Standing Into Danger

Friday, November 28, 2025

My Self Portrait 😂

Have you drawn your self portrait for Nicole's FFO challenge tomorrow?

I just finished mine.

I haven't drawn a face in a long, long time, but it was fun.

I didn't capture my sparkle, but at least it's a face.

Of course, Last Minute Louise, started her self portrait

for Nicole's challenge on Thanksgiving Day,

and she worked on it between cooking dinner and watching football!

What can I say? I've been busy! 😂

Since I'm a geologist and not an artist,

I decided to map my face like it was a geological feature.

I printed off a recent photo of me, and I drew a half-inch grid on it.

My father taught me this technique for copying maps when I was eleven or twelve.

Sparkly Me at the Carousel Bar with Terry

The Plaza, Las Vegas, ⁨Nevada, ⁨United States⁩

July 1, 2025

Half-Inch Grid

Aurora, ⁨Colorado ⁨United States⁩

November 27, 2025

Next I drew a half inch grid on another piece of paper,

using my trusty third grade classroom ruler and my Twist Erase 0.7 pencil.

That was the easy part.

My Second Half-Inch Grid

Ready! Set! Go!

Then I began carefully drawing my ~~geological formation~~ face.

An Ear's a Start

Starting on My Glasses

Eyes and Nose

It took me a nanosecond to realize that rocks are way easier to draw,

but I was not going to back down and not participate in Nicole's FFO challenge.

Meanwhile I had to push aside my art work to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with Terry.

He was really happy that I made his favorites, roasted chicken breasts,

sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberry jelly, and a blueberry and spring greens salad.

No china or silverware or serving dishes ~ They're still packed.

But we did have a delicious chilled chardonnay.

We having pumpkin pie and homemade whipped cream when I finish this post.

Roasted Chicken Breasts

Enough for Leftovers

Thanksgiving Dinner ~ For Rain's Dinner Date #1

Thanksgiving Dinner ~ For Rain's Dinner Date #2

Meanwhile, a coyote ran down the golf course in the middle of dinner.

I haven't see one in ages, so both of us ran out with our iPhones to capture it.

I hate the zoom lens on my iPhone! 😂

A Coyote Looking for Dinner

Once I got going, I began to sketch more than map.

A one-inch grid would have been better.

I erased more than I drew, I swear, and I draw dinosaur teeth way better than human.

But it was fun, especially with a glass of chardonnay,

and the Cowboys beating the Chiefs 31 to 28.

😂🥂

Overall I was quite happy with the results.

Maybe I'll try so more faces down the road.

VOILÀ !

I'm linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off, Rain's Kitchen and Garden, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Gillena's Lunch Break.

For Rain: Crescent Moon ~ Rain shared some beautiful photos of crescent moons. As I hunted through my photos, I realize I really like full moons. A crescent moon was hard to find.

Crescent Moon Over Aurora

March 4, 2022

For Tom: Full Moon Over Waikiki! ~ I am so missing Hawaii!

Full Moon Over Waikiki

March 14, 2025

For Gillena: Walk the Moon! ~ You literally cannot stand still listening to Walk the Moon sing "Shut Up and Dance with Me."

Walk the Moon Performing on Fremont Street

Downtown Vegas, Nevada, USA

June 3, 2023

Walk the Moon ~ Shut Up and Dance with Me!

YouTube

Have a great weekend!

Terry and I are looking forward to yummy Thanksgiving leftovers.

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Happy American Thanksgiving!

My sister Donnie spent a week with Terry and me, heading home to Calgary last Saturday.

I miss her terribly, but I am deeply grateful that she came.

While she was here, Donnie and I talked until our jaws ached.

A topic we returned to over and over was how lucky we have been in life

and the gratitude that we feel for our many blessings,

especially when many, many others struggle through unimaginable hardships.

So today, on Thanksgiving Day, my heart is full of gratitude

for the wonderful things I have been given in my life, starting with Donnie.

Donnie (right) and Me

Aurora, ⁨Colorado, ⁨United States⁩

November 22, 2025

And, of course, Terry, who has been the love of my life for many decades.

Terry and I at the Carousel Bar

The Plaza, Las Vegas, ⁨Nevada, ⁨United States⁩

July 1, 2025

I'm sure that much of what I'm grateful for isn't that different from what others appreciate,

family, friends, love, home, health, fulfillment, and life itself.

My Amazing Parents, Don and Sara MacBeath

On Their Honeymoon

Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

Early September 1948

The First Photo of We Five

Donnie, Barb, Me with Bertie, and Roy with Gretchen (our beloved dachshund)

Margaretsville, Nova Scotia, Canada

March, 1959

Special Friends Like Cheri and Gary

with Whom We Have Spent Many Thanksgivings

Arizona, USA, 2017

I have a few unique things for which I'm grateful, starting with Dr. Prem S. Subramanian

who restored my vision after Graves Eye Disease gave me strabismus eyes.

This compassionate man gave me back my hope and my life.

Prem S. Subramanian, MD, PhD

Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery and Vice Chair

Sue Anschutz-Rodgers University of Colorado Eye Center/School of Medicine

Source

And, of course, my beautiful Piney Creek and my cottonwood friends who fill me with joy.

Me Sitting on a Favorite Cottonwood Tree

Aurora, Colorado, USA

November 22, 2025

I could list so many things, but I'll stop here.

Donnie and Terry, As Terry Cooks

Aurora, Colorado, USA

November 18, 2025

Wishing you joy in your life, health, fulfillment and love!

Happy American Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating today!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Friday, November 28, 2025 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Monday, November 17, 2025

"Low Water" by Jennifer Lane

Surprise! I'm back with a special post!

Our Insecure Writer's Support Group has many talented published authors,

and it's always fun to share news about a member's newest release.

On Friday my IWSG blogging buddy

Jennifer Lane released her 10th novel Low Water.

Jen is a psychologist

hailing from South Carolina,

and she is known for her novels that blend

sports romance, suspense, and psychology.

Jen, a former college swimmer

and volleyball athlete

(Honda Award Winner for DIII Athlete of the Year),

still "loves chlorine and perfect sets."

She also loves her cats Tuxedo and Tessa

and "crafting stories that spark laughter and tears."

What intrigues me about Jennifer's Low Water is that it offers hope for healing

for those of us suffering from PTSD and trauma using Cognitive Processing Therapy.

That's the psychology part.

But here's the sports romance and suspense part:

"Two lives marked by trauma. One chance to rediscover hope.

In the sun-drenched Lowcountry of South Carolina, a swim coach haunted by tragedy and a psychologist devoted to healing cross paths just as their lives unravel.

He once believed Olympic-sized dreams and awful dad jokes could get him through anything, but waves of grief threaten to pull him under. She has built a career navigating others through pain, yet she struggles to confront her own.

When their worlds collide, Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD forces the question: is it possible to dive into the past without drowning? Neither expects the other to become a lifeline. But with connection and courage, they search for a way forward—one stroke at a time.

Striving, tender, and surprisingly funny, this is a story about resilience and learning that the best way out of the deep end is together."

I am looking forward to reading Jen's book.

Jen's book is available here:

Universal Book Link:

https://books2read.com/u/b675ox

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/Low-Water-Jennifer-Lane-ebook/dp/B0FYV32BV4

You can learn more about Jennifer's other books here at her website:

http://jenniferlanebooks.com

Have a great week, everyone. Happy Reading!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Thursday, November 27, 2025 🤞

Friday, November 14, 2025

Landscape Stories

I'm still out and about, enjoying this unseasonably warm autumn,
mid-November and no snow!

Sunny and 70º Fahrenheit (21º Celsius) ~ Really?!!

On Saturday November 8th, I went over to Red-Tailed Hawk Park

which is a hop, skip, and a jump away to the north,

the continuation of "my"section of park and open space along Piney Creek.

The regional Piney Creek Trail that follows the creek meanders for about ten miles

from S. Coolidge Way near the Douglas County Line in the south

to Cherry Creek State Park in the north.

"My" section is the southernmost part of the trail, about 3/4 of a mile (1.2 kilometers) long.

Faded Rabbitbrush Blooms

Red-Tailed Hawk Park

Along Piney Creek, Aurora, Colorado, USA

November 8, 2025

I haven't been in Red-tailed Hawk Park for well over a year,

thanks to traveling, home renovations, and the ongoing

construction of condos on the western side of the park.

People living in the new condos certainly have easy access

to a delightful area to walk, run, and bike.

Condos Have Sprouted Near the Piney Creek Trail

Red-Tailed Hawk Park

Along Piney Creek, Aurora, Colorado, USA

November 8, 2025

I was worried that the condo development would have adversely affected the park,

especially the nearby prairie dog town and a stand of cottonwood trees that I love.

But the prairie dogs looked fat and alert and yipped intensely when I approached,

and the cottonwood trees were as beautiful as ever.

Unfortunately my iPhone zoom lens doesn't do the prairie dogs justice.

On Alert!

November 8, 2025

On Alert!

November 8, 2025

This prairie dog is a black-tailed prairie dog, as, of course, are all the others.

These fascinating animals have a complex communication system.

Their alarm cries convey information about predators,

including the species, its size, and shape.

They are thought to be able to convey the color of clothing worn by humans!

I wonder what this one was saying about me! 😂

When I reached the boardwalk crossing the ponds and reeds,

I discovered that the reeds had exploded, pressing in on all sides.

Almost no water was visible.

Claustrophobia!

I came across mysterious areas where huge swaths of reeds had been flattened.

No resting mule deer could have done this!

Collapsed Reeds

From what I could find out, the sheer force of strong winds and storms,

especially with heavy rain, can break and flatten tall dense reeds.

Other possible causes are rapid changes in water levels, strong water currents,

or the accumulated weight of heavy snowfall and ice that collapse the reeds.

Everywhere I look the landscape speaks to me in stories.

Countless Reeds

A Small Patch of Open Water in a Sea of Reeds

Hardy Duckweed Thrives Wherever It Can

Milkweed is Spreading Everywhere

The cottonwood stand that I love is very close to the new condo development,

but it doesn't look trampled or overrun.

Cottonwood trees are such exuberant, messy, fast growing trees.

If you see cottonwood trees in a prairie landscape, you know there is water nearby.

No matter the season, cottonwood trees delight my senses.

Each tree is unique, rich in textures, and a host

for birds, insects, squirrels, and other animals.

A New Entrance to the Cottonwood Stand

An Inviting Space of Sunshine and Shadow

Brittle Branches Often Break

Beautiful in Death and Decay

Awash with Textures

Insects Winter Over in Drifts of Cottonwood Leaves

Most of all, I love the black-tailed prairie dogs,

like them I am small and intense, and I feel an affinity for them.

Not that I want to live in a hole in the ground! 😂

Prairie Dog Burrow #1

Prairie Dog Burrow #2

Prairie dog are a keystone species that many plants and animals depend on to survive.

Their burrows protect prairie dogs from predators and flash flooding,

but they also provide homes for other animals like burrowing owls and rattlesnakes.

Prairie dogs keep the prairie grasses around their burrows clipped.

This allows other weeds and forbs to grow.

Constant grazing by prairie dogs increases the nutritional content of plants

which benefits other prairie grazers like bison, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn.

Prairie Dog Town #1

Prairie Dog Town #3

Prairie Dog Town #4

Prairie Dogs Peeking Out

Here's to spending time in nature.

It calms your mind and fills your soul.

Tomorrow my sister Donnie is coming to visit for a week.

I am so excited.

Donnie and I On a Ferry Crossing Petite or Grand Passage

Long and Brier Islands, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 31, 2018

I hope you have an awesome weekend too!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Friday, November 21st, 2025 🤞

Pages

Friday, November 28, 2025

My Self Portrait 😂

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Happy American Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 17, 2025

"Low Water" by Jennifer Lane

Friday, November 14, 2025

Landscape Stories