Free Christmas 2010 Wallpapers, Beautiful Christmas 2010 Pictures & Photos

Christmas 2010 is one of the famous and popular festivals of Christian community. It is celebrated with different colors and traditions all over the world. Every year 25th December is celebrated as event of Christmas, the day dedicated to the birth of Christ GOD. The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and conveys his message of love, tolerance and brotherhood. This Christmas festival gives the message of humanity, friendship, world's prosperity and the path of truth and honesty. Different countries follow different traditions and customs to celebrate the event of Christmas. Here are some really beautiful christmas 2010 photos for your desktop, including free christmas 2010 wallpapers, christmas festival 2010 photos, beautiful christmas 2010 Pictures, christmas 2010 Images. Click to get free and full size version of the wallpaper background. More Info: http://collection-of-wallpapers.blogspot.com/2010/11/free-christmas-2010-wallpapers-photos.html

No new posts for a while

My apologies to my readers, due to the upcoming Christmas season it is unlikely that I will have time to write any new posts for a week or more. I will post again as soon as things on my day job slow down.  In the meantime feel free to explore and enjoy the older articles on this blog.

Enjoy,

Susan

Seeking a "tangible calm"...on the water, on the trail, in the moment.

Peace is all around us.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Just before the snow began to fall here, on the Island(s), we had an unusually calm and tranquil sunny day. The sea state was still, as if in between all oceanic tidal movement. The air was still, as if in that effortless moment between exhalation and inhalation. All nature seemed still, as if in between the collective heartbeats of all creatures. Our minds were still...in anticipation of something changing.

But nothing changed...

A "tangible calm" so often seems to elude us. We may often miss out on the experience for much the same reason that we sometimes miss seeing the gaping pot hole in the middle of the road, even in the broad daylight. We've lost focus, and we've traded situation awareness in any given moment for whatever it is that we allow to distract us and hold our attention.

Driving, of course, demands that we focus on safe passage - and that's where our attention should be. When conditions allow, paddling, on the other hand, or walking in the forest, is not so demanding. We are able to "mosey" through time. Our "passage" can be leisurely, our thoughts less focused, our minds more receptive. That is why these self-propelled activities can be so rejuvenating.

It is my experience that we sometimes choose, often unwittingly, to block all access to the tangible calm. Anxiousness and anger, jealousy and regret, the drive to acquire and accumulate, usually serve only to separate us from what our hearts and spirits truly yearn. 

When we pause these distractions (and our busyness) long enough to connect with the natural world, something very beautiful happens. When we release ourselves from the grip of technology or separate ourselves from the intrusion of countless forms of media, we feel a gentle liberation. When we value and seek to find the best in ourselves...and especially in others, then our hearts open wide and we experience a warmth and a peace that comforts and strengthens. That feeling of warmth comes from the occasion of discovering that, indeed,  "peace is all around us" - we just have to let it in.

We experienced it on that day. You will have had similar experiences, I'm sure.

Duncan.

Pic: The Salish Sea, my Solstice kayak, north of Gabriola Island - and a very calm day.

Beautiful Bikes Wallpapers, Free Bikes Photos, Cool Bikes Pictures

Bikes have had mass appeal to the general public for roughly a century and a half. There are many different types of bikes available in the market like– sports bikes, faster bike, latest bikes, expensive bikes, new bikes, electric bikes, motor bikes & superb sports bikes. But this is about a different kind of bikes. Here I can show you world's beautiful bikes wallpapers, Free Bike photos, Upcoming bikes Pictures, Amazing Bike wallpapers, high quality bike wallpapers, cool bike pictures and Free Desktop Bike photos for Your Desktop Computer and mobile phones. These are some of the most beautiful and fastest bikes available in the market. So Give a new look to your desktop and download our cool collections of Bikes Backgrounds.

Cute Babies Pictures, Cute Baby Photos, Cute Babies Images, Wallpapers

A baby has a special way of adding joy in every single day. A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. A baby is sunshine and moonbeams and more brightening your world as never before. Below you’ll find most beautiful baby photos that will make you smile and give you a new perspective on life. Here you can download world's best cute babies pictures for your desktop. Download cute Baby wallpapers, free baby desktop backgrounds, cute babies Images, & cute babies Wallpapers for you mobiles. The innocence and adorable faces of these little fellows can make your day!

Butterflies: Just pictures

I don't often get to photograph butterflies.  The one time that I did, I was at a butterfly park which enclosed the butterflies in a fine mesh gazebo.   Most of the time I don't see very many butterflies and in the wild they simply don't  hold still often unless they are warming up in the sun, feeding on a flower or drinking water on the ground.   Their little wings beat so fast that I would need a faster shutter speed than my current setting allows and by the time I have changed the setting on my camera the butterfly is usually gone.  This year however, I really lucked out and got some fairly decent pictures to share.

Little Blue

Painted Lady

Gray Copper

 Fritillary

Mourning Cloak

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

As I learn about these butterflies, I will let you know what I discover about these beauties.  In the meantime...

 Enjoy,

Susan

Barefoot running on Vancouver Island snow...a bit of an exercise in humility!

The fact is, I just couldn't resist finding out what it would be like to run barefoot on the snow. Chalk it up to pure curiosity. And then, fortuitously, it snowed last night, We just don't get that much snow here on Canada's "Pacific Island". So yeah, finally, the long awaited opportunity! Those who assume my good sense should probably not read any further as this could definitely have some implications on employment status.

Oh well, it really was simply an irresistible occasion to satisfy a curiosity!

First, a little background: Yesterday, the temperature in the early morning was around 3 degrees C. It was raining and even though we were wearing Vibram FiveFingers and Injinji toe socks, our feet were a little chilly by the end of the 8 km loop. Remember folks, one becomes a little more sensitive to the "cold" after moving here to the Island. (Folks in Edmonton can now roll their eyes!) So yeah, by the end of the run, our feet were (a little) cold and wet, but not to the extent that we were uncomfortable. With regards to temperature, we ran in Seattle (in VFFs) last December when it was minus 6 degrees and it was quite manageable.

So after last night's snow, the opportunity to kick it up a notch was ready and waiting. Before going any further, I have to say (and this is not really an excuse), our snow here is not only cold, but it's wet, heavy, and very slippery. Ahh, some will think all snow is slippery. Not so...the "slipperiness" of snow is relative. In Alberta, for example, the snow can be light, feathery, "dry" and really quite a pleasure to run on (in running shoes). The light carpet of white stuff softens each foot step and offers hardly any resistance at all to forward momentum. And then, of course, you have the satisfaction of looking behind you and seeing, in your footsteps, proof positive that you are an intrepid, winter runner, the real thing. You are out there in the early morning hours, in the wind and the cold and the snow, while lesser "athletes" opt for a poor excuse, a fresh hot water bottle, and an extra hour of sleep. Sheesh!

So yes, here on the Island, our snow is far more challenging. It is, in fact, extraordinarily difficult to run on - even if you're wearing trail shoes! It's heavy, it's wet, and it's more like running in gumbo mud! It feels like it's grabbing you by the ankles and trying to pull you down! Vancouver Island snow elevates the heart rate, defies forward progress, and endangers your fragile balance with every foot fall (did I say fall?) - to such an extent that you are most often inclined to accept defeat and trudge home, feeling let down and discouraged - after all, you did make such effort to leave behind a warm bed long before the sun came up.

So, with all these facts clear, you will surely understand my experience.

First of all, my feet could find absolutely no traction in the wet and dense layer covering our driveway's asphalt. Second, the soles of my feet are not nearly as tough as I thought they were and my pain threshold is clearly lower than I had anticipated. Ouch, it was pretty darn cold! Third, Joan was laughing so hard that I began to feel somewhat diminished in spirit for this exercise. And fourth, I was very unsure about what it was I was trying to prove! Oh yeah, it was all about curiosity.

OK, so now I know. Running barefoot on the Vancouver Island snow is really tough! Now if it had been in less slippery, "drier" snow...? Hmm.

Silhouettes of birds: Head,bill and body shape

 









A bird's silhouette can tell you a lot about what kind of bird you are seeing, but there is more than one thing you need to pay attention to when you do.  In my first post on this subject, "Flight Silhouettes of birds: How to tell the difference," I compared the flight silhouette of an Eagle and a Raven to point out the differences in the shape of the tail and wings to help with identification.  However identification is much easier when two bird's are so large and dissimilar.  Identifying a bird's silhouette becomes more complicated when the bird is smaller in size and/or very similar to another species.  Nevertheless birds are much like people, in that they display a variety of very different physical characteristics.
                 

The first thing you need to consider is the size and shape of the bird itself.  Many people know when comparing raptors that falcons are sleek and slim, whereas a buteo, such as the Red-Tailed hawk is broad and muscular, or husky.  This difference in body shape can also be noted in medium and small sized birds such as waterfowl and flycatchers.   Therefore, some birds are short and squat, or long and broad, while others are long and lean etc. 

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow in flight

Take the Robin for instance.  As you can see below, when you see a Robin from the side you will notice that, while the Robin is long, he also displays a rounded curve from it's chest right to it's legs.  The Tree Swallow above on the other hand, is long and lean, assuming the shape of a cigar, especially in flight.  Robins, when seen head on in flight are much broader in the body as well.  Similarly there is a difference in shape between Mallard Ducks and the Ruddy Duck, with the Ruddy Duck being shorter in body length.  Both ducks however are broad through the body.

Robin

Ruddy Duck

Mallard Duck Male

 The shape of a bird's head is equally important.  Some birds have a predominant point or a bump on their head.   On some their  head appears almost flat on top, while others have a head with a distinct curve.  Notice the shape of the Ruddy duck's head compared to that of the Mallard.  There can also be a difference in the shape of the head of birds of a related species such as the Lesser and Greater Scaup.  Follow this link to see the difference in the shapes of their head: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Scaup

Common Grackle

As you can see in the picture on the right, the head of the Common Grackle is quite flat on top.  Below it, the Pine Siskin's head is round and Say's Phoebe's head is almost triangular in shape.

Pine Siskin

Say's Phoebe

Another important element in bird identification is the length and shape of a bird's bill.  Fly catchers have long slim bills, while seed eaters have short triangular bills.  Similarly wood peckers also have long bills but theirs are thick and on some woodpeckers the bill is also slightly curved.  Sometimes the bill of a bird curves upward at the tip and sometimes it curves down sharply to a point.  On some birds the bill crosses over at the tip and sometimes the length of a bird's bill is rounded  like the top of a pipe.  And finally, the bill can also be rounded at the tip much like a spoon or long and thick, and shaped like a weapon.  Take a close look at the pictures below to see the differences in bill shape and size.

Hawk

Northern Flicker

Northern Shoveler

White-winged Crossbill

Shore bird

There are of course other things to keep in mind when trying to identify a bird by it's silhouette which I will outline in another post in the future.  In the mean time I present you with a small puzzle.  At the top of this post is a bird's silhouette.  What type of bird do you think it is? Please feel free to share you thoughts in the comment section directly below this post.  I also want to remind you that the newest wildlife portrait is up on my wildlife portrait of the month page.  Just scroll down the page to see the latest image.

Enjoy,

Susan