Sunday, April 17, 2011

Eagle Cam

If you ever wanted to know how eagles raise their young, please visit Eagle Cam at http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles.

A dear friend sent this link to me.  The eagle pair recently hatched three chicks.  It is absolutely fascinating to watch these magnificent birds of prey and how they tenderly rear their young.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

So What's Next (Papa)?

As spring dissolves into summer here in Texas, our lives also signal a change in seasons.

David's mother is moving to Missouri at the end of the month to live with her youngest daughter.  After having David's parents nearby for nearly six years, it is an emotional time for us.  On one hand, we feel a true loss at Mary's leaving.  On the other, we know that this is the right move for her.  

Once Mary is settled into her new home, David and I will begin outfitting Ozzie in earnest.  We have a few modifications to make before our next journey.  

Our estimated departure date is tentatively around the end of July.  We want to leave later in the summer this year so that we can catch grizzlies feeding on salmon and the Dempster in full autumn color. 

As of now, we plan to travel up the Cassiar Highway, which we missed last year.  Depending on the price of gasoline, we hope to visit Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta and Yellow Knife in the Northwest Territory.

These plans, however, are His, not ours.  So we ask once again, "What's next, Papa?"  (See our post on June 25, 2010.)  Can't wait to see what happens next!!!

Of course, we will continue to blog our adventures.

We invite each of you to join us!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Golden Studios at www.goldenstudios.net

And as for me?  Our Alaskan adventure definitely reignited my sense of wonder at God's amazing creation.

How could it not?  I saw wolves joyfully nipping and chasing one another in Denali.  Seals danced, otters played, and eagles soared in Valdez.

Our first night on the Dempster, a silver-backed wolf peered into our camper.  The next morning we saw a grizzly bear fending off opportunistic ravens, trying to steal his hard-earned meal. Several days later, a second grizzly paraded just yards from our vehicle, locked in steady gaze with me.

We dodged thunder and lightening at the northern edge of the Rocky Mountains, basked in the shadow of Mount Denali, and saw autumn draping a coat of many colors across the Northwest Territory.

Caribou, elk, and moose dripped velvet from bloody antlers as rutting season neared.  A herd of rare musk ox rambled across the Arctic tundra like Mystics from The Dark Crystal movie.  In the Dakotas, I laughed at precocious wild donkeys and wept at the blessing of those magnificent wild horses.

Throughout it all, I held fast to my camera, snapping nearly 10,000 frames.  David was the driver during our forays for wildlife photos.  He and Rox were my spotters.  And you, our beloved readers, cheered us on and offered such warm encouragement for both the blog and the photos.

Because of your encouragement, as of this week, we have officially begun a new venture.  Golden Studios will be home to our new nature photography website and can be visited at http://www.goldenstudios.net/.  It comes with a promise of more adventures and more amazing opportunities to take photos.


Photography has been a love of mine for over forty years.  In fact, David swears that I've witnessed every major family event and most of our life together through the lens of a camera.

As many of you know, I have focused most of my career on writing.  But I also discovered a wonderful truth years ago:  Like writing, a good photograph tells a story.   With a cache of over 3,000 slides and nearly double that amount in film, we are currently honing in on the best of the best.  Golden Studios will offer glimpses into our most beautiful and extraordinary world.

Your support and encouragement have given me the courage to take this leap of faith.  I humbly thank each of you.  My prayer is that Golden Studios will offer amazing reminders of our remarkable planet and our awesome Creator God.

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
   or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
   or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
   that the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
   and the breath of all mankind. 
(Job 12:7-10)