Showing posts with label Birdhouses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birdhouses. Show all posts

Thursday, May 4, 2023

A WALK NEAR WALNEY VISITOR CENTER

 We were at another favorite area we go to, a place near Walney Visitor Center.  There won't be too many photos this time, but if you click on this link, you will be able to see other posts I have taken over the years.  

There are small patches of land that have been fenced off, for produce, an orchard and not sure about a third.  
We sat on our usual bench underneath the arbor for ten minutes and watched bluebird parents come and go, as they brought food for their babies.  

Decals found in a window at the Visitor Center and...
Dandelions!  How come I love a whole field of dandelions and yet don't want any in my garden?  That should be the start of a poem, "Ode to a Dandelion".  There is more to the dandelion than we see as a pesky weed.  Thinking back to my childhood, my father used to make dandelion wine.  I remember once he put too much sugar in a batch and those bottles of wine that were stored in a small cupboard underneath the staircase, all the corks popped off like a rocket.  
It not only caused a big mess, but the house smelled of wine for weeks, even with all of Mum's cleaning.  She was a good sport, even though she wasn't too happy about that.  I always remember laughter for years after, as the story was remembered and retold among family and friends.  There was a series of bangs as one by one the corks blew their top, one after the other, in quick succession.  The Spruce has a recipe for dandelion wine here.  If I ever made it, I would be measuring that sugar very precisely.

At this website there is a paragraph which reads: "Did you know, for instance, that the leaves, flowers, and roots of dandelion are edible or that the dandelion has purported medicinal properties? Bees and other pollinators also rely on them for a nectar source early in the growing season.”

~Ground Ivy~

~Common Blue Violet~







and one last view of the fenced-off vegetable garden.

That's the end of my photos taken near the Walney Visitor Center.





Friday, October 22, 2021

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE - SAN DIEGO 2010

Lucky birds to live in such fine accommodations. 

 My photos were taken several years ago at the San Diego Botanical Garden in September 2010.  I was on my own but had tagged along on one of hubby's business trips, before retirement.  

It was the first time I had ever used GPS and remember feeling elation.  It gave me the comfort to venture forth in an unknown area.  I had an Atlas and had also written instructions, but could not take my eyes off that busy freeway.  I managed to get to the garden there and back without getting lost, while listening to the voice in the machine. It was a 70 plus mile round trip and meeting up with my Dear Other Half at the end of his work day, I remember the excitement of telling him all about the journey and about this beautiful garden.  

Another first for me was seeing my first hummingbird.  (I believe I have found its ID at this link, Allen's Humminbird?  Any experts out there who can confirm?  Added note:  In their comments below Anni of Hootin' Anni's Day Trippin' and David of Travels with Birds, both of whom know their birds, say this looks like Anna's Hummingbird.  Thank you Anni and David!  I can always count on my blogging friends.)  A great memory as even now it makes me smile at the excitement I felt at that encounter. I was sitting in a quiet spot on my own, and a hummingbird flew onto a branch just above my head.  We stared at each for what seemed like a long time, and I took lots of photos.  I put my camera down and observed quietly for several minutes before she flew away.

I felt like the young girl in this beautiful painting.  I wish I could give you the name of the artist, but I believe she knew how I felt with each brushstroke.  And at the end of every pathway was another memory maker.  I stayed for hours.  Absolute magic!


May you have your own magical moments this weekend, and thanks for visiting.  




Thursday, May 14, 2020

FOR THE BIRDS

Found while driving some back country roads in Virginia.
I wish I could remember where it was.  I would love one of those bird houses now.

Enjoy your day and 
thanks for stopping by.



Friday, May 24, 2019

CHILDREN'S GARDEN AT GREEN SPRING GARDENS

I know of at least two gardens where they have set aside a children's area, Meadowlark and here.  There must be more of course but I haven't as yet been to those.  I enjoy them for their whimsical, charmingly decorative features.
You can see a very large chalkboard, well used.  Even someone I know decided to sign someone's name.  I smiled when that someone pointed it out. 
There are gardening classes and camps for children to attend here

"This is the real secret of life - to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now.  And instead of calling it work, realize it is play."
~Alan W. Watts~
"For a small child there is no division between playing and learning; between the things he or she does 'just for fun' and things that are 'educational.'  The child learns while living and any part of living that is enjoyable is also play."
~Penelope Leach~
"Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning."
~Mr. Rogers~
I will finish with a poem I found recently.  Unfortunately there was no author's name.  I will keep searching.

"I tried to teach my child with books,
He gave me only puzzled looks.
I tried to teach my child with words,
They passed by him often unheard.
Despairingly, I turned aside,
'How shall I teach this child,' I cried?
Into my hands he put the key,
'Come,' he said, 'play with me."
~Anonymous~

Have a great weekend everyone, and thank you so much for stopping by.








Thursday, July 12, 2018

YOU ARE NOT YOUR AGE...


You are not your age,
Nor the size of clothes you wear.
You are not a weight, 
Or the color of your hair.

You are not your name,
Or the dimples in your cheeks.
You are all the books you read,
And all the words you speak.

You are your croaky morning voice,
And all the smiles you try to hide.
You're the sweetness in your laughter,
And every tear you've cried.

You're the songs you sing so loudly,
When you know you are all alone.
You're the places that you've been to,
And the one that you call home.

You're the things that you believe in,
And the people that you love.
You are the photos in your bedroom,
And the future you dream of.

You are made of so much beauty,
But it seems that you forgot,
When you decided that you were defined
By all the things you are not.

~Eric Hanson~

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

GREEN SPRING GARDENS, ALEXANDRIA


This is a garden we enjoy going to during the year.  It has a great walking path and you get your exercise with lovely surroundings.  

Black-eyed Susan
I have just read about another area in the same garden that we have yet to explore.  We don't need any excuses to go back, but if we did this would be a good one.  

The house has a very interesting history and I wrote about it here.
A yellow Coreopsis and Purple Beauty Creeping Phlox.
Purple Poppy Mallow
Common Fleabane
Cosmos
There are two places we go to that have children's gardens (that we have found so far).  This is one of them.
Pretty artwork on the front and the end of the supporting posts.
This is across the walkway. An area where children can learn about nature.  A project of painted birdhouses by young people can be seen on the fence.  

You may have seen the birdhouse on the left in my 4th of July post yesterday.  I thought it was appropriate to use this patriotic-themed birdhouse.  It felt very special knowing that it was painted by a child.


More birdhouses near the children's garden.


I will leave you with a few more flowers I believe these are Mountain Plover Delphiniums.  We will be back here sometime.


Orange Gazanias


Yellow Lupines
Lantana

Love-in-the-Mist