With my holiday celebrations complete, Gracie and I headed out on Christmas afternoon to pursue the Snowy Owl I heard had come to town. I found the heavily barred, large female perched on a rooftop not far from the ballpark. For the next three days, I photographed her swiveling her head, flashing those yellow eyes, yawning, posing, and finally taking to the sky. It doesn’t get better than this!
The second book in my Northwoods Mystery Series is now published and available in e-book and paperback formats everywhere, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Apple, and Kobo. The Audible version, narrated by Stephen Marsden, will be ready in early February. The Lure is also available from your favorite bookseller to order if it’s not already stocked.
As the Traverse City cops delve into what’s happening in the urban tent city known for its violence, another crisis hits Traverse City—the COVID-19 global pandemic. With the governor’s stay-at-home order limiting life to the bare essentials, the police force works to keep the city safe.
Quinn and her friend, Conservation Officer Patrick Elliott, turn to outdoor nature photography to keep themselves sane during this strange time of isolation and long work hours. They discover a new peregrine falcon repopulation center being built by an Arab sheik near the tip of Old Mission Peninsula. But things there weren’t totally as they appeared, especially after newspaperman Ian Doyle learned some troubling facts from the sheik’s past.
THE LURE once again follows Traverse City’s crime-fighting team of Quinn, Gilda, Patrick, and Ian as they work to solve what’s going on in the Pines and at the Old Mission falconry center. The book is full of twists and turns that will keep you reading.
With a pocketful of treats, I can get Gracie, my eleven-year-old mini-Goldendoodle, to do almost anything. In her 2024 Christmas outfit of a buffalo plaid jingle collar, I took many pictures of her posing before I got the first one. The other photographs are from previous years. Have a great holiday, everyone, and thank you for supporting my photography.
I noticed it at Halloween and Thanksgiving, too, the proliferation of blow-up decorations. They’re bright, fun, and stand out with their large sizes. Still, I prefer the traditional decorations of lights, lights, and more lights.
Tuesday afternoon was ugly, plain and simple. Drizzle, fog, and melting snow made the landscapes unattractive. But heavy snow was forecast beginning Wednesday, so I decided it was now or never to take pictures. I drove around for nearly two hours searching for a subject. I was ready to call it quits when I spotted a beautiful red-tailed hawk on a wire. Poor bird looked as water-logged as I felt.
Tuesday’s break in the weather allowed me to get out for some picture-taking. Wednesday’s Record-Eagle said we’ve gotten 21.2” so far…with another blast currently underway.
