A Walk at Discovery Nature Sanctuary

As we walk out of August and into September, let's take a walk at Discovery Nature  Sanctuary.

A Wild Rose, even in its' final stages before the petals fall, is beautiful.

Shall we see where this path leads to. The beauty at this place may be in the eye of the beholder. It its often subtle, but lovely non the less.

We stop as we round the corner and look way up into the branches of this old tree.

Looking down, a small dragonfly catches our attention. I think this is a Double-striped Bluet.

We have slowly made our way to the far end of the path. One Red-winged Blackbird was not happy with the Canada Goose being there. They did eventually part company and no one was the worse for wear.

Before long we will see falling leaves, so this quote seems to fit.

Falling leaves are simply summer’s way of saying good-bye.

 

A Sunny Day

Come with me on a bit of a road trip. We won't be going too far, but it will take about an hour and a half to get there. Today I didn't stop to get any pictures along the way.

We reach a beautiful lake, nestled in a valley. Pelican Lake is quite picturesque.

As you can see, it was windy so the water was quite choppy.

A lake means there are fish and fish attract the Bald Eagles. I saw this one from a long ways off and fearing he would veer off into a different direction, I started shooting.

This Eagle was very cooperative and flew almost directly over where I was standing.

It doesn't matter that I already have perhaps hundreds of Eagle shots, I just keep on adding to that number.

Pelican Lake has a sailing club, so there are usually some small sailboats on the water.

I realize that these are small boats, but I find them fascinating.

Remember this:

God, You are bigger than the universe yet closer than a breath. Thank You for being so interested in us, attending to every prayer.

 

This and That

Summer is a time to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds around us.

I love going out and seeing what I can find to capture.

Seeing a Black-billed Magpie on this fence line, was reason enough to stop the car and try for a shot. I was pleasantly surprised when he didn't fly away immediately.One shot was all I got, but at least I got that one.

In early summer, I had some baskets of flowers that were blooming profusely. The Monarch butterfly seemed to enjoy them as much as I did.

By now those baskets of beauty have all dried to a crisp and been tossed out. the severe drought has led to an order not to water anything except a vegetable garden.

I have been thankful for a few hardy Geraniums that are almost dead, but still manage to put out a flower now and then.

 

While out and about I was greeted by this pretty face.He seemed very serious and I was thankful that he was in a fence and I was in my car.

I think he was doing his best to ignore the old lady with a camera. I snapped this shot and left him to enjoy the green grass by himself.

Something to remember:

Kindness doesn’t cost anything, yet it’s the richest gift you can give.

Pileated Woodpecker

The following pictures have been hiding on my computer since late May of this year. 

If you don't care for birds, now would be a good time to go do something else, for the rest of you, here are a series of Pileated Woodpecker shots.

I had spent quite some time wandering around in our local park and was on my way back to my car and home, when a kind lady alerted me to "that big woodpecker" in a tree nearby.

I cautiously approached the tree and realized quickly that this big woodpecker was more concerned about getting a morsel of food than about me.

He, and yes this is a male, the red moustache tells me that, has been very busy for quite some time

As I was watching and clicking away with my camera, I slowly moved closer.At one point he decided to get a look at me,  but soon went back to his feeding.

Seeing this bird up close, one really sees the size. He is one big woodpecker.

None of these photos have been cropped, so it shows how close I was. I think I had a smile on my face throughout the whole time.

 Sometimes it all just works out. I left the park with thankfulness on my heart. Had this lady not made me aware of it, I would have missed this opportunity, and she left not knowing how much I appreciated having this chance.

Unexpected Sunset Beauty

These photos are from some time ago, but the beauty remains. I am pairing them up with lyrics from an old hymn. At time we all feel like we are in a storm. May these words bring hope and comfort.

The song title is:

Till The Storm Passes By

“In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face

While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place

'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Many times Satan whispered

There is no use to try

For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by

But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise

Where the storms never darken the skies

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by” 

Jesus is our shelter in the storm of life.