Picture-A-Week 2020 - Week 52

[pierces]

Pictures taken between Monday, December 21 and Sunday, December 27.

 

Last week of 2020! Even though next week has more 2020 days than 2021days, the first week of a year is assigned to the week with January 1 in it. So, even though this was a leap year, we won't see a 53-week year until 2022.

 

Trivia announcement is now over. Go take some pictures and have a Happy                    insert celebration here                 !

 

Rules: See above

That's it. This isn't a contest.

All photos taken this week are welcome (not just cruising).

Prizes will not be awarded. Discovering the joy of photography is the prize.

The idea is to get folks out using their cameras for more than vacations and toddler birthdays.

Post one. Post many. Up to you.

Have fun with your camera and share your fun with others!

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

The real closeup .... taken this morning

 

 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Lucky me ... got to watch a herd of Elk run down a hill ... beautiful

[Docker123]

Late afternoon walk on Christmas Eve. Summer here, pleasantly warm. But the very fanged creatures are out and about.

 

This is an extremely venomous tiger snake. About 1.2m, 4ft.  Took some pics, then quickly left without disturbing it.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Docker123

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

8 hours ago, Docker123 said:

This is an extremely venomous tiger snake. About 1.2m, 4ft.  Took some pics, then quickly left without disturbing it.

 

Where is the Crocodile Dundee in you? Don't you all walk around with a long knife and a bit of adventure 🙄

[ski ww]

This is us this Christmas morning. Hope Santa was good to every one.

 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Marry Christmas to you all  ... I know ... not a current picture but it was on week 52 a few years ago on-board the Paul Gauguin and yes that is me playing the big guy.

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by Tahitianbigkahuna

[Docker123]

On 12/25/2020 at 2:03 AM, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

 

Where is the Crocodile Dundee in you? Don't you all walk around with a long knife and a bit of adventure 🙄

As is well known knows, everything in Australia can kill you. But they are all legally protected species. Now, the following are web images because I am not about to risk life and limb.
 

Platypus — has a poison spike on its rear leg.

 

Koala, placid eucalyptus junkie

 

 

or killer drop bear

 

 

Quokka, smiling happiest animal in the world 

 

or ambush predator.

 

 

Now Mick Dundee ran afoul of the authorities in his slaughter of natives species. He escaped to USA. So he would no longer be recognised, he had multiple face lifts, and nothing moves anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Thanks for good morning laugh 😆

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Taken a few days ago ...

 

400 yards away but I had a 600mm lens and still had to crop in a bunch .... but what a nice treat to enjoy.

[pierces]

As the year winds down, we look ahead to the next one and hope for the best. Philosophically, I guess I have a mildly optimistic streak. Times are tough as we exit 2020 and while most of the stink of it will follow us into 2021, I feel that things will get better. Actually, if you consider all that happened in 2020, the bar is set pretty low for “better” to happen. A global pandemic taking lives and throwing the world into chaos, draconian lockdowns, toilet paper and cleaning supplies stripped from the shelves by panic buying. Hard to imagine that some form of better isn’t on the horizon. My first hint of a brighter future was this week’s picture featuring smiling faces with all eyes looking at the camera. Here’s to a “Better” New year. Way better, please.

 

Better New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

Dave

[ski ww]

Grand kids do give us hope for the future. 

[boeckli]

Water dragon lazing on his favourite rock

 

[zackiedawg]

Busy holiday week - I got three different chances to head out to the wetlands with Christmas Eve and Christmas day off, followed by the weekend.  The first brief excursion was on Christmas day, when I went out for a quick 2 hours in between family #2 morning gifts (mom and step-father) and family #3 dinner (step-brother's house and family).

 

They're not turtle doves...but close enough - white winged doves for Christmas day:

 

And a tricolor heron having a traditional Christmas dinner...sushi!:

 

After Christmas, I headed out on Saturday to more distant wetlands, north and west of me.  It's been pretty active out there with lots of wintering birds hanging around now that the cold has started to come down this way.  Here's a roseate spoonbill showing his colors:

 

And a red-shouldered hawk up on a tall dead tree as a lookout, on a clear, cool day:

 

Then on Sunday, I headed back to the 'local' wetlands.  Still cooler - with the high only in the low 70s, the alligators are NOT happy with that - being cold-blooded, they need to warm up in the sun:

 

A great blue heron taking off a bit lazily - still dragging its feet in the water and showing off those big wings and long limbs:

 

Cormorants like to crash-land in the water - not exactly elegant looking - but captured in a still moment, with strong backlighting from the sun, the crash landing in the water can look pretty cool:

 

I stayed until dusk, after the sunset - the last eastern clouds were catching some final glow from the sun dropping below the western horizon, while the nearly full moon was poking out: