Beauty in Art

Photography: Climber Silhouette as wallpaper

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:39:24 GMT

Photos FW: Happy Times In Spokane

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:16:32 GMT

This is a refreshingly good story for a change...read it through.

Something really amazing happened in Downtown Spokane this week. Joel Armstrong,a loan officer at Sterling Bank, works downtown in a second story office building, overlooking busy Riverside Avenue. Several weeks ago he watched a mother duck choose the cement awning outside his window as the uncanny place to build a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid nine eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks and Monday afternoon all of her nine ducklings hatched.

Joel worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching.

Tuesday morning, Joel came to work and watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off! The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In his disbelief Joel watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. My brother couldn't watch how this might play out. He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling was stuporing near its mother from the near fatal fall. Joel looked up. The second duckling was getting ready to jump! He quickly dodged under the awning while the mother duck quacked at him and the babies above. As the second one took the plunge, Joel jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the cement. Safe and sound, he set it by the momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from its painful leap.

One by one the babies continued to jump to join their anxious family below. Each time Joel hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. The downtown sidewalk came to a standstill. Time after time, Joel was able to catch the remaining 7 and set them by their approving mother. At this point Joel realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had 2 full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs, and pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the Spokane River.

The on looking office secretaries then joined in, and hurriedly brought an empty copy paper box to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded them up into the white cardboard container. Joel held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the Spokane River, as the mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight. As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping into theriver quacking loudly. At the water's edge, the Sterling Bank office staff then tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to their mother after their adventurous ride.

All nine darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma duck. Joel said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank workers, and proudly quacking as if to say, 'See, we did it! Thanks for all the help!'

Thankfully, one of the secretaries had a digital camera and was able to capture most of it (except the actually mid-air catching) in a series of attached photograph

Photos of Tornado and Flooding

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:34:01 GMT

by Alan Taylor

Mississippi Floodwaters in Iowa

June 17, 2008 10:28 AM

The rising Mississippi River has broken high-water records up and down the Iowa and Illinois shore, cresting as high as 12 feet above flood stage in some places. Estimates place the cost of the damage at over $1 billion dollars, and concerns are rising over crop damage, toxic remnants that were washed into neighborhoods, future mosquito invasions, and maintaining supplies of clean drinking water. Communities further downstream are bracing for possible flooding as well. (16 photos total)

A huge tornado funnel cloud touches down in Orchard, Iowa, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:04 p.m. The Globe Gazette and Mitchell County Press News reported that Lori Mehmen of Orchard, took the photo from outside her front door. Mehmen said the funnel cloud came near the ground and then went back up into the clouds. Besides tree and crop damage, no human injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Lori Mehmen)

Waterloo, Iowa residents Daniel Tournier, right, and Otha Moore, left, watch the swollen Cedar River flow only a couple of feet below the 4th Street bridge in Waterloo, Iowa on Wednesday, June 11, 2008. (AP Photo/David K. Purdy)

Water from the swollen Cedar River rushes past downtown buildings Thursday, June 12, 2008, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Officials estimated that 100 blocks in Cedar Rapids were under water forcing the evacuation of nearly 4,000 homes and leaving cars underwater on downtown streets. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

A Union Pacific bridge is partially swept away by high floodwaters on the Cedar River in downtown Waterloo, Iowa on Tuesday June 10, 2008. With rivers continuing to rise and more heavy rain on the way, state officials said Tuesday they are trying to help towns already battered by floodwaters while working to protect others. (AP Photo/The Waterloo Courier, Morgan Hawthorne)

Flood water from the Iowa River rages through farmland June 15, 2008 near Oakville, Iowa. The Iowa River broke through a levee yesterday completely flooding the town of Oakville and the surrounding farmland. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A flooded street Thursday, June 12, 2008, in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Officials estimated that 100 blocks in Cedar Rapids were under water forcing the evacuation of nearly 4,000 homes and leaving cars underwater on downtown streets. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

An aerial image of downtown shows flood-affected areas June 13, 2008 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Flooding along the Cedar River was expected to crest today. (Photo by David Greedy/Getty Images)

Flooded home are seen Saturday, June 14, 2008, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Days after it rose out of its banks on its way to record flooding in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River has forced at least 24,000 people from their homes, emergency officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

A corn field is submerged in flood water June 16, 2008 near Oakville, Iowa. Farmers along the Mississippi River in Iowa have been emptying their grain bins and evacuating their livestock as they prepare for record flooding. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Buildings and debris are seen floating in the Cedar River against a railroad bridge Saturday, June 14, 2008, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Days after it rose out of its banks on its way to record flooding in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River has forced at least 24,000 people from their homes, emergency officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Kitty Lake, owner of The Vine Restaurant, rides on the front of a boat while surveying the floodwaters on Highway 6, Friday, June 13, 2008 in Coralville, Iowa. (AP Photo/Iowa City Press-Citizen, Matthew Holst)

William Kimpton, left, and Ben Walker, both of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, wade through floodwaters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday afternoon, June 12, 2008. 3,900 homes were evacuated from Cedar Rapids, where rescuers removed people with boats, officials estimated 100 blocks were underwater, and a railroad bridge over the flooded Cedar River collapsed. (AP Photo/Iowa City Gazette, Jonathan D. Woods)

Cattle were herded onto a porch and left to avoid drowning by the rising water from the Cedar River Wednesday June 11, 2008 along the river north of Vinton, Iowa. Flood waters have inundated the electric plant in Vinton and the entire city is now without power. Officials are preparing for the Cedar River to crest at record levels all across the state. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)

A sign is completely submerged along a road north of Vinton, Iowa, as water from the Cedar River continues to rise Wednesday June 11, 2008 in Vinton, Iowa. Flood waters have inundated the electric plant in Vinton and the entire city is now without power. Officials are preparing for the Cedar River to crest at record levels all across the state. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)

An angry resident that tried to drive around a security checkpoint is stopped by one police officer, right, while another tries to break his window to extract him in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Monday, June 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Brandon Smith carries his two cats, Fry and Bender, to dry land from their flooded and evacuated home on June 12, 2008 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Much of the city has been evacuated as the Cedar River continues to rise to record levels. More rains are predicted over the next few days. (Photo by David Greedy/Getty Images)

Fwd: May I Touch Your Heart ♥ Returned Lion cub to the wild, Video/with Lyrics

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:42:09 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNTdWbVBgc

Song playing in back ground

Aerosmith: Miss You Babe

I could stay awake just to hear you breathin',
Watch you smile while you are sleeping,
While you're far away and dreaming,
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender,
I could stay lost in this moment forever,
When every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure,

Chorus:

Don't wanna close my eyes,
I don't wanna fall asleep,
Cause I'd miss you baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing,
Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream would never do,
I'd still miss you baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing.

lying close to you,
feeling your heart beating,
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming,
Wondering if it's me you're seeing,
Then I kiss your eyes,
And thank God we're together,
I just wanna stay with you in this moment forever,
Forever and ever.

Chorus:

Don't wanna close my eyes,
I don't wanna fall asleep,
Cause I'd miss you baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing,
Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream would never do,
I'd still miss you baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing.

I don't wanna miss one smile,
I don't wanna miss one kiss,
I just wanna be with you,
Right here with you, just like this.

I just wanna hold you close,
And feel your heart so close to mine,
And just stay here in this moment,
For all the rest of time (Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Chorus:

Don't wanna close my eyes,
I don't wanna fall asleep,
Cause I'd miss you baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing,
Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream would never do,
I'd still miss you baby,
And I don't wanna miss a thing.

( Chorus to end )

Photo Story June 2008 ;-)

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:23:02 GMT

Water Color Painting by Ann

So much lost in a house fire, what do I have?

Hummmmm forget date on this one the children were little I was in my 30's thinking ooooooo here comes 40!

Now this next one was taken in 2005. Great memory there!

I was playing around with a cam an a mirror, so it is a picture of me in a mirror. LOL I was trying to look serious! Trying to hold the cam straight. Was trying to look at the screen to see if my head was even in the picture! lol

Then in the early Spring of 2006 my son just had to go with me as I revisited the Pacific Ocean. Believe me it is still cold! This was the first time he had seen an Ocean He went Ocean picture crazy with his camera!

Now Leslie saw this picture and thought I had lost one of my legs! No, I am walking in this shot!

I got caught by the tide coming in!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was bent over just about to take my shoes off, to test the water and it had missed me so much it came running to greet me!

Another 2006, early Spring shot on the Pacific Ocean. Wow, look at all that redwood drift wood will you!

Yes, I came sailing out of the air in a freak accident and did a crash landing which sort of broke up my back and knees etc.

Was told I would never walk again. First I was a bed patient. Then finally I could stand the pain enough, after doing lots of bed exercises and I went to a wheel chair.

But I keep fighting

Hey, I made it to crutches! Wooooo Hoooooo

But what really changed in how I look now was face cancer. A tiny black mole appeared and from the sun? it turned black and very hard to the touch! Very painfull as well. But I was having ear aches before I noticed it. Which were not from ear aches!

Wow! "Getting to know you , getting to know all about you!" LOL

A little Fun, Pictures taken at the right angle

Sat, 31 May 2008 17:39:24 GMT

An amazing photo and not one easily duplicated.

Tue, 20 May 2008 08:29:09 GMT

The sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point.

You also see the sun below the moon.

An amazing photo and not one easily duplicated.

Artist from Idaho, Richard Carpenter

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:58:02 GMT

Bear made from hundreds of thousands of pine needles. The pine needles were gathered off the ground, sorted, washed, trimmed and hand woven, over 8 months, in making the life size bear.

My name is Richard Carpenter and I am an artist, sometimes the starving kind. In 1990 I decided to leave the hectic fast past life of Southern California and move to Idaho to take care of my Dad. I needed to make some money but the nearest town was 22 miles away and all the jobs that were available paid minimum wage. I decided to try using my childhood artistic talents to make a living. I am inspired by my surroundings and use many of the natural elements as a medium for my work. I use antler which are shed every year from moose, deer and elk. I also carve in vegetable ivory, soap stone cow, sheep, and goat horn and occasional in ivory.

This is a picture of my workshop showcasing one of my latest endeavor's. I personally gathered, washed and wove "pine needles" to make this life size bear.

My wife April and I enjoy this area of the country and are determined to carve out a living doing what we love. We have a small shop called "Mountain Magic" on Highway 93 by the Salmon river and are now exposing ourselves to the world of the Internet. Feel free to browse the pages of items I have or you can e-mail me if you have a special request. Feel free to e-mail if you see anything you like.

Richard Carpenter, 148 Antelope Dr., Salmon, ID. 83467

http://home.custertel.net/~mntmagic/

To all the Moms......

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:09:37 GMT


	Hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Photos of an Eagle and Fox by Photographer Pekka Komi

Mon, 05 May 2008 04:10:39 GMT

Strange story behind this one, as they had sent me Huge Beautiful photos of these, I went to look for their Web Page for a link! As AOL makes photos so small. Instead what I found was Sports men saying the one picture they had was fake. So there were all these comment about Photography and checking out doctored pictures. and some one went to snopes for an answer. Found out photos were not shot in Montana but in Finland, the photos were true and real!
Snopes link:
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/eaglefox.asp

Still enjoy the unusual shots Thank You! Just in seeing how large an eagle can get, having it next to a fox!!!!!!! Look at the wing spread! WOW! Seeing them flying in the skies or at tops of trees, they don't seem that big.