Parts of the ground on the sage-covered hillside by our house are covered with dried Live Oak leaves, so when I heard the loud CRUNCH of something large walking slowly through, I grabbed my camera and tip-toed about 30 feet outside my door and there they were! Two California black-tailed deer (tail not shown)!
With the morning sun shining on them just so you can almost FEEL the velvet that’s covering their antlers. You can see it in the image like a soft glow of bright light around them.
Oh, and you can click on the main photo or the one to the left here in the frame to get a framed or unframed print of this fortuitous morning sighting!