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Nellie makes a toy

Nellie makes a toy

Marty’s photos of the day #4560: Today is Nellie’s 4th birthday! Well, give or take three months. When Deb and I adopted Nellie, a little over three years ago, she had been a stray. So no one really knows her exact birthday. I chose Halloween for her because she’s a black dog. As I’ve mentioned […]

Stealin’ dog food

Stealin’ dog food

Marty’s photo of the day #4541: Deb and I have enjoyed two long camping trips into Canada with our dogs. The first was in 2002, when Deb and I took Kate and Annie on a 5,572-mile-long adventure to the very top of Canada, which became part of my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring […]

Indigo’s tail

Indigo’s tail

Marty’s photo of the day #4514: This tail belongs to a gray whale named Indigo (read on to learn how I know that). While working on my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, Deb and I experienced multiple close-up humpback whale encounters off the coast of Antarctica. The whales would approach […]

Snatching fish

Snatching fish

Marty’s photo of the day #4513: This past Saturday was our final day on Vancouver Island, and by the time we got around to scheduling a ferry ride out of Nanaimo, only the last ferry had an availability. We had previously found Nanaimo to be a dirty, pedestrian-looking city, so we hung out in the […]

For the dog

For the dog

Marty’s photo of the day #4500: In 2002, Deb and I and our dogs, Kate and Annie, traveled to the top of Canada in a 5,572 mile-long adventure that became the North American chapter in my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. That trip was as much for our dogs as […]

Stalking with Nellie

Stalking with Nellie

Marty’s photo of the day #4499: I shot this elk photo yesterday morning on the Essen Wildlife Refuge. We get a lot of elk here, but because elk move to different locations depending on the season, seeing an elk on the refuge with a full rack is rare. This bull was with five to fifteen […]

The Porcupine caribou migration

The Porcupine caribou migration

Marty’s photo of the day #4491: This is a tiny section of the Porcupine caribou migration, the longest terrestrial migration of any animal on Earth. I shot this photo in 2002, while traveling for my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. This spot is in Canada’s Northwest Territories, which, unfortunately, is […]

Is she a fan?

Is she a fan?

Marty’s photos of the day #4480-4481: Deb’s and my house sits roughly in the middle of the 25-acre Essen Wildlife Refuge. A long gravel driveway comes in from the side, crosses in front of the house, and wraps around to our garage. A long raised porch runs across the front of our house, the porch […]

Dog interruptus

Dog interruptus

Marty’s photo of the day #4475: Last week, Deb (wife), Nellie (dog), and I spent a delightful few hours wading in Canyon Creek, which runs parallel to the U.S. Forest Service cabin we rented. Sometimes all the colorful rocks under the crystal-clear water just sparkled! Once, when the sunlight was perfect, I lowered my camera […]

Canyon Creek Cabin

Canyon Creek Cabin

Marty’s photo of the day #4467: Deb (wife), Nellie (dog), and I are back from a three-day stay at the Canyon Creek Cabin in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (west of Melrose, Montana). Since moving to Montana, in 1996, Deb and I have maintained a tradition of renting one or two US Forest Service cabins a […]

First Canadian campsite

First Canadian campsite

Marty’s photo of the day #4464: This was one of the first campsites on Deb’s and my epic trip to the top of Canada for my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. Ever since, Deb and I have hoped to redo that 5,572 mile-long adventure. We were going to do it […]

Porching

Porching

Marty’s photo of the day #4462: Deb and I have a long-standing tradition of “porching” each night before bed. In the summer, we porch on our actual porch, and in the winter, we porch on our great room couch. Porching involves having a drink (with or without alcohol) and discussing the day’s events. Nellie, of […]

Three hundred words for squirrel

Three hundred words for squirrel

Marty’s photo of the day #4448: Over the years, Deb and I have played many hundreds of games of Scrabble, and through all those games, we’re pretty much dead-even in wins and losses. Summer means the outdoor season, played weekends on the porch. Lately, I’ve been on a winning streak, but it really hasn’t been […]

Aggressive momma ungulates

Aggressive momma ungulates

Marty’s photo of the day #4445: After 27 years of protecting our forested land as the Essen Wildlife Refuge, I really believe the animals have figured out that they are safer here than elsewhere. As proof, both the number of animals living around us and the variety of species are off-the-charts. Consequently, this summer’s theme […]

Dog on self-pilot

Dog on self-pilot

Marty’s photo of the day #4442: Deb and I took our dog, Nellie, on a hike up the Fred Burr Creek Trail this morning. About half the time Nellie had to be on a leash, and Deb and I took turns “driving her.” The rest of the time Nellie got to “self-pilot.” Whether she was […]