After taking the past couple of weeks off, I really wanted to get back in the swing of things. This weeks theme for the Beautiful Beasties blog circle is Texture. I absolutely adore the texture in animals fur. Short hair, long hair, smooth coated, and those of the scruffy variety. I love every type of fur texture from big and puffy, to velvet coated, soft-as-bunny-fur.

My Buttercup happens to have short and slightly coarse. Her fur is not plush, but so fine you can see her spotted skin underneath. To me, it's very unique and beautiful.

I also love the textures that Mother Nature provides. In the Greater Cincinnati area, like many others, winter has been brutal and never ending. Fortunately, we had a couple days of moderate temperatures; almost enough to melt the mounds of snow. Tho' there are still piles of snow around! My backyard is full of wonderful textures that are a candy store for the senses. Buttercup and her canine siblings, love exploring each season. I've always said that Buttercup is a Southern girl and prefers the hot summers. I did manage to convince her to explore with me a little this week.

Finally this week, I want to share a texture that I find seductive and fascinating. That is the texture of light. Light creates so many moods, can make you look soft and beautiful; then harsh and hard. Light can help to tell a story like no other texture. It can make, or break, an image. A Photographers mission is to "find the light". Sometimes though, the light finds you and you have to be ready to capture it in a split second.