ANOTHER HUNTLEY MEADOWS WALK - PART 1

On Sunday, May 4th, 2019, the weather was too good not to go out and enjoy, so we headed to Huntley Meadows.  It was a great choice because not only was everywhere very lush and green, there was also a lot of wildlife.  And just like last time there were lots of people, couples like us and parents with young children.  

We took our usual path through the woods and you couldn't help but notice how beautiful everything looked.  The trees were waking up, along with all the plants and bushes on the ground.  They were full of bright green, newly sprouted leaves.

The wildflowers were lovely also.  A cricket was enjoying this one.  The closest I could come to identifying the flower was the Common Blackberry.  I found a website here.  If you know for sure I would be glad for the help.

There were many more blooming in other areas.

Over the water we noticed dragonflies everywhere.  You can read more information about the Common Whitetail Dragonfly here.

I didn't know if this video was going to turn out, but if you enlarge it you will be able to see a couple of Common Whitetails flying around, and another dragonfly I don't know the name of, just bouncing up and down in one spot.  I'm assuming it was feeding.

My favorite area is when you get down to the marshy area, where water levels can rise and fall depending on weather, and beaver building.   

We stopped to look at this familiar view across the pond, and noticed movement.  There was a Snowy Egret and a Great Blue Heron not too far from each other.

~Snowy Egret~

~Great Blue Heron~

We saw several Canada Geese sitting on nests.

I noticed her bill was open but we were all too far away to be a threat, and surmised this was not an aggressive, protective stance.  I wondered if it was because it was a very hot day, and have read that wild birds will open their bills and pant to help dissipate heat when it is very warm.  As they get hotter their panting may increase in speed, or they may open their bills even further for greater cooling.

We were intrigued by this old tree stump sticking out of the water, and surmised that beavers had caused it. 

We took another photo several weeks ago (below) and as you can see, there is a lot of new growth not only on the stump, but also in the water surrounding it.  The old tree is still growing...

and it is now being slowly surrounded by other water plants.  One of the reasons I enjoy coming in all the four seasons is to see those changes.

In the center of the next photo is a turtle.

~Painted Turtle~

There are always naturally fallen logs lying in the water, and always several turtles sunning themselves.  This scene is repeated all over the park.

And then you get the frogs.  It is fun to try and spot them in the mud.  There were several American Bullfrogs making their appearance.  We also saw large tadpoles but I couldn't get a decent photo of these.  A couple came along and saw our interest, and told us that the tadpoles we were looking at were second year.  They were the biggest I had seen.  They told us that bullfrog tadpoles (I am not sure if this applies to other types) live for two years before turning into a frog.  We met in other areas along our walk, and we enjoyed chatting with them each time.  They always told us interesting things, fellow  nature lovers who were happy to volunteer what they knew.  

Our next stop was at the nesting box where we saw the male Wood Duck on our previous visit.  This time there was a female Hooded Merganser.

I have only seen a male Hooded Merganser in the distance before.  This is the first female I have been able to take photos of...

and I took several.  In her first pose she appeared to be looking for fish?

But she never left her perch and I just kept taking photos, as did others.  She attracted several of us and I heard one person get very excited saying she was about to go into her nest.  By this time I was walking in the other direction, and I was satisfied with our time spent with this pretty bird.

Now would be a good time to finish today's post.  I have many more photos, too many I thought to include here.  I saved them for tomorrow.

Have a good day everyone and thanks for keeping us company on our walk around Huntley Meadows.

HOPEFUL!

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

~Helen Keller~  

There are a lot of people in life who have inspired me and given hope when needed.  When I checked my deck cam photos and saw this little one, looking up so longingly at the bird feeder (I cropped the photo), at first it made me chuckle and then, as photos often do, thoughts rippled out as I later looked at yet more old family photos.  They brought memories of people I have known, and who have helped me when most needed, for advice, for support, and for confidence when I was young and didn't have a lot.  

These would be my parents first of all, my sister, and later when my husband came along, he was my rock.  There is my son who makes me proud each and every day and his sweet wife.  Between the two of them they have always been an inspiration.  Then there are family members, aunts, uncles, and children whom I have seen grow up in front of my eyes.  The friends I have made throughout my life and even those I have momentarily bumped into.  All have been a stepping stone, or you could say a ripple in life's highway, all the forks in the road I have taken (but rarely regretted), to borrow a thoughtful line from a favorite poem, all those roads have led us here.

I am not even sure if I am making any sense, as I am rambling and my thoughts have taken me all over the place this morning.  I will do you all a favor and stop those thoughts as I watch yet another squirrel make his way up to that bird feeder.  Those little rascals never ever give up.

 We had a great time this past weekend when friends stayed over.  We have more company coming this weekend.  I may be a little slow catching up with you, but I will get there eventually.  

Have a great day everyone and thank you for stopping by.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - PORTABELLA MUSHROOM WITH EXTRAS

I put this together as a first meal of the day at eleven-ish, brunch I guess.  I also think it would be nice for lunch or supper.

This is not for everyone I know, but for me it was a great combination of flavors, one of those 'boring-on-their-own-but-together-kind-of-delicious' type of meals.  There is no recipe.  I like to go through Instagram and saw a photo similar to this one, except that they used a slice of toast, and had bacon instead of the tomato.  I used a large portabella mushroom for my base, and I had an avocado that was ripe.

I roasted the mushroom in the oven for 20 minutes on 400 degrees F., using 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil drizzled on the top.  While that was cooking I hard-boiled an egg and sautéed a sliced tomato using cooking spray (I would have cooked the tomato in the oven with the mushroom if I had thought about using one beforehand).  The avocado I mashed up with a squeeze of lemon juice added, which not only kept it from going brown but gave it a nice but not overpowering zing.

On the plate, roasted portabella, topped with the mashed avocado/lemon juice mix, sliced hard-boiled egg (you could poach or fry an egg instead), and the sliced sautéed tomato.  

I wouldn't hesitate to make this again as it made a delicious change for breakfast/lunch.  I usually have a bowl of oatmeal but felt like something different today.   

I wish I could give credit for the original idea from Instagram.  I try to remember to ID but occasionally forget.

Enjoy your week everyone.  Thanks for stopping by.

FEAR NOT....

I am reading a biography on Elizabeth I by Alison Weir.  A very well written book.  Elizabeth was a force to be reckoned with.

(Photo found at Pixabay)

"Fear not, we are the nature of the lion, and cannot descend to the destruction of mice and such small beasts."

~Elizabeth I~

MONDAY FOOD POST - AN AFTERNOON TEA WITH FRIENDS

My recipes may be a bit scarce for a while but today I am sharing a few friends and the afternoon tea we had.

I have known these ladies for years, and we remain close through thick and thin.  

We had gone to our last opera for a while and we decided to have an afternoon tea afterwards.  When we get home it is evening.  One friend brought sandwiches, one friend brought scones and the clotted cream (the strawberry jam I already have in the fridge), one friend brought the wine, and I provided copious amounts of tea.  

My friend who brought the scones and clotted cream, knitted me a pretty little tea-cosy for a teapot she had given me last year. It did the trick and our tea was nice and hot for as long as it stayed in the pot.

Everyone stays the night and we have a chat-fest until midnight, sometimes later. Then we get up in the morning and continue where we left off.  First one up puts the kettle on.  I more often than not fix poached eggs on toast, but today it was blueberry pancakes.  Not very British you might say but it was a winner with all of us.  Everyone pitches in to help with dishes and clean up, which is always appreciated.  Breakfast starts breaking up around noon and two in our party make their way home.  

The remaining friend stays another night, and Gregg takes us out to dinner later in the day.  That night we put the TV on and watch British shows on Netflix.  Gregg's sports are calling again and he retires for the night.  My friend and I watch our shows until around ten o'clock.  By that time we are dropping off to sleep where we sit.  It has been a busy weekend.

This is a big thank you to Gregg as he, bless his cotton socks, makes himself scarce and lets us get on with it.  Occasionally he comes down just to see what's going on, and we fix him a bite to eat, but for the most part he's happy watching sports or some other show he enjoys. The next day when our friend stays that extra night and he takes us out to dinner, he enjoys joining in the conversation.  But for the most part he lets us have a ladies only weekend.  And talking about sports, he is such a good sport about it all.

I DON'T ASK....

"I don't ask for the meaning of the song of a bird, or the rising of the sun on a misty morning.  There they are and they are beautiful."

~Pete Hamill~

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I made a plain version below.  It is a card I made to thank you for making this blogging world such a pleasure to be a part of.  If any of you would like it, please feel free to copy and use elsewhere.  

And don't forget if you are driving, watch out for all those Trick-o-Treaters out there tonight, especially during those twilight hours.  

A Very Happy And Safe Halloween To You All.

(All my graphics were found at Pixabay here.)

2017 CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP - 4-28-17 - SAN FRANCISCO - PART 1

Friday, April 28th, 2017 - San Francisco

I must have deleted my notes for this day.  I remember doing them, but for the life of me I can't find them anywhere, so I am winging it.

Living in Monterey in the early 80s, we went to San Francisco several times.  Not only on our own but whenever we had visitors.  I enjoyed the city back in those days, and I enjoyed it today.

On other visits we concentrated on the hilly part of the city, and had never explored down by the water.  Today we spent all our time in that area.  We figured that by the time we were done, we would have just enough energy to get back in the car and go back to the house.

We drove around trying to find metered parking spaces but after a while without any success, found this place down the road from Pier 39.  It was one of the old cargo warehouses along the Embarcadero, but now a parking area. The fee was $25 and we purchased the ticket at a machine, to be displayed inside the car on the front window, visible to anyone who checked.  It was comforting to know also that the car would be the shade.

The historic streetcars will take you all over the city, but for the time being we preferred using our own feet.

We stopped by Pier 39 and we were treated to a concert by a girls' choral group. Proud parents were taking photos and videos, along with tourists like me.  They performed beautifully.

Here is a video

The aquarium was at Pier 39, which we visited.  Pier 39 is also famous for their seal dock.  If you look here you will be able to read their story.  You will read that they started arriving at the dock in 1989 after an earthquake in San Francisco, and then I guess the word got around because in 1990 they appeared in great numbers.   If you scroll down that page there is a video from one of the morning shows filmed when they first arrived.  

I am very grateful to sites like Pixabay where they offer Royalty Free photos.  This is where I obtained the above and the following Sea Lion photos.  I would also like to thank Sandra at Madsnapper who posted about Pixabay and let us all know what a great resource it is.

(We didn't actually go down to see them, the reason I am using Pixabay's photos.  I actually thought this event took place at Fisherman's Wharf and not Pier 39, a mistake I won't make the next time we visit San Francisco.  There was more than enough for us to see however.)  

A video at YouTube with seals on the docks can be viewed here.  One thing to note is that most of the seals disappear during their breeding season in July and August.  This link will tell you all about Sea Lions, but below I also found a few facts online.

California Sea Lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness and noisy barking.

Although they usually avoid humans, Sea Lions may bite if provoked.

Male Sea Lions reach 850 lbs. (390 kg) and 7 feet (2.1 m) in length, while females can reach 220 lbs. (110 kg) and up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in length.

You can distinguish males from females: males develop a bump or "crest" on their heads at four or five years of age.  (A majority of the sea lions at Pier 39 are male.)

Sea Lions have external ear flaps, seals do not.

Sea Lions in the wild may live up to 25 years.

Sea Lions migrate to areas across the Pacific Coast, from Vancouver to the southern tip of Baja.  Most pups are born on the Channel Islands located off Southern California in June.

California Sea Lions are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  It is unlawful for unauthorized persons to feed, handle or harass them.

One of the biggest dangers to Sea Lions today is becoming entangled in plastic pollution.

Thank you Pixabay for all these wonderful photos, and thanks again Sandra at Madsnapper for letting us know about them.

So, even though we missed the Sea Lions, we had a wonderful time walking around the Aquarium, which was right there on Pier 39.  You can't miss it.

Short video of the crabs. 

We get to see a Starfish from above, but rarely get to see one from underneath.  

Not the greatest movie of a River Otter, but it's a memory.

I liked this cute design nearby.

There was also a turtle exhibit...

and another with frogs....

and another very important message about polution.

That was our tour of the aquarium.  We enjoyed it tremendously, and this is where I am going to leave until my next post.  We took a great boat ride around the bay.