Dead Raccoon seen during one of my walks with the dog. In case you’re not familiar with the term:

Memento mori literally means “Remember you must die”. The early Puritan settlers were particularly aware of death and fearful of what it might mean, so a Puritan tombstone will often display a memento mori intended for the living. These death’s-heads or skulls may strike us as ghoulish, but they helped keep the living on the straight and narrow for fear of eternal punishment. In earlier centuries, an educated European might place an actual skull on his desk to keep the idea of death always present in his mind.

Note that I’m not suggesting that anyone should keep a dead raccoon on their desk although this picture might make a great alternative (prices are very reasonable). 😊😊😊

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sony FE 28-75 f3.5-5.6 OSS.

He was having a really good time.

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sony FE 28-75 f3.5-5.6 OSS.

A passing seagull.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XF 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

This one was on a small rock in Roaring Brook Lake, Putnam Valley, NY. Nearby there was another, larger rock with three geese on it, but I couldn’t get them to cooperate in giving me the composition I wanted (i.e. one where they were all looking at the camera at the same time) so I settled for this one.

Taken with a Sony A6000 and 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 OSS