This is more like it

Things are much improved on the weather (and personal comfort) front since we have left the minus 30 and 40 degree temperatures of early last week. We even made it up to single digits below freezing on a couple of days. This has been a very welcome reprieve for all inhabitants of this province, human and animal. As always when things get as bitter as it was last week, I pondered with amazement how the early European settlers were able to survive their first years here (and by *early* in this province we are going back only a hundred or so years), or, going farther back, how the Native inhabitants were able to use their survival skills and hard-won knowledge of this harsh environment to keep themselves alive, all without the benefit of insulated houses, central heating, running water, grocery stores full of food, heated vehicles, and all the day-to-day things we “moderns” take for granted. I’m not sure many of us could survive the way our ancestors did, with the materials they had at their disposal, and “making it up” as they went along, often with little knowledge and few resources. It’s a testimonial to their grit, determination, and likely their level of desperation, that any of us live here now.
I was able to take advantage of the milder temperatures to go out on a first “date” with the new camera (a Nikon D300s, since a few people have inquired) and so far, so good. This camera seems mostly familiar to me since it is the evolution of my previous D200. There are enough new features for a bit of a learning curve for me, but not so many that I couldn’t pick it up, adjust the settings to my own specs, and go out and shoot. The unrepaired but still somewhat functional D200 has come back from its trip for diagnosis, and has been officially handed over to my grandson Mark, who is very pleased to have it. I hope it will continue to work for him for at least a while.
While I was without my usual camera I had a bit of “extra” time to play with existing images in Photoshop. That and the fact that it was just too darn cold to go out anyway. The first image in today’s lot is one of the results of that playing. I’ve been thinking about doing a series of “elemental” horses (earth, air, fire, water) and likely you can guess which one this is. Since I assembled this one, I’ve rethought the concept quite a bit, so this is only a beginning of what will end up being a lot more complex image. Then I’ll have to figure out the other three. After that, I’m contemplating “four seasons” horse images. That should keep me entertained for a while this winter, added in to all the other things I have in mind.
My photo outing of the warmish day took me to my favourite mixed herd south of the city, en route to Ebon stables to check in on Alpac. Shot two shows one of the young brood mares “hiding” behind a tree while keeping an eye on me. It’s been quite a while since I got out to photograph these horses, a situation I will try to remedy as the weather allows. In fact, I tend to go out there a lot more in the winter than I do in the summer, partly due to my quest for shots of horses when it is snowing. Mind you, we have almost no snow at all so far this year, so things will have to step up on that front to get me out there more often.
Shot three is one of the several barn cats at the same horse operation. I’m not sure how many cats live there, but the ones I see are all very well fed and in good shape. I think of this one as being the “ambassador” of the group, or maybe the “greeter” as he will come rushing up to purr, rub and visit the minute he sees you in the area. Getting photos of him is always a challenge as I generally have my big zoom lens on the camera when I am there, and he gets so close so fast that I can’t usually get a focus on him to get a shot. Right after I took this one he shot down the post and was soon wrapped around my ankles.
Shot four is one I took at Ebon when I got there that same day. I always smile when I see the barn sparrows lined up on the fence. They’re pretty skittish, so this was as close as I could get before they all took off. You can see from this and the previous shots that the day was very grey and overcast, although with the added bonus of beautiful frost on all the trees, due to the somewhat warmer and moister prevailing weather system.
In addition to spending time on the fire horse, I was in “card” mode last week. An online publication, the StableWoman Gazette, put out a call for images for e-cards, and I was happy to oblige. I’ve had a folder in the computer of suitable card images for quite a while, and just needed the nudge to get me to work on some of them. If you click on the highlighted link above, you can see the e-card area on the left of the home page.