“I am the queen of the castle.” Those were some of the words sung by three-year-old Isabel Gerstein of Nashua, N.H., while she twirled and danced in front of a large wall mirror outside her bedroom.

CUTLINE: Nashua and Hudson firefighters investigate a duplex after extinguishing flames at 5 Twin Meadow Drive in Hudson. A fire broke out at around 8:30 p.m. ripping through both floors. No injuries were reported and the cause is still under investigation.
TECH SPECS: f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/30, 46mm
THOUGHTS: On 1 April I photographed this house that [...]

Note: This is the first posting of an ongoing series of photographs I will be posting throughout 2009. All of the “Backyard Wonders” photographs I am publishing will be taken in my own back yard. My challenge is to see how many different kinds of landscape and wildlife photos I can come up with by the end of the year. Enjoy!

There is certainly no shortage of icicles in southern New Hampshire these days. I have more ice than I can deal with making dams on my roof. The extreme cold weather freezes any snow that melts on the roof, and creates an array of icicles in all lengths and shapes.