THERE ARE FAIRIES ABOUT...

We call them faerie. We don't believe in them. Our loss.

~Charles de Lint~

And as the seasons come and go,

Here's something you might like to know.

There are fairies everywhere,

Under bushes, in the air,

Playing games just like you play

Singing through their busy day.

So listen, touch and look around,

In the air and on the ground.

And if you watch all nature's things,

You might just see a fairy's wing.

~Author Unknown~ 

My photos of the fairies were taken in the San Diego Botanical Garden many years ago (maps above showing its location). The middle photo is blurry, but I noticed that I had caught a little hummingbird in frame. It is in the left of the photo, slightly above and to the side of the fairy's left wing, sitting on a branch. I was visiting the children's garden at the time, having walked all over the other areas and needing a rest. Keeping still and very quiet is a wonderful way to take everything in, and to see what little birds might appear, as in this case the hummingbird.

I had the place all to myself. The whole garden was very quiet and the only occasional person I came across was one of the volunteer gardeners. It took about an hour to get there driving north, and it was the first time I had used GPS. 

We actually lived in San Diego for many years back in the 80's, as I have mentioned before on other posts. I was looking forward to visiting with old friends.

On this occasion I had gone along on one of Gregg's business trips and we hadn't thought of getting GPS up to that point, but he didn't want me getting lost. We were late to the party, but I took to it like a duck to water and my adventures began, starting with the botanical garden. A lovely memory and another place I would like to get to again one day.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope you day will be great.

ODE TO A HUMMINGBIRD

From scarlet to powdered gold,To blazing yellow, to the rare ashen emerald,To the orange and black velvet of your shimmering corselet,Out to the tip like an amber thorn begins you,Small, superlative being, you are a miracle,

And you blaze.

"Ode to a Hummingbird"

by

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)

This is a post I transferred from my old blog. I like to browse through it every now and again, and it makes me very happy finding ones that I haven't thought about in a long time. I may have shared at least one of these photos before, but I don't think the poem has been on here.

A little background on these photos, I tagged along on a business trip to San Diego with Gregg several years before he retired. When he was at work I drove around and was very happy to be back where we had lived for several years.  

On this particular day, and because I now had the GPS feature on my phone, it gave me a little push to venture further afield, and I set off for Encinitas.  This is where the San Diego Botanical Garden is located. You can see a map at its website here. I found it without any difficulty and set out to explore as soon as the car was parked. I walked every inch of the place, and eventually found myself in the children's garden.  

I picked a very quiet day - mid-week - and I practically had it all to myself. It was hot but I had bought a small picnic, and my flask full of water was thankfully still icy cold. I sat down in the shade on a bench among the trees that I can now identify as Pineapple Guava.  

Almost immediately I noticed a slight movement out of the corner of my eye.  Sitting to my right on a branch a little higher than my head, was this sweet little hummingbird. I had never seen one with my own eyes, so you can imagine how thrilled I was. She rested long enough for me to take several photos, and to observe her for a good while after I had finished snapping away. I was enchanted! I saw a lot of lovely sights that day, flowers as well as birds, but she literally made my day.  This is a female Anna's Hummingbird, which apparently are very common in California and Arizona.

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.