Foto Friday - A trail walk through Pine Gully Park

Another week and another vastly different sunrise. It makes me wonder what I miss when I'm not there...but so thankful for the opportunity to see what I can. It's hard to even imagine that there are people who live here that have never gone to watch such a beautiful spectacle.

After the sunrise I took a walk on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, that took me to Galveston Bay.  I went to the end of a pier and sat against the rails and it gently swayed as the tide came in. The sun warmed my face, there was a slight breeze, and I closed my eyes and just listened to the gulls and the water and it was wonderful. It was just what I needed after a very cold week.

When I got back to the car I was inspired to write in my journal:

The sun rose over the horizon

and seagulls flew in to perch.

The water rippled and shimmered like gold

while shrimp boats left for their search.

A rooster crowed,

there was a smell of fresh pine.

Near the waters edge were deer

and a Great Blue Heron dined.

A long walk on a pier

to sit against the dock of the bay.

A slight breeze and warm sun on my face,

while the motion of the tide made in gently sway.

A cardinal,

a woodpecker,

a hovering hawk.

On this day, I had the most heavenly walk.

      I really wish I had a audio to go with these pictures. The sound is just as much a part of it as the seeing.



The sun and the reflection in the water makes it look like a candle to me.

I love how the shadows of the wood makes it look like a water color painting.

Pretty much right after I got on the trail I came across these two looking

for food together. The one with the curved orange beak is a White Ibis and the other

is a Snowy Egret. I just love the reflections in this!

This one is a Great Egret, a large white heron.

This a Great Blue Heron and had caught a fish that he could hardly

manage to swallow. He worked at for about 20 minutes.

As I was watching the Blue Heron, a group of White tailed deer appeared and this one

came down to the waters edge. Everything that morning reflected so beautifully in the water!

Not sure what kind of bird this is, but it sure it cute!

The trail was just alive with bird activity, much more than I was able to photograph

with my lenses. This one is a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

This is a little walking bridge over a small inlet of water that comes in off the bay.

 And just beyond those trees is Galveston Bay.

Just shorty after reaching the bay, there is a park with this 1000' fishing pier. I have a similar picture in a previous foto Friday, but this one just reminded me of heaven. I went and sat at the end

and just closed my eyes and enjoyed the sound of the water and the seagulls while it swayed ever

so gently.

Oh, and as I was on my walk back I could hear hawks calling back and forth and then this one flew right

over to where I was and just hovered over me. It was a little difficult to get a sharp focus since he

was moving so quickly. This one is a Red Shouldered Hawk.

Did you know that Texas is one of the top birding destinations in the world, and extremely diverse in it's species of wildlife. And that the Lone Star State was the first state in the nation to create birding and wildlife viewing trails. I encourage you to check out the trails where you live!

I'm looking forward to the warmer weekend that is forecasted. Back into the 60's, which means I'll be back on the trail again......looking for that American Alligator! Perhaps I should get myself a walking stick?

Have a fabulous weekend. Be a hunter (of photos) and shoot something (with your camera) !  ; )

Love,

Kim

Foto Friday

The weather is getting warmer and people are starting to mingle about a bit more. This means that the chess players at the Starbucks I frequent are taking it outside. I'm not much of a people photographer and not exactly a shy person, but it can feel a little awkward to ask strangers if they mind I share their personal space. I'm getting over it! But don't let the pictures fool you because although they look deep in thought there was quite a bit of laughing going on. I do find people to be quite interesting and maybe I'll start bringing a journal with me....everyone has a story.

Concentrating.....

I love how the game board is reflected in his glasses.

A friend watching. . .

. . . his friend make a move.

They invited me to come back with or without my camera - maybe I'll even learn how to play chess?

Then it was off to you know where to get some pictures of flowers and such.

Spring has to be one of my favorite seasons, everything renews.

I didn't bring my tripod with me this time and it was just breezy enough to make

it tricky to get a really good focus. But I do love the old fashioned feeling of this one.

 

And I never tire of taking a picture of this gate!!

  And then a little game of hide and seek. As soon as he saw me he ran between two concrete benches with an opening of maybe an inch. This lizard and I had a love hate relationship. I loved that he posed long enough for my camera and he hated that I wouldn't leave!

After I left there it was off to a favorite path that leads to the gulf and one that has a sign that says 'snake and gator habitat' but I have yet to see either one!

Yep that's me and my shadow.

That path led me to this. And you can't see from here but there is a party happening at the end of this pier. Probably about a dozen people fishing, and having fun, and some of which I suspect were playing hookie from work. As a group of them were leaving they asked me to take their picture as long as their wives didn't see it.

 

This was the only catch of the day between about twenty poles hanging over the edge of the pier.  Ask a guy if he caught anything and they are more than happy to take it out of the cooler and pose with it. He wanted to know if it would be on the news. Umm, no. He was wanting me to help him get a sponsor for bass fishing, really?

The next two were actually shot earlier in the week and are one of my favorites to do - silhouettes!

There is this grove of trees that are scattered along a creek and they're covered with Spanish moss. As I was crossing the bridge over the creek as the sun was setting it looked like an enchanted forest. But when I actually got down into the trees the perspective just wasn't the same as it was on the bridge. 

And last but not least I do like the contrast in this one between the soft focus of the trees

and the hard lines of the iron fence.

Wishing you all a great week, and don't forget to take your camera with you. You never know what or who you might run into.

Kim