Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Snowboarding and snowbirding...

Late yesterday afternoon I took Matty and his friend, Chet, to Pine Hill Lakes for a little snowboarding. While they snowboarded, I snowbirded...

Nothing beats the stunning red of a Northern Cardinal against the snow.
We were at Pine Hill Lakes the same time last year, and a cardinal stole the show then too.

Muffled shrieks and laughter from kids having fun on the sledding hills drifted down with the snowflakes as I sat in a little snowbank watching this male Northern Cardinal survey the land.

Matty snowboarding past me.

...running up that hill! It's fast down...but slow back up!

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25 comments:

  1. Janice KJanuary 12, 2011 at 8:52 AM

    Looks like a great winter afternoon to me. Loved the pictures of your "red" friend, and Matty looked like he was having a great time too.

    Enjoy the snow!

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  2. Kathy A. JohnsonJanuary 12, 2011 at 9:02 AM

    I love cardinals--and this one sure shows up nicely against his snowy backdrop. Sounds like a great day for all of you!

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  3. MontanagirlJanuary 12, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    Stunning shots of the Cardinal, Kelly! They are such a beautiful bird! And Matty's a very nice-looking boy as well! lol

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  4. grammie gJanuary 12, 2011 at 9:40 AM

    HI Kelly...That's the worst part having to climb back up,but the thrill of the ride down makes up for that!!
    Beautiful cardinal photo's..thery are just wonderful in winter snow "breath taking".
    I saw 4 while I was walking yesterday,but I don't have the capability to get a decent photo of them !!
    I want to go sliding, but can't find anybody, or anybody's kids to borrow to go with me. lol : } Can I borrow your"s : }}
    Snowing and blowing here, 4 inches so far... expecting up to 10 inches!!

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  5. Betsy Banks AdamsJanuary 12, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    Cute, Kelly.... I love to snowbird also!!!!! My birds really appreciate me feeding them --especially now that we have had so much snow. And--they love the new heated birdbath.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  6. ChrisJanuary 12, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Snowboard as well as snowbirding seem to be quiet a fun! Beautiful shots of the cardinla in this snow Kelly!

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  7. holdingmomentsJanuary 12, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    A stunner of a bird. Such a rich colour.

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  8. Ken.January 12, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    Hi Kelly.
    Great shots of the Cardinal bird, although it is a bit gaudy for my taste.
    Happy New Year.

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  9. FABJanuary 12, 2011 at 11:41 AM

    Not sure I could cope with the energetic snowboarding BUT relaxed snow birding with such a colourful species sounds great fun. FAB.

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  10. Warren BakerJanuary 12, 2011 at 12:24 PM

    Those Cardinals stand out so much Kelly, makes you wonder how they avoid the hawks!

    PS got your book today, e-mailed you about it :-)

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  11. Laure FerlitaJanuary 12, 2011 at 1:18 PM

    Not sure it that qualifies as "multi-tasking" but it's definitely time well spent - for all of you!

    I can't believe how much Matty's changed—his face is thinning out and he looks older!

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  12. DaveJanuary 12, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    Great shots Kelly!
    I have yet to get a good one myself...one of these days...

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  13. forgetmenotJanuary 12, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    Beautiful cardinal! So bright and colorful. Matty, your son???, is a great looking kid! Snowboarding is such fun for the "young".

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  14. KellyJanuary 12, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    ...yes, ma'am. Matty is my son. You're right Laure...he has grown so much. He's gotten taller and thinner. Those growing spurts are really handy!!

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  15. SouthernHeartJanuary 13, 2011 at 12:21 AM

    Awesome photos! You should publish a book of photos! Have you already done that and I just missed it?! What type of camera do you have? Of course, I could have the same identical camera and not get THESE photos! ;-)

    Blessings,
    Dianne
    http://www.mysouthernheart.com

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  16. KellyJanuary 13, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    Diane...no book of photos, but that would be cool! Thank you!! My camera gear is:
    Nikon D700
    Nikon AF-S VR-Nikkor 70-200mm 2.8G lens
    Nikon 2x teleconverter
    For distance shots I crop the images down in Aperture (I'm a Mac). The lens is nice because it has vibration reduction, which makes the cropped image quality acceptable.

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  17. EJanuary 13, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    Beautiful, great pics, Kelly. Congrats.
    Did you get the mail for Matt?
    Hugs,

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  18. JayneJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:26 AM

    Man, but he looks SO grown up in that last photo. :c)
    I sense a painting of that first Cardinal photo in the works! Thanks again for my sweet surprises Kelly. Truly, I LOVE them!

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  19. MjBJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:11 AM

    How do you keep the Cardinals in focus while you're snowboarding?

    Take care,
    ---Mike

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  20. KellyJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:23 AM

    Ena....yes, I did. Thank you! I was working on putting a thank you package together!

    jayne...as a matter of fact...there is a painting in the works. Right now, I'm planning it in my head. It will probably be a watercolor.

    Mike...hehe...practice, man! Also...being a yoga teacher really helps! :-)

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  21. UnknownJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    Beautiful photos. Cardinals make winter that much more tolerable.

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  22. KellyJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:12 PM

    Thank you!!! I just love seeing Red in the snow. Today I was home from work and every time I looked out the window I would see 7-10 sitting in the trees looking fabulous.

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  23. Kerri FarleyJanuary 15, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    How FUN!

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  24. ValerieJanuary 15, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    Wow! Such fantastic pictures - with gorgeous clarity!!

    Love them all.

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  25. CarolineJanuary 17, 2011 at 2:29 AM

    Fabulous little birds - would love to see one in real life! Looked like the snowboarders had a great day!

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