Awestruck~

On April 1, 2017April 1, 2017 By cindy knokeIn MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Uncategorized209 Comments

by Dubrovnik!

George Bernard Shaw called the city “paradise on earth,”

and it is easy to see why.

Dubrovnik is a 12th Century masterpiece sitting on the jewel like Adriatic Sea.

The old city is surrounded by towering medieval walls, looming up to 80 feet over the city.

The walls can be walked in entirety,

offerring incredible views over the old city and the sea.

Game of Thrones was filmed here,

because the city retains a magical sense of unique ancientness.

Cheers to you from magical old Dubrovnik~
(Excuse my absence, but I should be returning to available wifi in a few days!)

Bouncing Baby Buffalos~

On October 3, 2015October 4, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Uncategorized212 Comments

don’t like birds on their bum!

Some fight with their friends,

while others prefer their sulfur-bath time!

They are cute enough,

to want to bring home,

although they need their prairie to roam.

Cheers to you from Yellowstone’s baby buffalos~

Grizzly Daze~

On September 17, 2015September 18, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Uncategorized296 Comments

Glacier National Park is Blackfoot ancestral land. The Blackfoot people believe that grizzly bears can see into a human heart and read a person’s intentions. This is mama grizzly and her cub when we first encountered her on the trail and she went into high alert.

Here is mama after she looked into our hearts, approved our intentions, and took one of several naps. We spent several hours watching mama and cub, and have encountered bears every day since, both in Glacier and Waterton National Parks.

Here mama and cub are both relaxed enough to nurse in our presence!

She knew we were here, and looked at us regularly. We respected her space and never moved close enough to provoke any anxiety.

We watched her forage,

turn over rocks, hunt for rodents,

and fish.

We watched baby bear scratch his back on a little pine tree,

and we saw mama yell at him!
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This is mama bear’s home. She is as magnificent as her surroundings. Grizzly populations have been decimated in the wild. I have a lot more bear and other wildlife photos to share with you, but wifi out here is far less present than bears! This my first connectivity in days and it won’t last!
I miss you and your blogs, and send you cheers from the wonderful wild grizzlies who see into our human hearts and look to us for protection~

El Mundo del Flores~

On August 24, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Uncategorized214 Comments

This post didn’t show up in the reader so I am forced to reblog. Sorry!

Holler Hummer Home~

On July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Uncategorized290 Comments

This hummingbird has quite a long tongue for a tiny little creature doesn’t he?

It’s good to be home, because the Holler Hummer’s live here, and I missed them!

I counted 35 today, at our three, 40 ounce feeders.

Anna’s, Black Chinned, Allen’s and Rufous hummingbirds live at The Holler.

I read in an online hummingbird forum that people don’t believe that feeders get more than one or two birds each.

They should stop by The Holler around 6pm when each feeder is mobbed by more than 10 hummers.

Hummers have the largest brain to body mass of any bird in the world i.e., they are clever little buzzers.

These tiny birds can migrate 1000’s of miles.

But many call the Holler home year round.

Which is why, there is no place like home!
Cheers to you from the astonishing, numerous, and quite clever, Holler Hummers~

Raiatea’s Remarkable Flora & Fauna~

On January 13, 2015February 24, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, Flowers, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Uncategorized174 Comments

Raiatea has some unusual flora and fauna.

Check out the colors of these water lilies for example!

The scent of tropical flowers perfumes the air, sending you off to sleep, even in mid day!

I tried my new underwater camera for the first, and last time for awhile, because I got a nasty coral cut, that is now infected. I got it from fire coral that was not visible on our balcony’s dive ladder. No more underwater photo practice for me until it heals.

I did manage to get some decent shots on my first attempt. Can you see the camouflaged octopus here? He was quite large and stuck his tentacles simultaneously down many holes searching for prey. When he found some, he ballooned his entire body around it and killed it.

So many beautiful fish, I even saw a lion fish wish I would love to show you. Lots of giant clams too.

This guy was half in and out of water!

And this one appears to live in the thatch of our bungalow.

Raiatea is surrounded by motus, which are empty atolls, that you can sail or kayak over to, and spend your day on your own private island like Robinson Crusoe!
Cheers to you from beautiful Raiatea~
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Playing with Channel Island Foxes!

On October 21, 2014February 24, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Uncategorized236 Comments

Oh my! Somedays are just OH my days. I have seen about five foxes in my life, in Alaska, Canada, Wyoming and The Holler. I was on Santa Cruz Island before and saw the Channel Island foxes, a very unusual species that live only on the Channel Islands, no where else in the world, but I wasn’t really taking photos then. So back I went to see them again and try and get their photos. We hiked all over stunning Santa Cruz Island, and I firmly believe that since I was seeking, I didn’t find. It was an hour until the boat left and I had already been waiting in the place I had seen them before for about an hour. Silent, still, waiting. When, at last, the first fox came out. She scuttled along this open but submerged ditch that I am guessing she built that led from her den. She was surreptitious at first, but quickly got braver.

This is the second fox. This one was bigger and I assume (with no knowledge to back me up that this was a male).

The friendly first one again.

This is the third smaller one. She (or he) got very close as long as I didn’t move a titch.

I have so many more photos of this unique species. They are 1/3 smaller than the North American Grey fox. Channel Island foxes live on 6 of the 8 Channel Islands. Each island has a separate endemic fox species.

Current thinking seems to be that these island foxes rafted over during the last ice age about 10,000- 16,000 years ago.

They are very protected here. I am speechless. They are remarkbale.

I forget to mention. Santa Cruz Island is ethereal.

Cheers to you from the rare Channel Island foxes~
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

At Sea~

On September 2, 2014September 2, 2014 By cindy knokeIn Uncategorized124 Comments

Off the coast of Norway.

So pristine and lovely in the fall sunshine.

There are scores of islands off the coasts of Norway and Sweden, all reachable only by boat.

The patrol boats are impressive and fast.

Our boat leaves quite a wake!

Smaller boats need to be careful not to get too close to the wake!

The coast of Sweden is remarkable too!
Internet service is few and far between. Please excuse me for not being able to follow your blogs and cheers to you today from the coast of Germany!

Mélange de Brugge~

On August 24, 2014August 24, 2014 By cindy knokeIn EXTERIOR & INTERIOR DESIGN, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Uncategorized172 Comments

It is time to say goodbye to peaceful Brugge. (Please click to enlarge).

Brugge seems to be the land that crime, strife and stress forgot.

The windmills on the perimeter of the old city were built in 1770.

They can be toured, but few tourists did while we were there, which is a shame because they are mechanical works of wonder and a challenge to safely climb!

Although the tourist center is crowded with day visitors, the city empties out in the early evening.

Even in the middle of the day, the streets a few blocks away from the tourist center are mostly empty.

Brugge is full of beautiful old cathedrals,

and charming old homes built on the canals.

Cheers to you & farewell to beautiful Brugge~

Flutters & Flowers~

On April 14, 2014April 14, 2014 By cindy knokeIn Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Uncategorized158 Comments

The flutters rest their silken wings,

drawn by the sweetly fragrant flowers.

The flowers beckon,

so the flutters fly.

And the garden sings,

with the joy of spring!

Cheers to you from the flutters & flowers~

Cindy Knoke

Category: Uncategorized

Awestruck~

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Bouncing Baby Buffalos~

Like this:

Grizzly Daze~

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El Mundo del Flores~

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Holler Hummer Home~

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Raiatea’s Remarkable Flora & Fauna~

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Playing with Channel Island Foxes!

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At Sea~

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Mélange de Brugge~

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Flutters & Flowers~

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