Fast beating heart

Some photos from the past few days to record moments that made my heart beat faster:

A bud, about to open, and evergreen patterns in the background.

A squirrel in front of my window on Saturday. It jumped from a bush to a tree, dangled upside down for a second from the branch, and then righted itself. I thought of Alexandre Bilodeau. Watching him flip upside down after navigating moguls at unfathomable speed, and then learning a little of his story, had that same affect on my heart.

A Bald Eagle along the road as we drove to Boundary Bay on Sunday. It had a fierce and somewhat bedraggled look, but it was the first wildlife sighting on a day filled with memorable encounters.

Golden light on Mount Baker.

The call.

A shift in this eagle's position that I thought might mean opportunity for an open wing shot. (It didn't, but I loved the pantaloon affect.)

Eye contact.

Bill and Black Jack.

Eagle landings.

Imagining living in this house.

Parallel motion.

Choreography.

Juvenile Bald Eagle colours and patterns.

Shanty, walking with her human.

Shanty and Black Jack greeted each other, and I learned a little about Shanty's story . She was found through a rescue organization, brought from Taiwan, and given time to overcome her fear and mistrust.

She accepted my treats, and some from her adoring human, before continuing on her way.

A hawk (maybe a Kite?) hunting in the tall grass.

Streamlined flight.

Watching several eagles take off and land, from branches just above me.

Colours and comedy in these free-range roosters/chickens. Check out the little one second from the end.

This one strutting forward, rich blue tail set off by a rusty tank in the background.

Chest puffed out with pride, and so it should be. Have you ever seen such a beautiful rooster?

When Black Jack's heart beats faster, as it definitely did when she spied this squirrel, mine always has a little surge as well.

This little bird (Sparrow?) because it agreed to sit still for a photograph. Can anyone help me identify it?

Bill asked me to do a "guy photo" when he spied this tractor. Colours showed up in the picture that we had both missed in the "real" thing.

Our early-morning trip to Boundary Bay was timed with the Canada/USA hockey game in mind. As we arrived home, a flag set in the flower pot by the entrance to my building triggered just a touch of pre-game anxiety. That was the beginning of a heart-pounding couple of hours. What an amazing game, with Sidney Crosby's goal in overtime feeling like something akin to luck. Both teams played their hearts out!

The feeling in the air, and beautiful light on the mountains, as we walked in Jericho Park after the game.

Bill and Black Jack.

Just around the corner, and yet another eagle sighting!

And yet another sign of Canada's newfound pride, as we walked home from the park.

These well-exercised dogs are residents of my building, and were coming back from an outing as I arrived home. Poor photograph, but loved the expressions.

The 2010 Olympics closing ceremony summed up two weeks of emotion and passion that left few of us indifferent. There were the heartbreakingly sad moments and the topped over with joy ones. I took this photo from the TV screen, but confess I didn't make it all the way through the ceremony. It was time to get myself in gear for 11 days of somewhat normal routine. Paralympics are just around the corner, and something tells me, so are more stories of courage and athleticism. Until then, Happy Monday, everyone!