Our Back Yard Animals - 5/2/2020

We are in day 50 since the CDC recommended that people limit contact with others and like so many, we look for alternative ways to enjoy life during this time. We always enjoyed sitting on our back patio. Now, it is a daily destination in the mornings and late afternoons when weather permits.


The first two days of May have been particularly beautiful. We have spent hours enjoying the newly arrived leaves, flowers and wildlife. We are fortunate to have a home that backs up to Fleming Park in the Park Ridge Subdivision. The park covers nearly 9,000 acres including about 2,000 acres of lake.  I decided to keep my camera by my side as we relaxed so I could document the beauty that surrounds us. Here are some of the photos.A little motherly grooming.

This Blue Bird occupies a house in our back yard but seems to enjoy the view from our neighbor's roof.

This is a Cow Bird.

Our Blue Bird exiting the house.

One of several turkeys that visit our back yard on a regular basis.  Sigrid named him"Dinner".

He must have known I was taking photos so he wanted to put on a good show.

I believe this is a Hermit Thrush.

Female Cardinals at our feeder.

A Blue Jay.

A Male Cardinal.

A Gold Finch or possibly a Western Tanger.

Our first Ruby Throated Hummingbird.

Most of the photos were taken from the comfort of my patio lounge chair without a tripod.  The Hummingbird was shot with a 400mm lens at 1/5,000th of a second to stop the motion of its wings.

We also see rabbits, raccoons, coyotes, and other small animals.  There have been reports of a Bobcat in the subdivision.  In the Fall, we see the Buck deer as they chase the does.  I expect to see some Fauns before too long.  It is that time of year.

The Marginal Way - Ogunquit Maine - 9/20/2019

One of my favorite stops while in Maine a few weeks ago, was the Marginal Way walking path located in Ogunquit.

The path follows the beach from the rocks above separating the city from the sea....it follows the margin between land and sea. The path is 1.25 miles long and ends in Perkins Cove. Coastal vegetation and flowers line the path. A beautiful stop if you are ever in Maine.

Ogunquit is a resort town with many fine resorts, B&Bs, and hotels.  This is one located on the Marginal Way. 

We were there at low tide.  Most of the beach area in the photos would be under water at high tide.

There were a few brave swimmers but it wasn't really that warm.

This guy was fishing and perhaps taking advantage of the low tide.

The trail is 1.25 miles long and ends at Perkins Cove.

Werner's Specialty Foods on a Saturday Afternoon - 8/17/2019

Last Saturday, we visited the Kansas City "City Market" and had a great time.  Even though we had breakfast at a restaurant near the market, we walked enough and spent enough time there to work up an appetite again.

We needed to make a brat run for home grilling and buy some German spices for home meals so we took advantage of the fact the Werner's grills brats outside on Saturday afternoons.  They have a great selection of brats to choose from and all are made in-house.  Our favorites are the Bier Cheese Brats.  We got there at just the right time for a short line.  At times of peak demand, there can be 20 or more people waiting for a custom grilled brat.

Werner's is located on Johnson Drive in Mission, Kansas.

Sigrid and Edel are German by birth so they know a good brat when they taste it.

You have to have the spicy German mustard on your brat.

Our Back Yard Flowers - 8/10/2019

Sigrid and I enjoy sitting on our patio in the early morning as the sun rises and before it gets too hot. Sigrid has a "green thumb" and the patio and landscaped areas at the back of the house are exploding with flowers of all colors and types.

There is usually heavy dew or droplets of water on the flowers from the irrigation system early in the morning. As the sun rises, the petals and droplets are beautifully illuminated and seem to glow with color. I could have taken two or three sets of photos at different stages of the sunrise. That gives me something to look forward to before the flowers are gone.

Lady Bugs are Sigrid's second favorite bug after Dragon Flies.

Not quite flowers yet.

 

Fun wit6h our fountain.

Spearmint blooms.

He shared out enjoyment of a beautiful morning by sunning himself on our cotton table cloth.

My first photo spooked him so he jumped to the umbrella pole.

Life is great!