Smallwood Adventure

It was a beautiful day and I wanted to go to a place that I had never visited. My husband took control of the car and off we went to Pasadena. He had wanted to check out a place called Fort Smallwood Park near where he works.

When we entered the park, we had to pay six dollars. As we made our way around the park, it started to become clear that we had just wasted our money. So, we parked the car and walked out to the beach.

We noticed that one fisherman seemed to be having a battle with a gull. It turned out, instead of catching a fish, he had hooked the gull. He can share his story of the one that did not get away.


This was the start of our adventure. Walking along the shore, we can across all kinds of shells clustered together. I had never seen this before and found it interesting.


The path around the marsh came alive with birds. Don and I ran from tree to tree trying to catch them all. There were red-bellied woodpeckers, chickadees, thrashers, downy woodpeckers and this cardinal munching on berries.


One of the funny experience was coming across this snake as I came out of the public restroom. There was another woman with her child still in the restroom. As I open the door, I notice the snake caught on the base of the door. When I got it free, it headed right into the restroom. The mother started to scream and I had to corral the snake back out the door.


My husband came to the rescue and helped chase it along the building. The snake caused a frog to jump out of hiding, which scared me more then the snake did.

We saw a deer, a fox and some squirrels. Before we got to the park, I did get to see a white squirrel that Don had talked about earlier.

This Smallwood adventure was worth more than the six dollars. I look forward to coming back.

Caterpillar Camouflage

There was a new sighting at the Mariner today. It was the first time that I have come across a tiger swallowtail caterpillar. Of course, I had to look it up when I got home. When I saw it moving along the path, it caught my attention because it was different then the bright green one that I has seen many years ago.


I almost stepped on it, because it blended in so well to the pavement. It was a good camouflage. The best camouflage is the fake eyes on the top of his body. When I picked it up with a stick, he displayed his use for this attribute. It was cool watching him swaying back and forth trying to fool me.

So many times in my life, I put on my camouflage and try to fool those around me that I am something that I am not. Those who knows me well can see right through this act of deception.

God is never fooled by my attempt at camouflaging. He sees right into my deepest part of my heart. So, no matter how much I try to be like this caterpillar with his camouflage, I will never win in fooling God.

It was a cool sighting. I was glad to see this caterpillar camouflage.

A Cloudy Day

Where is the sunshine? All I see are clouds. The rain just does not seem to want to end. Now there is a hurricane heading for the east coast. Now there is more rain to an already soaked ground. Where will all the water go?

I love blue skies and fluffy clouds. Like this picture, I can make out a puppy right in the center. There are many things I see in the clouds as they pass on. This is one of my favorite pass time.

Now, I love to watch a good old fashion thunder storm, with all the lightening shows. After this past week worth of storms, this is a little bit too much. When will it all end?

God made the seasons for us to enjoy. We need the rain, the sunshine and the cloudy days. I just wish we could send some of the water to the states that need it due to drought. That is my prayer.

We do need to pray for all those who will be hit hard by Hurricane Florence. We need to get back to seeing just a cloudy day full of fluffy pictures.

Busy Flycatcher

It moved so fast. With one fast swoop it nabbed the flying insect and flew back to the limb of the tree. Perched, it looks for the next small morsel to past within its grasp. Before you can blink you eyes it is off again.

This busy flycatcher was getting his fill of the many flying bugs that swarmed around the trees. He did not care that I was standing just feet away enjoying his activities.

I love how God provides for his many creatures. If He cares for something as simple as this small little bird, how much more does He cares for me?

Like this flycatcher, I can get so busy trying to catch my next opportunity, that I am unaware of my surroundings. I need to stay still and wait on God to direct my path.

With God's leading, I will get my fill of the morsels of grace that swarms all around me. 

A Cycle Of Life

I try each year to catch the whole cycle of the life of a butterfly. It started when I first saw the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly several years ago. I caught the bug for bugs.

The past two weeks I have been keeping an eye on the monarch at Harford Glen. I had hope to see the butterfly in the picture emerge from the chrysalis. This is the one thing that I have not been able to capture on film.

I do like this picture as it shows a cycle of the butterfly. With each stage there is a period of growth. The caterpillar spends weeks eating and growing. Then it is time to create the next stage by forming the chrysalis.


Just a few feet away on another leaf I spy a caterpillar attaching himself for the next cycle. Below, there is another feeding.


I will keep trying and keep taking pictures. I will get the whole cycle of life.

Back To School

Tomorrow children from all over will be going back to school. Some for the first time and others it will be their last year. Whatever the case, the first day is always a bit scary.

Making new friends, meeting new teachers and learning new things can bring you to your knees. It is not easy to start over. As the days moves on, you will forget how afraid you were and thing will get easier.

This week, I also will start my first day at a new job. I do not know what to expect, yet, through past experiences, I know with each day it will get easier. 

As each child walk through the school doors tomorrow, I will be praying that this year will be a safe and excited one for them all. I will also be praying that my new job will be just as safe and exciting.

Tomorrow is the first day we all go back to school, work or some other new adventures. I can not wait to see what the future hold for us all.

A Bug's Eye View

Today as I walked the path that I traveled for many years, I got my view blocked by something that flew onto my glasses. This leaf like bug decided that he needed my glasses to see.

For the past few weeks, I have been on the look out for bugs. This is a good time of the year to find some unusual creatures. I sometimes have to get down and dirty to find these little buggers. Just like this "what I call a turd-bug" walking on the fence.

The fences has been a great place for finding all kinds of bugs. Caterpillars, spiders and beetles make these fences the highways to their destinations.

Life can be exciting from a bug's eye view.

Bigfoot Rock

It has been a while since I have come a cross a colored rock. They have become a rare sighting here lately. Just like the Bigfoot, these rock high out in all kinds of places. Thanks to this fellow, I (really my husband), found this rock.

Note, that this rocks looks like an alien. If you ever watch any of the bigfoot shows or the many shows on UFOs, they claim that bogfoot is an alien. Well, here is the proof. He must have thought he was finding a friend.

All joking aside, it is nice to see that the painting of rocks are still going strong. While I struggle to understand all the bad things that are going on around the world, it helps to put a smile on my face to come across a pretty rock, even if it looks alien.

So today, I will enjoy my sighting of a bigfoot rock. I hope I get to see more as I set out to find new things to take pictures of.

Bee Ware

I find myself fascinated with the flowers that just seemed to spring up everywhere. One thing though, I have to be aware of the many bugs and bees that are just as fascinated by these same flowers. While I am not allergic to the sting of a bee, I still do not want to experience the pain of the stinger. I need to "bee ware" of the bees.

These bees do serve a purpose. Without them we would not have the many plants that make up our diet. The bee in the picture is sucking up the nectar, while at the same time pollen is getting on the hair of his legs. When he moves to the next plant, this pollen rubs off pollinating it.


Many other bugs do enjoy the nectar as well, as seen in this picture. This plant is a community plant.

Would it not be nice if we were just like the bees? We would take in the nectar of God's Words and spread it around as we go from person to person. What a great world it would be after all the pollinating.

I just need to "bee ware" of how I live my life. I do not want to sting others. I want to be a blessing and cause others to grow.

A Sighting Of Bigfoot

It was an unbearable hot and humid day. This did not stop me from going out in search of something to take a picture of. I can not believe it. There he was, warning me not to take this path. Hazardous conditions caused this path to be closed. Bigfoot telling me not to enter.

While on vacation, I had run into one of his family member. He had told me where I might get to see other Bigfoot. There are many areas here in Maryland where Bigfoot hides. I just happen to find one today.


He did take the time to show me another hidden treasure. With Bigfoot help, I found a nest with a bird in it. It was hard to identify this little mother hiding, until she flew out onto a tree nearby.




This flycatcher is just too cute. It was a nice surprise. I hope to be able to see her babies soon. Hopefully, Bigfoot will let me know when the big day comes. In the meantime, I will keep searching.

Coyote Sighting

This was the first vacation that we were not able to see any bears or elks. There were many other sightings that brought excitement to our journey. Like, this coyote sighting which had my cousin slamming on the brakes.

We only saw a few coyotes. This vacation seems to be more about the many new bird species that we came across. Along with the birds, we did see several different mammals as well. It seems that we were meant to enjoy more of God's creatures this trip.

Of course, I enjoy any of God's creatures where ever I travel. Even if it is only in my back yard, I am in awe at the diversity of His creations from bugs to plants and animals. I might not ever see a coyote in my back yard. That is okay with me. Getting to see a coyote sighting on vacation is all I need. 

Finally A Chipmunk

Everyone who knows me, knows that while on vacation, I have to get at least one picture of a chipmunk. The one place that I have not been able to get a shot of this elusive creature is, in the state of Maryland. Well, finally, I got my chipmunk.

After church, I made my way to Harford Glen. I had already enjoyed some good sightings today as I made my way to some of my favorite stompimg grounds before church. For the first time, I saw a doe with her two fawns drinking at the marsh. I was trying to get a picture of a goldfinch, when I notice the first fawn. I could not get any pictures, but, it was cool.

Then, I went to the ponds with the fountains. There was much activity there. I saw an indigo bunting upon entering the road leading to the ponds. There were several geese, ducks and terns. It was a treat watching the terns dive for their meals. Again no real shots to show you.

Getting the picture of the chipmunk was a complete surprise to me. I was watching a squirrel eating some nuts, when I notice a smaller critter helping himself to the same nuts. At first, I thought it was a baby squirrel. It was not until I look through the lens of my camera, that I notice that he had stripes.

I knew right away that I was seeing a chipmunk. He did not see me as he stuffed his cheeks with as many nuts that he could carry. It was not until he turned around to leave, that he notice me and stop dead in his track. So I just kept taking pictures. Finally, a chipmunk. 

Mom, I Am Hungry

This grackle seems to be yelling to his mom, "I am hungry." She has already given him some type of morsel just a few minutes earlier. Afterward, she proceeded to fly to the other baby only to be follow by the first one. This fellow seems to be demanding more food. A mother's work is never done.


For the past few days, I have been watching the different birds families at my two favorite places. At Harford Glen, I watched the swallows going in and out of the bird house, while the babies peeked out waiting for their next meal.


A short distance away, another box had a baby wren peering out looking for its mom to satisfy his hunger. I waited, but she did not show up. I was hoping to get a shot of her going in and out of the bird box.


In one of the tree at the Mariner was a nest with eggs. I have been checking on it before I went away three weeks ago for vacation. Yesterday, I found that it got flooded and the babies never hatched. This made me sad. I took a spoon and scooped out the eggs.

Next month, I will be doing a bird walk for the park. I want to show who ever comes these eggs. There is so much to learn about these birds. I am looking forward to sharing what I have found out so far. In the mean time, I will enjoy the birds yelling at their moms saying, "Mom, I am hungry."

Clark's Grebe Feeding Time

Today as we heading to Elko, Nevada, we pulled off to check out some birds in a lake in a nature park. It was the sight of the white pelicans that drew us to the site. Upon a closer inspection we saw birds that were new to us all. What we were seeing were Clark's Grebes.

My cousin was able to catch one with the baby on her back. This was something that we had talk about earlier in our vacation. Getting a shot of a fowl with her baby riding along was on her bucket list. God blessed her wishes.


It was interesting watching the mother teach the young one some fishing lessons. This was a treat. This whole vacation was and is a treat. If it was not for my cousin planning it and letting us come along, I would be missing out on so much.


There is so much to see in this great world. Each day brings about new wonders. Getting to see the Clark's Grebe feeding her young one made this day perfect, thanks to my cousins and God blessing this whole vacation.

Cool, California

My brother is so cool, he lives in Cool, California. It had been a blast watching all that goes on around his property. He built this tin man from scrap metal he collected. He has a great imagination.

Here he is feeding his horses. It was fun watching the German Shepard racing after the horses nipping at their tails. This was the morning routine for both my brother, his wife and the dogs.

They have a small coupe of chickens as well. They are too young to lay eggs though. But, in time they will and there will be fresh eggs to cook in the morning.


Today, before we left to head to Lake Tahoe on our next journey, they had their friend who will be taking care of the property, come over with her dog and a surprise guess, a tortoise. Here he is enjoying some fresh lettuce.

There were many cool things to see at his place. Beside the tame animals, there were many sightings of birds and a deer. It was fun and the time lasted way too short. I just do not get to spend time with my brother like I would love too. These pass few days , I will cherish. 

Bigfoot Big Trees

As we made our rounds sight seeing Yosemite National Park and the Sequoias National Park, we were surprise to see a legend. Never in my wildest dream did I think that I would see this giant. But there he was, Bigfoot.

I had to make my way to him. This was an once in a life time opportunity. As I gain his trust, he whispered in my ear the locations of bigfoots. When I get back home, do not be surprise if I start posted some of my Bigfoot sighting.


He was not the only thing big in the park. The sequoias were giant as well. These trees were a sight to behold. They were massive. Here is my cousin showing how big one of the trees were and this was a small one compared to some of the other trees we came across.

We even found one that you could go through. It was not at a place where you could drive a car through, but a hole you could walk though.
Here is my brother and his wife standing next to this hugh tree. 
The giants in these parks were breath taking. Yet, seeing a bigfoot was the high light of my day. I can not wait to see what sightings I might get to share, when I get home.


I thank and gave Bigfoot a goodbye kiss as we parted company. I will miss that furry fellow, but, I will never forget the giants we all got to enjoy.

Coach Ride

It was a beautiful day for a coach ride. Just five dollars a person was all it took to enjoy a once around the grounds of this historical site in Yosemite Park. We were the first for the day. As we waited to get on board, the driver had to pick who was to ride up front with him. Kathy was the chosen one.


We spent the days checking out water falls, the tall trees and many of the other sites in one small part of this great forest. We have been blessed with great weather through out this vacation.


I have enjoyed so much spending time with my cousins, my brother and his wife. They make it so much fun with their joking around and their willingness to enjoy new things, like this coach ride.

It is always an adventure each day as we travel from place to place. I look forward to each day.

Death Valley

Talk about hot, the temperature reached 120 degree the second day we spent in Death Valley. The average temperature ran over 100 each day we spent there. We did very little sight seeing during the middle of the day, like reaching the area where we were over 200 feet below sea level.


There were not much life to capture on film. There were a few lizards and some birds. Even they were not really out during the heat of the day. This hawk made a brief showing.


We did stop by the Devils Golf Course. Of course, it was not a place that Don could do any sort of golfing. It was a cool place to visit, I mean a hot place to visit.

We were never more happy to leave a tourist attraction. Yes, it was a dry heat. But we left understanding why this place is called Death Valley

Zion Big Horn Sheep

This big horn sheep was our blessing this past Friday. As we enter Zion National Park, we wondered if we would see the big horn sheeps. The last time we went there years ago, we did not see any signs of them.

Before we even got too far into the park, Don shouted out, "Sheep!" My cousin had to do some fancy maneuver to get the car turned around so we could go back and get pictures. Through out the whole trip, we are stopping on a dime, making lots of u-turns or backing the car up just to get the shot.


This was like hitting the jack pot. Even if we did not see any sheep, the park was worth driving through. The scenery was breath taking. The colors, patterns and textures made it look like a piece of art work.


The sheep just added just a little touch of class to a already one of God's wonders. It was a great Friday.

Buffalo Thursday.

The north rim of the Grand Canyon lives the timber bison. We were so excited to see the herd as we drove around. it was so cute when this baby bison made his way to the mother and started feeding off of her.


The herd was pretty large. The one thing we did notice was, that they were much smaller then the buffalo at Yellowstone. There antlers were shorter too. The fur seems to be quite different as well.


Among the buffalo were deer as well. These were different than the deer we are use to seeing as well. There were more of these guys roaming around that the bison. We were sure that we would hit one before the ride was through. Thankfully we did not, due to Donnie's driving skills.


The most usual sight we came across, was the Kaibab squirrel. Marge had sent me a link about these squirrel before vacation, hoping we would get to see one, and one we did. He ran across the road and up the tree before we could get any good shots off. This was the best that I got.

So, buffalo Thursday turned out just as exciting as this past week. Each day brings new and cool things to see, and we are only in our first week. I am not sure how much more I can take. LOL.