Foto Friday - On the trail again . . .

{If you are looking for the Bead Soup reveal . . . click here)


Cue the music please . . .

"On the trail again, just couldn't wait to get back

on the trail again . . . ", fa la la la la.

Okay, so I was actually on foot and not a horse.

And well it was a coastal birding trail,

where instead of driving cattle the beauty of nature stopped me in my tracks

and the only stampede to be found was that of the dragonflies

buzzing through the air.
There were no trail bosses or trail hand's to deal with
so I was able to set my own pace, but a chuck wagon would have been a welcome sight!

It was another breathtaking morning
and as someone who pays close attention to the light as a photographer
that would be my only indication that the season is changing
since the weather here still feels very much like summer and is still up near 100 degrees!

The sky was a beautiful shade of blue and the smell of freshly fallen
pine needles was carried through the air by the soft breeze.

Some of the flowers are now producing interesting seed pods.

The seed pods below especially caught my eye. They're miniature works of art and the seeds reminded

me of black pearls only more precious. They may not have the monetary value of pearls,

but something more important as they they continue the cycle and give back life.

(linking this with Favorite photo of the week contest)

When I first arrived (at the butterfly garden) there were several hummers out for morning

coffee nectar but flew right away. I found a tree stump and practiced the virtue of patience

and, eventually a few came back. It was difficult even to get this picture because they are just so quick

and by the time you can find them in the view finder they are heading for the next stop.

Of course I can't pass up the water drops . . .

(linking this one with This and That Thursday with Deb Duty)

There were quite a few butterflies on this morning and I just happened to be standing

right next to the special of the day! 

I was even able to lasso a little starshine!! Which of course reminded me of this quote

from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:

"Good morning starshine, the Earth says hello!"  - Willy Wonka

And along the way some bushes with berries in my favorite color  - PINK!!

And of course it wouldn't be a birding trail without some fabulous birds . . . .this one is a Roseate

Spoonbill but not quite as pink as normal. It was lucky for me that there are some grasses and bushes

that grow along side the trail that allow me to get a little closer, although I still ended up startling this one anyway.  

And this guy was his walking buddy, an immature White Ibis. There is actually quite a bit of grass between

him and I but since I focused on him and was very close to the grass it just blurred and became a nice bokeh. 

(linking this one with La-La's Home daycare - theme "S" curve - it's a stretch I know, but you do see the

"S" in the neck?)

Throughout the trail there are these bird feeds scattered about. I rested at the swing by this one

and after a little while they felt comfortable coming back.

(linking this with Fabulous Friday)

Then I caught back up with this one . . . 

Here is an immature yellow-crowned night heron and he was quite focused on something . . .

 . . . . he found himself lunch, blue crab yum!!

As I was headed back to the car there was another bird feeder and as I turned around to wait and

see if any birds would return I saw this guy looking at me. I had walked straight passed him!

As I walked this trail there were a few things that I thought about. In life when I walk in fear

I am usually disappointed. When I walk in faith my needs are met. It seems pretty simple

enough, yet sometimes I still insist on being in control . . . I'm still working on that.

I'm going to tape this to the mirror in my bathroom:

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.

Thanks for walking with me today - Have a wonderful weekend!

Love, Kim

XO

 

" 
                

Foto Friday

Happy Friday everyone! The sun is out and they are calling for a high of 75 today and tomorrow with a high of 79 on Sunday! Time to get out the garden gloves . . .

This week has gone by pretty quickly and I'm really looking forward to the weekend and the chance for some excitement with my camera. I went to lunch with my husband this week to find I wish I had brought my camera along. I almost always do, but who would have thought that I would have seen the Texas Trail Riders going through the restaurant parking lot on their way to the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show? Unfortunately unlike a parade there were no clowns with shovels following them, which made for quite the mess they left behind. Did I mention there were a lot of horses? (insert smiley face)

This first picture is that of the doors that lead into the Grace Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas. It's a beautiful Gothic style church that was designed by the famous architect Nicholas Clayton and was consecrated in 1895.

It's a survivor of the 1900 storm as well as the more recent hurricane Ike from 2008. After the 1900 storm, they spent years raising the grade of the entire island and building the Galveston Seawall. By way of a completely brilliant system of hand turned jacks the church was raised four and a half feet and not one of the stones was cracked in the process. They pumped in a slurry of sand and water to fill in where the buildings were raised and of course had to wait for the water to drain off. Over 2,100 buildings were raised in this manner and it took them over 7 years!  The more I learn about the island the more fascinated I am by Galveston and it's people. They really are survivors . . .

After breakfast last weekend we walked across the street and I took this outside in a garden area of the Hotel Galvez, again on Galveston Island. A hotel of the elegant Victorian era that had guests such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Howard Hughes, and Frank Sinatra. We met and talked with a security officer who is also a historian for the island who enjoyed sharing as much as we did receiving all of his interesting historical information. This is a place that I will be re-visiting, looking for that historian with my journal in hand next time. He was like a walking history book only with animation.

They were just setting up brunch when we took a peek inside . . . yep we'll be back for that too!










Okay, next to the Pelican I think the Roseate Spoonbill would be my other favorite bird. They reach about 32" high with a wingspan of 50", and they have the most extraordinary red eyes and their feathers are PINK.   Because they eat foods rich in carotenoids, the more they eat the pinker they become. I was thrilled to get these photos since it's hard to get close enough (unless you own multi-million dollar lenses,ha) without spooking them. I was lucky as we had pulled off to the shoulder for some egret shots and in he flew!

And just yesterday I visited a chain garden center to find a plethora of plants to make any gardener

drool with the anticipation of spring planting! The first two pictures are Osteomums and the last one

is a Hydrangea. I also spotted my first two Monarch butterflies but couldn't talk either one of them into a photo. (insert sad face)

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Love,
Kim XO