There Be Witches Here 🧹

What stories might this house tell? A solitary dwelling perched on a hill beneath a sky in turmoil. Are its occupants still among the living—or merely remembered by the walls? And who, or what, peers between the curtains when no one is watching?

Doth thou dare approach without thine amulet, knowing the threshold may not welcome the unguarded?

The trees whisper. The sky broods. The ground remembers. There be witches here.

My photo gallery features over 1400 carefully selected images. While most are chosen for their visual appeal, a few stand out as novelty shots. Feel free to explore my gallery at:

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #house #buildling #architecture #haunt #witchcraft #witch #sky

White Flame Rising

This is a striking image of a Great Egret (Ardea alba), captured in a pose that almost suggests surrender—as if the bird were saying, “Go ahead, take my picture.” But what appears to be resignation is, in truth, a fleeting moment frozen in time. The egret is not yielding—it’s gathering itself, preparing to rise. Wings lifted, body poised, it stands at the threshold between stillness and flight.

Explore a curated collection of heron and egret images in my photo gallery. Take a look!

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #heron #egret #GreatEgret

Good morning. 🌕🌖🌚

9 October 2025

Snow Geese, and the Law of Kinship

I'm writing this morning from an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Houston, Texas. A big house on a lake. We’re staying with some in-laws for a few days—well, they’re my in-laws, and a couple of them are my wife’s in-laws. That’s how it goes with in-laws, I suppose. I think it’s the law.

Last night, a flock of snow geese descended just behind the house. I felt both thrilled and let down—thrilled by their arrival, let down by the darkness that kept my camera silent. They mingled quietly on the grass near the lake’s edge, like spectral guests at a moonlit gathering. Except for the honking. I don’t think ghosts honk. Do they?

I tried to get a photo, but the light refused to cooperate. I considered stepping beyond the small wrought iron fence to get closer, but something told me that was a bad idea. Snow geese are sizable creatures, and they’ve been known to go on the offensive—me thinks. It’s one of those lessons I learned the smart way: through someone else’s misfortune.

Yesterday morning, I dropped Charlie at the veterinarian’s office. It tugged at the heartstrings. He didn’t want to stay—propped himself up on my lap, tried to make a break for the door and the car. I’ll feel better when I pick him up in a few days.

The house is beginning to stir. Footsteps, voices, the subtle shift in atmosphere that signals coffee and quiet time are drawing to a close.

“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” — Michael J. Fox

“How do geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? … There is a voice within, if only we would listen.” — Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

“The bond with a dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be.” — Konrad Lorenz

#morning #moon #snowgeese #geese #family #visit #lake #dog #photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers

Cardinal Covenant

Two Northern Cardinals share a quiet moment on the LUV Swing—one ember, one flame—perched side by side in gentle alliance.

Step into a world where even the smallest moments—like the glint in a bird's eye—tell their own story.

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #NorthernCardinals

Dusk

This is a photograph of treetops at dusk. The trees are little more than silhouettes, but their edges blaze as if lit by fire. A bolt of light—like lightning or molten dusk—streaks across the frame from right to left, erupting and re-erupting in the taller, sparser trees on the left. Above it all, the sky smolders in shades of orangish black, thick with dusk’s residue.

The effect wasn’t exactly planned. I was fiddling with the light parameters—sliding levers, nudging contrast—and this emerged. It felt like a sovereign accident, so I kept it. Why not.

The photographs I share here don’t appear as vivid as they do in my Pixel’s gallery. To make them load more easily, I reduce their size and slightly lower their quality. Take a look:

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #nature #abstract #trees #dusk #silouhettes #sky

Through the Canopy

This morning, the usual backyard birds made their rounds—cardinals, chickadees, and the occasional blue jay. At one point, I was sure I heard a woodpecker nearby and kept craning my neck to peer up into the old oak. But the tapping turned out to be my chair, issuing a kind of cackling protest every time I shifted. Still, through a narrow gap in the forest canopy, I spotted a Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)—its red plumage glowing like a flame against the green, a quiet witness in the trees.

If you’re captivated by summer tanagers and other members of the Cardinalidae family—better known as the cardinal family—step into my photo gallery for a visual feast. Come take a look:

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #SummerTanager

What is Yellow Belly Sap?

This is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius).

Explore more chic woodpecker photos by visiting my photo gallery.

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotograph #woodpecker #YellowBelliedSapsucker