Trash the dress

A newly married couple pose for a photo along Roseburg's Jackson Street during a "Trash the Dress" photo shoot by photographer Gary Leif on Monday, July 29, 2013. Leif plans on cutting out the photo of the couple and the boat and pasting it into another photo of a waterfall. Having a Trash the Dress photo shoot after the wedding has become a popular trend in the wedding photography business. 

High hanging fruit

A black-tailed deer stands on its hind legs while feeding in a plum orchard on our farm in southwestern Oregon on Sunday, July 28, 2013. The deer appeared to be eating the low hanging fruit on the branches of the trees.

Demonstrators protest fossil fuel exports in Pacific Northwest

Protesters hold signs and a giant paper mache salmon as they take part in a global warming demonstration on the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Columbia River in Vancouver, Wash., on Saturday July 28, 2013. During the protest three protester dangled on ropes under the bridge over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. Several hundred protestors in boats and on foot took part in the protest with a symbolic blocking of the river to fossil fuel transport.

Be very careful picking the blackberries

A black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) clings to a ripe blackberry in a thicket along a country road in rural Douglas County, Ore., near Elkton on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. Also known as the writing spider or corn spider, they are considered harmless to humans. 

Banded alder borer

A large male banded alder borer climbs on our woodpile in rural Douglas County, Ore., near Roseburg, Ore., on Sunday, July 21, 2013. The banded alder borer is  a member of the very diverse longhorn beetle family. Found in western North America the larvae of the beetle bore into the wood of mostly downed hardwood trees and are not considered a pest. 

Each beetle is about 1.5 inches long.

A good day

It was a good day to be a dog at our ranch in southwest Oregon. William a good dog and a great friend.

Blackberry season in Oregon

A wild blacktailed deer feeds on ripe blackberries on a hillside near our home in southwestern Oregon on Thursday, July 18, 2013. The invasive Armenian blackberry plant (also known as Himalayan blackberry) was introduced to Oregon in 1922. Although tasty, it is now considered a noxious weed.  It aggressively displaces native plant species, dominates many habitats, and has a significant economic impact .

Exciting news

I'm now an associate photographer with Leif Photography Studio in Roseburg. I'll be shooting schools, sports, and more on a part-time basis. Robin Loznak Photography LLC will continue for my commercial, editorial, nature and wedding clients. 

Lazy morning

A domestic cat named "Fluffy" spends a lazy morning getting comfortable and taking a nap on his favorite fence rail around a pasture on our ranch in southwestern Oregon on Tuesday, July 16, 2013. 

Bugs at dusk

A spider waits on a wildflower growing along a country road as dusk falls after a long hot day near Roseburg, Ore., on Monday, July 15, 2013.

A grasshopper pauses while crossing the country road.

Cinnabar moth caterpillars

A cluster of cinnabar moth caterpillars are displayed in a glass jar. I found them feeding on ragwort plants on a hillside near our home in rural Douglas County, Ore., on Saturday, July 13, 2013. Cinnabar moths were introduced into North America to help control poisonous ragwort plants. The colorful caterpillars incorporate toxins from the ragwort and are unpalatable to predators. The caterpillars were returned to the plants after being photographed. 

The caterpillars can strip entire plants of leaves and flowers. They're also know to be cannibalistic.

Graffiti details

A few details from the Graffiti Weekend Show and Shine car show at River Forks Park near Roseburg, Ore., on Saturday, July 13, 2013. 

Belly warmer

A wild western fence lizard soaks up warmth from a rural blacktop roadway in the late afternoon near Elkton, Ore., on Thursday, July 11, 2013.

He was just on the edge of the road and scurried to safety when a car drove past. 

Oh, give me a home

A pair of twin blacktail deer fawns play as their mother feeds in a field near Elkton, Ore., on Tuesday, July 9, 2013. 

Scenic Oregon

My son and I went camping up the North Umpqua River near Roseburg, Ore., this weekend. I shot a few scenic photos.

The North Umpqua River flows through rural Douglas County, Oregon near the Horseshoe Bend campground in the Umpqua National Forest on Saturday, July 6, 2013. 

Watson Falls cascades 272 feet down a green cliff onto rocks below in the Umpqua National Forest near Diamond Lake. Watson Falls is considered the third tallest waterfall in Oregon. 

Another view near the campground.

Rodent control

A domestic cat named Scooter plays with a dead gopher it caught on a farm in rural Douglas County near Roseburg on Monday, July 1, 2013. According to a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, domestic cats kill billions of birds, mice and small animals in the U.S. each year.

Sweet

One of my hobbies is bee keeping. Last year I started two new hives, but didn't harvest any honey. Last weekend, when it got nice and hot, I finally took some of the saved up honey from the two hives. We ended up with about 70 pounds of sticky goodness. I have very friendly bees. I didn't get a single sting during the procedure.

Cherry picking

Last night my dad, my son and I went on a cherry picking excursion to the old pie-cherry tree near the site of an old homestead on our ranch in southwestern Oregon. It was so pretty I had to take a few photos.

My old truck looks pretty good. I wonder if the cherry tree is a long lost variety planted by the the homesteaders 100 years ago.

As I write this, we have a cherry pie in the oven. I can't wait till it cools.