A Pair of Merganser

A pair of Mergansers

You would think that I have seen all that I can see at the boardwalk in Havre de Grace. For the past two years I go just about every week looking to catch the different animals that spend time there. But what a pleasant surprise it was to see this pair of Merganser swimming around together. I am not sure if this is a male and female pair but it was fun watching them play around enjoying each other company. I don't know if I will get to see them again.
There are many friends  and family members in my life that I enjoy being in their company. They make me laugh and feel good about myself. Sometime I get to only spend a short time with them. But that is okay because I have the memories of out times together. Just like I will not forget getting to see these Mergansers I will not forget my times with my friends and family. They are too precious to me.

Pencil Art

The other day I got to witness an osprey dive into the gun-powered river and pull out a juicy catfish. I tried to catch it on film. But I was not fast enough to get a clear shot. I should say I still have a lot to learn about my camera so I can get clear shots of action pictures.
So! I have signed up to take photography in June. I can't wait to learn all the ins and outs about my camera. I want to learn all that I can and take my pictures to another level.
In the meantime I will doctored my pictures that don't turn out the way I want and learn about photos programs. By changing this picture into pencil art has made it look kinda cool. I can live with this picture.

Blossoming Out

I love checking out flowers when they start to blossom out. They start off as a little bulb and soon they burst out into delicate petals of all shape and sizes. Take this flower for instance. The petals start off all curled and bunched together. But one by one each petal uncurl itself and display it's color for all to enjoy.
We are so much like these flowers. We start off all wrapped-up in our own being. But as we age we start to uncurl ourselves and show the world what God attended us to be.
Sometime we are too tightly wrapped that it takes the mighty hands of God to push us in the right direction. I am guilty of that many times.
I know that I am not at my full potential yet. God is still unwrapping my petals of self doubts and fearfulness. But when he is done I know that I will blossom into one amazing flower.

Elephant Head Flowers

For years I have been searching for a flower that looked like elephant heads. I kept looking at different pictures in books and magazines so that I could put them into my memories. I did this so that it would be easy to identify them while I was on vacation and walking the many trails. But to no avail they were not to be found.
It wasn't until we went to Canada this past summer with my cousins that the discovery was made by my cousin. The shocking thing was that they were so tiny. I was looking for a plant that was so much bigger. The problem with all the pictures that I was using was that is did not show the actual size of the plant. They were enlarged so that you could see the detail.
There are many times in my life that I get the pictures wrong. I rely on what I see in books, magazines and other sources instead of going to the real thing.
It is so easy for me to do this with God as well. When I rely on everything else instead of God I get the picture all wrong. Thankfully God shows me the real thing and my search is over. Just like finally seeing the elephant head flowers up close I can see the details of God's plan for my life.

Bodyguards

It almost seemed that the baby goose in this picture was being escorted by his own bodyguards.
The geese were following me because I was feeding them corn which they seem to love. I did notice that the adult geese kept the juvenile goose surrounded to protect it from me.
I know that I have my own bodyguards surrounding me. God's angels protect me throughout my day. There is a peace in knowing that they will fight off Satan's attacks which seek to bring me down.
When I lay my head down tonight I will thank the Lord for His bodyguards.

A Mouth Full of Pride

It looks like this gull had a mouth full. He seem to be having a hard time swallowing his food. It was almost unbearable to watch as he twisted his neck to force the food down.
There are many times that I try to shove down more than I can chew. No matter how much I twist myself it just won't go down.
I am too proud to spit it back up. So I suffer.
When I do find myself gasping for air I know that I can turn to God to help me swallow my pride. This is one of the hardest things that I have to do.
It is easy for me to be prideful. I go around bragging about my accomplishments to anyone who I think will pat me on my back. I do this to boost my low self esteem.
But pride always come before a fall. So I always end up choking on my pride.
So today I am taking stock of my pride and putting it into it's place so that I can breath again. I want to be humble before God not prideful.

Bear Cloud

Doesn't this cloud look like a bear with a hand telling you to come over? It is like he is saying come here so I can eat you.
I love a cloudy day when the sky is blue and the sun is shining brightly. It is just the kind of day that the clouds forms all kinds of interesting shapes. And believe me with my imagination I can see a lot of things in the clouds.
Clouds can tell you things if you know how to read them. You can tell if a storm is brewing when the clouds get dark and thick. If they start spinning you know a tornado. Now there is something I would love to capture on film.
Maybe this summer when I go on vacation I will get to see a tornado. I will be looking up at the clouds to see what I can get. God never disappoints me with the pictures He put in the sky. I just love cloudy days.

Dreaming

It looks like my cat was deep in thought in his dream. What he could have been dreaming about is a mystery to me. But he looks so cute.
There are many nights that goes by without me remembering what I had been dreaming about. Than there are dreams that I can not put out of my mind. Some dreams are just outright nightmares. Those I am glad to get out of my mind.
Why do we dream? What is the purpose of dreams? Dreams reveal what is going on in our lives. When we can't handle life circumstances we may dream about it and fine some solutions.
We may find that God speaks to us in dreams. We get directions for our lives if we listen. Of course we need to search the bible to confirm that it is God talking to us.
Sometime dreams are just funny.Many times I wake up and just laugh at what I had just been dreaming about.
Whatever the purpose is for dreams. We can rest assure that God is in control and we need not allow dreams to run our lives.

Beautiful Butterfly

This is one of the most beautiful butterfly I have ever seen. The colors just jump out at you. But than I turned around and saw another beautiful butterfly and than another. This happen when you go and visit a butterfly garden.
Butterflies of every shape, color and size can be seen flying around going after nectar's, pieces of cut up fruits and each other. I did not want to leave.
I always marvel at the diversity of these flying works of art. Each butterfly has it's own unique set patterns just like the fingerprints on our hand. Oh to be so beautifully made.
Wait a minute!. We are beautifully made. Remember! God does not make junk. Each of us are made with our own set designs. We are uniquely made in the image of God. How can we be anything but beautiful. Amen?

Kissing Doves

I am not sure what these doves were doing but it sure looked like they were kissing. If nothing else it seemed they were being very affectionate to each other.
Love is in the air. Spring bring a renew sense of starting all over. Nature is getting ready for a new generations of off-springs. Nests are springing up all around Harford County.
Each time I go out walking I get entertained by the activities of the God's creatures getting ready for this season of renewal. The courtship, battles and just shear playfulness of the animal are worth trying to capture on film.
Maybe this year I will get those rare one of a kind shots. I can only hope and pray. But most of all just enjoy the time I have being in the presence of God and His creations.

A Rat's Life

Just this past week I have seen at least five rats at the mariner. This is the first year that I have ever seen them at all. This one did not even seem to be afraid of me. Which did not make me feel comfortable getting near it to take this picture. But you know me. I had to take its picture and blog it.
I can't imagine what it is like to live a rat's life. What purpose does God have for them. They carry diseases and germs that make us sick. They are blames for plagues. They are destructive and a nuisance. And they are not all that cute. Yet God has a plan for them.
But aren't we kind of living a rat's life. We can carry diseases and germs that make other sick. We sometime are destructive and a nuisance. We are not always cute. We can be outright ugly sometime. But God has a plan for us. Thank God.
I may not like rats. But I know that I act like one. I need to keep God's will before me to help me not live a rat's life.

Helping Out

Today I went to a friend's home to help her out. We built two bar stools in less than two hours. Her husband took about four hours to build one. The lesson? When there are more than one hand doing the chores it gets done in half the time.

When we find a friend in need and getting over whelmed with life problems we can lend a helping hand to ease the burden. It might be just to be there to listen or roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty. I like rolling up my sleeves.

There were many times in my life that friends have come to my aid. They helped me pack when it was time to move. They help clean my home, cook meals and even do some laundry when I was down after some surgery. They made life easier to bare.

Is there someone you can help today?

Turtle Bite

Have you ever had a turtle try and take a bite out of you? I have. He was fascinated with my tennis shoe and kept trying to bite it. Of course there was no way he was going to achieve anything even if he could get a piece off. But that did not stop him from trying to bite off more that he can chew.

Something I try to bite off more than I can chew. I take on projects at work that are more than I can handle and have to admit defeat and get help. I over schedule my week and find I can't get everything done in a timely manner. You would think I would learn from my mistakes. But that is not always the case.

I am so glad that God is patient with me and helps me put thing into bite size pieces. With His help I can achieve my goals one bite at a time.

Grassy Nest

Each year I have watched a pair of osprey return to the nest across from the Belcamp post office. But this year they decided to start a new nest across from the old one. It seemed they do not like the fact the their nest is a little bit grassy. I guess even though the grass is greener in their nest it became a burden for them. So they began building a new home.

Sometime we have to let go of things that we have worked so hard on to build. It might be a career, a home or a relationship. Life gets in the way and brings about unexpected circumstances that causes up to move on. It is not easy letting go. We try to hang on for as long as we can. Yet when we do let go we are able to rebuild a better life.

God allows circumstances to get us moving. We just have to take the next step.

Duck Nest

I finally found a duck nest. In the tangle mess at the bass of a tree is a duck that is using it for a nest. I will be checking on it several days each week until the eggs hatch. My hope is to keep track of the ducklings throughout the summer.

There is also a goose nest that I have found. For those who are concerned I am keeping my distance so as not to upset the birds.

I want to document the life of these birds. So I am keeping my finger cross and asking God to direct me in this endeavor.

Dreaded Bee

Well you know that spring is here when you see the dreaded bees flying from flower to flower. As much as I hate them flying around me, I know that they are needed. They were created to pollinate the flowers. They serve a greater purpose for God. Yet I dread seeing them.

There are many things in life that I dread seeing. Yet I know that God uses these things for the greater good.

When my grandson was born prematurely I hated seeing him so tiny with tubes attached to him. Yet it was these tubes that kept him alive.

When my new car was totaled within weeks of getting it off the lot I got one that was more than I could ever hope for.

When I watch all my dreams faded away with the lost of my grandson twin, my new car and the home I had wanted. I got to move in with my daughter and be a apart of seeing my grandson grow and become healthy.

I know there will be many more things in life that I will dread seeing. But I also know that God will help me to see the good that will come after.

Tinted Windows

The photo program that I use to touch up my picture added some new features. So I had to experiment with it. The possibilities were never ending for me. I know I am going to have fun playing around with it. Just seeing how it can change a simple picture of windows with cool affects make me want to go out and get pictures of things that I can use these features on.

There is so much I do have to learn yet. So I signed up for photography at the community college.

Who know maybe I will become one of those photographer that everyone wants to get a picture from. Maybe not. But the learning will be fun and I will grow as a photographer.

Grebe

Each day I leave for work early just to drive by the marsh. I keep hoping to catch something new or catch some good action shots.

This day it was a joy to watch the grebe having fun diving under a group of coots and making them fly. At first I could not see what was spooking the coots until the grebe finally poked his head out only to dive back under the water to chase some more coots.

The grebe can stay under water for a long time which made it hard to see where he was going to come up. So the coots were on edge trying to figure out where the grebe would attack next.

Problems can creep up on us like the grebe. We never know where they will poke their ugly heads and nip at us. But we do know who we can turn to when this happens.

God is there to help where we are being chase by our grebes in life. He protects us and sustains us doing these attacks. I am glad to have God on my side.

Squirrel's Nest

I sat and watched this squirrel wrestle with the branch that you see in her mouth for several minutes. The branch started out about the size of an yardstick. She could not get it through the maze of branches because she kept getting stuck. So she chewed the branch in half.

With that she was able to get a little farther but the branch was still too big. So she chewed that in half.

Once again she was able to make it through a few branches but encounter more difficulties. So she cut that branch in half again. Than she was able to make it to her nest. But that last few feet was a struggle for her as she jumped over the last obstacle.

There was a lesson for me here. I face so many obstacles in life that I can get overwhelmed. But if I take the time to break these into smaller pieces I find that I can manage them. With the help of God I can pick the problems of life trials and put them in their proper places. My squirrel's nest might look a mess but everything will be where God wants it to be.

Hung On a Tree

In this first picture when you look at the tallest tree in the middle you see a little black spot on the top. The second picture shows you what it is. Someone had got their remote helicopter hung on the tree.

I know he was steaming mad and was wishing he had wings to fly up there and retrieve his helicopter. The only way that helicopter is getting down is if a good wind storm knocks it out of the tree.

There are times in my life that I get hung up things that keep me from going forward. It might be something from the past or something that I am afraid to face. What ever it may be God needs to send a wind storm to knock me out of the tree that I am hung up on and put me back on solid ground. It might hurt a little but I know that it is the best thing for me. When this happens I can start off fresh and avoid future hang ups with the help of God.

Tin of Goodies

For the past three years the Fellowship Circle has made up several tins of goodies for the kids in college for final week. We get the list from the staff at Mountain and mail or deliver the tins to those who are connected to the church by way of family member. Along with the tins goes our prayers. This is one of the mission project our circle enjoys doing every year.

Sometime just the simple things in life is what is needed to show a fellow believer that they are loved. These tins are full of love. We know that the kids truly enjoy receiving them.

A Flicker

Got a new bird. I believe it is a flicker. I have been spotting it for a while but could not get any good shot off. I can't even say this is a great shot. It did take a while to take. Once I spotted the flicker I would take a step wait for the bird to go back to pecking than take another step. I had to get on the ground to get this picture. But it was worth it for me.

Sometime we have to take life one step at a time to get what we are after. We may have to get down and dirty to accomplish our adjective. But it is worth it when we do.

When we seek to do God's will in our life we may have to take many steps. We can wait many years to see the end of the result of our effort.When it is finish we can than sing His praises.

I am willing to wait, take it one step at a time and praise God when the work is finish.

Would You Ride a Buffalo?

Would you ride a buffalo? Today during the church service we were privy to see a clip of a man riding a buffalo. It was part of this Easter message.

The clip was funny. I will never look at an Easter sermon the same way again.

When we are in the present of Jesus it is as if we are riding a buffalo. What do we have to fear when Jesus is our strong hold on life?

Would I ever ride a buffalo? NO. Will I put my trust in Jesus? YES.

Easter Basket

This weekend children of all ages have or will be hunting for Easter eggs. They will enjoy the trill of finding all the colorful eggs like my nephew in this picture.

I can remember all the fun I would have hiding the eggs for my own children and watching them search for them in the morning. Tonight I will be hiding them for my grandson.

Easter is more than egg hunt, basket full of candy or the Easter bunny. It is about a risen Savior.

So this Easter I plan on keeping my focus on what Jesus did for me. While I will enjoy watching my grandson search for the eggs I will also be thanking the Lord for this season to reflect and remember His sacrifice for me.

Happy Easter.

Lighthouse and the Cross

There is a small lighthouse at the end of a path that leads to the water. Every year when I go to Sandy Cove for a conference or retreat I like to take a picture of it. This summer I notice that someone had put a makeshift cross by it.

I like the fact the these are together. I can think of the lighthouse as a beacon to the cross. This picture helps me to focus on what today means to every Christians.

Jesus died on the cross to save me from sins grip. I am thankful for the sacrifice that Jesus endure while on the cross. It also brings tears to my eyes knowing that He did this for me. How can I ever repay Him. The only way I know how is to tell the world one person at a time of how there is hope for the lost.

Like the lighthouses that shine their light to show the way maybe through my blogs I can shed a little light on the cross.

Footprints

Today I went to Flying Point Park with a dear friend to see what kind of picture I could get. It was nice. But I expected a little more beach. We did checked out the few feet of beach for something. I came a cross these footprints in the sand. What I like about them is the different size.

I am not sure what birds made them but they got me to thinking as I compared them. So many times I compare myself to others. My achievements in life seem so small to the accomplishment of others. I feel that I can not even come close to the level of excellence that seems beyond my reach. Yet I know God looks down and see me and puts His stamp of approval on my life.

I may not leave big footprints in the sand but the little ones that I do makes a different.

Double Rainbow

It is always so cool to see a rainbow after a storm. When you get to see a double rainbow than it becomes exciting. When you see one it reminds you of the promise of God to never destroy the earth with a flood. But it doesn't mean that we won't face floods in our lives.

When the storms of my life seems to overtake me with the floods of loneliness, failures and heartaches I can turn to God who calms the storms. I can rest in His assurance that these floods will not destroy me. They will set me back some and cause me to stumble sometime. But they will not end my life.

So when I see the storms heading in my direction I will seek the rainbow that follows.

Patient Hawk

This hawk was the most patient bird I had ever seen. He just kept sitting there waiting for any kind of prey to catch his eyes. I tried to be just as patient waiting to get a picture of him getting one. Well time ran out for me and I had to leave without the picture.

I wonder how long he waited after I left. Did he ever get his pray? I went back the next day to see if he would show up again. But he didn't.

Some of my best pictures are the ones I wait for. When I am not press for time I can afford to be patient and get the shot I am looking for.

I am grateful that God is patient with me. That He is willing to wait for me to do the right thing. I just hope that I don't make Him wait too long.

Broken Peanuts

I have been putting peanuts out on picnic tables, fence posts and along the path to see who will go after them. To my surprise I found that many birds likes peanuts. But there were a few that had a hard time picking up the peanuts. Their beaks were just too small. So I broke several peanuts to help them out. This titmouse was one of the first to go after the peanut.

There are times we need to give a helping hand to those in need. It might be through giving of our time, money or just a listening ear. What ever we can do will give a person a lift to face another day.

Are you willing to break some peanuts today?

April Fool

At first I thought this bird was fake. But than I thought this bird might be dead. So I took this picture and walked up to it only to have it fly away. It fooled me. I guess you can say it played an April Fool's Day trick on me.

Why we ever came up with a holiday to play tricks on anyone is beside me. I have a few friends who have their birthday today. I can only imagine what kinds of tricks were done on them throughout their life time.

Did I play any tricks on anyone today? No. I am not any good at fooling people. I would not make a good poker player. My grandson tried several times to play one on me to no avail.

So what is the big deal about this day? Who knows? I guess it is just a day to have fun at other people expenses. As long as you don't go too far.