Have you ever seen a great blue heron? (I feel like I should capitalize the heron’s name, anything with “Great” in it’s title seems like it should be capitalized, don’t you think?)
Do you see him out there?
We have lots of them around here, and I’ve taken you out to Kensington to see the heron rookery more than a few times, so of course you’ve all seen a Great Blue.
Here’s a closer image.
But have you ever seen one take a bath? (I think this would make a great children’s book title; Have You Ever Seen One Take a Bath?)
I wonder if he blows bubbles or holds his breath when his head is under water.
I was sitting, a couple of weeks ago, on my brother’s patio looking out over his lake. He has a wonderful view down the lake, but what I was focused on was the tip of his peninsula where a heron appeared to be standing or sitting up to his chest in water while flapping his wings. Or her wings I suppose. But I’m going to assume this was a he.
Coming up for air.
I had my camera in my lap so I started shooting pictures, trying to figure out what he was doing. Was he fishing? Was he caught in fishing line? Was he dancing to some song only he could hear?
There was much flapping.
No, he was taking a bath! Unfortunately many of my images are terribly out of focus, but I’ve found you the best of them so you can enjoy what we wittnessed.
He was a very enthusiastic bather.
He flopped around and preened in the chest deep water for quite a long time, and then he moved over to a sunnier spot and did what all well behaved herons do.
He’s a very proud and regal bird.
He stood, spread his wings and dried himself in the sun.
Because there’s no nicer way to end a warm bath than to dry off in the evening sunshine.
As some of you have figured out I’m away from home. I took an opportunity to spend a few days with family down in Alabama.
I couldn’t resist stopping when the wheat was golden in the morning light.
And though I could have flown and made the trip South faster, I chose to drive, because I love to drive and I enjoy seeing whatever there is to see along the way.
And to find a wheat field AND a barn…well….of course I stopped!
This trip went easier than my last trip in November. The road didn’t seem so long, nor the traffic so busy. Not to say there weren’t the normal amounts of stress getting through Indianapolis and Nashville and especially Birmingham Alabama.
I appreciated the art of a farmer’s tracks through rolling fields of grain.
But Sunday morning as I left my hotel in Bowling Green Kentucky I noticed the wheat fields were ripening and the early light was making them glow.
I’m just a sucker for an old barn.
All day Saturday I hadn’t stopped for a single photo. I even managed to resist the exit I’ve been lured into by photogenic barns the last three times I’ve driven down.
I went around a big country block to get this one.
So I thought it was only fair that I take thirty minutes and find a barn or two in wheat fields.
Eventually, last Sunday, I made it here to one of my happy places.
Once again I’m jumping online late at night while my mom snores over there on the sofa. She says if I want to write I should go get my own blog, but I say why do that when she’s already done all the groundwork?
This is mom’s garden. It might be the reason she’s snoring on the sofa.
Hey! Did you guys know I have a niece? I sure do! Her name is Sarah and she lives with my Mama S, the lady that delivered me and my four sisters two and a half years ago. My dog mom, Vivian, and her best friend Olivia live there too.
That’s me on the left, Sarah standing in back, my dog mom Vivian next and then Olivia.
She’s almost one year old and I love her so much. Last month my mom and dad took me up to Mama S’s house for a playdate with Sarah who is a bundle of energy.
Sarah loves to chase me, but I’m FAST! She’ll never catch me, no siree!
All four of us dogs and the three adult people went into the big fenced in back yard to play. Mama S had a bright orange tennis ball that Vivian and Olivia get very excited over.
Throw the ball!!!
She’d fling that ball toward the back of the yard and all four of us would chase after it, a few of us (not me) barking wildly the entire time.
Somebody get that ball!
I never once got the ball, it was mostly Olivia who did the ball handling, but sometimes one of the other two would get a chance to take it back to Mama S so she’d throw it again.
It’s a race back to Mama S!
And then we’d be off again!
Get it!
My mom and dad laughed at us a lot. Mom was busy taking pictures too of course.
A passel of shelties.
Mostly Sarah and I just ran and ran and ran. She loves to chase me and between you and me I could beat her but I let her get close once in awhile.
Sarah and Oliva the ball handler.
Then when she gets almost to my tail I take off again.
Nope, Sarah, you’re not going to get me!
We were both worn out when my folks said it was time to go home, but man, what a wonderful time we all had!
She’s gaining on me!
I’m just the luckiest sheltie girl in the whole world! I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as we all enjoyed playing!
You’ve got snacks…right Mama S?
Signing off now to dream of running in a big yard, your athlete girl Penny.
I am not too proud to accept a free peanut! — Nuthatch in flight
So here you go. I’ll try to limit this to some of my most favorite from that early morning walk in the woods a month ago.
Excuse me, if everyone else has had enough, I’d like to approach the hand. — Titmouse
But it’s hard. I have so many favorites.
I’m a little shy, but I’d really like a bit of breakfast, lady! — Chickadee
As I study each of these I’m transported back to that cool morning, surrounded by hungry birds, the deer watching from further back in the trees, the squirrels hurrying so as not to be left out.
Thanks lady! Sometimes we get overlooked cause we can’t fly. — Black Squirrel
The chipmunks hoarding, the sunlight shifting.
I’d like a little more please! — Chipmunk
It’s always a magical time at Kensington, no matter what part of the park you visit.
Too busy to eat, I’m building my future family a new home! — Mrs. Red Belly
But if you want to experience wildlife in a more intimate manner, get there in the morning on a weekday before the crowds and walk the trails at the Nature Center.
It’s the interior decorating that takes the most thought.
Or early on a holiday morning. That works too.
You got to really get in there for the deep spring cleaning required prior to babies’ arrival!
Those of you that remember Katie know that every spring mom took her somewhere to do a yellow flower photo-shoot. It started out as a joke, since mom’s yellow flowers aren’t all that exotic.
But it turned into a fun outing for them and mom got some really sweet photos of Katie smiling at her parks.
Well now, mom doesn’t want to give that up so guess what mom and I did last week?
I suppose that wasn’t very hard to guess, was it!
Yep, mom rushed me over to Katie’s park when the sun came out one day. She had seen lots of yellow flowers in people’s yards and she figured as long as the park staff hadn’t mowed we’d be good.
And we were!
There were sooooo many pretty yellow flowers that I could hardly decide where to sit. In fact I didn’t want to sit at all.
I mean, if you’ve got the space and time, why not run through the yellow flowers with the wind in your furs? Right? So I did.
Several times.
Mom says I’m a very good model. I say as long as she has treats I’ll be a good model.
Cause if there’s one thing that Katie taught me it’s that you only have to sit for one photograph as a time and the flow of treats should be constant. And when the treats are done, so am I.
Thanks Katie-girl. You’re the best big sister ever!
Now I have to go comfort mom because she says that after looking at these pictures she realizes that I’m growing up too fast. She says she wants to slow it all down, but I gotta tell her, there’s no slowing me down!
I was looking at my most recent posts and realize that almost all of them revolve around birds. Even Penny has noticed my obsession.
Kensington Metro Park rookery, as viewed from the boardwalk.
But I can’t help it. They’re so beautiful, and interesting, and entertaining. I could watch them all day.
Reflecting on her anticipated brood.
Wait!
Sometimes I do watch them all day! Like Easter Sunday when I went out to Kensington on my own. I figured it wouldn’t be busy because everybody else would be getting ready for church or family dinners or both.
There’s more than just the rookery to look at, lady!
I was wrong. There were plenty of people, mostly photographers, out there. But we all work around each other and it’s fine.
Outta my way, I’ve got places to go!
I started out walking on the boardwalk near the heron rookery, an island with huge trees filled with heron nests. Every year the heron couples choose a nest and then have a set of little herons there.
It’s fascinating to watch.
Ready for takeoff!
Easter Sunday there was much heron coming and going as the couples updated their fixer-uppers in order to make them meet current esthetics. They definitely favor wood floors over carpet.
This couple appears to be going with a new build v.s. a fixer upper.
I spent a long time out there on the boardwalk watching all the work being done, and then I wandered back into the woods to see what else might be around.
This guy was snapping sticks off the tree, tossing them aside and snapping another until he found the one he wanted, then he flew back to the rookery with his prize.
Last week a friend and I decided we needed an adventure, but neither of us had time for a long, fully planned and packed adventure.
From across the river on a grey day.
But I have been feeling a keen need to find something amazing to photograph, something outside my own home and local parks. My friend had explored a colorful place, several weeks ago, just an hour north of us.
I asked her to take me there.
From the road along side the silos.
I mean — Saginaw Michigan just screams adventure. Right?
Saginaw is not far from the Chippewa Nature Center where I’ve brought you along to find stunning color in the fall.
Can’t go wrong with birds.
Saginaw isn’t even far from Midland Michigan and it’s Dow Gardens complete with a walk in the tree canopy. You’ve been with me there too, at least a couple times.
The colors, all vibrant and saturated just go together.
I liked the industrial grey edges surrounding the art, and the nondescript truck parked below.
And let me tell you, this place satisfied all my photography cravings in one big ole splat of gorgeous color.
A person sat playing music and reading.
Though I don’t know that it’s a location I’d want to explore alone, and certainly not at night, it was fun to spend a bit of time there with someone else who appreciated the art. It’s huge and it’s bright and it will definitely make you smile.
Paint spills artfully.
No matter the angle you view it from, whether you sit in your car and admire it from across the river or get all up close and personal, it’s well worth the visit.
All angles.
And on the way home we stopped for a barn.
I liked the red car trying to camouflage itself in front of the barn.
Most years the orioles arrive at my feeder around May 5. Hummingbirds too. But a friend of mine, living about an hour west of me, had an oriole on her feeder Easter Sunday!
So I put my feeder up a few days ago and Friday evening, during an hours long torrential downpour, my first oriole visited! I wasn’t sure I saw him, –it was getting dark and the rain was coming down in sheets.
I didn’t get a photo.
But the next morning, after I went out and emptied the water from his feeder and filled it up with grape jelly, he showed up!
He was still skittish and I got no images, but I stayed very still, holding Penny tight, and watched him eat his fill.
And late in the afternoon, as I stood across the room, I saw him again. My camera was within reach and I got these images, focus soft, but capturing the joy I felt to see him here.
And guess what? Later in the evening I realized there are TWO of them here! They chased each other around the beach tree which acts as the landing area for all birds visiting our feeders.
I can’t wait to set the camera on it’s tripod and use a remote shutter release. We’ll see what we shall see.
And today the hummingbird feeder goes up. If the orioles are here, the hummingbirds are too.
Shhhhhhhh! It’s me, Penny! I’m trying to give you an update on things I’ve been doing without letting the mom know. Cause as you can see, she’s not giving me nearly enough online exposure. So I’m doing what they call an ‘end run’ around her and getting on here myself.
Mom has been taking me on lots of walks in my parks.
She’s sharing lots of stuff about her silly birds, and hardly anything about me and my adventures. All you’ve seen of me is the Easter picture. And to be honest I did that under duress. I mean pink is not my color!
“Hey mom! I didn’t bark at those bikes!”
Anyway.
Since I last wrote to you all I’ve been very very busy. I had a play date with Levi at his dog park which is about an hour away from my house.
Me and Levi. I was watching my mom come back from the car.
We had lots of fun and I made Levi chase me a few times.
We both love to run.
Mostly we did our own thing, you know? He was into running and chasing his frisbee…
Levi loves his frisbee.
…and I was just into running.
I just love to run!
Levi is a very handsome dude and of course the moms wanted a picture of the two of us together. And of course, as is stipulated in the sheltie bylaws, we made it very hard for the moms to get said picture.
“OK here’s the deal. We never both look at mom at the same time.”
Sit next to each other? No way. But maybe on our next play date we’ll be nicer to the moms. I guess it depends on the quality of treat being offered.
“Listen, mom, we’re not going to SIT. So get the shot and let us go play!”
And I also did a Rally Trial where mom signed me up to do two runs. A run is where you and your mom or dad walk around in a ring doing a bunch of stuff at little signs. You’re supposed to take your cue from your mom or dad who is supposed to be able to read the signs correctly.
Frankly it’s a bit boring because they don’t let you have treats while you’re in the ring. And without treats, what’s the point anyway?
Mom said I did great and she’s proud of me.
I did real good on the first run, I got 96 out of 100 points and second place in my group. But then mom rushed me right over to the other run without any breaks (and no treats!!) and we were all of the sudden in there walking around and I was sort of more interested in getting out of the ring, and also I forgot what the word “sit!” means.
Mom says she’s always glad when we make it to the “finish” sign!
I guess I just had a mental block. I don’t know what the big deal is, mom has those all the time! I still got a qualifying score, 80-something, but I didn’t place. Mom says that’s just fine. She says we have two legs of the three we need for a title in Novice Rally.
I’ve been taking her to doggie school every week to practice reading the signs. Between you and me, this past Tuesday afternoon she couldn’t read much of anything right and I got really frustrated with her. So I decided I didn’t know how to sit straight anymore. Or heel. Or wait. Waiting is my hardest thing anyway.
Mom says we’ll be in the basement working on that stuff this week.
Come on down, mom! And bring the cheese!
In fact, talking about the basement, my friend Lance and his folks came over and Mom and I did some work in our new basement, teaching me the tricks of Beginner Novice Obedience! Mom say she has great plans for me. I say I’m all in as long as there’s cheese involved.
Lance and me being patient with the moms.
Oh – and on Friday evenings I’ve been going on group walks with another trainer and a bunch of other dogs and their people. We’re walking around small towns and getting used to traffic and other people and other dogs. Mom says it’s working. I don’t go as crazy now when we’re out and about as long as mom has treats on her. She’s pretty happy with me and we have a lot of fun on the walks!
A perfect evening to walk around an historic little town.
I just know there’s more news to tell you, but mom’s almost done cleaning the kitchen so I better go inspect. Have I told you that the kitchen is my favorite room in my house? I call it the Food Room. You never know what will appear from hidden places there.
Mom’s been taking me shopping too. I don’t know what the point is, she never buys anything.
Change Is Hard 