Two Books for Christmas Gifts

So, you are looking for the perfect gift - a book for the sports fan in you life.  Look no more - it is here!

My husband is an excellent writer, and his new book was published this summer and is available at Amazon   Click to order - free two day shipping for Amazon Prime Members.

 You will enjoy the player ratings  in this book, and also the lengthy details of the twenty best pitchers, twenty best regular players, 20 greatest games, as well as the twenty greatest baseball books of all time. If you are a baseball nut, this book is for you and the baseball fans in your life.

And now a book for the whole family - 

This is advertised at the top of my blog page - it is my story of the early years of growing up in Southeast Alaska in the 50s, when my family moved there from California.  It is also available on Amazon  in paperback or kindle.

It is family friendly, a great story for anyone from kids to adults.  Full of adventures and history of a time before Alaska became a state.

We hope you and your family enjoy the books and have a wonderful holiday season, from Don and JoAnn Bayne

Special Red-Tailed Hawk

This is one of our favorite Red-Tailed Hawks - we have seen it for about 5 years now, from time to time.  When we go to this area  we don't always see it - and it usually is too far away for good photos.  These are by far the best photos I've gotten so far.  Sometimes we see the hawk but it is much farther away and my camera won't capture it well.

It is a partially leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk - meaning that is lacks pigments in many areas, but is not a true albino as that would mean it lacks all pigment and would even have pink eyes and beak.

The head and tail retain more of the usual coloring of a Red-Tailed Hawk

One day I hope to get a view from the front.  It is the most patient hawk I've ever photographed - it often sits for 10 to 20 minutes before flying off.

I can't tell you where we see this hawk, as there are those who like to claim rare birds as trophies and I want to keep this one safe, as much as possible.  

It is one of the most wonderful birds we've ever seen.

What rare or unusual birds have you seen?

Mud Hens

Mud Hens (American Coot) on a log in Lake Terrill.  The lily pads have already lost their leaves and flowers.

The Mud Hen is a distant relative of ducks and they don't have webbed feet.  Their feet are shaped like chicken feet, but they can swim well.

I'd never seen them gathering on a log before - usually they are swimming about.

A few swam - the rest were taking their leisure on the log.

Farms

A  ride in the country gives us stunning views of valleys, farms and the foothills.

How many farms can you count in this photo?

This is s closer shot of the red barn on the very right side of the first photo, with another farm to the right side.