Pope Leo XIV rejects claims that God justifies war in Palm Sunday Mass message Pope Leo XIV rejected claims that God justifies war and prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Leo XIV rejected claims that God justifies war and prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.

Sunrise from Glastonbury Tor this morning.

The heart of Provence… Lavenders & almond tree 🌳 💜.
And yes it’s a real tree 😉

#photohraphy #art #lavenders #nature #landscape

For today's #BirdOfTheDay.
#AdultsWithChicks #photography #ECK #EastCoastKin #WestCoastKin #birds #wildlife #Canon
Ah, Spring!

We cannot allow this behavior to be considered normal, not even under Donald Trump.

Between Land and Sky - Campbell Island, New Zealand.

#photography #landscape #nz #subantarctics

a quiet forest scene in which tall old pines shade the scene in beautiful greens and browns on a warm day… down the middle, into the foreground, is a quiet clear stream surrounded by moss and grass and stones as it meanders through a hilly forest slope & far in the distance in the background, the sun is shining beyond the shaded forest scene

‘To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.’
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stellar's Jay perched on the limb of a pine tree. Dark crested head shading down to deep, dark blue wing and tail feathers. Background is mostly green, with several out of focus pine branches.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay.
#Blue #photography #ECK #EastCoastKin #birds #wildlife #Canon
The lighting could be better, but I've found that getting photos of a Stellar's Jay is not always easy. Taken at Cougar Rock picnic area, Mt. Rainier National Park.

Catching up from yesterday--here's my #BirdOfTheDay.
#WingsOpenNotflying #photography #ECK #EastCoastKin #birds #wildlife #Canon
I love the look at the underside of a duck's wing in the lefthand photo. Maybe it's the coloring of this particular duck, but it always reminded me of an angel.

In a world where writing in ink were not so rare that we wish to celebrate its imperfections, would a shading ink be dismissed as flawed rather than cherished for its tones? Diamine Lady Grey. Waterman Carine stub.

Tonight’s fountain pen thought

Four Zebras on the side of the road

Reminded of this scene from April, 2024 when 4 Zebras escaped from a horse trailer and roamed the area around I-90 near North Bend, Washington.

Took them several days (and a rodeo clown!) to round them all up.

The incident sparked an explosion of memes online, sharing some of my favorites.

For today's Bird of the Day alternate. A Northern Shoveler with a yoga move.
#BirdOfTheDay.
#oneleg #photography #ECK #EastCoastKin #birds #wildlife #NorthernShoveler #Canon

A viral dog rescue from 2016 is now immortalized with a statue in Kazakhstan. When a dog fell into the Sayran reservoir, bystanders formed a human chain to pull him to safety. The statue is a reminder of the value of unity, solidarity and collective action. 14/10 for all

Thanks!

A white duck with some shades of light brown and a brown head floats on the water in sunshine. Its beak is open.

A little late, but here is my #BirdOfTheDay.
#OpenBeak #photography #ECK #EastCoastKin #birds #wildlife #Canon
This duck that I named "Saxony" lived at a local lake for a year or more. I usually saw it with 3 male Mallards. Its coloring hints that it was a Saxony breed of duck, a domestic escapee.

I realize Republicans don’t want to admit this, which is why they are so crazed about passing the SAVE Act, but the reason why Dems have dramatically over-performed their 2024 results in 99% of races around the country since then isn’t because “illegals” have been voting.

Liquid sunshine today here in the Seattle area.

"If you can't see Mt Rainier, it's raining"
"If you can see Mt Rainier, it's gonna rain"

Think voting doesn’t matter? 766 votes.

Our CEO, Javier, thought he earned a vacation ❤️

Thank you, Best Western, for hosting us and for suggesting these fun activities #ad

Stanley stares into the distance. there is an inset of an empty blue bottle of poison

This is Stanley. He just helped solve a 160-year-old murder by digging up a bottle of poison in his backyard. Just two doors down in 1865, Mary Ann Ashford poisoned her husband's tea to be with her younger lover. Since his discovery, Stanley has stopped digging. 15/10

a blond senior lab sleeps at the top of a small set of stairs in front of a house. they’re wrapped in a tan blanket and snoozing away. behind them is a black walker parked in the foyer of the entryway. surrounding the scene on either side are blue pots of flowers, and lush, green hedges. (credit to Dara Strickland on Facebook)

This senior pup was spotted all snuggled up for a snooze. The walker in the background suggests their human might also be a senior, and we can't stop thinking about how they still kindly laid out a blanket for their pup. So glad they have each other in their golden years. 14/10 #SeniorPupSaturday

When Donald Trump and his allies tried to overturn the will of Pennsylvania voters, I went to court 43 times to stop them — and won every single time.

Anyone who tries to attack Pennsylvanians’ fundamental freedom to vote will have to go through me.

I love a giant coffee cup

All you fools could learn something from my nine year-old.

Good evening

It's just unreal how little thought or planning went into starting a new massive war in the Middle East.

would love to hear from TSA agents about how ICE is “assisting” you. please.

Trump Administration to Pay $1 Billion to Energy Giant to Cancel Wind Farms

Trump made an extraordinary transfer of 1 Billion taxpayer dollars to a foreign company to boosting production of fossil fuels, main driver of climate change, while canceling offshore wind farms
Crazy old man taking us back to the 50s. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/c...

Today's #BirdOfTheDay
#tricolour #Coot #photography #ECK #EastCoastKin #birds #wildlife #Canon
American Coots are a fav of mine--interesting to watch, sometimes bold, comical in their actions. & don't get me started on their feet! They can be hard to photograph, especially w/ their white bills.

now to put away this drop sheet