January 2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt!

Thanks to Kathy from Postcards from the P.P. for starting us off on another year of scrounging ;)

Here's my summary followed by individual photos:

1. Soft

I happened upon a Pussy Willow tree just beginning to bud ~ what conjures up softness if it isn't a brand new Pussy Willow?

...unless of course, it is a Downy Woodpecker

...or perhaps, the first snowfall of the year freshly imprinted by a rambling deer.

Oh, my goodness, we're still on number 1.

2. "2"
This ball rolled into view as I continue to sort and organize my garage. It is a rubber ball with a good bounce. (OK, so I took some time out to bounce a ball and also had my eye on the skipping ropes ;))

I had these two eagles in mind, spotted through my kitchen window, but I have already posted them on a previous post.  Here they come again!

3. Blur
Finding a blurry photo isn't too much trouble at all! This photograph of the BC Parliament Buildings was taken when I was in Victoria. Over 3300 energy efficient lightbulbs outline the buildings, although is this photo you'd never know!  No use making this any larger!

4. In season
Winter Jasmine is blooming at my front door and is a pleasant reminder that there are flowers still willing to thrive in the winter months, and give promise that spring is on its way

5. In my bathroom
Well, not actually my home bathroom, but rather the one in the hotel in Victoria where I stayed.

6. Mess
A mess wouldn't be hard to find either, but I decided on showing the messy slush in the neighbourhood after our snowy storm ...

...and my messy painting pants

7. Information

While in Victoria, I came across a plaque that read:

This small islet and the adjacent shore were once an indigenous encampment connected with the village at McNeill Bay, Chikawich, to the west. The people living here ate over 20 species of fish and 15 species of birds, as well as deer, sea mammals, raccoon and marten. Across the water lies Trial Island, Tlikwaynung, a place where there were lots of seals.

My search for more information led me to Burnt Embers blog, which not only tells more about the area, but contains excellent photography from Victoria and area.  If you have time, search through his photos!

The first time I stopped the car to take photos of the view, the sun was shining in my eyes;  I noticed a couple walking towards the Adirondack chairs.

It wasn't until later on in the afternoon, when I drove back again, that I noticed their colours ~

8. Company
While standing looking at the view, I had the company of a bald eagle flying overhead ~

but what I chose for this category was a photo of some cute Bushtits at my bird feeder in the company of a friendly Chickadee (on the right)

I could have picked a group keeping company with each other as they were beach walking in Victoria.

9. Warning
What I really wanted to take was a photo of the hugest lit up "Do Not Enter" sign on a parkade, but I didn't have my camera that evening. Instead I took a photo outside the entrance of the Greater Victoria Library warning bicyclists not to joyride in the Courtyard.

What struck me was how many bicycles were parked outside the library ~ transportation easy on the environment, and also showing that the library was keeping busy! There was also another warning sign just in case you weren't sure which door to use:

10. Odd
Hmmmm....where to start.

On my drive down to Victoria I was stopped in my tracks on one of the back roads that I gravitate towards. There were so many apples on the branches of this tree...not sure if there were an 'odd' number of them, but it was a very odd sight.

and how odd is it to see a Buffalo/Bison head on a a log house restaurant wall?

11. In the distance
Thankfully, one of the photos of the BC Parliament Buildings turned out fairly well...here it is in the distance:

... although I nearly chose this photo of the view of the mountain in the distance, from my front door now that the leaves are off the deciduous tree. We used to have a fairly good mountain view when we moved in nearly 19 years ago, but trees have since grown!

12. Entrance
I chose a photo of these two welcoming heron statues near the entrance to a home when I was parked looking at the view in No. 7.

So that's it for this month's scavenger hunt! To see other entries, click on the link to Kathy's blog at the beginning of this post. Thanks for checking out my photos, and please leave a comment :)