HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - HOPE

“Never deprive someone of hope, it might be all they have.”

~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.~

and

A golden moon upon the tide,  

Its glow reflected far and wide.  

Twinkling stars in velvet sky,  

Whispering dreams as waves drift by.  

A lighthouse stands with steadfast grace,  

Its beacon guiding through the space.  

While on the sea, with sails unfurled,  

A crimson yacht explores the world.  

Upon its sail, a dove takes flight,  

Clutching hope in wings so light.  

An olive branch in gentle hold,  

A promise cast in moonlight’s gold

Through mist that dances soft and white,   

Hope sail’s on, a guiding light.  

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - THIS TIME THE SCARECROW TURNED UP

The lady from last week told Scarecrow all about the birds. The birds welcomed him. He was a lot of fun even though he didn't tell any jokes, and they all had a great time looking at the moon.

Thanks for joining us at another moongazing party!

Have a great weekend.

A NEW WALK - FOR US - ON THE MANASSAS BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL PARK

 This is part of our walk.  You can make out the moon but barely seeable is the plane on the lower left-hand side of the photo.  It has taken off from Dulles-Washington International Airport.On Saturday (26th November), it was a chilly but very sunny day.  I had found a place to walk thanks to our 'Find My' App, when checking on Gregg's route.  He was on his way from getting some work done on the car, and called to let me know he was leaving.  I automatically check to see where he is on his journey, and I put the kettle on so to speak.I located Gregg's position and noticed he was driving next to the Manassas National Battlefield Park, with landmarks I didn't recognize. There were names I had never seen before, one was the Portici House. I realized this was an area we hadn't been to.  When Gregg got home, I asked if he would enjoy a walk over there sometime. I noticed it had trails.  We are always on the lookout for somewhere new, and both our curiosity was peaked.  It took us another couple of weeks before we rotated through the other walks we like to do and remembered this one. Here's one of me with Gregg in the background looking at a historical marker.  It was a bit brisk to say the least. 

The area, much to our surprise, is across the street from the main visitor center, which we have been to many times over the years, and where we always concentrated our walks around. This part of the battlefield had been hidden behind a line of trees and we had never noticed the signs pointing in its direction. It was a wooded area in parts. We were happy to have discovered it. I don't think many people have, as it was very secluded and most seem to stick to the main trails and the more visible areas they know. I'm sure this is what we have done.No one else was around except for a lady with her dog. We didn't meet them until we were on our way back to the car. This is Pepper and she is five years' old, a sweet, friendly little dog whose lady was worried because she was a bit jumpy and wanted a lot of fussing. We're dog people we told her, as we always tell other concerned owners, and not to worry.  Pepper - dogs in general I think and more often than not - recognize friends.  Here she is finally paying attention with the anticipation of a treat.Otherwise, perhaps because of the lateness in the day (we went there for sunset), and the fact that it was extremely chilly and getting chillier as the light faded, we were on our own. Yes, it was cold but invigorating and very enjoyable.  It was also enjoyable seeing the moon rise. I had read that there really isn't a lot here to see but wide, open fields, and the walk along the trail. That was more than enough for us. Our surroundings were peaceful, beautiful!  I read a warning somewhere online, to be careful you didn’t twist an ankle, as the ground was a bit bumpy.  It was in parts. I was glad for that info, took extra care and had no problem.The Portici House was burned down, not due to the Civil War but later I believe. It is sad and ironic that as pointed out in the history books, the original village of Portici in Italy, was destroyed because of Mount Vesuvius’ eruption, and now there is nothing left of the house here because it succumbed to flames. (At this link you can see the town in Italy, which is at the foot of Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples.)

I also tried to find the reason this house was named after the original but could find none.  Below is its location in Italy on a map I found online.  

Perhaps one of the owners visited that country? Who knows, it looks like we will never know. If you want to learn more about the history of the house, there was an article written by the Washington Post newspaper, which you can find at this link.

This is the Ball Family Cemetery.  It is surrounded by a sandstone wall, with no entrance, completely enclosed. It's the first time I have come across one with no entrance, so taking a close look at the headstones doesn't seem to be encouraged. The wall isn't very high so getting over it would be no problem, but we wouldn't do that. Sacred ground is sacred ground. Here you will find Spencer Ball (1762-1832), and his is the oldest marked burial in this small area. He was a very rich tobacco plantation owner who built the Portici House in 1820. It looks a bit sad and neglected. I'm hoping when we return next year it will look better. The wall was erected in the 1930s. We only saw the back of the markers as this is where we met Pepper's owner who was shouting for her to come back. We were distracted for a while and forgot all about checking the other side, which we will do next time. There is much history in those old grave stones.

I was intrigued by the small log cabin, which wasn't too far from where we parked our car. It looked old but I later learned that it was a reproduction constructed by the National Park Service. You can also see it in my second photo at the beginning, and read the story at the park's official website here.  There you will be able to look at an old photo of many of these huts which were built to house confederate soldiers in the winter months.  

It doesn't explain what the barrel was for and I didn't see anything similar in the old photo on the website. The barrel was placed at the peak and perhaps collected rainwater? I am hoping a visiting history buff will have an answer.

I enjoyed the walk and I enjoyed taking the photos.  It was going to be dark soon and we felt it was time to return to the car.

We found a pebbly path which allowed a more straightforward and faster route than if we had backtracked. It was getting colder by the minute.  Gregg headed off at a fast pace so that he could turn on the engine, and the heater...

while I took more photos of leaves...

more leaves, and....

old stumps...

and gateposts...

and fallen branches that had been sawn and left on the side of the path for Mother Nature to take care of...

  and moonshots.  This is for you Ginny!  I'm still practicing.

I will leave you with one last photo of Pepper, because she was such a sweetie and I want to remember her.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of your week.

FOOTPRINTS…

 “Leave footprints of love and kindness wherever you go.”

~Author Unknown ~

A change of pace today.  I never know what direction my posts are going to go lately so...I came across this photo online.  One of the people I go to has the most incredible photos collected, and he always says feel free to share, so I am sharing it with you all.  My dots connected and it seemed to fit perfectly with my quote.  There has been talk of going back to the moon, and to be honest I am not sure where that info came from, so let's take that with a pinch of salt.  Anyhow, it got me to thinking about that first moon landing.  You can read about it here.

A small part of it reads:

"The Eagle has landed and footsteps on the moon.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed their moon module on a broad dark lunar lava flow, called The Sea of Tranquility. And six hours later, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the surface of a world beyond Earth."

Okay, back to putting together my next post.

THIS AND THAT...

I have just eaten breakfast.  On a weekday I usually have a bowl of steel cut oatmeal, with a tablespoon of dried chopped dates, a tablespoon of chopped pecans or walnuts, sliced banana (not this morning as I need to buy them on the next shopping trip), or another piece of fruit, and topped with half a cup of oat milk.  On the weekends we splurge a little.  Something with eggs (poached eggs on toast is a favorite with both of us). What's your favorite breakfast?  I am always looking for ideas.  Do you have time for breakfast?   Many of us are so busy that it's hard to fit it in.  

I had a lot of photos in our camera that I hadn't downloaded in a while.  These photos are a variety over the last couple of months. 

This Turkey Vulture was at Green Spring Gardens at the beginning of December.  Gregg took the photo.   I liked the dark contrast of the bird with that pretty blue sky.Another of his when it got very breezy, and the leaves were falling like rain.  

It was beautiful!  And some of the leaves were the size of dinner plates. 

Gregg's foot is next to a magnolia leaf.

Gregg likes to take candid photos.  Here's one of me walking up the hill.  We only visited the pond that day.

I took the photos in the squirrel collage with our other camera, not the trail cam.  I thought you might like to see the one I use (below).  I get a lot of enjoyment out of it and position it where I put the seeds.  You can see it on Amazon here. There are many to choose from, depending on what you are looking for.  

Added note: Ginny's of Let Your Light Shine told me in her comment that this camera is no longer showing.  Thankfully there are many others to choose from.  Thank you for letting me know Ginny!

Lately I have been thinking of buying an additional cam, to put on one of the trees on ground level, to see what night animals we might get.  I was toying with the idea of getting one with a wifi.  The cam I have now is described as: "Flagpower Trail Camera 16MP 1080P Hunting Game Camera with Night Vision Motion Activated IP66 Waterproof 120 Detecting Range Motion Activated Night Vision 2.4" LCD IR LEDs 32 GB Memory Card."

Everything stops for birds.  Whatever I might be doing inside, when I see furry or feathered friends, I stop and grab the camera.  By the time I'm finished I have forgotten what I was doing originally, and usually put the kettle on for a cup of tea.  I sit down and watch the birds for a while, and after I have finished with my tea, I remember what I was doing and start again from there.  This is how she rolls these days!  I have about ten cups of tea during the afternoon and yes, I am joking.  Above you can see two Goldfinches and a house finch.  These were taken when the weather was warmer a couple of months back.

A few weeks' ago, my sister-in-law let us know that the International Space Station would be doing a pass over the East Coast.  I didn't think I had a hope of seeing it, my eyes not being very sharp, but I said why not?  The weather cooperated and the skies were clear.  I strained my eyes and after seeing some dots said, well, maybe that was it!  But truthfully there were so many planes coming into Washington-Dulles Airport, it's anyone's guess.  I did take a moon shot which came out so-so, a bit washed out.  I am always very impressed with Ginny's Let Your Light Shine moonshots, and a week later I took another that pleased me more.  This was on a different night, and the stars were aligned, so the old saying goes.  I should get more practice when the moon is fuller.  I used the one below for my post yesterday, with the saying.

The next photo is of a male Downy Woodpecker that stayed on one of the rails out back, in that position, for 10 minutes.  My thought was that there may have been a hawk flying around.  There were no smaller birds in sight.  I haven't actually seen a hawk in months.  

The other thing that has been happening around here in bird-land, is that the Mourning Doves have been flying into the patio door window.  This is a new thing.  All bounced back off in flight and none landed on the deck.  At first I couldn't figure out what the marks were on the glass.  When I looked closer, I could see the outline of a few feathers on each side where a bird's wings would have been, their oils had transferred.  I washed the window and the next day there was the same outline.  When I was sitting in my spot looking at the doves lined up on the deck, I actually saw one fly towards the glass with a bit of a thump, but it flew off again immediately and didn't seem the worse for wear.  I also put a small Christmas tree next to the door.  Could they try to be landing in that?  I suppose anything is possible!  There are decals on the shopping list!

That's it for today's post and thanks so much for stopping by.  Enjoy your day! 

ALWAYS REMEMBER...

(For all of us who have not seen their Loved Ones for way too long.)

THE MOON

 

The Moon

The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbour quays,
And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.

The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,
The howling dog by the door of the house,
The bat that lies in bed at noon,
All love to be out by the light of the moon.

But all of the things that belong to the day
Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;
And flowers and children close their eyes
Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.

~Robert Louis Stevenson~

SISTER-IN-LAW'S MOONRISE SHOT

Gregg's sister recently sent this rather spectacular shot of the moon on a beach. I always enjoy seeing her photos and am grateful she doesn't mind me sharing here.  I have several more of her photos I would like to show you eventually.