An Interesting View

On the walk the other day when I got the frosty shots of the field, I also came across an interesting location formed by the spot where the large neighborhood lake runs under one of the main roads. It was a high, wide tunnel allowing you to see through to where the water tumbled out of the lake and headed on it's way to most likely the Chesapeake Bay. After heavy rain, this area needs to allow for rushing torrents, but while I was there, it was a low trickle. Our long walks are always early in the morning before work, so the sun was shining directly into the tunnel. Wilson had to climb over some of the rocks to get to the perfect little ledge he is perched on. It actually took more than one visit to get the best combo of light, poses, and a good spot to put Wilson. The first time I tried it I didn't even notice the little ledge where Wilson is.......

Be sure to click to enlarge for all the little details......

Natural light

After being PicMonkeyed...I love sepia tones!

Just a little sliver

Now I have to say, try as I might, I could not come up with a Wordless Wednesday "W" word for any of these pictures. I really wanted to because I think they are neat photos.

Can anybody think of a Wordless Wednesday title?

I would be happy to give credit to the creative thinker!

Frosty

These photos are from a couple of weeks ago actually. They've been in the queue for a bit. It was truly gorgeous that morning, all the trees sparkling in the bright morning sun. Unfortunately, the camera often cannot capture all the nuance that the human eye can. I hope your imagination can fill in the gaps....

The Yule Log?

Here's Wilson posing in the little dusting of snow we had on Christmas Eve......

When what to Wilson's wondering eyes should appear.....?

Not to leave Jimmy out of the fun.....

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow, gave the luster of midday to the objects below.

And now, on Wednesday, the day after Christmas, we are getting an even bigger ice/snow/sleet storm. It was enough that I stayed home from work to avoid the icy roads.

A Christmas Miracle....

....a very minor one, but one none the less!

Here in the Washington, DC area, snow is a rare event. We get whole winters without any. And to get snow for Christmas is even rarer as December can be a mild month weather-wise.

I was at the office today for a short bit and looked out of the window to see huge snowflakes coming down and they've just kept coming! I was very surprised as I had paid no attention to the weather forecast recently.

But here's the proof...It's just a dusting but it still counts!

Wishing you the magic of a white Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I finally had a bit of time yesterday to take some seasonal shots around the Christmas Tree. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute! The lack of gifts around the tree is not due to an earlier raid by the Grinch, but due to the fact that the boys will start unwrapping boxes willy-nilly looking for what might be theirs. It's very cute but I don't want to have to wrap everything twice!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Still Waiting.............

Well, it looks like the Mayans may have been wrong. Although it is incredibly windy out this morning, we are all still here............

And Jimmy is still keeping an eye out for Santa! He takes this job very seriously..................

Is he ever gonna get here?

Pink Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning!

Today, the day the Mayans believed the world would end, began with clouds and a pink sky. The boys were unusually nervous, sensing something, constantly watching, waiting for something.........

 

 The rains fell heavily over night and our walk was a wet, soggy mess!

Dry land was getting hard to find!

The wild animals were beginning to flee the rising waters!

The winds had begun to ravage the lands!

Could it be that the Mayan prophecy is beginning? Did I buy all those Christmas gifts for no reason?!

Tune in tomorrow.....If we are still here!

Look Into My Eyes...Deep Into My Eyes

You WILL feed me! NOW!

So what happened to Wordless Wednesday yesterday? I am sure you are all wondering where it was, right?!
Well, I guess my PC didn't want to wait for the end of the world tomorrow, and decided to CRASH a couple of days early, taking my intended photo with it! Of all days, it had to monkey with Wednesday. Things have since improved, but alas, I missed my WW posting. If we are all still here next week, I'll post it then!

Another Jimmy-ism

A while back, I reported on a little quirk of Jimmy's. He really is a character and a smart one at that! On many of our morning walks, we take to the W and OD trail behind my house. It runs east/west and usually we head east in order to complete a nice 2 mile loop back to the house. Of course, this time of year, the sun is still low in the sky, even at 7:30 or 8 in the morning. So that means the sun is in our eyes, often quite brightly. I wear a winter hat that has a small brim to block most of the rays. Jimmy has developed his own method....

What a smart boy!

He walks behind me and stays in my shadow. No sun is his eyes, thank you very much!

As we head into the home stretch of Christmas, I have a feeling my posts may become infrequent. I haven't had much camera time lately so the blog fodder is running low. Have no fear though, I do have a couple of Wilson's Wednesdays stacked up :-)

They've Got It All Wrong!

Down by the large lake in my neighborhood there is a sign........

But they've got it so wrong!

MMMM! Goose Poop!

It's a smorgasbord!

Click to enlarge! See the focus and intent!

Got it!

This time of year, the geese are everywhere, and this trail is a mess! I call the walk Running the Gauntlet and usually avoid it. It's one of my favorite areas but is exhausting, what with all the "Jimmy! NO!, Wilson! Drop It!" that is required. Today I went for photo-effect and let Jimmy get in a few bites ;-)

Here's what the sign really should say......

Use your imagination to complete the sign's image. My photo editing skills aren't up to adding in a Jimmy face!

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

Wilson's Wide-load on Wordless Wednesday

Can You Hear Me Now?

Can you hear me now? GOOD!

Although It's Been said Many Times, Many Ways...

I've said it before , and also here , and I'm sure I'll say it again one day.....

But Man! That Jimmy has a TONGUE! 

What's he doing?  Getting the air temperature? Swatting a fly?  Pretending to be an ant-eater?

Dear John.....

.....OH! Wait! That's......John Deere!

And speaking of deer (...like my segue there :-) )...

Sometimes the boys can be so oblivious it makes me laugh! We walked within about 10-15 feet of this deer and neither guy even noticed. I guess the wind was blowing the other way.

Have a great weekend, my dears!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Arriving home from work last night, I was excited to see that Cardi-Claus had made a pass through Northern Virginia. To bring my wonderful box of goodies this way, Cardi-Claus enlisted the help of the The Brews Brothers , Porter and Stout, with a little extra help from Merinda. The ornaments were absolutely adorable and handmade by Merinda. Now that is going the extra mile! Lots of yummy treats for the boys, some chocolate Bourbon Balls for me (mmmmm!), Christmas themed toys,  a cute little magnet that is already holding onto my fridge, and even a stash of poop bags! Those will definitely come in handy, one for my car, one for my jacket, one for my purse, and even a spare. There will be no excuse for not tidying up after Jimmy and Wilson.

Quite the haul, wouldn't you say? Many, many thanks for all these great gifts to Porter, Stout, Merinda and John!

Here's a peek at all my loot.....

And the piece de resistance, the most adorable little ornaments, each with an initial charm and tiny bell, and even a white tip on each tail. These are very special!

Wilson's Wagon Wheel on Wordless Wednesday

The Shadow Knows!

What mischief lurks in the heart of a Cardigan? Only the Shadows know!

It's a Wonderful Life!

Jimmy: Or it would be, if someone hadn't disturbed my nap with that darn camera!

Middleburg Christmas Parade

Yesterday was the annual Middleburg Christmas Parade. The weatherman had called for a sunny and relatively warm day. Saturday morning greeted us with chilly temps and a completely grey sky. Sigh. But, not to be deterred, we headed off. It's about a 45 minute drive, and the closer we got, the thinner the cloud cover became. By the time we arrived it was a clear blue sky, with warming temps. Woohoo! Most years it has been unpleasantly cold for being outside for several hours. The now pretty day was bringing a huge crowd!

I shared most of my Corgi pictures with Laurie over at The Daily Corgi so I won't post too many repeats.



John with a couple of familiar characters.



A dog's eye view....

My favorite non-corgi participants this year were these Caballeros. Their horses were unbelievably gorgeous as were their saddles. They would stop every so often and give roping/lassoing demonstrations.(No worries, they lassoed nothing but the air).

Lots of cute minis as well.....



And Christmas llamas.....



With the huge crowds and many herd animals around, Jimmy's adrenaline was on over-drive. We eventually hopped out of the parade route to spectate and let the boys take a break. When the Caballeros went by, Jimmy had a renewed jolt of energy!




Can you see the excitement?!

 

Wilson watched with quiet dignity, his usual gentlemanly self.

 After about 3 hours of intensity for the dogs, we returned to the car. I don't think I could have made a count to 10 before both boys were passed out cold!