Nature

Different things we saw today

/ Roadtirementvintage / 10 Comments

Sometimes you never know what you are going to find when you’re out and about. Here’s some stuff we saw today while we were out looking for bridges and other history.

Creepy tree, best presented in B&W

Mud daubers and paper wasp nests

Two different paper wasp nests

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some wasps make their nests out of mud, thus the name. Others make very light nests with paper like material, again thus the name. At least that’s what we called them.

Crawdad house entrance

The crawdad builds a tower like structure with the material it excavates to make its home. These towers can get to be about a foot tall sometimes. Ok, this small lobster like critter gets its name depending on where in the country you happen to be. In the Midwest we call them crawdads. From Louisiana? You’ll no doubt call them crawfish. You’ll call ’em crayfish if you’re up North. They are all the same critter. Yes, you can eat them, but cook them well first. Don’t ask why…

 

We have changed a bit

/ Roadtirementvintage / 49 Comments
Those who have followed us for awhile know that we moved from a big 4 bedroom home with a built in pool to an RV adventure. We had joked as our 5 kids were growing up that we were going to get an RV and park at each of their homes, then when they got tired of us they could pay for our gas to the next one’s home. We have kids that live in Indiana, Ohio, Washington state, and Texas.

 

We decided when our youngest finished college that we really wanted to do it. The kids were all busy with their own lives and we could travel and stop in to visit them all at the same time. We didn’t really let them pay for our gas.

 

Then we realized we should really have a small house as a base home. So we now have a very small house with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. It is quite a change from the big house we were used to, but then we are gone a lot. Our youngest son isn’t married so he lives in the house and takes care of things while we travel.

 

Then Covid hit and we were stuck. Fortunately we were able to get back to home base just in the nick of time and stocked up with supplies. Like everyone we were shocked at how long it lasted and how bad it was. But, we were safe. Now 2 years later and 2 years older, it is harder for us to travel in the RV cross country like we had been. We still use the RV, but for shorter trips and it is great when we set up at a flea market. We now fly when we go to Seattle or Austin.

 

We still travel but our interests have changed a little. We like visiting vineyards and winetasting. We’ve gotten interested in old churches and their history. Maj has always been a history buff, so we’ve taken up visiting historical sites.

 

Our website has changed a bit to compensate for the changes we’re making. Rather then listing all the things we do in each state we are focusing more on the things that interest us today. Oh, and I shouldn’t forget birds! We have taken up bird watching.

 

I think you will still enjoy following us as we take shorter RV trips, fly out of state and have more personal and fun stories.

His name is Bongo

/ Roadtirementvintage / 19 Comments

We saw this large and beautiful blue-and-gold macaw enjoying “riding” around at our recent Highway 40 Yard Sale. Owner told us that the bird’s name is Bongo, and he doesn’t say much. Bongo is twenty years old, and can live to be at least 80. Thus the owner said that he has provisions in his will to take care of Bongo, as the bird will most likely out live him.

Another fledgling robin

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

Mom with a morsel for junior

Close up of the youngster

The Free Dictionary lists the first definition of fledgling as “A young bird that has left the nest and has usually acquired flight feathers, but is often not yet able to fly.” That’s a pretty accurate description of this young robin. It would run across the yard, chirping all the way with a feeble attempt to flap its wings. Hopefully this little one will survive until it can fly. This fledgling may be the same robin from this post.

 

Blue Jay enjoying a suet cake

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

Blue jays love suet, and they like suet feeders set on a tree trunk allowing them to solidly perch, as opposed to hanging feeders that sway. This jay was really enjoying the suet cage we set against one of our backyard trees. Blue jays are very intelligent, and some believe that they are capable of remembering individual human faces.

 

Grackle feeds its youngster

/ Roadtirementvintage / 22 Comments

The gray bird landed, and we did not recognize what kind of bird it was. Soon however two grackles showed up and it was obvious that they were here to feed their offspring.

We did not recognize this species

Ah, looks like a parent is here to feed the youngster

There is the second parent and the youngster demanding more to eat

This was an interesting and enjoyable event for us to observe. It was the first time we had seen an immature grackle. There is always something going on with the wildlife in our backyard! We enjoy sharing our photos with you.