Year: 2026

Puffed Up~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS143 Comments
Close-up of a puffin with its mouth open, perched on a rock, displaying its colorful beak and expressive eyes.

Puffin.

A close-up of a puffin with a black and white body, standing on a rocky surface, featuring vivid orange eyes and a colorful beak.

Pensively,

A close-up of a puffin perched on a rocky surface, featuring its distinct black and white plumage, orange and yellow beak, and large, expressive eyes.

ponders.

A close-up of a puffin with a black and white body, orange beak, and striking white face, perched on a rocky surface near water.

This Horned Puffin,

Close-up of a puffin with distinctive orange bill and white face, showcasing its black body and light-colored tufted feathers on the head.

and his playful Tufted Puffin cousin,

A tufted puffin splashing in water with its distinctive orange bill and black feathers.

are both Auks,

A tufted puffin swimming in dark, rippling water, with its distinctive orange beak and wet feathers.

from Alaska!

Cheers to you from Alaska’s precious puffins~

Glacier Bear~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life242 Comments
A light-colored bear standing near a tree in a lush green forest.

You can see her spirit in her souful eyes.

A young bear peeking out from behind a tree, partially hidden by greenery.

She has many names, Glacier Bear, Ghost Bear, Spirit Bear.

A light-colored bear standing near a tree in a lush green forest.

She is a Leucistic Alaskan Glacier Black Bear with black skin and translucent/pale fur, and is one of the rarest animals on earth. She is rarely seen or photographed and her population amongst Alaskan Black Bears is less then 1%.

A close-up of a brown bear standing on a rocky area surrounded by greenery.

She is more rare than her cousins, The Spirit Bears in British Columbia, and we watched her for about half an hour from a skiff on The Chilcat River Eagle Preserve near Haines Alaska..

A light-colored bear standing next to a tree in a green forest setting.

She was entirely unafraid and very curious about us.

A bear sitting beside a tree in a dense, green forest.

I now know why indigenous people’s call her Ghost Bear, even up close, and we were close, she has a gauzy, ghostlike, appearance.

A close-up of a light-colored bear standing near a tree, surrounded by lush green foliage.

We are on a three generation trip to Canada and Alaska, introducing the seven year old twin grandsons to all the wonder.

A close-up of a bear partially hidden behind a tree stump, surrounded by lush green foliage.

But none of us, including my camera and I, were prepared for the the most amazing wonder of them all. I forgot all about my camera settings since I have never photographed a glacial ghost bear before!

A light-colored bear sitting among green foliage in a natural setting.

Cheers to you from soulful Spirit of Alaska~

Don’t Pet Spot~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Coyotes, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Wild Life202 Comments
Coyote walking through a grassy field, with its tongue out and alert expression.

He bites,

A coyote sitting in tall grass, with greenery in the background.

he’s hungry,

A coyote standing in a dry, grassy field with a curious expression.

and he’s wild.

A coyote sniffing the ground in a grassy field.

Spot probably got kicked out of the coyote pack which sometimes happens.

A coyote walking through a grassy field, with its tongue out, showcasing its natural habitat.

Loner’s like Spot have a tougher time hunting and surviving.

A coyote lying on the grass with a stick in its mouth, surrounded by sparse vegetation and flowers.

Don’t try to take his bone, he wouldn’t like that…..

A coyote lying on the ground in a grassy field, looking toward the camera with a relaxed expression.

But Spot looks quite healthy and curious!

A coyote standing in a field of dry grasses, looking towards the camera with a slight smile.

The loners let humans get closer,

A coyote standing in a natural habitat with tall grass and wildflowers.

but I keep my distance.

A soaring hawk with outstretched wings against a clear blue sky.

The Red Tailed Hawks came closer too, curious about the brave coyote and the cautious human.

A golden eagle with outstretched wings perched against a blue sky.

Cheers to you & Hope All is Well from The Holler’s wild ones~

The Gardeners~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, Flowers, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Uncategorized248 Comments
A vibrant field filled with a variety of colorful flowers, including pink, orange, red, and yellow blooms, with people in the background enjoying the scenery.

What would the world be,

A vibrant field filled with multicolored ranunculus flowers in shades of pink, orange, and yellow, with people walking in the background.

without our gardeners,

A vibrant field of blooming ranunculus flowers in various shades of pink, orange, yellow, and red, with visitors strolling through the rows under a clear blue sky.

who tend the flowers,

A black butterfly with white spots resting on a purple flower surrounded by green foliage and other colorful flowers.

where flutters fly by,

A close-up of a woman with a butterfly resting on her forehead, set against a backdrop of colorful flowers.

and make friends with humans?

A vibrant field filled with blooming white flowers, primarily ranunculus, creating a lush, green landscape.

Gardeners,

A vibrant field filled with blooming pink ranunculus flowers, interspersed with red and yellow blossoms, stretching across the landscape.

are like the flowers,

A cluster of white ranunculus flowers surrounded by green foliage, showcasing varying stages of bloom.

they tend,

A close-up of a white flower with soft pink accents, showcasing multiple layers of delicate petals, alongside a vibrant pink flower partially visible in the background.

they make the world beautiful.

A vibrant yellow and orange ranunculus flower in full bloom, surrounded by green leaves.

Cheers to you, and all the world’s gardeners, from The Flower Fields in Carlsbad California~

The Eastern Sierra~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life258 Comments

Got slammed with 111 inches of snow in the most recent 5 day storm.

UC Berkeley’s Snow Lab records this as the snowiest 5 day stretch in 40 years.

But the Sierras are once again,

silent,

still,

serene.

Even the twin waterfalls are sleeping!

Life perseveres, waiting for spring thaw.

The White Mountains (in the back), are home to the few surviving California herds of wild mustangs who are now going to be captured and removed by helicopter roundup and bait water trapping. See prior post on these magnificent wild creatures and their keystone place in the wild habitat:

Wild Mustangs of Mono Lake~

The US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are moving forward with plans to capture and remove approximately 500 wild horses from their home near Mono Lake in California’s Eastern Sierra. The mustangs have lived here since the 1800’s. The Forest Service and BLM claim the horses are a danger on roads and disturb sensitive habitats.

Interestingly, cattle are allowed to graze in much of this “sensitive habitat.” Reports indicate wild mustangs are consuming habitat allocated for privately owned cattle. In more than 50 years I have never seen a wild mustang on a road, and neither have my friends and family, some whom live in the area, and had no idea they were even here.

https://americanwildhorse.org

https://www.easternsierrawildhorses.com

Cheers to you from The Eastern Sierra and her not long remaining, wild & free mustangs~