Karen
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kiki85.bsky.social
Karen
@kiki85.bsky.social
110 followers 51 following 90 posts
ex-music, mobile, and tech industries | known for writing & producing things | enjoy gardening, birds, dogs | all photos except reposts are by me, mostly taken on a Pixel, no AI

📍PNW
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kiki85.bsky.social
black & white
light & dark
yin & yang

#ColorADay #BWFri #Dogs #Dalmatian #Photography #ECK
A black and white photo of a Dalmatian with a lightly spotted face sitting on a couch in front of a wall and a window with closed blinds. He's facing the camera with strong sunset side lighting that leaves his left side partly shadowed. The tag on his collar features a yin yang symbol.
September 5, 2026 at 4:29 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
Although it's known as Scarlet Fire dogwood, the bracts are definitely more pink- to rose-colored than red. I love how they have almost a watercolor effect to the coloration.

Cornus kousa ‘Rutpink’

#PinkMon #Flowers #Bloomscrolling #Trees #Photography #ECK #PNW
A single rosy pink dogwood bloom in late afternoon light stands out against the green leaves of the tree. The bloom features four pointed pink bracts and a round green center that holds the tiny true flowers.
May 25, 2026 at 8:52 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
For Alan's theme today, here's a Hairy Woodpecker trying to blend in with the birdfeeder shadows before it sneaks a beakful of sunflower chips. These woodpeckers all cling to the post instead of the feeder, unlike the Flickers.

#BirdOfTheDay #silhouettes&shadows #Woodpeckers #Photography #ECK #PNW
A brown and beige woodpecker clings to a wooden post next to a red cage-type hanging bird feeder. The setting sun shining through the feeder has created interesting shadow arcs on the post, and the bird's markings almost mirror the shadows as it faces the post with its side facing the camera. A green tree and a light blue house can be seen in the background, with everything bathed in warm light.
March 20, 2026 at 7:54 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
During our unexpected Friday the 13th storm, a Bergenia plant was completely buried. By the next morning, the flowers had come up for air, while the leaves were still out of sight.

#PinkMon #Flowers #Winter #Snow #AlmostSpring #Photography #ECK #PNW #wawx
A red stem topped with a cluster of pink flower buds pokes out of a hole in the snow. Crystal clear water droplets can be seen on some of the buds, and one bud is starting to open. Green leaves can barely be seen hiding under the snow crust.
March 16, 2026 at 4:52 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
A day after our weird Friday the 13th storm, snow stayed precariously perched on an echinacea seedhead. The birds wiped out the echinacea seeds long ago on all the other plants, but for some reason haven't snacked much on this one.

#Stunday #Flowers #Winter #Snow #Photography #ECK #PNW
A one-inch round, brown, and prickly looking seedhead on a brown stem is topped with an irregularly shaped "snowball" that's almost two inches high. The snowball looks as if it should tip over because it's narrower on the bottom than in the middle.
March 15, 2026 at 1:04 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
A very special heart for this week's #ShowHeart theme. Embedded in the swirls of the glass are some ashes from my first Dalmatian🌈. A local shop called Art by Fire creates these, and I was able to choose the colors and watch as it was made.

#GlassArt #Dogs #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A heart-shaped glass art piece sits on a shelf of light wood. The glass features swirls of black and white, along with swirls of what appear to be tiny, slightly irridescent white bubbles. Where white swirls meet black, there's a blue hue. The edges of the heart are clear.
February 24, 2026 at 9:51 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
For #WindowsOnWednesday, here's a visitor behind my house. The back room window faces right into a slope, and every now and then I walk by and see a visitor or two (either deer or bears). This one was nice enough to clear out some weeds I couldn't reach

#Nature #Deer #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
Looking out from a bedroom window, a deer is perfectly framed as it munches on tall weeds and hazelnut leaves on a slope. Her large ears stand out against the greenery and her delicate hooves can be partly seen as they keep her balanced amidst the plants and rocks. Her light brown coat looks healthy, and her tail is dark brown on top and bright white underneath. A small piece of greenery sticks out of the side of her mouth as she chews.
February 18, 2026 at 8:26 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
On #RockinTuesday, Fringe cups (Tellima grandiflora) and Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) seem happy in the shallow dirt between three boulders. The Fringe cups (light green) are native volunteers, and they pop up in cracks and small spaces every year.

#Nature #Garden #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
In the triangular space between three gray boulders, many florets of shiny, dark purplish-green leaves crowd together. A separate plant with fuzzy light green leaves sits above them on the slight slope. To the right, a few fronds of light green Autumn Fern can be seen. A few smaller rocks nestle among the plants. Bits of green moss and brown fir needles cling to parts of the boulders.
February 18, 2026 at 1:40 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
Happy Valentine's Day.

#Nature #SensoryArt #Love #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A heart-shaped leaf in multiple shades of brown lies on a light gray deck board. The color pattern and the rich, veined texture make it unusually attractive for a faded autumn leaf. A single tiny raindrop or dewdrop sits near the top of the leaf.
February 15, 2026 at 2:07 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
For the #BirdOfTheDay theme of #posted, a trio of crows drop by to see what brought out all the other locals on a rare non-rainy autumn day in western Washington.

10/12/25

#Birds #Nature #Fall #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A photo of three crows perched on a rustic wooden rail fence next to a row of trees with leaves in bright shades of red, orange, and green. The grass under the trees is carpeted with red leaves. Adults, kids in strollers, and a dog can be seen on a sidewalk on the opposite side of the trees.
February 8, 2026 at 11:19 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
Feel the freeze.
(From his first snow in Feb. 2021, since we haven't had any this year)

#Dogs #Dalmatian #SensoryArt #Spots #BlueSkyArtShow #Cold #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A Dalmatian named Bowie stands in front of a wood fence in about six inches of snow with his head almost completely buried as he snorkels through a drift.
February 2, 2026 at 2:14 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
More frosty faves: black mondo grass and sweetspire.

#Nature #Garden #Foliage #Frost #BlueSkyArtShow #cold #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A close-up of a mound of black mondo grass. The slender black leaves are outlined and speckled with white frost. A small, frosty brown leaf peeks out through the black blades, having been captured there on a windy day. Close-up of the reddish stem and two leaves of a sweetspire shrub. All are covered in frost, with the frost especially prominent around the leaf edges. The leaves, which normally would've turned red and dropped in the fall, are half red and half green.
January 26, 2026 at 1:13 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
After several days of frost accumulation, enhanced textures emerge in the garden. Some of my favorites are the Hart's Tongue fern and sword fern.

#Nature #Garden #Ferns #Frost #BlueSkyArtShow #cold #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
Heavy frost on Hart's Tongue fern fronds emphasizes the wavy texture of the fronds. The frost is so thick that the fronds barely look green. Frost on a section of a sword fern frond outlines each green leaf in a way that resembles confectioners sugar on a dessert. A few brown fir needles are frozen to the stem.
January 26, 2026 at 1:09 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
At 22° F this morning, one of the bird baths has formed an ice spike. I've seen this happen before, but not in about a decade.

#Nature #Ice #BlueSkyArtShow #Cold #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
Close-up photo of the bowl of a ceramic bird bath. The ceramic has a watercolor pattern in shades of mostly blue and purple. The water is completely frozen and the ice surface is flat except for a 3-inch protrusion that resembles a pointing finger.
January 25, 2026 at 7:32 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
One of the best things about January is the wonderfully weird Witch Hazel flowers. Plus, they have a pleasant - but not overly strong - scent.
(Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Ruby Glow’)

#Nature #Flowers #Trees #ColorADay #RedWed
#Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
Close-up of a tree branch with clusters of red flowers. The flower petals resemble dyed bits of shredded coconut.
January 22, 2026 at 5:21 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
Happy Christmas to all,
and to all a good nap!

#dalmatian #dogs #pnw #holidays
(with apologies to Clement Moore)
A Dalmatian asleep on a couch with a colorfully lit wreath on a door in the background.
December 25, 2025 at 5:44 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
A Lord of the Rings cover band called The Riven-Dellfonics, featuring John Entwistle on bass
steventerheide.bsky.social Steven ter Heide @steventerheide.bsky.social · Dec 20
A Lord of the Rings cover band called Tolkien Heads
kanaratron.bsky.social Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou @kanaratron.bsky.social · Dec 20
A Lord of the Rings cover band called Durin Durin.
December 20, 2025 at 7:35 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
Introduce yourself with five animals you’ve seen in the wild.

1. Elephant seal
2. Humuhumunukunukuapua'a
3. Black bear
4. Hawaiian monk seal
5. Roadrunner
mstreefrog.bsky.social Mstreefrog @mstreefrog.bsky.social · Nov 29
Introduce yourself with five animals you’ve seen in the wild.

River Otter
Canada Lynx
Harbor Seal
Coyote
Pacific Martin
marinamueller935.bsky.social Marina Mueller 🇨🇦 @marinamueller935.bsky.social · Nov 29
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild.

River Otter
Stoat
Moose
Porcupine
Coyote
November 29, 2025 at 3:19 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
Cup type mushrooms collected rain, then froze overnight. In the morning, the garden stared up at me with many eyes.

#Mushrooms #Fungi #Nature #WackyWednesdayArt #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
Round, reddish-brown, cup-shaped mushrooms sit on frozen ground. Their edges are rimmed with frost crystals and there is ice inside the cups. One mushroom has a dark circle in the middle of the white ice, which makes it look like an eyeball staring upward with no eyelid.
November 26, 2025 at 8:45 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
At sunset today, a dragon suddenly rose over the hill...

#Sunset #Clouds #Dragon #BlueSkyMonday #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
Pinkish-orange and dark gray clouds against a blue sky just after the sun has set. A tree-covered hill is silhouetted against the clouds. The clouds form a shape resembling a gray dragon touched by fire, emerging from a giant plume of smoke.
November 25, 2025 at 5:48 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
PoV: On a drizzly Sunday morning, a leaf drifts down and sticks to your kitchen window.

#Stunday #Nature #Trees #Fall #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A reddish-brown leaf fills much of the frame and seems suspended in mid-air as it clings to a window. The focus is on the leaf, highlighting the intricate pattern of its veins. The trees and building in the background are out of focus, with green, yellow, and brown leaves showing as soft blotches of color.
November 23, 2025 at 7:15 PM
kiki85.bsky.social
One of these things is not like the others.

#ColorADay #YellowThu #Nature #Ginkgo #Fall #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A bright yellow ginkgo leaf rests in the dirt next to other leaves. The gingko leaf and its stem make a strikong contrast to the brownish, earthen shades of the other leaves.
November 21, 2025 at 5:11 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
Ginkgo trees date back to the Jurassic era and at least one survived Hiroshima. #survivors

ethnobiology.org/forage/blog/...
November 21, 2025 at 3:43 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
Blue mood.

#ColorADay #BlueTue #Dogs #Dalmatian #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A profile photo of the head and chest of a Dalmatian who is intently watching something out of the frame. Sky blue siding planks, both vertical and horizontal, frame his pose. His collar features shades of blue and purple in an almost tie dye style. His tag features a yin yang symbol.
November 11, 2025 at 10:10 AM
kiki85.bsky.social
All of my evergreen ferns are proudly showing off their spores this time of year by turning their undersides more upward, including this Hart's tongue fern.

#MacroMonday #Ferns #Nature #Photography #EastCoastKin #PNW
A close-up image of the undersides of several thick green fern leaves. Each leaf is covered with neat rows of cinnamon colored spores that line up in diagonal patterns on each side of the central leaf spine. The effect is almost zebra-like.
November 10, 2025 at 9:00 AM