Besides happy animals opening presents (see previous post for video) we had and still have gorgeous skies. I'm surrounded by Christmas trees, so there is no need to put one in the house.
There are ravens who hang out near my house, in fact a pair nest in one of my huge spruces every year. But just down the road there were a few calling and goofing off and doing their tricky raven thing. I wanted to get a picture of them.
Now realize I'm working with a digital camera that is several years old, isn't an SLR, and is quite slow. You frame the picture, squeeze the button and WAIT. About a whole second later the picture gets taken. Getting action shots this way is a challenge! Add extremely cold weather and fingers that feel like carrots instead of fingers, and you suddenly realize that I'm a Psychic Photographer. I have to click at precisely the right time, aimed in precisely the spot where I think the action is going to occur.
Ravens are definitely psychic, but they aren't very cooperative! I am pleased that I got them in at least a couple shots.
While I was taking pictures of the dogs, Nature, in the form of Arctic hares, decided to intervene. In the first picture Sofie can't settle because she knows there's a rabbit across the driveway. Then Ole notices and they are both fixated on the other side of the drive. Then Little Miss Hunter dog just says "Screw it! I'm getting the rabbit!" Ole shows us his faithful doggie nature. He's so sweet.
The light changes moment to moment, and twilight lasts a hour or more. The sky goes through a lilac phase, a blue phase and often corals, pinks and deep midnight blue layered with pastels of all colors weave their way through clouds and the dark outlines of trees.
The polar sky is distinctly different from anywhere else on earth. Not as dramatic as the aurora borealis, it still must be seen and experienced in real time to be appreciated. I do appreciate it. Happy New Year!
