Birds in the Maple tree

Today I did a bit of birdwatching. It was a relaxing day. :) I first noticed the birds in the crab apple tree next door and posted about them on my Palouse Daily Photo blog. Then I noticed a few of these birds in my Maple tree. I am not sure what kind any of them are, but they were fun to watch.

Man's best friend

There is no doubt that my husband loves his dog. None. We have been blessed to have her in our lives for the past nearly 14 years. She is starting to show her age...the hearing is gone, getting up and down isn't so easy...you know how it is. I am just hoping she has a few more good years left in her. This time of year is her favorite...romping in the snow with her 'kids' is something she can still do and have fun.

Finally a moose!

Ok, so the photo is awful...blurry and ill composed, but hey, it's a Moose! What is so impressive about a moose you might ask? Well, when we moved to Idaho about 8 years ago, it was my fondest desire to see moose...they are my favorite animal, after all. We lived in Troy, which has moose frequently seen meandering about town, eating the farmers crops, and chasing (and ramming) school buses. Not a difficulty to see a moose...just not when I would have my camera with me!

Fast forward to this past summer. My hubby and I were on a motorcycle ride, two-up. He rides a Kawasaki Ninja and one of our favorite things to do anytime there is not ice on the road, is go for a bike ride. So we headed out for an entire afternoon, just the two of us. Just as it was getting dark, I saw a moose. Camera in hand from the back of a moving bike I took shot after shot in desperation that one might turn out. The light was gone and it was pretty dark, so I didn't have much hope. Then we stopped and turned around...and so did the moose. So we turned around again and so did the moose. Finally we stopped and sat in the middle of the road so it wouldn't be afraid to cross and when it did, we went ahead on our way. I got home to ONE picture that had enough light and not too much blur. But hey, it's a photo...of a MOOSE!

Playful pups

A few years ago we had a pair of Shih-Tzu's who produced several delightful litters of puppies. These three beautiful pups were lucky to be born in the spring and were so much fun to play with outside where they would race and frolic until finally they would collapse against the nearest human for a much deserved rest. Cute little bundles of love and energy to be certain!

Road Trip! Seattle - Seattle Aquarium Dragons

Road Trip! Seattle - After the Space Needle and the Science Center, we headed over to the pier and visited the Seattle Aquarium. Next to the tidal pool exhibits, the leafy sea dragon (Phycodurus eques) tank was my favorite thing to watch. They are so delicate and graceful! We spent a very nice 3 hours viewing all the tanks and the outdoor displays as well. The salmon ladder here is world famous and there are many viewing areas both above and below to see the native fish.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center Moth on the Cobblestones

Road Trip! Seattle - Outside the Science Center it had just stopped raining...rain...in Seattle...imagine! hahaha Anyway this guy wasn't inside the atrium, but I thought him just as worthy of a photo. I imagine he had come down to the ground for a drink.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center Dino Bones

Road Trip! Seattle - Inside the Seattle Science Center they had this great T-Rex display. He doesn't seem as terrifying as one might imagine from the movies although I am sure they were nothing to mess around with at the time! I was just expecting something a bit...bigger.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center butterfly garden 2

Road Trip! Seattle - Another photo from inside the butterfly garden at the Seattle Science Center.

Road Trip! Seattle - Science Center butterfly garden

Road Trip! Seattle - We visited the butterfly garden at the Seattle Science Center which was pretty nice. These lucky butterflies get a nice climate controlled atrium to avoid the cold and dreary weather outside. I remember the camera I was using at the time I snapped these photos...a point and shoot Olympus that I beat the heck out of until it died a sad death on a concrete floor. I look at these and wonder how much better they could be with my new baby.

Spiders anyone? This girl was my sons pet for more than 9 years. She is a curly haired tarantula and we got her as an adult, so I am not sure how old she was, but he cared for her very well, handled her and loved her. She lived a nice long life and we were very sorry when she died. There is no cooler pet than this!

Our beautiful kitty, Beethoven, is the most affectionate and loving cat ever. He has personality in spades and has never met someone he didn't like...or leave without a furry reminder of himself! When we first moved to Idaho, my hubby worked for the Human Society and Beethoven was an abandoned kitten. Someone missed out on the cat of a lifetime when they didn't keep him!