty green without any help from me. This time of year, everything in the forest is brilliant with life; the trees, the grass, the berry vines and shrubs, but especially the moss and ferns.

The Menagerie

The countdown is on. Princess Cupcake (previously known as "The Mouth") arrives in 3 weeks to spend her summer in Robin's Woods, and she's bringing Great Grandma with her. Between company for summer and the ever burgeoning numbers of local fauna, this place is becoming a menagerie, and we don't even have any domestic pets (unless you count Cupcake.) Our newest addition is a little chum we call "Alvin". (Original, I know. Blame it on Princess Cupcake. She named the deer too.)

Alvin has taken up residence in a wheelbarrow full of kindling on our patio.

Alvin likes to play hide and seek in the grass,
and the wheelbarrow,
steal apples from the deer,

"Do you mind?"

and if I don't move too fast, Alvin will even strike a pose for me.

Sometime before the end of summer, Cupcake and her Papa are going to have to build a chipmunk house for Alvin to relocate to. Come fall, I'm going to be needing that wheelbarrow. And the apples? Don't worry, Alvin. We'll make sure the deer leave you some.

Sky Watch Friday: After the Rain

This was the view from my balcony after the rain forest rainstorm I described yesterday. The water was the loveliest aqua color and the sun was shining in from under the clouds behind me, lighting up the trees.


Click to enlarge and enjoy, and be sure to check out other participants at Sky Watch headquarters!

Spring in the Rain Forest

As summer approaches, the growing season around here takes off and everything - grass, flowers, trees, goes crazy. Not only is all the local flora (and fauna for that matter) putting on a show, but the rainstorms themselves start to take on a different quality as the season progresses. We live on the outskirts of the rain forest here, and while it is not nearly so wet as points further west, I can't think of a more perfect place to be than here on my part of the peninsula. It's difficult to put into words the sight and sounds of a spring rain in the forest for those who have never been someplace like this. The sound of water trickling down through the canopy of trees, the din of bird song and frog croaks, sunlight trying to peek through here and there, the sheer green-ness of everything, all a sight to behold. Just a walk to the mailbox is a feast for the senses. (Click to enlarge pictures.)

The road to the mailbox,

part of the forest I walk through on the way there,
ferns dripping with rain
and my driveway on the walk back.

Even the berry vines, full of blossoms, are especially lovely when they are dripping with rain drops.

Living here, with four distinct seasons, is a joyous existence at any time of year, but Mother Nature really outdoes herself when spring turns to summer. It may not be the Garden of Eden, but it's close enough for me.

Wordless Wednesday

"Fall From Grace"

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Tuesday Edition

I've gotten into a groove with my flower portraits lately; these are of a white rhododendron I am head over heels in love with. The soft light outside on the morning I photographed these was just perfect.

bookMobile Monday: Flower Photographers

As summer approaches and flowers bloom, photographers everywhere are inspired to attempt to preserve nature's beauty in two dimensions. There's more to capturing the essence of a flower with a camera than getting up close and personal with your subject. Macro lens are helpful, yes, and composition, exposure and focus equally so, but quality of light is by far the most overlooked element of all.
Look and learn from the photographers who have created some of the finest flower portraiture of our time.

More Tiny Things...

Yesterday's Round Robin Photo Challenge inspired me to take some more pictures of other tiny things I had always wanted to photograph, but somehow, never gotten around to. Since I love to do flower portraits, I had always wondered how well tiny flowers would photograph.

I had this gorgeous miniature vase, and filled it with an assortment of the smallest flowers I could find.


This little Magnolia perfume bottle was my mother's when she was a little girl. She used to take it out of her dresser drawer once in a great while and let me smell it. It is over 60 years old, and even though it has been empty for most of those 60 years, it still has the scent of magnolia in it. It is one of my most cherished mementos of her. Every time I open it, the fragrance transports me back to my childhood.


To give you an idea of the size of these two arrangements, here they are pictured with a quarter.