I was excited when I glanced through the kitchen window at the backyard buffet and discovered an Eastern bluebird posing for multiple photo opps. The sky was overcast, as it usually is in February. A sunny blue sky would have been appreciated, but it wasn't essential because this colorful visitor arrived with his own special …
Botanical Garden-Big Spring 2017
Wandering through the Big Spring exhibit at the Cleveland Botanical Garden gives one hope that spring is well on the way. If you live, as I do, where winter seems to last forever and sunshine and blue skies are rare and a cause for joy, you will understand the significance of an event that celebrates …
Return of the pileated woodpeckers
The light was dull this morning, and I couldn't get a great picture, but look who reappeared in our backyard this morning. We haven't been visited by the pileateds for months, and this morning I heard the distinctive "I'm here!" call, ran to my window, and there he was high up on the tall oak …
Frozen Erie Lakescapes
This morning I visited a friend who lives a few short blocks from Lake Erie. Because it was a beautiful morning, I couldn't resist stopping by Lake Overlook Park on my way home. Only one other person was walking along the trail from the lake to the parking lot. Noticing my camera, she remarked that …
Lazy (and wet) Sunday afternoon
The temperature was hovering around zero with freezing rain tapping on the window pane, so backyard birding seemed like a better idea than trudging down the trail in the park. Call me a wimp, if you want, but I'm happiest indoors in weather like this. The bluejays don't seem to mind much as long as …
A cold weather walk
Although the temperature reading in my car reminded me it was well below freezing, I decided on a trail walk in Chagrin River Park. After all, it was warmer than yesterday's 19 degrees (Fahrenheit), and there was a weak sun in the sky. The first wildlife I spotted were these whitetail deer, who quickly noticed …
Back to birding in the back yard
It wasn't a fabulous day for photography, so I decided to take some shots through the kitchen window. This stump and several others are what remains of a large oak tree we had to cut down last year. I decided to take advantage of them to create tables, just for the wildlife. The little birds …
Trail walking again
It's not that I have forgotten to take pictures lately, but trail walking (and blogging) have taken a back seat to other responsibilities and the mundane routines of daily life...and the weather has not been friendly to photo walking. Temperatures way below freezing and icy trails have kept me closer to home than usual. Consequently, …
Happy Anniversary to US!
Last month Bob and I celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary. You might say that's a milestone occasion, worthy of a major celebration, and I would agree. However, neither of us was in the mood that afternoon to get dressed up and go out for a fancy dinner like we did last year. Instead, as the …
To labor or not to labor?
Friday was the beginning of Labor Day weekend. After cleaning the house all morning, I decided I had labored long enough, so I thought I would put in some time at my computer, making a dent in my really neglected blog. However, before I even got started, a phone call came from my daughter Becky, …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 