Orcas Island weekend part 2

For the first morning I got out early and took a few photos of the plant life with the dew still on them. I wish I would of spent a little more time photographing the different plant life. I think I stopped a little to early without capture the best photo. Of course you don't notice this until you get home and start looking at your photos on the computer. But that is how it goes sometimes.

Weekend on Orcas Island

Last weekend my wife and I spent a couple of days on Orcas Island, one of the San Juan Islands between Vancouver Island and Washington. Even though it was January we had a great time and even got some sunshine. Here are a couple of photos from the ferry ride to Orcas Island from Anacortes.

Sunny winter day in Seattle

Here is something special, a sunny winter day in Seattle. Glad I have a picture of it so I can remember what it looks like.

Icy leafs on log

Some more leaves with ice. These leaves where on a log though. Photo from my walk through Discovery Park.

Icey Leaves

Here is another photo taken on my walk through Discovery Park. Just some frozen leaves with the sun shining upon them.

Waiting for the bus in the Cold

While drinking some tea at Peet's coffee in the Fremont area of Seattle I noticed this lady across the street waiting for the bus. The colors of her outfit with the colors behind her made for a great setting. I frantically got my telephoto lens on and took a few pictures of her before the bus came and took her away.

Ice crystals over some fungus

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I took a nice long walk from the apartment to Discovery Park in Seattle, WA. Along the way I was able to capture a few nice photographs on this sunny cold day. Since sun is in short supply here in Seattle, we were not the only one out for a walk.
These two photos are of some ice crystals forming on a piece of drift wood that has some fungus on it as well. With the macro lens I was able to get in close to actually see the crystal formations of the ice.

More ice on Newman Creek

It is amazing how a change in season can make a site that you have visited and photographed many times become new and exciting again. That is how I felt when I was up the cabin in Idaho this past October for the weekend. The freak snow storm created a new and exciting environment for me to walk through and photograph. I think the next time I am up in Idaho, even if it is summer time, I will see the site with new eyes again because of this trip.Here are a few more ice photos from Newman Creek. Next post will be some winter pictures from Seattle.

Icicles

It is amazing how these icicles formed in Newman Creek. The different forms are great to explore and photograph. Here are two shots from the same location, where the icicles formed on different tree limbs and logs.

Frozen mosquito

You can just see the frozen mosquito in this photo. He is right under the branch on the right. I thought it was fitting punishment. It was probably one of the suckers that got me the day before.

Ice Wave

A frozen ice wave, Newman Creek, Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho.

The rare ice twig fish

I was able to capture this rare ice twig fish, in mid leap non the less. These guys are cold and slippery :)Photograph was taken on Newman Creek in the Sawtooth National Forest of Idaho.

Newman Creek in winter

Instead of focusing on some ice today, here are a couple of wide angle photographs of Newman Creek itself. Located off of Baker creek road in the Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho.

The Ice Skull

Here is another photo taken on Newman Creek while I was in Idaho in October, 2009. This one just reminds me of some kind of exotic Animal Ice Skull. I really enjoyed myself while walking up and down Newman Creek during this freak cold weather (remember it was October).

I will have a few more post from this trip and then I will have some ice photos from Seattle's Discovery Park.

Ice Trumpet Vine

Walking up and down Newman Creek in the Sawtooth National Forest of Idaho, I came across this piece of ice. It reminds me of a trumpet vine flower. Taken October, 2009.

Ice Mushrooms

It being winter and all I thought I would start some posts with winter photos. First up are my ice mushrooms. These two photos were actually taken on separate days. October, 2009 on Newman Creek in the Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho.

Quick post to beat the wacky network connections

Today is just a brief post to keep my daily posting stretch alive. My internet connections is doing some wacky intermittent downtime.
So here is a photo of a beaver pond in October, 2009 near Easley Hot Springs campground, Sawtooth National forest, Idaho.

19th shoe but for the ox

And for our last shoe of the series, I give you the Forged Oxen Shoe. You would have two of these for each foot (one per claw). Bringing the total amount to 8 shoes per ox. Traditionally the ox would be put in a body harness and lifted off of the ground before the blacksmith/farrier would start shoeing.

18th shoe of the horse

Here we have a KEG aluminum shoe. Keg shoe is a manufactured horse shoes, all in standard sizes and styles. The aluminum acts as a shock absorber (compared with steel) to reduce the amount of concussing to the horse's hoof and leg.

17th shoe of the horse

This shoe does the opposite of the previous horse shoe. The forged heel weight shoe affects the hoof's flight path by adding more wait to the heel.

16th shoe of the horse

Here is a shoe to weigh down the toe of a horse. It is a forged toe weight shoe. This is used to affect the hoof's flight path.

15th shoe of the horse

I always liked the looks of this forged heart bar founder shoe. The center tongue supports the coffin bone in a horse's hoof.

The 14th horse shoe

A Forged egg-bar shoe. This horse shoe is used to add support to the tendons in a horse's leg.

I got a post on the 1st day of 2010!

Miracles of Miracles, I am actually posting to the blog on the first day of the new year. Let's hope this is a year to open up some new or even old doors.

small ash stained door; Takayama, Japan

Next time I will start back up with the rest of the horseshoes. Not many more to go.

Hello 2010!

Happy New Year, I hope everybody's year was much better then mine. And here is to a wonderful new year to start. Please be nice to me 2010. I'm cute.

I thought 2009 ended just right for me, with someone one hacking into my photo webiste, www.asbrittonphoto.com. Classic stuff for 2009, just about sums it up. Luckily my provided was ontop of things and noticed the hacked and took down whatever was put up. Who knows why someone would want to do that, but there are all kinds of people doing many different things in the world with their time.


Oh well, let's leave all of the bad in 2009 and bring in the good with 2010.

13th shoe of December

Here is a lighter horseshoe, the Forged Half Round Shoe. It enables to the hoof to be picked up quicker.

12th shoe of December

The good ole forged Hackney pony shoe. The bar causes the horse to pickup its hooves quickly.

11th shoe of December

Number 11 here is a forged slider plate horseshoe. The shoe is designed to enable the rear hooves to do a quick sliding stop.

10th shoe of December

Aahh, the training plate shoe. Not the same as training wheels on a bicycle, but it is small and lite.

9th shoe of December

This shoe is a little different, because it is actually for a mule. The bends at the heel and toe of the shoe give traction.

8th shoe of December

This is a forged hunter-jumper horseshoe. The attachment at the end of the shoe, called a Sticker, is used to give traction after jumping.

7th shoe of December

This is a KEG shoe, a manufactured shoe, with some borium added on the ends. The borium has carbide bits which help with traction and wear.

Happy Holidays to everyone out there in Blogland

Happy Holidays everybody!
I hope yours is filled with joy and happiness.

6th Shoe of December

Last time I talked about how the greedy people should hang their horseshoe. Today, it being Christmas and all, I will talk about how generous people should hand their horseshoe. The generous person will hang the horseshoe above a doorway with the opening pointing down. This way anyone walking through the doorway will have luck rained down upon them.

Today's horseshoe is the spare tire. An adjustable hinged shoe slapped together with spare metal, used for emergencies only.

5th shoe of December

The horse shoe for today is pretty weird looking. But before we get to that, I am going to talk about how to hang your horse shoe for good luck. While working with Mike Carson in the blacksmith booth at many a fair we would get this question very often. What it comes down to is if you are Greedy or Generous.

Since today is Christmas eve I will talk about the greedy option. If you are feeling greedy and want to horde your luck, you would mount your horseshoe above a doorway with the opening pointing up "U". This way all of your luck is contained for you in the horseshoe.

Tomorrow I will talk about how to mount the horseshoe for all you generous people out there.

Now back to the shoe of the day, this is a horseshoe for a Stifled horse. This shoe will help in preventing the horse's leg from locking up.

4th shoe of December

Our fourth horseshoe is a hand forged Whip across bar shoe with a trailer. The trailer part helps to straighten hoof flight on a horse.

3rd shoe of December

Here is a patten shoe. It is used to raise the heel to ease pressure on the flexor tendons.
No relation to the high healed horseshoe (the HHHS).

2nd Shoe of December

Here is a draft horse handmade shoe. These will be one of the biggest horse shoes out there spanning about 9" - 12".
And here is a "keg" draft horseshoe. Keg shoes are factory made.

Horseshoe a Day in December

Boy, have a been slacking here in December on my blog. I have just been busy dealing with life and the holidays, as I am sure everyone else is doing.

Well to start off December I will be posting some horseshoe photos.

Here is the first, a hand forged shoe for Tennessee Walker.