“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

We had more snow fall since my last entry. By my estimation it was about 2 inches. While the skies were gray as the snow fell, the next day brought blue skies with wispy clouds, and frost-encased trees. This is the experience of winter that I love the most.

I haven't done very much in the last week. I've been working on mounting my photos to foam core and then matting and framing them for display in my home. I've also started working on my Christmas cards, but realize that it's going to be a long process to get through. It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than two months away! Where did the year go?!

I bought myself an early Christmas present. I have been coveting a good everyday lens for my camera. The one that came with my old Digital Rebel is the one I use on my 20D. It's OK for everyday use, but not the best glass out there. What I love about it is that it can shoot wide angle as well as "regular" distance photos. The problem is that if I want to get somewhat close to an object, I have to swap out that lens for my zoom lens (a 75mm-300mm lens). It is a major hassle - in my opinion - to do this swap, especially when I'm alone and don't have my photography assistant (Steve) along to pull the zoom out of my backpack, and hold things while I do the lens swap.

The lens I ordered (I'm still awaiting delivery) is good quality glass and also will take photos from wide angle - although not as wide as the old lens. I am hoping this won't create a problem when photographing the northern lights. The good thing is that I won't have to grab that zoom lens when I want to get a little closer. I'm very excited about this investment - and investment it is! - as good quality camera lenses are not inexpensive.

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I took some photos over the last few days - mostly because I was bored. I love playing with my camera, so when there's nothing else to keep me entertained, I can be assured of having my boredom eradicated with a few snaps of the camera.

The photo at left is of the stained glass piece I made several years ago. I have it hanging in my kitchen window, and when the sun comes up it tints the floor with red as it shines through the glass. I thought it was interesting to focus on the snowy trees in my yard through the clear glass in the center.

In the group of photos below, the first photo is a bottle of maple syrup gifted to me by my friend Bob who lives in Massachusetts. Bob is a fellow photographer who travels to Arizona on a regular basis (my second most favorite state in the US after Alaska). You can check out his gallery here. He recently had to put down one of his feline furkids - a difficult experience for him, as anyone who is owned by furry kids knows. While on a photo trip to New Hampshire, he thought I'd like a bottle of maple syrup. The bottle is such a unique shape, I just had to photograph it.

I took the third photo of the chickadee, because I noticed that she was using her feet to hold a sunflower shell so she could get at the seed inside. The fourth photo is of a vole (see info here) that I've been seeing in my yard lately. He likes to hang out under the bird feeder, and appears and disappears suddenly into the many holes he's got in the ground. I've enjoyed watching him scurry throughout the yard, but this is the first time I was able to actually photograph him. In fact, as I type this, he is scurrying around under the bird feeder!

Last night, my friend Abby and I went to the Native Alaska Arts & Crafts Fair at the Carlson Center. We were both looking forward to seeing the arts and crafts, and I planned to buy something for the house. I've been in search of a blanket toss sculpture made of fur and ivory that I saw several years ago, but didn't buy because of the price tag. I have not had any luck finding something comparable, and I kick myself repeatedly for not buying it when I saw it.

Both Abby and I did find some beautiful hand-made masks. The masks are made of caribou (reindeer) skin, and are trimmed with various furs. My mask is trimmed with silver fox fur. The fringe of hair and the eyelashes are rabbit fur. The mask is about 9" in total length - not one of the biggest ones available - but it was more affordable.

Caribou skin masks are an excellent example of Eskimo creativity. The artist begins by carving a wooden face model and then stretches wet skin over the form. The skin is tacked down to provide greater detail and definition. Once dried the mask will hold its form almost indefinitely. The artist of my mask is Mabel Burris. She lives here in Fairbanks and also makes yo-yo's.

We spent more than an hour perusing the beautiful crafts, but didn't want to go home immediately. I drove over to Pioneer Park, and continued through the park to the river behind, to show Abby the ducks. When we arrived, there was a couple of people down on the shore with bales of hay and seeds, which they spread out for the ducks.

A large group of ducks remained on the top of the hill where I parked my car, so Abby and I got out of the car to take a few photos. Soon, our feathered friends decided that they too would like to partake of the bounty left behind by the humans. I practiced panning as they flew away and managed to get some interesting photos. I did have to do some adjustments in my photo editing program to repair the brightness and contrast, but I like the way parts of the photos are sharp, and other parts are blurred. I also like the effect of brightening the background to make it look as if the ducks were flying in front of a white backdrop.