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River Jewelwing (damselfly)
Several days ago Elizabeth Smith over at www.natureartjournal.blogspot.com sent me a “Beautiful Blogger Award.” I’m new to blogging and learned a little later that proper blog etiquette says I’m to pass it on to four other blogs I enjoy and post ten things about myself. I immediately bushed both off. I don’t know how to do the first; and thought I was going to ignore the second. But I find I’m enjoying the ten things other bloggers write about themselves, so maybe I should take a deep breath respond at least to the second part.
Ten Things about me:
1. Nature journaling has long been a passion of mine. I am just finishing my 36th volume of sketches and notes.
2. My parents, Frederick and Frances Hamerstrom, were both professional ornithologists, so I was exposed to nature early on. At the tender age of 11 days I was in a prairie chicken blind.
3. I am extremely fortunate in that my husband, Dale, shares my passion for nature. We still surprise each other with tidbits of knowledge … where an otter piles its poop, or being tickled by a hippoboscidae fly .
4. We currently spend a lot of time with camera in hand, watching, photographing and I sketch. I’m often torn as to whether I should grab the camera or the sketchbook.
5. I need way more hours in my day.
6. I spent many years hanging my paintings in galleries, and am now enjoying creating – not trying to sell.
7. One of my accomplishments I’m proudest of is illustrating “Birds of Oregon: A General Reference” put out by Oregon State University.
8. I once kept a bat in my bra. I found the tiny infant Myotis keeni on the floor of a barn and successfully raised it to maturity … but in the interim I needed to keep it warm while I commuted back and forth to my summer job at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
9. We have the most overgrown yard on the street – but the birds love it.
10. Yesterday morning I found an acorn woodpecker nest and watched for a good hour. Yesterday afternoon we photographed one of the most beautiful damselflies imaginable, the river jewelwing. Last night I fell asleep when I sat down to watch a Netflix movie.
P.S. If anyone reading this is not a member of google and tried to leave me a comment in the past, I didn't receive it. I think I have it set up now so that those comments will come to me. .... which proves what a computer klutz I am!
It is fun to know more about folks that we "visit" with on a regular basis!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you've joined the blogosphere, Elva, I think I speak for a lot of folks when I say that not only do I enjoy your beautiful artwork, I almost always learn something!
What fun to read more about you. Love the 'bat in the bra' yikes!!
ReplyDeleteThat photo is awesome.
I'm so happy I met you!!
I am happy to know more about you Elva. Your journaling style is an inspiration to me. I am so glad you share with us on your blog.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Thank you for sharing the "top ten" list. I always enjoy checking in to your blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the beautiful damselfly photo. Now I know what held me spellbound at the Beaver Marsh in Hinton, Alberta last summer. Someone had told us there was a pair of loons up along the lake. Scott polked along in one direction and saw the loons. I, however, was soon taken with trying to photograph the damselflies flitting all around me and landing in my path although I didn't know what they were. They were just so beautiful and "sparkly" ha! Love your blog...all of it!
ReplyDelete