Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!I spent the day enjoying the fantastic 60 degree weather in Kansas City (Global warming is both terrifying and enjoyable) where we took a long walk around the Plaza before settling into the kitchen for the afternoon cooking an amazing meal. Those green beans and potatoes up there are killer, and lucky for you I've published the recipes before.I have no internet shares of the day because I haven't been online (save for a little bit of shopping). And I likely will take tomorrow off from posting because I have a gazillion awesome things to do and spending more than 5 minutes at my computer seems like too much.So have a safe and wonderful weekend everyone! And enjoy those leftovers!

I think I've featured Dolly on the blog before, but I have to do it again because her sweet eyes just slay me.Dolly has a bit of a rough time because she is my Dad's dog, but Dad works out of state, so she stays at home with my mom. And... we'll just say my mom is not Dolly's biggest fan.But you know who *is* her biggest fan? Ezra. And he chased and played with this dog for hours on end earlier this week. To be honest, I can't say she loved it (she's not used to small kids), but she was a good sport about it all, and I appreciated that.For your internet shares of the day:+ Alec Baldwin is even aces when he's out of character.+ An article on protecting yourself online in 7 steps (might be important come January).+ An interesting read on the possibility of an election audit.+ And since it's almost Thanksgiving, here are some photos from the DAPL protest, where protestors are being sprayed with fire hoses. In North Dakota in December. Maybe global warming isn't so bad in this instance? Sadly, it's still terrible.

Just a few more shots from the weekend road trip. Even though the Great Plains are flat, there's a stark beauty there in the dried up creek beds and dead trees. I think it's far more lovely in black and white though. The color palette of Minnesota (and the Pacific Northwest) is more my speed. I haven't had time to find any internet shares of the day, but you might find my old-school newspaper experience in Wichita to be interesting.The hometown paper (which gave me my first "real" job in journalism when I was 16 years old, is down to only two sections (News and Sports) and I believe totaled less than 30 pages on Monday. After reading it, I went on a hunt for the New York Times. I tried a Barnes & Nobel, two Starbucks and a Panera. None of them carried it, and the clerks looked at me like I was nuts for asking.Minnesota, this is just one more reason I love you. Cherish what you've got there, people.(Also, I was looking for the actual paper as it's acceptable to be seen reading a paper in my family's home, but staring at your phone is considered rude. Which I don't necessarily disagree with.)

I spent this weekend on the road in Kansas. I think this photo captures how it feels pretty well. For my internet share of the day, I've been enjoying Dan Rather a lot lately (another sign of how fast this election has aged me). His posts on Facebook have been extremely insightful. You can check them out here.

Have I mentioned how much I love making things with my photos? Holy buckets is that fun!So I made these calendars full of my nature photography. I made some for gifts for the holidays, and then I printed 2-3 extras. If you think you might want one, shoot me a note -- they cost $40. I think they are quite lovely, and they are printed on the BEST paper. It's just luscious.Now, for your internet shares of the day.+ The most gorgeous photos of whales ever.+ How to make it look like you're home when you're traveling.+ Gorgeous doorknobs. No really. (Typing that made me think of one of my favorite movie moments.)

I have been shooting families and kids and dogs like NUTS in my studio the past week or two, and man, it has been so much fun. Studio work is so, so different than my normal day-to-day, but in a totally fun way.Now, some internet shares of the day:+ Want a pretty sign with a nice message for your front yard? Here you go. And check out the hotties on that About page, eh?+ I find it both hilarious and terrifying that Mike Pence is now fighting for private emails. YOU KNOW, THAT THING WE HAD TO HEAR ABOUT FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS WITH HILLARY? $#@%^! At this point, I am literally out of curse words. And ask my dad, that takes a lot.+ My favorite book from last year was turned into a small foreign film and it is showing now in Minnesota. Go see it as soon as you can. I promise you, you will love it. It is WONDERFUL. And oh hey look, it's got record patronage here. Again, I sure do love it here in Minnesota.

It has been a week since we voted, and I realize you might be tired of hearing me bitch about the state of our nation. So here are a few photos of sleepy Magda.She was all cozied up while I was working at my computer this morning, and sometimes I take a minute just to spin around and take a long look at that sweet girl blissfully asleep. I take a few deep breaths, and then dive back into work. It's good for the soul.How am I feeling today? Hmmmm.... If only there was a time in history we could reference when a leader who promoted white nationalism wanted members of a minority religion to register with the government...But, in an effort to stay balanced, Kansas beat Duke last night in college basketball. (It's small. I know. I'm grasping!)For your internet shares of the day:+ Let's all eat our emotions! Look at this delicious pad thai recipe!+ The police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile has been charged with manslaughter.+ Han Solo and Princess Leah had a steamy affair during the making of Star Wars!  Ooooo la la!+ Back to the election (sorry!), these maps from the NY Times regarding how people voted is fascinating to me. For the first time, I saw our national parks and the nature that we love and value. And then I realized that many of the people who live on or near these lands are voting for the party against protecting the environment. I'm not judging it, I just find it supremely fascinating.

Just one more sunrise for you.I know it's all getting a bit repetitive -- my time on the North Shore. But I just can't photograph my mood around the house yet. Each time I think I'm getting over this election and taking a breath and I'm ready to move on, I see a little more malarky that brings me back down again. I promise my normal positive attitude will return eventually, but I'm not there yet, so here we are with another shot of the sunrise.I think the main problem is that I am someone who always prepares for the worst -- then you are ready for whatever the world throws at you. It's how I operate.But I don't know how to prepare right now.I know so many conservatives who voted for Trump believed that his racist/misogynistic/homophobic/bigoted behavior during his campaign would fade once he was elected and that then he would go after the issues that were important to them (some are pro-life, many are fiscally conservative). But what if that's wrong? His appointment of Bannon seems to prove that White Nationalism is still at the forefront of his presidency.I have posted a little information on Bannon before, but here is a roundup from the NY Times that offers no commentary but only quotes what Bannon has said in the past. There are also some articles his website has published in the past, including this piece:

A July 2016 article by Mr. Yiannopoulos argued that women were “screwing up the internet for men by invading every space we have online and ruining it with attention-seeking and a needy, demanding, touchy-feely form of modern feminism.”

So that guy now has the president's ear. Awesome. Please excuse me while I hunt down another "man space" on the internet and troll it with my "touch-feely" modern feminism.Ok, but now I am going to get back to something that I think is a top priority: education about current events and fact-based research. For democracy to work (I accidentally just typed democrazy, and now I might just keep it that way), people need to be informed by the facts. And that just is not happening. I have been on Facebook relentlessly pointing out false articles people are posting and reposting and reposting. People from both sides.You guys! Trump did not say "If I were to run, I'd run as a Republican. They're the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and they'd still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific." That is false! Stop spreading it around! Use Snopes.com religiously to fact check!Also? I have had to squash these rumors as well: Black Lives Matter protestors did not plan looting sprees, and more importantly, no one from Black Lives Matter has set anyone on fire! I implore you all to do your own research before believing tales like this, and especially before passing them on to others.Lastly, (and most disturbingly), this article being shared around Facebook *is* true. The KKK is planning a victory march to celebrate Trump's presidency.  So let's sleep well tonight, shall we?Now, for my internet share of the day (we'll just run with this theme):+ Facebook employees are working on a system to fact check the "news" that spreads on their site. Hear, hear! Wouldn't this have been awesome BEFORE the election? Mmmm?+ And on a happier note, how about these Vogue photos, eh? Wowza.