Inside the pine woods

We didn't go far inside, not that there's very far to go. Just beyond the wood is another road. Beyond that, a ravine, then another ridge planted in vines. Callie and I stayed in the margin, threading our way along the paths between tree and open land.

Looking back out of the wood toward the vineyard.

The overcast thickened as the sun moved closer to the western horizon. I wished I had brought the tripod along. My pictures would be a bit fuzzy in the fading light. Callie kept on, sniffing and searching for deer, but she stayed close, not wanting to lose me.

The not-so-secret life of dogs

Up toward the end of the vineyard road, beyond one of the vine parcels, stands a small patch of pine trees. At its edge, where the pines give way to a small lot of tall grass and then to grape vines, young pines, no doubt sprouted from seed, advance toward the empty field. In this margin are countless small trails made by deer, foxes, rabbits, and other inhabitants of the local woods.

A well-trodden path through the tall grasses toward the woods.

Callie and I ventured through this transitional wood one recent afternoon. The dog is no stranger to this spot; she loves to wind her way around the trees following this trail and that, sniffing for signs of other animals while I, much less nimble than she, keep to the parallel dirt road. She chases deer into these woods frequently and must believe they're all still there, hiding just inside.

When I followed her in on this day, I saw a happy smile on her face. She led me on, sharing one of her special places with me.

Monday's moon

The moon was actually full on Sunday morning, but clouds prevented us from seeing it. But on Monday we had some breaks in the clouds as the just-past-full moon set in the west. I scrambled to get the camera set up (tripod, long lens, memory card) at the window for some photos.

The moon, 28 January 2013, 08h10.

This is the best of the bunch. I like how the sky came in deep blue. The sun was not quite up yet. The official sunrise was at 08h25, fifteen minutes after I took the picture.

Compare it to this shot I took one month ago.

The vines in winter

Here's the last of this current series from the frosty vineyard. I took these pictures before we got our snow last week. The snow is now long gone and the temperatures have warmed up. We haven't had a frosty morning in a while. I should do a series called "muddy vineyard."

One of the last clear mornings in recent memory. The ground was frozen. No mud.

Seriously, all the bare ground is mud right now. Even the grassy bits are spongy. I avoid low spots on my walks with the dog. They're just too wet. We need a week or two of bright sun and no precipitation. Ha!

More frosty vines

I know it's a bit samey, but here's yet another view of the winter vineyard. The bit of snow we got on Saturday morning disappeared rather quickly. This morning it's trying to rain. The forecast is for actual rain mid-day with some wind gusts.

The vines in the foreground have been pruned, the vines in back have not.

According to a schedule Ken found on the internet last fall, today is the last regular hunt day of the season in our area. I believe that means no more hunting for pheasant and hares and maybe other small game. The season continues through February for roe deer, boar, and fox. Those critters are usually hunted in organized hunts called battues.

Moving right along

All seems back to normal, computer-wise. Better than normal, actually. I'm enjoying not having the slow-down problems I was having with the old machine. So, Ken and I had Christmas in January. He got his new tablet and I got a new desktop. Ho, ho, ho!

Callie checks to see if I'm following her down between a row of vines in the frosty vineyard.

This morning I'll be watching the women's tennis final from Melbourne, live on television. We've been getting the night sessions live in the mornings, then they switch to matches recorded during the night. Sunday morning I'll see the men's final, which promises to be a good one. The Federer/Murray semi-final was fun to watch yesterday.

Bark

I'm still playing working with my new computer to get it set up and customized. There is so much new stuff to explore and figure out. The basics are working fine, but I'm making tweaks here and there as I learn the new system.

The colorful bark of a nearby pine tree.

I'm not taking time to respond to comments right at the moment, so please bear with me. I am reading all of your comments, of course (and thanks for all the info and advice!), and appreciate them. I got the den cleaned up yesterday and the old computer is moved to a different room. It's set up and running in case I need it, but it's out of the way for now.