A Real Break

2011-08-28T11:43:00.002-05:00

I'll be taking a little break from blogging for a while (I have too much on my "real life" plate these days.) Thanks for your patience!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook
If you want to be inspired by some fantastic giclee art prints of nature check out Art Prints America. Owner Vitaly Geyman has been traveling all over the world collecting some amazing floral, botanical and ocean images. The image shown here is bark of eucalyptus tree from an ancient Australian gum tree forest.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook I recently rec'd news that my "Sun through Live Oaks" photo took Honorable Mention in Photographer's Forum magazine's "Best of Photography 2011" contest and will appear in the book of the same name. The book will be orderable via the magazine, if anyone's interested. Prints are also available at a reasonable price (as always.)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Kudos to A Perfect Satellite in Covington, LA! Boos & hisses to Wildblue, not only for lying about the credit, but for leaving us without internet for days with no resolution and for being willing to leave us in that state indefinitely when one of their authorized companies is a mere 20 minute drive away. A Google search of "Wildblue sucks" provides about a half a million pages. The proof is in the pudding!)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook I recently entered some photo contests with great prizes for the top winners.

Please vote for my images here. You can vote for as many as you like, but only one vote per image.

Please vote for my entry here and pass on my plea to your friends and/or family. Everyone can vote once a day.

In other news, The Nature Conservancy's annual photo contest is also open for submissions.

Thanks in advance!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Tomorrow I'll be at the reception for the 9th annual Hot Art in a Cool Space show. Many of my photos will be on display/for sale.

Details;
Saturday & Sunday, August 6 & 7, 2011, noon-6 pm both days.
Meet the Artists Reception on Saturday evening from 6–9 pm.
Purchase Original Art by over 30 Award-Winning Artists. The St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs is pleased to present a Purchase Award at this event. The selected artwork will be installed in a government building as part of the St. Tammany Parish Public Art Collection.

Location: North Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 28662 Krentel Road, Lacombe, LA 70445.

For more info, contact Barbara Shaw 985-882-7169 or 985-630-7685.

Hope to see you there!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Caverns of Sonora and a Japanese Tea Garden and the Zoo in San Antonio, TX, talk turned to going home. Looking over maps & recalculating things, I figured that San Antonio was about halfway home from where we were now, a 10 1/2 hour drive. We could get a hotel in San Antonio and drive the remaining 10 1/2 hours the next day. So we woke on Thurs., May 17th, had our complimentary, hot breakfast and hit the road.
Heading east through the Sierra Blancas in New Mexico, signs said the Lincoln Nat'l Forest was closed and extreme fire restrictions were in effect. Around Cloudcroft, NM we saw signs warning drivers about smoke and fire. Soon after we passed a large encampment of fire fighters on the side of the road. In and around Mayhill, we were saddened to see charred trees and earth all around. It wasn't until at least a week after our ret'n home that I found any news about it--the final update regarding the fire, which was still under investigation.

Outside of the New Mexico mountains and all through West Texas is a fairly flat, boring drive. We didn't pass much on the way back to the Interstate, bathrooms included. Charles asked me to pull over in one of the very few driveways along the road. I sat in the car, deciphering this message, at which I had to laugh. When Charles got back I deciphered it for him, pointing out the irony of his chosen stop; "If you use our road to pee, please take your T.P. with you."

Breaking up the monotony in Texas we saw some huge dust devils. This one's already dissipating. They were hard to capture with the camera.

We also saw lots of wind turbines in West Texas. These are much larger than they seem. During our drive we passed a transport truck with a single blade on the bed, extending well beyond the end of the truck. There's a shot of one on the page linked, above.

We stopped for lunch at some greasy spoon where Charles had a country-fried steak that was so huge you couldn't see the plate it was on. He said it was really good. It was super cheap, too.

By sunset we'd made it to San Antonio--halfway home. Charles had taken over at this point and said he was good to continue on, so we did.

I took over outside of San Antonio somewhere and got us past Houston (there were tons of cops all over the road!) Throughout the return trip, while one of us drove, the other slept. Charles took over somewhere around the Louisiana border and took us all the way home. So much for splitting that 21 hour drive home in half! We got in around 5:15am on Fri., May 18th. After living in hotel rooms for so long, our simple house seemed so huge! Our trip was very interesting and a lot of fun, but it sure was nice to be home.

Thanks to my friends and supporters for bearing with 2 months of posts regarding our road trip. I hope you enjoyed it!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook White Sands Nat'l Monument for a day (May 16th) and time when the nearly-full moon and the sun would both be up low over the horizon, so I could get sunset and moonrise shots. A lot of factors could have destroyed the idea. I was ready to deal with that if anything happened, but it seems the universe blessed our trip.

On our way to Alamogordo, NM, we passed what looked like a sleeping stegosaurus (click to see more detail. The head is to the right.) We also passed the world's largest pistachio nut statue. What a country, this America!

We got into Alamogordo hours before sunset, so we caught up on laundry, swam in the pool and lounged in the hot tub for a while first (both were right across from our room.) It was another good time of doing very little. By this time, we were sold on the value and amenities of the Holiday Inn Express. A full, hot breakfast beats the continental job any day.

Once at White Sands, eagle-eyed Charles immediately picked out the only, little black dot in the landscape (and promptly named him "Beetly.")

There were people up on the dunes all around, but we found one in a deserted enough area that I could get my shots without human interference. Regardless, this lone figure walking in the distance across the vastness of the landscape inspired me to take a shot.

White Sands is tucked between a couple of mountain ranges; the San Andres (seen here,) and the Sierra Blancas (which we'd been through on the way in, stopping at the Hubbard Museum of the American West.)

Charles and I at White Sands.

I liked the gradations of the sky vs. those of the dunes here.

As the sun started setting I started snapping like a fiend. It was difficult to catch the effects of sunset accurately, despite my multiple, rapid-fire changes to my camera's white balance settings.

It was cool the way the gypsum granules sparkled. Click on this shot to see what I mean.

Charles at White Sands. This photo took 1st place, journeyman and journalism category, in a recent Slidell Photography Club contest.

Focused as I was on the sunset, soon Charles pointed out the moon, rising on the other side of the sky.

Shooting the moonrise was much easier. I was glad for the slight clouds, and for the way the sunset painted them pink. "Daily Nature Photo" on The Nature Conservancy's website, Jun. 24, 2011.

On our way out Charles spotted Beetly again. He was nestled into the sand, snuggling in for the night.

White Sands Nat'l Monument was immensely cool and it would've been nice to have been able to spend more time exploring. Despite Charles offering to stay longer, to get up in the morning to come back, we had other stops planned on our route home, until...

Next post; A change of plans.
In more recent art news, yesterday I found out that my Horseshoe Bend photo won Momentum magazine's freshwater photography contest. It will appear in the magazine (of which I'll get a few copies,) and I also get a hardcover book of aerial photos. Yay! :)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Grand Canyon National Park, pausing at one point for breakfast at the restaurant in Bright Angel Lodge. Walking in I smelled maple syrup, and the order for pancakes became destiny. They were delicious.

We watched a cool, informative movie about the Grand Canyon at the visitor's center. This was actually our last stop before deciding to go home, but it seemed a good photo to start this post with.

At one stop along the eastern route of the shuttle, I saw this tree stump, which looked like an owl face.

The colors were beautiful.

Yet another lizard, tucked away at another one of our stops.

This shot was taken shortly after dawn along the shuttle's western route. I liked the shadows, which add depth and drama not seen later in the day.

Tree sap near an old uranium mine.

I often tease Charles about his book addiction, so I had to get this shot of him leaving with a purchase. I'm reflected in the glass, too (wearing a symbol of my own addiction, my Pink Floyd t-shirt. In a similar, more recent vein, Thurs., Jul. 28th is Rick Wright's birthday, may he rest in peace.)

Another shot relatively early in the morning. Having gone with too little sleep, by 9am we were practically falling asleep on the shuttles around the rim. We managed to stick it out 'til around 1:30pm. It was a good time to leave--the park, virtually ours, alone at sunrise, was now packed with tourists.

We had a couple of long drives ahead of us. We went through the area of Humphrey's Peak (remember my photo from our day at Meteor Crater?) Here we reached our highest elevation on the trip, about 8,000 feet. We overnighted in Show Low, AZ, then went on to Alamagordo, NM.

Next stop; White Sands Nat'l Monument

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Grand Canyon National Park. I'd been here 15 years ago, but then I wasn't able to stay long (not to mention that the camera I was using wasn't working right.) This was Charles' first visit.

Arriving around 5am, we got in for free (the entry booths were not yet open for business.)

It was c-c-cold! About 42F with a pretty steady, 15mph wind. We parked near El Tovar to put on extra layers of clothing. They say that "all things happen for a reason." In this case, we ran into a gentleman who told us about something to see just outside the restaurant at Bright Angel Lodge, nearby.

He wasn't kidding! As mentioned in a blog entry wayyy back in Carlsbad, NM, here's the better shots of elk taken at the more interesting location. They were really very patient and calm. Surrounded by eager shutterbugs, the elk just grazed to their hearts' content.

Charles also spotted this common desert centipede, desperately trying to warm up for the day.

I loved the way the canyon peeked out of the mist as the sun rose.

One of our few sightings of the Colorado River, the same waterway that comprised Horseshoe Bend.

Despite how tired we were, the Grand Canyon at sunrise was an awesome sight.

Next post; The Grand Canyon, con't.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Cameron Trading Post in advance--they were down to only 2 rooms when I did! Why, you may ask, would I feature a hotel stop as it's own entry here on the blog rendition of our road trip?

For starters, this was the view from our room.

Just outside was a wonderful, shaded, flower-filled courtyard, complete with fountains and a huge fireplace.

After driving for hours through badlands, it was definitely a welcome sight!

We both loved it.

There were all kinds of birds here, too. We saw doves, grackles, sparrows and even a hummingbird!

Besides a massive gift shop on the premises (at which we bought oodles of things,) they also had a beautifully decorated restaurant, and we'd arrived right around dinnertime. Charles had a huge Navajo taco and I had a hot, open-faced turkey sandwich.

Our room was also quite charming, decorated with a Native American theme from the tiling in the bathroom to the lamps on the end tables.

I was too taken with the gardens to get photos of anything else, however.

I mean...look at it! It's just wonderful.

We had to hit the hay early. We were scheduled to get up at 4am to drive an hour to the Grand Canyon.

I wanted to be there before sunrise.

The only downside to this wonderful oasis was that the walls were paper-thin.

Our sleep was interrupted by people in neighboring rooms showering, thumping suitcases around, etc.

We even had a lovely sunset before hitting the hay, though. All in all, this was a great stop, full of beauty and at least some respite from our hours on the road.

Next stop; Grand Canyon Nat'l Park
In recent art news, my Foggy Morning photo took 1st Place (photography) in Slidell Art League's "Cirque du Sol Art" show. It also rec'd a Purchase Award from Slidell Memorial Hospital.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Horseshoe Bend, which was conveniently on our way out of town. I'd looked into it when planning our trip, but it seemed much more out of the way than it actually was. Since we had extra time, I suggested we make the stop, and Charles agreed.
After a short walk uphill from the parking lot, we came upon a sign stating that we were about to undertake a 3/4 mile hike down to the viewing area, and that no shade or water would be available. We'd gotten into the habit of bringing water everywhere we went as a sheer necessity, and after getting pretty badly sunburned at Bosque del Apache NWR some days prior, I'd been more diligent about sunscreen and my hat.

Here are some of the tallest plants in the area. They weren't kidding about the lack of shade! Fortunately it was a partly cloudy day, at least.

Horseshoe Bend was definitely worth the stop. Most photos of this site are unmarred by the desert rocks seen here in the foreground. Considering the 1000' drop, however, I wasn't taking any risks, and stayed safely back from the edge. This image is actually a composite of 3 shots I stitched together. Without a wide-angle lens, the bend was just too massive to fit in one shot.
"Daily Nature Photo" on The Nature Conservancy's website, Jun. 28, 2011.
"Nature Photo of the Week" on The Nature Conservancy's blog and facebook page, Jul. 1-7, 2011.
3rd Place (photography,) Slidell Art League's "Cirque du Sol Art" show and Purchase Award, Slidell Memorial Hospital, Jul. 15, 2011.
Winner, Momentum magazine's "freshwater" photo contest, Jul. 28, 2011.
Homepage of the Win! blog, Aug. 2, 2011.

Here's Charles at Horseshoe Bend. As cool as it was to make the hike, the 3/4 mile hike back UPhill in dusty/sandy soil was a whole lot of not fun. I stopped often to rest.

During one of my stops, I got this shot of a long-nosed leopard lizard and eventually we made it back to the car. Our next stop was Cameron, AZ. Wanting to avoid the kind of lodging problem we had in Page, I called to book a room in advance.

On the road to Cameron; some wide open vistas and some of the driest, roughest badlands we ever saw.

It felt like we could see at least a hundred miles from this overlook.

Next stop; the Cameron Trading Post.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Slot canyons like this form mostly via water erosion. Antelope Canyon may be the most well-known and traveled slot canyon in Arizona, but I didn't want to be in an overcrowded rush.

Early on, Charles pointed out this little caterpillar. They occasionally get blown into the canyon from the top. Unfortunately it's a death sentence for them.

Our guide, Robert, pointed out this abandoned owl's nest.

A few, small, scrubby bushes had taken a foothold in the canyon.

"The tongue" formation.

After an initial walkthrough, we were left alone, to wander the canyon at leisure for a little over an hour. It was a great opportunity.

Charles was very patient with me, carrying my camera bag and waiting as I snapped shots in a fury. He's the best.

Walking back to the truck afterwards, Robert pointed out the local version of Utah's Rainbow Bridge (albeit on a very tiny scale.)

Next stop; Horseshoe Bend

Lana Gramlich on Facebook pop back for a minute to see them here.

We got into Page, AZ (just a few miles from the Utah border,) around midnight on Fri., May 13th. Still following our directionally-challenged GPS, it took past our destination, us across the Glen Canyon Dam and then said to turn the wrong way up a one-way street. Needless to say, that was the last time we used the GPS.

I hadn't considered how scarce lodgings would be in Page. The North rim of the Grand Canyon had recently opened and there was nary a vacancy to be found. Resulting from a fairly extensive search, Motel 6 left the light on for us.

Sat., May 4th we had some time to kill before an appointment, so we went back to Glen Canyon Dam for a few minutes. The bridge near the dam is the 4th highest in the U.S.

Soon we headed for an off-road ride to Secret Canyon through Slot Canyon Hummer Adventures. We paid a pretty penny for the opportunity, but it was well worth it!

Our tour guide, Robert (at right,) was very nice and informative. He was a great driver, too, thankfully! The ride was wild; we bounced around, held on for dear life and had a great time. At one point I pressed my hands to the ceiling to prevent myself from falling down through the windshield. As we reached our destination Robert gunned it, taking us virtually straight up a sandy rock wall. I shouted "Holy shit," but he let off the gas and we drifted safely back down. Overall, there was a LOT of laughing. No pictures from the ride, however. That was just impossible.

Robert told us a lot about the local flora and fauna. This is a Tiger Whiptail Lizard.

Common side-blotched lizard. A "fat boy," in the local parlance.

Within a few minutes we'd reached the entrance to our slot canyon.

Next post; Secret Canyon

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Red Rock State Park. The shaded paths along Oak Creek were a welcome change from the blazing sun of the morning.

Part of an exhibit in the Visitors' Center.

We spent quite a while relaxing by the cool creek, which may have been my favorite part of our Sedona excursions.

Water boatmen.

Mystery butterfly (I'd take an ID, again.)

Western box elder bug nymphs.

We saw some birds on our walk, including a female pyrrhuloxia and a hummingbird, both which escaped the view of my cameras. We had dinner at Rene at Tlaquepaque, a boutique area styled in the manner of a Mexican villa. When last I was here, this was a dirt parking lot surrounded by trees. Charles had antelope and I had roasted duck. It was pricey, but delicious.

After dinner we headed for Page, AZ. Our directionally-challenged GPS directed us into the Flagstaff airport. It obviously wasn't taking the job seriously anymore. On our way through Flagstaff we saw a bolide. It was ironic, considering we'd been at Meteor Crater the day before.

Next stop; Page, AZ.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook our wonderful hotel. The gentleman serving even came out to get my dish. When I told him I'd intended to bring it in, he told me I was on vacation and shouldn't worry about such things. It was paradise.

I had to get a shot of Charles in his Western gear (with a new replica gun he bought in town.)

We tried hiking up Boynton Canyon, to see the ruins of the native American cliff dwelling I'd spent time in on my last trip, but 15 years wears on a body & we gave up without getting there. We still managed to hike quite a ways along the trail, though. I have to give us credit for making it as far as we did. Another sign of the changes; last time my friends & I just parked on the side of the road (like everyone else,) & started walking. This time we had to buy a special parking pass.

Greater earless lizard.

There were lovely flowers all over.

Sedona's changed since I was first here 15 years ago. Gone was the laundromat I used on my first visit, as well as a dirt parking lot near a greasy spoon with a great view. In their places are boutiques, gift shops and art galleries. It took me a while to sight a familiar landmark and realize where I was. Still, the landscapes are awesome as always and some of the shops were really cool--we saw a fossilized smilodon skull, among other things.

Next up; Red Rock State Park

Lana Gramlich on Facebook The Eagles.) Meteor Crater is the best-preserved impact crater on the planet. I'd been here before, but the camera I was using at the time wasn't working. Regardless, the place has certainly changed in 15 years! Not the crater so much, but the museum, viewing platforms, cost, Subway franchise, etc.

This wall in the courtyard outside reminded me of a Pink Floyd album cover. The mountain beyond is Humphrey's Peak. At 12,637 feet in elevation, the highest point in Arizona.

A test capsule from the old days of training astronauts at this site for the Apollo missions. I had to touch it.

The American Astronaut Wall of Fame, a lovely tribute, including astronaut names and the missions they served on.

The Holsinger Meteorite, the largest chunk recovered from the meteor that created the crater. Click for a larger view to read the inscription on the panel.

Inside the museum there's a wall set up for photos since you're not allowed to go down into the crater...

...unless you're a geologist. If there's any doubt as to the keenly, eagle-eyed abilities of my preternatural husband, Charles, this should end the debate. Against the vastness of Meteor Crater, where large boulders look like pebbles, these people were but mere dots in the jumbled landscape, but somehow Charles picked them out of the chaos. This photo was taken with my 300mm zoom lens fully extended. We pointed them out to other visitors, some of whom clearly doubted our sanity or thought we were pulling their legs, but I submit to you clear proof that my husband is hardly the decrepit old man he claims to be!

Because of the relatively featureless landscape, getting good photos to show the scale of the crater are difficult, at best.

The crater is about 4000' in diameter and about 570' deep. The rim rises about 150' above the surrounding plains. This image is actually 3 different photos stitched together and still doesn't really do the job.

Even this shot of Charles on a viewing platform pales in comparison to the experience of being there. I may not be able to fully convey the massive scope of the sight, but it will always hold a special place in my heart, nonetheless.

By 5pm we'd arrived in Sedona, AZ, where we got a room at the Best Western Arroyo Roble (2010's "Best of the West" hotel winner.) After stays in some not-very-nice places, this was a refreshing treat.

The view from our room.

We wandered around a bit, then had dinner at Open Range Grill and Tavern. Just down the street, views were similar to those from our room, but through much larger windows. We capped things off with the best cheesecake either of us have ever eaten. Afterwards, we sat on the flower-filled patio outside our room and enjoyed a lovely sunset.

After an eventful day, it was a wonderful change of pace.

Coming up, day 6; Sedona.
In recent art news, my Bull Snake (from Bosque del Apache NWR,) was "Daily Nature Photo" on The Nature Conservancy's website on Jun. 30th and my Horseshoe Bend (coming up in a future post,) made Nature Photo of the Week on The Nature Conservancy's blog as of yesterday.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Petrified Forest Nat'l Park (also home of the Painted Desert.)

Formations of the painted desert.

A polished piece of petrified wood at the Visitor's Center. The Petrified Forest houses some of the most brightly colored fossilized wood in the world.

Some kind of evening primrose. (Thanks again to turtlerangler for the ID!)

Painted desert.

Petrified wood out in the wilderness.

Common side-blotched lizard.

Here's a shot of Charles at a portion of the painted desert for scale. He's that black line to the upper left.

Strawberry hedgehog cactus flower (Charles pointed it out to me.)

Archaeological excavations at the ruins of Puerco Pueblo.

Native American petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock.

The park is very strict about visitors not taking anything away and they'll search your car if they have any doubts. Fortunately my word (which was honest,) was good enough. The gift shop near the entrance was full of wonderful pieces of petrified wood for sale. We indulged in a few, small pieces (both polished and not,) but they also had huge, table-sized slabs and even a large trunk carved into a functional chair. Those pieces ranged into the tens of thousands of dollars, but it's always nice to dream!

Next stop; Meteor Crater.
In recent art news, my Horseshoe Bend photo was "Daily Nature Photo" on The Nature Conservancy's website on Jun. 28th.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Very Large Array ("VLA" for short.) We also passed the VLA coming back the other way, so I'm including photos from both times here. The ones in which the dishes are slanted were on our way west. The ones pointing straight up were on our way back home.

Being total nerds, this stop was right up our alley.

The VLA is a radio astronomy observatory, allowing for the investigation of various astronomical objects.

The dishes are moved on these tracks from time to time to change their configuration.

Despite popular belief, the VLA is in no way affiliated with SETI.

In 1989 it received radio communications from Voyager 2 as it passed Neptune.

The site has been a setting in many movies, including 2010, Independence Day, Contact, Armageddon and Terminator Salvation (in which it was a Skynet facility.)

Past the VLA we crossed the continental divide. We also saw some wild elk and pronghorns and Charles saw his first tumbleweed.

We had a few slight sprinkles of rain leaving New Mexico (the only rain we saw on our whole trip,) but were treated to a lovely sunset once we crossed into Arizona.

In retrospect, shortly after those sunset photos were taken, we went right through one of the areas currently affected by the Wallow Wildfire, the 2nd worst in Arizona's history. We'd originally planned to get a hotel in Eagar, actually, but continued on to St. Johns, instead (I also saw an owl along that drive.) To reiterate, we were here May 11th. We are not here now and were not here during the fires.

Next stop; Petrified Forest Nat'l Park, also home of the Painted Desert
In recent art news, my Moonrise at White Sands 1 photo (coming in a future post,) was "Daily Nature Photo" on The Nature Conservancy's website. I've also had 3 photos explored on flickr.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Bosque del Apache NWR...

Also frequently seen in Louisiana, a great blue heron.

There were some cool sculptures in the garden by the visitor's center.

Another Louisiana regular, great egrets. My main reason for posting this shot was to show the difference between them and the cattle egret (the smaller bird in the shot.)

Mule deer.

Say's phoebe.

My first sighting of neotropic cormorants.

Twin-spotted spiny lizard.

My first sighting of ruddy ducks.

In more recent, non-trip news, my "Detail from Crowned Crane" photo was recently "Explored" on flickr.

Next stop; the VLA.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Bosque del Apache NWR...

Female wild turkeys.

Despite my hopes, we didn't see any mountain lions.

A male, hybrid pheasant of some kind (I forgot what they told me at the visitor's center.) At first I though it was ring-necked (which I used to raise years ago,) but it didn't have the ring and the head was blue instead of green.

Purple prickly pear.

Black-chinned hummingbirds near the visitor's center.

Female black-headed grosbeak.

Red cactus flower. If you can ID the type of cactus, I'd appreciate the input!

Mallards, white-faced ibises and cliff swallows.

Yet more from Bosque del Apache NWR in my next post.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Bosque del Apache NWR. Encompassing nearly 60,000 acres along the Rio Grande, the name means "woods of the Apache."

From the Friends of the Bosque website; (In 2008, the refuge)...installed solar powered water heaters in 2 of its residences and at the Volunteer Lounge. In addition, a 6 kilowatt solar system was installed at the Fire Shop and a 12 kilowatt system on the Farm Shop building. The Refuge hopes that with the new solar system in place it will not only save tax payer money in the long run, but further the Refuge's commitment for promoting a "greener" approach to management of its facilities and create a healthier environment for us all.

In 2008, a 10-15 million-year-old oreodont fossil was discovered here. Read more about it.

An American coot (a Winter visitor to Louisiana,) and my first sighting of a Northern shoveler. His mate wasn't far away.

Cactus flowers.

A pair of blue-winged teals (another Winter visitor to Louisiana,) and a cliff swallow.

Female house finch (thanks to Larry for the ID!)

A bull snake, probably about 4' long. His eyes were pretty milky, so he may have been preparing to shed his skin. Bull snakes are among the largest in the U.S., often growing more than 8' in length. I couldn't resist, and pet along the length of this one's tail before he slithered off into the underbrush. "Daily Nature Photo" on The Nature Conservancy's website, Jun. 30, 2011.

My first sighting of a white-winged dove.

These cacti looked like they were being robbed.

My first sighting of a Wilson's warbler. I didn't see the bee in that shot until I downloaded it on returning home.

More from Bosque del Apache NWR in my next post.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Roadside America. There I found mention of galloping horse statues, which I thought would make a good, quick photo op. The statues were on the property of the Hubbard Museum of the American West, so we decided to spend some quality time inside, as well.

Part of Free Spirits at Noisy Water by Dave McGary, the statues mentioned on Roadside America.

In the lobby, a Remington sculpture.

Besides all of the wagons, carriages, costumes, furniture, saddles, tools and art, there were great displays of various guns.

A gun, holster and knife alleged to have been owned at one point by Billy the Kid.

Outside again, a lucky lizard who lost his tail to save his life.

On our way out of town we passed through Ruidoso, a tourist destination and ski town. Although we didn't have time to stop, it was quite lovely. Coming down out of those mountains, our road cut right through the Valley of Fires (aka Carrizozo Malpais--click link to see satellite images of the area.) An unexpected delight, this enormous lava bed is among the youngest and best preserved in the U.S.

From southernnewmexico.com; ...formed between 1500 and 2000 years ago when Little Black Peak erupted pouring molten lava for 44 miles southwest through the valley. It isn't a volcano per se since the lava flowed via vents, burying almost everything in its path. One hundred sixty-five feet deep at the thickest point, the formation is between 2 and 5 miles wide. From a distance it appears as barren rock but...there are many varieties of flowers, cactus, trees and bushes...The lava is similar to Hawaiian lava, jagged and rippled, and most of the lava field is a wilderness study area...There are bats, roadrunners, quail, cottontails, lizards, great horned owls, burrowing owls, buzzards, hawks, gnat catchers, cactus wrens, sparrows and golden eagles, a virtual birdwatcher's paradise.

Here's a shot with Charles in it for some scale. How did the Carrizozo Malpais form?

We continued heading west to our next destination, one of the best birding sites in the U.S., Bosque del Apache NWR.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Princeton University Press holds a weekly book giveaway. Just like their facebook page to be entered automatically!
Good luck!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook

We stopped at an attraction outside, where Charles took some photos of a one-time Native American dwelling.

Carlsbad Caverns was awe-inspiring and beautiful. If you ever have the opportunity to go there, I insist that you do! It was so overwhelming that I didn't realize how badly my feet were killing me (after 3ish miles of walking throughout the day,) until we stepped out of the cavern. My brain just had too much to process at once.

Next stop; The Hubbard Museum of the American West.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook the Thomas Jefferson Chapter of the Nat'l Society Daughters of the American Revolution;

"C.B. EDDY HOUSE, first substantial dwelling in this area. Built before 1890 as headquarters for extensive ranch. Mr. Eddy's vision resulted in the establishment of Carlsbad, the irrigation system and the railroad."

Charles found this old hive on the grounds.

Although it seemed a bit out of place, this giant, metal roadrunner statue was kind of cool. Up the hill in the distance you can see the Carlsbad (aka Pecos) flume, made of solid concrete in 1902 for a cost of $65,000 (after a flood destroyed the original, wooden structure.) Pat Garrett (who had a ranch in Roswell,) also had a part in its creation. According to Ripley's Believe it or Not, the flume made the Pecos the only river in the world that crosses itself.

More information;
Col. Eddy and the establishment of Carlsbad
The Carlsbad Flume

Next; Our unanimously favorite stop on the trip, Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park in Carlsbad, NM. I don't recall the names of all of the animals--apologies in advance!

A visitor to our own yard back home early on in our ownership, a gray fox (sleeping.)

Western diamondback rattlesnake.

Neither antelope nor deer, pronghorns are in their own scientific family. We saw quite a few of them in the wild on our drives between locations.

Prairie dog.

Red diamondback rattlesnake.

Mexican wolf.

Javelina, aka "collared peccary."

American bison.

There were also elk at the park, but I have better pictures of elk taken in a much more interesting location. We also got to see some in the wild on our drive.

Next up, a bit of history; the C.B. Eddy house.

In other news, Goodnight, Spirit. You did a truly wonderful job! Much closer to home, we've spotted the first fledgling of the season; a red-bellied woodpecker.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. First off; birds. Unless otherwise noted, they are all rescues.

Our national symbol, the bald eagle (explored on flickr.)

One of the more social birds, a Harris' hawk.

Common raven, shown here preening.

Turkey vulture, common to most of the U.S. Despite having a face only a mother could love, I can watch their graceful soaring all day.

Seen throughout the U.S., a Cooper's hawk.

One of the most common owls in North America, the great horned owl.

Perhaps one of the cutest in it's family, the burrowing owl.

Not an attraction of the park but rather flying nearby, a Mississippi kite.

Next up; land-based animals.

In unrelated art news, I will be artist of the month for June at Bayou Barber in Covington, LA (starting June 4th,) and my Sun through Live Oaks photo rec'd an Honorable Mention in the 2nd Edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award, hosted by the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.

I agree wholeheartedly with Sierra Club founder John Muir.

We were fortunate to take our trip when the desert was in bloom. Here are some of the plants that we saw...

Apache plume. Thanks to Turtlerangler for the ID!

These water lilies (the only plants I can positively ID for you here,) were in a man-made pond up by the visitor's center.

Bougainvillea. Thanks to Angie for the ID!

Desert willow flower. Thanks to Turtlerangler for the ID!

Next post; Birds at Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles wanted to go to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Home to some of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world, they're fossilized in the bed of a river that runs through the park. Unfortunately I don't have photos to share, since I'd deleted them from the memory card after downloading them to my laptop, which died the very next day (go figure.) I'm going to bring the laptop to a techie friend to see what he can do.

Update, Jul. 12, 2011; My laptop's a goner, but my friend got my photos back. Here are a few;

Apatosaurus and tyrannosaurus models.

Dinosaur tracks (left by the hunter, Acrocanthosaurus.) The prey dinosaur's tracks are just kind of circular, so I didn't include them here. They were made by Paluxysaurus (named in '07 after the river in which these tracks lie. Also now the official dinosaur of Texas.)

In Glen Rose, we stayed at an Americas Best Value Inn, which was nice enough. The man at the desk was professional, but never quite warm or friendly. I wondered if the company motto was; "Americas Best Value Inn. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."

Before hitting the road to Carlsbad, NM on May 9th, we wandered a bit and stopped by Big Rocks Park, which we'd accidentally discovered not far from our hotel the previous day.

The rocks here are, indeed, big and some had strange pits in them. It was fun wandering around here. At one point we thought we caught a glimpse of a big cat, but in retrospect I think it was just a really large, domesticated one.

My first sighting of a green heron. There was also some kind of sandpiper.

Somehow I'd gotten my polarizing filter stuck on my camera lens at the park. Neither of us could get it off, so we went to a local hardware store to look for a tool to aid the process, but an employee there was able to get the filter off with no problem. Evidently Ace really is the place with the helpful hardware folks...thankfully!

Not far from our hotel we also came upon this quaint, dilapidated building. I have no idea what it once was, but it was cool all the same.

Part of what made it cool (and appropriate to the ruined setting,) about a dozen black vultures were in the trees nearby.

We also went by Dinosaur World. Although we didn't go in, I had to get a picture of one of the statues outside.

We'd bought a GPS to help navigate, which gave us questionable or downright bad directions from time to time (fortunately I also brought directions from Google Maps and a road atlas of N. America.) Leaving the Americas Best Value Inn (not letting the door hit me in the ass on the way out,) despite knowing we had to go left, I followed the GPS's direction to make a right. It then told us, "In 400 yards, make a u-turn." Stupid GPS!

Much of the rest of the day was spent driving across Texas, heading to our next destination; Carlsbad, NM. We checked into a hotel (where my laptop died,) then had dinner at a Chinese restaurant that boasted the "best Mexican food" on a large banner outside. I should have taken a hint from that. Although my food was alright, Charles really didn't enjoy his meal & if the place had an atmosphere, it was "suicidal." Things only got better from there, fortunately, so stay tuned!

Next stop; Carlsbad, NM.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles & I had been gone on a road trip through the American Southwest, hitting many of the major (and some minor) sites, for example;

Sorry for the deception, but I didn't want to announce to cyberspace that our house would be empty for over a week. It's taken me 3 days since our return to sort and edit my 2000+ photos and my mouse arm is killing me. Stay tuned for the stories and images from our epic trip!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Many movies and TV shows are filmed in and around the New Orleans area, including Treme, Steven Segal; Lawman, Red, The Skeleton Key and (of course,) Interview with the Vampire. The ineptitude of the New Orleans Police Dept. is often shown on Bait Car (the police often lose the bait car & the thieves get away.)
Closer to home, the St. Tammany Police Dept. have been on the TV show, Speeders (fortunately I have not been on the show, since I don't speed.) Scenes from Green Lantern were filmed not far from where I vend at the outdoor art market in Madisonville, LA.

However, the very-small-town quaintness of Abita Springs (pop. 2800, where Charles and I live,) is also often the site of Hollywood shoots. Driving into work a couple of weeks ago I passed by filming at a local gas station (although I've been unable--yet--to determine what's being shot.) Back in March, scenes were filmed for the impending film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Last summer Zac Efron was in town, filming scenes for The Lucky One, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks (and also impending.) The year before that, William Hurt was here, filming The Yellow Handkerchief. This movie is now available on DVD & is supposed to be quite good. Although I haven't had time to watch it yet, I did preview the beginning of the movie. In the background I saw my workplace and Mama D's Pizza (which makes the best garlic bread with cheese you'll ever taste!)

"LA" isn't always Los Angeles. Sometimes it's Louisiana. ;)

News article about "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" in Abita Springs
News article about "The Lucky One" in Abita Springs

I'm going to take a week's break from blogging. Stay tuned--I'll be back soon!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Northlake Nature Center.

One of the many, MANY turtles in the area.

Out in the back 40 we encountered 4 white-tailed deer. They were moving too quickly for me to get any really decent shots of them, but the experience was really cool!

Charles spotted this snakeskin on the side of this log. We took it home with us, where I measured it. It's about 4 1/2" long.

Sulphur-winged grasshopper.

I saw this male downy woodpecker in the same area where I saw one a few weeks ago. As such, I'm assuming it's the same one and that it's probably nesting somewhere nearby.

A young American alligator, probably about a year and a half old.

A red iris. I've never seen them this color before.

Despite Charles' protestations that he's actually a decrepit, old man with failing eyesight and hearing, without him I would have missed most of what I've shared in these last 2 posts (except for the turtles, of course. They're too prolific at Northlake to miss.) As with everything else, life's just better when Charles is around, "decrepit" or not!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles and I went back to Northlake Nature Center a couple of weekends ago. My hikes are always much better and more fruitful with my eagle-eyed husband.

6-spotted tiger beetle.

Some kind of snake.

4 Eastern lubber grasshopper nymphs. There were many more in the immediate area. These little nymphs will grow up to be large (about 3" long,) and colorful.

Little wood satyr butterfly.

Bronze frog.

Bumblebee on some kind of wild pea plant.

Stay tuned for more discoveries in Pt. II!

In art news, my Sun through Live Oaks photo is Nature Photo of the Week over on The Nature Conservancy's blog.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Fontainebleau State Park, just a couple of miles up the road.

Minnows.

Bonaparte's gull.

A strange, orange plant I haven't been able to ID yet (drop me a comment if you can help!) It's not part of the green plant, fyi.

One of many red-headed woodpeckers.

Some kind of oxalis flowers.

Heading back to the car, I heard a loud buzzing noise near a tree. I looked up to see dozens of bees swarming a live oak. Being deathly allergic, I beat a hasty retreat (and took some photos from a safe distance with my 300mm zoom.)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Northlake Nature Center in Mandeville, LA.

There are always a fair number of turtles here, but that day was crazy with them! I watched a few males (smaller than the females,) get in their faces to do their mating display--waggling their claws in the females' faces. Not a lot of takers, though. If you know what kind of turtle this is, I'd love to hear it!

A downy woodpecker with a nice, juicy worm.

Male blue dasher.

More turtles, including at least one red-eared slider.

There were quite a few Carolina anoles, as well. Here a male is doing his mating display.

Oxalis flowers.

A red-eared slider near the boardwalk.

Red buckeye.

Did I mention that there were a LOT of turtles?

Unfortunately a sudden, massive, annoying swarm of termites showed up (seemingly out of nowhere,) chasing many of us away. I popped up the road to Fontainebleau State Park, featured in my next post.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook indigo buntings, blue grosbeaks and brown-headed cowbirds are back. I haven't seen rose-breasted grosbeaks, but I've been out of the house a lot and may just be missing them. We've had a red-headed woodpecker, as well. They're local birds, but for some reason they only come to our yard when nesting time rolls around.
Speaking of nesting time, I've watched a couple of male cardinals giving females sunflower seeds, so they're pairing up, too. We're just a couple of months away from fledging time. If I can't get pictures now I suspect I won't have any then, either, but young birds get all over the place, so you never know!

April 2010.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Big Branch Marsh NWR in Lacombe, LA.

Mallard (you can't tell here, but it seemed to have a blue head.)

Monarch butterflies on bull thistle.

Longhorn beetle on Louisiana iris (our state wildflower.)

Pair of blue-winged teals, flying in front of a great egret.

American bird grasshopper (about 3" long.)

Skipper on Louisiana iris.

The Abita Springs Trailhead Art and Music Festival went well this past weekend. The weather was nice, the people were cool, there was live music & I came home with a few extra sheckels in my pocket.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook A tulip-tree beauty on our front door. Thanks again to Vernon Antoine Brou for the ID!

Mama raccoon has taken (as she always does this time of year,) to coming around in the afternoon again.

Female carpenterworm moth (about 2" long.) Despite its excellent camouflage, my eagle-eyed husband spotted it.

If you're in the area on Apr. 17th, I'll be vending at the Abita Springs Trailhead Art and Music Festival. Hope to see you there!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve.

Yellow pitcher flowers are in bloom.

Eastern bluebird.

Light on the Abita Creek.

Mystery flowers (leave me a comment if you can ID!)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles and I had a picnic at Bogue Falaya Wayside Park in Covington, LA, then walked along the river.

Female blue dasher.

Bald cypress and knees.

If you know what flower this is, please drop me a comment.

Bamboo over the river.

Anyone know what kind of fish this is? It was about 7" long.

A red-eared slider. We also saw a small, softshell turtle.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Grebe and Grasses (18x12"), Honorable Mention (photography)

Besides the ribbons and prize money, I rec'd a note from the judge, Lori K. Gordon, about why she made her 1st Place (and Best of Show) choices. Of my piece, she said; "...Foggy Morning very successfully portrays its subject matter as well as conveying a striking mood and sense of place; the technical skill of the photographer was also critical in its selection."

Foggy Morning (30x20"), 1st Place (photography)
(Update, Jul. 15, 2011; This photo also took 1st Place [photography] in Slidell Art League's "Cirque du Sol Art" show, as well as a Purchase Award from Slidell Memorial Hospital [who hosted the show.])

Thanks to the Lacombe Art Guild for the hard work and opportunity, to the Louisiana Medical Center and Heart Hospital for providing the space, to Lori K. Gordon for the awards and my fans for their support!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles & I often shop at Winn-Dixie in Mandeville, LA, evidently to our detriment. Some items we purchase never make it home. Cool whip, cucumbers and strawberries have just vanished. This past Sunday the staff went above and beyond, depriving us of our paper plates, sandwich bags and nailcare items. I'm starting to wonder...is it just us?
Customer service assures me that if I go back with my receipts I can get the missing items, but at over 20 miles round trip each time it's hardly worth the gas and hassle. What's the issue, Winn-Dixie? Is it that hard to put all of our items in bags, really? Is there an undetectable black hole in that small space between the price scanner and the bags? Are we on Candid Camera? To top it off, on every checkout our cashier tells us how much we saved (by using their loyalty card--a price-gouging invasion of privacy in of itself.) Saved? Really? Where are my damned strawberries?
I've never had this problem so consistently anywhere else and I have to wonder why it seems a not-uncommon occurrence at this location. If you're local & having the same problem, I'd love to hear about it!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Northlake Nature Center last weekend.

One of many red-eared sliders. Native to the Southern U.S., this is the most common turtle pet. Because of pet releases, it's now established in other places.

Grasshopper missing a hind leg.

Eastern tent caterpillar (unfortunately we saw a couple of these destructive insects around.)

Sunfish.

A pair of mating dragonflies (sorry about the blur, but they were fairly far away.)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles' son came over for a visit this past weekend (and we hadn't been there in over 5 months,) so we went down to Northlake Nature Center for a hike.

One of at least 5 spotted gar.

Yellow-bellied water snake.

A great egret off in the distance.

One of two bess beetles. Hard to tell here, but it's about 1.25" long.

There were a few of these lovely bushes around. I don't know what they are...yet.

An old trail had been cleared out, so we got to explore all new areas (which was nice.) More photos coming in my next post--stay tuned!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve the other day.

Red maple keys. I couldn't believe how hot pink many of them were.

I don't know what kind of flowers these are. Each grouping (like this,) is about an inch across.

The main bud here wasn't very large, either--perhaps about 1/2" long--but the colors & geometric lines caught my eye.

Possible shining fetterbush flowers. We have a fetterbush in our backyard, but I haven't had time to see if it's blooming yet.

The boardwalk here looked like it was levitating.

Also, apologies to my regular blog-friends. I've been very busy with my 2 jobs and other things lately. I hope to do the rounds again soon. Bear with me!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook TNC's website for the Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve. I'm glad--again--to be able to give something back. Charles and I popped over for a hike there yesterday afternoon...

A pair of red-bellied woodpeckers hung around the hole in a tree for a while. Soon the female flew off and the male popped in to start cleaning out the cavity. We'll have to come back in a few months to look for fledglings.

A Carolina anole.

Immaculate blue 6-spotted tiger beetle. A genetic anomaly. These beetles are normally bright green with white spots on the abdomen.

An adult 5-lined skink.

A black swallowtail butterfly.

More photos from our hike in my next post, so stay tuned!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Madisonville Art Market. C'mon down and say "hi" (mention seeing this announcement on my blog for a free gift!)

We had some really wicked weather in the predawn the other day, with tornadoes touching down in a few areas (thankfully sparing our town.) With the rains have come more signs of Spring...

Pipevine swallowtail seen close to home.

Eastern tiger swallowtail on our siding.

Carolina jessamine.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles Gramlich has recently had another book published. "Midnight in Rosary; Tales in Crimson and Black" features tales of werewolves and vampires.

Predation is in the bones, in the marrow. The ultimate need is for food, but even when sated, a carnivore will still hunt. It wants the wet taste of food, the sweetness of watermelon flesh. Oh, it might be distracted temporarily, but its need to kill isn't rational--and it won't be denied its blood!

Secondly, happy 65th birthday, David Gilmour!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook I recently rec'd a copy of "The Crossley ID Guide (Eastern Birds)" from the people at Princeton Press. This is no field guide. Coming it at 529, nearly-letter-sized pages, one definitely needs a table to support the weight of this massive tome. The book is well made, with high-quality, satin-finished pages, secure binding and a flexible cover. All images are in full color.
The opening pages include a preface by the author, world-renowned birder, Richard Crossley, and a relative sizing scale of the birds included in the book, with each bird's banding code and page number shown beneath it. The introduction includes comprehensive information on how to use the book, how to be a better birder and a bird topography guide (if you've never even heard of a bird's "culmen," "patagium" or "cere," this book will show you quite clearly what they are.)
The major species division in the Crossley ID Guide is between "Waterbirds" and "Landbirds," with appropriate subheadings narrowing down different types of birds (i.e.; under "Landbirds" are Upland Gamebirds, Raptors, Songbirds, etc.) The individual bird listings include a range map, some standard information on behavior, size, etc. and aids for identification. Along side each bird's common name are their scientific name and their banding code.
Perhaps most importantly (or at least, the feature that I most appreciate,) each page includes a color plate showing the bird in its typical habitat in a wide variety of forms--males, females and juveniles--and at a varying range of distances and poses--from up close and personal to flying across the distance. In some cases, birds are also shown from different angles, as opposed to the traditional side view shown in most bird guides. The images are compiled from numerous photos, which I also prefer to the "usual" hand-made illustrations.
The book closes with acknowledgments (including photo credits,) and indexes of the birds by either their banding code, scientific name or common name. The inside back cover includes a larger map of North America and a key to the range maps included in the bird listings.
All in all, this is a beautiful, informative and well-made book, available for a good price. It would make a great addition to any naturalist's collection.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Jackson Daily Photo
Nina Kuriloff Fine Art
Photodiction
BFK Photography
The Celtic Music Fan
Erik's Choice
Earth to Holly
From Skilled Hands
Graf Nature Photography
Just Nature Photos from Eileen
Maalie
RKS2 (Sterling Squared)
Order from Chaos
Pop over for a gander, a listen &/or a read!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook The last launch of Space Shuttle Discovery is planned for Thursday at 4:30pm (Eastern.) Personally I am sorry to see the program retired this year. I'm very glad I got to see a launch of Discovery some years ago--it was quite an experience! I scribbled this sketch (at right,) in my old, handwritten journal the night before that launch. It's been my only shuttle-based work. Perhaps it's time to do a proper, painted tribute...(see below.)

Goodnight, sweet Space Shuttle program, just 2 flights away. Goodnight, manned space flight--I hope to see you again in my lifetime. Thanks to the multitude of people whose work and sacrifice brought us so much knowledge.

History of the Space Shuttle
NASA's page about the Space Shuttle
Discovery
Wikipedia page on the Space Shuttle
Space Station Info, a key destination of the Shuttle
Canadarm and Canadarm2
The Challenger Disaster
The Columbia Disaster

Update, Feb. 23, 2011; Here's the painting I've decided to do as an homage to NASA's Space Shuttle program...

Farewell
12x24" acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas

Lana Gramlich on Facebook The other night I attended my first Slidell Photography Club meeting. I met some really nice people, learned more about the club, had a good time & even won an award or two!

In other news, this weekend's an Art for Madisonville member's exhibit. If you have a problem with that link, try this one. I'll be sitting with the show on Sun., from 2-4pm. If you're going to be in the area, c'mon down!

In other news, my Artist of the Month display is still up at the UU Church in Lacombe, LA (see link,) and some of my work is also now available at Dawn Marie's Cafe in Abita Springs.

Update, Feb. 19, 2011; My Sunset through Live Oaks took 1st Place (photography) at the Art for Madisonville Show;

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles and I went to The Nature Conservancy's Lake Ramsay Preserve.

Delicate seed pods (for what, I couldn't say.)

Out in the longleaf pine savanna, the last stand of such mature trees in the Florida parishes. I love it out here--it's just beautiful.

A few weeks ago Charles & I helped plant longleaf pines at the Flatwoods near our house. We won't live to see them grow this tall, but I'm glad that we helped the cause.

I had to take a picture of the smilin' log.

The creek here runs into the Tchefuncte River a few miles away.

Among the birds we saw or heard were red-bellied woodpeckers, yellow-rumped warblers, American crows, a Carolina wren, a hairy woodpecker, tufted titmice and a Carolina chickadee. We also heard a couple of critters moving through the underbrush--perhaps a 9-banded armadillo and/or a rat bastard.

In other, good news, temperatures are headed upward over the next few days. The forecast for Thursday is 72F. Spring is finally on its way...yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHAH!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Fontainebleau State Park...

There are lots of red-bellied woodpeckers (like this male,) all year round, everywhere around here.

Huge numbers of yellow-rumped warblers Winter here.

Northern mockingbirds are a year-round sight. This one was particularly tolerant and patient.

Out in the marsh...
Hundreds of American coots come every Winter. During this visit I noticed lesser scaup, blue-winged teals and redheads among the flock.

Common moorhens are also a regular, Winter sight.

In addition, a lone, Caspian tern was fishing and dozens of tree swallows picked insects from the air. Both are also Winter visitors here. I'd hoped to see one of the Wintering bald eagles again, or perhaps one of the year-round resident great-horned owls, but it was not to be.

Regardless, it was too nice an afternoon not to take advantage of the opportunity to get outside. Unfortunately, once again, our temps have fallen & clouds have moved in. Again I am housebound.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Gone Fishin'
10x8" acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Here's some detail from a painting I'm working on. I hope to finish it this weekend, since our weather's pretty crappy again. Tonight we're facing freezing rain, which I never thought I'd see here in S. Louisiana. We even had a few flakes of sn*w the other day. It was horrible.
On the plus side, last weekend Charles & I went to a volunteer tree-planting at the Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve. We met some cool people and planted about 60 longleaf pines. It was nice to give something back to a local park that has provided us with some wonderful times. I look forward to seeing the trees grow in the coming years.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook I love the moss-draped oaks. These photos don't really indicate scale. It would take at least 4 people to join hands around that tree trunk...maybe 5.

There's a white-tailed deer back in there (click for larger view.) Unfortunately I hadn't brought my 300mm zoom that day (for the 1st time in years.) Go figure!

Happy belated birthday to Nick Mason, who turned 67 yesterday.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Typically abundant throughout the U.S., red-winged blackbirds are only very occasional visitors to our yard.

Every winter, from time to time our yard is inundated by dozens of wintering American robins. Sometimes there are upwards of 100 of them at a time. Sometimes they hook up with large groups of red-winged blackbirds to forage through our yard. Unfortunately it's hard to get goods shots of them, since I have to shoot through window screens.

Mourning doves, chipping sparrows, a pair of Eastern towhees and a white-throated sparrow (upper right.) Click for the larger view. Despite their vastly different size and appearance, the towhees are members of the sparrow family. Unlike the wintering chipping and white-throated sparrows, however, the towhees are here year-round.

American goldfinches, Northern cardinals, a chipping sparrow and another pretty rare visitor; a wintering pine warbler (near the center of the shot.) Goldfinches are such staunch vegetarians that any brown-headed cowbird eggs that hatch in their nests will certainly die, unable to survive on an all-seed diet.

As always, our yard continues to be a cardinal emporium.

Also as always (unfortunately,) the battle against the rat bastards continues.

BTW, did you know you could get US .44 stamps with my images on them? Check them out!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook my new camera. Charles and I went to Fontainebleau State Park and then to dinner at Trey Yuen (which is awesome!) The raptors are from the park, the others were at the restaurant.

This bald eagle was surprisingly tolerant. I pointed it out to others on the path & let a couple of kids get a closer look through my camera zoom.

Northern harrier (aka "marsh hawk," appropriately seen from the boardwalk in the marsh.)

At first I was intrigued by the bamboo reflections in the water. When the koi came out, they just added that extra "oomph." I think the b/w treatment works well for this one.

Statue of Kwan Yin and child.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook In the Spring of 2006 Charles & I spent a day at the Audubon Zoo. It was a lovely day & we had a really great time. As we headed for the giraffe paddock, which was largely screened from view by a wooden wall, we noticed quite a few women leaving the area with their strollers & kids. Thinking nothing of it, we proceeded around the wall, where a pair of giraffes were getting their freak on front and center. We laughed so hard we nearly peed.

The unrelated photo in this post is of poison ivy on one of the trees in our backyard, taken with my new camera.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Autumn Path
24x12" acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
In other news, I recently completed a logo for my blogger/friend, Rick. It can be seen here, on his blog.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook

Jan. 6th is Syd Barrett's birthday. He would have been 64. RIP, Syd!

In art news, I recently finished a logo for a blogger/writer/friend. I'll provide a link once I have it. This weekend I'll be setting up my "Artist of the Month" display at the Covington branch of the St. Tammany Parish Library. Pop over for a gander if you're in the area.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook
I've been working on a new painting. Details can be seen in my newsletter.

Happy New Year to all of my followers, readers and supporters.
My best to you & yours for 2011!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook 3 cardinals and 2 goldfinches.

2 Carolina chickadees, tufted titmouse and a goldfinch.

On my siding the other night; a cranberry blossom worm moth. Thanks to Vernon Brou for the ID!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Jackson Pollack.........Splatter/drip paintings
Vincent Van Gogh.....................Sunflowers
Damian Hirst.......................Stuffed Shark
Paul Cezanne......Master of Post-Impressionism
Claude Monet..........................Water Lilies
Roy Lichtenstein..............Comic Book Style Art
Paul Gauguin...................South Sea Islanders
Andres Serrano............................Piss Christ
Georges Seurat..............Inventor of Pointilism
Mark Rothko..............Color Field Painting
Gustav Klimt..............................The Kiss
Georgia O'Keeffe..............Floral Close Ups
Salvadore Dali...........................Surrealism
Frida Kahlo................................Unibrows
Jeff Koons......Giant Balloon Animal Sculptures
Henri Rousseau..............Colorful Junglescapes
Jean-Michel Basquiat.........Afro-Urban Graffiti
Pablo Picasso............................Cubist

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Charles. In the middle of some unseasonably cold weather, today it was up to 70F or so. We took the opportunity to pop over to the Flatwoods before the rains came.

Northern mockingbird. We also saw a woodpecker and a bunch of yellow-rumped warblers. We heard Carolina chickadees and a cardinal or two.

I'm really liking the new camera so far. It takes much better shots in low light, is a lot lighter than my older Canon & gives me almost 3x as many megapixels!

In legal news, on Wed. morning I was awarded a default judgment in my court case vs. Sean Bishop (who sold my works earlier this year through Potter Greenthumb's & never paid me.) Thanks to everyone in Abita Springs for their support and aid through this process. A special thanks to my witnesses (despite their testimony becoming unnecessary, after all.) I may never actually see the money, but winning my case is enough closure to allow me to move forward again.
(Update; Shortly afterwards, I was not displeased to learn that Sean had been arrested for some kind of altercation at his old shop.)

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These next 2 shots are of the bird feeding area of my backyard.

A large, grass spider web in our backyard, with the funnel clearly visible.

Dissipating fog late in the morning.

In astronomical news, the Geminid meteor shower is Dec. 13-14.

In art news, my Barred Owl was "Daily Nature Photo" at The Nature Conservancy's website on Dec. 8th.

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Lana Gramlich on Facebook Louisiana Rennaisance Festival in Hammond (or the Village of Albright, depending on how you look at it.) It's always a good time & we ran into people we know (all of whom were part of the cast, now that I think about it.) At any rate, here's a photo of the entrance & parts of the entertaining joust show...

At the entrance (the Queen's above the center arch.)

Sir William, the knight representing the left half of the audience and a cheating scallywag!

"Our" knight, Sir Victor, who was victorious by the end of the event.

In art news...

Slidell Art League's Christmas at the Depot show opened yesterday. Unfortuntately I didn't make it out there, as it seems a recent head cold's developing into bronchitis or some such (I've got meds, though, so I should be a-okay soon enough.) I have a couple of pieces in the show, so feel free to go on down and have a look (the hrs of operation are available via the link, above.) (Update, Dec. 3, 2010; My Pied-Billed Grebe photo won 3rd Place.)

My abstract, Supernova, is also up and available in the Gulf Coast charity art auction. 50% of the sale price goes directly to the Louisiana Sea Turtle and Marine Mammal Rescue Program, a volunteer organization based out of Audubon Aquarium of the America in New Orleans. If you're not able to buy the painting yourself, please feel free to help me spread the word by stumbling, "liking," tweeting, e-mailing, etc. the page around. The auction's over in less than a month & I really hope to be able to "help the cause" with Supernova's sale. (Update, Dec. 20, 2010; The work didn't sell.)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Accipiter Enterprises for making these photos possible.

American kestrel.

Barn owl.

Red-tailed hawk.

Peregrin falcon.

Harris's hawks.

Barred owl.
(Update, Dec. 11, 2010; The Nature Conservancy's
Daily Nature Photo, Dec. 8, 2010.)

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Including references from mythology to modern culture, the main thrust of the book addresses how & why we think the way we do about birds in numerous contexts, from their appearance and attitude to the sound of their songs.
It was an interesting read, but may be somewhat confusing to non-birders. Written by an Englishman, he references birds like robins--but English robins are nothing like the robins we know in the U.S. He also tends to use "birder-speak" that may be common across the pond, but is definitely not the language used by your typical, American birder.
Despite the potential for some confustion, it was a well-thought out book, written in an easy, conversational style and would certainly be a nice gift for any naturalists or birders on your list.

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Male Eastern towhee, a large member of the sparrow family. Unfortunately his back is turned to us here, so his lovely, burnt-orange sides are barely noticeable.

A male downy woodpecker, North America's smallest, seen here once every year & a half or so (so I'm glad I got a few pictures this time.)

The first handful of Wintering American goldfinches arrived in the past couple of weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook The invasive yet lovely Chinese tallow.

Macro of dew on a plant. Click for detailed view.

I was into dewy macros that morning.

A clump of cut grass that appealed to me.

After the fog lifted, a couple shots of paths in the area.

Boardwalk and dew-covered web.

These grass spider webs are all over down here, but you don't see them unless they're covered in dew, like this one. Click for detailed view.

This dew-draped web (a featured image in the Ovation community photographer's group,) is the last non-spider image in this post.

Spider with pray (possibly an argiope aurantia.)

Mystery spider in dew-draped web.

Green lynx spider. I recommend clicking for the detailed view.
In art news, after work tonight I'll be going straight to the Madisonville Marketplace for their Winter Show opening reception (6-9pm.) Hope to see you there!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook

One of the many bluebird houses at the site.

It may be stereotypical, but I converted a number of shots to black and white.

Dew-covered web (click for larger view.)

The sun got much higher than this before finally clearing the fog away (around 9:30am.)

There's more to share again, so stay tuned for Part II!

Lana Gramlich on Facebook Primaries II
40x30" acrylic and table salt on gallery-wrapped canvas

Details;

Lana Gramlich on Facebook

I recently added more photos to the "shop now" tab of my Facebook page. I also slashed prices (and if you "like" my page, you get a 10% discount on top of that.) Photos make great holiday gifts!

My photos and paintings can also be ordered in a wide variety of formats; postcards (10 for $15, inc. ground shipping in the continental U.S.,) calendars, mugs, tote bags, cards, mouse pads, keychains, X-mas ornaments, sweat/t-shirts, towels, clipboards, aprons, bibs, candy tins, clocks, placemats, cutting boards, dog collars/leashes/bowls, keepsake boxes, magnets, ties, pajama pants, notepads, pillowcases, scarves, serving trays, stickers, address labels, trivets, etc.
E-mail me for more info!

The Dreaming Tree

A Real Break