Do You Have a Beef with Me Buddy?

I captured a photo of a rather plump Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) who appears to be staring me down with quiet intensity. The original image had quite a bit of noise, so some feather detail was lost in the cleanup—but even so, it’s a delight to behold.

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

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Blurred Raptor

Charlie and I sat outside this morning watching birds—though there weren’t many around, at least not that I could see. The blue jays stayed out of sight, but I heard them raising a racket nearby just before a hawk made a quick sweep across the backyard. I wasn’t ready, and the appearance was brief, but I did manage to catch this blurry image of the hawk in flight. Based on the wing proportions, I believe it’s a Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus).

Check out breathtaking photos of magnificent birds of prey, visit my photo gallery here:

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Good morning. 🌊🌊🌊

13 November 2025

I got up about an hour later than usual this morning. I’d stayed up late last night—well, late for me—watching a series on BritBox called The Good Ship Murder. It features a former detective inspector turned lounge singer and a ship’s first officer who solve a murder onboard in every episode. That’s right: a regular murder of one of the passengers seems to be a standing feature of the cruise. What a fantastic marketing ploy—“Be the lucky passenger.” Come on aboard, we’re expecting you. 🛳️

Charlie just barked, so I got up to let him in. But he only looked at me, so I shut the door and came right back in here. I’ll wait until his barking sounds a bit more insistent. He’s a strange character sometimes—perpetually on the wrong side of the back door. He’ll stay outside without complaint, as long as someone’s out there with him. Once I finish this morning’s dispatch into the digital void, I’ll grab my camera and we’ll both go sit outside and watch the birds.

In just about a week, we’re headed east again. We go every year—Thanksgiving with the family in a small house in a small Georgian town. My wife is from there. I sometimes call it Georgiania, just to hear her say, “That’s not how you say it.” For the same reason, I jokingly call Canada Canadia and Chanel No. 5 Channel 5. It’s all just to get a reaction. There’s something delightful about walking into the perfume department of a store and asking for help finding some of that Channel 5. Some people get the joke right away. Some don’t.

“Ship happens.” — CruiseMummy.co.uk

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” — Mark Twain

“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” — Orhan Pamuk

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Masked Witness

I took this photo early one spring, just as the trees were beginning to bud. This Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) had claimed a perch in the oak tree in my backyard. It would dart down to the feeder, snatch a sunflower seed, then return to the branch to crack it open—an efficient little ritual repeated with quiet precision.

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 #CarolinaChicadee

White Arc

I spotted this white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) a few years back, gliding low over the Calcasieu Ship Channel in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The original image was a bit fuzzy, but this version shows improved detail—especially around the wings and feathering. The yellow skin around the beak and eyes appears slightly artificial when zoomed in, but overall, it’s a passable image. A moment of motion, preserved with just enough clarity to honor the bird’s grace.

If you enjoy wildlife and nature photography, check out my photo gallery here:

https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

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Good morning. 🌸💮🪷

12 November 2025

I forgot to add coffee grounds to the pot again this morning. That’s twice in two weeks, I think. A slip in the ritual of wakefulness.

Usually, when I start typing, it leads somewhere—a subject, a rant, or at least a blithering babble. So far, nothing. Unless this is the blithering babble. Maybe I’m on to something after all.

Yesterday, we ran into trouble logging into the DirecTV website to pay a bill. Just an error message. My wife called DirecTV for assistance, and after a few minutes with the representative, she handed me the phone. I should say up front: I loathe talking to customer service. Especially AT&T’s version of it—and DirecTV is under their umbrella.

I listened as the rep walked me through all the steps I’d already tried. I nodded politely, thanked them, and hung up the phone.

Except I didn’t hang up anything. I tapped a spot on the face of an iPhone. “Hung up the phone” is a vestigial expression—an echo from the days when we physically placed the receiver into a cradle to end the call. People my age remember that ritual. I imagine there are 21st-century folks who’ve never owned a landline. That’s a subject worth digging into sometime.

Anyway, I figured it out myself. Turns out the DirecTV site doesn’t play well with Norton VPN. I’ll need to find a way to let it through, since another site I use requires the VPN - a minor dilemma.

“Language is fossil poetry.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.” — B.F. Skinner

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” — Dale Carnegie

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