Journeys

Swamp Milkweed and Monarch

2009-08-21T22:31:00.000-04:00

Christmas 2008 For the Birds part 3

2008-12-25T18:07:00.002-05:00

Just off the east side of the Bay Bridge (which crosses the Chesapeake Bay) is Kent Island. Here we saw 2 swans feeding.

Christmas 2008 For the Birds part 2

2008-12-25T18:02:00.007-05:00

In a runoff pod i spied this great blue heron......just wandering around.
Then he did as herons do...he started to catch fish!

Christmas 2008 for the birds!

2008-12-25T17:51:00.003-05:00

(bottom) As we drove down the road to get gas on our way to meet 2 of my children for Christmas lunch, we found these 4 Bald Eagles sittings around. One had a kill, the other 3 wanted it.

(the picture in the middle) Two ofthe eagles take wing...they sparred for a moment trying to gain rights to the kill.

(Top picture) One lone eagle flies into the trees with the kill!

A Break in the Storm

2008-11-15T23:36:00.002-05:00

Today during a break in the storm we went back to the beach. The waves were not as high as I would have expected, but this break jetty offered some interesting shots

2008-11-10T23:06:00.000-05:00

These images are of an old house and shed on Rt 204.....somewhere in Alabama

Cherokee Pass Through House

2008-11-10T23:03:00.002-05:00

This image is of an old Cherokee type dwelling in Glencoe, Alabama. There is a passage that runs through the center of the house. There is a room off each side of the passage, one a living area, the other a bedroom, storage area.

Ballplay, Alabama

2008-11-10T23:01:00.001-05:00

I was asked by a friend if I ever took black and white photos. These were taken of an old, abandoned house in Ballplay, Alabama

Firethorn

2008-11-02T14:51:00.003-05:00

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."

- Clyde Watson

The plant in the picture is Firethorn - Pyracantha coccinea - the berries are a wonderful food for birds and small mammels through the winter. The thorns provide great protected habitates.

Autumn Leaves

2008-11-01T13:32:00.001-04:00

"How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow."

- Elsie N. Brady, Leaves

"Dull November brings the blast,

Then the leaves are whirling fast."

- Sara Coleridge

Autumn

2008-11-01T13:29:00.001-04:00

"When the trees their summer splendor

Change to raiment red and gold,

When the summer moon turns mellow,

And the nights are getting cold;

When the squirrels hide their acorns,

And the woodchucks disappear;

Then we know that it is autumn,

Loveliest season of the year."

- Carol L. Riser, Autumn

The Change Begins

2008-10-27T18:56:00.003-04:00

And fall slowly sneaks up on us....sending the beginnings of the cold tendrils of winter down our collars and whistling around the corners.

A Bird in The Bush

2008-10-23T11:41:00.002-04:00

This little guy couldn't resist posing

Wild Turkeys

2008-10-15T23:37:00.001-04:00

Look who I found strolling around recently. A whole flock of young wild turkeys!

Mums

2008-10-05T21:31:00.001-04:00

Chrysanthermums are some of the most prolific fall bloomers. Aren't they colorful?

Rock Mushrooms

2008-10-05T21:27:00.002-04:00

I found these growing in my back yard. At first (top pic) they looked like rocks. But as they grew (bottom pic) they started to look more like a brain. I think they are puffballs. But I have as of yet been able to definitly identify them!

Fairy Village

2008-10-05T21:26:00.000-04:00

Look closely now, you just might see a fairy peeking out!

A Day After Hurricane Hannah

2008-09-30T11:27:00.003-04:00

Here are a few shots of the Atlantic Ocean the day after Hurricane Hannah blew through. I was disappointed that the wave activity was so low. The rip tides on the other hand, were deadly!

These pictures were taken off of Rehobeth Beach, Delaware

Milkweed Seed Fluff

2008-09-30T11:14:00.004-04:00

It may seem silly to some, but until this year, I have always missed this stage of the milkweed! I made a point of looking, and looking for it this year.

The seeds have little threadlike fiber attached to help in wind dispersal. The fiber used to be collected and used to stuff things like life jackets.

If you feel it, it is so silky! soft, almost sensuous in the feel of it!

The Black and Yellow Garden Spider

2008-09-10T19:12:00.004-04:00

This spider greeted me along a roadside....I say greeted because she was 2 - 21/2 inches long!
She was huge, her body was soft and her legs were long. I almost ran into her, so I wonder if she is poisonous???

Update: I have been informed by a friend that this is called the Golden Orb Spider, and she is NOT poisonous. Thanks for the help!

The Osprey

2008-09-08T11:12:00.001-04:00

The Osprey, nicknamed the sea eagle, perched on a dead pine with his daily catch in his talons and taking flight.

Sooooo Pretty

2008-09-06T14:11:00.000-04:00

To pretty for words

Monument Valley

2008-08-26T22:09:00.001-04:00

In Arizona you find Monument Valley, a place of weird landscape and puzzling erosion.

The Painted Desert

2008-08-25T15:55:00.002-04:00

The Painted Desert is in Arizona west of Monument Valley and east of the Grand Canyon......it is so beautiful!

Monument Rocks

2008-08-24T22:49:00.006-04:00

After a long, dusty drive down a dirt road in the middle of the plains is Monument Rock National Park. The only thing to note that you have arrived at the right place is a small sign and the Rocks, which stick way above everything else around them.

In the days of the wagon trains with their conastogas, this was a way stop....it was a major achievment to reach this point. As we looked around we were baffled by this choice.....was it only because it couldn't be missed? Because we saw no water in the immediate vicinity!

Dandelions

2008-08-22T22:39:00.002-04:00

The dandelion...the scourge of the well kept grass lawn. You can dig it out, but leave a thread of root behind and it comes right back!

Persistant, and useful as well, it is a mild diuretic, makes a great addition to a salad (picked young), and a fanciful wine!

Prickly Pear Cactus

2008-08-19T12:05:00.003-04:00

These cactus were located in our yard in Colorado.

More Monarchs

2008-08-11T21:38:00.002-04:00

Monarch butterflies in great number were found on these purple loosestrife.
Beautiful butterflies and beautiful flowers!

It is sad to think that the purple loosestrife is considered invasive and a nuisance.

Purple Loosestrife

2008-08-09T11:58:00.002-04:00

This is purple loosestrife growing along a road on the St Regis Mowhawk Indian Reservation, in up state New York. Purple loosestrife is a very pretty plant but considered invasive as it is not natural and will take over wet areas quickly.

A note of interest....the Mowhawk call this area not St Regis, but Akwesasne, where the partridge thumps.

The Susquehanna River

2008-08-08T23:52:00.004-04:00

Along the Susquehanna River passing Harrisburg, PA the river freezes in winter. Some years the river freezes solid, side to side. The ice gets deep.

Years ago in spring the ice would crack and break with a cannon like boom....Not anymore, it has not frozen that solid in years.

Italian Lake

2008-08-08T23:03:00.000-04:00

Italian Lake in Harrisburg, PA after the snow storm.

Frozen in Time

2008-08-08T22:57:00.003-04:00

For those of you suffering from the heat in the middle of August here are a few colder shots to entertain you.

This was taken at a water run off on the mountain face above Harrisburg, PA. Note the plant frozen in the ice....hence the name.

A Vanashing Breed

2008-08-06T23:18:00.003-04:00

The Monarch butterfly is diminishing in numbers year after year.....this is August and the first monarch I have seen this year!

This monarch is perched on the dead flower of a Queen Anne's Lace plant.

Bird's Nest

2008-08-05T20:55:00.001-04:00

A little nest, having done its work for the year now has fallen to the ground.

May your hatchlings fly free and safe

Red Maple in Spring

2008-08-03T23:22:00.002-04:00

Spring....awakening, life surging, brooks gurgling......sigh, not too hot!

St Louis Arch

2008-08-03T23:16:00.001-04:00

The St Louis Arch is a well known attraction, it can be seen for many miles as you cross the Mississippi River.

Wild Turkeys

2008-08-01T22:55:00.002-04:00

Wild Turkeys stolling down the road at Yellowstone National Park.

Devil's Tower

2008-08-01T22:34:00.003-04:00

Imposing and solitary, Devils Tower was an important landmark for the Plains Indians. One legend concerning it's origin tells of seven little girls who run into a low rock to escape bears. The rock carried them upward to safety.

Unfortunately the rock carried them all the way to the sky, where the girls turned into the Pleiades.

Devil's Tower rises to 1280 feet above the Belle Fourche River

Visitor

2008-07-27T00:41:00.000-04:00

We had company come to visit, and not at all shy!

July in Motion

2008-07-27T00:31:00.002-04:00

These were great! The last one he just flew off, as winged things tend to do...

Etowah Mounds

2008-07-14T16:43:00.002-04:00

Etowah Mounds, in Etoway, Georgia.
These are thought to be burial mounds....but in the past religious ceremonies were held here above the villiage that surrounded the mounds.

Yellow Swallowtail

2008-07-12T11:02:00.002-04:00

Even Butterflies required fluids, The day is hot, muggy and this little one needed fluids so she didn't dehydrate. She is drinking from a wet spot left from the night befores rain.

Irridecent Blue- Black Butterfly

2008-07-12T10:45:00.001-04:00

July has been a wonderful month for wildlife. The same time i got these photos I saw a beautiful red fox....but he didn't cooperate with the camera.

Butterfly on Red Clover

2008-07-11T19:59:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful sight!

July 4th

2008-07-04T14:01:00.001-04:00

Looks at the shapes, colors and textures...all in contrast yet .........

Crazy Horse Memorial

2008-07-04T01:50:00.001-04:00

These are the models of what Crazy Horse and his horse will resemble when done. The original sculptor is now dead, but the work is carried on by his wife, son and others.

Crazy Horse Memorial

2008-07-04T01:45:00.001-04:00

On a rainy misty day in September we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial. We could barely see it through the mist and rain, but it was still majestic.

Maxamillion Sunflower

2008-07-03T13:58:00.002-04:00

This beautiful sunflower was seen as we traveled through Colorado along Interstate 70.

Buffalo

2008-07-03T13:54:00.001-04:00

This buffalo was so close I dared not open the car door to get a better look....I could here the grass munching as he ate!

In Yellowstone we saw alot of wildlife.

Old Cherokee Style House

2008-07-03T13:49:00.002-04:00

In Glencoe, Alabama sits this old Cheokee style house.

It is a pass through dwelling. Meaning that there is a center passage down the middle from front to back. There are doors on both inside walls...one leading to the living area, and one leading to the sleeping and storage area.

Tire Tree

2008-07-02T12:04:00.002-04:00

This is not one of my better pictures, I include it here for comment.

At first the sight of the tire around the tree was funny....but the more I looked at it the madder i got.

What a prime example of the poor treatment, we as humans, have given the earth, our Mother.

Without this earth, we have no where to live......and we take care of her as if we are spoiled, little children. If we do not take better care of her, the earth will be forced to cleanse herself of the parasites called humans!

Cliff Dwellings

2008-07-01T01:31:00.002-04:00

These are cliff dwellings in Canyon de Chelley, Arizona.
I was surprised to find them sitting on the canyon floor.

Black Eyed Susan

2008-07-01T01:22:00.000-04:00

This is the Black Eyed Susan, possibly my favorite flower of all.

The Seven Pointed Star

2008-06-30T03:29:00.002-04:00

This is the seven pointed star at the Tallequah Couthouse in Tallequah, Oklahoma. Each point of the star represents one of the seven Cherokee Clans.

ANI-GI-LO-HI The Long Hair Clan

A-NI-SA-HO-NI The Blue Clan

A-NI-WA-YA The Wolf Clan

A-NI-GO-TE-GE-WI The Wild Potato Clan

A-NI-A-WI The Deer Clan

A-NI-TSI-S-QUA The Bird Clan

AN-I-WO-DI The Paint Clan

Tallequah Courthouse

2008-06-30T03:25:00.001-04:00

This is the Tallequah Couthouse, in Tallequah, Oklahoma. It is the seat of the Cherokee Nation in the west.

Claret Cup Cactus

2008-06-30T03:10:00.001-04:00

It is hard to imagine a more beautiful cactus flower than the Claret Cup

Storm over Mt Blanca

2008-06-30T03:05:00.003-04:00

This was a dramatic time over the mountain. Snow fell up there, while we were still in bright sunlight down below.

Butterfly Weed

2008-06-26T22:50:00.002-04:00

This is Butterfly Weed, so named because it's color and fragrance attract butterflies to it. This plant can be seen all through the Eastern Woodlands growing along roadways and in ditches, anywhere the land had been disturbed.

Sequoya Statue

2008-06-26T22:43:00.002-04:00

This is a statue of Sequoya, the Cherokee man credited with single handedly developing the written language of the Cherokee People. This statue rests at his homestead in Oklahoma.

The Cherokee are the only native tribe to have developed their own syllabary and therefore have their language written in its own 'alphabet'. Before the Trail of Tears the Cherokee had published the Bible written in the syllabry, had a newspaper that was written in both English and Cherokee, and had developed a school system for the children.

Sunset

2008-06-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Sunset in Texas

Tiger

2008-06-26T22:33:00.001-04:00

While traveling through the Bayou of Louisana we saw this big guy, we were saddened to see him and his cagemates were half starved.

Clouds

2008-06-26T22:21:00.001-04:00

Gorgeous cloud formation out in the Gulf of Mexico, as seen from Gulfport, Mississippi

Ferns

2008-06-25T01:09:00.002-04:00

These are the ferns that grow along the path leading to High Falls, Alabama. Look at it long enough and you will see the fairy faces peeking at you.

I told you it was enchanted!

High Falls, Alabama

2008-06-25T00:29:00.003-04:00

Standing at High Falls in Alabama one can hear the fairies playing over the hill.

This is a magical place of rest and enchantment

Sunrise at Mt Blanca, Colorado

2008-06-25T00:21:00.002-04:00

A few years back we lived at the foot of Mt Blanca, in the San Louis Valley, of Colorado. We lived at 8,000 ft and Mt Blanca towered over us at 14,000 ft.

East is to the right of this picture, I was facing north to see Mt Blanca.

Mt Blanca is the eastern most moutain of the Sacred Mountains of the Navajo.

Cattails

2008-06-25T00:15:00.003-04:00

Cattails can be found anywhere there is enough water. They were used in the past for everything from food, to weaving mats, and diaper linings using the fluff. What a generous plant our Native ancestors had in the Cattail.

Wood Ears

2008-06-25T00:11:00.003-04:00

This was taken on a walk through the woods in March in Alabama.

The textures made me stop and study it.

Pretty Flowers

2008-06-24T19:49:00.002-04:00

Everywhere we traveled we found beautiful plants. Sometimes we do not know their names.

Such as this one....If you know what it is, let me know. Okay?

Prairie House

2008-06-24T18:58:00.002-04:00

As we traveled across America, we noted more than one abandoned house. This one is just an example. Is this the future of America? With more and more people losing their homes?

Wounded Knee Memorial

2008-06-24T17:59:00.004-04:00

This is the entrance to the Wounded Knee memorial in the town of Wounded Knee, on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

This is the place where the massacred peoples were laid to rest

Window Rock, Navajo Rez, Arizona

2008-06-24T17:47:00.001-04:00

This is Window Rock on the Navajo Reservation of Arizona........this towers over the town