A Bird Story

As many of you know, my passion for photography started

back in June of 2007.

With this passion also came a passion for Nature which

I had never had before. Especially a passion for Birds!

At the beginning of this 2008 my hopes were to see

an Indigo Bunting. My children had given me

a beautiful calendar with birds on it for

Christmas and I saw an Indigo Bunting...and I wanted to see one

FOR REAL.

Well...my wish came true that Spring.

I believe this is a juvenile or molting Indigo Bunting.

From what I have read, they do not get there completely Blue

feathers until they are in their 3rd year.

Possibly an Adult (or close to adult) Male.

I cannot tell you the joy I felt at seeing these birds.

 Indigo Bunting

A Beautiful Blue Treasure

My heart Sings

Living The Simple Life

To find the universal elements enough;

to find the air and the water exhilarating;

to be refreshed by a morning walk 
or an evening saunter;

to be thrilled by the stars at night;

to be elated over a bird's nest 
or a wildflower in spring -

these are some of the rewards of the simple life. 
 ~ John Burroughs

Flower Power

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone,

but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. 
~Martin Luther

Eloquence in Silence

In Silence there is eloquence. Stop weaving and see how the pattern improves.

― Rumi

Tune In To Nature

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,

through which God speaks to us every hour,
if we will only tune in.

~George Washington Carver

Rise Above

Sometimes, that last leap to the top is the hardest. 

Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine.

~ Mario Fernández

Wildflowers and Berries and Wings

Do you see the two bees in this shot?
Butterflies and Bees LOVE the Milkweed

Dragonfly

Silver Spotted Skipper

A Butterfly convention....there are at least three here on

this plant. 

Berries... (are these raspberries/blackberries?)

Do you see what is lurking on the right hand side?

Mr. Long Legs!

Another Butterfly on the Milkweed

Blue Chicory Wildflower - One of my favorites!

The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.

~ Wally Lamb

A Visit to Deerfield Trail

One of my favorite trails for birds and creatures.

This trail had a nice mix of open spaces and shady spaces.

This is leading toward the trees and some shade

A pond is visible soon after you arrive on the trail....

And where there is water there are these little critters

zooming around :)

Bluebird boxes are abundant along the trail

And a nice bench located near a creek.

A wonderful spot to rest and take in the view...

The really happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery, even when they have to take a detour.

 ― Sir James Jeans

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted. 

~Ruth E. Renkl

Deerfield Trail

Aptly named Deerfield trail....this little Fawn

jumped out in front of me while I was walking alongI have to admit to being a little nervous because I wondered if

Mom would jump out too!

It is a paved trail that is absolutely Gorgeous! 
We lived here 8 years before finding this trail

One of my favorite places to walk, Winter, Summer Spring or Fall!

Hummingbird and a River Reflection

Hummingbird at the Feeder

I could sit and watch them for hours, flitting around my deck
and backyard.

The New River at Bisset Park.

Rest and be thankful.

~ William Wordsworth

Watching the Sky

Clouds over the trees

Sunset outside my front door 

Color Is Joy

Color is joy. One does not think joy. One is carried by it. 

~ Ernst Haas

Dragons and a Damsel

The top three are dragonflies - this last one is an Ebony Jewelwing damselfly.
I LOVE seeing these amazing flying creatures!

Heritage Park

We lived here about 5 years before I discovered this wonderful park just minutes away from where I live.  These are shots from that first visit.  As you walk down one side of the the trail there is a pond to the right.

Immediately upon arriving, I saw a Green Heron take flight.

Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared...so my shots didn't turn out.

But I liked this one of the cattails growing on the edge of the pond.

There were buildings that were overgrown. I think they

left them overgrown on purpose - These are "ruins" of the "Old Brown Farm"

There is a shed behind all of this greenery.

And as we walked out, we passed the pond again and
this guy decided to make an appearance.
My pics really don't do him justice...he is BIG!
This park has about 170 acres so we didn't even hit the tip of it on our first visit. I have been back many times and it is one of my FAVORITE places!

farm art

Success Is To Live Each Moment

Life is a succession of moments. 
To live each one is to succeed. 

~ Corita Kent

Happy Father's Day

This is one of the best shots I have of my Mom and Dad...so

I am re-posting if for Father's Day.

This was their 60th wedding anniversary back in September of last year.

Don't they make a lovely couple??

My Dad has been a wonderful Dad!

He is honest, trustworthy, loyal and he tells it like it is, whether you

want to hear it or not.....but I wouldn't trade

that trait for any. He has been a ROCK for my Mom as

she has been having some memory issues...and he's still

going strong at 85 (actually he'll be 85 in a few weeks)

Above all...he ALWAYS made me feel Loved!

I love you Dad!!

An Amazing Find

Hubby spotted this Great Blue Heron as we

drove by the pond at the Izaak Walton Park.

He was spooked before I could get very close...

Wow, what a wing span!

I have never seen one of these in the wild before.

I apologize for the quality of the shots....I really need a longer lens.

For more info on the Great Blue Heron

visit: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Blue_Heron_dtl.html

Relaxation

Tension is who you think you should be. 
 Relaxation is who you are. 

~ Chinese Proverb 

Being Happy

Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest.
~ Sri Chinmoy

A Pond and It's Treasure

(click on the pic to get the extra large view)

This is Hethwood Pond. A nice little pond

within a 7 minute drive of where I live.

On this day it was a HOT 96 degrees, so there

weren't many people out walking the path around

the pond. If you look closely you can see some

lovely benches around the pond, too.

This was one of the treasures I found --  a BIG Turtle!

One of my favorite Turtle Images - HERE