“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.

There was a reason the regulars at our bird feeders were away this morning. Outnumbered and outsized, the chick-a -dees, nuthatches and finches had to wait for breakfast until the flock of wild turkeys finished their meal.

While I was waiting to photograph Gordon Webster, a former personal bagpiper for Queen Elizabeth at the New Hampshire School of Scottish Arts, I noticed these two dancers practicing something out of the ordinary - a Scottish Highland Sword Dance. All I could think of was “ouch!”

Whose arm is that, and what’s it doing there?

After the interview, Ryan’s brother, Liam proudly set his camera on the dining room table in front of me. I thought perhaps he was comparing the size of my company Canon Mark III to his plastic point and shoot toy. What neat little eyeballs it has on the top. I don’t have those on mine. And it talks too. How cool!

With a winter like we’ve had this year, who in the world would want to move to New Hampshire?
So, is it true that robins fly south for the winter? Are you sure?

If you think those chunks of cheese are big, worn on the heads of Green Bay Packers fans, you should see how big marijuana plants grow in the dairy state!

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.

I spotted this fluffy ball of fur sitting motionless on a tabletop in Amhert yesterday, while I was shooting a portrait of it’s owner, Marcia Griffith for a Culinary Delights article in FEAST.

As a photographer, just how far do you travel to take scenic pictures? In 2009, I will be challenging myself to find scenic pictures in my own backyard. The photographs will be published in this blog under the category “Backyard Wonders.” You’ll also be able to view the pictures on my Flickr page.