A Snowbird in Paradise

Wake Up! You Are in Florida!

2012-01-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Probably a Swallowtail

This isn't the first butterfly I have seen, but the first I have photographed this year. He was really flighty and just wouldn't land. A butterfly on the wing is really tough to capture on camera.

Outdoor Dining in January!!!

2012-01-22T00:02:00.000-08:00

I had to keep reminding myself that it was mid-January. After 10 years we are starting to forget how brutal Michigan winters can be.

Somewhat on the spur of the moment we decided to go to the new restaurant at Captain Butchers. Cpt. Bs is a great charter fishing marina and my daughter and her husband had a great time fishing from there last year. We went down to the docks last year to watch the boat come in and check out the catch. At that time the back deck had picnic tables on it and the bar served beer.

It is very different now, with a newly designed bar, spacious deck with umbrella tables for 4 and 6, spectacular view of the Indian river and the fishing boats.

Our table. The Indian river is in the background but sunset made deep shadows.

Crab Cakes, baked potato, and grilled veggies.

He had fried mahi and french fries and veggies.

The deck looking back from the dock. There he is way in the back corner.

There is also a lovely big indoor dining room but on days like this it would have been a crime to be indoors.

I Have to Keep Looking at the Date

2012-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

India River Drive - where we park along with lots of others

It was SUCH a beautiful day that we grabbed a soft-serve ice cream cone and parked along the river. This particular parking area is across the drive from the city park and on nice days and evenings you have to circle waiting for a place. Some people sit in their cars, some go walking with or without dogs, some go out on the boardwalks and just look. You can see our silver truck right there in the first place.

Gulls

Great Blue

"MY perch and you shall NOT chase me away...you with the camera."

I love looking down into the water, especially at low tide like this time today.

Little oysters attach to everything. Good to see them back after the hurricanes a few years ago

Sometimes my shadow is the only proof I was there.

Good informational poster

Amazing how few people understand this lagoon system.

Back in the car he was waving at me. I went back and he pointed to a dolphin in the bay. Once again, the pelicans were moving right to wherever he was. It isn't that he is kicking up food...that isn't how Pelicans eat. It really looks like they enjoy riding on the big dolphin's back. 2 years ago I did get video of this phenomenon..

They are beautiful and exciting to watch, but don't make for very good photos.

Go, Bananas..B-A-N-A-N-A-S

2012-01-16T07:50:00.001-08:00

When we first came to this house in 2003 there was a big orange tree in the back yard. It was old and did not survive the hurricane the following year, although we tried to fix it. Since then I think we have planted 5 or more orange trees and one Key Lime tree. Right now only one has survived and I don't give that a lot of hope. We aren't here to water the trees through the summer, and can't keep up the insect control.

The banana grove is to the right of the palm trunk.

We also planted a banana tree. Now, to be honest, that was his idea. I scoffed, but he has babied the little grove for several years. When there was threat of frost earlier this year he called his sister to cover the little grove with a sheet.

Now we HAVE bananas!!!!

Green and still growing. They are supposed to get "normal" size.

The little bananas are still emerging from the bulb at the base of the stalk. I am just fascinated with the way they grow. We are hoping they ripen at the right time for the granddaughters when they get here for Easter.

Look closely and you can see a load of little bananas just emerging from the bulb.

He hasn't trimmed the dead branches yet. They are just normal.

Concert in the Park

2012-01-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

It is hard to take a good photo of the Concert in the Park because of the evening light. At the point the above photo was snapped the sun was setting quickly and people had not gathered. In fact, the musical group hadn't finished setting up.

The concerts start at 5:30 and play until 8:00 once a month. The park has parking on both sides; Highway 1 on one end, and Indian River Drive on the other. The portable band shell appeared after the hurricanes instead of the ground-level picnic pavilion.

Our first concert was about 5 years ago. We saw the gathering, heard the music and stopped as we were driving by. The artist, as had been the tradition for the first concert of the season, was Pete Harris. We loved the music, semi folk in the Jimmy Buffett tradition. When we were back home, I googled Harris on the computer and discovered he was suffering from brain cancer and this was to be his last concert. Days after we returned home in April, he passed away and the area honored him with a huge casual gathering at Captain Hiram's Sand Bar, one of his favorite musical venues.

This evening the music was from a very good traditional bluegrass group. The audience is usually retirees with a smattering of young families and grandchildren. Although there is a small set of bleachers, and a smattering of picnic spots, most people bring folding chairs of some kind. There is food available and many bring picnics, wine and cheese, or take-out pizza. This night we had chicken combo bowls from KFC and stayed in the car. We could hear just fine but the above photo was the best I could do.

Last Days in Michigan / First in Florida

2012-01-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Photos from an autumn drive along the Lake Erie shore

At the Movies with Grandma

Helping Grandma put out the Christmas decorations

The girls' school Christmas program

My daughter and son-in-law's anniversary cruise

A Gen-stop at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia

How can I stand not seeing the girls skating lessons for 4 months?

A Step Back in Time

2012-01-09T17:16:00.001-08:00

One of the gorgeous historic streets in the center of Savannah

In 1963, we (my children's father and I) visited Savannah where he had a lot of relatives. I became enchanted with the city...the wrought iron balconies, Live Oaks, Spanish Moss, square parks marching through the center of the city, the old mansions and the simpler newer ones. Years later I loved finding my children's father had ancestors buried in Bonaventure Cemetery, the very one made famous in the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in 1994 by James Brendt.

We visited the cemetery in the early 2000s on the way to Florida, but it was huge, and I didn't know much about who was buried there. This year, 2012, I have more genealogical information and knew for whom and what I was searching.

A memorial arch among the family monuments

The Bonaventure Historical Society says this about the cemetery:

"Though not Savannah’s oldest cemetery, Bonaventure is certainly its most famous and hauntingly beautiful. Quintessentially Southern Gothic, it has captured the imaginations of writers, poets, naturalists, photographers and filmmakers for more than 150 years. Part natural cathedral, part sculptural garden, Bonaventure transcends time."

James and Mary Bashlor - Great-Grandparents to my children

I met Mary in 1963. She was in a nursing home, but on her genealogy she was crystal clear. I wrote what she said on the back of a post card. I am looking for that postcard just in case there is some information NOT in this cemetery.

James and Dweese Bashlor

I am assuming this would be James (Senior), father to James above, but the terms Junior and Senior were not used. I still have to fit these into the family tree with more documentation.

The Savannah River

The cemetery was created from a large plantation on the Savannah River. There are benches and other rest places throughout the cemetery. We saw people of all ages walking through the cemetery and enjoying it as a beautiful park, which it is.

Shade, curved roads and walks, bordered family plots create the park-look.

Lichen

Spanish Moss

...hung with Spanish moss

Why Do I Do This to Myself?????

2012-01-01T23:19:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will start the task of packing for 4 months in Florida. By now it SHOULD be just an overnight bag,
But then there are the electronics:

big designing laptop with power pack and cooling pad in its own huge backpack with mouse and pad
Bamboo drawing pad for the laptop
mini-Laptop with power pack and case and mini-back-up
Kindle Fire with charger, ear buds, cover and case
a one-tere-byte external hard drive with my photos and design elements on it in a gun case
an i-Pod with charger and ear buds in a case
an MP-3 player with charger and ear buds in a case
my "big-girl"camera, 4 lenses, extra cards and batteries, field case, camera case, and equipment bag
my purse camera with case full of batteries and cards
cell phone with chargers
A bunch of converters so I can use the above equipment in the car while we are on the road
the wireless printer with it own bag and bag for the power-pack
Charging station for many of the above items
6 thumb drives of various sizes
card reader for the CF cards my big camera uses

Non electronics include:

2012 Deluxe Planner
Address and date book
The last of the prescription meds, since I didn't get to a Dr. this year to get new prescriptions
reading glasses, and bi-focal sun glasses
Side-sleeper pillow
my orchid plants in a plastic container with bark-medium

And for the journey:

electric car fridge with food
thermo bag with drinks
a matching bag with plates, napkins, plasticwear
blanket and neck pillow for my on-the-road snoozes
my purse with money, credit and other cards, and photos of the granddaughters

Oh yes...and a suitcase of clothes I just MIGHT not have enough of down there.

Time to Fly

2011-12-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Abs with her favorite

Just a few more things to do before Christmas. The granddaughters are helping with the decorations. A lot of our friends leave in October but we wouldn't miss the holidays with the family for anything. They live only blocks away so they are a huge part of our lives.

Gabs and Santa. She mostly told him what her little sister wanted.

We will be on our way shortly after Santa visits, but a little later this year. Maybe if we are lucky we will experience ONE snowstorm then escape the rest.

Winter Birds are Here

2011-11-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

I was hardly in the house from putting out new seed and seed-cakes before the Woodpecker was at the feeder.


He is an interesting fellow even in black and white.


A Chickadee was the next bird at the seed cake. He comes in grabs a seed or two and flies away...then comes right back. Skittish little thing!!!

Meanwhile the mate stayed in the hedgerow.

I do love these photos.

Jack-O-Squirrels

2011-10-25T09:49:00.000-07:00


Some of our pumpkins were not the orange variety, but our squirrels didn't seem to mind one bit.


They have torn into all of the 7 we had sitting about for them.

The next day...Punkin-Guts

Even two of the green ones!

Three of 6 left. I wonder when they will hit these.

2011-10-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful autumn day that we took a drive South along Lake Erie visiting places like

Pointe Mouillee State Game Area


View from the Mouillee public area

Duck Hunter heading for the dock

This was the opening day of Duck Season and the noise started exactly at dawn. It continued during the day even while we were at the Game Area.

Ducks and seagulls

We noticed this mix of seagulls and ducks along the shore. Seems like the ducks were hiding out from the duck hunters.

Eagles Nest

View of the nest

It looks like a bunch of little snowballs

The red leaves looked lovely in the setting sun.

Some of the Fall Foliage along the Lake Shore

Hometown Photoshoot

2011-09-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

There is a group of ladies in an Internet forum who have become really good friends over the last 5 or 6 years. Some recently decided to exchange postcards of their home towns.

Out new and old welcome sign combined

My wee town (2,000 people or so) does not seem to have any postcards. I checked with City Hall and the nearby pharmacy. Not much else in businesses in this city. No postcards. So today I took my camera on a little shoot.

Looking up-river from one of the bridges

Here are some of the photos I didn't use...yet. We have boats, boats, boats!!! There are several marinas and, it has been said, there are more boats than the population. Possibly because besides the marinas, there are loads of boats kept at the docks of those on the water.

A canal-side leisure spot

With so many of the homes on the water, the residents love their outdoor living even if it is confined to a few short months.

City Hall with a nod to our geography on the water

When our city hall was built, the theme was all about the water, from the lighthouse in the architecture to the blue tile stripes around the buildings, to the chain and anchor parking separators in the parking lot.

Horse Island Bridge

Of course, if there are 5 natural canals, there have to be bridges. We have 7 bridges and this one is the most scenic one. It looks the same now as it did 70 some years ago when I first started visiting grandparents on Horse Island. The road leading over the bridge was not paved back then.

Summer Stress

2011-07-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

We talked to a Florida neighbor on the phone the other night and he commented that Michiganders were coming to Florida this summer to cool off. That isn't far from the truth. This has been a record-breaking July with a week of temps in the low 90s and night temps in the high 70s. Several days were record breakers. It was the hottest July since they began keeping records. Even the rain amount was high, but it came all in 3 storms.


Garden from the deck

The extreme weather stressed my garden and it was too hot for me to work on it. I watered a few times but had to be careful of water bills with keeping the pool filled, too. This was in late July but with the cooler weather in August the weeds have just taken over. I have been working a little on bringing back the rose garden. I am hoping the lady who worked with me last year on the garden will be here to help me again before fall. She has indicated that she will be here once the weather cools down a little.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying the pool and air conditioning.


A pool keeps the youngsters amused for hours!!!

Backyard Photo Challenge

2011-07-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Do I like this photo?

In the Digital Photography School newsletter I read about a challenge to shoot some particular photos right in your own backyard. There were 8 suggested challenge photos to take. That same day my younger granddaughter was spending the day with me. Her sister is 8 and has her own Canon camera, which just happened to be on my desk. I showed the 5 year old a few details and out into the backyard we went.

Here are some of her photos and mine of her taking those photos.

1. What strikes you?

This was the first thing that caught her eye.

2. Photograph the light. She liked the way the light came through the lattice roof.

If you look hard in the door wall glass you can see the little photographer.

3. Shoot from a different perspective. She got right down on the ground to "shoot" this frog once I explained "perspective".

My funny garden frog

A photographer doesn't care if she has to get down on the ground.

4. What is growing? This is her herb garden and it is just starting to grow. The seeds came from a Christmas gift set.

basil, chives, parsley.

5. Where is your favorite place?


Yes...that is my favorite place in the backyard. 6. Find lines and shapes. She found this circle...just ignore the Gramma-razzi in the background.

Strawberry Fields

2011-06-19T03:11:00.000-07:00

Last year I ordered some strawberry plants a little late in the season. I should have followed the planting directions but it seemed like a waste of space to plant them so far apart.

So sweet!

Now they are so close that the berries can't really develop. That just doesn't seem to matter to my granddaughters who still love picking the little berries.

As soon as the plants stop putting out fruit I will move some to the vegetable garden area, and separate the rest as I should have initially.

Trying to beat the birds to the berries

Tiny but oh, so sweet!

Rain Chains

2011-06-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

"What do you think of this?" my friend, T. asked on the phone one day. She gave me a URL to a Gutter Supply place. She was looking at a nifty copper bowl to catch the rain water from her downspout and direct it away from the foundation.

I looked around the site and discovered "Rain Chains". With the sunroom downspout right outside the window it seemed the perfect place for a 'Rain Chain". I just had to order one.

It was autumn so the chain wasn't installed until this spring.

There is a soft bell-like sound but the rain on the aluminum roof of my sunroom is so loud you don't hear it unless the rain has stopped and there is still a little run-off.

Coming Home to a "Garden of Weeds"

2011-06-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Helping Grandma

By the first of May, even a cold year like this has been, the weeds have taken hold of the garden and path. I do as much as possible before giving in to chemicals. This year I had some help from the granddaughters, but so far it is proving too much for even us all working together.

Rose garden from the porch

The rose garden is a priority. I still have to remove the old mulch and add new after I spray for mold. The mold doesn't kill the roses but they sure look ugly before the end of the season. A few of the roses came from a new neighbor who didn't want them in his yard. I am not sure they are anything, but I have to give them a season just to see.

Rose garden and porch as seen from the rest of the garden.

The granddaughters' vegetable gardens

Through years of teaching elementary students I learned many have NO idea where fresh produce originates. This is the granddaughters' area and they have been growing various vegetables for several years. Last year we grew pumpkins. This year they decided ONE pumpkin plant would be enough. Beans and cucumbers are growing behind the trellises. Corn, radishes, squash, sunflowers, carrots, and a lot of lettuce are planted.

We really need more weeding. I guess I can't leave it to the children.

A Downside to "Snowbird-dom"

2011-06-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have a swimming pool. It came with the house and when we did the initial walk-through, I was unimpressed. I was 62...what did I need with a pool? Well, 8 years and 2 granddaughters (and a lot of $$$) later I cannot imagine NOT having that pool.

Two years ago the pool company that opens my pool convinced me to invest in a new pool liner. Didn't sound too expensive but add in the installation charges and water bill and it was darned expensive.

I have the "experts" open and close the pool each year. Then they warn me to keep the cover pumped out. From Florida? So I bought an automatic siphon pump. Water leaked into the cover from the pool water underneath and soon it was almost all gone and opening the pool that spring included refilling it with nearly $700 worth of city water...again.

Then in early April my next door neighbor in Michigan notified me that the pool sides were collapsing into the pool. I panicked!!!! I was still in Florida. Numerous calls to the pool company didn't do much until we got home in May. By then, someone, bless their hearts, had cut the ropes letting the cover fall into the pool and rescuing the sides.

An inspection by one of the pool company employees found a horizontal split on one side of the 2-year old liner just above the bottom. He said it was a seam and the liner would be covered in part by the guarantee. It wasn't. The company insists the split was ABOVE the seam. Ok...I am still trying to get their letter and the liner piece returned to me.

Meanwhile, the pool store installed a new, better liner at a discount, but it still cost a bunch of $$$ and I haven't seen the water bill yet.

But it is all worth it:

The Birds are Back

2011-05-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

I received this cute porch-swing bird feeder for Christmas. I didn't think the birds would use it since I also have quite a few Wild Birds Unlimited super feeders. I hung it on a hook right under my lattice porch roof. Soon a pair of Chickadees were swooping in and out on a regular basis. I was thrilled. I think they have a nest in one of the big evergreens in my yard.

One of the Chickadee pair feeding in my yard

Once I put out the special Oriole feeder, I discovered my pair from last year has blossomed into THREE pair.

Do you think she can read?

Mrs. Oriole eye-ing her feeder

Mr. Oriole likes the orange

There MUST be an easier way

Coming Home

2011-05-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

We HAD to come home to Michigan on May 1 for two very good reasons. First, we had our granddaughter with us for the week after Easter. Her parents had to go back to work and her sister, back to school...only she had that week off. However, she had to be home on Sunday for school the next day and First Communion the following week.

We had a great time with her all to ourselves. She swam, swam, swam and even learned how to dive! What a water bird!

Now just push off!


Ta-Da!

The most fun for me was the photo-walks she and I took. The day her folks left she and I went for a walk on a couple of great piers along the Indian River.

Little Photographer

She got a great reflection shot of this Heron

Nice shot of the remains of a large sea-turtle, picked clean.

She is such a "lizzy" fan and she liked this bright green one.

Moment of reflection

Our spot by the lake

just a small taste of the weird clouds we sa

One evening, down by the lake with a few neighbors, we saw strange clouds. Everywhere we looked the clouds were different, dark, oddly shaped, and yet it was bright blue overhead. Every kind of cloud I had ever studied was there and more I had never seen, changing so swiftly we couldn't keep track.

Gabby with her very own camera

We also took pictures of each other taking pictures. Later that evening we heard that one of the nearest towns had experienced a tornado. We knew it was an unsettled sky but didn't realize how dangerous it was.

The day before we headed for home, she did a fantastic job of loading the back of the truck. I was packing inside and putting things by the door, Grandpa took them out to the truck and she was inside the "bed" arranging them like a pro. We were done in no time and ready to hit the pool in the 91 degree heat.

On the trip home we stopped at welcome centers for several states and gathered some maps. She became quite good at following our progress.

She realized she had never been in Kentucky before

The beautiful Kentucky Horse Park

The horse farms, mountains and a tunnel were all part of her grand adventure, and ours through her eyes.

Between and through mountains

Besides following maps, she worked puzzles in some nice books her mother had bought for her, took photos out the windows, read on her Kindle and mine, made little movies, and slept a lot. We stayed overnight in a motel, another adventure for her, and were home in record time.

Adventure

2011-05-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

"What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. What do YOU want to do?"

"Um...well...I need to go to Melbourne and get my unrepaired lens back from the camera shop."

"Ok, then we can go to Cocoa Beach as long as we will be half-way there. I have to get a pump from Dad."

"Grab your camera and let's take the little car."

So we were off. I love the drive along the Indian River. People who haven't been to Florida' East coast don't know about The Indian River
(From Wikipedia)The Indian River is a waterway in Florida, a part of the Indian River Lagoon system which forms the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends from the border between Brevard and Volusia Counties southward along the western shore of Merritt Island, picking up the Banana River on the island's south side, then continuing southward to St. Lucie Inlet.
It was originally named Rio de Ais after the Ais Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of Florida.
It is broad, shallow, and 153 mi (246 km) long. It is an estuarine system where freshwater meets salt water within the same body of water.

2011-04-09T17:20:00.001-07:00


Sand Hill Cranes in our yard

One morning we heard the "unholy" calls of Sand Hill Cranes. I grabbed my camera and went outside, bare feet and all. I have never had 4 together in the yard before. I was sneaking around behind trees but I needn't have bothered. They paid little mind to me.

Tamron macro / portrait lens

This winter I bought a new Macro / Portrait lens for my Canon Camera. I have had some fun with taking Macro photos. This Damsel Fly was most cooperative. It was right after a rain storm.

Damsel on a fire-plant

Bougainvilla

Water on a leaf of an Elephant Ear plant.

The promise of an hibiscus blossom bud

I am not sure what this beautiful flower is.

More Bird Pages

2011-03-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

This is the page I made from the photos in a previous post about finding these birds in our neighborhood one morning.
I plan on creating a book when I get enough pages of "ultimate bird photos".

Just this morning this guy cooperated by spending a split moment in the sun so I could get a good shot.

Orchid Class

2011-03-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

Last month I stopped by a garden center to buy something for my orchids and discovered they have free monthly classes. I signed up right away and went to my first class February 12.

Orchid Island Botanicals

It was about re-potting Phalaenopsis, which most of mine are. I took several pages of notes and came home to repot all of mine that were not blooming.

Potted in potting medium in plastic containers

This month the class was on mounting Tillandsia (air plants). This was a hands on class and we had a huge choice of plants and things on which to mount our choices. I chose 3 interesting Tillandsia and a long piece of cork bark with a hanger already attached. Using a silicone glue and twist ties we created our displays and went home to display our creations.

So now I am hooked on this unusual way to show plants. I have some shells I want to fill and some little pots. He assured me that if I am careful, the displays should transport back and forth to Michigan from Florida just fine. The main thing he cautioned against was OVER care. Spritz twice a week, only.

A shell that usually sits in one of the pots at the base of a blooming orchid

Morning of the Sand Hills

2011-03-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

She thinks we can't see her...

We were sitting down by the lake having morning coffee with "the kids" visiting from Michigan when we heard the unmistakable call...CLOSE. There was the pair of Sand Hill Cranes in the field across the street from the house. They have been in the area for a week or more but never on this block.

Why did the crane cross the road?

"Hey, you, behind the tree..."

I grabbed my camera as fast as I could. Fortunately the zoom lens was already on so I saved a couple of moments there. From a "blind" behind a palm tree I started snapping and they started coming closer. By the time they stepped into the road in front of the house I didn't need the zoom fully extended.

"I see you!!!"

"Hey, you, behind the tree..."

They kept coming and I changed positions as they entered the front yard. For 4 years we have had a pair of metal, decorative Sand Hill Cranes in the planting in front. The REAL Sand Hills went for it and I got the pictures I wanted of the real and statue cranes.

Do they think the statues are real?

Do they even SEE the statues?

You can see their size here

The big birds wandered past the truck and on to other parts of the neighborhood.

For the Birds

2011-02-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

For some reason I love the huge birds in Florida. For all of my life my parents' bird station, and then my own in Michigan attracted wonderful little birds...LITTLE birds. I knew about these large birds in Florida and saw an occasional one from afar in Michigan but some of these birds come right up to you with no fear. I love taking their photos but love digitally scrapping them even more.

Here are this year's favorite bird photos so far.

Wood Stork

This handsome fellow was the first bird I hand-fed eight years ago. He was also the first bird I photographed with my new Canon Digital DSLR camera. Yes, I can get very close to him without spooking him, but, no, I do not let him eat from my hand. I am “respectful” of that long, sharp beak. It could do some damage.


Florida White Pelican

White Ibis

Usually, the past 8 years, we would see one or two Ibis mixed in with a flock of Cattle Birds but this year we have a flock that ranges from 10 to 25 Ibis and no Cattle Birds. I started feeding the Ibis each morning and now they come knocking, or at least come close to the screen house. I was surprised to hear their “grunt” when fighting for bits of food. The fellow I photographed alone hangs back and just refuses to allow me to feed him. We like keeping these birds around because they shove their bills into the sand/soil getting out all the insects. The more they do that the better for us.


Great White Egret

A Sebastian friend posted to Facebook for all Sebastian folks to look out to the West. This is what we all saw. It went from this to deeper colors as the sun set further but also became darker and harder to get good photos.

"FRIDAY FOTO" #1

2011-02-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Coffee Shop Actions blogger, Rita, has started posting her favorite photo of the week every Friday. I like that idea and will try to keep up.

My second-cousin-once-removed, Jennifer and me.

Through matching tree entries in Ancestry.com, Jennifer and I discovered "missing" branches of our families. Her grandfather, and my mother's brothers had been so close once. Her great-grandmother and my grandfather were close siblings. The two families had their children's photos taken together, and my mother remembered the 7 children being together often...then when Mother was about 7 or 8 they didn't seem to spend any more time together. Why? I had not been able to locate information on the internet and that branch of the family tree was just gone.

The story was this: My grandfather's sister, Jen's great-grandmother, died in her early 40s leaving her minister husband with 3 youngsters. Eventually he remarried but the link between the two families was gone and never was restored...until now!!!

Jen had a photo of the old family home where her great-grandmother and my grandfather were raised. How precious THAT was! I passed on the originals of about 8 photos of her ancestors that belong rightfully to her and her sister. We exchanged information about our respective branches.

A lovely afternoon!!!

Promise

2011-02-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

As much as I love watching birds and flowers, waiting and anticipating heightens the entire experience.

Take the Osprey. THE moment is when the parents help the babies fledge. Watching the parents nest, wondering when the eggs will hatch; trying to figure out the babies' stage of growth...all of that enhances the moments of flight so much more than driving along the highway and just seeing some young in flight.

Is there a baby in the nest or not?

Since our late neighbor started my interest in orchids I have stumbled along, reading articles and books that didn't really help. So much conflicting advice. We transport the orchids back and forth from Florida to Michigan because we have to and so far the plants don't seem to have suffered, however, is there a better way? Am I potting them right? Should I be bringing them in at night?

I have two plants promising to bloom so I can't be TOO far off in caring for them, but nevertheless, I signed up for an Orchid Potting Class on a Saturday coming up. I love the facility and they have a great reputation; Orchid Island Botanicals. I am SOOO looking forward to this class and more, I hope.

This was just a tight bud a week ago

More little orchids to come

Is there anything prettier?

Enjoying Spring-in January

2011-01-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

I wonder if there is a new baby here

As we headed out to a late breakfast I spotted this stork on the peak of a neighbor's house. He just looked secure and comfortable. The first bird I photographed down here and hand fed was such a stork. Probably this same fellow.

Former Waffle House

We were headed to our favorite Waffle House. Yes, I admit it...I am hooked on their waffles. We drove up the highway way past where we usually see the big yellow Waffle House sign. Then we went back down the same road and there it was...closed and all signs of yellow on the building and sign were gone.

We settled for the IHOP across the street but it was less than satisfactory. I won't rant here but we will not be back there.

A Bromeliad

The freezing temps late December and two more times to date have taken quite a toll on the plant life. The mango trees are way-dead. The Schefflera "tree" outside the bedroom window is so bare-naked I am embarrassed to look at it. Not a leaf! But there is a wee bit coming out on one of the branches so I will keep an eye on it. I hope that tree comes back. This summer some family staying at the house reported that the tree was covered with long stems of red flowers. We have never seen it in bloom.

Begonias

Last year I planted a flat of these around the chimney for color. "Annuals" I carefully explained to him...they won't be here next year. But they ARE. Not all of them but the protection of the chimney paid off. I only need to plant about a third of a flat to fill it in.

Sand Hill Cranes

We were driving along the parking lot near some stores checking to see what was new and what was closed. He said, "Shhhh! Take out your camera and get ready." He inched to the end of the parking and around to the side. "Behind those bushes" he directed. And there was a pair of Sand Hill Cranes. We see them every year, and have had them in the yard and on our seawall, but getting a close photo has been a challenge. I learned a lot about the differences between Florida Sand Hill Cranes (which stay here year around, mating and rearing young) and migratory Sand Hill Cranes which migrate here AFTER nesting and raising the young in the North. The only way we are sure is when we see a pair with babies. Florida Sand Hills are even more heavily protected than regular Sand Hills. Good thing, because during mating season their insistent call can carry over a mile and clear your sinuses.

See the little flower bud?

Another angle

I love my orchids! We transport them back and forth from Michigan to Florida. They do get rather neglected in Michigan but I carefully removed them from the planting medium, lay them on newspaper in a covered plastic box and brought them back down here in the cab of the F150. They sat here for a few days since we had company in the house at first and...well...no excuse, really. After a few days I did get them planted and outside on any days over 50 and sunny. His sister said she heard that watering them with ice was a great way to go. Since water sifts right through the planting medium without even wetting it, and soaking the pots every day was not happening, I tried the ice thing. I kept the ice away from the plants and aerials but I noticed the bark planting medium was staying damp.

Then today I saw the first flower stalk!!! I will be taking photos as soon as a flower opens...you bet!!! I have three pots with about 8 plants. The individual plants are hard to count when they start multiplying. I will have to do more research as to what species they are and remember the long names.

Watching the Osprey

2011-01-23T10:37:00.000-08:00


Our pair of Osprey

I took this photo around noon on Sunday, January 23. Since 2003 we have been following this nest, including the year a pair of Great Horned Owls took the nest and raised a pair of young. This nest is so high the Osprey must be able to see the Atlantic, the Beach, the Sandbar Beaches, the Indian River, and who-knows how far beyond. I would love to see what they can see.

Keeping in Touch

2011-01-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

My shadow at the Wabasso Beach Boardwalk

Friends and family, with only a few exceptions, are buried knee-deep in snow, sniffles, and cold. Those who aren't sick are trying to care for those who are.

Do I feel guilty? No. We suffered through Northern Winter for well over 65 years and now I will be darned if I will feel guilty.

So today, with the temps reaching 80 in our town we hopped in the truck and went the less-than-10-minute-drive to Wabasso Beach and boardwalk.

Looking toward the North

Looking toward the South

I just wish you could HEAR it.

And we busily sent cellphone pictures to friends and family in the snow.

2011 - The Birds are Back

2011-01-17T13:49:00.000-08:00

Comorant drying its wings

I figured there were no new birds to snap, but opportunities are there, still.


The Osprey at the top of the extremely tall cell tower.

This is about the 6th year of nesting in the big cell tower. The third year the nest was occupied by a pair of Great Horned Owls but they haven't been back since. The osprey are always fun to watch as they feed, and finally teach the youngsters (usually 2) to fly.

Sunset last night

Heavy clouds today.

Adventure 2011

2011-01-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

This is a little out of order, but I lost the photos. I mean they were NOT in either camera nor on either computer. Today, 7 days later, I found them on an external hard drive in a weirdly named folder. I have NO idea...


I guess Guy leaves a poster wherever he has been.

It all started when we saw an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that featured a "dive" on the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida called Singletons Seafood Shack.

Our lunch destination

Hey! That would be right on our way to our Winter home from Michigan!!! So the address was entered into the GPS. We were within sight of Jacksonville, FL around lunch time the second day of our trip. We followed the GPS and found ourselves at a ferryboat landing. BUT the ferry was out of service and undergoing repairs. Now what? The GPS wasn't much help. We drove around looking for something that might help and located a ranger in a State park. He gave us some good directions but it entailed going back to Jacksonville to cross the St. Johns River via a bridge, then driving back up the other side...all told about an hour.

A Naval Ship Yard

We saw some interesting ships in the Naval Station and wondered if all the helicopter security might have to do with the beautiful exotic-looking stealth battleship docked there.

Beautiful exotic looking Stealth Ship

Finally we found the seafood restaurant by the ranger's directions, certainly not with the GPS, this time.


There's our truck...proves we were there.

I am not a seafood lover but the smoked fish dip and cracker appetizer was to DIE for! We carefully saved the left-over and bought two more to share with friends at our destination.

The decidedly UN-fancy front porch

The original owner liked building model ships and had a regular museum.

He had a long conversation when he paid and learned some interesting facts.

More of the models.

It's That Time Again

2011-01-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

Yes...Snowbird-Time. Some of the "Birds" left the North as early as the first of October, but I love the fall, and then there are the holidays with our grandchildren...so we wait until the first week of January. I had to take a photo of the garden in the North as of January 1, just so I could remember how dull and ugly things are.

West side


East side

This year the ride down was uneventful, good weather, no traffic to speak of. The gas mileage was very good on the new Ford F-150 truck. We eliminated one whole gas stop.

We always keep track of the weather in both places so we were aware of the two killing freezes in Florida this year. What we found surprising was the totally naked "Umbrella Tree". There are tips of green so I expect it to leaf out again soon. Someone told me you can't kill those things.


We have never seen this tree naked before.

The little grove of banana trees that took a hit last year and rebounded, this year looks extremely sad.


No bananas this year!

Still...with all of our kids fighting snow, cold, and illness we can't complain. We heard a hint at 80 degrees early next week.

Sleeveless and comfortable!

Finally, today, we took our first drive down Indian River Drive to look at changes. Oh my!!! The old grill that has been closed for a couple of years is now looking busy and all spruced up.


Mulligans

And this...I have NO idea!!!

I have nothing to say.

In the Kitchen with Abby

2010-12-03T15:46:00.000-08:00


Photo treated with a Photoshop Action to age it.

This all started the day after Thanksgiving this year when my daughter called me and asked for my aunt's pumpkin pie recipe. Well, it HAS to be right here. I searched the recipe books stored over the microwave...nope. I started opening pantry doors and found a stack of older recipe books I had stashed there, oh, maybe a year or more ago but none of the old recipes were there. I searched all day with no success, although I found a lot of other collections.

The next day I was getting out the craft materials, keeping an eye out for something that COULD be recipes. There was a clear plastic bag...it looked like a bunch of random pieces of paper. It was the whole collection of old recipes I had put in with some recipe-by-mail program MANY years ago. I thought they were still all in the plastic box but now I remember that the box broke and I shoved the contents into this bag and hid it in the closet because I was too busy to deal with it.

Well, the pumpkin pie recipe was not there but I found it on the Internet. It used Dream Whip so I knew that site would have the recipe.

What I found instead was my mother's fudge recipe. I have never had any other fudge that comes close...I was raised with THIS fudge and anything else is counterfeit in my mind. I can so clearly remember making this fudge with my mother and, indeed, that is exactly why I felt the need to start cooking with my granddaughters. If you did not make this at the knee of someone who has made it before you will end up with something less than the REAL fudge. So when it was my younger granddaughter's "Special Day with Grandma" we set about making Grandma's fudge.

Oh, the original recipe was in my mother's high school home economics text book. I really can't imagine teaching a whole class of young ladies this recipe...especially a room full of 1920s flappers.

High School Fudge

3 cups of white sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened like Hershy's)

1 1/2 scant cup of milk

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons butter

1 pinch of salt

Combine sugar, cocoa and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Cook slowly while stirring until mixture lumps when a bit is dripped into cold water. (this could take the better part of an hour). Add butter, vanilla and salt. When butter melts, beat until a shine appears and fudge is thickening. Then pour quickly into a greased 9" by 9" pan. Cool, score, and serve.


Mother's 1920s high school fudge recipe

Is THIS the Last Rose of Summer?

2010-10-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Jackson Perkins Midas Touch

It is October 19...October 19!!! This rose bush has grown larger, faster, and fuller than any other one I have ever grown. None of my mother's roses ever got this large. It looks like the rose bushes we see in Florida that have all year to grow. I hate that I am going to have to cut this down for the winter and cover it with a Styro-cone.

Hybred Tea Rose Midas Touch

The trellis behind it is not because the bush is a climber...it isn't. It is a hybrid tea called Midas Touch and it has been in my yard for two summers, now. I use a Bayer rose food that is dry grains, a handful scattered around the base of the rose before I put the mulch on in the spring. That's it and I did the same thing with the neighboring roses. I have NO idea why this one took off so much this summer, or if it will do it ever again.

Autumn Repreive

2010-10-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

Honey bee...I hope I can keep these happy.

What a gorgeous day! The afternoon sun made every insect flitting about my garden so eye-catching that I just had to grab the camera.

Pretty dragonfly

Geese stopping over

The weather was so gorgeous that we went for a little ride around the Lake Erie Metro Park, camera in hand, of course. The Picnic area is right on a bay that invites migrating and non-migrating birds to stop over. Last year I only had my purse camera when I discovered the gathering of birds. The next day when I returned with my DSLR camera all of the birds had left. This year I had the DSLR with me and got these photos.

Coming in from all over on their way South

Seagulls, ducks, swans and geese all in one shot! This is a small sample of the hundreds of birds in this bay.

Plenty of action

While I was there quite a few swans and geese came in and joined the crowd. Above is a small flock of swans that flew in from Canada in the background.

Landing!!!

A few minutes later a couple of small flocks of geese came from the same area, flying across from Canada.

Canada, US...they see no boundries

Swans and the Ontario Wind Farm

I liked the swans peacefully swimming (here in the US) with the Canadian Wind Farm in the background.

Geese, ducks, swans, gulls and the Edison Power Plant

Here on the US side is a collection of waterbirds in front of our power plant.

Summer's Last Hurrah

2010-09-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Will this bush bloom forever?

Hard to believe that this is nearly October. Last week we had several days in the high 80s and two times we attempted to swim in the pool. The days might be unseasonably warm, but the nights are still cold so the pool water looses whatever heat it gathered during the day. So...Gabby didn't go in at all and Abby and I only to our waists.

The garden is overgrown but still producing some pretty flowers. The roses, especially, have never stopped producing blooms. Some annuals are at their peak and some are slightly over peak. It is still interesting every day.

Three different roses still blooming

I have started holding off on feeding the birds to encourage them to start their migration. Those who stay will have plenty to eat with the plants and berries in their harvest mode. I won't be here in the winter so I should not make them dependent on my feeders. Next week I will bring in all the feeders and clean and sterilize them for next spring.

"I see you!"

My Garden: Middle of September

2010-09-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

Looking South into my garden from the den

Through the window, this time. The hedgerow at the back is the neighbor's but serves the purpose of shelter, hiding, nesting and mating area for the birds and other small animals.

The pumpkin vines are overgrown and need to be pulled out. We have 6 good pumpkins and 2 that rotted. The corn stalks will become a decorative shock on the front porch for the autumn. I was going to pull out all the other annuals for the winter but a Downriver Garden Forum member mentioned that she keeps her annuals in because they look so interesting in the winter with the snow on them. I am willing to try that and clean up in the spring.

The roses will get their winter styro cones, though. I now have 9 to cover. I need a few new cones for the additions.

From The Biggest to the Smallest

2010-09-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

My first digital photo was in Florida of a nearly 5 foot tall Sand Hill Crane. This week, in Michigan, I finally snapped the smallest bird...a wee hummingbird.

Quick shot of a Hummingbird

She must have needed to rest.

She stuck around for quite a while, even resting on the fence for a few moments. The Cleome, Zinnias, and Cardinal Vine kept her quite busy while I fiddled with my camera.

Storms

2010-09-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons the Snowbirds travel North when they do is to be away from the South during hurricane season. Although I worry about a cousin and his family in North Carolina and a daughter living on the Jersey Shore, we usually just see hurricanes on The Weather Channel. Our town in Florida was hit badly a few years ago in September, but we didn't arrive on the scene until January.

So imagine my surprise when, just as we were concerned about a daughter in New Jersey, our little Michigan town was struck with a storm, the likes of which we had never seen.

We were in the truck headed out of town to pick up a granddaughter from school for her "Special Day" with the Grands. It JUST started sprinkling as we left the driveway. As we crossed the first bridge the wind was so strong that there were little water spouts and white caps on the canals. Four blocks further and we could hardly see through the rain. Before we had gone a mile we had to pull over. He NEVER pulls over!

We figured if we just got on the highway we would be able to see. Nope! I called daughter to arrange for the granddaughter to be picked up and we waited out the storm in a bar parking lot. The whole thing took about 15 minutes.

As we reentered town we could see amazing damage. A swath about two blocks wide from the high school, East to the River...wind-whipped and damaged.

WEATHER SERVICE REPORT:
..DAMAGE SURVEY COMPLETED IN SOUTHERN WAYNE COUNTY...A STRONG STORM PASSED THROUGH THE DOWNRIVER COMMUNITIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON BETWEEN 230 PM AND 245 PM. AN NWS TEAM SURVEYED THE AREA THIS MORNING AND FOUND THE DAMAGE TO BE THE RESULT OF STRONG STRAIT LINE WINDS. THE DAMAGE BEGAN IN THE WESTERN GOLF CLUB NEAR SOUTH ROCKWOOD. ..WHERE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH WIND GUSTS OF 70 MPH. THE DAMAGE PATH THEN WIDENED TO THE NORTHEAST THROUGH ROCKWOOD AND GIBRALTAR WHERE THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE SUGGESTED WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO65 MPH. THE FACT THAT THE WINDS DECREASED IN SPEED AS THE DAMAGE PATH FANNED OUT IS CONSISTENT WITH STRONG THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW OR STRAIT LINE WINDS. THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF TREE DAMAGE ALONG THIS PATH AND THE ROOFS WERE BLOWN OFF OR HEAVILY DAMAGED ON TWO GARAGES AND A POLE BARN.

The worst damage was to this house, garage and yard by the Baptist church

A collapsed garage resting on a vehicle

A utility pole on the ground and holes in the church roof

A large tree branch on a roof-damaged

Broken branch causing roof damage

Another large part of a tree in a front yard

A large evergreen broken off


Uprooted tree has lifted a slab of sidewalk

My Garden - End of August

2010-08-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Princess of the Posies

This really was a photo of my granddaughter playing dress-up, but it will also serve as a look at the garden right now. The zinnias on the left are about 5 feet tall and just starting to lay over. The pumpkins on the right are amazing. There are 8 plants with about a dozen pumpkins. I don't know how big they will get or how well formed but Halloween is looking good!!!

Survivor, Nature-style

2010-08-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

Survivor

We have been watching this lone survivor of an unfortunate mix of a lawnmower and a nest. A neighbor found one and did her darndest to help it survive, but it didn't. The vet said they rarely do. The three we saw seemed too young to make it and we guessed that the mother had abandoned or been killed. Two died within the day but this little guy just ate his way through the garden and lawn and looks pretty good now. He should be fat and ready for winter when it comes. Now, if he will just leave the corn and pumpkins alone...

Back in 1943, my grandmother who lived in this same town, had a nest below her bedroom window. One day the mother just didn't return. My parents took the 5 and we took turns feeding them some formula suggested by a veterinarian-friend of ours. 3 lasted only a day or two but two grew and thrived until late summer when they grazed on some grass that had weed-killer on it...where a neighbor's yard bordered our own.

I knew our bunnies COULD be saved, but I also knew the likelihood of survival was best if left to fend for themselves.

I think Survivor will probably find a winter home under my back porch and we will see him (or her with a brood) come spring.

Working on the photo skills

2010-08-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Monarch

The focus isn't just where I want it but, darn, those butterflies move around so fast! Almost as bad as Hummingbirds, which seem to be scarce so far this year.

My Goldfinch pair

Like the canaries we raised back in the 30s

I do love my Finch pair. They are ignoring my finch feeder and feeding from the regular feeder for some reason. I have really washed out the finch feeder well to be sure there isn't any mold but they will still only eat from it when it is 100% full. It has hung there for a week at the half full point several times this year and never emptied. Anyone with a clue? None of the feeding holes are plugged.

August Garden Update

2010-08-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

This has to be the best time in the garden! 2010 has been hot; I mean HOT! My watering has been sporadic depending on the weather, but storm after storm seems to split and go around us. Once in July we did receive a 3" rainfall at night. My rain-gauge measured just a hair over 3 inches. Otherwise, I have been depending on a soak-er hose through my roses, past the Cardinal Flower vine, through the vegetable garden (now taken over by pumpkins), and into the Nasturtiums.

Midas Touch Hybrid Tea Roses

The Midas Touch roses are still blooming like crazy but the others are just putting forth a few blooms.

Mysterious rescued rose

Late last month a new neighbor decided he didn't want the upkeep of the roses the former owner had left. He gave 2 to the neighbor between us, who only wanted one. She asked if he would mind her giving the other to me and he mentioned that he and his children enjoy looking at my garden from their yard. When I had chance to thank him, he offered to bring over the others he was taking out. Two of those "mystery" roses are showing growth, even if it is late in the season. I will see that the new four along with the existing 5, will all be covered with styro cones this winter and we will just see what spring brings.

Cleome

I usually plant a few seeds in spring which, like the vegetables, are mostly for my granddaughters. The life cycle is so important and so few children have experience with planting, watching maturing, collecting seeds, and planting those seeds the following year. Believe me, my granddaughters KNOW that plants come from seeds and produce more seeds. They love the Cleome above because of the unique flower heads and seed pods. The pungent scent seems to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, too.

Zinnia Garden

The older granddaughter (7) MUST have her Zinnias every year. This year we planted small yellow and brown "carpet Zinnias" along one side, other small bush ones on the other side and several varieties of tall cutting Zinnias in the center. It worked; the color is great; and she has plenty of flowers to cut for her mother.

This shows promise

Mice like pumpkin, too

That brings us to the pumpkins. The mice left teeth marks in the biggest so far but we are watching the color deepen and enjoying it in spite of the scars. The next biggest has a few marks but no more mice (or squirrels or rabbits, maybe?) so that might become a jack-o-lantern in October. As others come along the neighbor children are putting their names or initials in the skin with a pen. Those marks will scar and make interesting names on the mature pumpkin, rather like the mice's teeth marks.

Every day is an adventure. Butterflies and, soon, humming birds will keep our attention as this month marches along.

Pumpkins

2010-07-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is a first for me but my granddaughters are fascinated. When my pack of "especially for children" seeds arrived from Renee's Garden Seeds there was a pack of "Cinderella's Carriage Pumpkin" seeds. My granddaughters and I planted 8 hills of seeds (2-3 seeds to a hill) around the outside of the square foot garden.

Within a few days the seeds had sprouted and we picked the best seedling on each hill and pulled out the other(s). In no time at all this is what it looked like.

Where are these vines going?

I sort of knew that pumpkin vines take up room but now I am really curious as to how big these things are going to get! I guess I sort of expected them to be miniatures.

Tiny start.

Here is our first little pumpkin. I think there are others but this was the one out where I could see it. We have some cool things to try if we get more than a couple of pumpkins.

Catching up

2010-07-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Back in May I ordered some stacking planters for my front porch railings from NJ Supply Ltd. I had seen the planters in a flea market in Florida but didn't want to haul the planters back to Michigan. When I started looking on the Internet, the sites I had copied were down. Then I found the planters on Home Shopping Network. Now they are back on the above website.

I had a couple of hanging planters created by my son-in-law, who has a high school greenhouse for his Agriculture classes. I took apart the hanging planters, which typically overgrow and are hard to keep watered. The new planters have a reservoir of water and will not require daily attention. Here they are as of July 9.

West Corner

Center

East by the porch steps

Not trying to sell these things, just really happy with mine. The smaller pots can stack together and there is an addition that lets you string them and hang them.

Three Tiered Planter

This is a triple planter I have had for 3 years. I bought new cocoa liners this year and split up another pre-planted pot from a garden shop and divided it up among the 3 tiers.

Chair One

Chair Two

These two chairs were part of a bistro set, but when one chair split and could not be used as intended, it became a garden chair. This year I acquired the other and placed the pair in front of a window. Again, I split up a couple of over-the-hill pre-planted hanging baskets.

Orioles

2010-06-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

As seen from my office

This is the "View from my Office (thank you for the idea, Marge Lundy,,,who is a full time RVer and takes photos of the changing scene from her office window daily).

If you look closely you might make out the several bird feeding stations here and there. The camera is always at the ready because you NEVER know.

Today I filled the little cups with grape jelly on the Oriole Feeder and spiked an orange half where it belongs. You can just see a touch of color beyond my camera way out in the yard against the fence.

Mrs. Oriole

Within minutes the female oriole was sampling the jelly. I have seen the flashes of orange around and figured they were looking for the feeder which was new last July. I just didn't expect they would be here so quickly.

Mr. Oriole

The male was not far behind. In fact, I was still at the camera when She left and He landed. Now I feel guilty for waiting so long to get the feeder out there.

Next goal? Finding their hanging nest in the tree behind my yard. I know it is there because they come from and go to that tree all the time. I looked with binoculars after the leaves fell last fall but never spotted it.

Today's Roses

2010-05-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

Chicago Peace Hybred Tea Rose

This is a Chicago Peace rose I bought last year. I want a regular Peace (reverse cream and pink) whenever I find one at a reasonable price locally.

Always Something New

2010-05-31T14:37:00.001-07:00

I am always glad to see one of my woodpecker pair at the feeder. I try to keep the crows, starlings, and blackbirds from eating it all but the little woodpeckers seem to find feed left in the corners. I love to hear their "laugh" in the trees, too.

2010-05-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

This is also my second year with this rose, Midas Touch. Could it BE more yellow?

A Home for Jenny

2010-05-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

This pretty gourd birdhouse was a Christmas gift from one of my daughters. My granddaughters have been asking me to hang it outside and I did TRY to put it in the Black Hills Spruce in the back but I needed some kind of hook. So, I hung it on a hook on the porch until I could find the appropriate fastener. Little did I think it would be so attractive to birds in that place. Today I noticed a wee Jenny Wren popping in and out with twigs and grass. She stopped on the hook several times to sing the prettiest song This is SO close; right outside my door-wall. Just when I think there can't be anything new for me to see in my yard...

Town Ducks

2010-05-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Our town, being a series of islands and canals in Lake Erie, is home to a vast number of ducks. We love our ducks,. although the birds can become pests for the residents who feed them in their yards.

There are several different breeds and some intermingling of the breeds after all these years. We also have a lot of geese, seagulls, and, sometimes, swans. Our ducks don't migrate in winter since the Edison plant upriver keeps the water warm...most of the time.

Surprises

2010-05-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

One of the surprises I saw when we returned was this Azalea bush. It was a Mother's Day gift last year and I left it sitting in the pot all summer. Finally in the fall I planted it in the front of the house where the porch would partially shield it from snow and wind. Then I also put 3 posts around it and a nice piece of burlap. When we returned, I peeked over the burlap and saw it was blooming. I couldn't get it uncovered too fast!

It is an absolute delight to see how shiny and new the leaves on the rose bushes look. I just have to find out how to prevent the black spot and mold that make the bushes look so awful.

Flying Away Home

2010-05-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

We prepared to leave our Florida home on May 4. Of course, having a house in order to be empty for 8 months is a little different than leaving the Northern home for 4 months. Clean, of course, but also ready for company. There are times a really close friend will use the house for a day or two, and family sometimes stays over. So when we leave, the house needs to be ready for anything. One big thing is emptying the refrigerator of everything except things like mustard, which has a fridge-life of 100 years, I think.

The neighbors had a little barbecue the night before we left. How welcome was that? We had next to nothing in the fridge for dinner. Saying good bye to some wonderful people was hard, too, but we knew we were coming home to another set of wonderful neighbors. Snowbirds have double fortune to have two sets of neighbors.

Here we are just packing last minute items Tuesday morning.

With this photo we can remember, sort of, how the plants looked after a winter of care. When we return next January they will look TOTALLY overgrown. Always amazing.

For some reason the GPS often directs us differently on a return trip, even a little one. This trip was no different as that lady on the dashboard took us through Jacksonville over a gorgeous suspension bridge. As we approached the bridge from the side the view was awesome, but I didn't get the camera out in time. I like this photo, though.

Suspension bridges are special, aren't they?

We stayed over night in Virginia near a little town called Hillsville we liked last year, especially for its restaurant' "The Hardware Store". Unfortunately, the Motel clerk informed us that that restaurant had closed. No more reason to stay at Hillsville so we are looking for another spot for next year.

By 5 PM on Wednesday, the 5th we were home and unpacking. The families appeared soon after to greet us and help unpack the truck. My garden didn't look nearly as bleak as the photos taken by my daughter on April 1. In fact, a little weeding and it now is looking quite good. The lilacs are a wee bit past prime; the iris are budding up nicely in their new home; the rose bushes are just beautiful and budding up nicely. Even the Lavender looks healthy.

It was only minutes after I filled the birdfeeders when my birds returned to the yard. This surprised me more than a bit. Son across the street put out a new birdfeeder and has YET to have a bird visit. They must remember, on some level. Cardinals, sparrows, Red-Winged blackbird, house finches, starlings (of course), even the darling little Downey Woodpecker, have all been by.

The orchids are back in their summer home in the big sunroom. Transporting them back and forth from MI to FL is a pain. There must be a better way. My son-in-law has a big greenhouse off from his classroom but I would need to instruct one of his students in the fine art of orchid care. I already figured out most people OVER-care for orchids. I would miss them in Florida, though.

We left temperatures in the high 80s to come home to FROST last night (the 9th of May!). No hurry to plant the annuals. I do know some people who had already planted some, though, ignoring the Michigan rule not to plant annuals until AFTER Memorial Day. Silly people! Just because you were running the AC a week ago means nothing. Of course I am taking some flack that we should have stayed in FL for a while longer, but I wish we had come home a little EARLIER. I don't mind a little cold and I miss the start of the gardening season.

When we visited the flea market in Eau Gallie we saw some awesome porch-rail planters. I took the lady's card with the internet address on it, but now I can't find the card (of course). I went online last night and found something similar (or maybe it IS the item); Nancy Jane's Deck 'n Rail Self-Watering Stacked Planter Item: 392-217 on the Home Shopping Network.

When they arrive I will take photos. Kind of expensive, but...SELF-WATERING? I love that!. The base holds a GALLON of water and seems to wick up into the soil. My railings are 5.5 inches but I think the video at HSN said up to 6 inch railings. I can't wait!!!

Winding Down

2010-04-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

I plan on doing a photo walk - ride this week around Sebastian. This will give me some connection to the town through the 8 months we are in Michigan. I hope my photos will also give the flavor of this town.

Evenings we very often get a treat or fast meal and go to a parking area along Indian River Drive at the Sebastian City Park. Parkers face East with the setting sun behind them and this has given me some interesting photos of the wildlife.

GOOGLE Photo of the park and River:

My photo of the view and the parkers (ours is the little red car on the right).

Melbourne-Eau Gallie Adventure

2010-04-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

"What do ya want to do today?"
"Rainy Day? How about that flea market we see from I-95 near Eau Gallie (O-Golly)?"
"Ok."

Interesting flea market. We have seen it from the expressway for 8 years and I have never visited it. Ok...I bought a couple of things...some lounge-about dresses, a case for my cell phone, a cool bamboo windchime decorated with turtles (I collect turtles), and a fresh lemonade. He got a wallet and glasses. We also got business cards from a couple of interesting vendors. I WAS tempted by the deep-fried Oreo cookies, but passed on that. We wandered about 2/3 of the place and I want to go back.

From the flea market we drove less than a mile to look at a piece of land. The neighborhood was on a canal and many of the houses had one or more air boat. Supposedly the canal is open access to Lake Washington. But, he said, he has never found the real lake.

Back out on the main road we saw a local police officer and asked him about the lake. Seems that if we stay on the main road, which turns to unpaved in half a mile or so, and drive to the end of THAT, we will be near the lake. Have to walk down the muddy path to see the lake, he said.

The drive down the 2-car-wide sand road was interesting in itself with wide straight canals on both sides and marsh beyond that. I had never been so close to vultures and had to take the opportunity to photograph them. Ugly, I know, but they keep the dead animals cleaned up and the roadsides looking nice.

Soon we saw a youngish fella that looked like a Florida Native...yes there ARE some natives and mighty interesting they are. He was trying to take a photo of something. We asked and he replied "'Gator" and showed us. So I had to take a picture, too.

At the end of the road the "path" had a deep pit full of water across it so walking back to see the lake was not an option. Aha! There was ANOTHER Native Floridian...looked like an alligator hunter. We asked what he was looking at through his binoculars. "'Gator" he replied. Sure enough, down the way was another beastie.

Not all of the sights were chilling. There were several species of amazing waterlilies.

This second Native told us another way to get to see The Lake. It involved several roads and turns which we followed...but no lake. Finally we got out the GPS and found a "Lake Washington Park" so we followed the GPS to a nice small but clean access point.

It exists! Mostly marsh around the lake seems to make it so inaccessible unless you have an airboat...but that lake is HUGE.

On the way out of the park I was able to get up close and personal with this squirrel. We have Fox Squirrels back home and they aren't nearly as cute as these. These look so much smaller, softer; and the white bellies and around the eyes give it an appealing look.

Starting to Wrap Up

2010-04-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

It is down to 2 weeks until we leave and I accomplished one more goal...sort of. Many times in the last 8 years we have seen Osprey (Fish Eagles, Sea Hawks) flying with fish in their talons. I took a photo of one today...not easy to get all that close.

Some day I will have my camera with the telephoto lens with me and be able to get the driver to actually stop the car.

Two years ago our dear next door neighbor, Rose, passed away. We stayed here a few weeks later than usual to help her daughter with the house which still stands empty and her garden overgrown. Today I looked over at her yard as we left the driveway and spotted these 3 pink roses...her signature color and flower.

"Spring Break"

2010-04-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

With the staggered school terms, Spring Break wanders all over the calendar, however, Easter Week still seems to be the most popular. Our own family is here for 10 days so we have been busy with;

Coloring Eggs:

The town Egg Scramble:

Easter Morning Basket and Egg Hunt:

Swimming, swimming, and more swimming:

Space Shuttle Launch:

...and more to come!

This and That

2010-03-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have been taking a lot of photos of things I consider interesting. This post will be a bit of a mishmash of photos. I hope you like them.

It is Spring in Florida and that means running Spring Break for school kids from Kindergarten through College. This surf shop brought in a sand sculptor to entertain and attract. I didn't get to see the finished product but I thought the work-in-progress was quite interesting.

No telling what you will see once warm weather arrives. Bike Week was over but this bike was in the parking lot of a restaurant we were visiting. Alligator heads? Even on the guards? (shrug)

This is my "Mystery Plant". I found this big bulb one morning casually thrown on the lawn. It looked a bit like a big red onion with several bites taken out of it. It was severely nibbled. Some marauding animal had left it. Then I saw a little green shoot. Being my mother's daughter, where there is life it must be planted. Within a few days the wee shoot looked like this.

We still have no idea what it is but it continues to grow. We may have to wait for next winter to figure it out.

I still don't know what this little bird is but they are so fast that when I get a photo of one I want to share it.

This looks really odd but I had to take the photo through a screen door. This little green tree frog spent quite a few cold days in hibernation on the inside of our screen decoration. Then, once it turned warmer it was gone.

We also just painted the house on the outside. For those in the North who don't have to paint brick or aluminum siding this is a rude awakening. On the plus side, you can change the color of your house each time.

Finally, this is a photo I took of a Great Blue Heron yesterday. The only bad thing was trying to ignore the small brown rats digging through a trash bin just behind me. A little distracting.

Finally...an Airboat Ride

2010-03-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

We have been coming down here for eight years, now, and since year one we have wanted to take an airboat ride through this or that marsh. Finally, this year, when the youngest son and his girlfriend were down here visiting we did it!

We saw this camp from the Beachline Highway from Orlando to the Beaches and thought about it for several days. It was a bit of a drive back but well worth it. Reasonable charge and they threw in a beer for each of us. I, for one, was glad for a little something to bolster my courage.

We went in an 11-person boat but only had, maybe eight in it. I was NOT about to take my good Canon Rebel camera on that boat so these photos are all taken with a little Canon ELPH.

I shouldn't have worried. The boat had earmuffs to deaden the sound, but other than that it was comfortable and not at all a rough ride. I could have taken my SLR camera with no problem and if we ever go again, I will.

We were there to see alligators and we certainly did!

2010-02-23T18:31:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a day off today to play. We have been curious about Yee Haw Junction since our musician friends, Karen and Galen visited us. The Junction has a big Blue Grass Music Festival every year but we didn't know when. Although I can't imagine telling folks back home your Florida Winter Getaway is in Yee Haw Junction, there are a lot of weird names down here.

Well...the place was a crossroads...Stuckys/gas station, little ticket hut (closed), and a "historic" motel / restaurant / bar...historic meaning pretty run down.

We turned right...nothing. Turned around and went back to the crossroads and went West. Oh, there is the big field with the "Music Festival Jan 28-30" sign and after that...nothing. We could go back the way we came (East) but we know there is nothing down that way. One way left...to Okeechobee 30 miles. Ok...and we will have lunch at Lightsey's.

For 30 miles there was never a light or any other reason to stop but it was interesting. Then we saw the sign announcing "McArthur's Cattle Ranch...growing with Florida for 75 years". For the next 3 miles we drove through the middle of an enormous ranch which stretched to the horizon on either side of the highway. As we drove away from the ranch we saw 3 Super-cab trucks full of cowboys each towing a livestock trailer full of horses all saddled and ready to go to work.

I thought about what my friend, Shawn, told me about the women pulling alongside the road to watch the cowboys working the cattle. Mmmmm...I knew how hard I would be looking on the way home...and I did, but I never saw a working cowboy. Roman didn't know it, but he WOULD have pulled over. Well, we are going again in April for a class reunion at Lightsey's and I will be watching VERY closely.

Okeechobee is a no-nonsense, fisherman's town. A lot of RV parks, and some not very fancy. The first time we went to Okeechobee, oh, some 20 years ago, we had a few days to kill with a rental car, and figured we would go visit the next biggest freshwater lake to our beloved Great Lakes. Well, if you think you are going to gaze at lovely lake scenes forget it. The lake is surrounded by a very high dike. There are a couple of gates through the berm and a system of navigable (and fishable) canals.

There is a large state park with a lovely marina and a well-known restaurant, Lightsey's.

The specialty of the house is, of course, FISH.

Then we drove around the marina looking for a view of the lake. I rather liked this one.

Lunch Time Entertainment

2010-02-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

If you watch closely you can find a lot of drama in Nature.

This afternoon I was with two friends having lunch at Captain Hiram's, looking out at the Intercoastal Waterway otherwise known as The Indian River. We, along with others enjoying lunch, noticed the telltale fin of a porpoise inside the marina area. Then as we watched 4 pelicans began following the dark shadow of the porpoise. Even when we couldn't see the fin we knew just where the porpoise was. We guessed they were just being friendly, keeping an eye on the big Mammal or waiting for meal scraps.

Then it seemed as if they realized he was after THEIR food and they began flapping their wings and driving the lone porpoise back to his pod, outside the harbor.

Warmth and Birds...at Last

2010-02-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

Like Woody Woodpecker, you hear a Piliated Woodpecker before you see him. Besides that, all of our woodpeckers are hide-and-seek masters, moving around the tree trunk keeping the post between themselves and cameras.

A Great Blue Heron swooped in and took up in the tree across the bay...for a bit. As I was concentrating on the Grebe in the lake he dove, came up with a 12 inch fish and flew to the end of the lake. Photo I Missed.

This Grebe was just swimming along when he MAY have heard the click of the camera and off he went!

We have been watching this nest for 5 years. The first two the nest was built and used by a pair of Osprey. The second year it was a family of Great Horned Owls who enjoyed the view. Last year the Osprey were back. This year there wasn't a stick of the nest that remained after some high winds, but the "Fish Eagle" family rebuilt it better than ever in just 2 days.

Orchids

2010-02-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Several years ago I tried to grow an orchid in Michigan, but it just died. Then I took home a pot of "ground orchids" which are quite hardy in Florida...almost a weed. Nope...didn't make it.

Last year my old dear gave me a nice potted orchid for Valentines Day and I bought a book. By the time we headed back to Michigan the blooms were fading. I also took back a pot with some little pieces I found under the bushes at my neighbor's abandoned house. The plants were potted in real orchid pots in good orchid potting mix. I couldn't find any orchid plant food in Michigan and left my book in Florida but I did remember that they thrive on neglect and need filtered sun and to be watered and drained once a week. Any Michigan temps below 50 degrees and I brought the orchids into the sunroom (S and E exposures).

By the time we returned to Florida two of the orchids were in bloom and I was NOT about to abandon them. One stalk was broken in the transport, but the other, the collection from under the bushes, was in fine shape. I think all of the plants, especially the one blooming, are ascocenda.

Since then I have added two more pots. One is a white phalaenopsis I purchased at a local nursery.

The other new plant is actually two plants in one pot. One is white and one is lavender; both are phalaenopsis.

Now the original phalaenopsis with the broken stalk is sending up a strong flower stalk from just below the break. I think I am ready to look for some plants a little different. Maybe even a cattleya or vanda.

Some Recent Photos

2010-02-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

This is where we go almost every evening...or USED to. It has been so cool this year we haven't sat here but a few times. We had The Big Freeze right after we arrived. Some areas are still getting rid of dead plants and trees and trimming off the damage from that disaster. Now here we are in another cold snap with a lot of rain. The northern panhandle of Florida is looking for (shiver) SNOW.

We rose a little after 4 AM for the last ever night launch from Kennedy Space Center. Actually we got up 2 mornings because of a scrub on the first launch. I took this shot from the video but you can only see a flame rising in the black sky.

This was an Atlas Rocket delivering a solar probe into space. That launched on 02-11-2010 in the late morning. Not spectacular but we try not to miss any launches. The Cape is over an hour away by car but the launches are easily visible from the front yard.

Later that same day as I headed to the mall after some fresh furnishings for the newly painted bathroom, I had to come to a dead stop to let this guy cross the highway. This is the first Sandhill Crane I have seen in 2010. Last year I learned that one species of Sandhill is the Florida variety which never migrates. Their babies are hatched here in Florida and if you see little ones those are the Florida guys. The migratory Sandhill Cranes have their hatchlings in the North late in the spring and don't migrate to Florida until the babies can fly with them. They do come in families but the babies are big and speckled by then.

Life's Little Mysteries

2010-01-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

At first I thought this was just some repair to the pipes coming up from the lake...pipes to the watering system that uses lake water. However on closer look, and a little thought about that house being empty for 2 years, now, and I saw that these are EGGS. But WHAT would climb the PVC to lay those eggs. Certainly not a turtle. A frog? Some kind of weird fish? I probably never WILL know.

We see a fair number of Anhingas (Snakebirds) in and around the lake, but not so many Cormorants. Early t his year we saw a real flock of Cormorants, but none as close as this one today. The old paddle boat is right near the lot line. I didn't even take time to put on shoes and the grass was wet with dew, but it is all about getting the shot, right? I don't have a huge telephoto lens but I was able to sneak close by using trees and poles for cover.

Monday Out

2010-01-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor (full time resident) mentioned a place in Vero that had good pizza. Yesterday we managed to drive past it without stopping but today, we decided to stop for lunch.

Imagine...OUTSIDE DINING on January 18. Even after 7 years that is fascinating to me. When the pizza came it looked and smelled great. And it was!

We WILL be going back.

This is Why We Came to Florida.

2010-01-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

January 17...short sleeves, sun, rolling ocean, warm wind...what more could we ask.

This is Wabasso Beach just a few minutes from the house. For the past few years we weren't able to really enjoy this lovely beach which was pretty well destroyed by the hurricanes. Finally, last year the county rebuilt the boardwalk and other niceties. Now it is accessible, and protected by lifeguards. Seems that the surfers like it, too.

Hacking at the Jungle Growth

2010-01-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

All my life there has been a rhythm to the way things grow. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Now there is a winter of facing plants that grow 12 months a year...grow BIG and FAST. Probably the most dramatic is a big Monstera Philodendron just outside the screen house around the pool.

This is how it looked when we started today. Weeds underneath had pushed through the screen. The big leaves of the "Monster" were right up against the screen, threatening to bend it inward. We had Cloudy and 77 degrees for working.

Here it is after an hour or so of work by us both. And...

Here is most of the debris. Thank goodness for curbside pick-up.

This planting bed along the screen house was my "better idea" several years ago but the only plants that survived the freeze are ones I wanted to remove this year anyway. Now I am thinking about just removing all of it. I am so past trying to save every plant. The reddish/green plants in the foreground is the same plant my mother and I babied as house plants in the North. I guess I am over that and ready to pull these all out. Given the sand in which they are planted, pulling them out should take about 30 minutes.

Hard work deserves some perks so we cleaned and filled the Jacuzzi. I am sure it won't be hot until tomorrow night but ummmmmmmm, that WILL feel good!!!

An Engineer Braces a Tree

2010-01-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

So...what happens when a retired engineer decides to brace up a leaning landscape palm? Well, let's just say that the recipe includes 15 pieces of wood, 15 long screws, 6 long hose clamps, and more tools than I could count.

But it is DONE and that tree will withstand anything Nature can throw at it. "Bring on the hurricanes", it says.

Not all of the plants survived the frigid week we had. The Kalanchoe plants that were already blooming and bordering the back flower bed just couldn't survive a week of below freezing temperatures at night.

Meanwhile, I was pleased to see the Mockingbirds were here. Last year a pair built a nest in a "pencil tree" next door and raised 2 or 3 babies.

I love listening to the sounds when the male goes through his songbook in the evenings. I want to video it this year, not for the picture but to capture this talented bird's evening concert.

Finally, this little bird and her mate were flitting in and out of a tree by the lake. Once they landed you couldn't distinguish the birds from the leaves and I gave up trying to get a photo. Just as I started back up the hill to the house she flitted into the palm over my head and I got this shot. I will hit the books today to try and identify the species. This appears to be the female. The male has a yellow chest and more pronounced markings around the eyes and on the head.

A Little Photo Stroll

2010-01-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

(Press Control + to get this full screen so you can enjoy the photos)

It was warm enough yesterday to get out and garden, but the gardening needed me too much to take photos. So this morning I did a little stroll with the following results.

I love butterflies and was delighted that this one let me get close and snap away. I need to research what kind of butterfly it is. It will be some time before we see anything like this back North.

This plant was perfectly fine 2 days ago but several nights in the 20s really took a toll on certain plants. I THINK this was a "Moses in the Boat" plant.

We protected the two Jade plants in the garage (small one) and with a sheet (the large one we can't lift). I remember how long my mother babied a small Jade house plant in the North and it never reached anything like this size.

I consider this "The Best For Last". Maybe it is because the Bird-Of-Paradise is close to the house and protected by it, but there doesn't seem to be any damage from the cold. Thanks goodness, because this is R.'s pet plant.

Cold Survey of the Area

2010-01-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

Back to our old habit of driving along Indian River Drive and sitting at the park watching the wildlife. When we went past the first time this Osprey was finishing his "lunch". With the cold weather, the birds and animals are a little lethargic, but half an hour later he was still there so I figured he wanted his picture taken. Glad to oblige.

We also watched 3 dolphins lazily rolling in the lagoon a few yards off the shore. Looked like an adult and 2 babies. No pictures, though.

Most interesting was the lack of pelicans. Terns and seagulls were flying and active, but there are usually hundreds of pelicans, especially around the fishery. The news mentioned that with the cold the pelicans were starving and stressed, but the wildlife resources are stretched thin, as it is, with the fight to save the green turtles and manatees. I will be watching the news tonight to follow the fight. The manatee are flocking into warm streams and springs but there isn't enough food for them in those huge numbers and it is against the law for people to feed them. Fortunately there are a lot of environmentalists in Florida and they are mobilized in huge numbers this week.

Next we went over the Wabasso causeway to take a peek at the ocean. We are so happy to see the causeway rebuild is finished. Even more happy to use the new beach boardwalk. I HAD to take these next two pictures showing that it is perspective. Both were taken in the same 5 minute period and at the same place.

On the way back to the mainland we passed an entrance to a beautiful community with some awesome landscaping at the entrance. This time it was all pink geraniums and, I think, Phlox.

Did We Really Travel All That Way? For 23 Degrees?

2010-01-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Our trip from Michigan to Florida started in snow. It was light but enough to cause the salt trucks to be working at 6:30 AM. For the next 550 miles snow was the least of the mess as salt and road sludge splashed onto the windshield making good wipers and lots of washer fluid imperative.

Our first stop was in West Virginia for gas at Ravenwood, a pretty little town just off the main highway. Still lots of snow on the ground and coming down. We finally saw dry pavement in Virginia. By North Carolina most of the cars were clean and shiny, but we knew right away when we were near another "Snowbird" by the salt and road sludge on their car. Such was the case at the motel in North Carolina when we met the couple in the next room by comparing cars. They were from Pennsylvania and had passed through deeper snow than we did. We even had breakfast with them the next morning. He was a retired teacher, too.

I saw this once-gorgeous-lodge on the property next to the motel and had to take a couple of shots. It was for sale but it would take a LOT of imagination.

This is the car in Cocoa Beach, our first chance to get it washed. Since Virginia, a lot of the salt and road sludge had blown off, but enough remained that the couple who owned the car ahead of us recognized another "escapee". They were from Greenbay and said their drive had been the worst trip they had ever taken. I guess we were lucky. It only took the detailers at the car wash forever to clean the outside of the truck. They had some kind of special solution to counteract the effect of the salt on the car body.

When we got to our winter house there was only time for a quick walk around outside. Everything was overgrown, but we expect that. It doesn't look like we lost anything over the summer. The next morning I was even able to go down to the lake and watch 5 Cormorants diving in the lake. It seems as if most of the birds are still in their winter flocks. I think they will soon split up and start their nests.

By Friday I noticed some damage from the cold that has descended to Florida. The Papaya trees are probably not going to survive.

This is just sad. I wonder what else will succumb tonight. We brought in the potted plants that survived the heat of summer but might not survive tonight's 23 degrees. We covered some of the plants we worry about the most with sheets. It rained all day so ice is a possibility.

More later.

Still Watching Birds in Michigan

2010-01-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

It was just an idle drive through the Erie Metro Park to kill a little time before an appointment. As I drove into the picnic area parallel to the Lake Erie shore line I began to make out a LOT of birds in the water just off shore...SWANS. A couple of other cars were in the parking area but they looked like they belonged to some walkers and runners on the trails. I grabbed the little ELPH camera out of my purse and strolled over to the rocks that line the shore. A few birds close to shore began to paddle away but most paid no attention to me. I took a couple of pictures and a video.

I loved the huge freighter on the horizon heading into the up-bound channel toward Detroit.

I don't think I can upload the video but several thousand from far right to far left is the estimate. It is a sight AND SOUND! The noise was deafening.

Here is a closer shot of the swans, these on a mostly-submerged island.

The next day we drove over there together with the bigger Canon and a couple of lenses. It seemed awfully silent. I looked and looked again...NO BIRDS!!! Where could a couple thousand swans hide? They might have been migratory but ducks, geese (and swans) tend to stay here all winter where the water from the power plant keeps Lake Erie warm and flowing.

It was as amazing as the original sight to realize they were gone...bag and baggage.

Photos I Wish I Had Taken:

2009-12-28T20:58:00.001-08:00

My visiting daughter and I were sitting in the computer / garden / bird-viewing room when something large swooped in over the house and landed on the fountain wall. As soon as it rested we could see that it was a largish, brown and white hawk. We were both so shocked neither of us could locate a camera although mine was right at my elbow.

I may have seen this hawk before. Last year one was sitting on the top of the bird feeder hook for the longest time. Just couldn't get him in focus.

Again, on Halloween night this year one was sitting on the top of the utility pole in front of my house. There was time for my son-in-law to run in and get my camera. He did a great job of snapping off a few pictures. This was identified as a Coopers Hawk by a neighbor. I have no idea if it is the same hawk, though.

Winter in Michigan

2009-12-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

The "Big Storm" missed us and we only received an inch or so of snow while the East Coast was hit with two FEET! But it was enough here to give the garden a winter look.

I love to check out the critter footprints in the snow the morning after even an inch of snow.

Here I identified mice, rabbit, and squirrel. Could be something more exotic some day. As we drove East on a road away from the new Humbug Marsh Wildlife preserve, we noticed a coyote loping through a yard along the road. He looked to be well-fed and rather larger than others I have seen trotting along the roadside in the past. Given the wildlife in the Marsh I wonder why he would leave that buffet.

Mother always said when she saw a "Snowbird" (Junco) there would be snow within 24 hours. This little guy has been around the last 2 days and, sure enough, we have had snow the last few evenings. I know this doesn't make sense scientifically, but it happens so often it makes one wonder.

This Nuthatch and a pair of Chick-A-Dees are also winter visitors I never seem to see in summer. I am being careful about feeding the birds. A neighbor will take over with my left-over seed cakes while we are in Florida. I leave a few days between feedings in the seed feeder to be sure the other birds have other places to get food.

This is the first orchid I have ever had bloom for me. I rescued a couple sad pieces of orchids from under a neighbor's bushes when we were cleaning up her property (now in the hands of her children who live far away). Needless to say I am thrilled and hopeful that I finally know how to care for these plants. Another one that was a gift is near to blooming also. Those two pots will be going back to Florida with us. I don't know if I will leave them there or cart them back to Michigan again in Spring.

My Winter Garden

2009-12-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

Isn't that a sad sight? Everything looks so cold and dead, but it is all just waiting for Spring. The only signs of life are the rabbits, squirrels, and the winter birds at the feeders.

A couple more weeks, though, and I will be gardening in Florida again. I want to look back on this picture and remember what is going on in Michigan. I may take ONE more photo if it snows before we leave.

Ready for Winter

2009-11-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

November 21...that's right. I have my sun room door open and was sitting on the deck in just a light sweatshirt. The bird feeder has been moved closer to the house in preparation for winter, so I don't have to slog out in the snow to fill feeders.

The woodpecker couple have been at the suet feeder constantly. What a delight. They don't seem to care if I am there or moving about in the sun room they just stick to it until they are ready to leave. The chickadees and nuthatches, on the other hand, are so skittish that if I even THINK "camera" they are gone. They each came in briefly while I sat on the porch but I wasn't even breathing. Gone in a flash. Oh well, if it were easy it wouldn't be a challenge. The Goldfinches are sporting their winter colors but still visiting several times a day.

Thanks to the long spell of warm weather my garden is prepared well for winter. All of the planters, and garden decor is in the garage. All of the annuals have been removed and the perennials cut back to their winter size. The roses are still uncovered because, believe it or not, they are still blooming.

I took the camera outside to get a photo of what I assume will be the last rose of summer. Snow is predicted for next week sometime. While I was out there both the Chickadee and the little skittish Nuthatch came in to the feeder. Snap, Snap!

What a strange year this has been, weather-wise.

The Year Without a Summer...

2009-10-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is a phrase I am hearing so often this year. It is early October and snow is all around us. We MIGHT have a surprise Indian Summer but I certainly don't count on it. I still have bulbs that need to be replanted and, perhaps, some new special tulip bulbs from a friend.

I suspect that the cold has driven away my pair of hummingbirds. I read the species named with migrating birds. They may be gone already. The woodpeckers have found the new suet-cake holder, thank goodness. I really think the expensive suet cakes are not appreciated by the sparrows. They only eat that when their feeder is empty.

The styro cones are ready and waiting for the roses but they are still trying to bloom. I can not cut back a budded rose cane. When I have totally given up on decent weather I will get out and cut or pull the annuals; zinnias, Cardinal flower vine, nasturtiums and the rogue tomato. More about that later.

So THAT'S Who is Shredding my Sunflower

2009-09-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

I was pretty sure it was one of the neighborhood squirrels who was feeding on the biggest sunflower. I was lucky enough to catch him on the flower today with my camera. My granddaughter was here and delighted watching him eat. That is why I planted sunflowers...for the wildlife.

2009-09-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

These certainly aren't the best of photos but they are the first I have been able to take of the little hummingbird visiting my flowers. Last spring I ordered a seed collection from Renee's Garden specifically for butterflies and hummingbirds. I had almost given up on seeing flowers on the Cardinal Flower vine, but a few days ago some started to appear...and so did this hummer. The colors indicate male, but not ruby-throated, I don't think. While he was here he visited the roses, sunflowers, the neighbor's Althea bush, and then disappeared. He actually rested on the fence for a few seconds but focusing on the little guy is a real challenge. I shall be waiting and watching.

September Garden

2009-09-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

This is the garden on the first of September. The sunflowers (those on purpose on the right and the volunteers from the birdseed on the left) and amazing. The sunflowers were great to plant for the children. The zinnias are bright in the bed at the back and the ones for the butterflies by my roses are thick and attractive. So far I have only seen those white common butterflies and a few Monarchs. I think there was a black one with some markings yesterday but I didn't get a good look at all.

The most dramatic change in my garden has been the sunflowers. They are 8 feet tall at least and the heads just get bigger every day. I missed the photo of my granddaughter looking up and watching a butterfly working away for the longest time pollinating one of the heads.

Abby is spritzing the roses but you can plainly see the Magic Carpet Zinnias by the path and the trellis of Cardinal Flower. She is blocking the carpet of Nasturtiums beyond the zinnias. All three varieties came in a package of plants especially for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Magic Carpet Zinnias

The Cardinal Flower Vine that I thought would never have blooms finally flowered with tiny delicate blossoms that look just right with the soft, lacy leaves. It certainly is attracting butterflies. I haven't seen the hummingbirds around it, but they are close.

Cardinal Flower Vine

Speaking of the hummingbirds, one is visiting the oriole feeder regularily. I don't know if it is the orange color of the feeder, the water in the base, or the grape jelly he is after but he stayed around long enough his second visit today that I could see the irridescent green of his body. Another bird to look up. Even with the tripod set up and the Canon in place with the big lens, I am not hopeful of catching him, but I will certainly try.

Nasturtiums

Early August in the Garden

2009-08-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

I try to take a photo of the garden on the first of each month just because. The Laitris and Hollyhocks are in bloom, the Zinnias show promise of flowers, the Cardinal Flower is climbing the trellis, and the Iris have been dug up. Any Iris that showed evidence of Iris Borer have been destroyed. The good rhizomes have been soaked in a solution of 1 part Murphy's Oil Soap and 9 parts water. Some of the good iris will find a new home in my garden and some will go to friends and relatives who want them. I can't guarantee any colors although I know there are light purple, Purple almost black, striped, spotted, and plain purples. I think it is the light purple that has the striped leaves. The old Iris patch will be treated with the left over oil soap and water and left for something else next year. It is almost impossible not to get borer but I can keep fighting it anyway.

There is a photo contest for container plants but I don't think this one would be good enough since the plants are showing some stress due to lack of water. The summer rain storms seem to split and go right around us. I wonder if there is some pressure effect from Lake Erie that causes that.

I was so tickled this morning to see the baby Baltimore Oriole in the birdbath splashing happily with a little sparrow. The markings are getting brighter and brighter. I think the baby may be a male. Since the disappearance of the big bright male I have been hoping for another one.

I am concerned about one of the of the sparrows. It will let me come close enough to capture it (if I wanted to do that) and at least one of its eyes doesn't look right. It may be all or partially blind but seems to be healthy otherwise and flying. It will be all too easy for a predator to pick off, though.

Certified Wildlife Habitat!!!

2009-08-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

While reading the Wildlife Federation E-Newsletter a few weeks ago I noticed a link. It was to the pages on the website that give the requirements and a questionnaire about your garden. The more I read the more I realized that my double-lot garden qualified. Actually, even a balcony could qualify if it had all the requirements.

Food Sources - For example: Native plants, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, nectar

Your habitat needs three of the following types of plants or supplemental feeders:
Seeds from a plant • Berries • Nectar • Foliage/Twigs • Nuts • Fruits • Sap • Pollen • Suet • Bird Feeder • Squirrel Feeder • Hummingbird Feeder • Butterfly Feeder

Water Sources - For example: Birdbath, pond, water garden, stream

Your habitat needs one of the following sources to provide clean water for wildlife to drink and bathe: Birdbath • Lake • Stream • Seasonal Pool • Ocean • Water Garden/Pond • River • Butterfly Puddling Area • Rain Garden • Spring

Places for Cover - For example: Thicket, rockpile, birdhouse

Wildlife need at least two places to find shelter from the weather and predators: Wooded Area • Bramble Patch • Ground Cover • Rock Pile or Wall • Cave • Roosting Box • Dense Shrubs or Thicket • Evergreens • Brush or Log Pile • Burrow • Meadow or Prairie • Water Garden or Pond

Places to Raise Young - For example: Dense shrubs, vegetation, nesting box, pond

You need at least two places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior, mate, and then bear and raise their young: Mature Trees • Meadow or Prairie • Nesting Box • Wetland • Cave • Host Plants for Caterpillars • Dead Trees or Snags • Dense Shrubs or a Thicket • Water Garden or Pond • Burrow

Sustainable Gardening - For example: Mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizer

You should be doing two things to help manage your habitat in a sustainable way.
Soil and Water Conservation: Riparian Buffer • Capture Rain Water from Roof • Xeriscape (water-wise landscaping) • Drip or Soaker Hose for Irrigation • Limit Water Use • Reduce Erosion (i.e. ground cover, terraces) • Use Mulch • Rain Garden
Controlling Exotic Species: Practice Integrated Pest Management • Remove Non-Native Plants and Animals • Use Native Plants • Reduce Lawn Areas
Organic Practices: Eliminate Chemical Pesticides • Eliminate Chemical Fertilizers • Compost

My garden more than qualified and this week my plaque and certificate arrived. Meanwhile, I have been acquiring MORE native plants, seed-plants for the birds and nectar plants for the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. I have purged the chemicals and started a more sustainable garden. I am tracking down some rainbarrels like my nephew found in Georgia. All kinds of changes to keep my garden moving forward as a wildlife habitat.

No cats or dogs in my yard, but a neighbor dog has been killing the bunnies. The hawk and owls that has destroyed more than a few birds including the goldfinches and male oriole, I suspect, causes me consternation, but not as much as a dog that kills to kill and not for food. We do not seem to have any outdoor cats in the area, though. I think since the eagles got the 3 outdoor cats 7 years ago, most keep their small pets inside, now.

Anyway, if you follow the links above, for a registration fee of $20 you are directed to a questionnaire that is quite specific as to the water, food, shelter, etc your garden may have. I guess my 4 birdbaths, 1 fountain, 5 birdfeeders specific to 5 different kinds of birds, hedgerow, thick evergreen trees, mulch, etc, gave me not only certification, but a resolve to work even harder to move ahead with a habitat garden.

Now, how do I get rid of the mice before winter drives them inside my house?

Busy Feeders

2009-07-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

What a bright surprise House Finches are when they land on my feeder. They are not unusual, but just such a bright spot among the sparrows.

Some folks say these are just regular crows with red on the wings, but the Red Winged Blackbird is ever so much more polite on the feeder than the "bully birds". There is a softer call from him, too.

Although the Cardinals may eat from the feeders, they most often seem to be cleaning up after the messy sparrows.

This bright fellow has a brother with no feathers on his head. I read that there are some kind of mites cardinals get that strips away feathers on their heads. Also read that it isn't serious and the feathers grow back.

Polishing up the Garden

2009-07-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

I still have two areas under tarps waiting for me to have what it takes to tackle them. Rather like the farmer who lets a field or two go fallow for a season. It just wasn't worth it to fight the weeds (and chiggers). Don't let anyone tell you there aren't chiggers in the North.

Today I finished weeding and adding soil to the vegetable Square Foot Garden. A little late for this year's spring and summer veggies, but the fast growing root vegetables will be fine into the late fall.
The path needed raking after the weeding of the last week or so. With that done I took the patio broom and actually SWEPT the block path in the back and the self-leveling gravel in the rest of the garden. Whew! I turned it over to the birds for a while and will go out again this evening.

ALL of the mulch is down in the rose-zinnia-trellis garden and the table is set for lunch with a friend tomorrow.

Next big chore is taking up the iris. I have started cutting the spent flowers and cutting back the leaves (and weeding). This week I will take the pitchfork and lift all of the iris rhizomes and soak them for a minute or two in a solution of Murphy's Oil Soap to kill any nasties, although I don't see any evidence of slugs, or borer. I also have to get their new bed dug up and prepared. I want to trade some of the blues and purples for some yellows the neighbors have.

Baltimore Oriole-Female and Fledgling

2009-07-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Female Oriole checking the orange.

Female Oriole dipping into the grape jelly.

Female Oriole feeding fledgling on the ground.

I bought this Oriole feeder last Tuesday (July 7) and filled it a day or two later in hope of finally getting some good photos of the Orioles I know are nested in a neighbor's tree. Well, I waited and waited...checked the nectar, orange ($.69 cents for ONE orange!!!) and the grape jelly dishes. The lady at Wild Birds Unlimited (see previous post) told me grape jelly, but I thought marmalade would be better. She said that ONLY grape jelly was recommended.

Today I have seen a female Oriole out and about feeding a fledgling, first on the power line, and then on the top of the hook holding the feeder. But every time I got to the camera they would vanish. I could still hear their soft trilling, though. I moved the tripod closer to the door-wall and closed the glass. It would be less than PERFECT photos, but I would'nt spook the birds off, at least.

Soon I was rewarded with the above photos. YAY. Now to catch the gorgeous male at the feeder.

The Next Step

2009-07-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

When I moved to this house 8 years ago I brought a large cement birdbath with me. Over the years I have added some feeders and other birdbaths, mostly from the hardware store. This year I filled out a questionnaire to have my yard designated as a wildlife habitat. The plaque is in the mail.

My granddaughters spend hours watching the birds (rabbits, squirrels, etc.) with me and lately their parents have spent a few evenings watching the birds, too. The parents even showed a desire to put some feeders at their house, only 10 blocks away.
So...a few days ago was my daughter's and my shared birthday. Lunch and a shopping trip together is how we usually celebrate. This time I suggested a college town not too far away for lunch. I knew there was a Wild Birds, Unlimited store there.

By the time we finished at that store the family had a lovely green glazed birdbath with a locking bowl and a small bubbler in the middle (not in the online catalog). They also had the starter set of The Advanced Pole System, The large Quick-Clean tube feeder for regular seed and the large Quick-Clean Finch Feeder. In fact I got a pair of the tube feeders for myself, too.MY DAUGHTER'S FAMILY BIRD STATION

MY NEW FEEDERS (and the old seed-cake feeder)

Of course, we had to get seed (non-sprouting) for each kind of feeder, too. There were a number of Wild Bird Unlimited publications for us and for the children as well, and a special Oriole feeder for me.
We went back to my daughter's house after lunch and her husband went right to work getting the garden by the patio and door-wall all set up. Within the hour a bright finch had found the finch feeder. By this morning they had plenty to watch, Jays, Cardinals, Finches, Sparrows and more. The girls and their parents have a little viewing area set up with chairs and table in the shade of the big 42 year old evergreen. Photographing their birds can't be far behind.

I HAVE to get one of those Advanced Pole Systems for MY yard. I have 3 of the regular hardware store hook and pole systems but, now I want the better one.

Summer Garden

2009-06-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

The first day of summer just passed and I was sitting on my back porch taking stock of my garden. Why? Well, I just registered the yard with the National Wildlife Federation. I will actually get a plaque for the front yard. The questionnaire made me realize what I really had here, even with almost half of the garden area under tarps.

One whole side of the garden was so choked with waist-high weeds this year, and considering the chiggers of last year, that I just covered it with the old pool cover, weighted it down with rocks, and let it go. I rolled back a part of it this week and it looks about ready to replant. I will just do a little at a time, being a 70+ year-old gardener. Then I can move, as with the iris which need to be split this year, or plant with the seeds I bought for a butterfly garden.

It wasn't until I did the National Wildlife Federation questionnaire that I realized all the items I have that are on the list of wildlife attractants. I counted 3 suet feeders, a triple thistle seed feeder, a sunflower feeder, Hummingbird feeder, and a dish for oranges for the orioles. I also counted 4 birdbaths and a fountain. Add to that the hedgerow across the back for shelter and the two big spruce trees for nesting and you have a yard that qualifies.

Redwings...

2009-06-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have been a lifelong hockey fan, specifically, the Detroit Red Wings. I remember listening to games on a little radio until I fell asleep in my bed. I remember listening to the New Years Eve games. Later in my life, I actually went to games at The Olympia for many years. Even later, I attended games from a suite in the Joe Lewis Arena with my Dear as guests of auto suppliers. My Middle School Students often saw this Red Wing player or that in the halls of the school as the mother of one was a secretary and others had homes in the area or were visiting parents who lived in the area. In fact, the mother of one of the Wings had been my Matron of Honor at my wedding in the early 60s. During the Stanley Cup Play-offs to this day, everything revolves around the games. Our whole block stops dead during play, although it can get a little rowdy between periods.

Yes, it is Red Wing Country, indeed. But today it is a little subdued and sad as our beloved Wings lost the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs 2-1 to the Penguins.

Even my 6 year old granddaughter had Wing Fever so she was absolutely delighted when I identified this visitor to my garden as a Red Wing Blackbird. It has only been the last year that this family of Red Wings have visited my feeders.

I really HAD to include this photo of one of the squirrels who visits the various birdbaths in the garden. My granddaughters will just get as excited over this squirrel as anything that visits us.

Ok, maybe rabbits and squirrels are not egrets and alligators, but there is something about these frequent visitors to my garden in the North that is charming just the same. Watching my two little granddaughters "Shhhh" over even the most common visitors and seeing the wildlife through their eyes is magical.