Forget the Turkey ...

We got a deer!

Justin is officially a Pennsylvanian now that he's had a run-in with a deer. This happened Wednesday night, on our way to his parents in Ohio. We were only a couple of miles from the McConnellsburg exit, which is close to where my parents live. Fortunately, his car is big and sturdy - we hit the deer on the Turnpike in holiday traffic, and it easily could have been far worse. He's out some headlights, and the quarter panel is pushed back just enough that the passenger door cannot open. So I get funny looks for crawling out the driver's side :)

I've had enough adventure. I'm planning on having a nice relaxing rest of the week!

Kickoff to Cold Weather

Because its finally getting cold here, and because I haven't had much time to shoot lately, I rooted out a frosty shot from November two years ago. This is the same gorgeous icy morning in the Great Smokies that I posted about back in August. It remains what is probably the most beautiful morning I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.


These deer are all alertly watching my father, the PA Wildlife Photographer, as he made his way through the field towards some larger bucks. I didn't have the lens to pull the bucks in, so I went for the arrangement of distracted does. I imagine I'll probably be posting more photos from this particular morning as we descend into winter here in Pennsylvania.

I haven't been able to visit you all as much as I would like to this last week or so. I'll be coming around soon, though :)

To See & Be Seen

One final picture from last weekend, before I head to my parents' house to enjoy the Fulton Fall Folk Festival (I'll call it the 4Fs from now on) this weekend. If you've been keeping up with the Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer, you'll know about the deer below already. They are quite trusting when people familiar to them are near, and and we got to stop in for a visit .


Normally I avoid placing shadows in the frame, but this time I thought they added a sense of being watched to the deer in the picture, and also helped to show how close we were to them.

I have a feeling Salty and I may have dueling 4F blogs come Sunday :)

You Never Know Who's Looking Over Your Shoulder

I plan to occasionally post about comical things I've seen while hiking, and/or while traveling in general. I'll start with what is probably my most amusing shot - Justin and a mule deer sharing a trail in Colorado. It was hard getting a picture where both of them had their eyes open, facing me. This deer and her companions were obviously unafraid of humans. A few minutes later, another deer in this group kindly posed for me with the sand dunes as a backdrop.