This nearly 38k acre reservoir is about 50 miles east of Dallas. Our RV site was, as you can see, right on the shore, and provided a beautiful end to the day.
We named her Wilma
The Pileated Woodpeckers are some of the most exciting birds to observe. We’ve been blessed with some great sightings!
Sher and I were thrilled a couple of days ago when we saw for just a second a stunning Pileated Woodpecker who came in and landed on our tree. Almost immediately it took off. Yesterday, however, another (maybe the same?) Pileated female came in and ended up feeding from one of the suet cages.
Notice the little Nuthatch that photobombed the video? The size of Wilma seems to have spooked it from the suet cage.
Could have been embarrassing
Here’s a live action shot of a not so coordinated squirrel. We thought it was worth a replay.
Sher and I see it everyday: squirrels hopping from tree to overhead lines and back again. This morning we saw a juvenile squirrel almost miss.
This fellow was going from the tree branch to the immediate left over to the wire. Usually a small stretch is all that’s required. He missed getting his back legs on the wire, and he ended up in the position you see. A little struggle and he was successfully on his way down the wire.
Austin’s Lady Bird Lake at night
We really enjoyed this family outing on Lady Bird Lake. Read on to see and learn about the “different” buildings in downtown Austin.
The Colorado River runs through Austin’s vibrant downtown. Flanked by parks, bike and hiking trails and entertainment venues, the river also widens and slows, prompting the name Lady Bird Lake after LBJ’s First Lady.
Striking view at dusk
Groupon led us to Lone Star Riverboat cruises, offering a chance to enjoy a sunset cruise and beautiful views of the remarkable and interesting architecture of Austin’s skyline. Lone Star has both a double deck “paddle wheeler” style boat. Sher and I and our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter chose to ride the open air pontoon boat for our sunset cruise.
Center building is either an owl or a nose hair clipper: locals laugh about it
Curved building is the new Google Headquarters, far right is one that looks like a thumb drive
We thoroughly enjoyed our slow paced tour up and down the waters. Our Captain of the craft gave a…
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Wild strawberry or COVID virus??
This discovery in our yard was quite a shock, actually.
Took a picture of a couple of mushrooms yesterday. Within the image was a little red wild strawberry. Once the photo was enlarged and the red berry zeroed in, the details of the berry came into focus.
That looks eerily close to COVID
Immediately the shape of the berry looked very familiar. Yes, that shape has been displayed just about everywhere since, oh, sometime around March 2020. It does look way to much like the renderings you see of that damned COVID-19 virus.
James Whitcomb Riley, The Hoosier Poet
Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley is an Indiana treasure, visit his home in Greenfield.
“When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.” We know you’ve heard that saying before. Did you know that is a quote from James Whitcomb Riley, know as The Hoosier Poet? Riley was born in 1849 in Greenfield, Indiana. His home is preserved and is open for tours.
Riley’s birthplace in Greenfield
Front door signage
Riley was noted for his down home use of dialect that epitomized rural Indiana. He first wrote under a pen name (farmer Benj. F. Johnson, of Boone) for newspapers in Anderson and Indianapolis. As a boy Riley worked as an assistant to traveling patent-medicine hucksters.
Historic Marker outside the home
Riley is famous for his remarkable volume of poems. He wrote and published over 1000 verses. His most popular are “Little Orphant Annie”, “The Raggedy Man,” “Our…
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More favorite bird photos
Baltimore Oriole with Sparrow in the back
On the nectar feeder
Back and tail plumage
Sandhill Crane
Baby Sparrow(?) after rain storm
Evil eye Grackle
Turkey Vulture warming its wings
Pileated Woodpecker taking off
Our nation’s symbol: Bald Eagle
A family outing
Here are a few more of our favorite bird images. The Turkey Vulture and Pileated Woodpecker are on the top of the same utility pole. The waterlogged little fledgling was blown out of the nest during a storm. Parents did tend to it, don’t know the outcome. We caught the eagle on a whale watching cruise around the San Juan Islands in Washington State. And the family of ducks was enjoying a walk in the town of Chincoteague on the island of the same name, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Some favorite portraits of birds
Here’s a few photos we got of some of our feathered friends.
Young robin right out of the nest
Starling parent, bottom, feeding youngster, top
Red bellied woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Immature White Ibis
Female Pileated Woodpecker
Brown Pelican
We have always enjoyed birdwatching and found it exciting to see various birds as we have traveled the country. When COVID hit, stopping our travels, we also began to enjoy birding in our own backyard. We both were surprised at how many different species visited our home.
If this old tin barn could talk
Tin roofing? Yes, of course. However you don’t often see tin siding on a barn. This old structure needs a little TLC, at least a paint job! You can see at the peak of the roof the overhang indicating that originally there was a pulley and rail for loading loose hay into the barn. This old barn has been around for a long time.
Squirrels show up everywhere
Seems that we run into squirrels where ever we go. And it also seems like they are always eating or looking for something to eat.
Hey! Is that corn over there?
“Mmmm…grapes are good!”
Cherry tomatoes. Yep, they are good.
Glad I remembered where I buried this nut!
Some people like to watch squirrels and like them around. Others can’t stand them. It has been said that squirrels are just rats with a great Public Relations Department. What side are you on?
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