Late yesterday afternoon,  Mark and I went down to Woodville to see what was up. I got out of the car and walked around.  The only wildlife present appeared to be Red-Winged Blackbirds.  Bah! Mark worked on his laptop while I walked back and forth like a restless caged lion.

I came back to the car to grumble. Nothing was around. No ducks. No geese. No flowers….nothing.  Mark told me sometimes you just have to be patient.  So, I sat.  And sat.

Suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a Great Blue Heron cruised across the sky.  It was flying rather low, so I poised the camera and began shooting.

These photos were okay, I guess. but I was a bit disappointed.  I don’t like “fiddling” around with photos. I like to get the shot right directly with the camera without tinkering around with color, contrast, and so on.   The lighting was kind of cruddy and it shows in the photos.

I went back to the car and sat again.  I didn’t see where the Heron went, but it seemed to magically appear once again.  It looked like it was irritated by a passing Gull and was chasing after it.  I hopped out of the car again and this time, I was much happier!  I thought these last three photos were far better than the first ones!

The was the first of the last three photos, and I did crop it because I used it for my photo journal. I loved the way the wings were spanned out! The last two photos, I didn’t crop so much but wanted to leave some of the “environment” in the photo.  I love the wings and the legs.

Herons are so gangly….they look kind of funny!  But, they are so large, they really catch your eye!

So, the moral of the story here was to just sit and (try to) be patient!  Mark reminded me that one evening while he was sitting in Woodville, one of the Eagles passed by him, overhead! Which reminds me that one of these days, things need to settle down a little so I can go kayaking again!!!

I’m not really doing too badly, though, as I am sludging through lots of stuff!  Consider the fact that we were not home from morning till evening last Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday….well, we’ve been on the move! Yesterday, I raked leaves out of the ditch alongside the driveway.  Not having any snow last winter meant that all the autumn leaves have just blown here, there, and wherever, and many landed in that ditch…

After my raking job, I went to work on lunch, making some really good Buffalo Chicken sandwiches for lunch, along with green beans cooked in butter and granulated garlic.  I made the buns for the sandwiches, along with the Buffalo Wing Sauce and Bleu Cheese Dressing.  Even though I have made these things before, it does take time. And effort!

It was after two before I finished cleaning up the kitchen and doing the dishes.  From there, I headed out to clean the Subaru.  We had been using the car a lot and I hadn’t vacuumed it or given it a good cleaning in a while.  I think I forgot just how long it actually takes to clean a car from top to bottom! One of the reasons I initially felt compelled to clean it was because our Ruby Red car was looking green from all the pollen all over it!  Unfortunately, today it is looking like more pollen has settled on it…..

Ah well….

I thought I would post some photos taken on Mother’s Day.  We went to visit my parents and had a great time, as always!

Yes, I know it’s freaky, but I rarely take photos of people.  I really have a hard time of it, as I am never satisfied with my people photos.  I am not stealthy enough to take pics “on the sly” and when people pose for me, I always get annoyed…

I did get an awesome photo of one of my very favorite flowers in my parents’ yard, namely a white Columbine.

hahaha….I didn’t do any tinkering with that photo!  The sky had gone to a pale shade of “colorless” late in the afternoon. I wanted to photograph the flower, so I decided to sneak off and get my photo!  I had to lie down on my back on the grass to get this…..why is it Columbines hang their heads???

On Monday, we went over to visit with Mark’s mom for awhile.  We got her a hanging basket with tuber Begonias.  I had looked all over the place for a pretty basket, and it was so hard to find!  We finally stopped at a nursery not too far from my mother-in-law’s house and it was the only one they had.  Needless to say, I snatched it as soon as I spotted it!!!  I had looked while we were in Henrietta at Lowe’s, WalMart, and some other stores, but all the baskets looked lop-sided and just wimpy!

I did manage to find a Fuchsia I liked, though.  I always have one on the front porch.  The Hummingbirds love them and so do I!  I like Fuchsias that are out of the ordinary, and this one is!  I love the little flowers.

Today, Mark and Michelle were off to Rochester.  I had a few loads of laundry to do, along with some other things, so I have been busy today! I got two loads of laundry done, made another batch of buns for steak, pepper, and onion sandwiches for dinner,  and washed the ATV’s. 

Well, that’s it for now!

We wound up parking the car next to a pond. Way off on the other side, I noticed a “collection” of geese.  There were some Canada Geese, along with the domestic variety. As we sat there, the domestic geese entered the water, along with a few goslings.  I couldn’t figure out which geese had the goslings as there were three geese that seemed to swim near them. 

It was also interesting to note that the domestic geese seemed to just “stick together”, leaving the Canada Geese over at the other end of the pond. The goslings were so cute! Since these photos were taken so far away from the geese, you might choose to click on them to see them larger…note the little gosling’s foot on the right in the photo below….

As these geese rested, the other domestic geese preened themselves. I love their reflections in the water.

We watched for a long time, just enjoying the beautful weather and the cool breeze blowing in through the windows.  As the adult geese preened themselves, the little goslings rested and grazed the tender green grass. If you click on the photo below, it is kind of funny to see the little gosling in the back walking along with its “wings” outstretched!

The scenery was so pleasant. Until a Canada Goose came crashing onto the pond!

I’m not certain if there was something going on between these geese or not, but the domestic took off as the Canada landed! It did make for a couple of interesting photos, as they looked like they were running on top of the water!

Of course, the geese weren’t the “only” life in the pond….

but they were far more interesting!

We had to pick the kids up in Penn Yan, so I had this idea to visit the Windmill.  I checked to see if they were open and was happy to see they were indeed! So, off we went!

I never take many photos at The Windmill, mainly because I just don’t take people pictures very often.  I am never sure whether people might object to having photos taken and I never seem to capture them well anyway!  I did manage a couple, though.

This horse was quite the hit!  Every time I came past, there were people pettting him and fussing over him. 

The second photo was an interesting shot. Don’t laugh. I spotted three Mennonite girls walking along, talking and laughing as they went. I wanted to photograph them, but to do so without making it obvious.  I had my tiny Canon on me, so I merely pointed it in their direction in front of me and shot three photos.  I didn’t look to see if the camera was focussing or anything, I just “shot from the hip”.  I had to do a whole lot of cropping, but thought this photo captured the girls rather well!

Don’t you just love their braids?

We headed off to Penn Yan and it looked like everyone was enjoying the beautiful day!  There were so many vehicles!

These two young Mennonite ladies were amongst the traffic.  I took several photos through the window with my telephoto lens.  Unfortunately, it is hard to “hide” the Nikon camera with that BIG lens on it.  So, as the buggy passed by us, the girl on the right saw me and smiled a HUGE smile. And WAVED!

Mennonites generally have no problems being photographed.  Many Mennonites even have cameras.  It is the Amish who are camera shy. Even so, I am generally reluctant to photograph people.  However, the girl’s beautiful smile and friendly wave made it seem just fine.

We picked the kids up and passed by a school. The school had a garden in front with some of the prettiest flowers I have ever seen!  I LOVED these Poppies…

On our way home, we passed by a farm with sheep. I was so disappointed that the majority of them were far off in the distance.  We passed by a pasture where it looked like all the ewes that were about due to lamb were placed.  As I looked I spotted one tiny lamb.  It must have just been born.

The lamb was so far off, I couldn’t see its head aimed upward until I placed the photo on the computer!  Looks like it is dead!  But, I made a “baaaing” sound and it got up on wobbly little legs and scampered over to its mama.

It was hard to see the day end. It really was a very relaxing and enjoyable spring day!

I was up this morning well before Murphy.  That is unusual because he usually is waking me up!  It was funny because as I talked to him, he just kind of looked at me as if not believing I was for real, then thrust his head back down as though going back to sleep!  That should have been an indicator that I should go back to sleep, but once I am up, I am up for the duration!

I tiptoed out front to see the Robin’s nest I showed yesterday….

I couldn’t believe she was there!  I am sorry about the poor quality of Mrs. Robin, but I chose to let the camera autofocus and that is the best I could do. I didn’t want to poke my face into hers, so I just pointed the camera.  She was initially facing the opposite direction and the photo I took had funny shadows in it.  I stepped aside to review my photo and when I stepped back to get one more photo, she had turned around in her nest!

I had watched this Robin build this nest and it really is incredible.  One of the mysteries to me, is how she knew exactly what size to build the nest.  When she is sitting on the eggs (there are now two!) she fits just perfectly into her masterfully woven nest of dried grasses and some mud.   It really is hard to understand just how her “house” is so perfect!

We drove up to Rochester late this morning to look at a car.  The road we traveled happens to intersect with the Kodak company.  Unfortunately for us, the company was receiving a load of coal, via rail car. 

We sat with the car turned off for at least half an hour, as the cars went back and forth, back and forth….like a tennis ball in a match! When the train finally cleared the tracks, the cars lined up in the opposing lane had to have been a couple of miles long!  What a mess….especially since this is a major road!

When we got to the car dealership,  I noticed a HUGE American flag in front of the store.  I lingered on a bit to get this shot…

I love the way the sun is behind the flag, highlighting it with its gorgeous blue skies and bright sunshine.

We finally got home a little after six, then we took the kids to visit friends.  By the time we got home, it was late.  Mark and I sat up and watched a couple of shows he had recorded on the National Geographic Channel about the Amish.   This series is very interesting and informative.  Mark and I both nearly passed out, watching the shows.  It is currently after eleven.

So….why am I still up?

It seems like we are on the run 100% of the time.  Most of the time, it is for the kids, so I don’t mind.  The problem lies in the fact that the house is a veritable disaster zone!  No matter how many dishes I wash, floors I sweep, or windows I clean, every morning, the cycle begins all over again!  Remember the story about the elves and the shoemaker?  Well, I think the little elves have regrouped and make it a point to come to my house while I am sleeping and totally mess it up!!

Well, enough of the complaining.  Here are some photos from today.

Tomorrow is another busy day of rushing here and there!

I will be back with another post tomorrow! Until then!!!

Mark worked on getting the little puter up and running, but the virus ruined something, making it impossible for it to connect online.  Talk about frustrating! Mark has on on spent the better part of today working on it again.  He is confident the little netbook will be fine, it just might take some time.  So…

On Friday afternoon, Mark and I went for a ride down to Bath.  It was a nice day for a ride and lately, our little Murphy has been enjoying riding along.  We wound up going to a car dealership there, and Mark wanted to take a car for a test drive.  The fellow showing us the car said Murphy could ride along, as it was rather warm.  I held him on my lap and he was perfect!

After the test drive, Mark wanted to go inside and get some information about the car.  I carried Murphy in and he sat on my lap as we chatted with the salesman. Murphy could not have behaved any better.  He sat on my lap with his paws on the desk as though he was listening to all that was said.  Another salesman came over to inquire what type of dog Murphy is. When I told him a Scottie, he said he has a Scottie-poo.  (Mark’s sister also has a dog like this, but refers to hers as a “Scoodle”.)

After we left the dealership, we began driving home.  Mark asked if I wanted to visit with Eunice, my Amish friend.  I happily agreed, although was a little concerned as it was kind of late.

We stopped by and Eunice was so happy to see me again!  Her little boy Chris wanted to know if I had any Lincoln Logs.  He apparently heard Eunice and I talking about them the last time I was there!  I told him no, but he was still pretty happy to see me!

Eunice told me she had been working on planting onions in their garden.  She had to go inside….although it was late, they hadn’t had their dinner yet.  I followed Eunice inside and asked if I could help out. I had to smile as I spotted little Chris’s miniature straw hat on the table, filled with six fresh eggs! Eunice laughed as she explained that Chris always carries the eggs in his hat!  Oh, how my camera trigger finger burned….

Little Susanna was in her arms, so Eunice said I could take her.  As soon as she was in my arms, her little bottom lip protruded and she began to wail!  Oh my! Poor Eunice….I asked if she minded me taking Susanna outside and she said to go ahead.  I remember how hard it was getting anything done with a crying baby and I thought perhaps taking her outside might distract her.

We walked around, looking at everything, but she still sobbed in between looking around.  Chris followed us around and Susanna would get interested in watching him a bit, then would resume crying.  Poor baby!  We went back inside and dinner was almost ready.

I asked Eunice if there was anything at all I could do, and she said “Yes!”  She showed me a hand operated butter churn and I was thrilled!  The churn was a big glass jar with a shaft that went inside with a paddle at the bottom.  Noah had just brought in some fresh milk from their cow and had separated the cream from the milk.

I churned the butter for a few minutes and in peaking inside, I could see the butter was forming.  I am not sure if it was completely done or not, but Noah said he would finish it up if it wasn’t.  They told me they make butter two or three times every week.

Noah got up from the table and said he needed to go “get the cow”.  Eunice and I went back outside to visit.  We chatted and had such a good time visiting, as always.  I noticed Noah walking up the driveway, behind the big cow.  Suddenly, he lunged forward and grabbed hold of a rope that was tied around her neck.  Behind him, little Chris followed along in his blue shirt, black trousers with suspenders, and straw hat.  Once again, my mind longed to just snap a photo!

Mark had dropped me off and driven a few miles to the town to do some work on his laptop.  I called him and he came to pick me up.  It is hard saying good bye….I so enjoy Eunice and her family, but we needed to get on home.

Saturday morning, we had to leave home to head on out to Rochester Institute of Technology.  Michelle’s college was having another Imagine RIT event….this is like their open house to show off the various schools.

Walking around the campus for a few hours with my big camera bag had to be good exercise, but wow!  I was getting so tired, I wondered if I would make it until three when Michelle’s volunteer shift ended!

A few photos from the day…..

Michelle decked in her volunteer shirt.

This fellow was paddling around in a concrete canoe.  Yes, concrete! Every year, several colleges compete to build the ultimate concrete canoe.  This year’s model placed 4th. It was too heavy and didn’t float nicely like this particular model from a few years ago!

The RIT Pep Band performed along a walkway between buildings. They were good! The band was on one side of the walkway, while the director was on the other side.

There was a sea of people no matter where we went….like the streets of New York City, midday! I grew weary and just didn’t take as many pictures as I should have. Nor did I visit a lot of displays.

I did run into these fellows. Several times.

Michelle’s volunteer shift was from noon until three.  We met Mark in the parking lot shortly after three and were off once again!  Yes, our day didn’t end there.

Mark and I met two couples at Applebee’s for dinner.  We met at four because one fellow is having some trouble with his eyesight and doesn’t like being out after dark. We had a good time visiting and the Bruschetta Chicken was fabulous!  Mark and I both had it and agreed it was the best we’ve had there!  We had dropped the kids off and they met a friend, so we picked them up afterwards and got home shortly after nine.

I don’t remember anything after I rested on the bed…..I do remember waking up this morning!

The past couple of days have been filled up, so today really was a day of REST!

I was not disappointed at all!  I noticed that the little Lily of the Valley plants were blooming, or close to it.  I went to the garage and grabbed a piece of cardboard and headed down into the front yard.  Don’t you wonder what the neighbors across the street must think when they see me lying on the ground outside? Well, the Lily of the Valley wasn’t so great after all, so I walked around a little.

There was still a lot of dampness and dew and when I photographed this Dandelion,  I was pleased with the look.  I love the featherlike appearance.

But the best was yet to come!  When we moved here to our new house almost twenty years ago, Mom and Dad gave us two small Double White Lilac bushes.  One of the bushes is nearly at peak, and the smell?  Wonderful!  I walked over to take some photos of the pretty bracts only to be surprised to find the bush moving!  Yes! There were at least twenty Red Admiral Butterflies enjoying that bush right alongside me!  It was tempting to watch the butterflies dancing about instead of keeping my eye glued to the eyepiece of the camera, but I decided the photos would be almost as enjoyable!

I love those white lilacs…they remind me of the flowers on a wedding cake…they are so pretty!  Butterflies can often be a challenge to capture as they are extremely “flitty”.  Well, I think these butterflies must have been mellow because they just awakened!  They were so accommodating, often spreading their wings wide open for me to enjoy their beauty!

Don’t you wish every day could be all butterflies and flowers?

If you like babies, hang in here.  You will get your fill of duck and goose babies….sorry if you *only* like the human kind.  I don’t take a lot of photos of people because I am not bold enough to ask permission. Bad, I know.  Okay, as promised, here we go…..

Well, seeing all of these tiny babies was so exciting.  I didn’t have too much trouble getting close, although something strange did happen.  I was snapping away, happily behind the lens, when BOTH goose parents began hissing  and wildly flapping their wings.  I couldn’t imagine I’d done anything to cause such behavior, so I lowered the camera only to see a muskrat slip into the water!  That wasn’t something I had thought about before, but I would think they would be a real threat to the goslings!

So, now that I showed you lots and lots of fluffy babies, here is something I have never seen before!  Well, actually, I did spot this on Monday….

We were sitting in an RIT parking lot, when I saw ducks floating about in a marshy area.  I got out of the car to see what was going on and I made a discovery!  The campus has Wood Ducks!  Before this, I had never seen one of these!  I was so excited, but without my telephoto lens, I was going nowhere.

Fast forward to today.  I wandered back over to the same marshy area, only to see two Mallard drakes preening themselves in the sun.  I decided to be patient.  A little later, I saw what looked like a Mallard couple in the water.  As I went near the water, they retreated over to the other side….it had to have been about one hundred feet away.  I was disappointed, but then I saw the couple get out of the water.

I took a few photos and was surprised when I saw that some photos showed the male duck fairly well.  The female was impossible to capture….she was so camoflaged,  she looked just like the leaves she was wading through….

This little boy would be fun for a game of hide and seek….he certainly can make himself disappear!

All in all, not to shabby of a day!!!