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Making Fossils #2 Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 2013

Some pine cones and part of a tree branch being coated with calcium carbonate deposits in a hot springs pool at Mammoth.]]>

Making Fossils #1 Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 2013

Although there is snow on the ground, these trees aren’t drowning in it; rather they are buried in and were killed by the spreading travertine deposits from Canary Springs on the Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace. Travertine is made of limestone and many fossils form in limestone, so it seems like there should be some major tree fossils hidden at Mammoth. But I’ve only seen micro-organism fossils mentioned in discussions of the terrace geology.]]>

Cleaning Up Some Loose Ends Bozeman, Montana 2013

In between dives to the dumpster below, this raven did some preening of his feathers.

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Tough Sledding Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 2013

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these beasts from the swift completion of their appointed rounds (eating). It’s quite interesting watching bison digging energetically down through crusty snow by swishing their heads back and forth. They must have pretty tough noses. They don’t necessarily go for the places with the least snow either, instead often choosing to work down through the sometimes deeper snow covering what they know or suspect to be the most choice grasses.]]>

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Tough Winter Bozeman, Montana 2013

Winters are hard on fallen leaves, but on the other hand this one actually has fared quite well considering. It was buried in the snow in our driveway and then scrapped over by a snow plow, bringing it to the surface nearly whole where I photographed it.]]>

Raven on Patrol Bozeman, Montana 2013

This was a quick grabshot of a raven that I didn’t like at all in black and white (go figure); but in color I found the subtle shades and pattern in the back ground along the with the tree leaves in the foreground, really set off the raven in flight.]]>

Single Pane Window Bozeman, Montana 2013

A cold day, a warm cafe, and single pane windows; ingredients for a classic photo subject. I suppose this is becoming a dying genre with the continued push for energy efficiency.]]>

Practicing Your French Bozeman, Montana 2013

The Fashion Queen arriving to meet me at the little French cafe in Bozeman. We’re headed to Paris in a few months and this is a good way to get ready for that trip. At least it’s good in terms of practicing eating French food; I’m afraid our almost non-existent French language skills aren’t going to improve much just by drinking tea and eating eclairs, however authentic they are.]]>

Colonies and Rafts Heceta Head, Oregon 2013

What’s louder than the surf crashing on the rocks? Sea lions lounging on and near the shore. While stopped at an overlook taking in the far view, the sound of this colony and pod drew me to the edge to look down. (A group of sea lions on the shore is called a colony; floating on the water they are called a raft–or so I read.)]]>